Viridian Ninja

Love could abandon him so easily, but the thrill of killing, that could always be his. And if he killed monsters... well, that would only spread reality to those who believed their happiness could last.

Yes, and in turn he would prove all he needed was himself to be strong.

End Flashback

Taki kept her focus, amazed that Theron could keep his guard up so well while raging so much. Pressing her against the tree he kept them at an impasse. The rookie hunter himself seemed transfixed by the tale the man was ranting about.

"I've taken every chance I've had since then to take jobs where I could kill your kind! You'll just be the latest one!"

Taki gritted her teeth and with a monumental effort pushed him back, both fighters lowering their arms in fatigue from the continuous strain they had just endured. Through her compound eyes she noticed the rookie reloading his crossbow. She couldn't afford to be still and open like this for long.

"You wasted her sacrifice," she stated coldly, the feeling coming back into her arms.

"It was a pointless sacrifice!" Theron said no more, racing at her to attack with even greater ferocity but no less skill.

It was all Taki could do to keep up. She needed an opening, there was no way he could attack so wildly without leaving himself vulnerable at some point. Sure enough she caught a split-second chance, a weakness in his grip on one of his swords as she narrowly parried another series of slashes. She twisted the blade out of his hand mid-parry, sending it spinning away to hit the ground harmlessly.

For a moment she thought this had given her an advantage, only for Theron to respond with a vertical kick, a blade extending from his shoe and cutting her chin as she flipped backwards to avoid it. It was not a deep cut, but it was even clearer now that she couldn't afford the slightest mistake with this man. With a twist of his foot his other shoe proceeded to extend the same sort of blade.

'So he can cut with his feet as well? Knocking one of his swords away just caused him to change his style.'

Now in control of the fights' pace again, Theron pushed Taki back with a series of rapid kicks from both feet and swings from his remaining sword. She blocked some of them, but was grazed by others. She could tell the wounds were not serious on their own, but if this kept up then she would weaken from blood loss... and perhaps that was his plan. Further, she could see the rookie was waiting for an opening.

Taking the first chance she could, she leaped with all her strength over another roundhouse kick, extending her wings and beating them fiercely. This propelled her higher, and also kicked up a storm of leaves below, blinding and confusing Theron.

Taki reached the apex of her ascent and fully extended one scythe as gravity took over, her wings extended to steer her correctly and beating to increase her momentum. She rocketed back down, Theron raising his blade over his head to block it just as the storm of leaves cleared.

Theron's mind flashed back to years before. Lacerta had also leaped down at him from on high at the climax of their battle. He had blocked and deflected her then with all his strength. This was different though, this was the race that had originated the move Lacerta had used then. Even so, he refused to avoid it.

'I'm not weak.'

His blade snapped.

'Am I?'

The extra momentum from Taki's wings made all the difference. Such was the force of her slash from that height that she cut through both his blade and the man himself, each half falling in a bloody mess.

Not exactly the sentimental sort, Taki didn't spare another thought to her fallen foe. Alerted by her compound eyes, she in a flash turned and sliced through the rookie's arrow just before it reached her, then through his bow itself before he could try to load another, then finally brought a scythe to his throat.

The man raised his hands in surrender, his voice panicked at how quickly the situation had changed completely in Taki's favor. "Wait! I can help you find him!"

"I don't need your help for that," she stated, raising her other scythe to strike him down.

The young man panicked further. "You don't understand! You need information! Yeah, you might be able to sniff him out by his spirit energy, but if you don't know the makeup of the building he's in you'll never make it even with your skills."

She paused. "Speak."

He swallowed nervously at the closeness of her blades. "We toured it when we received the job request. It's a large mansion on the edge of the city, painted gold and red. Got a few dozen of Jiro's most loyal enforcers patrolling inside at all times. Only a few outside guards though, to keep up appearances I guess. The inside is made up of hallways near the outer walls used for patrols and a lot of private rooms and a main hall further in. Right around the center are their holding cells and a room they use for interrogation and torture. It and the rooms around it have soundproof walls. My guess is your man will be somewhere around there."

Taki nodded, her mind racing with potential strategies. "If the hallway patrols are taken out quickly, I can move further in undetected?"

"You would have to be fast once you start though, if they get the chance they'll sound the alarm and have the whole place on you."

"These alarms, where are they?" she pressed her blade closer to his neck in unspoken threat.

"O-One on each corner of the patrol halls," he sputtered in turn.

"And what of the other hunters? The men you led here would not have gone back unprotected."

"Yeah, there were two others, but they aren't important or affiliated with me. They just wanted to get back to civilization, get their money, and leave. My guess is they'll be gone by the time you get there."

"I see."

They both remained silent for a time, the man growing more nervous, sweat forming on his brow. "P-please, let me go. I've told you everything I know."

"You will leave?" she inquired, drawing her blade back from his neck.

He sighed in relief and bowed his head. "My teachers are dead. I have nothing to go against you with. Let me live and I'll leave you in peace, I swear as Callahan Chapman, former member of the Order."

Taki's eyes narrowed. The Order... they weren't friendly with monsters to say the least, but they were known for being honorable. Still... this man had tried to kill her, and had helped kidnap Carter... her instincts warred inside her, but Carter remained the priority. She had to get to him, she couldn't afford to waste time figuring out what best to do with Callahan. If she hurried she may even reach Carter before they got out of the forest so she wouldn't have to deal directly with Jiro.

"Leave, and never return," she ordered icily.

Head still bowed and arms raised, he began to walk slowly backwards. Taki turned away, ready to bound into the trees in search of Carter.

"Oh, one other thing," Callahan stated, as he suddenly stepped after her.

"Yes?" she asked, turning back toward him.

She was answered with a dagger hidden in his sleeve shooting out and being buried in her chest.

"Bastard," Taki spat, even as she cursed herself for letting her guard down. She felt it odd in this situation to briefly consider how she had never cursed before. She collapsed to her knees, blood pouring from the wound as he pulled the knife out.

Callahan's expression was one of pure triumph. "I guess I should have mentioned I was kicked out of the Order because my word couldn't be trusted. Frankly you've done me a favor bug. Now I don't have to share the payment for taking you out. Guess I'm just lucky."

He would have mocked her further, if he hadn't suddenly found a scythe sticking through his own heart.

"And I am lucky you know so little about mantis anatomy," Taki stated icily, her blade retracting.

"Y-you... how?" With those words he slumped to the floor and breathed his last.

---

What the young hunter had indeed not known was how the mantis body had evolved specifically to use and defend against bladed weapons. A lot of armor would impede agility, so instead vital internal organs were protected by the "second skin" that resembled clothing. This tough and tight layer of material was constructed in such a way that when pierced it would divert the attacker's blade to the side, often causing the blade to avoid piercing the organ it was aimed at. Moreover it acted to absorb much of the force applied, making the wound more shallow than it would be otherwise. Thus his knife had not actually cut into her heart.

Even so, blood loss was still a real problem, even with the naturally heightened healing rate common to most monsters. She had to stitch and bandage the wound quickly. Taki had wounded herself a number of times in her training, though never this badly, and was experienced with makeshift medical treatments. Further, her mental training had reached the point that she could ignore most physical pain and thus treat her own wounds without any reaction beyond gritting her teeth.

Stemming the blood flow with a shred of clothing torn from the dead archer, she began to stagger back to the tree house where her self-made medical supplies were stored. It was slow going, the blood loss from her many wounds seeming to weaken her more with each step. The stab wound it seemed had been deeper than she had hoped as well.

'Have to keep going...' she repeated in her head over and over again. 'Carter... have to save Carter...'

The light was fading now, and she still hadn't reached the tree house. It seemed so much further walking... She collapsed to her hands and knees. She had no more strength left.

Her vision was growing unfocused. 'I'm blacking out... no... no, this can't happen.'

"Carter..." she whispered, her eyes moistening, then slumped to the forest floor.

---

The afterlife was not something Taki had ever thought much about. She figured what would happen would happen. If the gods were really in charge of it then there wasn't much she as a monster could do to determine where she went or indeed if she got to go anywhere.

Even so, the ache she felt from the wound in her chest as light flooded her eyes proved beyond a doubt that she was still alive, what looked to be a plain tarp erected over her, the feel of a blanket under her. The mystery of the afterlife would remain. Now for other matters. Namely figuring out just how she was alive.

"Aryana, she's waking up!" a male voice cried out.

Taki was inwardly surprised. Aryana... that was the name of neighboring centaur she had recently chatted with. Her husband was named Clark if she recalled right.

Sure enough, she saw the stately, blue-eyed centaur stride into view as she sat up, a muscular young man with reddish hair beside her. Both bore a quiver of arrows and a longbow on their backs, while the pony-sized equine portion of the centaur had a saddle with supply bags hanging on either side.

"About time," Aryana stated, her tone slightly irritated. "Clark was getting annoying with how he fretted over you."

"I don't care how tough she is," Clark countered as he knelt to give Taki some water from an animal-skin bag, "it is only natural for a man to show concern for an injured lady."

"It's tolerable when your concern is for me, not when it's for a woman you've never met before."

"Hey, any friend of yours is a friend of mine."

"You're too friendly for your own good. If it weren't for my vigilance someone would have taken your naïve kindness as an excuse to seduce you by now."

"Hey now, none of our friends would go that far."

"Of course not, as I've made sure they all know that I would skin them alive if they did."

Taki realized she was not going to learn anything from just listening like this. The man and centaur seemed in their own world. She noted the stitched wound on her chest, it had been done quite well. She could detect the scent of her personal healing herbs in her bandages as well. In her peripheral vision she noticed that the little camp she was in had been set up next to her tree house.

"You saved me, and took me here," she stated more than asked.

"We are allies now are we not?" Aryana stated. "Admittedly this is not how I wanted our first visit to go..."

"How did you find me, how did you find my home?"

"Blood loss seems to have dulled your thinking for you to ask that second question," she snorted. Aryana had a nature that could be described as rather abrasive, but Taki was not easily offended, perhaps why they had taken to each other rather well. "Your home was easy enough since it would naturally be at the center of your territory. As for how we found you, well while your kind were blessed with amazing senses you can't compare to my kind's sense of smell. I scented a group of men intruding on your territory some time ago. When that scent was followed by the scent of blood and death I decided to investigate. A threat to one's neighbors may become a threat to oneself after all."

"She means she was worried," Clark added with a smile.

The centaur shot him a dirty look. "The one I was worried about was you. The only reason I let you accompany me was to keep you from following me on your own."

"And it's a good thing you did, you're not exactly built to climb the stairs to Taki's home."

Her ears pricked up and her eyes widened as she gave a shocked snort. "Impudence! Are you calling me fat?!"

He smirked at her. "Will you step on me if I am?"

Her shock turned to a blush as her ears lowered and she looked away. "Maybe later... if you're good..." she stated in a small voice.

'They are a stranger couple than I thought...' Taki considered as she watched the exchange.

"Seriously though," Clark continued, looking at Taki, "Aryana would have managed, she did stitch your wound after all, but I'm glad I was able to help."

Aryana addressed Taki as well. "After I saw the carnage you had left I wanted to know the nature of the threat you faced. Were those men the only ones?"

"There were others I did not fight. They took Carter..."

She folded her arms and nodded. "I assumed as much, since your mate hasn't shown up all this time."

"Time... what time is it? How long was I unconscious?" Panic grew in her heart.

"Your body is surprisingly tough," Aryana explained in what amounted to a compliment from her, "once we stitched the stab wound and applied healing herbs you stabilized overnight."

"One night and much of a day," Taki stated, rising to her feet with a groan. "I can't afford to fall further behind."

"In your current state you won't be able to go top speed," Clark noted. "If you tear your stitches running then you may not make it to him at all. How about you let Aryana carry you?"

"Don't volunteer me like I'm some pack animal!" she snapped, smacking him on the head.

"But you said before that you would if she needed-"

"She doesn't have to know that! You're making me look soft!"

"No," Taki replied, ignoring the squabble as she stretched her stiff muscles. "You've already done enough. You have my thanks, both of you. I can't ask you to abandon your territory for me."

"That... that's not an issue," the centaur explained in turn, giving up on hiding her desire to help. "A few days won't matter, and if any squatters do come I'll drive them out when we return."

"I could stay and protect the place?" Clark offered.

"Oh please," Aryana scoffed back. "By the time I got back you'd be up to your neck in lonely wererabbits who claimed they were lost."

"That happened one time!" he yelled back, blushing in embarrassment. "And anyway, I'd only slow you down if you had to carry me on your back as well."

"Don't underestimate me! I could carry both of you all day if need be!" the centaur boasted.

Taki shook her head. "To rescue him I will need stealth. That will be easier if I am alone."

"Then we will just take you most of the way," Aryana concluded in a tone that would take no argument. "With my speed you can close the gap to them and be largely healed by the time you do."

Taki stared at them both, unfamiliar emotions swirling inside her. She barely knew these people, yet they were willing to go so far for her?

"I won't take no for an answer," Aryana pressed the issue. "This has become a matter of centaur pride. As a noble centaur I must help punish those who trespassed in our forest, assaulted my neighbor and stole her mate."

"You'll have to fight her if you want to change her mind," Clark cautioned with a smile.

Taki sighed. Arguing would only stall things further, and she could use the help. "Very well, but regardless I will go on my own once we near them."

"It is a pact then," Aryana stated, extending her hand. After a bit of hesitation Taki took it, receiving a firm handshake from the centaur.

In her peripheral vision she took in the stairs she and Carter had worked so hard on. The sight of them produced a new pang in her heart. She wanted to go up them with him again and again, to expand her home, their home, to add to their family. She needed him back with her.

Taki closed her eyes and focused. Carter's spirit energy signature, she could feel him now clearly, as if this unpracticed sense had automatically heightened in response to their increasing separation. Indeed, she could feel him getting steadily further away, but unerringly she knew which direction to go in pursuit.

She forced herself to try to plan for what she would be faced with. Her only source there was the hunter's description. He could have been lying about the mansion just as he had about his oath to leave her be, but to come up with so many fictitious details so fast and without hesitation suggested otherwise.

Still, she couldn't be sure. Until now she had thought she could detect lies, yet she had still let her guard down on a known enemy. Overconfidence and concern for Carter, both played a part in her lapse in judgment. She had to make sure it didn't happen again.

Regardless, she was sure of one thing. Carter was her mate. She would save him, no matter what it took.

---

To Be Continued

---

Part 4: Inner Worth

---

'It's just as the hunter claimed it to be,' Taki reasoned as she eyed the ornate building on the edge of town while safely hidden at the edge of the tree line. Her sharp eyes could easily judge the location of the two guards stationed outside, but the large open space between her and the building would make sneaking up difficult. Best to wait the short time until nightfall and use the cover of darkness to get closer. Once near enough she could leap up and take them out from above, where they would not be expecting an attack.

"Is that the place they are holding him?" Aryana asked as she pointed to the large building. The centaur wrinkled her nose in disgust, "it reeks of torturous death, the kind of scent given off only by violent and slow killing. It's utterly offensive to any hunter who prides herself on merciful hunting such as myself."

"It is time for you and your mate to go back," was Taki's answer. "You can no longer help me, not with what I plan to do."

"Myself, and Clark, to a lesser extent, are master marksmen," the centaur countered, reaching for the bow on her back. "We can disable the outside guards at least, even in low light."

"No. I do not plan to disable."

"Taki..." Aryana widened her eyes.

"The scent of quick death will come from there soon."

"I thought you were going to use stealth to sneak in?" Clark reminded her from his place atop the centaur's back, sounding uncomfortable with the implications of her words.

Taki didn't look back. "Stealth will allow me to surprise them, but if it is anything like what I was told then there will be no getting to Carter without dealing with the enforcers. If I merely maim them they may be able to still sound the alarm, and if they all were alerted then the battle would not be winnable. I must use speed and stealth to take them out one or a few at a time in rapid succession."