TG: 10 : The Black Pool

The sun bears down on the outer suburbs of Seoul.

This city is much nicer than Tokyo, if I had to compare it wouldn't work it's like shit from a rat vs Cinnamon oatmeal. Yes they may look similar on the outside but they couldn't be more different.

Sung-Hoo drives us around in his Porsche, Ikumi taking shotgun.

"The enemy base is pretty stuck in, we are just going to scout it for now and come back tonight."

The red haired man speaks, turning down the radio as he does so.

He continues.

"I estimate that they have 30-40 troops, mostly D or C rank with the helm being a couple A rank ghouls, should hardly be a problem for us."

-

---

We pull up into a small forest area and begin driving down a shoddy road, many signs say no trespassing and dogs will bite.

After a few minutes of driving slowly he pulls it into a small fork and goes off into a trial for a bit then turns the car off.

"Alrighty, let's see what's going on."

He slowly opens the door and exits, methodically shutting it to make no noise.

The rest of the group follows and we start slowly trekking into the woods, moving without making much noise.

Soon Sung halts us and lays prone, we follow suit, my cloth crunching lightly against a leaf to my dismay.

He pulls up some binoculars and glasses the area.

"There"

He whispers, pointing his finger out and handing the binoculars to Ikumi.

"Shit, theres a lot of those fuckers."

She hands them to Kaede next.

"Damn."

I get them next and look.

A dilapidated mansion with vines covering it, painted black.

Many ghouls with spiked bats, pistols and old bolt action rifles lurk dressed in black balaclavas and shirts, they number atleast 45 if I had to guess just from the patrollers and snipers sitting on the shoddy and crumbling patio and deck.

"Well this shouldn't be that bad, who's their leader?"

Sung takes the binoculars from me and answers my question.

"An A rank ghoul they call Grenade, because of his explosive personality and dysfunctional leadership, but he is strong so people follow him. No one really knows what his kagune is because he never seems to use it."

Kaede shuffles on the ground lightly.

"We should get outta here before they see us."

"Right."

We all crouch up slowly and begin creeping back to the car.

I try my best to no crunch any leaves this time and I am more fruitful in my endeavors to do so.

We reach the car and pile in swiftly and drive back to town, all in all the scouting operation was about 3 hours, just in time for lunch.

We pull back onto the main roads and cruise around for a bit, Sung said it was to make sure no one is following us.

After a bit of driving Sung begins driving to Kaedes apartment where we can formulate a plan and all that other slop.

---

Many papers are strewn across a dining table with random drawings and scribbles.

Some of the drawings actually are pretty good, detailing the mansion.

Ikumi was an artist before joining up with Kaedes little group so it only makes sense to use her invaluable skill.

I'm not quite sure what Sung-Hoo is capable of, from our sparring he wasnt that strong, hopefully he is useful, I mean he has a car so that's something.

And Kaede.. She is just a fucking psycho. That's her special talent.

I can..

I am also pretty useless, they think I'm strong.. Yeah right I just get lucky or always have crazy backup.

Anyways, for lunch we had some turkey sammies wich were aight..

I continue wargaming with Ikumi, the reason for the absolute horrid state of the table.

The plan is simple.

Kill the outer guards as quietly as possible and sneak into the basement of the house where the leader is keeping captives, free them and kill Grenade..

Easy peasy.

But things like this never go right so I am preparing for the worst, I.e. plans for me to run away, of course I won't tell anyone else this, its my little secret.

Time passes quickly and revisions on who to target first change and the wargame continues for a while.

Kaede has no good suggestions because she thinks we should just charge in and kill them in an all out assault, I had to explain to her that the hostages would get fucking killed if we did that.

But she doesn't seem to care about the hostages, only killing Grenade, I wonder what relationship she had with that sick fucker, probably nothing good to be completely honest.

---

Night sets over Korea..

We get dressed into black coats and pants.

Before we head out I open my traveling suitcase and dig to the bottom.

"Uh. Watchya doing bud?"

Kaede taps me on the shoulder, eager to leave

"Just getting this."

I grab the raven like plague doctor mask, it is dark black with embroidered roses branching on it up to the eye sockets wich have been cut out, where goggled lenses would usually lie.

"A mask?"

She asks quizzically.

"You never know."

I reply, strapping it on.

"I guess your right, I should get mine."

She leaves the room and I hear the sound of shambling and rumbling

She emerges with a red samurai like mask that covers the lower half of her face, tusks coming out of it, and they look sharpened.

"Do the others have masks?"

"Assuredly, I will tell them."

After a few minutes we all gather up.

Sung has a simple wooden demon mask and Ikumi has a floral shinobi cloth mask that conceals everything but her eyes, her lips crease through the cloth though.

Now strapped up we get into Sungs car and head out.

---

We parked a little farther away and begin creeping up, Sung has some throwing knives and a recurve bow, Ikumi has a suppressed pistol. And me and Kaede have our fisticuffs.

"All right remember the plan everyone."

Sung foes forward and creeps up behind a truck He waves us forward and I begin making my way slowly around the woods to the back of the house to kill all the vanguards with rifles.

I approach a small flight of stairs and ascend slowly, as to not make them creak.

A shadow veiled figure sits on a chair, an old sks leaning against his left leg, it seems his is sleeping.

I go behind him and he shuffles lightly, but now this close I can hear his snoring.

My hand reaches to his neck and I grip his mouth with my other hand, channeling my strength I crush his windpipe, he thrashes around for a couple of seconds.

Another guard is posted up around the corner so I need to take him out.

Around the corner a man in a balaclava smokes a cigarette and gazes off into the night, barely focused.

I use the shadows to my advantage to creep up on the gopnik cosplayer and I launch my fist into the back of his head, caving it in silently.

He falls to the ground making gurgling sounds and flailing his arms wildly.

Welp time to move into the house.

Hopping through a shattered window, darkness enveloped all wind sight is no longer an option.

I feel around for a bit until navigating to a metal door that is locked with a large padlock.

I open my right kagune sac and crunch the lock up and quickly put it away, because you know a massive glowing appendage is pretty conspicuous.

The door creaks open and my feet descend down the steps dextrously, it seems I'm not gonna have help on this one.

A flickering lightbulb is the only source of light in the dark undercroft.

A cage with 3 kids sleeping makes my blood absolutely boil, besides them is another cage with a man and women sleeping, all of them are extremely emaciated to the point of stomach churning just from a look.

"A guest?"

The black cloaked figure emerges from the corner, darkness hiding them no longer.

"A little raven? Ha.. Quite ripe smelling aswell"

*slurp*

A long tongue glides across the figures face, they pull back their hood and a woman with a face covered in stitches and scars looks at me aggressively with yellow eyes, despite her disfigured face it doesnt take away from the beauty of it, braided and combed over silver hair glides down her face.

"You are quite cute boy, good enough for my breeding stock. I need a good heir to my operation."

"I would never fuck such a psycho"

"Hahah who said you had a choice?"

"Grenade..."

"Ha, they still call me that?!?!"

The stitched woman laughs.

"Why do you do this to these kids?"

"Me? I did nothing.. I am holding them for the master."

"It doesn't matter, your a psycho bitch."

The woman lowers her cloak completely off, only her pants and a tank top remaining.

"No one chooses anything boy."

She caresses a small snake tatoo on the center of her neck.

"Calling me a boy.. I'm older than you..."

"HHAHAHA YOU GET PEEVED SO EASILY! Tell you what, become my personal breeder and you can join me, clearly you are strong."

"You arent Grenade."

The reports stae Grenade is a tall man with an explosive rage, this yandere bitch ain't it, she gives off Rize vibes.

"Huh, that was quick for you to figure out.. I'm a captain of the black pool, the hwarang dubbed me Silver Beast. Not a cute name but still fun."

She continues her monologue

"What do they call you little raven."

"1st class investigator."

The womans face warps from a crooked smile to one of confusion.

"J-japan? A dove? Why are you here?"

"Now that I know you 'Silver Beast' I know also you are just a high ranking B level ghoul and I can kill you easily.

My kagune warps out of my body, ever since that strange dream from Rize a armor like shell has begun growing and creeping down the back of my neck.

I dont know what It means but my kagune is getting stronger.

"Feel fear you psycho bitch!"

"AGHH! ITS BEATIFUL, ITS BEATIFUL IT SMELLS BEATIFUL, I LOVE IT!"

The womans legs squirm and her face blushes red .

No..

No

NOT ANOTHER PSYCHO BITCH THAT WANTS TO MOLEST MY BALLS WITH THEIR TEETH!

I rush forward but 2 large wing like kagune spread out of her back, one white and the other a bright blue

Shards of shit fire at me rapidly but I bring my kagune up to block it and keep rushing, my shoulder impacts her and she screams, in delight?

"SO STRONG, STRONG STRONG!!"

She pants heavily as her body crumples against the wall.

Banging comes from the door above.

"SEBASTIAN THE DOORS STUCK AND KAEDES KAGUNE CANT GET IT OPEN!!!"

Ikumi screams to me, her voice warped by the metal.

"IM ALRIGHT!!"

I scream back at the top of my lungs.

I hold my kagune to the womans mouth, wich has 2 lines of stitches coming out like joker.

"Kill me. I can be free with your smell being the last thing I know."

"Free? What do you mean?"

"Ha. Did you really not research? Grenade can insert bits of his kagune into people body and use them like bombs, that's how he got his name."

The girl clutches the tatoo.

I bring my kagune up and pierce her throat..

"GYAHH!'

The girl clutches her throat as blood trickles down.

*ding*

A small crystal falls out and I pick it up.

"Huh."

I eat it.

The woman gasps.

"NOW WE'RE BOTH DEAD!"

She screams deliriously.

Little does she know grineer digestion IS THE GREATEST IN THE WORLD!!

Nothing happens I mean.

Grineer stomachs on a different level, tubemen rise up.

"Wh-what.."

The snake tatoo on her neck greys out and the blood trickling from it stops as the wound heals.

"Sir.. PLEASE BE MY BREEDER PLEASE PLEASE!!"

She jumps up and clutches onto me with her face flushed, but this bitch got crazy in her eyes.

*sigh*

Not another one.

"So what now?"

She walks up and smashes the door off the cages where the kids cover their faces with dirty blankets cowering in fear.

"I'm done serving Grenade.. He has abused me far too long and plus. I MET MY HuSbANd!"

"Bruh I don't even know your name or anything about you, godamn psycho."

"Aina. Aina Helvig.. WHATS YOUR LaSt NAME So I CaNn HavE it?"

She stares at me with her eyes in a complete state of lunacy.

"I am Sebastian.. Lis.."

"Lis.. I WanT that LaSt NAme!"

She creeps towards me.

"You aren't from Japan with that name."

She says

"I could say the same about you."

"Poland."

"Sweden."

"WE WErE MeanT FoR EachOTHer!"

"Stay back wench."

I gather the captives and send them up the stairs, the only convincing needed was my CCG ID.

"Watch yourself Aina, I will kill you the second I sense something off from you."

This woman has stared at me without blinking for 2 minutes straight.

I walk up the stairs and everyone else is helping the captives.

Kaede approaches me and pats me on the shoulder, much to the dismay of the person now breathing heavily behind me and whispering.

"Girlfriend? I will kill her.."

I cock my head sideways.

"Oh yeah, this girl was being controlled by Grenade, he isnt even here."

Kaede stares at Aina behind me.

"Eh she's a bit creepy looking with all that shit in her face huh."

Ainas kagune blows uo out of her body.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT ME?!?!? HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HIM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!"

Kaede dodges the Crystal's flying at her and a kagune sprouts out of her back, 8 spider like appendages.

"STOP!"

Sung-Hoo face palms and makes both of the females spines shudder.

"Whatever."

Kaede walks outside.

I want to get out of this country.

Too many crazy bitches in one area.

"Well lets turn these people into the police station and head home."

"Thats an amazing idea Sung."

I reply heading out briskly, to escape these psychos.

"DONT LEAVE ME!"

The silver haired girl chases after me.

"Hey. Could you uh. LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!"

I push her away and she just stares at me smiling.

"Whataver you wish!"

We pile into the car and Kaede hotwired one of the Black Pools, she gets the kids and adults inside and we head back.

Aina stands by herself in the yard smiling, not taking her eyes off of me.

She waves to me wagging her fingers.

Time to go back to Japan.

Cant do this shit anymore.

[AN]

Stones.. Ahh shattered fore the elden ring. Willful traitors would be in guile to not give there stones to thine flame..

[Aina pic]

Chapterly song suggestion: The Garden of earthly delights - Apocalypse Orchestra.