Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than the OCs I create.
Kyoto – Abandoned Warehouse
- Souta -
After getting the information on where the stray devil was last seen, I made my way over to where I would be meeting Sumio and Mio; these 2 had volunteered to handle today's hunt.
I knocked on the door in the pattern they asked me to do, letting them know it was that which had arrived. The building they were using as a meeting place is an empty 1-storey office where paperwork was most likely handled for the warehouses.
The door opens with no one behind except a hand made from string that was retreating to Mio after opening the door, "Nyahallo." Mio greets me cheerfully as I enter the room; Sumio, on the other hand, just offers a nod.
"Hello, thank you for bringing me along today." I say greetings to them both.
"Nyo problem. Lady Yasaka told us she wished to help you get accustomed to your new power, so this is a great way to put it to the test and deal with an issue that's popped up at the same time." Mio says, playing with her own power.
"Yes, when the queen herself told us of the stray, I saw it as my duty to hunt for the beast lest it defile the land." I forgot how intense Sumio was about his role; the man lived and breathed to defend Kyoto and Yasaka. While he might not be near Yasaka at this moment, I have no doubt he's set up something with his brush fruit abilities.
"If it's not an issue, I would like to try and take it down on my own first." I ask, hoping they would let me.
"An admirable idea. What better way to test oneself than one-on-one combat. While I would like for this creature to be slain and dealt with immediately, I am also under orders from the queen to help you." Sumio nods approvingly, crossing both arms.
"Nyes, what he said. We will let you do what you want, but we will jump in should you come to any life-threatening danger; the lady would be very upset otherwise."
"Great, so do we know anything about the stray at all?"
"Nyaa, we are dealing with a low middle-class reincarnated rook whose power went to their head. He attacked his master after gaining the rook's abilities. Once he escaped, he started killing and eating any humans he came across, which led him to where we are now, the abandoned warehouses that he is currently hiding in."
A low middle-class rook, I don't know where I stand currently in the power department, but I think I stand a chance with magic and my grimoires; I just need to stay out of his range.
"Shall we get going? The quicker we deal with the stray, the sooner Kyoto is safe." I ask them both.
"Indeed, it is best we handle this matter swiftly." Sumio replied, and Mio just nodded her agreement.
Stepping out, we make our way towards the warehouses; there are a total of 4 large industrial, red-bricked warehouses. Their exteriors are worn with age and neglect from long-time abandonment, and most of the windows have long been broken.
If we were going in the night, it would be the type of place you'd read or watch in a horror movie, fitting I suppose since it is housing a monster.
Calling on my fruits' power, I summon 2 of the grimoires I feel most comfortable using at the moment: earth and water. I would use fire, but an abandoned warehouse with potential unknown chemicals or more left behind is likely not the best idea.
Shrinking them down to pocketbook size, they hover around me like protective shields, pages open and ready to cast as I slip my wand into my right hand.
"Do we know which building he is hiding in?" I say, looking towards the buildings.
"Yes, I sent out some loose strings to each building when we got here; the last movement I had from him told me he is hiding in the leftmost warehouse."
Smart, using her strings like a spiderweb to sense movement.
Nodding at the information, we all start heading towards the leftmost building.
The inside of the building was empty and just as bad as the outside; wood was rotting from moisture damage, streaks of mould were in place where rain had been getting in from the broken windows, and most, if not all, of the red-brick support pillars were still intact bar a few that had crumbled.
We had not spoken since entering, quietly making our way through the building with pointed directions from Mio, as we passed pillars and doors, entering deeper inside.
Mio halts any more movement as we get to another door, gesturing that the monster was in the next room. Sumio, using the paintbrush on his kanabo, paints a large circular black patch that he peels away; it acts like a cloth made from shadows, which he proceeds to drape over himself and Mio.
As it covered her, she pointed at her eyes and back to me and gave me a thumbs up but before she could disappear, I handed her my briefcase, trusting them enough to hold onto it, not that they would see much with it set to muggle mode.
I guess they'll be watching me from the shadows. With a deep breath, I raise my wand and have both grimoires in front of me enlarging them to normal size before pushing into the room.
The inside of the rooms was a large open space, most likely where they used to hold heavy machinery based on the scrapes and discoloured patches on the ground. In the centre of the rooms was a hole, recently dug out from the looks of it.
*Loud inhale noise*
"M... m... mea... MEAT, HUNGRY!!" I jump slightly from the volume of the voice; it came out raspy and broken.
A hand, if you could even call it that anymore, reached out of the hole to lift itself out; its fingers were long and bony and extended into claws that dug into the concrete with no issue.
Lifting itself up brought the rest of the creature into view, and it was hideous. It had the head of an alligator, teeth long and sharp with drool dripping onto the floor. Its eyes were wildly searching; they lacked any signs of the intelligence it may have once had. The lower body was that of a snake. The whole thing had sickly yellow scales with patterns of a splotchy brown colour.
The monster was huge, at least 10 feet, but the claws on his fingers still scraped across the floor with how long his arms are.
It looked towards me, sniffing the air, before slithering my way faster than expected.
"M... MEAAAT!!" It all but roared, still raspy and broken.
"Shit" I realised my mistake instantly; I had given it a chance to climb out of the hole and charge at me, too stunned from its appearance.
Using the earth grimoire, I summon an Earth Wall in the path of the monster while I cast "Bombarda" and "Depulso" one after the other towards the Earth Wall, which explodes from the bombardment charm, and the debris is shot forward from the banishing charm, acting like a makeshift shotgun. The monster screeches in rage and pain as a few of the sharper pieces lodge into it but doesn't stop its charge towards me.
Close enough to me now, it lashes out, swiping downwards, attempting to cleave me apart with its claws, which has me jumping and rolling to the right. While making sure to keep my eyes on it, I notice almost instantly when its tail whips my way, summoning a water wall, which does a good job weakening the force behind the tail, giving me enough time to escape and make some distance.
The monster, furious at my escape, twisted back in my direction, charging again. I noticed the wounds I inflicted are not even that deep, right it has Rook durability. Preparing myself for the oncoming monster, the earth grimoire casts Tremor underneath it, a small, localised earthquake that staggers it, giving me enough time to cast 2 "Diffindo" towards the neck of the monster.
It sees the 2 bright blades of energy heading towards it, but still staggering from the Tremor, it has no other choice but to rear itself upwards while leaning left to dodge; the first blade cuts deep into its right side, with the second missing, slicing into the wall, leaving a clean, thin line.
It screeches in pain, so far gone in its transformation the original red blood it once had has turned a murky blue now pouring from the open wound, locking onto me with its eyes red from rage and the Tremor fading, it coils the snake part of its body and lunges.
Much faster than the charge before and with no time to dodge, I use the earth grimoire to fire 4 Earth Spears from underneath the monster; 3 miss entirely, lodging themselves into the roof, while the last impales it through the lower half of its tail.
The spear drained a small portion of momentum but not enough to stop its lunge; already upon me, it swipes its arm claws intent on slicing me apart again. I quickly use the water grimoire as a shield while summoning a large Water Orb meant for trapping to act as a secondary shield. Its arm slams into the Water Orb,slowing down but still carrying enough energy through to slam into the grimoire but not enough to pierce straight through. The impact sends me flying back, slamming into the far wall, creating some space between me and the monster.
The water grimoire fades, pages having been torn apart from the swipe that connected to it, the cooldown already starting. Coughing from being winded after slamming into the wall, I stand back up aching slightly; the damage would've been much worse before awakening my yokai side and eating the mystic fruit.
After the swipe, the monster had landed on the spear lodged into its tail, pushing it deeper, causing it to screech again in pain before it ripped it out, leaking more blue blood and throwing the spear my way. A quick "Depulso" sends it careening to the side and lodging into the wall.
True to the monster's attack pattern, it roars in anger at the failed attack and charges again. With 1 grimoire down, I pull the earth grimoire closer in case I need it for defence.
The grimoire summons another Earth Wall, but this time I don't break it apart; instead, I use it to block its line of sight and jump on the grimoire to circle around the monster. As I'm doing so, I notice the roof forming a plan to finish the fight.
As it crashes through the wall, kicking up debris and dust, I quickly make my way to the opposite side. Not seeing me behind the wall, it spins, searching, before roaring and charging again.
As soon as the right moment appears, I fire off a curse from the DADA list of spells, "Patet Pulmonis", the lung-clearing curse, used against creatures that use their voices to attack. It clears their lungs of air, making them gasp while trying to get air back into the lungs, a great way to stun someone as well.
Not enough time to dodge out of the way, the monster gets hit by the spell making choking noises while thrashing at the lack of air now in its lungs, giving me time for the earth grimoire to summon Quicksand beneath it. While it is choking and sinking, the grimoire fires 4 more Earth Spears at the monster while I cast "Descendo" at the spears lodged in the roof.
With no escape left and still reeling from the curse and quicksand, the 4 Earth Spears impale the monster through the chest. It rears back as if to roar, only for the other 3 to descend like a guillotine; 2 go through its shoulders, and the last one straight through its neck, which has the monster finally crumple to the ground.
It was like watching a puppet's strings getting cut in the middle of a performance.
The adrenaline in my body was pumping and my breathing was heavy. I just hadn't noticed earlier, but it felt like I'd been running for ages. I stayed still and ready, summoning the second grimoire again. I was planning to wait it out just in case it was playing dead, only for Sumio and Mio to appear to my right.
"Congratulations on your first successful hunt; a few mistakes, but nothing that can't be learnt from." Sumio gives me a respectful nod with his arms crossed again.
"Nyaa, you gave it time to climb out of the hole and charge; you should've just attacked." Mio said what I already thought at the start of the fight.
Not caring how dirty the floor is, I lie down, catching my breath as the adrenaline slowly wears off, the fatigue and ache from the fighting catching up. "I know, it was stupid. I realised after it happened. I was just shocked at its appearance; I could hardly believe he was once a human."
"Evil pieces do more than just turn you into a devil; they corrupt should you break away from the leash too early. It is said a piece needs to be near their master for a period of time to stop the corruption from happening, and when one reaches high-class in power, they have enough control to not be affected by the corruption anymore, but this is only what we've heard; they keep a tight lock on anything involving their little trinkets." Sumio says, voice slightly raised and scoffing at the end.
"That's horrible, so all those that are forced and attempt to escape have no choice but to become a monster. I understand the one I just fought was power hungry and chose to escape, though he probably wasn't told about becoming a stray devil, but everyone else, they didn't get that choice." I say, horrified. I hadn't really put any thought into stray devils until today.
"Nyes, it is sad not being able to help those that were forced. Even if the ones that escaped back to us had to be sealed before it became too late, we are still looking for a way to reverse or remove the process, but we've not had any luck." Mio says sadly,
I'll have to look into finding a way to help. I could probably make a mystic fruit that did what needed to be done, but I'd have to find what exactly would be the perfect method. The purity fruit could work, but it cleanses anything dark, be it objects, creatures,
curses and more, but I'm afraid with them already altering their biology to a devil, it would outright cleanse them altogether. No, the purity fruit won't work; it'll just kill them.
"I'll keep an eye out and try to find a way to help for everyone that was forced and the ones that were sealed." I say with conviction.
"Nya, thank you/thank you." They both say it at the same time.
Standing up with a groan, I ask for my suitcase and then head over to the corpse of the monster.
Touching it, I secretly use extract while asking them a question.
"Do you think Yasaka would mind if we took this back to her? I did promise when we met that I would show her how I created the Mystic Fruits one day."
"I believe the queen would be happy with that arrangement," said Sumio.
Slipping the extracted piece into my pocket, I continue saying, "That's good; I guess we best get going then."
1x Reincarnated Devil (Rook)
As if to agree, Sumio makes his way over to me and lifts the monster as if it weighs nothing at all before making his way to the exit with me and Mio following close behind.
[Split]
Urakyoto - Yasaka's Home Garden
- Yasaka -
After receiving a message from Souta telling me it was done and that they were bringing the corpse back since he had something to show her, I sent him a message to get them to bring it to the compound's garden.
Not wanting to show my daughter the corpse of a monster or just one in general, I asked her to play in her room for now. It got me a pout and a promise of sweets and ice cream from the sneaky little fox, but it was worth it to see her smile.
She might pout and complain about things she doesn't like doing, but she understands I also want what's best for her and that some of the things I do are for her own good. She's the best daughter a mother could ask for.
Having already sensed them arriving, I see as they enter with the giant corpse of a monster; one I held no remorse for. In its greed and lust for power, it went on a killing spree of its own will, morphing into the monster it is now and consuming the flesh of those it once was.
But for the others of our kind, those that are forced against their will, broken and ripped from their families, they are the ones I feel remorse for, the ones I couldn't help and failed to protect.
At times it was hard; I felt helpless not being able to do anything against the devils. The best I could do was cease all trade with them while blocking entry to Kyoto as best I could with the help of the Amatsukami, mostly the help of Lady Inari and Lady Amaterasu.
We couldn't go to war with them either, not even when the massacre happened, as much as we wanted to, but everyone understood that we'd be picked apart piece by piece from the other factions, vultures the lot of them. The five principal clans would see it as an opportunity to join hands with the devils just to wipe us out. They may hate both of us, but yokai live on 'their' land.
To make matters worse are the 2 sisters of the current Satan happily playing high school girls in Kuoh town, a political nightmare waiting to happen or even a ticking time bomb should anything happen to them. If I had it my way, they wouldn't be allowed entry at all, but even the gods are afraid of crossing the current leaders of hell, afraid of the power they wield.
So, we endure, bide our time and strengthen ourselves to make sure no one else gets taken against their will. Everyone knows now what those evil pieces can potentially do. Even if we don't know everything, we at least know it's corruptive enough that the yokai around here don't wish to join their so-called peerages.
Souta and the fruits he can make are a blessing for us. When he showed what they could do, it was unbelievable at first, but with the demonstration from his father, I believed he could help me, no, us. We needed him, and he wanted our help as well for collecting rare materials and items.
Getting him into the faction is what I needed to do, and it shames me to admit, but I felt like I was using him for his power, even with his reassurance that I am trying my best, and I know that he is right, but I still feel like I haven't given back enough for what he's done. Those fruits are not just new abilities; they break the shackles that hold the body back, allowing for a power growth that would take others years, if not hundreds of years, to reach.
The only things I have provided so far are a house, training, a few items that are not even from the main vault and grimoires that no one would use anyway; it just feels like nothing in comparison.
And yet he doesn't mind and smiles while still providing more Mystic Fruits when I'm trying to repay him. Infuriatingly kind man, he just trusts that I'll provide him with what he needs, and I will as a leader and a person who respects the deals she's made. He will get what he asks for and more.
I know he'll want to trade with other factions at some point, and I won't stop him from that, but I will let him know not to trust everyone so easily. Even if he already knows as much, he will need more training while also learning more about the factions in depth and the ramifications that trading the fruits will bring when people realise where they come from.
There will be people and factions wanting to get him for themselves; some will offer him wealth and more, others will bribe, and some will try to steal or even kidnap him to create Mystic Fruits for them, but I will make sure he is guarded and protected when that time comes. Even now I have my shadow watching him; she is bound with a vow to say nothing of anything she sees or hears, even to me. She is only there to protect him while he gains the necessary strength to protect himself.
As Sumio drops the corpse down, I smile gently and say, "Welcome back. I'm glad you're all well."
"Thank you, Your Majesty/Lady Yasaka/Yasaka," the three of them replied at once.
"Sumio and Mio, thank you for today. You may take the rest of the day off to do as you wish. I believe Souta said he had something to show me."
"Nyaa, yay, bye for now, Lady Yasaka. Good job today, Souta. Speak to you again soon." Mio skips away as Souta thanks her and says goodbye.
"I will do as you say, your majesty. You did well today, young Souta. I look forward to another hunt in the future, and I hope to see you at the training grounds again." After bowing, he leaves, Souta promising to train with him in the future.
- Souta -
"How did it go? Not too much trouble for you, I hope?" Yasaka asks.
"It was a good experience; I've probably got a bruise forming on my back, but nothing a bit of rest won't fix. I asked Sumio and Mio to let me fight it alone, and they agreed. During the fight there were definitely some things I did wrong, and I intend to learn from that for the future." I say, my back slightly aching still from hitting the wall.
"That's good; you were in good hands with them. What happened to your back?" she asks concerned.
"Nothing much. I wasn't expecting it to move so fast, so it flung me across the room, and I hit the wall, but I was able to block any damage from the swing at least. Not something I want to try again anytime soon." I say, laughing, before wincing from the movement.
"If you're sure, so what is it that you wished to show me?" she asks, looking towards the corpse.
"Well, from the way you looked at the corpse, you already have an idea." I say, opening the briefcase and pulling out an apple I stored in there.
"I'll show you how I make the Mystic Fruits; honestly, there's nothing flashy about it. Get ready." I say, placing the apple near the corpse, and Yasaka takes a few steps back.
Activating my power, the clear dome appears around the corpse and the fruit; a small gasp comes from Yasaka as the dome begins to shrink along with the corpse slowly merging with the apple until it's all that's left.
The apple was the same sickly yellow as the skin of the monster, but the apple looked like it was made of crystal; it had brown swirls that looked like they were spiralling inwards, and the stem of the apple had turned into a crystal black rook piece.
[Devil-Devil Fruit Model: Reincarnated Rook (Corrupted)]
Due to corruption, the user is stuck in animal form permanently; they gained a massive increase in strength and durability due to being unable to switch forms. The user's mental state also becomes unstable, getting consumed slowly by the sin most suited to them.
Fruit Type: Corrupted Zoan
Fruit used: Apple
Weakness: As creatures of corruption and darkness, they are weak to anything holy or light-based.
"This hasn't happened before." I say out loud with shock in my voice.
"What? What's wrong?" Yasaka asks worriedly.
"When I make a Mystic Fruit, I can understand what you'll gain from it. This one says it is corrupted and that the user will be stuck in their animal form permanently while their mental state will turn unstable and they'll be consumed by the sin that matches them most. This hasn't happened before; using that stray devil as a base has warped the outcome somehow." I say let her know.
I'm honestly quite shocked the Mystic Fruits could have issues; in a way, the fruit I have from the stray devil is akin to the Joker's smile fruit that made warped Zoan users.
"What are you going to do with it?"
"I don't know; it's too dangerous for anyone to use it." Thoughts swirling through my head on what to do with it, I could destroy it; it serves no purpose other than to turn someone into a stray devil. Wait, that could work.
It might seem immoral, but if used on people that deserve it, I see no issue with it – not that I would be involved. Turning to Yasaka, I say, "Do you have prisoners that have a death sentence?"
"We do; they will not see the light of day even during their execution for the crimes they've committed. Why, you can't be thinking..."
She goes to continue, but I cut in, saying, "I am. Mio was saying you have stray devils sealed that you wish to help. While not exactly the same, this could be a good way to study one to find a way to help the others, and as wrong as it sounds, it wouldn't matter if they die since they are being put to death anyway, and as long as you have an apple nearby, it should become the fruit again, allowing you to use it on another criminal."
"Plus, if nothing comes from it, you can just destroy the fruit; it would serve no other purpose otherwise." I say, shrugging.
Mouth opening and closing slightly like a fish, she just shakes her head and says, "Okay, thank you really. You just keep providing all this help to us, and you make it so hard to repay you."
With a twin finger poke to the forehead that Itachi would be proud of, I say, "Bah, forget about all that. I'm doing it because I want to, not because you'll owe me for every little thing I do. Like I've already said, you've already done stuff for me and are currently in the middle of that as well, so stop worrying."
"How about this, do you have any money on you right now?"
"Yes, 2000 yen to take Kunou for sweets and ice cream afterwards. Why?" She asks, confused, where this is going.
"You can have this Mystic Fruit for 2000 yen; it was only going to be destroyed anyway. There we go, problem solved; you didn't get it for free." She just gapes as I hold both the apple and my hand out for the payment, while whispering a sorry to Kunou for taking her money, but it's nothing Yasaka can't replace.
Still shocked, she fishes the money out and hands it to me, taking the apple, still trying to process what's even just happened, which has me bursting out laughing.
She just starts pouting and stamping her feet, making it even more funny.
"Stop, I can't breathe." I say, clutching my stomach from laughing too much.
"Hmph, messing with me like that serves you right," she says, still pouting.
Taking a breath and wiping the tears from my eyes, I say, "At least this way you don't have to worry about the fruit, as I said, it's useless to me."
"Thanks," she mutters, turning away slightly, a hint of red on her cheeks.
After talking for a while longer, Kunou came out running straight at me and decided it was time for her to go get sweets and ice cream, which ended up with me going as well since there was no escaping Kunou's grasp once she had hold of you.
[SPLIT]
Kyoto - Dreamleaf Trader
- Souta -
It's been a couple of days since the fight; after some rest, food and lazing about, I feel much better. There's still a slight twinge in the back, but I recovered quicker than expected, but I think I have the Mystic Fruit to thank for that.
Another thing that happened was finishing the 10 Mystic Fruit trade quest, which got me.
Unlock Quest: Trade 10/10 Mystic Fruits completed and unlocked [Mouth, What Mouth].
[Active: Mouth, What Mouth]
Grants the ability to feed Mystic Fruits to inanimate objects, granting the objects the ability of a fruit, allowing others to use it; changes to objects may vary.
I was shocked when I first read it. This is a powerful ability. I know they had a few successes doing the same thing in One Piece, but from what I remember it was only with Zoan fruits, but I could be mistaken.
But this allows me to just feed any Mystic Fruit to an inanimate object that people can use. The only line that has me stumped is 'the changes to objects may vary'. Is it talking about using a Zoan and the object becoming an animal, or what?
This changes some of my plans, I already have an idea for the first fruit to use on an item. but first I need to gather more materials for it. I've already decided to use the connecting orbs I got from Lavinia for the fruit.
I hope the idea I have works; if not, then it's a big risk I'll be taking.
Anyway, today is the day for a new world jump. I've already let everyone know I'll be away for a while, and Dad offered to get more gold for it, but I said it would be ok. I can't just keep getting him to give me gold. I'll take the yen I've earned with me, and if I can use it, great; if not, I'll do what I've always meant to do: trade for it.
Walking into the staff room, I make my way to the pit, briefcase in hand, already filled with what I might need, and the rest in expanded space inside, along with Dennis.
If he escapes, I can now just summon him back, so it's much easier if he goes with me instead of dumping him on my dad, not that I could with him being on a business trip.
More confident than my first time jumping, I transform the bracelet into a leaf, enter my yokai form, and while charging my energy into the leaf, I hop into the pit.
Jumping out of a hole in the ground after going through the same feeling as last time when I travelled worlds.
The first thing I noticed after looking around is a giant forest – well, giant to my current form – which has me switching back and putting the bracelet back on. The sun was beaming down through the trees, and the air was warm and humid.
I'm not too deep into the woods since I can see a pathway leading to a tunnel in the distance. Near the entrance to the tunnel was a sign that I could check out, hopefully giving me an idea where I was.
Beelining it through the trees to the sign, while making sure to keep my eye out for any danger, I eventually reach it after a short walk across the path.
The sign read, 'Welcome to Hearthome City.'
Rubbing my beardless chin, I try and remember anything I might know about the place called Hearthome City, but nothing is coming to me. I suppose there will be places I travel to that I don't know about.
A weird sound catches my ears, like someone was calling out the name of someone but kept breaking it up.
Looking up above the entrance to the manmade tunnel, I see what's making all the noise.
"Ah" is all I could say once it looked back at me and made the sound again.
"Sta, Arly, Starly"
I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. ^^
This was my first official fight scene, so please let me know your thoughts. I'm hoping to improve that aspect of my writing in the future. I decided to do bold lettering for the grimoire casts and speech marks for verbal spells to make it easier to see who was casting what.
The idea for the corrupted fruit just popped into my brain: a mystic fruit created by a monster changed by and seeping in corruption so that it influences the outcome of the fruit being made.
And finally, the new world. I'm sure most of you know by now where we are. I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters about a great Zoan gathering world, and I have a unique idea for an upcoming fruit.