Chapter 462: We aren’t the Rats
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"NOW!" Stone shouts, as the wall shifts under his hand.
Kat burst through, her mind already whirring with possibilities before her vision even clears. This isn't a spar. And this isn't a fight against humans. This will be a fight against an endless sea of rats. She knows this, and finds a strange sort of peace. Kat doesn't have to worry about holding back, or if this is the right thing to do. She thinks herself ready as she charges forward.
As the dust starts to fall Kat brings her hands up, realising her fans are not with her. Then realising, a mere moment later, she is wrong, her fans rest easily in her hands, ready to be used, even if she knows not how they should be.
Her energy starts to boil inside her body, rotating around her form, increasing the strength in her limbs and slowing her mind. The she can already make out the figures of half a dozen rats with just the small bits and pieces she can see through the falling dirt, and she is ready. Kat plants her foot on the ground to continue her charge, straight into the rats that are have had no time to react. Kat readies herself to go for them… but she isn't prepared for what she sees ahead of her.
In Kat's mind, Kamiko is a sweet girl. A nice sweet demon with shockingly proficient knifework skills. For all Kat's memory is perfect, there are things she can hide from herself easily, especially when she does not wish to think on them. Despite Kamiko's adorable aura, and her decent performance in the Wrath spars, these are nothing like the Kamiko before Kat now.
Pink fire blazes out of the corner of Kamiko's eyes, trailing behind her like falling tears in the wind, as she charges forward Naginata in hand with both ends showing their blades. For all Kat was using her speed, Kamiko was dancing with it. Several light footsteps on after the other launches her ahead of Kat and straight into the awaiting rats, still frozen in time in both demons' perspectives.
Before Kat has taken her third step into the rat den, Kamiko is amongst them, blade singing as it slices through the rats like butter. Blood sprays out from the cuts, but always away from Kamiko, and never toward her. As Kat runs to join in, attempt to help, she can't stop herself from noticing the blood is never directed at her either.
Kamiko completes three more clean strikes, ending the lives of another half dozen rats in the process, using both ends of her weapon to dole out death using only instants, before she plants her feet, and the wind catches up to her movements.
Rat corpses tumble backwards away from the demon girl, leaving nothing but dirt and a few splotches of blood. Compared to the worst it could have been, the swarm rats were few in number. Compared to all that rats Kat had seen prior to this moment, it was huge. Easily more than twenty corpses lay about Kamiko's feet, and Kat is stunned with the site not even hearing the shifting of rock signalling the wall behind her closing up.
Kamiko flicks on her light, which changes little for Kat, only adding shadows to the picture really, and highlighting the brutal efficiency Kamiko had carried out the dead from. For all that Kamiko is the things Kat knows her to be, she is also someone trained in weaponry for more than a decade. Someone who has known the need to end, at the very least, monsters, and perhaps monsters that believe themselves men, and, looking at the calm face of Kamiko that is no longer smiling. A tiny part of Kat wonders if she knows the girl in front of her at all.
Of course, that small bit of worry is instantly smashed when Kamiko's posture relaxes and she shivers, grimace on her face somehow more calming than the slight professional smile she was wearing before, as she says. "Gah, that was creepy. I hate rats. Just… little skittering things. I mean… there are worse monsters sure, but I am NOT a fan"
*Well… that sure wasn't something I was expecting to see. This… this was nothing like Kamiko in the spars. She was decent then sure but this… this was ruthless efficiency. I'm not sure I could keep up with her in such a state. We proved I'm a little stronger, but I wonder… is most of that just my height? More muscles in my frame to help me win that sort of war? Kamiko is clearly using the ones she has much better than I am.*
"I wasn't aware you had a problem with them?" said Kat, letting her intonation show it was clearly a question. There was a story there, she was sure.
Kamiko frowned, but there was a good deal of light that returned to her eyes. She used her weapon to push the rats all together, starting to bunch them up as she said. "Yeah well… I guess it is a bit of a story. In one of my early missions I was exploring an abandoned temple and the rotted floorboards gave out underneath me. Straight into a nest of rats.
"It was… disgusting. I will not tell you some of the things that I saw down there but… well, it taught me rats are truly filthy creatures when left to their own devices and that even if they are easy to kill… I'd rather not be in their lairs" said Kamiko
"Oh… um… I didn't realise this job was that bad for you…" said Kat as she used her feet to help move the rats into Kamiko's pile, very glad that the blood didn't stick to her shoes at all. Rats didn't bother her that much, but walking around with blood coating her attire was not something she was looking forward to.
Kamiko sighed. "It's not sooo bad Kat. I mean… ok, it's not exactly great but… hmmm, think of it this way. It probably wouldn't be something the system would personally assign me because there are better people for this, but if I had to do something similar on a Contract by chance, I'd just get it over with"
Kat wondered if that was the signal to move on, but Kamiko was still clearly piling rats up with her, and while they could go much faster, for some reason it felt wrong to Kat to use her super speed to clean up rat corpses.
Once it was all done, Kat realise she should turn her own lantern on as well. Activating it was easy, the drain so small as to be completely unnoticeable. Looking around, she could see they were in a corridor, much like the one they'd just left. There were no more rats she could see, but the nearby T intersection meant that she was only really looking at fifty metres of tunnel at most.
"Right then… what's the plan?" asked Kat
"Hmm… they are a bit easy to take together even though we should stay within sight of each other…" said Kamiko with a bit of an odd tilt to her voice. Kat couldn't quite work out what Kamiko was trying to say, and it was lost on the taller demon that while what Kamiko said was true, she wanted to stay near her friend, and DID NOT want to be left alone with the rats, even if it wasn't a true phobia, she did find it rather distasteful.
Kat did have a decent enough guess though. "I can take point if you want. Let the rats go for me. I don't mind if I take a bite or two, a scratch on the side. I'm not even sure if they could hurt me majorly if they tried. I think I'd get bored before I passed out"
"Sure Kat!" said Kamiko, thinking that Kat realised she just wanted to stick together for this, and failing to realise Kat hadn't quite internalised the fact that Kamiko was more than capable of dodging an endless swarm of these slow rats all day.
The pair stalked forward, not willing to use quite the same speed to continue forward as it was hard to coordinate that sort of thing. Still, they didn't bother with just walking, settling for what would be a light run to most humans. Kat led the way, Fans somehow in hand, as she kept her eyes out. Watching the walls for any rats that had been hiding out.
For now, they were still in the part of the mine that had been sealed off and not the section that had been broken into, so it was all lined with support beams and lights, even if those lights weren't currently functioning. When they reached the T section, Kat spun her head to the right, while Kamiko went left.
Kamiko saw a blank wall about two hundred metres out.
Kat saw a sea of rats.
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"NOW!" Stone shouts, as the wall shifts under his hand.
Kat burst through, her mind already whirring with possibilities before her vision even clears. This isn't a spar. And this isn't a fight against humans. This will be a fight against an endless sea of rats. She knows this, and finds a strange sort of peace. Kat doesn't have to worry about holding back, or if this is the right thing to do. She thinks herself ready as she charges forward.
As the dust starts to fall Kat brings her hands up, realising her fans are not with her. Then realising, a mere moment later, she is wrong, her fans rest easily in her hands, ready to be used, even if she knows not how they should be.
Her energy starts to boil inside her body, rotating around her form, increasing the strength in her limbs and slowing her mind. The she can already make out the figures of half a dozen rats with just the small bits and pieces she can see through the falling dirt, and she is ready. Kat plants her foot on the ground to continue her charge, straight into the rats that are have had no time to react. Kat readies herself to go for them… but she isn't prepared for what she sees ahead of her.
In Kat's mind, Kamiko is a sweet girl. A nice sweet demon with shockingly proficient knifework skills. For all Kat's memory is perfect, there are things she can hide from herself easily, especially when she does not wish to think on them. Despite Kamiko's adorable aura, and her decent performance in the Wrath spars, these are nothing like the Kamiko before Kat now.
Pink fire blazes out of the corner of Kamiko's eyes, trailing behind her like falling tears in the wind, as she charges forward Naginata in hand with both ends showing their blades. For all Kat was using her speed, Kamiko was dancing with it. Several light footsteps on after the other launches her ahead of Kat and straight into the awaiting rats, still frozen in time in both demons' perspectives.
Before Kat has taken her third step into the rat den, Kamiko is amongst them, blade singing as it slices through the rats like butter. Blood sprays out from the cuts, but always away from Kamiko, and never toward her. As Kat runs to join in, attempt to help, she can't stop herself from noticing the blood is never directed at her either.
Kamiko completes three more clean strikes, ending the lives of another half dozen rats in the process, using both ends of her weapon to dole out death using only instants, before she plants her feet, and the wind catches up to her movements.
Rat corpses tumble backwards away from the demon girl, leaving nothing but dirt and a few splotches of blood. Compared to the worst it could have been, the swarm rats were few in number. Compared to all that rats Kat had seen prior to this moment, it was huge. Easily more than twenty corpses lay about Kamiko's feet, and Kat is stunned with the site not even hearing the shifting of rock signalling the wall behind her closing up.
Kamiko flicks on her light, which changes little for Kat, only adding shadows to the picture really, and highlighting the brutal efficiency Kamiko had carried out the dead from. For all that Kamiko is the things Kat knows her to be, she is also someone trained in weaponry for more than a decade. Someone who has known the need to end, at the very least, monsters, and perhaps monsters that believe themselves men, and, looking at the calm face of Kamiko that is no longer smiling. A tiny part of Kat wonders if she knows the girl in front of her at all.
Of course, that small bit of worry is instantly smashed when Kamiko's posture relaxes and she shivers, grimace on her face somehow more calming than the slight professional smile she was wearing before, as she says. "Gah, that was creepy. I hate rats. Just… little skittering things. I mean… there are worse monsters sure, but I am NOT a fan"
*Well… that sure wasn't something I was expecting to see. This… this was nothing like Kamiko in the spars. She was decent then sure but this… this was ruthless efficiency. I'm not sure I could keep up with her in such a state. We proved I'm a little stronger, but I wonder… is most of that just my height? More muscles in my frame to help me win that sort of war? Kamiko is clearly using the ones she has much better than I am.*
"I wasn't aware you had a problem with them?" said Kat, letting her intonation show it was clearly a question. There was a story there, she was sure.
Kamiko frowned, but there was a good deal of light that returned to her eyes. She used her weapon to push the rats all together, starting to bunch them up as she said. "Yeah well… I guess it is a bit of a story. In one of my early missions I was exploring an abandoned temple and the rotted floorboards gave out underneath me. Straight into a nest of rats.
"It was… disgusting. I will not tell you some of the things that I saw down there but… well, it taught me rats are truly filthy creatures when left to their own devices and that even if they are easy to kill… I'd rather not be in their lairs" said Kamiko
"Oh… um… I didn't realise this job was that bad for you…" said Kat as she used her feet to help move the rats into Kamiko's pile, very glad that the blood didn't stick to her shoes at all. Rats didn't bother her that much, but walking around with blood coating her attire was not something she was looking forward to.
Kamiko sighed. "It's not sooo bad Kat. I mean… ok, it's not exactly great but… hmmm, think of it this way. It probably wouldn't be something the system would personally assign me because there are better people for this, but if I had to do something similar on a Contract by chance, I'd just get it over with"
Kat wondered if that was the signal to move on, but Kamiko was still clearly piling rats up with her, and while they could go much faster, for some reason it felt wrong to Kat to use her super speed to clean up rat corpses.
Once it was all done, Kat realise she should turn her own lantern on as well. Activating it was easy, the drain so small as to be completely unnoticeable. Looking around, she could see they were in a corridor, much like the one they'd just left. There were no more rats she could see, but the nearby T intersection meant that she was only really looking at fifty metres of tunnel at most.
"Right then… what's the plan?" asked Kat
"Hmm… they are a bit easy to take together even though we should stay within sight of each other…" said Kamiko with a bit of an odd tilt to her voice. Kat couldn't quite work out what Kamiko was trying to say, and it was lost on the taller demon that while what Kamiko said was true, she wanted to stay near her friend, and DID NOT want to be left alone with the rats, even if it wasn't a true phobia, she did find it rather distasteful.
Kat did have a decent enough guess though. "I can take point if you want. Let the rats go for me. I don't mind if I take a bite or two, a scratch on the side. I'm not even sure if they could hurt me majorly if they tried. I think I'd get bored before I passed out"
"Sure Kat!" said Kamiko, thinking that Kat realised she just wanted to stick together for this, and failing to realise Kat hadn't quite internalised the fact that Kamiko was more than capable of dodging an endless swarm of these slow rats all day.
The pair stalked forward, not willing to use quite the same speed to continue forward as it was hard to coordinate that sort of thing. Still, they didn't bother with just walking, settling for what would be a light run to most humans. Kat led the way, Fans somehow in hand, as she kept her eyes out. Watching the walls for any rats that had been hiding out.
For now, they were still in the part of the mine that had been sealed off and not the section that had been broken into, so it was all lined with support beams and lights, even if those lights weren't currently functioning. When they reached the T section, Kat spun her head to the right, while Kamiko went left.
Kamiko saw a blank wall about two hundred metres out.
Kat saw a sea of rats.
"NOW!" Stone shouts, as the wall shifts under his hand.Kat burst through, her mind already whirring with possibilities before her vision even clears. This isn't a spar. And this isn't a fight against humans. This will be a fight against an endless sea of rats. She knows this, and finds a strange sort of peace. Kat doesn't have to worry about holding back, or if this is the right thing to do. She thinks herself ready as she charges forward.As the dust starts to fall Kat brings her hands up, realising her fans are not with her. Then realising, a mere moment later, she is wrong, her fans rest easily in her hands, ready to be used, even if she knows not how they should be.Her energy starts to boil inside her body, rotating around her form, increasing the strength in her limbs and slowing her mind. The she can already make out the figures of half a dozen rats with just the small bits and pieces she can see through the falling dirt, and she is ready. Kat plants her foot on the ground to continue her charge, straight into the rats that are have had no time to react. Kat readies herself to go for them but she isn't prepared for what she sees ahead of her.In Kat's mind, Kamiko is a sweet girl. A nice sweet demon with shockingly proficient knifework skills. For all Kat's memory is perfect, there are things she can hide from herself easily, especially when she does not wish to think on them. Despite Kamiko's adorable aura, and her decent performance in the Wrath spars, these are nothing like the Kamiko before Kat now.Pink fire blazes out of the corner of Kamiko's eyes, trailing behind her like falling tears in the wind, as she charges forward Naginata in hand with both ends showing their blades. For all Kat was using her speed, Kamiko was dancing with it. Several light footsteps on after the other launches her ahead of Kat and straight into the awaiting rats, still frozen in time in both demons' perspectives.Before Kat has taken her third step into the rat den, Kamiko is amongst them, blade singing as it slices through the rats like butter. Blood sprays out from the cuts, but always away from Kamiko, and never toward her. As Kat runs to join in, attempt to help, she can't stop herself from noticing the blood is never directed at her either.Kamiko completes three more clean strikes, ending the lives of another half dozen rats in the process, using both ends of her weapon to dole out death using only instants, before she plants her feet, and the wind catches up to her movements.Rat corpses tumble backwards away from the demon girl, leaving nothing but dirt and a few splotches of blood. Compared to the worst it could have been, the swarm rats were few in number. Compared to all that rats Kat had seen prior to this moment, it was huge. Easily more than twenty corpses lay about Kamiko's feet, and Kat is stunned with the site not even hearing the shifting of rock signalling the wall behind her closing up.Kamiko flicks on her light, which changes little for Kat, only adding shadows to the picture really, and highlighting the brutal efficiency Kamiko had carried out the dead from. For all that Kamiko is the things Kat knows her to be, she is also someone trained in weaponry for more than a decade. Someone who has known the need to end, at the very least, monsters, and perhaps monsters that believe themselves men, and, looking at the calm face of Kamiko that is no longer smiling. A tiny part of Kat wonders if she knows the girl in front of her at all.Of course, that small bit of worry is instantly smashed when Kamiko's posture relaxes and she shivers, grimace on her face somehow more calming than the slight professional smile she was wearing before, as she says. "Gah, that was creepy. I hate rats. Just little skittering things. I mean there are worse monsters sure, but I am NOT a fan"*Well that sure wasn't something I was expecting to see. This this was nothing like Kamiko in the spars. She was decent then sure but this this was ruthless efficiency. I'm not sure I could keep up with her in such a state. We proved I'm a little stronger, but I wonder is most of that just my height? More muscles in my frame to help me win that sort of war? Kamiko is clearly using the ones she has much better than I am.* "I wasn't aware you had a problem with them?" said Kat, letting her intonation show it was clearly a question. There was a story there, she was sure.Kamiko frowned, but there was a good deal of light that returned to her eyes. She used her weapon to push the rats all together, starting to bunch them up as she said. "Yeah well I guess it is a bit of a story. In one of my early missions I was exploring an abandoned temple and the rotted floorboards gave out underneath me. Straight into a nest of rats."It was disgusting. I will not tell you some of the things that I saw down there but well, it taught me rats are truly filthy creatures when left to their own devices and that even if they are easy to kill I'd rather not be in their lairs" said Kamiko"Oh um I didn't realise this job was that bad for you" said Kat as she used her feet to help move the rats into Kamiko's pile, very glad that the blood didn't stick to her shoes at all. Rats didn't bother her that much, but walking around with blood coating her attire was not something she was looking forward to.Kamiko sighed. "It's not sooo bad Kat. I mean ok, it's not exactly great but hmmm, think of it this way. It probably wouldn't be something the system would personally assign me because there are better people for this, but if I had to do something similar on a Contract by chance, I'd just get it over with"Kat wondered if that was the signal to move on, but Kamiko was still clearly piling rats up with her, and while they could go much faster, for some reason it felt wrong to Kat to use her super speed to clean up rat corpses.Once it was all done, Kat realise she should turn her own lantern on as well. Activating it was easy, the drain so small as to be completely unnoticeable. Looking around, she could see they were in a corridor, much like the one they'd just left. There were no more rats she could see, but the nearby T intersection meant that she was only really looking at fifty metres of tunnel at most."Right then what's the plan?" asked Kat"Hmm they are a bit easy to take together even though we should stay within sight of each other" said Kamiko with a bit of an odd tilt to her voice. Kat couldn't quite work out what Kamiko was trying to say, and it was lost on the taller demon that while what Kamiko said was true, she wanted to stay near her friend, and DID NOT want to be left alone with the rats, even if it wasn't a true phobia, she did find it rather distasteful.Kat did have a decent enough guess though. "I can take point if you want. Let the rats go for me. I don't mind if I take a bite or two, a scratch on the side. I'm not even sure if they could hurt me majorly if they tried. I think I'd get bored before I passed out""Sure Kat!" said Kamiko, thinking that Kat realised she just wanted to stick together for this, and failing to realise Kat hadn't quite internalised the fact that Kamiko was more than capable of dodging an endless swarm of these slow rats all day.The pair stalked forward, not willing to use quite the same speed to continue forward as it was hard to coordinate that sort of thing. Still, they didn't bother with just walking, settling for what would be a light run to most humans. Kat led the way, Fans somehow in hand, as she kept her eyes out. Watching the walls for any rats that had been hiding out.For now, they were still in the part of the mine that had been sealed off and not the section that had been broken into, so it was all lined with support beams and lights, even if those lights weren't currently functioning. When they reached the T section, Kat spun her head to the right, while Kamiko went left.Kamiko saw a blank wall about two hundred metres out.Kat saw a sea of rats.
