Saturday June 14th, 2200 ATE. North-Eastern Solantic Ocean. Depth Level 3….
For the first ten years of my life I was an Orphan on an island surrounded by volcanoes and strife. Then I was Reborn.
I slaughtered my Master. I took on a new name. I found a Hallowed Weapon of incredible power. Few in history could wield it as well as I do. It's what kept me alive the night they found me….
Then, for the next seven years— till now, I've lived as man. A man on a mission, joined by others. Others like me. Focused. Honed. Untethered. We're weapons as much as the legendary tools in our arsenal. But we have agency. It's man's greatest gift.
I saw myself growing up to be a Samurai back when I lived as an Orphan. It's what Stripes trained me for. But it was another occupational group that took me in after I found the Muramasa Blade.
The Ninja.
If the Samurai were noble warriors, The Ninja were mission oriented Assassins.
And that's what we were.
They called us The Creed of The Godless. The COG. A Ninja Syndicate funded by the Global Magus Enclave— the very people who convened with Grand Magus' and all other nation leading figures.
We were their weapon. Humanities sword with endless range and mountain rending power.
A team comprised of Assassins all fitted with Hallowed Weapons and a shared curse.
The Curse of The Godless.
You see, to be truly beholden to humanity, you can't be employed by monstrosity. Any and all forms. Gods included.
So when they came to us at different times in life, we all said no.
Some for arrogance. Others for disdain. I still remember when Raijin came to me in a dream…. And then Hachiman…. And so on.
Either way, the gods don't like to be denied. Look to the Isle's of Indus for proof of that.
And for that very reason. We stay at sea, in the company of ourselves and the creatures below.
That is until we have a mission.
"CAWWWWW!!"
A large bird resembling an Albatross screeched from the skies. But it was no ordinary bird. That much was obvious from the GME Medallion hanging from its breast along with the two scrolls held tightly in its clawed feet.
"Mission incoming." Our team leader watched as the bird closed in.
"I give it five more seconds." Someone said as we all watched.
"No way…. Look at the size of this one they're breeding for survivability at this point. I say ten."
"On account of who?" Our team leader entered the discussion.
"Any guesses, Ronin?" The woman seated next to me questioned, attempting to get me involved in the game.
"Gambling is poison to the mind. I don't like poison, Eden." I replied.
"Some poison is good in small quantities. You should know that considering what we did in the Amazon…" Eden winked at me and stood up to join the others watching the Albatross descend.
"Oooouuuhhhh spicy! When is it my turn?!" A man with pimply skin and an irritating number of bald spots announced.
"Shut up, Black." Eden spat at our slouched over parasite of a teammate.
I watched her leave to join the everyone else. Eden. She wasn't like the others. She was young— like me. We got picked up around the same time too. She seemed to think that meant we were compatible for something romantic.
I don't know why anyone would want that in this line of work. In my five years here we've lost ten members. And with every loss our funding shrank.
"Humanities sword grows brittle…" I whispered.
As if I'd spoken the words of a curse, the Albatross landed on the bow of the ship. It dropped the mission scroll on the deck briefly before being smited out of the sky by a stray lightning bolt.
It was a clear sky in the middle of summer.
Everyone looked at me.
"Raijin." Black said it as if he was disappointed.
"Yep. That one's on you, Ronin. Eden…."
The white haired Toxinmancer turned to our team leader, her dark brown skin and hazel eyes didn't fit the black coldness of her mission issued threads, "Yes, Sgt Sayaad?"
Sgt Sayaad picked up the Mission scroll off the polished wood deck and handed it to her, "Go hand that to your boyfriend for me." He kept the other to himself, stashing it away briefly with a single glance.
Black burst out into laughter as Sgt Sayaad chuckled.
"Oh shit! HAAHAHAHHA— I LOVE cringey teenage ROMANCE! It's soooOooOo painful. If I wasn't a masochist I would've drowned myself two years ago!" Black wiped tears from his eyes as he stood beside Sgt Sayad. His hands glowed as he controlled the winds pushing them north.
"You know the rules, Ronin. Your group of angered Gods killed the bird. So you have to read off what's in store for us. Here you go." Eden held out the Mission Scroll. The sun hung high in the sky directly behind her fluffy ponytail of nappy white hair. It gave her a halo.
It gave me a migraine.
I stood up and took the scroll.
It was expensive. The backside was branded with a myriad of protection runes so the missions contents could survive a travels worth of godly curses and magically unfortunate encounters.
I grabbed the top and bottom rolls and pulled it apart.
Instead of being met by a parchment paper layout of a mission, I found myself staring into a mirror.
My own teenage face looked back at me. Not that I could see it all that well. Half of it was covered by a kabuki mask. The same one the lady that found me once wore. Senso Starved. She gave it to me after she succumbed to her injuries fighting an Elven Primal Lord.
I wasn't that close to her. I was untethered. We all are. No ties. Just the mission. I wasn't hurt by her death. I was irritated that I didn't notice the Abyssal Anaconda's in the cave before they could get her. I wasn't hurt…..
I'm fine.
I was…—
"Well don't build the suspense too much, sword boy." Black said from beside me— "Oh… youre gawking at yourself. Forgive me. Continue, my liege." Black gave a bow and scampered back over to Sgt Sayaad.
I continued to look into the mirror. My hair was longer than it had ever been. Half of it tied up at the back of my head. Some of it hung over my eyebrows. But the recognition runes at the top of the page still did just that.
They recognized me.
Then in a flash of light, the page cleared and allowed me to read the writings therein.
I cleared my throat, "The COG's presence is requested in Southern Arthuria at the behest of Greece's Grand Magus following word from GBE Blackwatch [REDACTED] that a formidable WereLion Pride has gone rogue. Six villages in The Sunlands have been ran through in their wake along with more settlements leading northward. For reasons unknown to all reliable sources the beasts of the sun seek the shadows of Arthuria. You have exactly one month to eviscerate the threat and get back to the seas. You will be held liable for any godly damages done towards the land of Greece and its people afterward. Signed by, Faustian Fischer. Your team coordinator and stalwart supporter….. Sgt Sayaad, Vulture Black, Ronin, and Eden. If any more of you die I'm going to fucking kill you."
I stopped speaking and closed the scroll.
Sgt Sayaad smiled. He wore a kufiya around his head and face adorned by hawk feathers but I could tell by the eyes. "Good thing we're already heading north. Anyone remember where the Greece Docks are?"
"Of course not. We don't even use Docks." Vulture Black pulled a dead fish out of his pocketed robes and ate the rotting meat casually. Flies included.
"Oh yea…. Looks like the rides on me again."
"As long as it's not Ronin. Flying with Lightning is hell on earth…. EESH. I say that as a man who's looked death in the face."
"I didn't mind Ronin flying us." Eden added.
"Of course you didn't, you damn groupi— hahaha…. Just kidding!" Vulture Black hid behind Sgt Sayaad at the front of the boat as seaweed and poisonous coral reefs began to rise from the ocean depths around them.
"Eden, play nice." Sgt Sayaad reminded her as the boat picked up speed in the blue waters.
"Yes, sir." Eden's toxic green eyed glow faded. "You're such a goof, Vulture." Her sweet hazel eyes beamed as she smiled before silently mouthing to him, "I'm going to fill you with so many viruses you'll be the start of a global pandemic."
Vulture Black blew her a snaggle toothed kiss.
I suddenly needed to get on land and into battle as soon as possible.
Thankfully Sgt Sayaad had the gift of the wind.
Even as Sea Serpents on Tiamat's payroll and Ghoul's ran along the sea floor after us, we stayed ahead. The ocean air was crisp. The waves splashed against the front side of the boat, sending sprinkling showers of crystalline salt water onto the upper deck. Tangents hovering over the seas blew by in a multicolored blur as we picked up speed.
All the while we dug into our travel boxes and geared up.
My kit was simple. I wasn't an Assassin like most of The COG. I was a Swordsman. So in a way, I was more like the groups Knight. I kept the Muramasa blade sheathed at my hip and a Rune-Written great sword at my back comprised of pure silver. Stuff worked like acid on steroids for ShapeShifters.
I used to prefer light armor…. And then I got hit by a drug addict wielding Mjolnir. Hybrid sets have been the least likely to fail me since. Heavy cuirass, light gauntlets fit with hidden blades and shin guards. All engraved with camouflage and elemental resistance Runes. Under the sun they glowed like splotches of gasoline on the metallic surfaces.
I hid it all under a cloak with the COG insignia written on the back. A cracked skull surrounded by Hallowed Weaponry and smited by lightning. A clock that was always at the time of death. A wheel that spun on misfortune…
The others did the same. It was almost ritualistic. They all put on the same things in the same order with the same expressions.
Eden opened her pallet of black powdered makeup derived from berries in the Amazon. She's covered her fingers in the substance before running it across her full lips. Then she clipped on her belt lined with poisonous seeds on the verge of germination. She grabbed her daggers and wand last.
Vulture Black always grabbed his weapon first. Pluto's Bident. A hideous black pole of metal with serpentine forking blades and a shadowy eye hovering between. An eye filled with thousands of slitted pupils. It stared at me, blinking in and out of existence every few seconds. Vulture Black turned from his box of gear beside Sayaad and smiled at me. I sheered off his nose in a scrap years ago which now only added to his grotesque aura. Two holes in his face. Dry blue lips. Pale pimply skin and stale black eyes. The fact that he was over seven feet tall slouching really tied the whole horrific look together.
When he pulled on his cloak and hood, he looked like a wraith sent straight from the underworld.
"Do I still scare you, boy?" He couldn't help himself.
"Ask your nose." I replied as I began stretching and warming my muscles. Greece grew on the horizon. Great white buildings topped by ocean blue domes that spread across the mountainous landscape. It was beautiful. Human.
Sgt Sayaad laughed at my reply as he pulled on his cloak and picked up his weapon. Sharur. An ancient mace that spoke to him apparently.
Vulture Black rolled his tongue back into his throat and stuck it out of the holes where his nose was to taunt me… and my stomach.
Id seen worse.
"Alright everyone shut up. You know the rules. The second this boat stops moving and we touch land we're on a timer. The whole of Greece is on a timer. We're going after a dangerous threat to mankind but let's not forget we are weapons of mass destruction. Every single one of us. But we're human. We have agency. You get in, follow my lead, kill these inhuman bastards and then we leave. Simple. We've done it a thousand times."
We all nodded in understanding and awaited our arrival.