RIN!" Luna's voice echoed through the air, laced with panic and concern. "What's happening? Are you alright?"
Before Luna could react, Rin crumpled to the ground, her body going limp as a thin stream of blood trickled from her nose. Luna's heart raced as she knelt beside her fallen companion, frantically checking for signs of life. To her relief, she detected a faint pulse, weak but persistent.
Confusion clouded Luna's mind, but she knew they couldn't linger here. This place was far too dangerous for someone in Rin's vulnerable state. With a surge of adrenaline, Luna scooped Rin into her arms, surprised by how light the usually commanding figure felt.
Leaving the false security of the village behind, Luna ventured into the outskirts, where ancient, abandoned houses dotted the landscape. She moved with the stealth of a shadow, acutely aware that any encounter with monsters while burdened with Rin would spell certain doom.
Luna's eyes darted from building to building until she spotted a particular house, its roof partially caved in. She slipped inside, the door creaking open with minimal effort.
Once inside, she secured the entrance with a wooden plank before venturing deeper into the structure.
Beneath a tattered rug, Luna uncovered the cellar doors, a hidden sanctuary known only to members of the cult.
Now, it would serve as a refuge for one of the cult's most wanted: a high-priority target and a turncoat spy that they didn't know about….
'Yet'
She thought
As Luna descended into the cellar with Rin, she knew this was their best option. Returning to Rin's group was out of the question, not with that dangerous man in their midst.
In the dim light of the underground chamber, Luna gently laid Rin on a makeshift bed. She lit a few lamps, casting a warm glow around them, and allowed herself a moment to breathe. They had made it to safety, at least for now.
Luna's gaze fell upon Rin's unconscious form, worry etched across her face.
Luna's days were split between her covert duties for the cult and tending to the weakened Rin. She provided water and soft, easily digestible food to her charge. When Luna managed to slay a monster and obtain an soul shards, she carefully administered it to the barely conscious woman, hoping it would aid in her recovery.
And it was slowly working
Halfway through the month, as Luna was about to leave their hideout, she froze. Her keen ears picked up an unusual combination of sounds: the light patter of human footsteps followed by deep, ominous thuds that were decidedly inhuman. Cautiously, she cracked open the door and peered through the narrow opening.
A man raced past, terror etched on his face. Hot on his heels came a monstrous creature that defied natural law.
'What monster followed natural laws here Luna?'
Its lower half resembled that of a massive bull, while its upper body took the form of a grotesquely deformed praying mantis, with dark red blades as its tools for chaos
After a moment's hesitation, Luna slipped out of the doorway and followed the bizarre chase.
Luna's heart pounded as she navigated the familiar side pathways, her ears attuned to the sounds of battle growing louder with each step. The fizz of electricity mingled with the clash of metal against chitin, painting a vivid picture of the conflict ahead.
As she emerged into an opening, the scene before her unfolded like a nightmare. The monstrous hybrid had cornered the young man at the end of a stone corridor flanked by dilapidated houses. The boy clutched his bleeding arm, desperately gripping a glaive with his other hand. His body was a canvas of shallow and deep cuts, a testament to the ferocity of the fight. One of the monster's mantis blades lay severed on the ground, but the outcome of this battle was painfully clear.
Luna's eyes locked with the boy's, and she shouted with all her might, "RUN! FOLLOW ME AND DON'T LOOK BACK!"
Summoning every ounce of her power, Luna focused intensely as the mantis raised its remaining blade for a killing blow. Just as the chitinous appendage was about to cleave the boy in two, it froze mid-strike. The monster's exoskeleton creaked and strained against an invisible force as Luna manipulated its very blood, holding it in place like a macabre statue.
The boy, who had instinctively flinched, looked up in disbelief at the frozen monster and the straining woman behind it. Understanding dawned in his eyes, and he scrambled towards Luna without hesitation.
As he reached the midpoint between them, Luna released her hold on the creature. In one fluid motion, she grabbed the boy and hurled a small pellet towards the monster. The pellet exploded into a dense red mist, obscuring everything in its path.
Before the boy could fully process what was happening, Luna had dragged him inside the abandoned house. They huddled in tense silence as, mere moments later, the sound of the enraged monster thundering past the door reached their ears.
As the immediate danger passed, Luna allowed herself a moment to catch her breath. She turned to the injured boy,
Luna's decision to save the boy wasn't born from altruism. The cult's growing suspicion of her absences necessitated a change in strategy. She needed someone to watch over Rin, as leaving her alone was too risky. Despite her reluctance, Luna's precarious situation left her with few options.
As the boy began to express his gratitude, Luna swiftly pinned him against the wall, pressing a dagger to his throat. "Name, why are you here, and what use are you?" she demanded, her voice cold and threatening.
Wide-eyed, the boy stammered, "Um, Harvey. Hunting monsters. I just got left for dead, so I'm not exactly happy. Also... yeah, I got nothing. I want revenge, though. Also, dying would kinda suck, could you please not? Also, you're really pretty. Wait, I shouldn't have said that. Shit, sorry."
Realizing this bumbling fool was her only option, Luna dragged him down to the cellar. She pointed at Rin's unconscious form and issued a stern warning: "Take care of her when I'm gone. If I come back and anything is wrong... they would never find your body."
"YES MA'AM!" Harvey replied, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and awe.
As Luna turned to leave, already late for her cult duties, Harvey gently grasped Lunas hand. "Thank you for saving me. I owe you big time," he said earnestly, kneeling and positioning his glaive above his own foot in a gesture
Luna shook her head, her expression a mix of exasperation and urgency. "Any order or command I'm giving is from her," she stated firmly, gesturing towards the unconscious Rin. "If you follow me, you're following her."
Harvey nodded, his face etched with a combination of confusion and determination. He watched as Luna turned to leave, but she paused at the threshold, adding one last crucial piece of information.
"Oh, and if she wakes up and tries to kill you, tell her 'haima let me in'," Luna said, her tone deadly serious.
"I... hold on," Harvey began, his brow furrowing as he tried to process this new, perplexing instruction. But before he could voice his questions or concerns, Luna had already disappeared up the cellar stairs, leaving him alone with the unconscious woman and a head full of unanswered questions.
*********
'I could really go for a Vicodin right now. Maybe even three,'
Rin thought to herself, her head throbbing.
The last thing she remembered was a corridor and a conversation with Luna. Everything after that was a blur.
Slowly, Rin's eyes fluttered open. A mop of tousled brown hair and piercing emerald eyes swam into focus above her.
She pounced, summoning her weapon with practiced ease. In one fluid motion, she pulled the stranger down, flipping him onto his back. The cold steel of her katana pressed against his face.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice low and dangerous.
The young man beneath her blade panicked, his words tumbling out in a rush. "I'm Haima! Let me in... Wait, shit, no. I'm Harvey. Um... Haima let me in. Yeah, Haima let me in!"
Rin let out a long-suffering sigh, her grip on the weapon loosening slightly. "Of course she did," she grumbled
The grip on her blade felt stronger, she was stronger she could feel it, how long was she out for
She checked her light fragments counter
[1400/1000]
[Would you like to create a core of light
Y/N]
[Core of light automatically replenishes essence till it's full]
[The more cores of light gained the faster the essence will recharge and the higher its density will become]
There was no hesitation in what she was doing, when she accepted, she felt a change in her very soul, like something had just been added there
[Cores of light: 1]
[Light fragments 400/3000]
[One core of light detected, upgrade genin Y/N]
She really was getting a boon again maybe it was for all the pain she suffered
[Upgraded genin]
[Chunin unlocked]
[Improved weapons handling and overall boost in killing and surviving]
Rin's grip on her blade felt unnaturally strong. She could sense a newfound power coursing through her veins. A nagging question tugged at her mind: just how long had she been unconscious?
Instinctively, she checked her light fragments counter:
[1400/1000]
A prompt materialized in her mind's eye:
[Would you like to create a core of light?
Y/N]
[Core of light automatically replenishes essence until it's full]
[The more cores of light gained, the faster the essence will recharge and the higher its density will become]
Without hesitation, Rin accepted. A profound change rippled through her very soul, as if a new dimension had been added to her being.
[Cores of light: 1]
[Light fragments 400/3000]
Another prompt appeared:
[One core of light detected, upgrade genin Y/N]
A wry smile played on Rin's lips. After all the pain and suffering she'd endured, it seemed the universe was finally cutting her some slack.
'Unlike sunny'
[Upgraded genin]
[Chunin unlocked]
[Improved weapons handling and overall boost in killing and surviving]
As the new abilities settled into her consciousness, Rin's focus snapped back to the young man pinned beneath her blade. Her newfound strength hummed through her body, making her acutely aware of how easily she could end his life. But first, she needed answers.