Shots rang out as Satoshi hid behind a wooden table. The Sparks of bullets illuminated the air and the smell of gunpowder became suffocating.
“Get out here ya damn slanty eyed rat!” The pharmacist yelled, continuing to fire his shotgun blindly in the room at random.
“Shit…” Satoshi sighed as shotgun pellets bounced around him.
His plan had been perfect, he'd found the town the Phooka told him of and he'd reached it by nightfall of the same day. Right near the entrance of the town he'd spotted a pharmacy and devised a clever scheme to loot it. He'd soaked an old rag in oil and stuffed it into the cars gas tank, then once a safe distance away he shot a spark of flame at the rag and watched as the car exploded into a burst of flames and panic ensued. The people inside the pharmacy ran out to both see what had happened to try to help calm the situation during which Satoshi snuck into the pharmacy with plans of stealing supplies. However the main pharmacist happened to spot him in the back room and immediately retaliated with lethal force.
“Do ya have any idea how much money ya taking? The pharmacy screamed, firing more rounds into the room in random directions.
Click!
Click!
When the shotgun had run out of shells he cracked the barrel open to refill it but Satoshi using that short window to his advantage teleported above the man with [Kagepo].
SLASH!
Satoshis Katana [Tsubashinai] sliced straight into the pharmacist throat with a splash of blood. He sliced the pharmacist's throat so deep his head nearly flew from his body.
With a thud both Satoshi and the slain man fell to the floor in sync.
Tch, I was trying to cut his head off. Satoshi complained as his hand trembled his grip on Tsubashinai weakening.
Seeing the splash of blood in the door frame the panic in the streets only grew and an army of police officers mounting horses encircled the building.
“We’ve got ya surrounded boi! Y don’t ya just come out nice an ez?” A police officer asked over a megaphone. All the other officers waited silently with drawn pistols pointed at the building. The moment they saw Satoshi they'd fill him with lead.
this was supposed to be an easy theft and now I have the whole damn town after me. Satoshi clenched Tsubashinai tightly to stop himself from dropping it as his fingers nearly unclasped from the handle. He dripped with sweat and his bottom lip trembled.
“Come out with your hands up!” The police officer yelled over the microphone.
“So you could kill me?” Satoshi scoffed under his breath. His eyes darted around the building looking for any potential escape route he could use, even the smallest thing could prove useful with his [Kagepo].
“!”
Then he saw it. In the upper corner of the buildings roof was small air vent. One which he could barely squeeze through if he tried. In a flash he teleported under the vent and kicked it open with a rattle, the moment the vent's shadow was accessible he crossed it. Appearing on the buildings roof top near instantly.
[Kagepo], was the most notable technique of the fabled Kageki clan. One of the three clans which stood amongst all others in Edoland for a 1000 years. By using a shadow as a [medium] the Kageki could use the shadow as a bridge between two locations, to those who witnessed it the act was comparable to teleportation. Though Satoshi nor his fellow modern clan members knew how the spell worked exactly they did know it was something they all had the innate talent for. Like a genetic memory carved in their soul from their clans founder [Jima Hirane].
I could fit through after all… Satoshi grinned. Though powerful [Kagepo] was limited by the user's size, if they couldn’t fit through a space then they couldn’t travel through it with the technique either. Peaking over the edge of the building Satoshi looked down at the police man below. Wondering what he should do next.
“There!” A woman in the crowd screamed upon seeing Satoshis spiky black hair.
“Tch, bitch!” Saotshi hissed, diving off the building and into a bundle of bushes below with a roll.
The horse mounted officers quickly rode towards Satoshi who sprinted out of the bushes and b-lined for the forest ahead. Shots rang out behind Satoshi narrowly missing his body as he penetrated the tree line.
“Murr!” A horse cried out from behind. The officer mounting it wielding a large metal baton. The police officer tried to smack Satoshi over the head with the Baton but Satoshi flipped forwards with a cartwheel to avoid the attack. Bouncing off a nearby tree Satoshi then bounced back and kicked the officer off of his horse which he then mounted himself and commanded forwards.
“He stole me damn horse!” The officer cried out with a pained groan as he thrashed on the floor. watching Satoshi fade into the distance.
What the hell is this a mule!? Satoshi wondered as the horse ran full speed ahead. “I could run faster than this on my own!” He yelled softly smacking the horses side with his foot.
The horse which was either too old or not used to this amount of exercise panted as it ran ahead. Branches nearly decapitated both it and Satoshi as the forest grew thicker the further into it they went.
The yells of the police officers grew quieter as the distance between Satoshi and them grew until they were no longer audible at all. Only the horse's pants and the wind rung in Satoshis ear.
“All of that over a few bags of pain pills and antibiotics?” Satoshi sighed leaning forwards on the horse and resting his head against its neck. After another few minutes of running the horse came to a stop as the forest cleared out revealing a cliffs ledge. One which overlooked the dark and brooding ocean.
“A dead end huh.” Satoshi muttered, hopping off the horse and inspecting the waters below. He could make out a few jagged rocks at the cliffs bottom but no shore. He chewed on his lip about what to do next when-
BANG!
The shot was sudden and came from behind. A bullet lodging itself into Satoshis shoulder and throwing him forwards off the cliff face.
"Ack!" Satoshi grunted in pain as he fell through the air down to the ocean and jagged rocks below. "Damnit!" He growled seeing the rocks come closer and closer to his person.
There’s only one way I can survive this!" He thought. But will I be able to do it? And if I manage to and survive will my fate be worst then having died?!
Gritting his teeth, Satoshi activated both his observation and enhancement to the max at the same time. Observing the area around him he mapped out a plan of action in his head which would allow him to avoid the spikes and projected that before him.
When he came five meters above the rock exactly he'd flip backwards and in the time it took for him to so he'd only be a single meter above the rock. He'd then kick off it with legs and force himself out of harms way into the cold water below. It was a simple plan but also extremely dangerous, the possibility of it occurring exactly as Satoshi had envisioned was one to one billion being liberal with the odds. He needed to make sure he had every single second and motion mapped out in his head to the finest detail. If he left even a fraction of a second unplanned he'd fail.
With his course of actions imprinted into his brain and using both Observation and Enhancement to their max potential he projected his plan into reality. Using his plan as a guide his body acted without thinking. The moment he was five meters above the rock he flipped backwards, once he'd flipped around he was only a single meter above the rock and without a second of pause he kicked off from the rock as he came down upon it. Throwing him nearly another two meters forwards and down into the freezing cold waters below.
"!"
As the projection ended Satoshi sprayed blood from his nose and eyes, the most painful migraine imaginable graced his brain which swelled up and began to bleed from the immense stress put onto it from the technique he'd used.
[Zenkeidou] a technique equally as dangerous as powerful. When used it pushes your entire body to it's limits. Your brain, nervous system, muscles, blood vessels, sensory organs and ligament all follow the exact path you projected without fail. The path once cast into reality was unchangeable and set in motion unless your body gave out and broke apart mid motion. If done incorrectly you could seal you fate into a certain death by walking right into a fatal situation.
Satoshi struggled to breathe as he was pulled down into the freezing cold ocean by the tide. The water around him dyed red from blood.
Move move move! Satoshi cried internally, his body was frozen, paralyzed and burning with pain. Did that little of a motion fry my brain!? Did my nervous system die? Did my muscles rip themselves apart beyond the point of being operable!?
As Satoshi contemplated these things the tide quickly pulled him further under. The air in his lungs was running low and his eyes blurred from both the blood, stress and oxygen deprivation.
“Move!” He screamed as hard as he could, trying to force his body to move, he didn’t care if it was impossible, he didn't care if his muscles were ripped apart or his nervous system was torn to shreds. He pushed himself as hard as he could, his will burning violently and aura blasting into the atmosphere.
"!"
With all of that he could just barley move, only enough to grab onto a large rock and pull himself out of the water.
“Hack, Hack!” He coughed, blood and water pouring from his mouth. He was in horrible pain, his muscles probably were torn apart and his nervous system was extremely stressed. [Zenkeidou] is a technique not even all of the God Pillars can use effectively and without extreme damage to their body. The fact that Satoshi managed to do the little he did was a miracle in itself. But that didn’t mean the damage wasn’t severe. He pulled himself completely out of the water with ragged trembling breaths and laid on his back on the smooth stone floor staring up at the ceiling above him. A stalagmite covered rocky roof with bat guano and water dripping from it.
“A cave?” Satoshi asked aloud looking around with his eyes, though he couldn’t move his head he could see the cave was very spacious and large. Wide enough to fit two school buses and tall enough that you couldn’t reach the top with a standard latter.
“Yes, this is a cave.” Answered a raspy voice from behind Satoshi.
“!”
Reflexively Satoshi tried to jump up and confront the voice's source but he was unable to, his body was frozen in place as the voice's owner grew closer and closer to him with sopping wet footsteps.
“Tis the cave known as [Newgate Cove]." the voice's owner said, coming into view above Satoshi. He was a rugged old man with long dirty and matted gray hair, His teeth rotting yellow and white skin dyed brown from all the dirt caked on it. He wore nothing but a large open coat made of rags in a Frankenstein like pattern and a pair of dirty yellow underwear.
“Who are you!?” Satoshi yelled out, his voice commanding and powerful despite the state of his physical body.
“I’m Clemente Belmire, or at least that’s the name I was given. Nobody has called me that in a long long time. I haven’t seen a man in a long time either. Oh, I think it was a good thirteen years ago I last did ya know.” The man rambled in a thick accent.
“Don’t lay a finger on me!” Satoshi screamed as Clemente reached down to touch him.
“Oh? Aren'tchya sick me boi? That was a big fall, yes it was.” Clemente frowned, wiping his nose with his coat.
“Where is this place? Where Am I and who are you!?” Satoshi yelled.
“Oh my, you’re a mean lil fella.” Clemente flinched, “But I already told ya who I am, it’s rude for you to not do the same.” He said.
“Where am I!?”
“I said you’re in [Newgate Cove] home of the cannibals."
At that sentence Satoshi felt a chill run down his spine, he was paralyzed unable to move and in an immense amount of pain. Not only that but was now stuck in a cannibal cave with a crazy homeless guy who hadn’t seen a person in thirteen years?
“Hohoho, would ya look at ya face, don’t wurry me boi I’m not who the cave was named after. That’d be Calliebell Newgate, the cannibal of Neverland.” Clemente said as he grabbed Satoshi by the shoulders.
Satoshi tried to bite the man's forearm but Clemented pulled it away just in time.
“A real feisty one aren’t cha!” Clemente sighed, “I’m tryna help ya boi, ya look sick!”
“Don’t touch me, I can move on my own.” Satoshi grumbled, straining to move, he was able to force himself upwards and shakily stand to his feet, though his knees were ready to buckle any second.
“Won’tcha look at that! You’re a tough lil boi arencha ya!” Clemente laughed.
“Don’t mock me-” Before Satoshi could finish his sentence he collapsed forwards, his knees bending to each side unable to support his weight.
“Easy does it now!” Clemente said, catching Satoshi as he fell. Satoshi fell fast first into the stomach of the dirty man, his matted gray body hair tickling Satoshi's face.
A blood vessel nearly burst on Satoshis forehead as anger filled him.
“Easy now, let’s go to the fire.” Clemente hummed, clasping his long skinny and gnarled fingers around Satoshis shoulders. His nails, which were green and overgrown, dug into Satoshis skin, nearly drawing blood.
Satoshi tried to speak but he couldn’t, he was drained of energy completely.
How humiliating these past few days have been for me… He thought before losing consciousness.
# # #
Satoshi opened his eyes to the sound of a crackling fire, the nearly nude homeless man sat before him at the opposite end of the fire wearing nothing but his yellow stained underwear.
Satoshi looked down and saw the filthy coat the man had been wearing was now wrapped around him. The years of dirt and dried snot stained it with white patches.
“Yur awake now are you?” Clement asked.
Satoshi didn’t respond; he only ripped the filthy coat off his body and stood to his feet in a clean and quick motion.
“Calm, down me lad. I’m not going to hurt ya.” Clemente frowned.
Satoshi looked around the cave quickly searching for any other signs of life but sensed nothing but a few odd bats on the roof and perhaps a rat or two behind a rock.
[Kageyakuzou: Shadow Storage]
Reaching into the wall's shadow behind him Satoshi pulled out a bundle of items, a water bottle, two white pill bags and a calorie dense bar.
“What thu? Hawdya do that lad?” Clement yelled in surprise.
With a frown Satoshi pulled a second bar out from within his shadow and tossed it to Clement. “Your reward.” He said coldly.
His sense of debt removed Satoshi sat back down on the rocky floor and tore open the two pill bags. Inside of them were different types of medication, one a painkiller and the other an antibiotic, throwing a handful of these pills into his mouth he washed them down with the cold water bottle.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before…” Clement said in disbelief. Both he and Satoshi opened their Calorie Dense bars and began to eat them. Clement struggled to bite into his but Satoshis powerful jaw muscles easily crunched the bar into dust which he swallowed. It tasted absolutely disgusting, like eating a mixture of salt and chalk yet he without complaint devoured the whole thing in three bites.
“You’re a strange one you are.” Clement frowned, breaking his bar into smaller pieces by smashing it against the floor a few times.
“Do you live here?” Satoshi asked as he finished his water bottle.
“Yes this is my home, it is..” Clement answered.
“How often do you have visitors?”
“I haven't seen another human in over 13 long lonely years.”
“Why? Is this place too remote or do you avoid people when they come here?”
“Because this place is haunted, the townsfolk don’t dare come within the caves' line of sight.”
Satoshi didn’t respond, he simply stared at Clement through the fire debating what his next action would be.
If this place is truly as remote as he says then I should stay and use this as my camp. I have enough food, water and medicine to last me that long without issue. That is as long as this thing doesn't pester me for my resources. It’d be best to kill him now to remove any potential threat but I don’t think I’d be able to do it efficiently as I am now. My shoulders are nearly stiff and my legs are shaking from my own weight. So I’ll spare him for now. He might also prove useful in the future…
“Then I’ll be staying here for a week to heal.” Satoshi said, wiping his mouth.
“Is that so!?” Clemente clapped. “It’s been ages since I last had a guest! If I had to guess it’s been… well never!” He laughed.
However Satoshi didn’t join in his laughter or applause; he instead rolled the opposite side of Clement and fell back asleep.
“Hey, wait a minute!” Clemente growled and reached for Satoshi, “It’s rude to ignore the master of the house-” Clemente was silenced by the end of Tsubashinai pressing against his throat.
Clementes eyes widened and his dilated pupils quivered in pure terror.
“Don’t touch me.” Satoshi growled, his aura was thick enough to knock Clement to his ass and then back some.
“I’m sorry! I just got a little excited!” Clemente yelped.
“...” Satoshi didn’t respond; he simply faced away from Clemete resting his head on his hand as he laid on his side.
“I’m surprised you wanted to stay here even after hearing how it’s haunted…” Clemente muttered picking at his nails.
“...”
“This is an infamous place afte rall, but seeing as you’re not from around here I presume you must not be affected by the stigma.”
“...”
“Interested are you interested? Well I’ll tell you that tale of this cave.” Clemente hummed.
Though Clemente couldn’t see Satoshis face, it was certainly one of annoyance. His lips curved downwards into a frown and his eyes narrowed in displeasure.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
“Wonderful! Where do I begin?” Clement laughed.
# # #
The year was 2100, or that is at least what's reported to be the time in which this horrid tale occurred.
During that time Neverland was a vastly different country to what it is now, the Verous Union was but the Verous Kingdom and Neverland the Clover Kingdom.
The Verous Kingdom sought to expand to the north, at first they took the isles which lined the lower half of the Vulracious Empires tail. Unclaimed savage lands unfit for life but rich in ore. After draining these islands dry and to no one's surprise the Verous Kingdom quickly set its eyes upon the Clover Kingdom and Borealia. And thus began a long and horrid centuries long war.
It was near the end of this war that this story takes place. In the town of Cheshire, there was a lumberjack. A tall and powerful man said to hack down over thirty trees a day! This man was the son of a rather rich black smith, the Newgate family he belonged to.
This lumberjack named Callibell Black Newgate was the talk of the town, all women wanted to marry him and all the men envied him. As the war began to end and the desperation grew fiercer the deforestation increased rapidly.
The men needed to go further and further into the woods as the trees retreated back into the mountains. But the forest doesn't take too kindly to being chopped down. No, the nasty critters which call the forest home grew angry, their rage surmounting to a nasty potion. One they hid in a red mushroom, the common red toothed mushroom.
On this toadstool grew a mold, a thick green mold covered in hairs and teeth. It was this mold that poisoned Callibell. He went off into the forest for a day's honest work, deeper than normal as the trees grew larger the further you ventured into the valley of the black mist.
It was here that he breathed in the horrid beast, the sickness created by the critters' anger. The mold is called the “Devil's Blood” and the disease he contracted, I.C.D. or Impulsive Consumption Disorder.
For dinner that night he ate an extra plate, though his family thought none of it as he’d been working harder their concern grew as the next day he ate three.
By the end of the week he was eating enough food to feed the entire household. His hunger was insatiable and drove him to madness, he couldn’t work as he would eat every single frog, lizard, bird or bug that crossed his path. After he finished eating them all he’d begin to eat the leaves and tree bark.
His father sent him away to the doctors where they were unsure of what to do with his appetite. No matter how much the hospital fed him he was never full, he would eat until he vomited and then he’d eat that too. His mind slipped as the hunger consumed him. He began to drink the blood let from patients and the corpses in the morgue. But none of this deterred the staff, no it wasn’t until he committed a crime too cruel to imagine that they turned their back on him.
A newborn child disappeared from the hospital overnight. No search turned up any results and no person had seen the child gone missing. That is until Callibell excreted a baby's tunic.
The whole hospital chased him from the building, swords, spears, guns, torches, pitch forks. They had armed themselves for a massacre, they’d kill Callibell and then cut him up and burn his body. He’d commit a crime deemed unforgivable by God himself.
He ran through the forest and until coming to the cliff of a mountain. Once seeing his dead end and the mob behind him he took the lesser of the evils and plunged into the waters below.
It was this very cave he washed into that night, cold, naked, and injured, the only thing he wasn’t was hungry. The flesh of a human had satiated him. But not for long, after a full day the hunger resumed and ate every fish, crab, bug, bat and bird which he found inside this cave and in the sands outside.
You see during the day when the tide dies down a small strip of land can be walked upon, which leads up into the forest and from there the paths which lead to villages.
It was these paths that he’d attack his victims on. He’d hide out as the sun began to set and travelers grew tired. He’d spear the man and force the women to become his. He’d drag both to his cave and eat the flesh of the man and commit horrible crimes on the widow.
Ya see I.C.D is a strange disease one which you can gain from only two ways, you either breathe in the mist from the devils mold infected with bacteria or you receive it through sexual transmission. As such the diseases also infected those who contracted with with heighted sexual hormones. Making them want to have sex and spread the disease more and prolong it's existence!
The woman would quickly fall into the state of madness herself and become his wife, she’d joined him in his hunts and as the years passed on his harem grew. Children and grandchildren were born to their parents and their own brothers and sisters.
For 25 years this occurred, Callibell grew his horrid clan of cannibals in this very cave. One day however he grew too greedy. He’d normally avoid large caravans and noblemen. However a Golden staff had caught his eye and the plumpness of the noble woman's pregnant belly made his stomach grumble.
He leapt at them with an attack but was foiled by their guard. A knight trained in the way of the Wolf Fangs sword who easily sliced Callibells arm off of his body before he even knew what happened.
Callibell fled back into the wild and to his cave but he left a trail of blood. The noblemen told the lands Baron of their tale and he sent his greatest knights and hounds to kill the horrid demon stalking the path.
The hounds quickly found the blood trail and took the envoy to the cave which they raided without mercy.
In total they drug out thirty three people. From Men to young children and even babies. The latest generation was horribly deformed and looked more like beasts than humans.
Callibell and his family were captured and brought back to the Baron who sentenced them to death.
The men were tied to posts, their tongues cut out, genitals removed and then flayed alive. The women were impaled on iron rods covered in flammable oil, the rod entering their anus and exiting their mouth. They were lit on fire and their ashes thrown to sea. The children were fed to dogs and the babies thrown into fire.
Because of their painful horrible deaths the Callibell clan stayed on this planet as vengeful spirits, this cave acting as their anchor to this world. Where they hide during the day before leaving to vanish people at night.
No one dares come near this cave for it’s said they’ll be eaten by the spirits which call it home.
# # #
Satoshis brows knitted and his mouth curled downwards into a perfect upside “U” like shape. He’d been unable to fall asleep because of the man's ramblings and his patience had nearly expired. His sickening tale being not being most pleasant of bed times stories.
“That’s the tale of this cave it is.” Clement sighed. “But I dunno know if it’s true, in my time living here I’ve never seen a ghost or ghoul. Not a single noise or shadow that's not explained has occurred.”
“There’s no ghosts here.” Satoshi said.
“What makes you say that so confidently, my boy?” Clement asked.
“Because if there was I’d have killed them, now be silent before I kill you too.” Satoshi sighed.
“...” Clemente sighed and he too fell asleep shortly after.
# # #
“What’re you doing my lad?” Clemente asked as he awoke to find Satoshi pouring sweat.
“Exercising.” Satoshi answered, blood trickled from his nose and his body shook as sweat fell into a pool below him. So far he’d done 3000 diamond pushups, with another two thousand he’d have met his current quota.
When he was twenty he could easily do ten thousand in three hours, his lack of training had gotten him to the point where he was now weak and the only solution was to resume where he’d left off.
“You’re injured me lad, are you sure it’s okay to be doing such things?” Clement frowned.
Satoshi didn’t respond; he only continued to exercise, Blood dripped down his chin into the pool of sweat below.
The pain meds were working wonders for his body, the [Zenkeidou] had done considerable damage to not only his brain but his nervous system and muscles yet here he was able to exercise somewhat efficiently.
When most people begin to exercise they believe that working out for hours a day everyday with no rest is the correct regimen, they’ll work until they drop and then get back up and keep trying.
This has mainly been perpetuated by cartoons, books and movies but in reality exercising for less time and less often is actually more beneficial. Harder exercises less often in mix with a good diet is the key to strength and health.
By working yourself to the point of exhaustion every day without pause is to ruin your body. However, to those who’ve awakened their ability to use magic, these restrictions vanish.
To break yourself is the goal, because your willpower will force you to come back even stronger than before.
The Kageki clan specialized in this phenomena, they used it to its utmost limits in order to quickly build their strength and Satoshi utilized it to its fullest extent.
But no amount of exercising alone will compare to the growth in battle… He frowned.
And this is true, magic grows most when being used, for someone like Satoshi who focuses on combat his strength grows in the heat of a battle. No person's soul is born greater than another's, at least not normally.
People can be born with naturally larger mana pools or aura to mana conversion rates but even those with the worst genetics can train themselves to increase these things.
There is no such thing as strong magic, only strong people who use magic, as such it was important for Satoshi to get stronger to return to how he was before
"Yer a strange one lad." Clemente sighed.
# # #
Who’re you Clemente?” Satoshi asked, crunching the cold plastic bottle in his hand.
“So you finally say me name?” Clemente hummed with a goofy smile.
Satoshi frowned at the comment and narrowed his eyes.
“I’m only joking me lad! Don’t get angry at me!” Clement corrected, waving his hands through the air.
“...”
“Well, Satoshi lad, If I’m being honest I dunno why I’m here.”
“?” Satoshi tilted his head at the unclear answer.
“At one point I was a normal man I was. But I was framed for a murder I’d never did.”
“...”
“I was chased from my home and washed up here. As a lad I’d play in this here cave so I knew that I could live in it safely.”
“...”
“It was like the cave had chosen me ya know.” Clemente finished his warm smile.
“...” Satoshi brood over his choice of words, a strange feeling ticking his spine, he’d only known the man for a little over a week and while he’d been nothing but pleasant if not maybe too friendly so far Satoshi could not help but feel a hint of unease.
“Is that so…”
# # #
Rain poured outside the cave, the high tides frothing with salty bubbles as it slapped the rocks. The fog was so thick that you wouldn’t be able to view your hand fully if you’d stuck it out before you.
It’d been a week and a half since Satoshi had begun to live in the cave, his unease around Clemente not lessening in the least. In Fact it only grew, a strange miasma had begun to spread around Clemente. Something different from his aura, an alien presence. Though it wasn’t enough for Satoshi to be worried, he still kept his eye on the man's aura as he played with a small red crab he’d caught out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t see his figure but he could see the miasma and aura running around him.
“Ouch ya bastard!” Clemente yelped as the crab pinched his finger bloody. With a flick of his middle finger he sent the crab back into the cold ocean letting it be dragged away under the surface.
“Satoshi lad, how do you heal yaself so fast?” Clemente asked, turning to Satoshi who stood underneath a pile of his own holding himself up in a handstand.
“It’s impossible for you.” He answered not paying much attention to Clemente who sucked on his bloody finger.
“Is it that strange witchcraft you’ve bin doin?”
“If that’s what this country calls it then yes that’d be correct. Now leave me alone. I don't care to entertain this conversation further.”
Clemente frowned and let out a sigh as he continued to fish in the water with his bare hands. Hoping to catch whatever unfortunate creature caught in a strong tide.
Witch Craft… Satoshi repeated in his head. Thinking back on it I do believe the main magical organizations in Neverland are Witches, the Witch Gang or something… We had a passive agreement with them I think. As long as we didn’t take a hit on their members they wouldn't interfere with our work inside the country. As Satoshi pondered these thoughts he switched positions. Flopping forwards and using his arms as anchors to support his weight he lifted up his back legs keeping them straight and in the air at 90 degree angle. His two arms supporting his whole body weight. Veins popping out across his sweating quivering muscles.
In Edoland Magic had various names, all with slightly different meanings and spelling but all referring to the same thing. Satoshi’s clan called Magic [気術: Kijutsu] meaning Spirit Technique roughly. Though even that name was exactly correct as to what magic was.
Magic was not truly magic, it didn’t create something out of nothing, like a lightbulb makes light from electricity Magic uses your soul to work.
True magic was to create something out of nothing, only a few items in the world could do such a thing, and they were highly sought after.
Satoshi however didn’t care for these items, what's the fun in playing a game you’re always going to win? It feels best to win everything through your own talent. That’s the mindset of the man named Satoshi Kagkei.
“I’ll find Kanko and I’ll kill him, that’s how I’ll get my spirit back.” Satoshi muttered, flipping to his feet with a sigh. Though if it wasn’t for the Venom at the time I could have clobbered him in seconds… It really was just a poor collection of circumstances for me. But that isn’t an excuse, even when sick and weak for me to lose to someone like him is a disgrace. I’ll regain said grace by bathing in his blood.
As Satoshi pondered these thoughts with a smile, Clemente stared at his vague outline through the fog, his expression one of hunger and not the kind food satiates.
# # #
“I hate you.”
The words assaulted Satoshis heart, ripping it apart and spitting on the remains.
“If only you were never born… if only I’d gotten rid of you…”
B-but if you don’t love me who will? Satoshi wondered, biting his tongue as the thin feminine hands around his small neck tightening their grip.
“It’s all your fault that I’m like this… I was a star, everyone wanted me. I had endless possibilities with my life. But you just had to ruin it.”
Satoshi could no longer breathe, the hands constricting his windpipe, he didn’t fight back he just took the abuse. How could he fight back against them?
“I hate you!”
The hands constricted tighter to the point there was a popping noise which echoed throughout the small wooden shack. Satoshi could only stare up at his attacker with pitiful eyes, the lost and confused eyes of a child. And what reflected in those eyes was the image of his crying mother.
Please, don’t leave me… He thought as his consciousness faded.
# # #
SLASH!
Blood sprayed throughout the cave, the sound of flesh ripping was disgusting enough to make someone vomit. Like ripping hairs from a wet carpet.
“A-and I’d only just barely put my hands on you…” Clemente grumbled nervously as he cradled the stump where his arm and hand once were.
“I’ll permit you one excuse before I cut you down, use it wisely.” Satoshi said, his eyes stone cold as he jumped to his feet. Tsubashinai in hand dripping down from the blade.
“Aren’t you nice to give me an excuse after already cutting my arm off.”
“I am, aren't I? I’ll give you ten seconds, keep it under ten words.” Satoshi hummed, raising his right brow and squinting his left eye.
“Hunger, hunger, I want to eat you. The voices won't stop, I need to eat you.” Clemente groaned as he clenched his teeth against one another.
“That’s your reason? I can understand eating a cadaver when lost without food. I’ve done so myself. However there’s plenty of food around us.”
“But they don’t fill it. The void, it started when you came here the voices of hunger, No matter what I do they won’t go away!” Clemente screamed in a pained voice.
“...” Satoshi inspected the strange ominous glow around him which had grown significantly overnight. I couldn’t tell before this but it looks like he’s been cursed. No actually he’s possessed, a curse wouldn’t manifest itself like that. The possession isn’t complete, it's still manifesting itself hence why he’s only attacked me now. He also said it didn’t start until I showed up? I must have fulfilled the conditions for the possession to begin. You can’t eat what doesn’t exist. But now the question is who this guy is being possessed by and if I kill him will the thing move onto me? Satoshi mulled over these thoughts in an instant, his experience greatly helping him understand the situation and come up with multiple different scenarios.
Clemente is exposed in all ways, he has no defense at all. The thing possessing him is either focusing all of its energy on sealing his soul or it wants me to attack him so another one if its hypothetical condition is fulfilled…
“I- I just can’t take Satoshi Lad, don’t hate me!” Clemente cried out his head dripping in tears and mouth watering in gluttony. He dashed forwards toward Satoshi in a crude and sloppy sprint, no form or power. Like an old man trying to run as fast as he could with his weak and old body.
SLASH!
Clemente fell to the floor with a guttural scream as his ankles seared with a burning hot pain. Blood pooling around them.
Satoshi stood above Clemente Tsubashi dripping with fresh blood from slicing Clements Achilles heels.
I’ll immobilize him first, then find out what this thing possessing him is.
“Satoshi Lad, forgive me please! I just need a taste, a finger will do, just give me something!” Clemente cried his teeth clashing against one another as he spoke.
CRACK!
Satoshi smacked the back end of the Katanas blade into Clementes neck. Clementes eyes spun around in his head like thrown dice before he fell unconscious, drool spilling from his open mouth.
“...”
Satoshi watched Clemente gasp for his breath as he laid there. The strange aura from before not changing in the slightest as it slithered across him.
If I kill him there’s a chance it tries to possess me, something I want to avoid as best as possible. So it looks like the only thing I can do is exorcize it and then destroy it. But can I actually exorcize it? The Kageki were assassins, so I was only taught how to fight magic users. This is more in line with the Hojo. Maybe I could use one of the [三武式: Sanbujiki] techniques… Satoshi thought, rubbing his chin as Clemente heaved unconsciously on the floor.
The [三武式: Sanbujiki] translated roughly as “Three fighting styles” was the culmination of the Edolands 3 big clans general combat techniques combined into a single style. Each clan brought in their own personal flavor of techniques making it a diverse yet single and coherent style. However said techniques were mostly basic and meant to be built upon by the individual.
Satoshis Father Kageki Dou for example was a master of the [少動殴:Shoudounaguru] technique, a very rigid one inch punch which uses every muscle in your body at once to perform. However his father had perfected it to the point that he could rip someone's heart out of their chest without destroying it or getting a speck of blood on his hand.
Satoshi having been forced to live on his own for the majority of his life never had a chance to perfect any [三武式: Sanbujiki] techniques. He only used and built upon what he needed to survive.
As such the general Anti Curse technique of the Sanbujiki style [不呪憑依: Fujubiyoui] might not be able to Exorcizing the thing which has latched itself onto Clemente. Not to mention if Curses themselves are the same as possessions which breaks down into semantics of what kind of curse it was and how it was applied. Something which Satoshi didn’t feel the need to break down much further. If it didn’t work it didn’t work and he’d find another solution that was the end of it.
Pointing his open palm down at Clementes back he focused his aura into his hand and began to generate mana. The mana twisted and turned, tying knots out of its many threads and flows until it congealed into a single ball which shot out at Clementes back.
[不呪憑依: Fujubiyoui!]
A blast of mana filled the cave sending tremors through it’s rock wall, Clemente thrashed on the ground as the thing which attached itself to him thrived in great pain, it’s grip on the man's body being pried of slowly like gripping fingers peeled from a surface.
“!”
An indescribable cry rang out through the cave as the thing was successfully pried from the body of Clemente.
Seeking the closest form of life it quickly grabbed Satoshi by the leg and began to crawl up him undulating like a slug would. Flexing his aura Satoshi repelled the thing which fell to the floor writhing as it died out, Satoshi still couldn’t define what it was but now he was thinking it was a Ghost which forms a curse as a binding to its host. It had infected Clemente long ago and waited until Satoshi appeared for its conditions to activate.
It’s probably related to that cannibal story he ranted about. Satoshi thought as he flipped Tsubashinai up in the air and brought it down onto the thing, splitting it half and killing it with another flash of aura.
“...”
He watched the thing let out its final burst of energy as it died, reaching out to him in a last vain effort to survive just a bit longer. However that chance would not come and it faded into bits of Mana which were absorbed into the cave. Surely this place would at one point become a dungeon, surely the mana which had just been absorbed by the cave along with the Kami rich air and legends about the cave would eventually create a hellscape fit for a cannibal to live, But that was not Satoshis problem.
His current problem was the man who lay on the ground unconscious and Achilles tendons ripped to shred beyond natural healing.
“...”
Satoshi was flabbergasted that he was debating what to do with the man. Of course he should kill him. He was a witness to Satoshis existence and survival, he was now destined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he tried to kill Satoshi and he was a random old man. This is the logic of Kageki Satoshi yet this is not what he initially thought to do.
No, his initial thought was where should I drop him off before fleeing the country back to Edoland. That single line of thought both confused and angered Satoshi, that was not what he should be thinking, that was not the kind of person he was. Those were the thoughts of Kageki Kosei, but Kosei no longer existed, only Satoshi did. So why then did he think of helping this man Clemente.
Chewing on his lip as he turned the gears in his head he couldn't’; help but be dumbfounded, the choice was obvious. He would kill Clemente of course he would. Why wouldn’t he? If he left Clemente alive that would expose his weakness and presence. As such he would kill him and leave absolutely nothing of him in this country.
Bringing Tsubashinai overhead he brought it down onto Clemente's neck, slicing into his flesh and drawing blood.
However he only managed to slice the first few layers of skin, no more then being sliced open by a branch in the forest would before he stopped his hand trembling.
“...” His hand shook in a rage at his own weakness. He threw Tsubashinai like a spear into the stone wall of the cave, piercing it all the way down to the handle.
With a roar of rage he leapt at the wall smashing his fist into it and smashing through the rock and creating a tremor, bits of gunk and rock falling down from the cave's top and crashing to the floor.
“Damnit damnit damnit!” With more curses Satoshi continued to pound his fists against the rock wall expanding its total size considerably.
“It’s his fault! It’s that damn Kankos! It’s because of him that I’m like this! It’s because I lost to him that I’ve lost it! I’ve lost my spirit!”
The image of the unkillable boy seared itself into Satoshis mind, his childish face and piercing blue dead eyes filling his vision. He continued to destroy the cave as he vented his frustration, smashing into the wall with his fists, kicking through rocks with his bare foot and letting out the cries of a beast he only stopped once he’d tired himself out. The cave had grown roughly 1.5 times in size from Satoshis fit of anger, His fists imprinted deep into the walls and the floor was littered with fractured rocks.
“I need to kill him! I need to kill Kanko only then will I be able to save myself from this, only then will be Satoshi once more!”
With that final thought Satoshi collapsed backwards onto the rocky floor of the cave heaving every breath of damp moldy air. His eyes closed as exhaustion took over.