Scylla Pt 1

Somehow, it always comes to this, huh? I thought I'd dealt with enough of it, back in… those days. When my mind wasn't my own. When a stupid vendetta was all I cared for.

I really was a terrible soldier, wasn't I?

I never really had a choice. Oh, I suppose joining the military, and then volunteering for the international unit, and even abandoning my comrades in pursuit of a devil… those were all choices that I myself made. I've no doubt that those mistakes in particular were my own.

And that let Him creep in. He sunk in his claws and refused to let go.

Many mistakes were made on my own, but far more were made on His behalf, thanks to His influence. It was Him that ran roughshod over my mind, breaking me and molding me into a pet monster.

It wasn't my fault. Not entirely. I'm a victim, apparently. At least, that's what others have told me.

"Being X loves doing that sort of thing. The Type 95 was... well, don't beat yourself up about it." Degurechaff tells me about that sometimes, when she's feeling charitable.

I wonder if that's how she sees me. Am I a charity case? She's allowed to. It's her right, I guess. But, it's still odd, to be consoled – she's not really a pity kind of person – by a former nemesis.

But I remember doing those things, even as warped and unordered as those memories may be. I still remember the pain, delivered both to and by me. I remember the danger. The injuries, and even the death.

Especially the death. But even more than that, the blood.

Blood. Blood. Blood.

It was everywhere, in every trench puddle and corpse-swollen riverbank. Under the fingernails, across the forehead, dripping down shoulders and chests and from the corner of puking mouths.

Disgusting. If there's something that stains worse, of both cloth and soul, I haven't found it. Hot. Gross. Sticky. Metallic. Painful. Impossible to get out.

I think I might just hate it. I wonder if I might have to learn healing magic at some time, just to ensure that I and those I care about – as small as the list may be now – never have to deal with the loss of it ever again.

At least, the unexpected kind of loss. Some blood loss occurs naturally, after all. That's unavoidable.

But the avoidable kind, the worst, the painful, and the unexpected. Those, however…

…I will experience them all again. I know this. That's the choice I made, when I decided to protect others. I've come to terms with it. I've gotten used to it, I'd like to think, or at least, as much as one can get used to such a thing.

Even with that in mind, I can still feel it under my own fingernails sometimes. I know there's nothing there, but it's hard to help these sorts of things. It's hard to forget. But I will adjust.

I must move forward. Ever forward.

It's difficult at the best of times. To deal with the realities of the battlefield, to deal with bleeding injuries, potential death. To put in the work day in and day out, not knowing if your progress is really worth anything to anyone at all.

To deal with these things is a worse side of life, but it is necessary evil.

…But, it is even worse when it's someone else's reality. Because then, you're an observer, forced or otherwise. Your work doesn't matter, and you can only watch.

No, it's not just worse. I'd say, it's definitely…

"Get down you idiot!"

CRRSH

Red splashed across her vision.

…the worst.

-=-=-=-

Now, in Tanya's defense, she'd expected things to go wrong.

It was true that this hadn't been her best idea. It barely qualified for a good idea, and instead was potentially reaching the top ten of her "Worst Ideas" list.

Keep in mind, this was a different list entirely from her "Worst Things to Happen to Me, Personally" list, which was at its core far more subjective than her others. "Meeting Being X" took first place on that one, with "Coincidentally Running into the Head of the NKVD, Loria, on a Scouting Mission" (whom she'd ended up shooting on "accident") sitting near spot 4 or 5, and "Getting Kissed by an extremely drunk First Lieutenant Grantz on New Years' of '29" rounding the list off at spot number 10.

With such terrible events in her past, it was basically her modus operandi at this point to expect the reinforcement of Murphy's Law whenever possible.

Murphy had it out for her almost as much as Being X had. Or maybe they were in league. That would make sense.

In any case, it was with a sort of resigned acceptance that Tanya viewed the whole "everything is going to shit" thing. Normally, she'd have sighed about it, let her shoulders slump and her posture relax as an unfortunately familiar weariness sunk back into her bones. Then, she'd straighten up, and get back to work, putting it out of mind.

That wasn't really an option right now, as dire as the circumstances were.

She'd simply have to be exhausted at a later time. Then, she would allow herself to collapse on her futon and let the weight of the world turn her into Atlas yet again. At least she'd be in the comfort of her home.

That would be great.

You know, when her life wasn't in immediate danger, and assuming she made it out alive in the first place. The reality of it was, that outcome in particular was looking more and more difficult to achieve with every passing second.

She really didn't have a lot of options up here, if you could believe it.

Blood was loosening her grip, the handle of her magisteel knife slick and stained maroon. Sweat and even more blood dotted her brow and hair, though thankfully this was the result of an attempt to push her bangs back rather than a head wound.

Her hands pulsed and her shoulder throbbed, the reinforcement and enhancement spells pounding through her magic circuits only going so far. Pain embraced her like an old friend, which she supposed it was, and held her tighter than a lover, with bruises and splotches beginning to paint skin – both exposed and not – like a Pollock.

And yet… none of this even mattered. Not really

It wouldn't have mattered if she were missing an arm entirely, or a leg. If she had gash marks rendering her half-blind, or teeth or claws threatening to disembowel her, or even a spear run through a lung.

It didn't matter, because the outcome of this battle – and the events following it – evoked not the faintest hint of a doubt in Tanya's mind.

No, there was only one thought on Tanya's mind right now. For you see…

No matter what, I'm not going to die.

Tanya glared daggers at the beast before her.

Not here. Not again.

-=-=-=-

A Little Bit Earlier

North of Tempest

Sky Above Great Forest of Jura

Let's get this over with.

Tanya darted up behind Charybdis' main body, floating carefully a good distance above its back. Her gaze scanned the scaled, spine riddled surface.

No obvious weak points. We should be approaching Rimuru and the others' position before long, so I'll have to speed this up.

She drifted closer, now parallel to the ginormous monster's front half.

The eye on the front seems like the only soft tissue. Scales everywhere else. How tough are those?

Her altitude dropped again, until she was nearly within spitting distance of a couple spines. Though, technically all of Charybdis was in spitting distance since she was directly above it.

Tanya squinted, searching for any cracks or notable breaks in the scaly armor.

Tch. Nothing, huh? She drifted just the slightest bit closer, an unfamiliar energy quickly washing over her. We'll be doing this the hard way then- Ah!

Tanya dropped suddenly, her illusion and flight spells deactivating against her will. She flailed helplessly for a moment, before gathering herself into a ball and spinning.

It hardly helped, as she crashed painfully against Charybdis' scaly back. She bounced almost comically, the wind pushing her as she tumbled down the giant beast's spine. Thinking quickly, Tanya threw out her right arm, grasping at one of the scales below in an attempt at slowing down.

Instead of finding a hold, the edge caught her on the palm, and her ungraceful crash landing continued on. Her body spun ass over tea kettle, going airborne yet again as she hit another bump.

Tanya grit her teeth, maintaining enough of her focus to look between her legs as she flew. The edge of Charybdis' back met her eyes, its rapid approach doing absolutely no favors to her thought process.

Fucking-

Acting quickly, Tanya reached for her boot, unsheathing the hidden knife stored on the side. As the scaled ground rapidly approached her, potentially for the last time, Tanya readied herself.

Right before her face could become even more acquainted with Charybdis than it already had, she spun, flexing her core muscles and slamming the knife downward.

The scale cracked from the force, her knife sinking to the hilt. Tanya's tumble came to a sharp end, her left shoulder screaming in its socket as she jolted to a halt. Her feet hung ever so slightly off the edge, the rest of her battered body landing on the cool blue scales of Charybdis' back end.

Tanya's heart roared in her ears, her ragged gasps for air burning through her lungs. She laid there for a several moments in silence, various aches and fires scorching her body.

After nearly half a minute of desperately trying to get her breathing back under control, Tanya reached forward with her other hand. She winced, the gash on her palm pulsing, before ignoring it and gripping the handle of her knife even tighter.

Slowly, she pulled herself forward, just enough so that her feet were back above scales instead of open air. As soon as that was done, Tanya brought her knees up and got her feet under her, so that she was crouching near her buried knife.

She took another couple of seconds to breathe, her active thought process finally kicking back in after several heart-stopping moments of pure survival instinct.

Magic interference?!

Tanya grit her teeth, her eyes on the bloody slash in her right glove.

They said, "resistant to magic". Not, "it fucks with your magic"!! Son of a stupid fucking magic jamming bastard!! Fuck!!

Tanya clenched her injured hand, the pain forcing her to take a deep breath. She exhaled slowly, forcing her tension away as best she could. Her other senses returned in full as her adrenaline began to wane.

The wind rushing by, the metallic smell of blood, and the aching of bruises all vied for her attention, her focus forcibly centering back in reality. She took another breath, holding longer this time.

"Ahem." Tanya coughed into her fist, her composure having been reacquired. She rose slightly, her body twinging at the motion in a painful reminder of her unintentional grounding.

The most notable pains at the moment were in her shoulder, which felt rather like someone had gone against the socket with a cheese grater, and her right hand, which stung and bled something fierce.

Let's think of the situation, shall we? My enhancement and reinforcement spells are still active. Otherwise, my shoulder would definitely be dislocated. And if I…

Tanya pressed her good hand over her injured one. A faint glow began to emanate from between, before abruptly dissipating.

Shuna's little healing spell isn't working. She let go, observing the gash curiously. Or rather, it barely worked at all before crapping out. This isn't an anti-magic effect. No, it feels more like… jamming?

Tanya held out a hand, attempting to form a mage blade. Sharpened azure magic flickered over her hand for a split second, before dissipating. She tried again, the blade existing for just half a breath longer.

It's more of a disruption field than anything else. And a powerful one at that. The flow of magicules is completely altered. No wonder it appears like magic resistance. Any external magic that gets close is completely dissipated. Just being near enough Charybdis is enough to forcibly shift the flow. It's not a surprise my flight spell ate shit. In fact, I'd bet that most anyone else wouldn't be able to use magic at all. At least, not this close.

Tanya reached down, attempting to pull out her knife. It didn't budge.

Could I break through it? Probably, with enough brute force. She frowned, crouching down again for better leverage, At Level Three, maybe, and almost certainly at Level Four. But that would consume more than a month's worth of magicules from my TLE reserves. At minimum.

Tanya pulled with both arms, just a hint of the blade peaking out from the scale.

And that's before acknowledging the regeneration these things tend to have. I'd have to kill it in one blow, and to do that I'd have to cut through both its magical and physical defenses at once. I'm not sure if all of my TLE reserves combined could do that.

Her mind briefly flashed back to her fight against Milim, and the shattered and bloody arm she'd received from her own magic overload. That massive optical spell was the result of a little over a month's worth of stored up magicules, some impossible to accurately measure amount of magical energy that had just sort of flooded out until she'd shut it off.

Well, maybe it could. I wouldn't be that surprised. But I definitely can't use that much at once. The amount I used back then, against Milim? Sure, I could handle that much now. Barely.

She pulled, extra hard this time. The knife budged a little more. She tugged a third time, the force of it nearly sending her tumbling backwards as it finally came loose. Tanya threw a leg backwards, catching herself.

But everything at once? Hell no. I'm pretty sure that would kill me before anything else. Or at the very least, break most of my bones and pop the majority of the blood vessels in my body.

She switched the knife to her left hand and began to trudge forward, adjusting her footing so she wouldn't trip as she made her way farther up Charybdis' massive blue back.

So yeah. Not worth it.

It hadn't detected her yet, by some miracle. Had it even felt her crash against it? Probably not. Those scales were quite unforgiving, as she was intimately aware of now.

Still, with the amount of trouble just landing had been, Tanya was almost certain something should have attacked her by now. That was just how her day seemed to be going, after all.

GRROOOAAARRRR!!!

Why do I think these things? I should have learned my lesson by now.

Bursting over the edge was one of the last things Tanya wished to see at the moment. A Megalodon swam powerfully into view, its teeth gnashing and its girth crashing against the scaled surface of its maker.

How does it know I'm here?

Tanya flipped her knife into an underhanded grip, before unsheathing her naginata-turned-sword from her belt. She ignored the gash on her hand for the moment, even as blood dripped to the scaled ground beneath her.

Wait, blood… damn it. Tanya eyed the Megalodon, its movements appearing oddly cautious and considering given its bestial nature. They're sharks, after all. The second my palm was cut open, it probably knew I was up here. Does that mean others are coming as well?

The Megalodon froze, it's gaze completely zeroing in on her position. Its nostrils flared, leaving no doubt as to its intent.

It confirmed this half a second later with a roar, its massive form bolting in her direction immediately after. Without hesitating, Tanya dove underneath, slashing upwards with her sword as she rolled.

The Megalodon bellowed, crashing against one of Charybdis' spines.

Tanya got to her feet, closer to the edge than she'd like, and began edging sideways further up Charybdis' back. The Megalodon shook itself off, then turned, its beady eyes locating her immediately. Instead of charging, it matched her, floating in the opposite direction.

That's odd.

Tanya narrowed her eyes, eyeing the wound she'd made as the shark's black blood trickled down her blade.

The bleeding's stopped already, but it's still injured. Limited regeneration? And what's with this caution?

The Megalodon seemed to realize where she was looking. It lowered itself, until it's softer underbelly was barely above Charybdis' back. Tanya clicked her teeth in annoyance.

The two stared at one another, still circling. After a few more steps, Tanya reached Charybdis' spine and stopped, dropping back into a defensive stance. The Megalodon stopped as well, its tail flipping in agitation.

You're smarter than you should be. I'd liked your mindless brothers better. But maybe I just cooked them too fast. Tanya held back a sigh. I'd like to do the same here, but alas. Magic Jamming, you are not doing me well here.

Unsurprisingly, it was the beast that broke the stalemate.

The Megalodon burst forward, faster than before, it's stomach low to the ground. This time, Tanya went up. She leaped straight up, pushing off the spine behind her and launching herself towards the shark's back. She landed feet first, her sword slamming down and stabbing deep into the flesh just behind the dorsal fin.

She forced it deeper, the Megalodon bellowing in rage. Then, just as Tanya was about to rip it out, it rolled over, and she fell, falling hard onto Charybdis' scales. Her fall turned into a roll at the last second, the momentum carrying her back to her feet in a crouch.

Regaining her bearings, Tanya looked up, just in time for her foe's tail to slam into her. And for the third time that day, she went tumbling across the tough blue scales.

The Megalodon, no doubt smelling blood in the water, pounced, yanking itself forward and slamming its massive body right on top of her.

Or it would have, had she not pushed herself to the side in the nick of time. Tanya got her feet under her, her knife brandished and her arms tight. She didn't get any time to breathe, he Megalodon floating back up and immediately pouncing again.

But this time, Tanya was ready. She quickstepped to the side, the beast's jaws missing her arm by mere centimeters.

Immediately, her knife cut a path through the air, a gash forming across her foe's gills.The Megalodon continued moving, and so did Tanya. She jumped over its pectoral fin, before carving another deep notch in its side.

Dashing forward she pushed her enhancement and reinforcement spells as much as she dared. A third time, her knife flashed, and her foe bellowed in pain, the tip of its tail fin sliced clean off.

She spun afterwards to keep it in her sight, her eyes burning with a furious power.

No matter what, I'm not going to die.

Tanya glared daggers at the beast before her.

Not here. Not again. And definitely not to you.

Tanya readily embraced this moment, and all it's inglorious details. Everything hurt, but that didn't matter. Nothing else mattered but this singular, painful-as-all-hell moment in time.

She wouldn't even considering using of a pain-relieving or doping formula. Right now, her razor-sharp focus and reflexes were keeping her alive. The risk of dulling either of these was not a risk she was willing to take. So, she would take it all in. Embrace pain like the old friend it was. Embrace the desperation, fear, anger, all of it. Because no matter how bad the situation, she would not die.

…That being said, there were very few ways this could get worse, to be perfectly honest. Dealing with this Shark's Tales reject without external magic – and oh, how she longed to pierce it with an optical spell or roast it with more fire magic – was not the most fun she'd ever had.

It was pretty shit, in fact.

Honestly, it was almost a matter of pride at this point. This damn beast was not going to get the best of her, no matter the circumstances. Running away was always an option, but then she'd be admitting defeat to a shark.

A fucking fish.

Was she being ridiculous?

Absolutely.

If things got too dicey, she could always jump off. Sure, it'd probably draw Charybdis' and the other oversized sharks' collective attention, but after a certain point all her magic would come back.

That being said, she didn't exactly want multiple opponents right now. Full use of her magic or not, she was a tad bit drained, physically and mentally. The troubles of waking up at 5AM reared their head in the oddest ways. Sometimes, you get a headache, and sometimes, you do battle with giant sharks.

Also, she still wanted to gauge Charybdis' actual strength as a near Demon Lord level threat. Though, thinking about it more, she could always leave that to Rimuru and the others.

Whenever the fuck they decided to show up.

Also also, it was important to note that running for the edge would require turning her back on the "fucking fish" gunning for her life with bloodthirsty intent. Not the most ideal retreat, when the gun was at your back. Or, large, sharpened teeth in this case.

So, unless absolutely necessary, Tanya would remain here and kill her current opponent. At this point, it was a test of stubbornness, and Tanya was incredibly stubborn. Besides, she still had her magic-boosted strength and durability going for her, along with a brain that worked off of reason instead of instinct.

This battle was hers for the taking. Eventually.

It would take something positively absurd to drive her off now. Like, all of the other Megalodons coming up and jumping her at once. Or, the scales of Charybdis' back actually being capable of movement, through like, telekinesis or something-

As if responding to her thoughts, the scales under her feet shifted.

Yeah, fuck this.

Without hesitation, Tanya bolted for the edge.

-=-=-=-

A Little Bit Later

North of Tempest

Great Forest of Jura

Tanya had idly wondered at the possibly of the other Megalodons attacking her, but the truth was that would not have come to pass. The other Megalodons, the ones that hadn't caught the scent of her magicules-enriched blood, had already rushed ahead.

So, while Tanya had a hell of a time by herself after jumping off of Charybdis' back, her schedule filled with flying around Charybdis' main body, blasting and dodging scales intermittently, and angrily taking the magical equivalent of potshots at Charybdis' whenever it wasn't looking, it ended up being that Tempest's combined forces on the ground below found themselves in just as much of a Hell as her.

"Group up and take them down!" Benimaru shouted, jumping up and slashing towards an incoming Megalodon. His sword barely cut into the beast's skin, it's hard upper scales and magical strength pushing him backwards. Her jumped backwards, using a Hell Flare to cover his retreat.

"Their hide is incredibly tough! Watch yourself!"

That's an understatement!

Mary jumped backwards, a Megalodon crashing into her former position. She swung her borrowed sword up diagonally, the magisteel blade leaving a long scratch across the beast's nose.

The Megalodon snapped its teeth, quickly lurching forward. Before Mary could put up a guard, it stopped short, a vine wrapped around its tail. Just as quickly, it was thrown backwards, the Megalodon's full weight crashing into the tree line.

"Thanks!" Mary called out.

"You're welcome." Trya called out, raising her hands. "But it's not dead yet."

Another roar sounded out, the Megalodon bolting from shattered trees directly towards her.

So, this is a shark? Are sharks normally this big?! Mary jumped to the side, the beast slamming past. It's bigger than our living room!!

The shark swerved, coming back for another pass. Mary jumped up this time, landing and running along the Megalodon's back. Water covered her blade as she slashed, the upper half of its dorsal fin shearing off.

She hopped forward, hitting the ground in a crouch.

But it's not the strongest thing I've fought. Tanya's face flashed across her mind. Not even close. She took out three of these things on her own, huh?

Mary spun, watching as another vine wrapped around the Megalodon. It thrashed about, even as it was dragged and thrown into the tree line for the second time.

Trya can restrain it. And I can cut it. The memory of ringing steel rushed through her, her cut on the Megalodon's nose serving as a stark reminder. Sort of. I don't have enough power yet to cut it by myself. So, what I need is…

"Your movement is fast, but without purpose. It's halted. Hesitant."

Mary's eyes widened at the memory.

"Trya!"

"Yes?!" Trya called back, currently growing a tree around their foe. It was barely working, the bark splintering as soon as she could form it. The forest's power was more depleted than the dryad would have liked. "Splitting my focus is a bit taxing, if you don't mind hurrying!"

"Let it go!"

"Huh?" Trya nearly let go of it right then and there, barely managing to grasp the Megalodon around the tail before it could get free.

"Let the Megalodon go!" Mary gripped her sword with both hands, holding it up and back so that the tip pointed over her shoulder. "And when it gets close to me, pull it to the side!"

"If you say so!" Trya didn't hesitate, and neither did the Megalodon. She let go of her control, the beast bolting without an ounce of thought. Its massive body hurtled through the air, directly at Mary.

Mary bent her knees, water swirling and surrounding herself and her blade.

Wait…

The Megalodon snapped its teeth, nearly upon her. Her stance deepened.

Wait…

The jaws of the shark opened wide, its shadow looming over her as it moved to swallow her whole.

Now!

"Crestwater!"

Mary breathed in deeply, then slashed, the Megalodon jerking to the right in the same instant. Her blade slammed into the side of the Megalodon's mouth, flesh and sinew yielding to momentum and sharpened magisteel. The force of the impact blasted through her shoulders and legs, and Mary forced it back in kind, her sword singing and her blade flowing as it carved a notch in the Megalodon's side.

"Slash!!"

And then, the oversized fish was past her, Mary's strike ending on the opposite side of her body.

Ah, wait. "Crestwater Slash" is specifically a slash from unsheathing the sword. So, that one was more like a…

Blood and water dripped into the dirt, the former pounding in her ears. Mary rolled her shoulders and straightened up, her arm and leg muscles relaxing as she caught her breath.

A "Water Surface Slash"? No, for some reason I feel that's been taken. Odd. How about-

A hand landed on her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hey! We did it."

Mary glanced up, to see Trya smiling at her with a thumbs up.

"Nice work!" She continued.

"Yeah. We did it." Mary took a hand off her sword handle, reaching up to wipe at her brow.