Chapter 10, Part 5: Soul crushing defeat

Lina saw a flash of light wash over her. It was much like a gust of wind which you could see coming toward you, which rustled the debris and sand in the air. For a split second she thought nothing of it, but then the next her body gave out on her. As she toppled over there was a sense of overbearing will which came over her, like the feeling one gets as a child when their father is telling you no. Her mind recognized her falling, the loss of vision and weakness coursing through her body. Although she didn't quite understand it. She felt his presence on top of her, as if she had lost by just being there. Lina's last act of defiance was to strike the ground on her way down, plunging her fist square into the dirt floor causing cracks to ripple in all directions. Alas her body didn't respond, not even to the pain. Her eyelids became heavy and mind went blank as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

--hours later---

She would awake in a fluffy bed which gave her the sensation of floating. The best way to describe it would be say she was floating on air, because of how comfortable the bed was. Though she was sandwiched in many blankets, they all sort of melded into nothingness. She kept her eyes closed and smiled while waking up, turning briefly in her bed before noticing something very wrong.

Lina would dart up to find her cloak draped on a chair at her bed side, with mally looking up at her with inquisitive eyes. " Hey hey father floaty girl just woke up hey", he'd say with a sense of exuberance. There just entering the room was two men accompanied by some royal guards. Their iconic gold plated armor was not something one could miss. The man was a solemn fellow, around his early 50's with signs of stress he inadvertently wore on his sleeve. Much like before(as previously mentioned), he had a tired weary fatigue about him. His smile seemed to be propped up as flimsly as a house of cards and his hair was showing signs of greying. His brow had wrinkles from all his excessive scowling and though he carried himself with a sense of strength, his shoulders seemed to want to come down at any moment. Along side him was a familiar man though, one she almost clashed with. The one she thought was Captain Osion.

Lina automatically reached for her blades, only to grasp at nothing. She looked down with a sense of fright and uttered, " S-s-sandai...nid-ai? where ar'ya guy--s"? Mally would bop her noggin with a slap to her crown and say, " Silly floaty girl. who are ya talking about"? Lina rubbed her head with a frown when her eyes followed Mally back to her father. He ran up to his father and leaped into his arms, giving him a big wholsome hug. " Attaboy Mally. Don't ya do that again you hear me"? The boy nodded his head with a gleeful smile.

The king gave her a slight bow of the head and said, " Thank you girl, or should I say Skip? You saved my son from those devilish wolf men". Lina's eyebrow raised slightly as her arms relaxed and she threw off the covers. " Oh where are my manners? The name's King Solomon the 4th, ruler of all on Sandy Isle". Lina's eyes widened a bit, with a childlike twinkle in them. However within a moment her gaze went back to Gozu and she was growling at him. The king laughed heartily, holding his sides, as if he was watching a chihuahua growl at a pitbull. Lina's attention turned back to him as he had laughed and suddenly her surroundings dawned at on her. She coughed into her fist and hawked a loogie into a trash bin to the side of the bed. " Mister kingly sir guy...why am I--here n not locked up in a dungeon or something"?

The king stopped laughing and his jolly face turned to a frown. Lina stared blankly at him as he took in a deep breath, stroking his beard with one arm while holding mally in the other. " Ya see...I got ta thinking that if you were trust worthy enough to save my boy from the wolfmen, then maybe...you could save my daughter". Lina looked about the room, especially at gozu with a scowl and rubbed her chin as well. The king giggled at her mannerism, because she really wasn't aware of it. " I--".

The king held his hand out and shook his head," Such a small woman blamed for so much death...but I do not sense ill will. Unlike a marine, I judge based on reasons behind an action, and not the action itself". Lina gulped, but she went to speak when he shook his head. "If a man understands, then leave it at that". Lina scowled for a second and growled, before taking a deep breath as well. She looked up at him and didn't know what to say or what to do." And what...why is he here? Why am I here"?

"Such an eager girl. He is doing his duty, one I can not fully disclose to you. But he is not your concern. You saved my boy, so I spared you. However my kindness will only be sustained if you agree to help me. My country is in danger and my daughter in the maw of the beast". Lina nodded and gestured for him to go on with a reserved nod. He turned to the window and stared out at Alubarna and all its glory. Lying beneath the veneer of my precious country is a malice which threatens to tear us asunder. My guard is spread thin. The marines' hands are tied with the recent slew of piracy. And the world government is all but useless, its people are impossible to get in touch with.
All other government organizations involved either say their hands are tied or are nowhere to be seen".

He paused and slumped over the window ciel with grit teeth. "They took my baby girl and are blaming us for confangled Devil's elixir. The world is blaming us for the devil's elixir. and that Damned PATCHEENI IS SITTING BACK AND STRONG ARMING ME". The man struck his own wall and caused it to boom with a massive gust of wind that ripped through the room. Not from the physical force, but rather a force similar to Tut's haki. It strained the wing and shook the palace wing to its core. Lina covered her face with her blanket and Malley joined her with tears in his eyes. " So you want me to...get her back"? she said with a timid voice and eyes just barely peering from under her blanket's edge.

Yes...no my dear skippy, I want her back. But...I also want my daughter's name to be cleared of its crimes against our people". Lina shakily nodded her head and he turned back to her, giving her a soft smile.

Spoiler:

Two hours, that was the amount of time that had passed since Bazil had the audacity to spit upon the king’s brother’s boot. The act of which would normally call for execution, one does not simply disrespect the royal family so brazenly and get away with it. But, that’s exactly what a happened, the great general simply sat down the brat with nothing but his willpower. Forcing the young pirate do something he had never done before in his entire life and that was bending the knee to someone. Never once had this arrogant demon of a man bow his head to another, no, because in his mind he was the top of the food chain and a lion doesn’t bow to a gazelle. Suddenly though, this lion learned the hard way that he was just a cub.

The red haired pirate sprung awake, drenched in sweat his right arm now a cannon, instinctively he fired it through side of the building, still halfway in dreamland. The cannon ball tore through the side of the clinic and into another home. Panting heavily, he looked around his unfamiliar surrounding’s expecting to see the giant man standing in front of him, instead it was a small clinic. The desert wind now gently blowing through the hole in the wall, he gathered his thoughts and held his head with his left hand, looking at the bandages wrapping his arms and torso and then up again to see his jewelry and coat on a nearby table. Right arm normal once again, the pirate slammed both fists down onto his thighs, gritting his razor sharp teeth, his face flushed red and knuckles white from the pressure. “I’m gonna fuckin kill that guy.” The bloodlust radiated from him the air in the room heavy with killing intent, remembering the altercation he was previously in. He swung his legs off the side, so his feet were on the ground. Looking up he noticed an odd fellow sitting in the room with him, by appearances he seemed a little younger than Bazil, though it was hard to tell as the young man had animalistic traits, pointed ears on top of his skull and fur on his appendages.


“Who the fuck are you..?” The pirate snapped at the stranger, his eyes like daggers, not recalling his face from the casino incident earlier that month.

Gozu sat quietly as if he was s statue. He was called here for the same reason as Lina was allowed to be within the room. He got the same overall talk but he did not give a answer on if he would help. Yes, the Marines at times helped the royalty of this Island keep the peace, but they didn’t have to. This was not a perk for being under the World Government’s banner as you’d assume. No, it was more of a privilege to have a heavy Marine presence on the Island. As many Islands are not as lucky. Everything said would be soaked up like a sponge by Gozu. He didn’t write anything down or record it using anything. No, everything would be within his head word for word. How he personally felt about the matter wasn’t really anything special, he’d rather be napping. But he did know what the World Government accepted and did not accept. As asking a Pirate for assistance was foolish if the King, even if he believed in her more than the Marines. She had blood on her hands, well blades, that of Marine and also Royal soldiers. People that gave their life for this country have died at the hands of this Pirate. Even the one she ran with killed one his sons, but he wouldn’t see his foolishness. No, the King was more worried about one of his children that was still alive. That was something Gozu personally did not fault  him for one bit. He understood what being a parent was, as he had two children of his own. If you really loved them you’d give everything and do anything to make sure they were okay. And also that anything that bad they got into was handled, even if they were at fault. His Daughter wasn’t the World Government was, as their agent was the one responsible for the drug.

Gozu adjusted himself in his chair as he kept his eye on them. The girl’s blades were all within a iron chest in the other room. The chest was locked but the King planned to give her the key to it if she agreed to help him. Gozu knew of this but didn’t plan to stop the girl at all. Only time he’d do such a thing is if she threatens or even tries to take the life of anyone within the room.

Gozu was someone who put the views of the World Government above his own. Though he had the habit of slacking off by taking multiple naps during the day he made sure he did his job and then some. This event today, the meeting, will be reported to the World Government. And the punishment that will come from it will be something that truly changes the way this Island was. Regardless of who was saved or if the drug was taken off of the streets. Pirates will only receive the glory of having their bounty raised.

The King Brother was the one that called Gozu as he was the one that wanted the Marine to see how far his Brother has fallen. To show him that something needed to be done by the World Government. More in his intentions will be revealed at a later date.

“Where you want to head to is Rainbase.” Gozu would say, as after the King act of frustration he felt he needed to speak. “We have gotten information that your daughter is somewhere there. I was told she may be within the Casino that just finished it’s repairs. How you go about figuring out if that is true or not is up to you guys. As I am letting you know now that there will be no further help from the Marines.” Gozu spoke his peace and stood to his feet. He only told this information because he felt bad for the King. But, he needed to let this be known now that the side he had chosen to pick will receive backlash. He was prepared if anyone tried to stop his departure. Though they all may be formidable, as side fine the child, they couldn’t hold a candle to him.

Chapter 10, part 6: The Throne Room Blues

The room stood frozen when the silent giant rose from his chair. Lina's grip on her blanket became tighter as she realized the implications of what could happen if he took action when she was unarmed. Her eyes were locked though, on the slow moving marine who didn't seem all that interested in what was going on, but the look in his eyes held contempt for those privy to this conversation. He seemed reluctant, but gave them information worth its weight in gold before taking his leave. Although Lina didn't know much about the marines or their ranks, she was sure captain wasn't the highest order among them. Nonetheless, she gave him a nod and turned back the king who had stood solemnly waiting for him to depart.

The king sighed and walked over to a cabinet with a bottle of alcohol and two shot glasses. " Care for one girl?", said the man in a harsh tone. Lina shook her head and gulped. He shrugged and poured himself two glasses and simply took the time to look at the contents within. " Mally, daddy needs to talk to the girl. So you can now go knowing she's alright". The boy nodded and gave his father one last hug, " Thanks father. I'm gonna go play in my room". The king did not move for a good five or ten minutes as he sipped his drink. Letting the harsh bitter taste of the shot course through him when he was not staring at Lina. She on the other hand simply watched back, as she was unsure of what to do in this situation. Before being told to she got up from the heavenly bed, pausing to contemplate how it may be the last one of its kind she'd ever sleep in. Her finger tips hesitantly leaving the soft dreamlike comforter and her feet meeting the cold hard stone floor.

She peered at her ripped blouse and replacement shorts. " What's wrong with the shorts"? She looked up and glared at him, " nothing they're jus not my style". She grabbed her cloak and with one swoosh, she donned the equivalent of her comfort blanket. The sound of the glass being placed on the table grabbed her attention. He gestured for her to come forth and left the room being flanked by two of his royal guard. Lina gulped and followed him out of the room, where the sound of a key being unlocked reverberated throughout the hallway, which was surprisingly quiet. She poked her head around the corner to find the guards lugging out of a massive chest with the king spinning a key on his hand. " Yer blades are in her girl, but I warn ya. Last chance to back out, skippy"?


Lina sighed and tilted her head, " Regardless of today's outcome I'm a wanted woman, what do'I havta lose"? He stopped for a moment and pondered what she had said, while pondering why he was about to ally himself with her. "Honor means something. I reckon you can redeem what's left of that soul of yers if you turned yourself in before you got in too deep". She shook her head and said, " That marines as a whole are complicit with deaths of my friend's people. They turn a blind eye and calls it justice. I would rather die a criminal than stand idly by while the world government does what it wants". He smirked back, revealing his pearly whites. A thing rare in these times, even for rich folk. He bellowed a heart laugh and smacked the surface of the chest, while hastily handing the key to his guard.

As the key turned and the king lifted the chest for her to see, he nodded. Lina grabbed both of her weapons. The sad Sandai and his angry older sister, Nidai. She hugged both blades and took a deep breath before seating them at her hip. " say old man, why wouldn't you just have that giant meathead knocked me out save her"? The king sighed and gestured for more alcohol. He walked over a balcony overlooking alubarna with watery eyes. " The marines have more credibility on the island these days, they're replaced my loyal soldiers that you murdered...". Lina made a fist,but didn't say anything as he continued, " Even my own brother prefers osion and gozu to me.The end is nigh for my line...for my family. All I want is proof it wasn't my daughter doing the dirty work.
The people have lost faith in me,but they will not drag us through the mud for undoing this country".

He tossed the glass at Lina, who barely dodged due to her being on guard because of his powers. " The people of my beloved country...will continue to suffer and be used as guinea pigs...but that matters not anymore.. ". He grasped her shoulders and shoot her with enough force to break a normal person, looking her dead in the eye. " If you do nothing else,just save her. Kill my people. Kill the world government master mind. KILL THE MARINES, but SAVE MY DAUGHTER"! He cried out loud and broke down, falling to his knees with no more left in him. A man who watched his people be seduced by the very people killing them. A man who lost his eldest son and was probably going to lose his crown princess. Lina placed a hand on his shoulder and sighed, so as to catch her breath and clear her mind. "I'll do what I can sir".

---later that evening---

Lina's was crushed under various cheeses while she hitched a ride with a carvan heading toward rainbase. Getting out of alubarna was easy as all she had to do was use her fruit powers to scale the buildings and avoid all the beefed up marine security. It was check point after check point from the looks of it, especially after the rampage wrought by bazil and his crazy powers. As his accomplice, she too was being hunted by the marines on the island as well. Though none of that matters because she was now within the cargo section of a camel drawn wagon just on the outskirts of Rain base.

The girl leaped out smelling of good cheese(rancid smell), while the man driving the wagon yelled obscenities and something about the cheese being ruined by human flesh. He had animal ears, so it was safe to assume he was probably a mink. She dashed for a good 10 ot minutes through the small town, zipping by people in restaurants of all shapes and sizes. Rich people, poor people...it was a tourist hot spot and by one of the most guarded places on the island.


Patcheeni was busy enjoying a steak dinner or close to it. The meat was soft and tender, and oozed blood whenever he stuck his fork or knife into it. It was buttered and the meat had a nice red texture and springy feel to it. Its face was like cloudy jelaton which squirt back at and hit his assastant, Double O4. The red head wiped her face clean and glared at him before going back to work on the corpse before her. " Anything new year woman"? She didn't answer as she was busy with her scalpel, trying to punch something out with her tongue sticking out.

" With the proper tools sent here a few days ago, we finally got a stable batch. this poor son of a bitch died to sword wounds, not the serum. The cuts are so elegant though". Patcheeni got tired of using his knife and jammed the fork into his meat and began to rip pieces from it by simply biting it. Patcheeni turned to the corner, to see his last surviving specimen and put on a sad face. "Are ya sad wolfy chan? Do you want some"? The man walked over to her with a cocky grin as the half wolf woman bared her teeth. " Sir remember what happened last time"? There was a biting sound that echoed through the room, coupled with the slight sound of a crack.

Patcheeni shrugged before he ripped his leg away, followed up by the sound of teeth being ripped from their flesh. He growled and stomped the wolf woman until she stopped yelping like a dog. " Ahh that didn't happen". There was an exasperated sigh across the room, " Hope she's still breathing for your sake". Patcheeni scoffed and headed back to his den den mushi security room, tapping through his cameras with a bored expression. " Mugging mugging, oh rape..ew shes gross...mugging mugging yada yaada yada yada....ohhh what a neat sword. Could it be that cunt everyone was raving about this afternoon"? Patcheeni zoomed in and got a closer look of her face as she approached the front entrance of the casino.




He took the reciever while concentrating on her cute little face while eating his meat, " eyyup"? A voice came out of the den den rather excitedly. " It's her boss it's her can I get her for a nice chunk of change"? Patcheeni paused and continue to eat his meat. " Boss put the damn wolf meat steak away for two seconds"!

"No shes mine".

Spoiler:

Chapter 10, part 7: Isolation

"Sandy Island to base do you copy?" The marine dispatch on Sandy Isle desparetly trying to contact Marineford. "Base this is Sandy Island requesting an immediate 10-33 requesting assistance" Tapping could be heard from the lead radio operator, who as sweating bullets at the moment. "I repeat, this is Sandy Island, base do you copy?!". He slammed his table which silenced the room within seconds. In this situation there was no one left. The Golden rose was found half buried and deformed in some back alley like a dog. Gozu had disappeared without a trace and his brother Osion was nowhere to be seen. They were the ones with connections to Marineford that went beyond the simple radio contact. 

The life of a Marine Dispatcher is often overlooked. Glory and recognition goes the foot soldier, the general, and the heroes who make the difference up front. Yet it is the operator who keeps contact with the home base that never gets praised. The line of communication that keeps the army moving and coordinated. These marine operators were no different. The sounds of screaming could be heard from the radios in the room, a constant stream of young bucks asking for help at any given time these past few weeks. The pirates on Sandy isle were breaking down society at its foundation. Deaths in Nanoha at the hands of a red haired demon and a giant fishman. Atrocity at rainbase and even the capital city. Nowhere was sacred. It seemed as if Sandy Isle was one or two events away from revolution. 

" Please help us! Its the cloaked one! The cloaked one! Oh god she's coming. Send help! please"! The operator at desk five sat there with a glazed look in their eyes and tears running down her cheeks. The head operator grabbed her den den receiver and shouted, " 10-4 this is base, what is your location soldier? Over". There was no response or rather, the response was not intelligible. It was just a some screams coupled with gun shots. Chaos had descended wherever the call was coming from. The head dispatcher turned to his lead table turner and said, " Where is this call coming from"? The woman flipped a few knobs and switches with full concentration. " It's Rain Dinners sir"! The man yelled, " I WANT EVERY ABLE BODIED SOLDIER IN NANOHA AND RAINBASE TO HEAD TO RAIN BASE, NOW"! Normally such a man would not be able to make an order, for he was just a captain. The highest rank one could reach without being a soldier. Though of the captains remaining on the island, he was one of the few still trying to salvage the situation. However those who had their wits about them made the calls in a frenzy. "God help us".

Rain Dinners Ground Floor


Lina slipped into the casino fairly unnoticed as it was essentially the last haven on the island. Numerous people from all walks of life enjoyed the casino in a ball of cigars, belis, and lots of alcohol. Every inch was packed with beautiful waitresses in short skirts and tight outfits shaking it for their mostly male customers. Lina kept her cool, but her guard was naturally up as she slipped through the place full of horny drunk old timers looking for a good time. Though most of the time her glare or look of disgust was enough to satiate their lust. Usually she shook it off, but there was something in the air she didn't quite get. It was similar to jack frost back on water 7, with this light feeling of unease that crawled up her spine. Her muscles were kept taut and her breathing was now rhythmic in case of danger.


Men in black suits were already trailing Lina. Most of them with the exception of Kusanji, the Impaler, were cipher 2-5. Those in echelons 2 and 3 were essentially stronger foot soldiers with access to a few arts of rokushiki. Generally focused around tekkai and shigan, as they are the easiest forms of rokushiki to learn since they don't require precision or much kinetic movement. 4 is more adept than the previous echelons, with them knowing how to use soru and geppu sparingly. 5 being the line between novice and intermediate, with these fellows being able to access every common art in the cp arsenal. However they still overwork themselves using the kinetic abilities such as soru.

Each of these men trailed Lina in a not so subtle fashion. She sparingly came across marine grunts who weren't any the wiser, standing around and chatting it up with the servers. She'd pretend to bump into them, but what she was really doing is giving each of their swords a little bit of her power. Her attention seemingly focused on the right, when one of the suits met her gaze. " Ello dawling...", said a slimy whisper from her left. A finger shot toward her abdomen, only to be caught Sandai kitetsu. " Shigan", said the slimy voice. Lina met blackened gaze head on, causing the blades from the marines to shake in their sheaths. He smiled to reveal a toothy grin before she flourished her blade and drove it into his arm. The blade caught upon him felt like it was clashing with steel, " Teekai mon sheeri hehehe". By the time he realized it, 13 marine issued swords flew from their sheaths and into the man mocking her. His whole body let out a clank that only metal made when clashing with eachother. But before she could follow up with an attack, a blade of wind made its way toward her. Lina's body had an ominous glow which surrounded her body and made her blade become jet black. The flames in her hamon flourished and roared as she slashed into the windblade, making it disperse around her. "Rankyu", said the petite woman. "My my what do we have here?
Tell patcheeni not to worry, we got this".

By standers stood around the fight, making bets and jeering at the Lina.  " YEA GO GETTEM CIPHERS!YES KICK 'ER ASS STUPID ASS PIRATES.Yes THATS RIGHT MAKIR PAY FOR COMING TO RAIN DINNERS" There was an excitement in the air that permeated the crowd like a contagion. People flocked the area ranging from employees to civilians with the exception of high rise gamblers who scoffed at it like some sort of retarded congregation. High in their little sky box, overlooking the commotion.


With a single slash the blades which floated around her flew off and started to carve through the crowd. Bodies started to flop to the floor and crimson painted the area. The marines started to fire on her but she flew through the bodies and machines as cover, causing sparks to fly. "C'mon it's just one g--uasdbjafa", he exclaimed as blood gushed from the captain's throat. Rankyus flew threw the air destroying slotmachine and slotmachine. The ciphers used their numbers to try and corral Lina toward the bigger fish. The occasional cipher would show the ability to use soru and close the gap. With one right on top of her, holding his cocked arm out. " Too slow", she'd said as her blade sung a sad song and coursed through his torso.


Lina's eyes became wide as the little woman appeared right beside her and threw a deadly kick that seemed to have more width than usual. A blade of wind flew behind her as she rolled away and began to float into the air. All the while marines fired their guns at her in small diminishing packs. " ARGHHH PIRATE"! The ciphers used them as fodder as lina dodged in mid air using her full speed to just avoid their line of fire at the last moment. That is until one met her above using Geppo, he threw a well placed shigan toward her neck before almost losing his arm, as she ducked down with an over head slash toward his arm. He triumphantly used tekkai, laughing triumphantly momentarily fall like a rock. " Idiot you can't use tekkai at the same time"! Lina smirked and said, " Good". She slashed again in a wide arc, sending her flying swords into the columns of hiding marines. Flying above to keep her opponents who were flinging rankyus and firing their guns at her liberally. She'd come upon them like a red comet of death, bringing her flying blades of death to and fro. Even the ciphers were pinned down as she attacked every living thing in the area with a vengeance.

" 10-4 this is base, what is your location soldier? Over".

Before he could do respond, the young radio operator's head was sliding off his shoulders and body falling to the floor with a wet flop.

Spoiler:

Leaving the clinic behind, Bazil could hear the woman yelling behind him as she put out the flames he hd just ignited. Though he cared not what she had to say, nor did he care that the mink was no longer following him. The only thoughts this young man had were those of tearing the royal family limb from limb, especially the kinds brother, the great general Tut. As the young pirate marched through the city streets, his attention focused in the distance on th palace jutting up above the skyline, the sound of his heavy footsteps could be heard by those he had passed by. His blood lust oozing off of him, leaving the air around him thick with killing intent. Even those without access to the three colors could feel some semblance of it. The hairs on the back of their necks raised up, goosebumps riddled their skin, even the animals scurried away from him, their senses much more in tune than those of humans. Whimpering off with tails between their legs, they could feel that darkness that wa about to descend upon Alabasta.

Bazil, now stood at the bottom of the palace steps, they were large and carved of marble with golden hand rails that glistened in the hot desert sun. The gates were large and made of stone, the history of Alabasta carved into them, the story culminating with the first great king of the current royal bloodline, king Tutankhamun Ra Neferteri. His larger than life image carved so it would stand over any who approached the gates, his likeness armed with a pharaohs crook and a scimitar in his hands, it was meant to convey greatness and intimidate those would dare oppose this great nation, or even worse, this great bloodline. Now standing only a few meters away from the gates, directly across from the towering image, Bazil smirked at the former king, his devilish grin in full bloom. The pirate held up both arms, his left was now a large naval cannon, while it lacked the power to completely bring down the entire door, it would have enough power to create a hole large enough to allow Bazil to enter through. In turn destroying the image of the once great kind. The cannon ball ripped through the main entry hall which had been packed to the brim with royal guard soldiers. The shot parted them like a sea, maiming and killing those that crossed its path. Not seconds the pirate would step through the dust cloud, his right arm now a minigun that sent a hellfire of metal ripping through the small army. The bullets came so fast that a constant red mist filled they are as the guards were only outfitted with simple metal armor, defending against a sword or small caliber weapon. But the three inch long rounds tore through them like they were butter. Screams echoed in the room, its ceiling was high and the walls had large marble pillars adorned with gold, paintings of the previous kings decorated the walls this room has once signified the of someones journey to see the royal family. Meaning it needed to have an air of affluence, pride, and most importantly beauty, but now, the room became the place of a devil. A fresh coat of crimson painted everything, giving whatever it touched a certain shine to it.

The guards that had been on the second level balcony, the ones who were to act as snipers in an event such as this, at this point had either fled or were frozen with fear. One however was not, he held his rifle strong as he was able, the shaking though still persisted, for no matter how hard he tried not to be scared, he knew that the devil stood before him. The sweat dripped from his brow, tears welled in his eyes at the thought of his own death, but in an act of pure courage he pulled the trigger, firing off a wildly inaccurate shot towards the rampaging pirate. The bullet would find its mark though, grazing the pirates cheek and lower left ear. Halting the assault momentarily the pirate reached up with his human left arm, feeling the empty space that had once been part of his ear. Looking down he saw he golden hoop earing he wore still attached to his lobe on the ground. Blood now leaking from the wound onto his bare shoulders.

Bazil’s eyes widened, veins appearing in the corners, his razor sharp smile in full force, he let loose a laugh malicious enough to freeze even the bravest of souls for a split second. It echoed throughout the palace, the survivors of his first onslaught could only look on in terror as his laugh subsided suddenly, the storm was had come. First the pirates arm began rotating once more, he fired the spray of bullets towards the one who had fired the shot, in seconds his upper body had been reduced to little more than a red vapor cloud, then he moved his arm so that the bullets began sweeping across the balcony, ensuring another sniper wouldn’t dare do such a thing again. The hailstorm of bullets slowing to a stop once again, the demon looked around the room at the carnage he had sowed, he could only help but smile as not a single survivor had been left, those that didn’t die had already retreated further into the palace, trying to reinforce the defenses of the king. Admiring his work for a few seconds before moving on, he heard the sounds of footsteps on the steps outside, those of a small army. His arm began to rotate once again, “More pigs to the laughter.” The demon butcher laughed.

Chapter 11: The hour of reckoning


"Sandy Island to base do you copy"? The familiar phrase rung through the captain's mind as he winced and slammed his fist into the table. " 10-4 this is base, what's the situation?Over". This time the sound of rapid fire bullets could be heard through the line. To anyone listening it was unlike anything one could imagine from even the strongest gatling gun. These guns were often slow with a heavy thud you could count if you concentrated. This gun, even from a distance could be heard over the screams of panicking citizens all running from the surrounding area. " 10-33. We need back up, send the word out, we need every able bodied marine at the PALACE NOW". Before the operator could respond the ensign continued, " It's the RED DEVIL BAZIL STYX"!

The Lead operator flipped every console on his dashboard and began to speak to the marines, through an experimental visual den den mushi. Well it was experimental for lower ranked soldiers and civilians due to the new method of crafting them as opposed to what the higher ups already possessed. His image would appear in every check point throughout the city of alubarna, the ruins of nanoha's base, and in rainbase. " My name is Captain Havoc, calling on all marines on the island to head to the Royal Palace and Rain dinners. The Demon styx as can be seen by this poster, is the man who killed a royal prince recently". The man paused and held out bazil's blurry poster, where only the red hair and toothy grin was really clear to see. " And here the cloaked swordswoman Skips, who is causing death at rain dinners. This is a code red, we are on our own bois..... Let's make it happen and bring these monsters to justice".

All throughout the island Marine shouts could be heard. Those who had fallen into despair were roused by the tear in the man's eyes. In the regret he held and the fury he exuded. Most marines already felt this, but now they all knew from the warcries throughout the island that this was indeed, a common affliction. Guns were limited, many grabbed what they could and headed to both locations. A few thousand toward the palace and 1000 from nanoha and rainbase.

"THIS IS THE HOUR OF THEIR RECKONING"!


Rain Dinners Ground Floor


Lina had lost herself in the sparks, the gun shots, the explosions from the wind blades and the resulting rubble. Pure chaos swept the ground floor of the casino as people trampled over eachother to escape. And when ciphers and marines hit eachother trying so desperately to take down Lina. From below a flash grenade caught her off guard and a cipher much quicker than usual slammed the cloaked girl from the side and dragged her down onto the ground. The two crashed with blunt thuds as she twisted her body quickly to send the cipher face first into the concrete. As the sound of his head cracking filled the air, more joined in without hesitation. The sound of Captain Havoc could be heard over the intercom, as shigans were thrown in a frenzy every few seconds.

The ciphers didn't land a hit but they kept her down and on the ground. Several individuals would soru in as she strafed about to keep them on their toes as well, throwing attacks and retreating before she could fight back. Lina pulled back her arm and cocked it for the next blow as more began to encircle her like a pack of wolves zeroing in on their prey. She swung hard and fast, unleashing a 360 blade of wind which rippled forth and slashed many of her lower leveled enemies.


As the panic set in, many retreated when they saw her projectile slash. The girl used her fruit with sweat dripping from her brow and slight burning in her lungs to lunge forward and take out many before they had a chance to fully comprehend the situation. The small woman and top hat freak stood idly by watching the events unfold, the woman smoking an entire cigar with a single puff. " Need a hit of the Dee already"? The woman scoffed and planted the stuff of what was left of her cigar into his cheek, " Ahhh shuddup Pinochio...bunch of weaklings huh"? Pinochio nodded and brushed the cigar off nonchalantly. " You take care of the pussies, I'll take care of jail bait".


The tiny woman shot out to the left, finding a pack of cipher 1's running away, along with some marine grunts. She popped out in front of a cipher with her finger held out. The poor guy running could not stop in time, with his eye meeting her shigan'd finger. He paused, uttered a yelp before she slammed his skull back into the ground and tore it asunder with her sheer force. "Listen up you half'its, get it together or I'll kill you", she'd say in a shrill voice. Even before they had a chance to respond, she pulled out a pistol and began to fire on her subordinates.

As lina zipped through her enemies attacks, weaving to and fro, she saw the devastating cipher take control of the situation. But her attention was focused back quickly on the blade of wind coming her way. She leap up and avoided it, as the piniochio followed suit with geppo. " You like it up here dollface? Fine lets go", he said with blinding speed for which she could hardly keep up. The two exchange blows in a one sided manner that Lina had trouble keeping up with. Each shigan was blocked by her blade's face or dodged with a quick strafe, before he caught her blade with his bare hand. Sending a punch to her chest that send her flying.
She felt a pulse of power flow through her that she hadn't felt before, seemingly vibrating on every fiber of her being. She spit up blood, but rose back to her feet wiping it off carelessly with her sleeve. She huffed and puffed, glaring at the pair laugh amongst themselves atop the broken slot machines. Her hand still locked into the position it normally would be in if her sword was still in her grasp, she looked down in horror. Her stomped hard on the ground, causing glass to break under her merciless boot, with each step shattering bone and squirting blood all over the place as she approached them with no regard for the dead who lied among her.

The woman tried to scoff at her, but before she could speak Sandai jerked in his hand, nearly slicing her head off. " What the fuck PINOCH"! The man used both hands to grab its hilt, trying to stop its jiggling, wiggling, and shaking. " She was never using geppo it;s a d---", was all he could say before she pushed toward him, sending the blackened blade into his face. The blade sung its sad song as it slipped through 4 inches of the man's skull before the woman cipher was able to block its advance with tekkai. The man tried not to wail, with his brain exposed and face falling apart. His rabid eyes told her to finish to job as Lina pulled the blade back to her.


She slashed her blade forth, cleaning the blood from it while pulling her other controlled swords toward her. In total Lina controlled 7 swords, 5 in the air and the two meito. She kicked a few swords around her from the corpses to liberate them of their weapons. Bringing her total to 11 controlled blades. The danced around her as she grimly stared at the smaller cipher woman. The two drenched in blood stood face to face with icy stares locked in place. "Are you proud of yourself, pirate"? Lina grinned and sheathed her blade once more. This time her fingers danced around Nidai Kitetsu's white hilt. " In the name of true justice, and all those your people have wronged. I will end the devil's elixir and all those complicit". The woman grinned, " And do you think killing government agents makes you a hero"?

Lina shook her head with a solemn frown, " I will personally destroy the world if being good means being complicit with the world government's actions".

Spoiler:

Bazil waited, as he heard the noises outside the large stone doors, shadows danced through the small hole he had made to enter the palace. But as he waited, no one came, not a single soul had decided to cross his path. Though he was to proud to say it, he needed this moment of rest, over using his powers had a certain fatiguing effect on him. Looking down at his now human limbs, he realized he was only capable of producing about four large weapons or eight small weapons max, until he could reenergize with some food. Which, in this situation was highly unlikely, as Yasuke was nowhere to be found.

“Mann..” The pirate muttered to himself, moving away from the door and walking over the graveyard he had made. “Where the fuck is that fatass when ya need him.” Piles of corpses lay around him, fifty royal guardsmen had perished in this one room alone, the rest retreating further into the palace. Some even diverting to other areas, for reasons Bazil himself did not know. Taking cover along the wall, now about twenty-five meters away from where the lower half of his left ear still laid. Turning the corner into a much smaller hallway that had jettisoned off from the main entry hall, he encountered almost no resistance as he passed through several smaller rooms, their existence having the soul purpose of making the palace seem bigger. Each one filled with extravagant décor and rare artifacts, but rarely containing even something a simple as a place to sit. They lived like his while so many poor Alabastan’s struggle to survive, a large majority living below the poverty line, as a desert country the exports they can manufacture are limited.

Gunshots could be heard throughout the royal palace, alerting him to the presence of another intruder, thinking to himself who it could be, the pirate couldn’t help but crack a smile. Though, as he continued onwards this grin would begin to fade, as he was becoming hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of a palace. Sweat dripping from his brow and blood from his ear, the young pirates breathe was labored, his body beginning to tire even more from his earlier recklessness. His body was still recovering from the battle with the marine and then the wolf pack right after, the young pirate was pushing himself closer and closer to his bodies limit.

Eventually a hallway led him to a large open room, the other side about thirty meters away. Banners hung from the walls, bearing the sigil of the royal family, a golden scorpion. The floors had silk red carpets with a golden trim leading from one door to another, decorated with magnificent patterns. This truly was a hall befitting a king, what lie beyond the door was the throne room, where the king himself, along with the remaining guard that hadn’t diverted away to the other situation at hand sat in wait. The pirate began to traverse the room when a low voice called out to him from the shadows along the left wall.

“Yo..” The shadowed figured spoke, he was about fifteen meters away from Bazil’s left side, “Bazil Styx.” He said stepping and revealing his full figure, he was an effeminate looking man, his body slender yet toned and a face that would be described as pretty, tanned skin and long brown hair. He wore black and red robes with golden accents and a golden sun pendant around his neck. “The Warhead....The Red Devil….. A murderous psychopath.” The man continued as he stopped his advance around eight meters away from the pirate, he held a spear in his left, the gold on it matching the gold in his robes. “My name is Mala Neferteri, I come from a long line of great generals, who all found prowess on the battlefield.” The man began, his hands accentuating the passionate tone he spoke in, “By slaying the great demon known as Bazil Styx, I too will earn my honor on the battlefield!” He continued, twirling his spear now in an almost battle dance like way. “Now, the hour your demise is nigh, pray to whatever god you worship because today is the that I, Mala take your li-….” The boy’s passionate speech cut short by the fact Bazil had lost interest and was now almost halfway to the throne room door. Though, within seconds, Mala had closed the gap, sweeping out his spear towards the pirate. The blades angle had been set so it was more of a warning strike than a kill shot. Getting Bazil’s attention he turned to face the attacker, who stood at around five-foot ten, a few noticeable inches shorter than the pirate. “Its rude to ignore someone when they are talking, though I shouldn’t expect a beast like you to have manners.” Mala boasted arrogantly, taking up a fighting stance, a cocky smirk emblazened on his face.



“I guess your different than the trash so far.” Bazil responded sinisterly.

Chapter 11, part 2: See no evil

Beads of sweat trickled down Patcheeni's cheeks, as he stared at the non-responsive den den receiver.
"Double 04 what is going on", the man asked. She simply sat there without saying a work while pulling out organs from a corpse on her table. He stomped forward and turned her above face, to find a little girl with tears in her eyes. " Little bitch". She didn't respond with her jellofied legs and tightened chest. As soon as he let go, she fell to her knees into a pile of rancid blood. Patcheeni had lost a sense of who he was for a moment and realized it must have just been an error. " Surely the government didn't abandon us---me and my plans". The girl looked at him and gasped. " S--SIR its over....we've been abandoned".He shook his head and reveled in the moment, raising his arms to the sky with a wide upside down arch. " Continue as planned. It's just an error. Just.an.error". Patcheeni began to change his clothes while watching the den den monitor, showing the two small woman duke it out.

The cipher lead the charge with what few she had left, leading in with a shigan which was handedly blocked by Lina's blade. The veteran Cipher 5 pivoted without changing momentum with the intent to send a deadly rankyuu toward her. However at this attack was blocked by the swordswoman's other blade, which didn't budge in the slightest. Several marine blades converged on the cipher who ended up retreating from the exchange, leaving lina's flying blades nothing to clash with except themselves. The younger ciphers converged on lina who was sheathing her blade. At the last moment she ripped into them using, " Silver Fang". Though they could not see her sword draws, both the lady cipher and patcheeni saw. The lady cipher was nervous and shuddering while patcheeni was counting each slash, clapping his hands. " Encore encore"!

The fight was cut short, with the lady cipher fleeing for her life toward the staff entrance. Meanwhile what remained of the casino staff and marines starved at lina with their guns trained on her.




Lina tilted her head a few times and cracked her knuckles as she brought the last 4 extra blades under her control over to her. She looked at them and gave them a chance to fire, watching them nervously hold their guns up toward her. " You'll miss if you keep shaking like that", she said with a sigh. The pirate swordswoman began to walk off on her own and after the cipher when none of them actually attacked her. Lina was tired and felt drained from all the fighting, but knew whatever had to be done now was lying behind that door...or rather she hoped so.

She began to scale the stairs while picking up a few more weapons, 2 more to make 6 floating marine issues swords. She came across the quiet corridor where the only sound that could be heard was the lone dripping of a leaky pipe. She lifted her heels up for a slight jump to send her rising up the stairwell by using railing to kick off of. Marines were hiding along the stairwell with their weapons on the floor and eyes clenched shut and ears covered. Those who noticed her climbing up gasped or were tackled to prevent an outburst. All the while, the woman gently approached the top floor and landed neatly on the ground. There lying in pool of blood was the lady cipher who ran away.

" Cowardly bitch, when i need you most you run in fear"? Lina stopped in the door way, looking down on the woman whose eyes were gouged out and arm was being ripped from its socket. She cried in anguish and screamed bloody murder until a snap resounded through the stairwell. It was nice and clear, a message to the men and women hiding for their lives. " She saw the footage at the hospital... oh I didn't quite catch your name girl". Lina just said, " skippy".

" Orah orah orah yer the one from arthur's lab huh? I remember you,but didn't think you had the guts to actually come here. MUCH LESS SAY YOUR FAKE NAME AGAIN"! The man pulled on his still subordinate's neck and twisted it until it made a 180 degree turn. " She was just scared", lina said without remorse. " Heh heh hah hah..don't feign compassion girl...your voice is as cold as your steel.". He stood up and wiped his hands with a nearby towel, before smirking at her, " Why not just become a cipher?..a killing machine like you would be perfect".


Lina walked calmly into the lab, which was around 40m x 40m and sighed. " They say a man who is suddenly more talkative, is merely going through the bargaining phase of acceptance". Patcheeni tapped his cane's handle on the ground, to signal the fight. She whipped out Sandai Kitetsu with the intent to slash him, blade black night flying toward Patcheeni's neck. Was shattered with a single thrust of his haki covered cane, and traveled right into her shoulder. A 4 inch knife like blade tore into lina, causing her body to freeze. She instinctively like her master told her, pulled away only to be kicked hard by patcheeni. He grinned and watched her lie on the floor coughing up blood. "It's like the little boy said girl, your hour of RECKKKOOONNIIIINNNGGG has come".


She grimaced at the man who was maybe 10 meters away, strolling and twirling his cane. " Sandai, don't cry", she said with tearing welling up in her eyes. The blade might as well have been weeping and wailing like a dying animal. The shards of the once proud wazamono sword had a fading blue aura which faded like an asphyxiated flame. Patcheeni on the other hand, possessed a glowing red aura. Tears coursed down her cheek as she remembered all the times it had saved her. All the the people she made it cut down. Sandai....

"Patcheeni scoffed, it's just a blade what of it"? Nidai screamed at Lina and once again fought back. She grit her teeth and corrected her movement, just in time to catch the ciphers thrust to the neck. He pushed down upon its body and marveled at the wavey hamon, now akin to a raging storm. It took both arms just to hold him back, one palm pressed against the hilt and the other on its blade. Patcheeni expecting this to be the end pulled back as the other 6 blades she controlled whirred into the room and were shattered by a single Rankyuu. He performed the feat effortlessly, splintering everyone of them at once with a casual demeanor.

She launched herself toward him with confidence, watching his aura move to his arm. Expecting an easy kill, he thrust his cane and yelled, " HAHAHAHA WHAT HAHAHA". The cane cut off a few hairs, but mostly met only with air. " Silver--", she uttered whipping her Nidai Kitetsu from its sheath, aimed for the man's torso. He held up his leg and said, " Tekkai". Her blade ripped through his defense, making him use soru to escape.  The two exchanged blows, causing gusts or wind to roar through the casino, with lina only matching him due to seeing his aura's movements. Her mind was sharp as she tackle him and flew into a concrete wall, leading into a warehouse on the floor beneath them. Just like the wolf fiend who attacked her, she lifted under his leg and thrust him into a wall. Making it crack slightly. As he tried to elbow her, she pulled away, but was stabbed in the right thigh. He pushed down and tried to rip it off with a ghastly grin. Until she sent a slash to his wrist and made him pull back. Lina with one leg ran from the scene and thrust herself with just one leg.

"LISTEN UP FUCKERS, first one to kill the girl gets a reward. Life.", he said while strolling out of the warehouse. A trail of blood lead to the floor two under the lab, toward the hotel. She flew with great speed, noticing her blood leaving a trail. The marines roused by the prospect of life rushed in, with gun ready. She crashed into a door as shots were fire. With a loud blunt thud she kicked off with her left leg and flew through the window and into another nearby room on the same floor. She ran to the bathroom and threw a small pouch with a first aid kit, onto the sink. In it she unsteadily tried to thread her needle as doors on the floor splintered.

In the bathroom was a small family looking up at the blood covered woman, gritting her teeth. " Need-- elp"? She glared at her, not realizing how scary she looked with eyes full of pain and fury. The woman thought she could spare her husband and child's life if she offered to help the pirate. Who held it out... with an averted gaze. Within moments Lina was sewing up the wound on her arm and her leg. Growling with each pass of the needle while Patcheeni casually strolled down the hallway. Doors had been kicked in and the marines with renewed fervor crashed into her hiding spot. Without the time to finish fully she dropped the needle without cutting it properly and dashed out the room to slash the marine who barged in.

He flopped to the floor as she lunged forth with a stern expression written on her face. The two met eye to eye, ending in another clash. Patcheeni was using shallow thrusts and noticed she'd over extend  in response.  Lina now caught again with his blade's tip pushing down on her, was caught with him prepping a shigan. Immediately she dashed back as he blade slashed through the floor and a small finger sized bullet hole was left in the floor. " Shigan ryu". He smirked and tossed his cane aside while hopping lightly on his feet, while the sound of other marines shouted in the stairwell. He tossed his cane aside and began to hop with a brisk elevation in his breathing. He was certainly tired, but he was still smirking. His dukes were up and his broken classes were tossed aside. " Round 2"

She huffed and puffed with sweat trickling down her face, no bother were soaked to the bone with perspiration. Patcheeni opened up with vicious shigan ryus, sending bullets made of wind toward her. With Nidal, she caught each one and made herself look at she was prepared to attack. Instead she slashed first at his feet, which made him jump up and try to rankyu. Only to have her force him back with a second slash toward his neck. He prepared kicked back with Geppu, only to have her flying forth with her third signature slash. He was prepared and tried to send a downward rankyuu with an axe like kick, but lina saw it coming. Now on the ceiling as she strafed to the left and out of the area of affect, he looked at her with a grin as she slashed once more.



The blade roared, sending chills down the spine of those who looked on to her. Patcheeni's top half of his head fell to the ground as his body flopped forward with a fountain of crimson. She glared forth, taking one step forward while crushing his brain, with a squishy popping sound that made her enemies shudder. "boo", was all she had to say to send them running for their lives. Lina sheathed her master's blade and watched as the blue auras of a once mass of red turned tail and disappeared down the stairwell in a stampede of footsteps.

The girl sighed and floated about with small kicked to the floor, leading back to the lab where the fight had started. A loud wimpering in the corner caught her attention, in a dark and secluded room. With the heavy smell of blood and decay. She stepped forth to find what lied in wait.

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