Iron and Rain

He sighed at her question and looked a little uncomfortable. "Because I made a lot of enemies when I left Trillium, the security company I worked for, and a lot of them want me dead. The mask helps slow that process of them finding me... Have you heard of the legend of Ikarinochi the swordsman?" He looked at her with sad eyes.
 
She instantly felt a little bad in asking the question that obviously brought back bad memories. He had spoken of the security company before, but this would be the first time he spoke the name of such a swordsman. She gave a little shake of her head in reply, remaining silent, but eyes would watch him curiously as if bidding him to continue.
 
"Ikarinochi was a thorn in Trilliums side for years. A young man with a cause and a strong heart. He and his small group would disrupt Trilliums operations all over Kien. He found out that the company was creating monster problems for villages so they could come in and save them. Can you imagine a company that would do something that vile?" Ryoshi looked at her with rage in his eyes. "The swordsman threw away everything he had to cause as much damage as he could. Do you remember hearing about when the Ensvel trading train line was blown up?" He looked at her.
 
Akane's brows furrowed slowly as the story started and would remain as it continued. Such hearts... so corrupt with selfish deeds and only looking for personal gain. It was sad... but with the world that was being created around them, she could believe it. Although she did not wish it to be so. Where all this evil came from inside a person she would never know, for it was something nigh impossible for the young woman to have herself. No amount of personal gain was worth making others suffer.... maybe she was simply too empathetic of a person.

"Ikarinochi seems like... a very noble person. To stick up for so many that could not." No matter if the idea was for the company to dispatch people to save the villages they intentionally set monsters upon. There were bound to be casualties as beasts such as the ones Ryoshi and herself fought were unpredictable. You can't control beasts like that. "I... vaguely I believe. Actually... yes. The... town I was staying in at the time... there was a delay in supplies because of it."
 
"Ikarinochi was the man who blew it up with his crew... that was also the day he died. He was ripped apart by the gunfire of a steam mech. A lot of people were shocked and the day grew dark. However, most say he died with a smile on his face and some say the body was never recovered. I can tell you that the body was never recovered because I am Ikarinochi. I faked my death to get out of the life I had... now I just wonder trying to live out the rest of my days trying to do what good I can through fighting off monsters. Thats why I'm being hunted and will be for the rest of my life."
 
She was beginning to guess as much, all up until he spoke of the man's death... which was once again turned upon its head when he admitted to faking the death to become just... Ryoshi the monster hunter. Her eyes softened upon this man in front of her, amazed that he has done so much throughout his life. Trying to do good only for it to bite him in the ass hard later. She felt for him... she really did. He did not deserve such a life after the service he had provided. "You're... one of the good ones, Ryoshi. Doing whatever is in your power to make a difference. It is very noble," Akane said softly while her brows furrowed slightly, pitying him. "How are they finding you, Ryoshi? If you faked your death... I thought that was supposed to end it, to give you some sort of peace. Is there... something we can do?"
 
"I'm not sure exactly..." He sighed. "Someone must have seen me escape or maybe they just see me as a new threat." He looked to her. "Akane I'm not sure if you should continue with me. You almost died and I can't have another person's blood on my hands again." He explained.

Just then there was a knock at the door and Dr. Brenner came in. "Hello Akane how are you feeling?" He smiled. "Ive brought a few designs for a new arm for you. Now depending on what kind of life you want to lead from here I've given you two categories to pick from. One for now civilian life, or if you want to continue your work as a hunter." He gave her two folders each. Each contained designs for a new arm depending on what she wanted to do.
 
Akane's brows instantly furrowed at the words that came out of the man's mouth, swallowing hard and feeling gaze flicker to hear him say such a thing... it had been her own choice! He had nothing to do with it... She parted her lips to tell him as such when there was a knock and abruptly the doctor came in again with two folders in hand. She blinked, feeling very overwhelmed and fuzzy in the mind with all of this information coming at her from multiple directions. "I um... just fine, doctor," she said softly and reached up slowly to brush back the dark strands of her hair that now fell nearly to her shoulders, just brushing the tops of them.

Had... Ryoshi talked to him about this? Why would she want to discontinue her life as a hunter...? She had... she's known nothing different after she lost everyone in her village. What... what was she supposed to do...if only to continue? "Thank you I... will give it some thought. I... don't know what I will be choosing yet." Her eyes glanced over at Ryoshi shitting on the chair beside her, suddenly wondering if he perhaps did not want her traveling with him anymore. If that was the case... all he had to do was say so. She would understand... he was dragging her ass along before, but now that she was basically a cripple? Why would he want to continue to do such a thing..?

Tears stung the back of her eyes as her her fingers gripped the folders that had been placed upon her lip, too tightly, nearly crinkling the papers inside. "I just... need some time... please.."
 
The doctor looked a little confused "Of course take you time. Just call when you are ready." He offered a smile and left.

"You're upset aren't you?" Ryoshi sighed.
 
Akane was silent until the doctor left and even for a moment after Ryoshi spoke, until her own voice sounded. “Even if I would have lost my life, it was my own choice, Ryoshi.” Her eyes would not look at him and simply stayed on the folders of which the side was crinkling that was within her fingers. “Hunting is all I know now. And if… if you want to continue on your own, I can’t force you to take me with you. But do know that I will not stop. I could die miles away from you and you would not know it. So, if you’re wanting to do this for my own well-being, I think you should reconsider.”

Granted, she was fighting less dangerous foes on her own, but it did not guarantee her safety. “I knew the dangers, right? Going into this? You cannot be held liable if something happens to me, Ryoshi. My blood is not yours to have on your hands.” She gave a little choked laugh then and finally rose her glistening eyes to him with a bit of a pitiful sad twist in her lips. “You even said that before… you told me when all of this started that if I died it would not be on your hands. W-what’s changed, Ryoshi…? I don’t understand…”
 
Ryoshi listened to her speak, scenes of his past skipping across his mind, and when she asked him what had changed something slipped. "Because I can't lose you again Ana!" He yelled. There was a long pause before he realized what he said. "I'm sorry I... I need to go into town. Just pick an arm and we'll go from there." He stood up and quickly left.

A few hours later the doctor came in and looked at where Ryoshi was sitting "Quite the exchange you two had. Seems he's still hung up on his wife's death." Brenner gave a smug smile.
 
Her body jumped at the loudness of his voice, her glistening orbs widening in surprise at such an unexpected shout coming from the man beside her. Lips parted, but no words word sound as she didn't know what to say in such a situation... she was entirely unaware of such a thing even existing, that he possibly held her upon the same level of his wife that had passed on. Completely taken aback, all she could manage was a dumb stare of bewilderment as Ryoshi made a quick exit, mumbling something about needing to go into town. That left her with but her thoughts in the silence of her room with two folders full of papers she felt that she suddenly did not have the energy to go through.

With little enthusiasm, the couple hours that had passed had Akane's fingers robotically shifting the papers within the files while the remainder of the lunch Ryoshi had prepared for her sat untouched and now cold at her bedside table. Her eyes would only flicker upward as the doctor made his entrance, feeling the need to address the incident of Ryoshi's quickened escape from her bedside. "Seems as though doctors also eavesdrop on private conversation," she replied easily without fully looking at him as her fingers had made a small pile of the arms that seemed to catch her interest. Right now, her fingers were going through the pile again, letting them drop upon her lap until she found the one that looked adequate to her. "If you had lost the one your cared for most in this world, wouldn't you still be?" she asked him, only because he seemed to nearly speaking in a demeaning manner of the tragedy that still very much was a part of Ryoshi's existence.

"This one," she suddenly spoke, turning a piece of paper face up and sliding it toward the doctor. "Looks simple and durable. That's all I need."
 
"Ah The Jack of Trades, yes it will be simple enough. I'll even toss in a sword upgrade of free." he smiled. "Well then shall we?" he moved her onto a gurney and pushed her off into the operating room. "See you in a few hours." he stuck a needle in her arm and she was put under. Brenner went to work, pulling the arm from a glass case, and smiled "I do love working with living subjects."

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Ryoshi had quickly put his mask and cloak back on and headed out into the rainy city know as Quade. It rewarded travelers coming from the Dead Mans Hills with bright lights, a peaceful atmosphere, and shops of all kinds. Quade was known for its advancements in technology as well as its raging night life. Its people worked harder during the day and at night the streets were flooded with people from all walks of life, making their way to one of the many clubs that lined the town. Both the rain and darkness of the world seems a little lighter here.

The swordsman made his way further into the heart of the city, his thoughts lingering on what he said to Akane. Why did he call her Ana, why did that have to slip? The rain poured off the wide brim of his hat, and dripped down the curves of his mask, as he walked wondered through the streets. Why did this random person he just met invoke such feeling in him? Sure they saved each others lives but who wouldn't save another, no there had to be something to this? He wasn't feeling love for the woman but maybe... a sort of comradery. "Hmmmm...." he thought to himself. He turned down a street and something caught his eye, a bright neon red bar sign that read "Haven". Ryoshi chuckled as he pushed the door open and when inside. It was smaller place, low lit, a few tables here and there, and a few people to.

"Welcome." the bar keep smiled and waved him over to sit at the bar. "What will you have?"

"Whisky, leave the bottle."

"Oh on one of those nights hm?" she left and gave him the bottle and a glass. "If you need anything else just ask." she smiled.

"Thank you." Ryoshi poured himself a drink before the panels over his mouth opened. He started to sip on the drink before a woman sat down in the seat next to him.


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"Good evening." she smiled at him.

"Hello." Ryoshi said rather dead pan.

"Looks like you're have a bad night, mind if I join you?" she asked as she lit a cigarette and took a drag of it.

Ryoshi was quiet for a minuet before asking for another glass then pouring her a drink.

"Thank you, most of you hunters a fairly rude so you're a breath of fresh air." she took a sip and relaxed. "So what has you drinking your problems away?"

"...Mmm.... some I'm traveling with is in the hospital, undead bastard took her arm." he said.

"Wow thats rough I'm sorry. I hope they end up okay." she sighed and gave him a smile.

The two talked and finished about half the bottle before she looked at him, blushing red, and asked "Want to head back to my place?"

Ryoshi nodded and the two left, back out into the rainy cold world, and then into a warm bed together.

-----

Akanes surgery went on for nearly six hours before she was done and brought back to her room to sleep. When she did wake up her entire body was wracked with a dull aching pain. Her shoulder was killing her and as she went to look at it... there it was... her new arm. It was a nice golden yellow color on top, and black that wrapped around and up to her hand. It was a work of art.

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As she thought about bringing it up to her face to look at closer the arm came up to slowly and a little jerky. The pain in her shoulder twinged and the arm moved to lay back down at her side. Suddenly there was a loud crash that came from the small office's lobby, then shouting.

"I'm looking for this hunter and word on the street says he came in here yesterday!" A voice shouted, but something was off about it. It was a mans voice but it sounded scratchy and hallow almost robotic. "I ain't going to ask you again doc!" there was the sound of a gun cocking.

"I assure you know one of that description has come in, now please leave my office." Brenner was curt and to the point.

"Then you wouldn't mid if I had a look around."


There was the sound of heavy footsteps and things getting tossed around and broken. The footsteps came right outside of Akanes door, a loud boom as the door flung open. An android stood in the doorway looking down at her "Have you seen this man here?" He held up a picture of Ryoshis mask.

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Blinking in astonishment, the woman’s eyes widened as the doctor was ready to operate on the spot. Must have had nothing better to do… “I- I mean—okay?” She was a little taken aback, feeling as though a whirlwind had taken her mind in its sluggish state. Still, it wasn’t like she had anything better to do in the moment either… and with Ryoshi gone, the quiet room was rather lonely. Odd… being by herself had never bothered her before. All of a sudden, a couple weeks with a strange man and she would have found that she preferred his company than being by herself. Even if he just sat in the room silently, all huffy with his arms crossed over his chest. So, she did as the doctor asked, lifting a still weakened body onto a gurney with the help of the doctor until she was in a room under blinding lights that turned a swirl of anxiety in her stomach. A hiss left lips at the needle injected into her arm, yet that pinch of pain as well as the other aches and pains in her body would disappear as she succumbed to a deep sleep.
......

1605487732310.pngIt seemed like no time at all even though it was hours later since she had went into surgery, but she could feel it in her body, the thumping ache that she had been resting upon her backside for much too long. Unpleasantly stiff, her body slowly began to reboot, brain registering all the irritating soreness in body, fingers slowly wiggling on the bed as though scoping out the abilities of her body… when she realized she was actually moving fingers upon her left side as well! Eyes purposefully blinking the fuzziness away, she attempted to sit up, only to feel a horrid wrack of pain through her shoulder.

“Ah—!” Gritting teeth, she reached with her right and placed fingers along the muscle connecting her neck and shoulder, feeling the bandaging beneath, waiting for the sharp hot pain to ebb. With heavy breaths she instead simply bobbed her head to the left in order to see a vibrant shiny yellow and sleek black mirroring the distorted reflection of surprise in her eyes. It was… rather pretty, she thought, watching as she tried once more to move fingers upon the bed and saw how it reacted to how she willed it, if not a bit clumsily as though not accustomed to such a thing. Carefully reaching her right hand over, she trailed it along the shiny metal and her eyes full of amazement and wonder. She wished to take a closer look, but the pain in her shoulder was rather unbearable and thus figured it wouldn’t do to tamper with the thing just yet.

Until something else brought her attention away from her new arm. A disturbance in the next room made her body jolt, yet she was unable to rise to scope out what was happening. Either way, it was unnecessary as the trouble would find her instead. After ears perked to listen to a robotic voice, slightly muffled by the walls between it and her ears, she shifted uncomfortable, shutting eyes tight and against her better judgement decided to try rising once more. With her good arm braced against the sheets, she rose, although it blurred vision and swirled her already upset stomach. “Ah- hell…” she gasped and clutched at her throbbing shoulder, although gaze would be ripped and placed onto a metallic figure that threw open her door with a loud crack, startling her.

With a flushed face, Akane felt her chest rising and falling quickly as the being held up a picture of Ryoshi’s mask…. and she had to try very hard not to roll her eyes. That man needed a different mask… it obviously wasn’t doing its job anymore of obscuring his identity from those that wished him harm. She stared at the picture a moment, then rose her eyes to the empty dark sockets of the machine, clutching at her arm. “N-no…” she uttered with a croak, voice still tired and features looking rather rough from the surgery with a body needing to recover from such an operation. “No—w…get the fuck o-out of my—room…”
 
The machine moved through the doorway, it's empty sockets looking down at her. This android gave off a very clear feeling of anger and fear. "It is pitiful how you organics cling to life. Disfiguring your body with machanical parts and bits of plastic." His dead gaze wondered to her arm. He reached out and gripped her shoulder tightly, and a white hot pain ran through the poor girls body.

"Its ideal how your bodies deal with pain, doing anything to make it stop." He shoved the wanted poster into her face. "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN!" he gripped tighter, the joints in his metal hand making a humming noise as he squeezed.

"Enough!" Brener shouted from the doorway. The doctor now held a shotgun in his hands. "Leave my patients alone and get the fuck out. You're bounty isn't here, get out before I call the watch." He cocked the gun.

The machine let go and turned to face Brener, walking up to him so the barrel of the gun was pointed at his metal chest. There was a long pause before the machine simply turned and left.

Brener ran up to Akane and checked the seem between her shoulder and her new arm. There was a bit of blood dripping out of it. "God damn tin can!" He cursed and went to a drawer to pull out a needle and thread along with gauz and a wrap. "He tore a few of the stitches, don't scream this might hurt a little." He went to work sowing her back up, only taking a few minuets. "There... Forgive me I hadn't realized you were awake when that trash can walked in. Are you alright?"
 
The stormy grey of her eyes remained upon the man, unwavering, even as his heavy steps fell alongside her bed as he came closer, giving her a better view of this machine of death… one she could have done without. The white worn metal of its head made it look like a skull, empty, but still somehow able to properly move its mechanical body. Her body betrayed her with a shiver, especially when the cold metal of his fingers reached out to grip her shoulder. Except after that, she could only feel pain.

Auh—!!” Her frail body trembled at the immediate discomfort, blurred vision only becoming clear after a couple droplets leaked from eyes at the searing pain. And yet, somehow she found it bearable, probably because nothing so mundane would ever compare to the sharp hot flame that consumed her when flesh, muscle and bone were crushed in the maw of that monster.

A thick swallowed later, Akane’s breathing stuttered as she grit her teeth close to cracking with the pain searing her body. Her face flinched away from the wanted poster, cracking eyes open to stare hatefully at this creature, while not knowing why he was after Riyoshi, she could give a decent guess. And she sure wasn’t going to give him a goddamn lick of information. “Aah—!!” She gasped as his hand crunched tighter around the sensitive tissue of her shoulder. She bit down on her tongue in order to stifle a scream, wishing to spit in its face and tell it to go to hell, but before she could do such a thing, her doctor appeared from her door with a weapon of his own, making the machine release its grip upon her.

Her body felt back against the mattress as her vision swam, having been in pain before the damn machine did its damage, now it raked and wiggled into her neck and sternum with an intense throb that swirled her stomach. “It’ll… b’fine…” she murmured as she didn’t see how a needle could do much to send her already sensitive overload mind over the edge. It was but pinches, probably a little more extreme just because the tissue was so sensitive, but she endured just fine. Perspiration peppered her crown and her face was horribly white, paler than even her natural skin color. She was not looking too good. “It is not your fault.” The machine was just as discourteous as other bounty hunters, nothing would stop them from reaching what they desired. Perhaps it was even more so for being a machine.

“I’ve been worse,” she muttered and would have smirked in jest as surely the man had seen her at her worst, but she did not have the energy to do so. Instead, she reached with her good hand to rub at her tired eyes, it still very much apparent she was groggy from whatever they had given her to knock her out for the surgery. “How long was I out for…?” She was a little surprised—if not a little disappointed—not to see her friend beside her when she’d awakened, but seemed as though that was for the better, considering who had barged in looking for him just now. Still, she worried, if it had been that long since he’d left her here by herself.
 
The doctor wrapped up his work and tossed away the needle. "Its been about a day, Ryoshi hasn't come back yet. I suspect he's out drowning his sadness at one of the bars near by." He said looking over her arm. "Have you tried moving it already?" He asked as he grabbed a screw driver and started to tighten a few bolts. The fingers on the hand moved as he tightened the bolts. "It's going to take sometime to fully grapht to your body. Start small, move just one of your fingers. Just picture it as your normal arm." He smiled.
 
With labored breaths, Akane slowly felt the adrenaline and pain ebb away as she laid in her heap of scratchy blankets upon the bed, allowing the doctor to wrap up her throbbing shoulder. Her dark brows would crease at hearing the doctor's assumption of what the man was doing and she gave a sigh and a curse under her breath. She needed to go find him... warn him of the creep that was after him. But the poor girl really had no idea what sort of venture that would be as she had never seen the city that the were housed in currently. It had to have been larger than any other place she's been to and she would be lost in the streets in a matter of seconds!

"I need to.... go look for him." It felt silly for her to remain and doing nothing, but she could barely even sit up in her own bed. She was in denial, but she would not be going anywhere any time soon. With a harsh bite of bottom lip, she gave a small nod. "Just a little, but--hmm!--it's sore..." she murmured and visibly tensed when he began to fiddle with it, but her eyes watched regardless as the machine reacted to him but not to her own demands at the moment. Nimble looking fingers curled and then relaxed as he tightened the bolts before she attempted to do as he said, starting with pointer finger, imagining the thing... tapping..... until it did. Perhaps with a little lag behind her brain as though the message was delivered slower. "It's so.... surreal." As though she was moving the singular appendage with her mind instead of the neural signals being sent from body all the way through the electrical ones implanted against the stump of her fleshy shoulder.
 
The doctor watched as her finger moved and smiled "Wonderful, you'll have most control over it tomorrow. Your body will adjust to it over time and soon enough you won't have to try." he got up and went over to another cabinet to grab a needle that was filled with some kind of glowing yellow liquid. He came over and stuck it deep into her shoulder before pushing whatever it was into her body. There was a brief moment as Akane's body burst into a searing heat, nerves screaming in pain. It lasted ten agonizing seconds for it all stopped at once, and she was back to normal. "You'll need to get shot of that every three years otherwise your body will reject your arm and try to destroy itself, its called LIezum 12." he tossed the needle away. "I also gave you this free of charge." he pressed a button on her arm. It went from yellow to bright red as a blade shot out of the top of her arm. "You're a hunter so I thought you could use a a weapon. Thats what this arm is good for and where it got its name , the Jack of All Trades. I can upgrade it whenever you like just give me a call, got some really good ideas for it."

Just then Ryoshi walked into, out of his uniform. He smiled at seeing how everything went "Looks good on you." he offered a nervous smile.

Brenner got up and left while Ryoshi took his place by her side. "Hows it feel?" he pointed to the arm. "Look I'm sorry about how I acted and what I said to you. I'd like to continue our journey together. Hey I noticed a lot of stuff was messed up out front what happened?"
 
Akane felt as though she should be accustomed to such pain at this point, but the shot Dr. Brenner gave her left her breathless and twitchy with ten seconds of agony that felt far too long before she relaxed against the pillows once more in an exhausted state. She about had enough for one day. “I could have used the introduction ahead of time,” she growled beneath her breath that still hadn’t quite caught itself. She cast the man a rather grumpy look, but her eyes would in fact light up at the appearance of a blade being hidden in her new arm. She looked at it with a sort of wonder and felt a small tired grin appear on her lips. “Sounds great. I’ll let you know… but something tells me I won’t be out hunting at least for a little while yet.” On the count that she felt like utter shit.

Sinking back into the pillows, she closed her weary eyes, feeling as though she had just been battered bruised by a large ass monster… which she supposed wasn’t entirely false…but either way she felt trampled with limbs feeling far heavier than they actually were. It was a near blessing that she could even open her eyes upon hearing the door open. If it was that tin can again, she might as well whisper a prayer for she would be entirely at her mercy until Brenner threatened him with a shotgun again. But there was no need to worry as it was instead the man that the cyborg was looking for.

A wave of relief washed over her, feeling a sort of tension in her stomach release itself as she was wondering how the hell she was going to get up from this bed to start looking for him… but now that he was in her presence safe and sound, a bitter sort of anger began to rise up from her core. Her dark brows furrowed and the silver in her eyes were a little stormy as she gave him a bit of a cold shoulder upon entering the room. Slowly, with her good hand, she eased the thin sheet of the blanket she had upward until it was tightly tucked beneath her chin, with eyes that stared forward even as he sat to her right in the chair that he had occupied close to a day ago.

Her voice would not answer his question and instead she continued to stare forward until he continued awkwardly, apologizing half-heartedly which further added fuel to the fire that was beginning to build inside of her. “You cannot act so cruel and then expect a simple apology to fix it.” How he could act so casual after such an uproar she did not know, although she could sense his unease. Perhaps he was hoping she would simply smile and wave the deed away, but she could not. There were many things to discuss… but that could wait. “Despite my mixed feelings toward you right now, I am relieved to see you. The mess out front was caused by a cyborg and he’s looking for you. Another bounty, I’m assuming.” She finally cast a glance his way with tired sunken eyes. Kind of him to compliment her arm even though she knew she had to look like garbage. “I was worried for you.”