Darkest Days

26, The Basement

(Maki's Pov)

I wasn't all that sure about this mission, the mansion interior showed nothing more than shinobi who's blood was scattered in every direction by our team. Enemy samurai with their heads turned to a red, agonising, pulp and their intestines wrapped around them like a noose. It freaked me out. It made my palms sweaty, my legs were weak at the sight of human brutality.

We can be way too cruel to each other sometimes
I had reached the entrance to the basement of the mansion by now. The simple, geometric shapes and forms of the outer mansion had faded into this ominous, dark stone plattered interior. It looked like it was the entrance to some sort of cell in a prison. A place where you'd contain something that could end the world. I heard a few footsteps behind me, as they got louder and louder I turned around and saw a lady. About my age; short, black hair and light brown eyes that looked far too distressed to be a good sign. She wore a hoodie and a pair of rather skinny jeans. When she had walked up to me, her gaze fixed itself on my own eyes.

"What's it you fools want? The Kenchi Mansion has been ours for many years, we've never been ambushed and-" She spoke in a rather harsh manner. The same voice Xela would use on her own enemies when fighting. I cut her off though and I sounded rather more monotone to try to act careless and dismissive. Just to mess with her.

"I just want the Intel you hid here- if you even have any that is"

"Yeah, good luck with finding that!" She shouted with a grin of grimace before swirling up her arm behind her almost too elegantly and then shot me before I could deflect it. My armour had thankfully managed to throw the bullet off my shoulder and down to the ground. In replacement of a hole in my flesh, there was a dent in my armour now.

"Try that again" I laughed at her, only to get her more aggravated so she could eventually lash out. I had this technique where I would wind my opponent up and wait until they become far too angered to speak in proper sentences. Then, since they act on their own anger and not with precision it's easier to fool around with them. So she shot me a couple more times, all shots came off my armour and one barley missing my chin. She'd come to a point where she shot me in an endless fit of rage and since the energy on the gun was about to overheat. It was the best moment to attack. I pulled out a dagger in a swift motion to attempt to stab her in the gut but she only parried me by grabbing my fist and twisting my wrist. I retracted my wrist fast enough for it not to get twisted by her motion and instead spun round until I got an advantage behind her. I spun hit her in the back once with my right and with my left I put the dagger in front of her so she'd fall right into it.

Until I saw her dissappear and she used one of her spells.

"Earth Style: Meteor Rain!" She yelled at an exceptionally loud volume. "What the..." I stammered back. You know when you don't know whats going on, only to then realise what's happening a moment later?

Well, that's exactly what happened here. I felt the ground rumble for a moment... the ground lifted itself up. Wooden birch boards from the floor lifted themselves up, thatch underlay rose up and faced me like an array of needles. It was too late then, I knew I was right about dead. Though, thankfully when your so stressed and used to throwing things away from you, you manage to develop an instinct. I developed an instinct where I'd deflect projectiles thrown at me thanks to my training with Specter. He did a good job at making a fake smg out of pure darkness.

"Light Style: Golden Vitality!" I shouted back. There was a golden, channeling and transparent energy that lined my whole body on top of my armour: A self shield that protects you from most projectiles. The only reason I did use this is because I needed a shield just in case one of the sharp ends met my feet. So I deflected them as fast as light, quick as I could; even I was surprised at how well this was going. Up until it stopped.

Pindrop silence.

I stood there with my katana in firm grip, the floating rocks and debris all dissappeared; they were now on the floor. Lifeless.

"What the fuck?!" I said aloud in confusion. The confinements of the mansion also seemed rather...
Made from a shining ruby? I don't know.

I walked where the lady once was and I was met with a mess of different shades of red all scattered and mushed up in one stew.

She's dead? But... I didn't do anything!

"I'm sure you wouldn't of expected anything as such-" The voice I knew, it was the voice of Specter. His sword was unexpectedly covered in blood. "How is that possible?" I asked in complete awe.

"It's a technique that condesces the air so much that it's enough to combust their insides" He explained in a hushed voice."And why're you whispering?" I replied.

"Shinobi are very fucking good at killing samurai without them knowing, so stay low" He advised as we then advanced into the basement. As we walked down, I saw Specter's face. He looked, rather tired; tired wouldn't be the right word. More like... pissed-off?

His eyes had this dark, lifeless colour. His hair even looked darker than I remembered like he was a carcass of some dark city. "W-what...happened to you?" I asked, trying not to sound too annoying to him. (Yeah, he can get annoyed by some people just asking him too many things.)

"I nearly went berserk again... or whatever. Turns out being pissed off is a side effect" He murmured in a low voice. So when we went down, I saw a whole new place all unfold itself in front of us. "Have you been here?" I asked as we passed the barren, stone, confinement of the main basement. "No, the clan elders were the only people who had access here; it's my first time here" He answered again.

I'm asking too many things, which... most likely makes me look like an idiot.

"I-Im sorry if the questions seem annoying or..."

"Nah, it's fine. I'm also asking a fuck ton of questions. Like, first off... why isn't the forbidden Crystal Ōdachi in it's rack?" He asked as he pointed at a sword rack on the wall.