CALAMITY CORE : FREE THE WORLD

CH.33 'THE TALE'

"Sir, your new position... is it safe to say that we've been clear of any suspicions?" Said a voice. An armored soldier of the Kochi Guard stood in a dark office, lit only by candles and moonlight.

A man in a mix of black robes and steel plating turned around in his chair, his wolf-like features quite evident. He had a long, pointed nose, and the ears of a beast. Behind him, his tail jutted from a gap in the chair, and he dipped his head with closed eyes before opening them to reveal gleaming yellow. "The elder, and that Inu bastard with his entourage, the people still believe that the two are related." The black-robed Beastman nodded. "Yes, I'd say we're still in the clear. Though don't let slip what happened."

The armored wolf-man gulped and nodded. This man, the newly appointed commander of the Guard, was an utter menace to be faced against, even in such a situation as this. "Of course, sir. I'll be sure that my barrack doesn't so much as mention your relation to the old head." He could feel a cold sweat growing on his pale face... he didn't have the wolfish fur or features of the other man. "Not a word."

The black-cloaked man nodded in return, and cleared his throat as to shift topics. His yellow eyes bore holes in the armored wolf-man's chest. "As for appealing to our neighboring tyrant... have your men chosen any outsiders? I worry that with Okuri's intervention, we may be teetering on the edge of angering him."

With a twitch of his muscles, the wolf-man nodded, and he felt the cold sweat on his forehead grow... thankfully it was barely evident. After focusing himself, he tried to look his fellow Beastkin in the eyes. "To appease that Raigo, we've chosen two. Hope is that with their power, they'll either beat him for us, or croak before they become a threat to us." He couldn't do it. He looked to the ground and sighed quietly.

"The two 'recruits' I've heard so much of?" The man in black narrowed his eyes. "What about the Shikoku Merchant Company, or the nomad Bounty Hunters Guild? I've heard so much promise of the two you took in." As he spoke, he wrinkled his features in disappointment at the news of their chosen lure.

Exhaling more apparently now, the armored wolf-man shook his head. "I spoke to the boy. He doesn't believe they intend on staying... the life of the road is one for both them and the Merchants. Unfortunately, they've taken more of a liking to the Hat's clan." The tired Beastkin then leaned up against the wall, taking a moment to peer out the window opposite to him, breaking his nervous stare with the yellow-eyed man. "If they come across the Inu Clan again, or Raigo, like they mentioned..."

"Then they might become a threat. I see." Said the man in the black. "Very well then. I approve of your choices then... if they don't intend to stay, they serve no purpose to the village."

Hovering just over the door, a wide-eyed Shimoda finally blinked as the conversation came to a close. When he heard boots approaching the door, the boy flinched. Turning tail he made his way back to where he came from... thoughts nearly deafened him to the sound of footsteps on the stairs below him as well. "What the hell...?"

His hand instinctively dipping down to draw his sword, he suddenly felt tension send a shiver of feeling down his spine. Shimoda gritted his teeth. These people were bad news... it shouldn't have been any surprise, considering their welcome that they had given Andrei, if you could even call it that. Moving towards the stairs now, he ducked onto the upper level as the door to the Guard Commander's office swung open. He leaned forward to look around the corner, and noticed the man who had initially helped him achieve his 'Ki' power. "That piece of...-!" He nearly jumped out of his skin as the voice of a second guard appeared from the flight of stairs leading down right beside him.

"Captain, what was it that the Commander needed from you?" It asked, before realizing that there was a sound right beside him. "Huh? Who the hell else is up here...?"

The captain of the Guard flinched as he heard the question, and he twisted his nose, his face suddenly growing dark. He jogged in the direction of the stairs, his sword partially drawn, and Shimoda decided it was best to make a break upwards. "Someone's in here, get 'em dammit! He might've heard something!"

Bolting up yet another flight of stairs, Shimoda found himself in a dusty hallway, and he began to make a break straight through it, drawing his sword in full as the two armored men gave chase. When they saw him, the Captain's eyes widened, and he began to glow with a green aura, Ch'i, or Ki as Shimoda called it. "Get your ass back here, you little bastard!"

With a single step, the Captain rocketed forward, his strength being amplified by the emotion in his aura in that moment. Shimoda turned in time to catch him, reflexively lifting his sword as the man slammed into it with his own. Barely able to hold up against the boosted power before him, he put his legs into it, then shifted to the side, slicing the man's ear atop his head and spraying blood. "What the hell are you planning for us?!" Shimoda yelled as he countered his rotation.

"Eh?!" The Captain shouted.

A flash of purple energy appeared from Shimoda's hands, enveloping his arms and sword before it spread to the rest of his body. His hair began to float in the shifted pressure of his aura, and the Captain's own Ch'i clashed with the boy. "Don't ignore me, you piece of shit!" Shimoda yelled as he swung his sword.

Steel clashed, and the Captain was sent stumbling backwards from the sheer magnitude of both the aura and amplified strike. Shimoda's sword swung around and caught the second soldier's blade, only to be repelled slightly by the aura that the man carried with him. Ducking and stepping back, Shimoda found himself up against a wall, and he raised his weapon. Both of the men focused on him now, granting his wish for their full attention.

His reflexes and strength turned up to eleven, he managed to repel the first few blows, his weight shifting back and his boots digging into the wall as he weaved between slices he couldn't hope to parry. Eventually, they went for the legs, and he was forced to jump, his silhouette catching in the moonlight radiating through the window behind him as both men came upwards. He held his sword down to guard, and felt as glass shattered on his back, the wind of the outside world breaking the pressure inside of the building as Shimoda was thrown out by a combination strike. "Wha-?!" He managed to make out before landing on the roof of a smaller shop beside the building.

Aura breaking his fall, he looked up to see both wolf-men giving chase to him. Turning tail, he shot up from where he had landed on his back, his face now cut up with shards of glass, and Shimoda sprinted into the dark, moonlit town, carried by his own high emotions and the shock of his revelation that night. He had to find Andrei, or Saionji, or Alpha... somebody strong enough to help him fend off these sell-outs. His jaw tight, he inhaled and put his all into getting away for now. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, he realized where he was now in a way, and took a sharp left once the wall of the village became increasingly evident. "Shit... maybe the Merchant Company? Hirano might be awake, or Alpha there..." He felt as the panting of the wolves behind him grew closer, and he realized now that he had begun to lose focus of his intense aura... though he had a short burst of incredible power, it wasn't sustainable.

With the last of his strength, Shimoda landed in the streets of the market, and as his Ch'i began to fade in full, he bounded forward once more, tearing up stone and dirt behind him as he left a trail of dust in his wake, heading for the Merchant's caravan. "Alpha, Hirano... Somebody, anyone! We've got trouble, big trouble!" He yelled, for the whole village of Kochi to hear.

He saw the glint of a sword behind him in the window of a building ahead, and he closed his eyes. Continuing to sprint at full speed, Shimoda's legs finally gave out, and he fell into the ground shoulder first, dropping his sword as his body quit on him. His Ch'i having drained his energy in that moment, he stood at the mercy of those behind him. "Shit... did they hear me?" he thought to himself as the sound of boots drew closer.

Then the slam of a colossal, blunt blade crushed steel in his ears. He managed to open his eyes, and he smiled. Phanes stood behind bare feet, looking at Shimoda with eyes wide, and a red cloak fluttered in the wind. As his eyes fell upwards, and his consciousness fluttered, he got a good look at the graceful figure that was Alpha.1, his android in shining armor, her arm outstretched as her blade came back to her and the fire within it lit ablaze, visible from the side of the sword in its exposed core. "Shimoda, retreat now. I will eliminate this threat on behalf of your sister and the animal."