Branch 12: Hitomi

"Hmm..."

The japanese senior high school student, is pouting.

The shadows may not embrace her here?  But the girl is still Hitomi the Shadow.  She easily runs along the rooftops of Pearlden.  And when she runs out of roofs?  Bounds up the steep slopes below Lions Keep like a rock skipping across a pond.

Man made walls that look too vertical and smooth to hold on too?  She easily grips and climbs.

Shinobi girl has been waiting to infiltrate the castle.  Waiting until tonight's ball ended and the guards are distracted by dozens of carriages leaving.  Till the overworked and up late staff rush to clean up.  So they can get some sleep before having to do this all over again tomorrow.

The castle has many barriers and wards though.  So the Shadow Mistress must still take care to detect and avoid them.

Now that she knows what to look for?  A vague trace can be sensed moving up the keep.  Heading for the rooms at the top with the really huge windows.

As she climbs, she steals glances into this or that window.  Overhearing many conversations and prayers.  An oddly high number include the Beast in their prayers.  Either praying for or praying too.

The japanese girl isn't too surprised though.  Each hero has their own cult too.  Their own worshipers.  Though they keep them at a respectful distance.  Allowing them to be this close to him is inappropriate, in the modern student's opinion.

She is right under the western balcony of the Beast's rooms when she runs into a much stronger ward.

"Kuso.  Earth Elemental."

Encountering wards and barriers on an entirely different scale protecting the top rooms?  The thief is confused at first.  Until she recognizes the smell.  Just like Maki's elementals.  In this case an earth elemental.  A strong one too.

She channels mana into her eyes, nose, and ears, until they start to hurt.  If she can't physically get passed the elemental?  Maybe her senses can.

"Yes!  Darling yes!  There!  Oh!  Aah!  Ung!  Darling!"

The sound is muffled.  Vision blurry.  Smells vague.  But.  Ninja girl can tell several people are having sex on a very large bed.  Rough and loud sex.  Hard and deep se-

"Ie.  Stop it.  Focus."  The suddenly blushing thief clears the memories of her first time with Kojiro away.  She knows now is not the time.

A deathly cold seems to be seeping into the astral plane from the room above her.

First year Chigusa recalls 'darling' is what the lesbian, who climbed on Miltinnia this afternoon, was calling the Beast.  If he is here?  She might not get a better chance to kill the molester.

Must make sure first, since she'll be on the run all the way back to Aquecia afterwards.

Hitomi feeds more mana into her senses.  [Mana Manipulation] is one of the reasons the heroes are so strong.  Its an innate talent that most natives have to spend decades developing to get anywhere close to what the heroes can do.

It has its limits though.  Channel too much and you can injure yourself.  Kojiro used too much once, seeing thru women's clothing, and was blind for days after.  Can be very painful too.  As the japanese girl is again experiencing.

Just as the image was starting to clear, and she felt bloody tears?  A blast of astral cold struck her from an entirely different direction.  Pure death, like a ghostly icy wind blowing thru an ancient tomb.  A chill coming from a place the warmth and light of life would never reach.

The mistress of shadows was so startled, she nearly fell from her perch.  It wasn't coming from the room above her.  It was coming from the base of the keep below her.  A presence that reminded her of what she briefly tasted in Raelera last night.

Surrounded by undead.  Even riding on one.  Easily it cleared the inner and outer walls.  Navigating the cliff below like it was a flat field.  Heading, south?  Back to Raelera?  Is it another attack?

"Is that the real Beast?"  The fly on the wall thought to herself.  Many questions filled her mind.  Why use a double?  Why hide when its that strong?  Would it agree to serve?  Stay out of the way?  Could she kill it?

None of those and other questions could be answered until she caught up to it.  The acrobat tensed and redirected her mana so she could sprint acro-

FREEZE!

Don't move! Don't breathe! Don't think! Still. Be. Very. Still.  The sixteen year old could feel the eyes of something on her.  Something, powerful.  Something, hungry.

Oh no.

~Hello.  Little shadow.~

"Kuso. Kuso. Kuso. Kuso. Kuso."

Around the corner of the keep came a terrifying sight.  A dragon.  An actual dragon was slowly stalking across the keep's wall towards her.

Then the student noticed the disconnect between what she was seeing and hearing.

"Why is it so quiet?"

The entire castle should be scrambling.  But its not.  Illusion?  No.  She was good with illusions.  Knew how they 'felt.'  She thought it was a just bone dragon that still had its soul.  But...

"You're not a bone dragon."

~Hoho...  You are a clever little shadow.  Yes, the archon ripped my soul from my body.  I'm something, new.~

Thief hero's face paled when she thought about the power needed to strip a dragon's soul.  The Lich Kings would kill the dragon first.  Was this done, while it was still alive?  Someone that could do that?  Would be far far stronger then her.

Even Kojiro might not stand a chance.

~You want in that room?  A bit rude of you since they seem to be breeding right now.  Would you like my, help?  Should I, knock?~

A thousand thoughts are flying through Hitomi's mind.  Desperately trying to remember everything she had been taught about dragons.  Never face a dragon.  Too late for that.  Never talk to a dragon.  Oops.  And never, ever, trust a dragon.

"No, thank you?"

~Pity.  Well then.  However shall we pass, the time.~

"May I ask something?  Please?"

~I don't mind my food talking but, it usually just ends up as screaming and crunching.  Oh well, ask away little shadow.~

"Who is the Beast?"

~How disappointing.  He was right about you.  Might as well ask who the sun is.  The Beast, is the Beast.~

"May I meet him?"

~Maybe you already have.  He is so far above you.  How sad.  He has hopes for you.~

"Hopes?"

~Indeed.  Says you are too cute to be a, what was it?  Oh, yes, too cute to be a...  Nazi.~

The japanese teenager's thoughts, stop.  All of them.  If he knows that?  The Beast is absolutely from her world.  And if the Beast knows who Maki is drawing her inspiration from?  How many of their plans have been seen thru?

Is even the panzer project exposed?

Wait, is the Beast communicating with the dragon now?  She can somewhat see thru friendly shadows.  Maybe necromancers can see thru their undead?  The thief girl is about to ask, when she sees the dragon's expression, change.

~Sorry little shadow.  Feeling a bit peckish.  Time to, eat!~

*snap*

The death dragon sprang its head forward and snapped its jaws closed on where the thief stood.  Well, where the thief had stood.  The Shadow Mistress still had her legs loaded with mana.  Except instead of sprinting after the Beast?

She fled back to Pearlden with all her might.  Thinking if she could only get among those hundreds of buildings, she could escape.

*crunch* *crunch* *crunch*

Hurling herself along the walls, she can feel the undead dragon's cold on her back.  Hear its claws digging into stone as it chased her.  Sense when she must absolutely dodge- now!

*snap* *snap*

~What a nimble snack you are, little shadow.~

"Kuso. Kuso. Kuso."

The girl's fear and imagination are running just as wildly as her.  Hear its claws.  Feel its fangs.  Smell its breath.

*bang* *slam* *bash*

Panicking.  The senior high student is barely halfway down the slope when she, leaps.  A final desperate bid to flee death.  Her aim?  Is not very good.  She lands, hard, and bounces across several rooftops.  Finally hitting a wall.  And falling into a pile of trash in an alley below.

*crash*

Dogs start barking while a pair of cats hiss and scratch at their dinner's intruder.  But she's alive.  Arm feels, broken.  Shoulder, dislocated.  Ankle, broken.  But?  She's escaped.  Or has she?  The dogs suddenly stop barking, the cats faint, and a chill passes overhead.

Hitomi does her damnedest to make her presence small.  Very very small.

~Hello?  Little shadow?  Now where did my meal go?~

Another technique she learned was to not just hide her strength, but shrink it.  Make it appear tiny and small.  Like an elephant turning into a mouse.  She'd only used it before when fighting demon lords.

~Hmm...  Oh well.  Guess I'll eat you next time, little shadow.  Maybe you'll be too delicious to be a Nazi too?~

The cold invading the astral and material world, fades.  The cats wake up, but the dogs stay quiet.

Thief girl finally breathes, and regrets it.  Pain attacks her.  Redirecting mana, she tortuously resets the shoulder and braces her ankle.  She'll need to splint them later.

Using her mana will help them heal faster, but it will still be days before she's back to one hundred percent.

Hitomi the Shadow hobbles out of the alley and slowly limps her way towards the Mordeca Trade Company.  Still upset about the shadows in Pearlden snubbing and ignoring her.

Never suspecting she is being watched by them.

All of them.