Unstained

Surrounded. Enemies on all sides. The ship tossed and turned. Thunder crackled from the pink sky. Haruka stood alone at the center of it all. Blockades of blood protected her from the onslaught of bullets. Every now and then, one of the guards had to reload. That was her time to strike. She eliminated them through decapitation, piercing, slicing in half—whatever she deemed most optimal. The waves of guards, however, just kept coming.

How annoying, she thought.

“Stand your ground, men!” a man with a long goatee yelled. Colorful medals adorned his uniform’s chest. Their leader, Haruka supposed. He clenched his fist. “Once you’re through with her, join the captain at the bottom deck at once!”

Haruka looked at the floor. Was Usano at the bottom deck? If so, Haruka’s mission to distract all the guards had failed. Either that, or Usano rushed in haphazardly before all the men had left. Haruka was inclined to believe the latter. No matter. All she had to do was swiftly eliminate the guards in front of her and head down to finish off the rest.

She fired needles from her wrist. Another guard taken down. As she lowered her hand, it began to shiver. Blood was running low; time to feed. With her other hand, she sent out a whip with a sharp tip toward one of the corpses. It stabbed the neck and drained the body dry. Nothing was left of it but a set of clothes and withered flesh and bones.

Not enough. Haruka needed more. Blood amassed on her cupped hands. It coagulated into a sticky mass until it formed a blob. She lobbed it into the air, and it exploded into hundreds of needles that rained down on the guards. As they ran out of harm’s way, she absorbed the blood of the other corpses.

Haruka formed a sword and a large shield in her hands and jumped over the barricades. She made swift work of the retreating men, slicing them down one by one.

The man with the goatee reluctantly raised his hand. “Men! Fall back! Before this monster takes us all!”

Haruka’s eyebrow twitched. Her patience could endure through numerous things. Being called a monster wasn’t one of them. She morphed her sword into a javelin and hurled it at the man with the goatee. As he turned around to run, it pierced the back of his skull and exited through his forehead. His body tumbled to the floor.

The remaining men fired at Haruka. Her shield extended itself and circled around her to block their bullets. She walked toward the man with the goatee and stepped on his back. A spear shot out from her wrist and impaled his neck. The body withered swiftly.

A faint scream echoed from behind. Haruka turned around. Hiro was running away from a rotund, shirtless man. She recognized him from earlier at the port, but forgot his name.

That idiot, she thought of Hiro with a sigh. No matter. She would simply go back and assist him after taking care of the remaining foes.

“O-Over there!” A trembling guard on the ship’s bridge pointed at Haruka. When she faced him, he squealed and fell on all fours. Beside him stood a woman dressed in all white. A golden sheathe rested on her side.

No one could miss her. Amid the rocking waves, shouting guards, and thunderstorm, the woman in white stood out the most. Elegantly, she stepped forward. Her silver ponytail flowed gracefully along the strong winds. The ship swayed endlessly, but her stance remained still, like an immovable tree rooted deep within the earth.

“Is this the troublemaker?” the woman in white asked. “She’s just one person! Why do we even bother working with you Orin wenches?”

The man beside her bowed his head repeatedly. “A-Apologies, ma’am! She was stronger than expected! We’re almost out of ammunition. We need your—”

In one swift motion, the woman in white unsheathed her katana and cut through the guard’s neck. His head soared through the air before landing near Haruka’s feet. The remaining body fell to the floor. Its blood fell down the bridge like a faucet.

The other men stopped their fire on Haruka and stared at the woman.

“M-Ma’am? What’s the meaning of this?!” one of them asked.

The woman raised her blade. Light-blue aura coated the katana. She swung at the air several times, unleashing waves of air covered in the same aura at everyone below her. They sliced off limbs and heads—whatever they could touch. The attack persisted until all of the guards had perished. Haruka protected herself, but her shield was left with large scratches.

The woman giggled softly. “Oh, how cathartic. Do you have any idea how long those buffoons babbled on? Well, I’m sure you do. After all, you’re the reason for all their complaints.”

Haruka stared at her in silence.

“...Not going to humor me, are you? Oh well. Obviously, you’re nothing like those Orin fools. I expect great things from you.” She pointed her sword at her. “My name is Hui Yan, following the school of samurai. And you?”

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“I will not.” Haruka threw the spear at her, but was deflected away by another wave of air.

Hui Yan scowled. “What is it with you people and the lack of basic courtesy? Always in such a rush. Fine, then. I’ll help you rush to your death!” A flurry of slashes sent sharp winds her way. Haruka’s shield sustained heavy damage, forcing her to resupply it with blood to repair it.

Hunger. The more blood she used, the more Haruka felt it in her stomach. It churned; it burned. She hated it. She wanted it to stop. To do so, she had to eliminate her target as quickly as possible—except it seemed she had no interest in coming down from the bridge.

How annoying, she thought.

Haruka’s shield morphed into a giant umbrella that sheltered her whole body. She dashed forward and launched a whip that stuck itself against the bridge’s wall. She retracted her whip to ascend. Hui Yan sent another wave of air to slice it off, but Haruka reacted fast. She sent another whip off to the opposite end of the bridge. It wrapped itself around the railing, and she swung up with it.

“Like monkeys indeed. All you do is play around.” Hui Yan fired more of her sharp projectiles at her. Haruka’s umbrella split into two swords that she used to parry them away.

One step closer. Then Haruka could finally wrap up the mission. The salty air was frizzing up her hair. She longed for a long bath back at the base.

Hui Yan stabbed the floor with her katana. A burst of light-blue air erupted all around her. Haruka was pushed back. The railing saved her from falling all the way back down, but it wasn’t over. The wall of air slowly expanded. Cuts appeared around her body. Any longer, and she’d end up as minced meat.

Haruka jumped back down to the main deck. She tossed one of her swords at her, but the wall of air shredded it to pieces. Endless projectiles, the enemy on high ground, and now an impenetrable barrier—everything irritated her.

The air barrier around Hui Yan dissipated. Her hands trembled, but after a deep exhale, they calmed down. She glared down at her opponent. “What say you, foul intruder? If you tell me who you serve, your life will be spared. A generous offer, no?”

Haruka stared back at her indifferently. “Not interested.”

“Ah, well, maybe I ought to give you a better picture.” Hui Yan spread her arms wide. “Do you know why I wear such a fragile white dress? It’s because I know it won’t get dirtied in battle.”

“Okay.”

Hui Yan’s face contorted in disgust. “Are you an imbecile? I can’t hold a proper discussion with you at all! If I can’t convince you to talk, then I’ll make you!”

A myriad of wind waves sped toward Haruka. She parried one; it pushed her back. These carried greater force than the ones prior. A large crimson wall formed in front of her and defended her from the rest. Every time Haruka replenished her lost blood through the corpses around her, the scratched-up wall restored itself to its original state. It wouldn’t take long, however, before the guards were all dried up.

The onslaught of attacks stopped. Hui Yan wheezed loudly. She shut her eyes tight until the gasps for air stopped. “What in the world is that shield made of? It won’t budge at all.”

Haruka sighed. The constant babbling annoyed her.

Hui Yan raised her katana. Light-blue aura swirled around it like a raging torrent. Winds gathered toward it, messing up Haruka’s hair even more. This, too, irritated her.

Hui Yan had a manic grin on her face. “Behold, foolish Orin rat! Your insolence shall not go unpu—”

Haruka hurled her remaining sword at her. Hui Yan stopped charging her attack to deflect it. As she did so, the sword melted and splashed on her. The spotless white dress was now drenched in blood.

“EEAAAAAHHH!” Hui Yan violently disheveled her hair. She fell to her knees, using her blade as support. Her blood-curdling scream was louder than the thunder itself.

“There.” Haruka gave her a thumbs up. “Now you don’t have to worry about dirtying it.”

“You… You…” Hui Yan said between low, heavy gasps. “You have a death wish that badly?! You’re so desperate to die, I see! Then I shall send your dimwitted face all the way to the ocean floor!”

Hui Yan twisted her body to make a wide swing. Her katana sent forth a wave of air much larger than the others, but it traveled at a slower pace. Haruka leaped on top of a container to escape. The wave tore through the steel floor and left behind a gaping hole.

Several needles formed in Haruka’s hands. She threw them at her opponent. Another wide swing from Hui Yan swiftly blasted them away and countered back with more waves of wind. Each slash she exerted was accompanied by an increasingly louder grunt.

The main deck was laid waste. Numerous rips and tears decorated the floor. Containers cut into pieces scattered all around. Haruka had barely evaded all the attacks. There were no openings she could find. A piece of debris knocked her golden headband off; her bangs fell over her eyes. She was getting slower. When she landed, the floor gave in. Before she could fall down, she sent out a whip toward the nearest railing and pulled herself up. Barely any floor was left; she had to lean against the railing for support.

Very annoying, she thought. How she wished to get this mission over with. A hot, steamy bath with bubbling soap filled her mind.

As quickly as she entered her daydream, so was she pulled out of it.

“Why… won’t… you… DIE?!” Hui Yan, soaked in sweat, gasped for air. She slouched her back with both arms dangling down.

Haruka, on the other hand, had yet to break a sweat. She wasn’t out of breath at all. However, her body wouldn’t last much longer—not without food. Her stomach rumbled. There was no better time to act than now.

She created two swords and rushed forward. Suddenly the entire ship shook. It tilted backward. Hui Yan lost her footing and struck her head against the railing. Seeing her chance, Haruka used sticky whips to swing herself upward. When she got in range, she flung her sword at her. Once again, Hui Yan summoned a barrier of light-blue wind to block, but it was too late. The sword scratched her eye before the wind blew it away.

Hui Yan shrieked in agony. The wind around her surged into a malevolent crescendo. Like a multitude of frenzied blades, it lashed out on Haruka. Vicious slashes left their mark as gashes and deep cuts. Her whips couldn’t keep her in place; she was hurled back to the rubble of the main deck.

Haruka slowly opened her eyes. Hui Yan shouted at her from the bridge, but she couldn’t make out the words. She scratched her head—attempted to, at least. Nothing happened. With great struggle, she turned her head to her left arm.

It was gone.

A few feet from her, atop one of the damaged containers, lay her arm. It inched back and forth to the rhythm of the rocking ship. Not a single drop of blood spilled from the exposed pallid flesh. What a pain it would be to get it back, she thought.

Hui Yan covered her scratched eye. She struggled to stay on her feet. “Wh… What are you? A monster?!”

Haruka stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles of her crop top. “No. I’m hungry.” A spear appeared in her remaining hand. She glared at her opponent with a ravenous gaze. Food—nothing but food filled her mind. It was right in front of her. Every inch of her body fixated on her prey.

Hui Yan bared her teeth at her. “Stay away from me!” She slashed at the air, but her swing this time was slow. The projectile completely missed.

Haruka tossed her spear at her as she dashed forward. It clashed against Hui Yan’s katana; the recoil sent her tumbling on her back. Haruka used a whip to once again pull herself up, ready to attack.

BANG!

As Haruka zipped through the air, a heavy weight collided against her. She crashed into the bridge’s wall together with the weight. When it moved, she realized it was a living, breathing body.

What an annoying day, she thought.

She wrapped her whip around the person and lifted them up. Upon closer inspection, she recognized him.

“Hiro?”

The ragged Hiro mumbled out incoherent words. His eyes were half open. If he fell unconscious, he would only serve as dead weight. Haruka slapped him square in the jaw. It left a cold sting.

He rubbed his eyes. “H-Huh…? Where…? Who…?”

She put him down and slapped him again. “What happened?”

“Huh?!”

“Don’t yell. I’m right here.”

He cupped his ear. “What did you say?!”

Haruka’s eyebrow twitched. She raised her voice. “I said don’t yell!”

“I can’t hear y—” His eyes shifted down. “OH MY GOSH! Y-YOUR…!”

She sighed. “Yes, I know. My a—”

“YOUR ARM! WHAT HAPPENED?!”

“Hiro. Calm down.”

His eyes darted back and forth between her stump and their surroundings. “D-D-D-Don’t worry! I’m sure D-Dr. Tenzo can fix that! I hope…”

“Listen to me.”

“For now! W-We gotta find your arm! Um… Odd, maybe there’s blood trails on the floor, or not…”

She noticed his bleeding ear. Talking with him further sounded like a pain. She seized his chin and turned his head to her arm lying on the container.

He pointed in the same direction. “Th-There! I found your arm! We need to take it before… before he…”

A shadow loomed over them. It grew larger by the second. They both looked up. Haruka grabbed Hiro’s collar and jumped away. Bao Ma, with great force, crash-landed where they once stood. The entire ship rumbled. A massive dent on the ship’s floor formed in his wake. Pink lightning flashed as he towered over them.

Hiro froze in shock. Haruka put him down and stood guard in front of him.

“How wonderful. There’s two Orin scums now.” Chocolate-colored aura covered Bao Ma’s arms. He cracked his neck and scowled. “No matter. I’m done playing your silly games. I’ll end you both at once!”