Anko and Kurenai walked behind me, Kurenai and I groaning slightly at our phantom aches while Anko grinned proudly, smirking at us as we looked at her warily.
She had made good of her promise, returning our 'brutality' and then some, refusing to let us sleep as she used some poison to keep us awake, as well as one to increase our sensitivity.
Anko truly was a natural born torturer, as she gleefully took us over and over again, ignoring our pleas for rest and mercy.
We made our way towards the temple, walking inside to see Cameia, Rekyses, and Hailyte speaking to the bored looking Chieftess.
Seeing us approach, the Chieftess grinned, her golden eyes glowing with happiness as she said "Ah, thank the divines! Outsiders, what brings you here?"
I chuckled at how Hailyte glared at the Chieftess, while Rekyses just shook her head. As for Cameia, she remained expressionless, her golden eyes turning towards us as we stepped forwards.
"We came to accept the Chief Priestess' request."
Hailyte looked at us with narrowed eyes, before nodding when she saw the new weapons that Anko and I had on our bodies.
"So you managed to get blades from Dragaia, hmm? Very well. However, this is no simple chakra beast; it is stronger than that, capable of using more... pure, or natural chakra. It has eluded our hunting parties as well..."
"I grasped that much. However, I wish to show some gratitude for sparing our lives, and this... well, this seems like the best way to do it."
The Chieftess chuckled, saying "Oh, you need not worry about gratitude; we received payment enough from your entertaining display in the arena. Though, I certainly will not refuse your help. Hmm... Ah, whatever. Rekyses, Cameia, you'll join them on this hunt. Should be enough to take this damn bird down."
The two Priestess' nodded, their stoic faces remaining impassive as they turned to look at us.
"Well, should we go right away?"
Hearing my question, they looked at one another, before nodding.
"I have all I need."
"I am ready..."
Rekyses spoke first, her voice calm and neutral, while Cameia spoke next, her voice as cold as ever.
"Ah, before you go... This beast killed a few of our people; as such, I want its skull."
I shivered as the Chieftess looked down at us with hard eyes, her chakra leaking as she sneered.
"It shall be done."
Reverting back to her cheerful expression, the Chieftess shoo'd us from the temple, turning to look at her Chief Priestess.
They fell back into discussion, however I tuned them out, watching as the two lithe women walked towards us.
I had felt it preciously, but they were truly strong, and their auras were intense.
Rekyses' chakra wafted off of her, the sweet scent of a brewing storm surrounding her. Her every step was charged with chakra, the wind and lightning chakra mixing to create her Tempest Chakra that coiled around her twin blades.
As for Cameia, she permeated the air around her with a chill, her golden iris' surrounding the inescapable void that was her pupil. Her completely expressionless face, paired with those eyes, made her a scary woman, and I shivered at the deeper, darker chill that radiated from the two Kama that hung from her belt.
Looking at us, the two women just gestured for us to follow, exiting the temple.
Walking behind them, we quickly made our way out of the village, heading towards the south.
"The last sighting of the Basan was down south, towards a set of ruins from centuries ago."
Rekyses spoke in a calm voice, leading us through the trees.
Cameia followed from behind, acting as a rearguard.
"What exactly is this 'Basan'?"
Glancing over her shoulder, Rekyses said "It looks like a mix of a chicken and a peacock. Its a large, flightless bird, its giant talons and sharp beak making for strong physical attacks. However, that's not its main weapon..."
"That would be its soul fire."
Hearing the cold voice of Cameia, I turned to see her staring at us, before continuing.
"It spews blue ethereal flames, and if you get hit by them, your soul burns, not your body."
I shuddered at that thought.
Soul attacks were an extremely rare, archaic thing, almost universally banned as Forbidden Jutsu.
The only one I was even truly aware of wasn't even an attack; rather, it was a seal that summoned a Shinigami from the underworld, reaping the soul of the victim and using the casters soul as fuel to complete its act.
It was... a chilling, horrible thing. When anyone died, they traveled to the Pure Land, to rest for eternity. However, that bliss was denied to anyone who was the victim of that seal; apparently it sealed the victim inside the Shinigami, trapping them inside it for as long as the seal lasted.
It was... a fate truly worse than death.
Any attack on the soul was, as far as I knew, incapable of being healed. And if someone had a damaged soul...
I didn't want to even think about what life would be like, let alone whether or not one would be capable of entering the Pure Lands.
Anko and Kurenai blanched as well, understanding that we truly hunted not just a beast, but a demon.
"That changes everything about this hunt."
Rekyses nodded at my shaky voice, saying "That is why we plan on attacking from afar; Cameia and I have plenty of ranged chakra attacks that we can use, and it seems like you three are capable of them as well. Hopefully we can come out of this unscathed."
I smiled slightly at that, agreeing wholeheartedly.
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A bit short, but man am I tired...
Started this a bit ago, had to stop, then came back...
Hah, imma sleep~
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