Chapter Text
The hills ahead had a certain pastoral quality that at first disillusioned the party.
Their marks supposedly lay in wait in these hills, but Akko kicked at the ground, idly looking for any trace of tracks under a young oak tree, keeping to the shade as the noon sun heated the metal of her gear. She sighed in dismay as she heard another “All clear!” make its way over from the next knoll.
“Aye!” She called back in confirmation.
If they couldn’t find their quarry, they didn’t get paid. Akko had to give herself a little dressing down for shirking on her duty, simple as scouting duty was. Find a track, alert the rest of her company, and the mercs will circle in.
It was easy enough. Small towns outside of cities routinely suffer from minor monster attacks, and mercs come in and sweep them up. It was the way of the world — Akko’s world at least.
She scanned the area before her again, but came up short. So near to the Forest of Arcturus, yet she was stuck out here looking through the boring hills. What were they even looking for, anyway? There was no monster she knew of that could hide amongst pasture land like this, without a single sign of their intrusion. Huffing, she finally acknowledged the unfortunate fact.
“All clear!” she yelled, trying to keep the dismay from coloring her voice. Best not make it look like she craved to get thrown into the fray, even though she really, really wanted to get some of the action this time. Too short, too scrawny, but she knew she was deft with a sword. Stupid concept anyway. Not like that Academy on the other side of the forest had any kind of height restriction on the application, right?
Just an extreme monetary one, she reminded herself. Not that that ever stopped her from dreaming of kicking ass and not even bothering to take names as a Luna Nova student, of course. Just her and a million other mercs, all sharing the same stupid dream—
Wait, what was wrong? She put her hand over her eyes and squinted, the sun assaulting her as she stepped out of the shade. Something that she couldn’t quite place her finger on, something — did Dirk forget to call back to confirm?
“Hey! Dirk! All clear, you slacker!” Akko spared herself from considering the hypocrisy of calling him a slacker when she was here with her head in the clouds.
“Dirk?” Akko called again, uncertainty entering her voice.
Not a sound.
“No games today, I’m not really feeling it buddy!” Akko shifted her stance, bending her knees lightly, readying herself as she tried to casually come out from under the oak. Pacing herself and watching the top of the hill, she slowly walked around the grassy base towards Dirk’s last location.
On the other side of the hill, just dirt and more dirt. Akko spotted Dirk’s tracks a few meters from her. Shading her eyes again, she followed them as they — wait, what? Akko walked towards the end of the tracks. No sign of a scuffle, just… Disappeared? What was—
Akko yelped as loose ground fell out from under her. She went down hard, knees hitting rocks below as she flailed to catch herself. Her hands stuck to… something as she pulled herself up and tried to peer through gritty eyes.
Hands… sticking? Her eyes cleared as she got her bearings, scrapes and bruises aside. Nothing broken, it was a rather shallow drop into the burrow of sorts she landed in. She scrambled up as she looked wildly around the rocks and dirt. The top of the burrow had collapsed and she could see the surface, but it was just too tall for her to reach, too unstable to grab anything. She scanned down an opening to the far side of her, strands of silk shining in the sun.
What was that shape over there in the dark? She spotted a greyish mound of sorts, and crept over to it, trying to make out through the shadows. She spotted the shine of metal and — no. No, no, no.
Dirk’s sword.
That mound wasn’t stone. A carefully woven trap.
Akko’s training kicked in as she ran and slid behind a rock as far from the mound as she could get in this death trap.
She breathed in, fear and adrenaline forcing out the next cry.
“CONTACT!”
Akko waited, breathing deep and slow to still her beating heart. Would they come? Did they even hear her? Who knows when Marcus would even check why he hasn’t heard them in a while. He and James might even be farther ahead than them, since he tended to focus better on the task at hand than Akko could, but he and Dirk didn’t get along all that well, that aside—
A sound. Leisurely skittering, or creeping, something that certainly didn’t only have two legs and was sure that it had succeeded in catching another meal.
Think, Akko, think . A beast that had more than two legs. Digs holes to trap prey. Spins webs. Long strands hung through the hole, and farther down the burrow. Akko herself had touched some.
The webs. She could use that. She could definitely use that. If only she had some fire magic, or something — wait, no. Akko fumbled in her pockets, searching for the flint and lock she was sure she left in there. She needed a distraction, because if this was in fact a bael, it was rare for anyone to succeed in fighting those alone.
Definitely not a simple merc with basic training and a rusty sword, right in the damn thing’s trap.
She just needed to wait for the bael to get to his buffet, and she had a chance. A small chance, but hell if she wasn’t all about believing in those small chances.
The tunnel’s skittering grew louder as the entrance to her left shook down debris. It was near. Akko hunkered down as small as she could behind the rocks as she took out her flint and stone.
All she needed was a little patience as the bael approached the pitfall, listening closely and waiting for that lucky moment.
Akko heard the grinding of pincers as the claws made their way into the hole. It paused there, somewhere in the center of the room Akko guessed.
She held her breath in the silence. The movement resumed and her monster host approached the mound, presumably checking on its prior meals. Akko moved fast, praying that the spark caught in one go as she struck the flint and lock together.
It didn’t catch.
Akko’s breath hissed out in dismay as she tried to quickly strike again. Shit.
The grinding turned to gnashing and a chitter, far too innocuous for the beast she knew lay behind her. Did it sound closer that time? The plan, the plan. She was supposed to catch the webs and have the fire catch the mound. The perfect plan, startle the beast, maybe terrify it away, maybe take the chance to strike.
The chittering turned into a cry and Akko gulped as a claw came down and the spark caught.
She didn’t account for the bael to pivot that claw and and fire the web directly at her.
The good news was, that spark caught, all right. Fire erupted from her flint, streaks of orange light arcing across the tunnel, singing her as it caught the silk. The massive spider reared back and caught a claw on Akko’s arm as she tried to roll out of the way and maybe, hopefully, find a single spot in this tunnel free from burning webs.
Her attempted somersault landed her head first into another leg.
The bael backed into the light of the flames, rearing up to its full height. A screech erupted from the massive beast with eight legs as tall as a man and pincers the length of Akko’s forearm. Akko scrambled to stand and draw her sword but the bael smacked her back down, almost incidentally to its own flailing.
Akko turned the momentum into a roll, scrambling underneath a strand of flaming silk and willing herself to her feet. The bael took a single skittering step forwards, the fire between them glinting off its innumerable eyes as its knees bent, coiled and ready.
Time slowed to a crawl as Akko saw the bael rear up in her mind’s eye the instant before it happened. Its front legs launched into the air, propelling itself over the burning silk to bring its claws and pincers crashing down upon Akko.
But Akko was ready for it.
Charging low, Akko swung her sword up, slicing through the ignited web that would have charred her face to cinders as she ducked beneath the bael and held her sword aloft as its weight came crashing down upon her.
Akko grunted as her arms felt the impact, but the beast’s claws fell mere inches short of reaching her skull, its body impaled upon her blade. Akko held fast, sending all her hope and strength to her arms to keep the blade against the creature’s weight and bulky carapace.
Black ichor pooled down the length of Akko’s blade, spilling over the hilt and covering her hands as the bael cried, its frantic twitching only serving to force her sword deeper between its carapace and abdomen. Its body slumped towards Akko, pincers straining towards her head as it spat its death rattle in froth and ichor from a mouth filled with more teeth than Akko had imagined possible.
Akko closed her eyes, her hands slipping from the sword as the creature’s body crashed over her. She cried out as the weight settled and the creature flailed, assaulting her with its sheer mass where claws couldn’t reach. The pincers embedded into the ground above her head as she tried desperately to twist her body and head away from anything that could kill her.
Suddenly, the body let out one final spasm, stilling.
Akko took a deep, shuddering breath under the crushing weight, waiting. Was it dead? Was it really that easy? Did she just pull off some badass shit that no one back at camp would ever believe?
The creature remained still as she let out haggard gasps. She moved experimentally, struggling against the dead weight. Finally, after more scrapes and scrambles, her nails bleeding with the effort, Akko dragged herself out from under it and collapsed to the side.
She closed her eyes, taking the moment in. She killed a bael on her own , with some flint and a rusty sword. She giggled, a little hysterical as the reality set in and the adrenaline throbbing in her veins cooled.
“Dirk?” she asked of the silent, unmoving mound.
“Akko?” Familiar voices answered from above. Akko stood shakily and cupped her hands to her face.
“I’m here!” She yelled, too exhausted and filled with adrenaline to be embarrassed at the desperate relief in her voice. “Down here!”
A curly mop of hair and freckled face peered into the hole as she stared pleadingly up at the sky. Marcus, finally.
“Hey there, short stuff.” He grinned down, before his eyes widened comically. “Whoa! You got one too, huh? By yourself!”
“Yeah! It was awesome!” Akko waved her arms, gesturing at the dead bael with far more energy than she felt like she had. “I don’t think I’ll be getting my sword back any time soon, though.”
“Well the good news is, you can always just buy yourself a fancy new one, ‘cause we are gettin’ paid tonight!” He smiled proudly at Akko’s handiwork, before shifting aside so he and James could both extend their hands. “Now, want a hand up?”
As soon as she was pulled up, she sprawled herself on the grass. Who’d have thought she’d ever be relieved to see James? At least he was offering her a helping hand, not a second helping of Camp Stew.
“Took a bit of a beatin’, huh.” James’s brows drew up in concern.
Akko scoffed.
“No way, you should see the other guy. I beat that thing to a pulp.”
James took one look into the hole. “Aye, I see that. Still, better be sure to thank your lucky stars later.”
Marcus drew in a breath. Akko winced, knowing what was coming.
“Where’s Dirk?”
Akko put a hand over her eyes and shook her head.
“... Is he down there?”
Akko nodded, not quite able to bring herself to say explicitly what they all already knew.
James sniffed, the sound contrasting with the grim look to his face. Marcus’s jaw was set and his eyes looked down at the bael’s lair.
Akko dragged herself to her feet, planting her hands on her hips.
“We’ll let the village know where he is.” She said, the sure voice not matching the pit that grew in her stomach. “Meanwhile, we need to rest up and get some food.” She grinned at James. “I might even be hungry enough to stomach some of your cooking.”
James snorted at her, half-heartedly aiming a clip in the vague direction of her head.
Akko tilted her head into a grin. “Let’s go get paid, boys!”
Marcus ruffled her hair. Akko may be a lower ranking in the company, but she had the right idea.
In the end, this was mercenary work. They made the village a lot safer, even if it meant losing a companion.
Akko fought to stop herself from hopping foot to foot as Sergeant Lenore accepted their payment from the grateful village elder. She did nothing about the grin breaking out on her face, though. This was what being a mercenary was all about. The relief on the faces of the townspeople, the wide-eyed wonder of the children talking amongst each other in hushed voices about the brave heroes who’d destroyed the evil monster.
That was her! She’d done that! Could they tell from how battered up her armour was? The fact she was missing her sword? Did they know it was currently wedged to the hilt inside the bael that had been terrorising them for weeks?
Akko smiled at the kids as the company trooped back towards camp, the well-wishes of the villagers ringing in her ears all the while.
“—so then I dodged under the flaming silk and, wait, did I tell you how I set the webs on fire with my—”
James shoved a vial into her hand unceremoniously. “Drink that with yer stew,” he said, slopping two heaping ladlefuls into Akko’s bowl.
“Huh?” Akko asked, wanting to gesture but unable with her hands full. “I just told you I killed the—”
James jabbed a stubby finger at, or rather, through a jagged hole in the side of Akko’s combat tunic. Wait, hadn’t that part been under her armour!? “Aye, and if you don’t drink that antitoxin now, we’ll be spendin’ more’n the job’s worth on forcing vulneraries down yer throat the whole way to the next job.” His eyes twinkled. “Or we’ll just leave ya to rot on the side o’ the road o’ course. Everyone for himself in this life, y’know how it is.”
Akko burst out laughing, James’ grin widening as he clapped her on the shoulder. “Atta girl, eat up.”
“I’ll do my best, but no promises, it is your cooking.” Akko flashed a grin.
“Outta here you!” James barked a laugh, making to swing at Akko’s head as she ducked away giggling from the mess tent. “And drink that! I do mean it! Bloody brats think you’re invincible, I swear.”
If he grumbled any more, Akko didn’t hear, already dashing off to the stump she’d claimed as her own when they’d set up camp earlier.
She sat down.
It was significantly less comfortable than it looked.
Ignoring the less than pleasant sensation of uneven nubs of wood poking her butt, Akko forced down the antitoxin. Wow that was… actually not that bad. Almost tasted better than Camp Stew. Maybe James would clip her if she said that one, but it would probably be worth it.
Slowly, the rest of the company filtered out from the mess tent with their own bowls full of camp stew. A couple of them shot her thumbs up. Marcus even clapped her on the shoulder, muttering, “Good work, kid,” before taking his spot on the grass next to his usual group. Akko flashed a victorious smirk, wiggling on her stump for emphasis as she ate her first spoonful. As long as they didn’t know the ground was probably better than the seat she’d been so happy to claim, then Akko still won.
A few more spoonfuls went down. The company chatted amongst themselves. Akko ate a couple more spoonfuls. Someone told a joke. Everybody laughed. Akko ate another spoo — her spoon clacked against the wood of her empty bowl. Huh.
Should she get some more? She was still sorta hungry but then, when wasn’t she? At least she could chat with James a bit mo — James was sitting over next to the campfire, making a dirty joke at Karol.
Akko clacked her spoon off her bowl again, shifting a few times on her stump. She twisted around. Nope, still uncomfortable. Her spoon clacked a couple more times, tapping out a tuneless rhythm as she gazed out at the lengthening shadows of the trees at the edge of the clearing.
Was it weird that they were just trees? That was Arcturus Forest there. Akko had kind of expected some more… Mystique? Gravitas? A sense of great and foreboding presence? She almost wanted to will her mind to feel a bit more wonder at being so near to Luna Nova Academy.
What was the point of the tantalising, ephemeral experience of having but a single evening to spend so tragically near the one place she’d always dreamed of being, if all she was doing was staring at some boring ass trees?
A hand came down on her shoulder. Akko jumped, wincing at the sudden discomfort on her butt as she glanced up at the well-lined face of Sergeant Lenore. “At ease,” Lenore said. “How you holding up, private?”
Akko had overheard Dirk once complaining about Lenore’s thing with the ranks and drills, and how she’d only actually been a soldier for two or three years or something like that. But Dirk had also complained about having to be paired up on a mission with Akko since she was “practic’ly smaller than me sword, both of ‘em,” and, well. Anyway.
“Doing great, sergeant.” Akko smiled. “Told you I could handle a bit more of the action!”
Lenore nodded once. “Aye. Certainly not how I’d hoped you’d get it, but you held your own above and beyond the call of duty.”
Akko glowed.
Lenore continued to stare down at her, her impassive look remaining unchanged. “We all remember the fallen in our own way, soldier, but best not to dwell on things that can’t be taken back.”
“Huh?” Akko’s brows furrowed. Did it look like she was mourning Dirk or something? Probably did, what with her staring off into the woods or whatever. Did she bother explaining that she was mostly just daydreaming about how cool she’d look in the Officer’s Academy uniform? The Luna Nova insignia on her chest, a sword that didn’t actually have any rust on it strapped to her hip, the hat?
“I’m fine, honest,” was all Akko said.
Lenore held her gaze for a long moment, saying nothing. Eventually, her hand slipped off Akko’s shoulder as she turned to walk away. “Actually, one last thing, before I go.” She gestured at the hole in Akko’s tunic. “Stitch that up while there’s still daylight. You can tell everything about a soldier’s worth by the way she takes care of herself and her equipment, Kagari.”
“Aye aye, sergeant!” Akko saluted, trying not to show her disappointment at having to patch up the physical evidence that she’d been in a fight with a bael and won.
Lenore gave her the thinnest smile. “We’ll get you a new sword tomorrow. And do enjoy your evening. You’ve earned it.”
Akko saluted again, trying not to feel too silly as she hopped off her log. And stumbled as the pins and needles in her butt and legs assaulted her in full force.
A couple of her dear companions snickered.
Akko poked her tongue out, heading towards the supply tent. So much for not looking silly.
The heavy leather tent flaps flipped shut behind her, and Akko winced at the sudden gloom. Alright, not too bad, she could still see, now all she had to do was remember where the heck James stored the needles and thread and spare patches of cloth.
Had to be around here somewhere.
She poked at a nondescript sack, hearing the tell-tale clink of vulnerary bottles.
So not that one then, and James would tan her hide for messing with them.
She opened another sack. Potatoes. Lots of them.
How about that box?
A few ledger books.
…
This was dull.
Guess that was just how it was for real fighters, right? You had the big fight for your life battle, and then… life went on. You ate your camp stew like any other day, and it tasted just the same regardless of whether you’d stabbed your sword into a bael that afternoon or not.
Akko flipped open a smaller box that looked roughly the right size to be carrying needles and thread. It wasn’t, of course.
A single red book lay nestled within, a couple small chunks of minerals packed in around it. Was that to keep it dry, or something? In any other circumstance, Akko would have considered the precaution a little excessive, but not for this book.
Akko knew what this book was.
As if compelled, her hand reached down into the box, reverently lifting the Elfire tome from its rest. It was beautiful, the deep red cover shifting like a flickering flame under the dim light. It took all of Akko’s willpower not to open it, not to read the text within and imagine the feeling of sorcerous power flowing from her fingertips.
Her fingers clenched tighter around the tome. Had this always been there? Was it a reward that they hadn’t been able to sell yet? A package they were delivering? She couldn’t imagine anyone in the company actually knew how to use it. Not like James was gonna be using it to get the temperature right for his stews any time soon.
Screw it, she couldn’t help herself.
Akko struck a dramatic pose, lifting the tome high and brandishing an imaginary sword with her free hand. “Fear not, humble villagers! The brave mercenary Shiny Chari-uh-Shiny Akko is here to save the day with the power of spell, sword, and a believing heart! Hiyaaa!”
The tome swished through the air alongside her invisible weapon. “No monster can stand up to the might of my blade, the Shiny Rod!”
Her hand smacked into one of the poles of the tent.
Akko yelped in pain, shaking her hand and biting her tongue half in embarrassment, half to make sure no one would come check on her nonsense.
A shout came from outside the tent.
Akko bolted half a foot into the air, dashing towards the tome-storing box. More shouts rang out. More. Akko paused, hand still on the tome. Those weren’t “Akko what the hell are you doing?” shouts. Those were…
“Contact! Contact! All hands!”
Akko rushed out of the tent, stumbling as her arm caught on the tent flaps for a moment. She caught herself before falling, reeling up and looking at the utter destruction happening before her.
Half the tents on the far end of camp were crushed, the other half burning from where the campfire had been thrown into the canvas. Men were screaming and running through the camp in every direction, entirely in disarray. Some men stood eerily still, as if frozen solid. Akko scanned wildly for any of their commanding officers, or for what could have done all this in such a short time.
There was no answer to the former, but as for the latter, it absolutely positively had to be the creature that just so happened to be coming through the trees straight ahead. Akko strafed as quickly as she could, trying to get an idea of where it was headed.
Its head thrashed in equilibrium with its long sweeping tail with a spade like scythe on the end, carving through the thick trees as if they were so much firewood. It stood on two scaly legs with large claws that Akko did not want to be anywhere near. Wings and beak looked haphazardly attached to a lizard-like frame.
It had to be a cockatrice. Akko was sure of it, she’d read up on every Demonic Beast known to man, and these monstrosities were among the many reasons they’d been planning to take a two day detour around the Forest of Arcturus to their next destination. But all the stories said they never left the forest, what could have possibly driven it to come this close to humans?
One of the company’s soldiers took a brave dash for it with a battle axe, but he was flung against a tree with a casual whip of the tail. Akko began to sweat, searching for any options. Was there anything she could do? Half the company had run already, but if they left, then the village would be at risk.
“Soldiers, with me!”
Akko’s heart rose into her throat as she saw Sergeant Lenore raising her sword, a paltry regrouped host of the company quaking beside her. “Secure a retreat for the others, keep together, aim for the eyes. Now!”
A roar went up as Lenore and a dozen or so swords charged the cockatrice.
It turned ponderously, its beady red eyes whipping towards Lenore, her yell of determination met by a frenzied shriek.
Then Lenore froze.
Momentum carried her body forwards, but it could do nothing to stop her sword from spilling free of her hand as her fingers hardened, calcifying into stone before their very eyes. Lenore grunted, straining one final step as the cracking stone spread across her skin towards her face.
She raised her defiant eyes towards the monster.
Its beak opened, wider than the mouth of hell.
Stone showered across the clearing with a sickening crunch.
Panic erupted anew. Horrified shouts joining one another in a chorus of terror as the company broke. Every man for themselves sprinted every which way, each hoping that the cockatrice would chase after their brothers, sisters, anyone but them.
Akko stumbled blindly, mind refusing to catch up to reality. A tree fell onto one of the burning tends, sending up a shower of sparks which swiftly blazed into an inferno, filling Akko’s vision with smoke and nightmares.
A streak of dark red cut through the blackness. Was that fire? Blood? The beast’s awful eye which the smoke had saved her from the worst of? It felt so familiar. It all felt so familiar. At least Sergeant Lenore hadn’t been a real mother to her. At least then it didn’t hurt as much as seeing that beast’s claw piercing through her—
Akko dropped to her knees. It was all happening again. What a fool to think she could ever outrun fate. To think that a lucky shot on a bael could ever compare to the strength required to fight a real Demonic Beast. A loud shriek rang out as the cockatrice reared out of the smoke.
And this time, there would be no Shiny Chariot to save her.
Akko tried to force herself to stand, to beg her legs to move, to run, to at least live to fight another day if there was nothing else to be done.
Then she realised that the cockatrice wasn’t moving towards her. Its whipping tail cleared enough smoke for Akko to see two figures through the murky treeline. A small girl with orange hair, wailing in panic with her legs caught beneath a downed tree. Another girl with longer mauve hair, straining to drag her out with one hand, the other carrying a sack overflowing with what looked to be foliage. Were those… purple uniforms they were wearing?
The cockatrice was bearing down on both of them.
“No you fucking don’t!” Akko cried, legs burning as she sprang forwards. She ducked in her charge just long enough to pick up Lenore’s fallen sword, sprinting towards the cockatrice at full pelt.
The monster turned to her. Akko shut her eyes, trusting her momentum and instincts to carry her the short distance that remained, screaming as she leapt forwards and plunged the sword down.
The cockatrice’s tail brushed her away like a feather on the wind.
She landed with a heavy thump, wind knocked from her body, sword flying into the smoke. She coughed once, feeling the pain in her ribs and something painful and wet on her lips.
The cockatrice sniffed, turning back to its prize without a further thought given to the broken thing on the ground.
Akko clenched her fists, feeling the agony burning her arms as her body rebelled against her every command. One of the girls shrieked again. Panic, not pain. They were still alive. They could still be saved. Akko could still do. Something.
Her elbow bent. Her hand found purchase on the ground. She pushed herself onto her knees, vision swimming as she stared through the smoke at the monster that had been foolish enough to turn its back on Akko Kagari.
She inched forwards, her second hand joining the first in forcing her body off the ground. She kept her gaze up, forcing herself to just keep moving, to keep crawling if that was what it took. Her fingers dug into the earth, trusting in the sensations to let her know she was still alive and still able to keep moving. Her vision started to clear, light cutting through the haze as she placed her hand forwards one more time.
Wait. That wasn’t earth.
Her fingers clasped around something solid, glowing with the light that was filling her every sense. Akko gripped tighter, feeling the strength and surety of purpose within her hands as she used the hilt to push herself to her feet.
A shower of earth flew with her as she drew a golden blade of light from the land itself.
“Hey!” Akko called out, taking a single shaky step forwards. Then another, then another, each more stable than the last.
The cockatrice turned its beady eyes to her once again.
“Do I look like I’m finished with you?” Akko said, raising the Shiny Rod towards her foe.
