Retribution
Page 22
“This is nothing to you. Leave now, and I won’t kill you slowly,” the Forsaken snarled as he produced a double-edged broadsword.
“You hide behind humans and expect me to believe you a threat?” Akio scoffed. “Release them and face me like a man, not a whiny child.”
“I have been a Knight of the Realm for over three centuries. I’ve killed better men than you for less. This is your last warning. Leave.” The Forsaken emphasized his words by waving the sword in a figure-eight after he shoved it between two of his human shields.
Akio extended his senses to the three humans. He detected fear and a weak compulsion to block his path to the Forsaken.
Sleep. When Akio pushed the compulsion into the three, they fell unconscious and dropped to the floor like marionettes with severed strings.
Akio smirked as he pulled his Jean Dukes from his side and fired from his hip. A single hypervelocity projectile spat from the barrel and hit the Forsaken in the shoulder that supported the broadsword.
Blood sprayed the wall in a halo as the shoulder exploded. The sword, still gripped tight in the Forsaken’s hand, clattered to the floor.
The Forsaken screamed in pain as his remaining hand grabbed the mangled flesh where his arm should be. His eyes glowed red, and fangs extended from his mouth as he glared at Akio.
Akio holstered his Jean Dukes, and a wintry smile that never reached his eyes curled his lips.
The enraged Forsaken lunged forward but caught one foot on the prostrate form of a human. He regained his footing as Akio leapt forward, his katana already in motion.
The razor-sharp blade caught the Forsaken on the neck and sliced halfway through his unprotected throat. Blood seeped from the wound as Akio sidestepped his lumbering form and brought the sword back in a one-handed swing, cutting a leg behind the knee and causing the vampire to crash to the floor.
“You are guilty of preying on humans. The penalty set forth by my Queen for this crime is death.”
The Forsaken struggled to right himself with his remaining arm. Akio stood patiently as he slowly pushed his body up and brought his functioning leg under him. Akio’s sword flashed down and cut through the back of the Forsaken’s exposed neck, then continued until it exploded out the front in a shower of blood. The Forsaken’s torn and mangled body remained in its awkward pose for a few beats before it crashed to the stone floor.
Akio twisted his wrist to flick the blood from his blade, then removed a cloth from a pocket of his armor while eyeing the body and wiped the blade clean of any residual blood before he sheathed it.
The three humans slept under his compulsion, unaware that the nightmare they had lived in for the past few months was over.
Awaken. The humans stirred and slowly came out of his mental grip. When all were conscious, Akio activated the light in the shoulder of his armor. It centered the dead Forsaken in its brilliant white beam.
“Your captors are dead. You have nothing to fear, so leave this place and return to your homes.”
The humans cowered in fear, glancing from the body on the floor to Akio and back.
“Come,” Akio commanded with a compulsive push behind it.
He made his way to the stairs, and the three humans followed him like baby ducks behind their mother. He led them out of the house into the midday sun.
“Go home. You won’t be troubled by those monsters any longer,” Akio told the three humans, who looked around in confusion at the now empty yard. Akio turned to the Black Eagle, but as he prepared to depart, a noise alerted him that someone approached.
“Wait,” a soft voice called as he turned to walk away.
Akio turned to the speaker, the blonde waif he’d seen the Forsaken pull into the house earlier. Her tattered dress barely covered her creamy flesh, and she had multiple fresh wounds on her neck and chest where the Forsaken had savaged her.
“Yes, child?”
“Who are you?” Wonder filled her voice.
“I’m…” he started, then paused. “I’m the person creatures like the ones who harmed you need to fear. I am my Queen’s Justice. You may call me ‘the Dark One.’”
The woman watched silently as the Black Eagle rose into the air until it was a dark spot in the sky. She blinked, and when her eyes focused, the sky above her was empty.
Abel
Yes?
Is Kenjii still engaged?
Yes.
Does he need assistance?
Negative. He is meeting the challenges so far.
Akio considered his options. He could go to Kenjii and run the risk of making him think he didn’t believe he was up to the task. Or, he could go back to Tokyo and show him he trusted him.
Domo, Abel. I’m heading home. Notify me if anything changes.
Affirmative.
Sacred Clan farm, Xianghongdian Reservoir, Sanhe, China
Kenjii pressed his attack on the cat he’d cut. He brought his second sword up in a fast arc and caught the tiger on its flank, laying the skin and muscle open to the bone.
He dropped to the floor and rolled out from under the two who’d tried to pounce on him, their jaws wide and claws extended. He was on his feet before his assailants could untangle themselves from the pile they landed in when he moved.
The tiger he had kicked away closed on him with a menacing snarl. Kenjii stood his ground, both swords held ready. When the tiger crouched and prepared to spring, Kenjii rushed forward and brought both swords down in a blur of deadly steel. The blades scraped across each other as they met in the center of the tiger's neck with a tortured squeal of metal. The noise ceased when the shuang gou sent the tiger's head across the room in a bloody arc as the body collapsed to the filthy floor.
Kenjii leapt, his head almost touching the ceiling as one of the two cats untangled from the other and launched toward him. The orange- and black-striped body was centimeters below his boots as he kicked it on his way down and caught the beast on its back below the shoulders.
The tiger shrieked in pain, and an audible snap echoed through the room when Kenjii’s vampire-enhanced strength broke its spine. The force of his kick put his body at an angle when he landed, one foot extended and the other under him. Before he regained his balance, the remaining uninjured tiger crashed into him and took him to the floor.
Kenjii scrambled to get out from under the enraged beast as it brought its rear legs up and raked them down his armored torso and legs. Kenjii grasped the skin on either side of the enormous cat's neck and shoved the snapping teeth away from his exposed face. The wildly thrashing tiger continued struggling to eviscerate him with its claws and bite at the same time.
Kenjii forced a knee up in a quick thrust and caught the monster cat in the stomach, raising it several centimeters in the air. The cat’s eyes went wide as his knee knocked the breath out of it with the unexpected blow. Kenjii didn’t hesitate. His eyes flashed red, and his fangs elongated as he pulled down on the skin still gripped tight in his fingers and brought the tiger's throat toward him. He whipped his head to the side and sank his fangs deep into the winded tiger's neck, severing the major artery that fed the brain.
Kenjii shoved the bleeding tiger to the side, and it thumped to the floor beside him. He rolled toward it, then brought his fist down hard on the stunned creature's head. He continued to rain blows on the big cat until the skull shattered under his fist with a crack.
Kenjii drew a deep breath while turning his head to the side to relieve a knot that had formed from throwing punches while on his back. A noise near the door alerted him the fight wasn’t over. He shoved himself up on one elbow and saw the first tiger he’d cut climb unsteadily to its feet.
Kenjii lay back and pulled his legs to his chest, then thrust them down as he whipped his body off the floor. He landed on both feet and stooped to retrieve his twin tiger swords.
“Here, kitty, kitty,” he taunted in an icy voice.
The tiger's head turned toward Kenjii as he stalked it across the bloody floor.
His attention focused on the sword allowed the last of his opponents time to heal from its broken spine. It slammed into his back and knocked him face-first into the cinderblock wall. Dust and bits of concrete blinded him as the blocks shattered.
A hot cloud of putrid breath assailed his nostrils as he felt the tiger's teeth close on the thin armor that protected his neck. He hunched his shoulders, attempting to lessen the force of the bite as his armored elbow shot back and caught the tiger in the chest. Kenjii frantically pounded the beast over and over with his elbow as he felt the pressure increase on his neck.
In desperation, he shoved the blade in his other hand straight out behind as he ineffectually continued to pound the deadly foe with his elbow. He brought the sword’s vicious hooked end up until he felt it gain purchase on flesh. His vision dimmed, and his heart pounded in his ears as the unrelenting jaws continued to bear down. He felt lightheaded as he pulled the blade toward himself, the hook firmly seated in the tiger's flesh. The cat’s jaws loosened, and it snarled at the unexpected pain ripping through its soft belly. Another elbow strike drove it back, and Kenjii turned to face it.
While blinking his eyes to clear the grit, he saw the fuzzy outline of the beast as it prepared to attack. Kenjii brought both swords up, causing the cat to hesitate briefly. That delay was all he needed. Kenjii jumped and landed with both boots on the Were’s barely healed back, separating the spine again.
The tiger snarled as it tried to rake him with the claws on its forepaws from its position on the floor, its rear legs now useless weight hampering it. Kenjii stepped back, allowing his burning eyes time to recover as he avoided the long claws.
“Nice try, cat,” he growled as he drew his foot back and brought it forward to slam into the injured tiger's jaw. The cat’s eyes rolled up when the hard blow stunned it. Kenjii moved in a blur and grabbed it by the scruff with one hand while the other drew a sword across its throat, opening the arteries.
He held the weakly struggling form until all movement had ceased. After shaking it, he dropped the body, and it joined its brethren in death on the filthy floor of the house.
“I’m finished, Abel. Let’s go after the others.”
“You need to free the humans before we go.”
Kenjii huffed. “Can’t I do that after I’ve killed the others?”
“Negative. Protecting humans comes first. Akio’s rule, not mine.”
“Very well.” He sighed as he trudged across the village to the dilapidated barn that housed the human slaves.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The Palace, Tokyo, Japan
“Asai, are you and Seki going with us tonight?” Koda pushed away from her desk as she spoke.
“He has to work late. Something about new models arriving and needing to make space for them on the floor.”
“He understands he has workers for that, doesn’t he?”
“I know. He’s trying to make points with his boss. He has his sights set on a higher spot in the company.”
“If Seki keeps canceling plans with you, I will authorize Takumi to adjust his settings on every sim.”
“Koda! I asked you not to do that again. Seki was in pain for three days when you and Eve did that to him.”
“He obviously needs a refresher.” Koda sneered.
“You can’t be mad at him for work stuff. I’ve had to cancel on him because of things here.”
“I know. It’s only that we never do anything with each other but work now. I miss you.”
“I miss you too, cousin. What say we plan a ‘girls only’ night? You, me, Eve, and Yuko. No stinky boys allowed.” Asai grinned.
“That’s an idea. Teach them we’re perfectly capable of having fun without them,” Koda agreed.
“What’s that? You don’t want me to come tonight?” Horst looked dejected as he walked into the office.
“No, not tonight, you silly wolf.” Koda smiled as she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his body as far as they would go. “Seki stood Asai up again tonight. We were talking about a girls’ night another time.”
Horst leaned down and gently kissed her lips. “Oh, okay. I’ll be busy with the new base build starting next week, so that might be an excellent idea. I’ll be there all night on Wednesday.”
“Next week? I thought you said it would be at least a month before you could start! Why all night?” Koda exclaimed.
“The concrete contractor had a major job cancel, so he’ll have the trucks we need to pour the foundation available then. I’ll be there to make sure they do it correctly since the contractor has never done a continuous pour like this before and isn’t sure he knows what to watch for.”
“Why are you doing that—what was it—'continuing pour?’” Asai shrugged.
“Continuous pour. The concrete is stronger if there are no spaces in it. With the chance of earthquakes here, Akio wants to make it as stable as possible. Since most of the base is underground, Eve and I had to get creative. The entire base will sit on shock absorbers built into the foundation. It will take a substantial quake to damage it.”
“Do you think this type of construction will become standard here?” Asai wondered.
“Not likely. The cost is four to five times more than a traditional foundation. The two meters of concrete is only one part of it. The entire thing is reinforced with layered steel beams, and the concrete will be poured over them to dry in place. If we hadn’t picked up that steel mill to manufacture the metal for the new ship designs, we wouldn’t have been able to get the specific alloy we needed for this.” Horst chuckled.
“That’s impressive. I didn’t know Akio was going to such extremes.”
Horst’s brow wrinkled. “He blames himself for his men being trapped under that building. He wants to do everything possible to protect his team.”
“I forgot about that.” Asai frowned. “Yuko told me he had several more with him who are trapped. Is there anything you can do to rescue them?”
“No. I went over all the data Eve compiled after it happened. If we move anything, it will bring everything down on them. Eve reinforced it as best she could and monitors it for movement. All we can do is hope it holds until we have the technology available to lift the entire thing at once.”
“It’s so sad to think there are people alive under all that and we can’t get them out. How do they not go insane?” Koda asked.
“Eve told me that vampires, especially old ones, can go into a deep sleep for long periods. They can easily sleep for a hundred years or longer,” Horst explained.
“It’s still sad.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Asai, would you like to go with us?” Koda abruptly changed the subject.
“No, you two go ahead. I have a little more I need to do here. If you don’t mind, pick me up an order of ribs. I can finish up here and have time for a bath before you get back.”
Koda snorted. “I bet you’re still soaking when we get home. You lose all sense of time when you get in that thing.”
“I’ll have Takumi warn me when you get in his sensor zone.” Asai grinned. “He does it all the time with Seki.”
Koda laughed as she caught Horst’s arm and pulled him toward the door. “Okay, we’ll see you when we get back.”
“That’s one of them.” Wu pointed at the couple from his vantage point on top of a nearby building when they exited the Palace.
“That’s a big guy,” Chao, one of the warriors assigned to the detail, remarked.
“Yeah, but size isn’t an issue. The smallest Clan child can take
a human, no matter the size.”
“True. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that big is all.”
“He’s a foreigner. Some of them are quite large, but still nothing to worry about. Collect your team and follow them. Remember, the police here have silver ammunition, so try to do it fast and quiet. I don’t want to have to explain how one of you was killed on a simple seek-and-destroy mission on humans.”
“Like that will happen.” Chao smirked. “Are you coming with us?”
“No, I’m going back to the apartment. Jin should be there with his team by now. Come there when they’re dead. Maybe we can go back to our base once Li can tell Kun we killed these two.”
“That would be good. I don’t like it here. There’s too much noise and too many humans.”
“Once we get rid of this vampire, we can deal with the human vermin.” Wu shrugged. “The sooner that’s done, the better it will be.”
“True. I’ll meet you later.” Chao waved as he stepped through the stairwell door.
“Chao, one of them is a Were. I smell wolf,” Guo Jing growled as he sniffed the air currents disturbed by the two people a block ahead of them. Luckily, the wind was in their faces and the wolf wouldn’t scent them.
“We’ll keep them in sight, and once they get wherever they’re going, we’ll find the best location to ambush them. The presence of a Were with a human woman is disturbing. We might have more than vampires to deal with,” Chao informed the three men who accompanied him.
“One wolf and a human woman are no match for us. Let’s get this over with,” Guo complained.
“No, Wu told me we have to keep this quiet. The police here know about the UnknownWorld and carry silver ammunition for their weapons.”
“I still think it’s a waste of time. We can kill them and go back to the apartment now.”