***[1]
Click.
''Father i got the info, lets go.''
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March 5th, 984, 18:30 PM (19:30 Remaining)
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The sun was quietly beginning to set over the backstreets as blood drenched members of the Kurokumo clan filled the streets, their pockets lined with wads of cash, all converging to a single point.
Almost all of them were returning safe with their debt money, it was a tradition of this particular branch of the Kurokumo clan to go out for some fun whenever they had the opportunity to, and with their pockets looted like this, what better opportunity was there for almost all of them to enjoy some festivities?
...
Almost, all of them.
''....''
The man on the other hand of the phone line took a long, deep drag of a cigar.
''So you're sayin' theres no signs of Takeshi or his two shmucks?''
''Yes, im certain.'' The woman on the other end replied calmly, leaning against the wall.
''.....''
A long silence followed, somehow completely deafening only interrupted by a particularly loud laugh from inside the cafe.
''Judgin' by the fact that they don't seem too stressed about it, im assuming you haven't told them...either that or they haven't noticed.''
''Spot on.''
''Haah~''
''Fuck me.''
''...You're worried.....''
''....Aren't you?''
''Oh nonononoooo~ why would I be fuckin worried~?''
''Maybe it could be cause the bloody fuckin captain dies out of nowhere when going to collect debt from some absolute nobody, just...POOF! He's gone, no trace not a phone call nothin'''
''Captain i-''
''OH OH! Maybeee its cause after the bloody captain dies i get to take over his shitshow of a syndicate, yknow, sweet little fuckin' gig, until 3 wakashu also just dissapear during debt collection, cause i guess that's just a trend nowadays!''
''Captain could you please calm down for just a second-''
''But nah nah nah nah! Distortions happen all the time in the backstreets, getting plucked by a stray one just....
''Happens~ yknow?''
''Say....how's that sayin' go, the one captain loved to use to somehow get people to walk straight to their fuckin deaths.....ah right! I got it! Goes something likeeee~''
''Once is-''
''Bad luck, twice is a coincidence, three times is a problem.''
''I know, captain.''
''...''
Silence filled the call once more....complete, utter, deafening silence.
The man on the other end took a hit of the cigar, then...kept going, inhaling for what felt like an eternity.
He exhaled, slowly, for 10 entire seconds.
And a chuckle escaped his lips, almost as if the entire atmosphere of the conversation had changed, the man stood up abruptly, pacing around the room he was in, the floorboards creaking audibly enough to be heard trough the speaker.
She picked up on it quite quickly. ''Going for another drink i assume~ Isn't this your third one?''
''Tch- You're too damn perceptive for your own good sometimes yknow.''
The woman rolled her eyes. ''Whatever you say....''
''Im allowed to celebrate too yknow! It aint every day that you just become the new captain of the kurokumo clan!''
''Not every day that the captain of the kurokumo clan dies either''
She took a drag of her cigarrete, then exhaled, watching the smoke dissipate.
''But here we are.''
''Tch- yeah right.'' The captain had already reached a drawer, beginning to unscrew a cork off a bottle of whiskey, muttering under his breath incoherently about the lack of sake...mostly about how a certain missing enforcer had drank it all.
''Shouldn't you be taking this a little more seriously?''
''Oh please! If the bastard's dead its a blessing in disguise, we won't have to buy triple the amount of booze we normally do!''
That...actually managed to get a laugh out of the woman, an uncharacteristically melodic sound in the dead quiet of night.
The captain had additionaly finished unscrewing the cork, bringing it up to his lips, and taking several chugs straight from the bottle, not stopping until all it's contents were emptied.
''Haah...'' He panted slightly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. ''Good shit, good shit.''
''Now.'' The man quickly plopped himself down onto a nearby couch, running a hand trough his hair.
''Whaddya' think's happenin' out there?''
''...''
''Well since you were so nice to ask.''
She took a glance back at the interior of the cafe trough a window, her lips curling into a smirk despite her best efforts, a few steps we're taken away from it, leaning against the second nearest wall, after all, it would be a shame to spoil the suprise.
''Can't be a distortion.'' She stated bluntly.
''Oh'' The man crossed his legs on the couch ''What makes ya think that?''
''Cause it's clearly spesificaly targetting the kurokumo clan, distortions aren't smart enough to know how to do that.''
''Then please enlighten this dumb captain of yours, oh all knowing miss Kyoko, what in the name of the city could be causing allll this trouble for lil old me~.'' His tone was so sarcastic it might as well've been felt trough the phone.
''...''
She paused, taking another drag of smoke.
Her thoughts quickly wandered to the most faraway corners of logic possible, she'd always been a sharp one but...this just made no sense.
It couldn't have been a sentient distortion, those are far too rare, and even if it was, the chances of it having a grudge spesificaly against the kurokumo we're even further in the negatives, and besides, a distortion like that could turn them all into mincemeat, it wouldn't need to kill them all slowly.
Her fingers found themselves absentmindedly scratching her chin, brows furrowing in thought, the captain on the other end had already begun speaking obscenities, yelling to try get a response, and was thus, promptly ignored.
''...Lets see here...what could it possibly be-''
...
It all struck her suddenly.
The messanger mentioning something about an additional prescript he had to fullfill before that little silk transaction.
The cracked mask of the carnival member.
Along with the sheer and utter lack of bloodfiends in the x-corp backstreets.
It took every muscle on her face not to burst out laughing right now at the absurdity of the situation.
''1 year huh....that ''Hellsing'' or whatever his name was managed to keep this place fiend free for only a year...''
''OI! KYOKOOOOOOOO, ANSWER ME DAMNI! WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT!?!?''
The woman took a calm drag, the last bits of her cigarrete falling onto the floor as ash.
''SERIOUSLY, SPIT IT THE FUCK OUT, WHAT ARE YOU-''
''Bloodfiend.''
''It's a bloodfiend, captain.''
''..Fuck's a bloodfiend-''
''....''
''Pft-''
''HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~''
''Oh we really are fucked~''
She let the cigarrete butt fall to the floor, snubbing it out under her shoe.
''I'l put this in a way you can understand, captain.''
''We're all going to die.''
''Huh? The hell's gotten into you? What do you mean we're gonna die!?''
She saw it from the corner of her eye, peering trough the window, something that, to her atleast, only vaguely resembled a bipedal aproximation of a previous enforcer of the kurokumo clan shambling towards the cafe entrance.
''FOR FUCK SAKE ANSWER ME KYOKO! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?''
Her hand moved to the katana on her hip.
''IM BEING SERIOUS HERE THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR JOKES KYOKO!''
She unsheathed it, watching the blade glint in the light, bringing it up to her eyes to inspect it, somehow still smiling inspite of the dread that was creeping up her spine.
''KYOKO I WILL CHOP YOUR FUCKING ARMS OFF IF YOU DON'T-''
CLICK
''Noisy little bastard isn't he~'' She muttered to herself whilst twirling the blade inbetween her fingers, stopping abruptly to point the tip at her stomach.
''....Hmmm, should i? It would be alot less painful then whatever that would do to me wouldn't it~'' She shook her head slightly, after a few more seconds of deliberation, quietly sheathing the katana as she patted her pockets for more cigarretes, letting out an amused snort when none we're found.
Her gaze was intently focused on the cafe window, clear as day, even in the darkness of night, a shambling Takeshi, covered in crystalized crimson red spikes, skin pale, body gaunt, eyes blackened with red irises, slowly and rhythmically slamming his hand against the window.
''....''
''Hah~'' The sword was drawn again.
''We're fucked~''
SHINK
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104.
That was the total number of the kurokumo clan members currently inside that cafe, the only thing that was still trying to salvage the festivities was the ear piercing bass boosted music that was being played trough a nearby speaker.
Nobody dared to make a sound, nobody dared to make a move, all eyes we're locked on what they could clearly recognize as a member of their syndicate, the slamming of his hand having transitioned to scraping at the glass instead.
Finnaly, one of them spoke up
''...Y-you guys seeing this....?'' One of them pointed.
''....That's...not mister Takeshi is it....?'' Another followed up.
''Cmon this has gotta be some kind of prank....i mean....cmon...remember what miss Kyoko told us...theres no bloodfiends here-''
He was cut of by another enforcer, an intimidating man if there ever was one, who inspite of all the chaos surrounding him, still managed to keep a cocky smirk on his face.
''OH PLEASE! WHAT'RE YOU ALL EVEN WHINING ABOUT!'' He pushed trough the crowd, then the tables, and then the chairs, all to make his way over to the window, stopping a few steps away from the glass.
He waved his hand infront of the bloodbag's face.
It didn't react, at all.
....
He turned to the others with a shit eating grin, pointing at the former enforcer still scratching at the glass for seemingly no reason.
''Cmon, you've gotta be pullin my leg here, you're all scared of this? This tiny little bloodbag over here!? That's what's gotten the big bad kurokumo clan shaking in our boots!?''
...
More silence filled the crowd.
Before, just as quickly as they'd left, one by one, the voices returned, bolder, more audible with their cheers, more fervorous with their clapping, more enthusiastic with their whistling.
''DON'T LET ME EVER SEE YOU STOP PARTYIN' OVER SOMETHING THIS MINOR YA HEAR!'' He pointed at the bloodbag without turning ''WE BETTER MAKE THIS PLACE ONPAR WITH THE MIDDLE'S RAVES IF WE WANNA CALL OURSELVES A SYNDICA-''
THWUCK
Oh that window, that poor perfectly cleaned window, you have to hand it to some people in the backstreets, they can make their places look real nice, even if it usualy comes at the price of cowardice, such as with the owner of this cafe currently curled up in the fetal position under the bar.
Of course though, windows were the least of the worries of the wakashu at this point.
Given the fact the enforcer had just had a spear hit him straight in the chest.
His lifeless body hung limply, dangling.
...Nobody moved.
It was more that nobody dared to move, as all heads turned to the quickly aproaching set of both heavy, and soft footsteps.
Punctuated by the clapping of hands as a large and small silhouette emerged from the darkness.
''Tch-weak armed it.'' The small figure said, donning nothing but a robe that was clearly several sizes too big for him.
''Hm?'' Byron ceased in his clapping ''But the throw was most incredible for a first time!''
''Father you really shouldn't spoil me like this yknow, you're allowed to say the throw sucked.''
''Hmph! To me it was a most magnificent demonstration of spearthrowing! I shall hold the belief that mine most beloved of kindred's ability to shower his enemies with such raw untold violence is but his greatest gift!''
''It's...not really a gift yknow....''
I reached out my hand towards the bloodbag, which then exploded in a burst of red light, dissolving into a sphere of blood which quicky came towards my hand.
''Mhm...'' I stared at it for a while.
''Hm? What seems to be the matter?''
''It's just...the scythe didn't feel that good to use yknow....well, it sort of did i guess? I dunno, it's hard to explain it....''
''But it's...annoying, still the only damn shape that speaks to me, feel like i could pair it with something else but just-''
Byron placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, and when i turned to look at him he had what could be best described as an expression of pure unbridled joy on his face.
''Ah! It is no worry at all! For i, Byron, shall dilligently teach my kindred from day in and day out how to wield one's hardblood most effectively!''
And i...quickly understood why....
''Right, sounds fun, but for now.'' My attention turned back to the stunned members of the Kurokumo clan, most of whom had begun to draw their weapons towards me already.
''Remember our agreement?''
''Mhm! I shall not intervene! Not that i would wish to regardless! The opportunity to see mine kindred slaughter his enemies is a memory that i shall take with pleasure!''
''...''
''-_-''
''Whatever you say father, now-''
''GET HIM!''
Couldn't even finish my sentence before the first one swung at me with an overhead strike. 'First time im in an actual fight.....'' I thought to myself, to which i had plenty of time to do so, being a second kindred and all that blade was practically moving in slow motion for me.
With a simple step to the right, and a slash of my scythe in an upwards arc.
SHEEN
SPLATTER
The man's body had been vertically bissected, organs and blood cluttering around the corpse in a heap, it was pretty damn disgusting even by my standards, but, it seemed to do the trick.
All the wakashu that had been charging towards me stopped in their tracks with pale faces.
It was a prime opportunity, to just, stand there in silence and admire the moment yknow...
Crack my knuckles a little, roll my shoulders, tilt my head side to side, can't forget checking the window to adjust my bangs a little, an awkward terrifying silence for them as they all slowly backed up.
I paused briefly.
''Say uh, Father?''
''Hm? What is it!?'' He looked at me bright eyed.
''Do i look good?''
''HMPH! SUCH A QUESTION IS A POINTLESS ONE, MY MOST FAVORED OF KINDRED'S APPEARANCE IS ONE OF UTMOST ADORABLENESS EVEN ON THE WORST OF OCASSIONS!''
...
Haah, he's getting to me.
I couldn't help but smile at that.
''Now! Kindly resume, i must utilize all of my willpower to contain this moment to memory!''
''...''
''Welp-''
I brandished the scythe at the crowd, some of whom have already dropped their weapons in fear.
''...You heard the man.''
''Kids should listen to their parents after all.''
[1] Kindly play "Ajoura - The SCP Foundation Main Theme" For optimal reading experience during this chapter.