Crimson Shadow
“Akairo!” Zabu cried before pushing the corpse off of the wide eyed young man’s body.
He then helped Akairo stand up and dusted him off while checking to see if he was hurt.
“Oh my goodness!” Zabu, who was covered in mud, gasped upon seeing Akairo’s left arm which was awkwardly bent forward at a point where no joint existed between his elbow and wrist.
He felt the pain, yes but he also felt many other things that all blended together as his mind raced.
Zabu healed his arm and Akairo bit his teeth as his bones fused.
He turned to Zabu and with an expressionless face, he silently thanked him all while something made the ground tremble.
Zabu looked like he wanted to say so many things but chose not to as Khatuu’s voice entered everyone’s ears.
[Hey- guys! I need a little bit of help over here!] He yelled prompting both Akairo and Zabu to turned to the centre of the village where Khatuu stood in front of his opponent, the unmasked soldier.
“Stay here, ok?” Zabu asked with a shaking voice and Akairo nodded.
Zabu then dashed towards the two.
Akairo then watched as Khatuu, in his usual manner, dashed towards the soldier while readying up a punch.
The soldier dashed to the side and avoided receiving a hit that would have undoubtedly knocked over an entire building.
The two then eyed each other for a moment but just as Khatuu started moving again, Zabu reach out towards him and sent two balls of green smoke in his direction.
Khatuu dashed into them and let out a loud chuckle as the air trembled.
He then seemingly vanished and the air tore apart as he appeared in front of the soldier where he then sent a punch straight into the soldier’s face but in an act that defied reason, the soldier stood his ground but this resulted in the ground beneath him getting shattered.
The soldier punched Khatuu in the rib, sending out a shockwave that even Akairo felt at the edge of the down.
Khatuu’s face twisted in pain but he simply wrapped his arms around the soldier and began crushing.
The air then became so heavy with Tal that it became harder to breath.
“GRRRAAAAAHHH!” Khatuu yelled as the robot somehow managed to loosen the hold he was in.
Zabu dashed up to the two and placed her hand on the soldier back. She then created an ice spear that tore through his visibly metallic body just as Khatuu let go.
The soldier stumbled forward while clutching his belly but even though he had taken so much damage, he did not bleed.
He instead turned to Zabu but just as he did, Khatuu dashed towards him again and reached out to grab his head.
The soldier turned around in the fraction of a second and tried dashing away only for Zabu to dash towards him and place his hand on the back of his head.
An ice spear the formed in his palm and it tore through the back of his head but before it could pierce through the rest of his skull, the soldier hit Zabu in the face with the back of his hand only for Khatuu to grab his head.
Khatuu then let out another wild roar while twisting his head and he eventually tore it off of the soldier’s body.
Akairo watched as the body fell before rushing to Zabu’s side.
He wanted to check up on his but just as he reached the centre of the shallow crater made by Khatuu’s strikes, the head of the soldier spoke.
“You have... No idea... The forces you chose to come between... Are beyond what we mortals could even dare comprehend.” The soldier said with a voice that sounded like a gurgle which was echoed repeatedly.
“Huh... I knew I recognised you from somewhere. You’re that Me-Atsáli Guy from a while back. Yeah, you tried challenging the league while also not being able to use any Tal Techniques. I wonder how you ended up like... This?” Khatuu asked while trying to catch his breath.
“I was approached by the Pasters of Adder and they led me to Buer who offered me a place in our lord’s future kingdom. This body... This vessel was just a bonus.” Me-Atsáli gurgled.
“Huh... So you got your ass kicked and decided to forsake your humanity, huh? Pathetic.” Khatuu spat.
“Call it whatever you want. Just know this. Death will come for all of you and soon, all suffering will seem like a sweet, distant dream.” Me-Atsáli said before the many mechanisms in his head finally stopped moving.
Khatuu scoffed and simply tossed aside the head before turning to Zabu.
“Thanks.” He weakly grinned and Zabu, who’s nose had bled profusely, nodded.
“Come on. Let’s get outta here.” He said while walking towards the building atop which Z was perched.
[Bella’s already on her way.] Z reported as she jumped off the building with the cube in hand.
She then led everyone back into the forest where they made their way back to the river.
They stood in complete silence upon reading the river bank and it’s here that Khatuu sighed in an exaggerated manner while stretching.
“Phew! That certainly was a strange one. Can’t say I’ve ever faced a cyborg before. Closest thing I ever got to that was getting my ass kicked by Blomst, hehe.” He chuckled but no one responded.
Akairo was too focused on Zabu who stood next to him while tightly clutching the cube.
As for Z, she simply stood while facing the south and, almost as if she knew exactly when everything would happen, a certain ship came into view.
It steadily flew towards the group before stopping on the riverbank where it landed.
It’s rear door opened and everyone entered the vehicle which sped into the sky shortly after.
The lights in the fuselage turned on, allowing Akairo to see everyone but he kept his eyes focused on Zabu who did the same and kept his eyes on the young man.
What followed was a silence that sat with them along the seven hour trip back to Emtza.
.
..
Akairo blinked a few times as the ship finally came to a stop in the hanger.
Everyone stood up and promptly left the vehicle but Khatuu lightly tapped Akairo’s shoulder, making his heart drop a little.
“You two can go on an get some rest. Sister Z and I will handle everything else. I’ll send the money to your account and we’ll be good.” Khatuu said as Zabu walked out into the light of the afternoon sun via the hanger’s main entrance with the cube in hand.
Akairo nodded before walking alongside Zabu towards the rear door where they made their way into the shower.
Akairo felt tears welling in his eyes but just as Zabu turned to face him, he wiped them away.
“Please close your eyes.”
Akairo nodded before sitting on the bench.
With closed eyes, he removed his vest, allowing him to breath more freely but since his eyes were closed, his mind could do nothing else but remember the chaos from before.
He saw it as clearly as if he was still there.
It was so clear that Akairo almost didn’t hear the water in the showers as it ran.
He thought back to the soldiers.
He wondered just how they had become like that and if they had any control over their bodies anymore.
Akairo then remembered the pain of having his arm broken.
Zabu had broken several of his bones before, so it was nothing new but he never wanted to kill Akairo and that was the difference.
Akairo realized that he could have died.
He realized that everything could have ended and there was almost nothing he could do about it.
So... Nothing had changed.
“I’m done.” Zabu said prompting Akairo to stand up and turn around to find that Zabu had changed into a dark grey tracksuit.
“I don’t think they’ll mind if I pass out on the couch so that’s what’s I’m gonna do.” He said before leaving the bathroom.
Akairo then removed his clothes and made his way into the showers where he washed the dirt of his body but now that he was alone, all the feelings from before returned and they assault both his heart and mind until tears started falling from his eyes.
He desperately tried wiping them away and yelled at himself internally that this was for the best but this just led to a loop where he felt anguish but scolded himself while repeating that the ends would ultimately justify the means.
He told himself this so many times that, even as his heart ached and tears fell from his eyes, his breath came without fire and his eyes remained clear.
He eventually finished showering and changed into a tracksuit that matched his size, although he wonky wore the bottom part and a vest.
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He then slipped into Das’s jacket and left the bathroom just as his PSD made a series of beeps.
He checked into find that he had a notification stating that he had just received Z250k in his account.
A weak smile formed on his face as he transferred the money to Zabu’s account.
He walked into the living room to find that Zabu had fallen asleep and so, while keeping as quite as possible, Akairo joined him on the large couch where he closed his eyes.
Sleep eventually came but it also came with nightmares of a war beneath a red sky.
Nightmares that shook Akairo to his core.
.
..
“Ahem.” Someone sounded.
“WAKE UP, KID!”
Akairo sat up and defensive raised his fists only for Khatuu to burst out into laughter.
“Haha! Look at ya, all scared and shit. Calm down. I’m actually here to deliver good news. Check out your PSD.”
Akairo did as instructed and frowned upon seeing that his balance was Z1 000 000.
He looked at Khatuu to find that he was grinning from ear to ear.
“I knew this job was way more important than the old man was letting on. Anyway, they gave us a bonus for our good efforts.” Khatuu said before leaning closer to Akairo.
“It may be a bonus but I suspect this was money that was supposed to be given to the two other teams but they’re dead now so it doesn’t really matter.” He whispered before standing upright.
Akairo looked around for Zabu and found him seated across him on the sofa.
Zabu’s expression didn’t change.
“Anyway, come on. I wanna treat you two for helping me out.” Khatuu invited.
Akairo sighed before standing up.
He slowly gave into the warm feeling in his chest and smiled.
“Alright.”
“Follow me!” Khatuu yelled before leading Akairo and Zabu to his car which he drove towards the base’s exit.
“So... What do you think? Are you in? Cause those two rooms already have your names on them. Literally and we work quite well together, if I say so myself.”
Akairo did the maths.
If he did nine jobs on this scale he’d be able to afford the Lesser Endeavour in as much time as it took to complete them.
Another smile formed on his face.
“Yeah, but I think I’ve only got nine or so of those in me.”
“Oh? Well, then let’s make the most of them.” Khatuu said while flying out of the base.
He then flew the car into the sky and rushed towards Babilu while taking out his PSD from his pocket.
He then called a certain person and placed his PSD on his lap.
[Good afternoon, Khitty.] A familiar sounding woman greeted.
“I’m gonna ignore that. Are you home?”
[Nah. I’m on watch this week. But... I could sneak down and umm... We could have some fast fun.] The woman purred making Khatuu chuckle.
“That would be lovely but I bringing guests with me. We just finished a big job and I wanna treat them to something nice.”
[Mmm... I hope you know I’m not into group activities.]
“Haha! I know, I know but this is more of a... Family friendly celebration you dirty minded pigeon” Khatuu snickered.
[Alright. I’ll pass by anyway since you’re my special little Khitty-]
Khatuu abruptly ended the call and let out a fake cough.
“So... What do you want or what can you say you’ve always wanted?” He asked.
Akairo and Zabu glanced each other but this time, Zabu didn’t look away.
“I... I want to help my master achieve his goal.”
Zabu’s eyes widened.
“Umm... I meant more so materialistically, my little friend.” Khatuu clarified.
“Could you... Order us some stuff. Maybe I could make us a big dinner.” Zabu said although his voice shook a little.
Khatuu tilted his head.
“Uh- sure. Lemme do that now. Although I really have no idea why you’d wanna cook when the first floor has some of the best chefs in the world.” He sighed while flying towards the distant Tower City.
The three eventually reached its uppermost entrance which they promptly flew into.
Khatuu then made his way back to a certain skyscraper where he parked atop one of the many floating parking platforms.
The three then made their way into Blomst’s apartment where they all sat on the mind numbingly soft sofas.
Khatuu let out a deep sigh before turning to Akairo.
“I had a feeling you wouldn’t be boring.” He said with a grin.
His PSD then let out several beeps.
He checked it and made an acknowledging hum before standing up.
“The stuff you wanted is here.” He said before walking to the door which he opened, revealing a floating white box which floated a few inches above the ground.
Khatuu placed his PSD above it and it’s top opened.
He then grabbed several cardboard bags from within and the cubical robot closed its top before floating away.
Khatuu brought the bags inside and placed them on top of the kitchen counter.
“So... Knock yourself out, I guess.” He sajd as Zabu stood up.
Khatuu made space for him in the kitchen by returning to the sofa where he stared at Akairo with comically narrowed eyes.
“What?” Akairo asked.
“That loss against the Sergeant... I remember if even now.” Khatuu said before leaning back into the couch.
“Heck, I’m not even sure I could’ve won against him.” He said, albeit softly.
He then turned on the room’s SDS and showed his match against the man named Modo Yersla.
A tall, muscular man who wore a full bodies worth of green tactical gear.
He also wore a helmet which had a single visor for both of his eyes.
Akairo watched as the match began and what followed was what could best be described as a beating.
Modo, after managing to grab Khatuu’s wrist, punched him until his body went limp and the referee had to intervene.
Akairo turned to Khatuu who had a rare stiff expression on his face.
“I know you weren’t my first choice for this but I feel like if you and me work together, we can take on anything. I mean, do you remember our match?” He asked excitedly.
“I... Would rather not.” Akairo groaned but this just made Khatuu chuckle as the smell of good food filled the air.
“Oh, come on! You turned me into jerky! It was a turning point for me, I tell ya. Usually I fought in the Gauntlet just to pass the time and show the world my beautiful body but you... You made me realize that there was fun in Hugh stakes combat! You... Entertained me.” Khatuu said with a bright smile.
“O... K?” Akairo sounded making Khatuu nod happily.
He opened his mouth to speak but stopped as the door opened revealing Blomst only she was covered head to toe in golden armour.
It was covered in designs of feathers and wings either her helmet being a collection of golden feathers which parted to reveal her face.
She also held in her hands a golden sword which glowed brightly, bathing the room in white light.
“Hey, Khitty!” She greeted while closing the door.
“Call me that again and I’ll break your sword.” Khatuu growled but Blomst simply blew him a kiss before noticing Zabu in the kitchen.
“Ooh! When was the last time we had a proper home cooked meal? Also, Hi everyone!” She greeted making both Akairo and Zabu wave in greeting.
“I’m lazy and you’re a demigod.” Khatuu said while shaking his head.
“Good point.” Blomst said before entering the bathroom which was next to her bedroom.
“Demigod?” Akairo asked.
“That doesn’t matter right now. What does is our rivalry. You see, if you’re serious about staying with the Kalib Sawda, I plan on using you to further my own strength. We will spare, train and I will use your fire to lift myself further than the heavens. What do you think?” Khatuu asked.
“What do I get from any of that?’
“You’ll also get stronger in the process.
Akairo nodded before tapping his chin.
His heart then sank as he imagined a sparring session with both Zabu and Khatuu.
But... That was exactly what he needed.
The soldiers in Koryfílófou were augmented to the point where they were barely even human.
But even without the use of Tal Techniques, they were able to completely over power Akairo.
He dreaded the thought of having to fight someone who was that strong but also a master over an element.
“I see.” He muttered as Blomst left the bathroom.
Akairo turned to find that she was in a skin tight bodysuit that hugged her muscular body from her neck to her wrists and ankles.
Her hair hung freely and bounced with each step she took towards Khatuu who opened his arms.
“Come here.” He said as she sat on his lap.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward.
Akairo’s eyes widened as she gently pressed her lips onto his.
Khatuu opened his mouth just as as she opened her but at this point, Akairo could bare to watch no further and so he turned away only to find Zabu giggling at his reaction.
“Mmm... You sounded so excited on the call. I’m guessing my soldier accomplished his mission.” Blomst purred.
“Yep. It was a pick up order and we completed it without a hitch.” Khatuu reported making Akairo flash back to getting his arm broken.
“Good to hear. Were your new friends of any help or did my Khitty do all the hard work?”
The air suddenly darkened prompting Akairo to look back at Khatuu, who was smiling, yes but the air around him was slightly distorted.
“You’re quite the asshole, you know that?” He said only for Blomst’s eyes to flash golden, making the air around Khatuu return to normal.
“I wouldn’t do it if you weren’t so cute when you were mad.” She whispered.
Khatuu sighed before grabbing her ass with both hands.
“Asshole.” He said while placing his head in between Blomst breasts.
Zabu eventually arrived with dinner and, after getting off of Khatuu, Blomst accepted her plate along with everyone.
Zabu had cooked his special lamb curry and although the plates had other sides, the curry was the focus.
“Oh my goodness...” Khatuu gasped upon eating a spoonful.
“This is delicious!” He cried while shoving spoonfuls into his mouth.
“It really is, thank you.” Blomst concurred but Zabu shook his head.
“Your words are far too kind. It is just a simple meal.” He said while trying his best not to smile.
Khatuu then said various things all while chewing but notbjng was really intelligible and so Blomst gave him a few pats on the back.
“Chew and swallow first, Khitty.” She said with a soft chuckle.
Khatuu did as instructed and let out a satisfied sigh.
“So what’s next to for Black Barrettes?” Blomst asked.
“Can’t say for sure. But I know that it undoubtedly be entertaining.” Khatuu grinned.
.
..
Dinner eventually ended and, after helping Zabu with tidying up, Blomst entered her room with Khatuu after wishing Akairo and Zabu a goodnight.
The two guests would be sleeping on the sofas and although his stomach was full and his heart was calm, Akairo found himself unable to sleep.
“Still awake?” Zabu asked.
“Yeah.” Akairo answered.
Silence followed.
A contemplative silence.
Akairo wondered Zabu wanted to say.
“I-“
The two spoke simultaneously and this led to a shared chuckle.
“Go first.” Zabu said.
“I... I can transfer the rest of the money into your account right now, if you like. Then you’ll be able to live your dream up here, right?” Akairo asked with a now racing heart.
Zabu sighed before sitting up prompting Akairo to do the same.
“Stupid boy. It was never about the Third Level or the money.”
“It wasn’t? Then... What are you fighting for?” Akairo whimpered.
“That... I can’t say. At least... I’m not ready to say it. I just wanna make sure that the kid I found lying on the street all that time ago gets to live long enough to achieve his goal. That’s all. And... To see you come so close to dying like yesterday... It hurt.”
Akairo bit his teeth.
Zabu looked like he wanted to say something but instead his face twisted as though he was in pain.
“But, I cannot tell you how to live your life. All I can ever do is be there to guide you along the way... As any good m-Master would.”
Akairo took a deep breath and offered Zabu his right hand.
“I know that the road I have chosen to take is dangerous but... If we make it to the end alive... Maybe you can join me on the Lesser Endeavour, if you want.” Akairo said.
“That would be lovely. Now let’s get some sleep.”
Akairo nodded before laying down again.
He wondered what it would be like.
Flying through the infinite with Zabu.
He smiled upon realising that it would be pretty much the same as every other time they spent together and although they’d probably run out of food pretty quickly.
Akairo wondered if there were shops out in space.
He knew there were other inhabited planets but wondered what kinds of foods they sold.
These thoughts and more followed Akairo into sleep.
.
..
Akairo awoke with a yawn as the sounds of movements filled the room.
He sat up to find a half naked Blomst standing in the kitchen. The bright morning light from the sky bather her body and added an ethereal look to her blond hair.
“Good morning, kid.” She sang but Akairo was to flustered to respond.
She was then joined by Khatuu who was completely naked.
He walked up to Blomst and wrapped his arms around her from behind her.
He kissed her neck before noticing Akairo.
“Oh- morning.” He greeted but Akairo decided it would be better to go back to sleep and so he fell backwards and closed his eyes.
Khatuu chuckled only for his PSD to beep in the bedroom.
“Mmm?” He sounded while returning to the bedroom.
A few moments passed and Akairo heard frantic movements coming from the bedroom.
It sounded as though Khatuu was hurriedly trying to get dressed.
He eventually exited the room with a wide grin on his face.
“Guess what? We just got another bounty! It’s not as big as the previous one at only Z250k but apparently it’s a Code Red so I know it’s gonna be action packed!” Khatuu grinned while buckling the many belts around his pants.
Akairo and Zabu both sat up as Khatuu gave a coffee drinking Blomst a kiss on the cheek.
“Come on!” He said while rushing to the door.
Akairo and Zabu exchanged brief surprised looks before running towards Khatuu who had already opened the door.
“Bye everyone!” Blomst sang.
Akairo and Zabu said goodbye as well before running behind Khatuu to his car which took off quickly.
“Now, unlike with our last mission which was completely classified, we have a bit of intel on the next one. Sister Z said that our activities up north have really shaken up the Devout and so they’ve decided to hit back.” He explained.
“That was fast.” Zabu commented.
“True but I don’t really like to think about the specifics. All I know for certain is that a base by the northern border is under attack and they need reinforcements.” Khatuu said before turning to face Akairo and Zabu.
“Lets go show those poor bastards how it’s done.”
.
..
Everyone stood around the circular table in the living room which now had six chairs.
They were all dressed in their gear and had just received the mission details from Z.
“Alright! Let’s go out there and kick ass! And remember...” Khatuu said while looking at Akairo in particular.
“If you die, you don’t get paid.”
THE END
AFTERWORD
Thank you for reading Crimson Shadow Volume One – Fiery Embers and the Shadow of Destruction!