F.E II (Meeting with Death)

Rakuyō: F.E 2 𓇢 Arizona II Meeting with Death

Half an hour passes since the battle at the grassland. Soluna and Smokey reach the back of the saloon. Soluna turns towards the door. "Damn it! I lost the key!" Smokey floats beside Soluna, grabbing onto her shoulder. "I can get us inside, I think… my body is telling me to do something."

Soluna turns her head to Smokey. "What are you-" before she finishes, a chill runs down her spine. She gasps as her body darkens, sinking into the ground.

The two resurface inside from the wooden floor. Soluna stumbles forward, huffing. "W-what was that?!"

"I don't know, it just felt right at the moment," Smokey says back. Soluna runs to the counter, grabbing the lamp she left there. She turns it on as a faint light shines from it.

"Eugh!" Smokey hisses, floating back into the shadows. He shrinks down, covering himself with his claws. "Smokey?" Soluna whispers, stepping forward towards him. "What's wrong?"

"The light… the light hurts! Please get it away from me!" Smokey whimpers, shrinking smaller. Soluna steps back, covering the lamp with her palm, casting a shadow over him. What the hell are these powers? Is there no way to turn these off?

Is there no way to turn Smokey back to normal? Is this his spirit or something? And with me, this power of growing pla- Her thought pauses as her eyes slowly widen.

The Yesha story! He had something similar, wait! She thinks as then "Wait here!" she shouts, rushing towards the backroom, yanking the door open. She runs to a shelf, stepping on a stool, reaching for the highest one, grabbing a brown book.

She steps down, flipping the pages open. Come on, come on! She lands on the page, a drawing of a man in a cloak covering his eyes, holding his hands with flowers growing out of his palms. "There it is," she whispers to herself.

It's said that Yesha was a sickly messenger, and he was granted powers by twins? Sisters of the Sun and Moon came to visit him? What does that even mean? She turns the page, reading paragraphs written across the paper.

The Sisters of Life came before him, one glowing radiant gold like the sun, and the moon a chilling frost like the moon. The two bestowed happiness and purpose upon him, curing any illness he suffered. The act from the twins awakened something in him. The Power of Life.

He became a saint after that, healing the sick and weary and guiding them to find their reasons in life. People started to revere him as a savior of humanity.

Soluna holds her palm out, looking down at it, focusing on it. Pink sparkles start to emit from her pores as roses start to grow from it.

Soluna jolts back, stumbling. She drops the book as it thuds on the ground. "Impossible… this can't be real!"

"I have the same power as this Yesha guy! So he was real this entire time? So I really have been praying to and serving something completely different!" She clenches her fist, crushing the roses in her palm, the petals falling to the ground.

"So my life is a lie? Everything I've been raised by, everything I was taught, was just a retelling of this guy!"

"I should have known God was too far-fetched of a concept! Whatever these twins are, they're the closest thing to it!"

She picks up the book, shutting it, and takes a deep breath before placing it on the lower shelf. "SOLEY!" Smokey shouts from the main room. Soluna turns around, running out of the room. "Yes?! What's wrong?!" she says with urgency.

"T-there's a woman in front of me! She's staring at me!" Smokey shouts. Soluna raises an eyebrow, looking around. A woman? Where?

"What are you talking about? There's no one here but us." Soluna says. Smokey starts to panic. "She's looking at you now!"

Soluna steps forward as the wooden floor creaks. "There's no one here, not even a silhouette. Are you seeing things?"

He's losing it, he hasn't gotten any sleep, shit. I need to-

"STOP IT, I'M NOT DEAD FOR YOU TO COLLECT ME!" Smokey shouts. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" He flies past the moonlight seeping through the window, hovering next to Soluna.

"What is going on with you?!" Soluna yells, looking up at him. "LOOK! SHE'S RIGHT THERE!"

Soluna scoffs. "This isn't the time for games, Smokey! I don't see anyone." Smokey grunts. "Listen, lady, I don't know what you're talking about, I'm not dead! If I was, I wouldn't be speaking right now!"

"Hm?" Soluna hums. "Dead?" What is going on? "Can you describe who you're seeing?" Soluna asks.

"She has crimson hair and crimson eyes, and four weird horns! Her skin is a bit darker than yours!"

Smokey then grunts. "H-how do you know my name!? Who are you!"

"A notebook? My name appeared on it the moment I got slashed in the neck?" he says.

Soluna sighs, lifting her hand, branches sprouting out of her palm. "Tell me where this woman is standing. I'll show you you're just hallucinating."

"What is a Core?! What are you talking about? She has her 'Core Essence'?" Smokey says. He turns his head down to Soluna. "She's right in front of us!" he yells, pointing to an empty space by the back door.

Soluna flicks her wrist as the branches fire towards the spot. "See, I told you there's-" before Soluna could finish her sentence, the branches start to wrap around the air, compacting into a small cylinder. "The hell?!" Soluna shouts in shock, her jaw slack.

The branches start to wither and turn grey. "Erg!" Soluna shrieks, breaking the ends off her palm, jumping back.

Soluna's eyes glow pink for a split second as her pupils pulse. In that instant, a ginger, tan-skinned woman with two horns on her forehead and two slicked back on the sides of her head stands before her. She wears a closed, pure black cloak with a red gem in the middle. Her long scarlet hair reaches her back as her eyes shine like two rubies with long lashes that frame their almond shape.

Soluna looks on in shock. "Crimson hair… crimson eyes…" Soluna mutters to herself. "What are you? Are you one of the ones hunting me down?!"

"Hunt?" the woman repeats, tilting her head. "What are you talking about?" She crosses her arms. "I'm here to collect a soul, that's it, but seeing a mortal use Core Essence caught my attention."

She leans forward. "Say, where did you learn about that?" Soluna steps back, grabbing Smokey, covering him. "I-I didn't learn it… I don't even know what this is. But more importantly, who are you, and whose soul are you here to collect?!"

The woman looks down at her notebook, huffing. "Don't make this harder than it has to be, I'm here for a 'Sosthenes Rose'… strange name."

She looks over and points to Smokey behind Soluna. "So basically, I'm here to retrieve that creature behind you."

"I refuse to hand him over! You won't be killing him," Soluna says, reaching her arms out, sweat dripping from her forehead. Something about her feels uneasy…

The woman looks at the notebook more closely. "Hm, shocking, your name doesn't seem to appear. Usually when a mortal lays eyes on a Shinigami, their name automatically writes itself in the book."

"Shinigami?" Soluna repeats. What is that? I have never heard such a term.

The Shinigami slams her notebook shut as it disappears into red mist. "So I guess you're doing this the hard way?"

Soluna grits her teeth. "Smokey," she calls out, turning her gaze up towards him. "Yes!?" Smokey shouts.

"Grab my gun under the counter, hurry and do it quickly!" Soluna commands, raising her arms as vines and branches grow from them, surrounding her.

"Okay!" Smokey yells, rushing to the counter. He flies over it, grabbing the gun from the bottom shelf. "SOLEY, HERE!" he shouts, tossing it. Soluna moves her arm towards the gun as a vine stretches out, wrapping around the handle. She drags it down, grabbing it, then aims it at the Shinigami.

"Ou, those are the fancy firearms that kill you guys, right?" the Shinigami says with wonder. "Take one step and you'll be the one dead on the ground!" Soluna bellows as sweat continues to race down her face. Something's wrong here…

The Shinigami snorts, taking a step forward. She raises her hands. "Oops!"

BANG! The sound of the gun firing echoes through the saloon, a bright flash lighting up the area momentarily.

The Shinigami flicks her wrist as the bullet bounces off of it. Soluna's eyes widen. Did she-! No! That can't be possible! She squeezes the trigger once more.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Soluna fires rapid shots at her. Smokey covers his ears, ducking under the counter. The Shinigami raises an eyebrow, swiping her arms, creating a cloud of red mist.

The bullets phase into the cloud, disappearing inside of it. "Who do you take me for exactly? Your weapons won't work on me," the Shinigami says, dispersing her cloud.

"Ugh!" Soluna grunts. I'm out of bullets, I wasted them all! I need an alternative now! The Shinigami steps forward once more. "Let's stop wasting time here, just give me the creature."

The Shinigami walks towards Soluna. Soluna steps back, trembling. Looking into her eyes, it feels like I could die at any moment here! It feels like I'm being hunted and there's nothing I can do.

Soluna's heart beats louder and faster with each step the Shinigami takes, the vines and branches around her flailing wildly.

Something… something… SOMETHING!

She holds out her gun once more, pointing it straight at the Shinigami. The Shinigami rolls her eyes. "The same old trick? You see, it hasn't worked the first two times." The barrel of the gun snaps out as the branches around Soluna break into pieces, each of them filling the bullet holes, reloading the gun.

"Huh?" the Shinigami hums, watching. Soluna flicks the gun upward, closing the barrel as it starts to glow pink. "Urgh!" Soluna grunts, aiming once more.

BANG! A pink and white flash illuminates the saloon. Soluna flies back from the force as a glowing pink wooden bullet charges at the Shinigami. The Shinigami quickly moves her head to the side to avoid the bullet. In that moment, the bullet starts to expand, spiny splinters growing from it, bursting as it passes the Shinigami's head.

The splinters lodge into her face. "Erk!" she hisses. Soluna, on the ground, huffs, still holding the gun out, the metal starting to crack as it begins to break apart. "No! My gun! At the worst possible time too!"

The Shinigami stands straight, plucking the splinters out of her face. She throws them down to the ground. Her gaze meets Soluna on the ground as she stays silent.

"Tch!" Soluna sucks her teeth. I'm out of options… I doubt I can take her hand to hand! But I have to try- Before Soluna could finish her thought, the Shinigami's eyes and hair flicker with a crimson light before they start to glow.

Soluna's stomach drops, her body trembling and freezing. The Shinigami continues to walk towards her.

I'm going to die… I'm going to die! She quickly grabs the cross on her necklace as it reflects the crimson light radiating from the Shinigami. Soluna's chest tightens as her pupils dilate.

She looks up to see Danya standing over her. La Morte, help me… A tear forms in her eyes as a memory of a man with violet eyes and snow-white locs looks down at her. She's surrounded by an endless ocean, sitting on a small island, the grey clouds above swirling.

La Morte's violet gaze meets hers. "It's not your time yet," he says in a low voice. The memory fades, Soluna back in reality, facing the Shinigami before her.

"Didn't you hear me? It's not your time, so sit down and shut up," she says as her crimson glow dissipates. She turns to the counter.

"Y-ou… you're just like him…" Soluna stutters, her eyes still wide. "Huh?" the Shinigami hums, turning her head back to her. "Like who exactly?"

"La Morte… you two both spared me from death," Soluna whispers, still shaking. The Shinigami narrows her eyes. "Twice? La Morte? Hold on, you're telling me you've met another Shinigami?"

"Was he tall, pure black, with big white eyes, or was he on the shorter side, brown skin, white hair with violet eyes?" she asks.

Soluna stays silent for a moment. The Shinigami leans forward, closing the distance between them. "Hello? I didn't scare you that bad, did I?" she says, waving her hand in front of her face.

Soluna lets go of the cross, her heart still racing. "Violet eyes— he had white hair…" The Shinigami's eyes widen. "Amore? You've met Akuji before?"

She stands back straight. "Interesting, so you had two encounters with death and survived both? You're quite the lucky one."

"Aku-ji…" Soluna stutters. So that's his name, he wasn't just a dream after all. I need to know more about him. But first I still need to save Smokey.

The Shinigami turns her back to Soluna. "It's been a nice chat, but I have souls to collect!" She makes a peace sign with her fingers. "Ciao!" she says, walking over to the counter. "Come on, little demon thing, it's time to go."

"Wait!" Soluna shouts. The Shinigami huffs, turning to face her. "What now?"

"Please, there has to be something I can do to save Smokey! Please don't take him!" Soluna pleads, trying to stand back up.

"Anything, I'll trade my own soul in exchange for his to be saved!"

The Shinigami rolls her eyes. "That's not how this works, you can't just trade your soul for another to live once they've already died."

"Explain to me how he's dead if he's been here the entire time! This doesn't make sense to me!" Soluna says, wobbling back to her feet.

The Shinigami shrugs. "Beats me, I don't know how his soul turned into that, must have some connection to how you're able to use a Nature Core."

"Maybe that's why you're being hunted," the Shinigami says coldly, turning back to the counter. She knocks on the wooden surface of it. "Oi, let's go, you have 5 seconds before I force you out."

Smokey flies out of the bottom cabinet, floating before the Shinigami. "Fine, I'll come, just promise to leave Soley alone!"

The Shinigami scoffs. "She was never any of my concern in the first place. So we have a deal."

"SMOKEY, STOP!" Soluna screams, stretching her arm out, stumbling forward. "Think about what you're doing!" "Listen, Death! The game— the game is the final offer I can give you!" Soluna exclaims.

"When we first got these powers, a voice told us that if I find my other half, I'd get a wish of my deepest desire."

"So my final offer is, if you let Smokey and I continue our journey, I can promise you'll have your fair share of souls to collect! And if not… like I said, I'll give you my soul, I'll commit suicide on the spot, and you can do whatever you like to me!"

The Shinigami turns to Soluna, raising an eyebrow. "Do you really think I care what happens to these souls? What makes yours more special than the next? That you'd expect me to take a bribe?"

"You're not the first mortal I've seen with a core essence awakened, nor will you probably be the last, so if you thought that made you special, unthink it."

"But," the Shinigami adds on. Soluna's ears perk up. "I am a bit curious about this 'game,' hm." "This might be a good excuse to take a break, actually… let me think about this."

"Yes, the game! I was told that others will be hunting me down, trying to kill me, to be a 'host,'" Soluna says.

"Okay, okay, I think I see what you're saying, fine, I'll spare your pet, getting to watch all this sounds fun."

The Shinigami snickers. "Ou, seeing mortals battle it out, I'm getting excited just thinking about it!"

Soluna sighs in relief as Smokey flies towards her. She grabs him out of the air, holding him tight. "Smokey, I promise, I'll return you back to normal. We'll win that wish."

Smokey holds her back, still shaking in fear from the Shinigami's presence.

The Shinigami looks at the two as they embrace, and snorts. "You know, you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago."

"She would have done anything to protect a little girl she loved dearly, one she barely knew at that." She sighs. "But in that short time they'd known each other, she meant the world to her. Seems like you two have a similar relationship going on here."

Soluna looks up at the Shinigami. "You're just going to follow us and watch? How can we trust you're not going to do anything to us?"

The Shinigami chuckles. "Oh please, I have nothing to gain from just randomly killing you two." She summons her notebook once more as red mist surrounds her. "Plus, I can't do anything to you unless your name is on the notebook, killing live mortals is against the rules."

Soluna hums under her breath, looking down at Smokey holding onto her. I don't have a choice here; she's just going to force herself to tag along.

She lifts her head as her gaze meets the Shinigami's, who leans back on the counter, crossing her arms. Soluna grunts. "Can I at least know your name?"

"Oh, I don't really give out my name to people I don't know, so you can just call me… hm…" the Shinigami hums.

"Nya, yeah, that's good, just call me Nya."

This girl is strange, but if it gets us to Death Valley faster, so be it…

"Oh, and by the way," Nya says, sitting up. She points to the shutters behind Soluna. "You should focus on the two guys standing outside."

"Huh?" Soluna hums, turning around. Two guys? What does she- In that moment a hole bursts through the shutter, cold air leaking inside.

"Aye, aye! Seems I was right, there are people in here!" a man's voice yells from outside. "YIPPIE! IT MUST BE THE HOST!" he screams, punching another hole through the metal.

Soluna steps back, letting go of Smokey. "Run! Get out of here!" Smokey shakes his head. "No, I'm not leaving you behind again! I'm fighting with you!"

Another hole bursts through the shutters as ice crystals creep across all three openings. "ALL FOR MY ENTRANCE, MAY THE WONDROUS!"

Another hole bursts through as the air inside grows colder. Soluna covers herself with her arms, shivering.

"SPLENDID!" he yells as the crystals spread across the metal, covering it completely.

"MAN OF THE HOUR!" The ice begins to crack as instantly the shutters burst apart into ice shards and a man with long, flowing silver hair bursts through.

"LUCY DUCY HAS ARRIVED!" He wears a fluttering, disconnected fur white cape covering his right arm, while his left arm is covered by a long black sleeve, torn across it, revealing his porcelain skin. His body is covered by a black tight suit, and he wears two black boots.

Soluna grits her teeth as particles of frost surround her. Nya, near the counter, claps. "Ottimo! Ottimo! Nice entrance!"

Soluna's breathing starts to grow ragged, ice vapor floating off her mouth with every exhale. "W-who are you?!" Lucy chuckles. "Aye, I found a pretty little one here!" He looks over to Nya. "Oh, and an exotic-looking one! Who knew this saloon held so many beautiful women!"

"You hear that, James?" Lucy calls out. Soluna's eyes widen. "James?!" she repeats. It can't be, is it the same one from earlier?

Footsteps approach Lucy from behind as a man stands in the moonlight seeping in. He flicks the tip of his cowboy hat as his shadow stretches over Soluna.

"Howdy, nice seeing you again, huh, Demon of the West?" James says, reaching into his poncho.

Soluna freezes hearing James call her that title. How did he find out it was me? Impossible, there's no way!

"Demon of the West? W-what are you talking about?" Soluna stutters, trying to save face. "Oh, cut the games, lady, it's pretty clear now, I had a hunch before when I saw you kill Tucker. But now, seeing you dressed like that, the murders near the crater that meteor fell into, it all points back to you."

"Especially seeing how you and this weirdo are both dressed ridiculously, he wasn't lying about being some 'host.'"

Lucy chuckles. "Wonderful! Magnificent! Seems like our deal is coming into fruition! You collect her bounty, I get the power of the host, win-win!"

James sighs as vapor emits from his mouth. Metal clicks from his poncho as he pulls out a tommy gun, aiming it at Soluna.

"Nothing personal now, I hope you do see your 'guardian angel' in the next life." Soluna clenches her jaw and leaps back.

"SOLEY!" Smokey yells, rushing towards her the moment James squeezes the trigger.

TA-TA-TA-TA. The sound of shots erupts, swallowing all other noise. James jolts back from each shot as Lucy covers his ears, smiling.

Flashes flicker across the dark saloon. Nya turns into red mist before the bullets can reach her.

Smokey grabs Soluna in that split moment before the bullets can pierce her. He drags her back into the shadows as the bullets fly past them.

Bottles burst open, the sound of glass echoing through the room. The gunfire continues as shells fly out of the clip.

James stops firing as smoke emits from the barrel, bullet holes littering the saloon. He huffs, pointing his gun down. "Is she down…" he grumbles.

Lucy uncovers his ears. "I believe her body fell over the counter during your barrage, there's no chance she lived through that."

James places the tommy gun back in his poncho and walks towards the counter, looking over it. "What!?" he shouts.

"What is it?" Lucy says, raising an eyebrow. "She's not here! Her body, it's not here!"

Red mist appears above James as Nya snickers from within it. She forms, floating over the counter, her notebook appearing in front of her as the pages flip open. "James Harden?" she repeats.

Lucy, still standing at the entrance, looks up at Nya. "Hey, James, that red-haired girl is above you, I would have thought you got her too."

James looks up, seeing nothing. He scratches his head. "What are you talking about? What red-haired girl?"

"Oi, Iceman," Nya calls out to Lucy. "Hm, and what do you want? Refer to me by my name, which is Lucy Ducy!"

"Well, Lucy Ducy, say addio to your amico here, he's a goner for sure," Nya says with a grin. Lucy raises an eyebrow. "Eh? Now what are you on about, woman? I don't speak Italian, so say it in English or be quiet."

Nya stays silent, zipping her mouth shut with a hand motion. Lucy clenches his fist. "Well, answer, what are you talking about?!"

James turns to Lucy. "Are you talking to yourself?" Lucy scowls. "No, you imbecile, there's an annoying redhead above you!"

A popping sound comes from behind the counter, the spilled alcohol bubbling. James looks down at it as the bubbles start to pop faster and more violently.

"What the?" James mutters to himself. In that moment, Soluna and Smokey burst out of the shadows from the spot where the alcohol lies.

"ERGH!" James shrieks as Soluna lunges at him, reaching her palm down, grasping his face. "Grruh!" Soluna growls as branches and vines dig into James' face. "EUGH!!" James screams as blood leaks from his face. Soluna pushes his face back, sending him rolling across the floor. James curls into a ball, holding onto his face, hissing in pain. Lucy looks down at him. "Get up, what are you doing?!"

Soluna lands on the ground, huffing. She grits her teeth, pointing down at James. "BURST!" she bellows.

At that moment, James's face starts to implode, branches rapidly growing from his head. "AUGH!" he bellows as his head sinks in on itself and explodes.

Blood erupts from James' open neck wound, leaking over the ground. "Ugh…" Lucy grunts, staring at James' corpse as the pool of blood surrounds it. "How cold, I see why you have the title Demon of the West."

Pink energy starts to surround Soluna as she looks straight at Lucy. "Hmph," Lucy scoffs as a blue aura surrounds him, mirroring Soluna.

"Heh-heh, FINE THEN! LET THE MAIN EVENT BEGIN! WHO CARES ABOUT THE BOUNTY HUNTER!" He leans forward, baring his teeth. "I'm here for your life, your life only! Lucy Ducy will get his wish!"

The two stare into each other's eyes as they step forward, commencing their battle to the death.

Rakuyō: Frontier Escapade 2 END (X)