Chapter 127: Wolf vs. Crocodile

Daniel curiously examined the saber he had just pulled out of his chest. He wasn’t going to lie and claim that he had seen the attack coming and had simply allowed it to happen. The truth was that the assassin had caught him completely off guard.

He ran his fingers along the edge of the blade, fully aware that he wasn’t invincible and that even someone like her could hurt him if he let his guard down.

A good reminder that he shouldn’t underestimate Aura users.

He shook his head mentally. He didn’t have time to stop and reflect on his own shortcomings right now.

"Now, jokes aside," he said, adopting a much more serious tone as he got rid of the saber and tossed it over his shoulder. "Could you tell me where the Silver-Eyed Warrior is?"

Of course, neither of them answered, though they didn’t need to. His gaze settled on Maria, or more specifically, on her eyes, which had been completely sliced out.

He lowered his head slightly, letting out a small, disappointed sigh.

"Knowing my luck, I suppose it’s you, isn’t it?" he asked, approaching and crouching down to her level.

Feeling his presence, Maria instinctively recoiled. Despite the fact that he had healed her, or at least managed to close her wounds, she still had no reason to trust him.

"Look, if I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done it already," Daniel said in a somewhat reassuring tone. "You’re blind and unarmed. You’re an easy target right now."

"Then why did you stop my attack?!" Maria demanded angrily, convinced that she would have finished off the assassin if he hadn’t intervened.

"Well..." Daniel replied defensively. "In my defense, I didn’t know which of you two was the Silver-Eyed Warrior. It could’ve been the crocodile girl, and I couldn’t risk you killing her."

He stood up and turned to look at the assassin. Despite having his back to her, she hadn’t attacked him again, although he had been expecting her to try.

"Besides, we’re part of the same lineage, even if you can’t see it. We both have silver eyes... well, at least I still have mine."

Maria remained silent for a few seconds, considering his words. Setting aside his rather casual way of speaking, she didn’t get the feeling that he was lying. Besides, the assassin herself had already confirmed that he also possessed silver eyes when she first saw him.

"I believe you..." she finally said. "But don’t let your guard down around that assassin. Her Semblance allows her to avoid any damage."

"Ohhh, really?" Daniel exclaimed, turning to look at Tock again, this time with genuine interest. "Tell me, Miss Assassin, is that true?"

Tock tightened her grip on the saber she still held and assumed a combat stance. Her confidence had returned, although she remained somewhat cautious. Regeneration was an uncommon ability, especially one as powerful as the kind she had just witnessed.

"That’s right. My Semblance makes me invincible," she replied, pointing her saber at him. "And thanks to whatever you did to me, I can use it again right now."

Daniel nodded. He had no doubt that she was telling the truth. The berry juice had undoubtedly not only fully restored her Aura but also allowed her to activate her Semblance again.

Even so, her revelation didn’t particularly intimidate him.

"What exactly do you mean by invincible?"

As expected, Tock didn’t answer. Instead, she took the watch she was carrying and adjusted the timer.

Daniel scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Does your Semblance make you incredibly strong and fast?"

He shook his head, dismissing the idea almost immediately. "I don’t think so." A mocking smile appeared on his face as he began closing the distance at a leisurely pace.

"Because if that were the case, you wouldn’t have needed all these lackeys."

He gestured toward the bodies scattered all over the place before continuing, "If you were that strong, you would’ve taken care of the Huntress yourself."

His gaze dropped to the large watch hanging from her waist. "I suppose that watch has something to do with your Semblance."

Tock gritted her teeth, a small gesture that didn’t escape Daniel’s notice.

"Ha!" he scoffed. "You’re just like all Hunters, way too flashy. It’s as if you want the whole world to know that your Semblance has a time limit and that you need that watch to remind you of it..."

Tock’s patience finally ran out.

Click!

She activated her Semblance at the same time as the timer and shot toward the second Silver-Eyed Warrior. Not only because she found his attitude annoying, but also because his guesses had been far too accurate. She couldn’t give him any more time to figure out her weaknesses. She needed to finish him off immediately.

It took her barely a second to close the distance. Although she could clearly see that he was following her with his eyes, he made no move to dodge.

"You’re going to regret this," she thought as she swung her blade directly at his neck, convinced that no matter how good his regeneration was, it wouldn’t save him from being decapitated.

Daniel, for his part, wasn’t particularly surprised.

"Above-average strength and speed," he assessed, watching as the blade approached his neck in what seemed like slow motion, thanks to his [Super-Speed] Semblance, which altered his perception of things.

Although he could have dodged the attack, he saw no reason to. He simply focused and allowed his Body Haki to cover his neck just in time to take the impact.

CRACK!

The edge of her sword struck his neck, but to Tock’s surprise and horror, not only did she fail to cut off his head, the blade didn’t even seem to pierce his skin.

"You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!" she growled, trying to apply more force, but it was useless.

Daniel simply raised one hand, grabbed the blade, and pushed it away from his neck, forcing her backward despite Tock never stopping her attempts to push forward.

In a desperate attempt, she tried to pull her weapon free, but she couldn’t do that either. Thanks to [Surface Adhesion], Daniel’s grip on the blade was absolute.

Realizing that struggling was useless, she stopped fighting. The situation was far worse than she had imagined, and little by little, she understood that she had never really stood a chance.

In one last attempt to survive, she let go of the hilt of her weapon and prepared to run, but she barely managed to take a single step backward.

Grab!

With no intention of letting her escape, Daniel reached out with his free hand and grabbed her by the head, lifting her off the ground.

"Wait, wait!" Tock pleaded.

But Daniel paid her no attention. Using all his strength, he slammed her head against the rocky ground.

BAM!

The ground cracked and broke from the impact, but to his surprise, Tock’s head and Aura remained completely intact.

"Not even a scratch," he congratulated her with a slight chuckle. "But I wouldn’t call this invincible. I’d call it... invulnerable."

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

He slammed her skull against the ground a few more times, getting exactly the same result.

"Impressive," he commented, fascinated, as he lifted her again and took the opportunity to grab the watch hanging from her waist and check the countdown.

"ONE MINUTE?!" His voice conveyed genuine disappointment. "Your invulnerability only lasts one minute?"

As was becoming customary by now, he received no answer. Instead, he got a desperate punch straight to the face, although it didn’t have much effect.

"You’ve got forty seconds left," he announced with a laugh, allowing her to keep hitting him and vent her frustration.

However, his laughter only made Tock intensify her attempts to break free. She twisted, kicked, and punched, and she would even have tried to bite him if she’d had the chance.

He let her continue like that for a few more seconds until he finally grew bored.

"Tell me, what’s going to happen when time runs out and I’m still beating you up like this?"

Tock went completely still, paralyzed with fear as she imagined what would happen to her once her Semblance’s time limit ran out.

"I can give you anything you want," she tried to bargain. "My mistress is very powerful. She can give you anything: money, power..."

Her words were silenced when Daniel changed his grip and covered her mouth with one hand.

"What I want to know is whether your invulnerability can be broken by beating you up before the time runs out."

Tock’s eyes widened, reflecting absolute panic.

"MMHHMM!" she tried to protest despite having her mouth covered, but Daniel, of course, ignored her complaints.

"Let’s give it everything we’ve got, guys! HAHAHA!" he exclaimed, laughing maniacally as he took a step forward and slammed Tock’s body against the rocky floor, cracking it.

But this time, Daniel wasn’t alone. Gura joined in the beating with a smile on her face, throwing a punch straight into Tock’s chest.

BAM!

Her strength was nothing to scoff at compared to Daniel’s. The impact caused Tock’s body to sink even deeper into the rock, but Gura wasn’t satisfied with just one hit.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

A barrage of blows rained down on her body. Fists and kicks struck her legs, arms, and torso.

Tock didn’t even try to get up. Although she wasn’t suffering any damage, she felt constant pressure that prevented her from moving a single muscle. There wasn’t a single part of her body that wasn’t being repeatedly struck. Only her face had been left exposed, allowing her to see what was happening as the seconds ticked away and her impending death drew closer.

Or at least, that’s what she thought until Sadako approached with Aegis in her hands and held it in front of her face, close enough for it to start hitting her.

Its tiny pincers moved so fast that Tock could barely make them out, but the force behind each impact was no joke.

Now she couldn’t see absolutely anything.

"THE ANIMAL TOO?!" was the only thought that crossed Tock’s mind, horrified.

—/—

Maria had no idea what was happening. All she could hear were the assassin’s screams, mixed with manic laughter, the sounds of blows landing, rock breaking, and the constant vibrations beneath her feet.

She had no idea what they were doing to Tock, but she was quite glad she wasn’t in her position. The situation continued for several seconds that felt like an eternity to her, until finally...

Tick-tick-tick!

The watch beeped as the blows suddenly stopped, leaving the place in heavy silence.

"Is she dead?" Maria asked. There was no fear in her voice, only hope. After all, the bitch had left her blind.

"She’s not," Daniel replied, dropping down beside her.

That wasn’t the answer Maria wanted to hear. "WHY NOT?!" she asked irritably, hoping he wasn’t one of those people who refused to kill their enemies.

"I need her alive."

"Well, I need my eyes!" she shot back, prompting a few laughs from Daniel.

"I need her alive," he reiterated with a smile. "I find her Semblance interesting, and I want to run a few experiments on it."

Maria was left speechless. She even cleaned out one of her ears, making sure she’d heard him correctly.

"Did you say experiment? Call me crazy, but you don’t sound like an Atlas soldier."

"I’m not an Atlas soldier," Daniel replied, making no attempt to deny it.

"I saw you arrive in an Atlas Bullhead."

"About that... I stole it. By the way, you owe me a new Bullhead. I haven’t forgotten that it crashed because of you."

"HAHAHA!" Maria burst out laughing. "You’re funny. Tell me, Bullhead thief, where’s the assassin?"

"Unconscious," Daniel replied. "She passed out when her watch’s alarm went off. Although she doesn’t have a single injury, I’ll tie her up in a moment."

"By the way, I’m Daniel," he introduced himself.

"I prefer to call you Bullhead thief."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged. The way she chose to address him was the least of his concerns. "But I have a few questions I’d like to ask you."

Maria, exhausted, let herself fall onto her back on the ground.

"Is it about how to use the Silver Eyes?"

"It’s about how to use the Silver Eyes," Daniel confirmed.

"Kid, I wouldn’t recommend looking any further into them," Maria warned. Noticing that he was waiting for an explanation, she continued, "Those eyes grant you great power, but..."

She extended a hand, gesturing vaguely toward the bodies of the bandits she had taken down. "They attract far too much attention from unwanted people..."

She paused before touching her face, right where her eyes used to be.

"Well, I suppose that’s no longer a problem for me."

"Listen, judging by the fight I just heard, you’re already pretty strong. I advise you not to try activating them... and maybe you should wear some contact lenses."

Daniel took a moment to consider her advice, although he ultimately decided not to follow it.

"I hear you, but I’d rather not take your advice," he replied with a hint of irony. "At this point in my life, these..." He kicked the nearest body. "...unwanted people are a minor nuisance."

"I just want to know if you’d be willing to teach me how to use the Silver Eyes."

"No," Maria replied curtly. She had no intention of condemning someone else to the problems that came with that power, much less her own savior.

"Well, that’s a shame," Daniel lamented. "What if I offered you something in return?"

"Ha," Maria laughed. "There’s nothing you could really give me that I’d want..."

"I can restore your sight," he interrupted.

Maria fell silent. She was certain he wasn’t simply referring to mechanical prosthetics. That was something she could get for herself in Atlas.

"You mean my eyes? That’s hard to believe..."

"I already partially healed you," Daniel reminded her.

"What did you give me, anyway...?" she asked curiously, remembering the pleasant sensation of her Aura recovering and the wounds on her body closing up.

"It’s an SDC product. It’ll be released on the market in two months."

"And you have it because...?"

"I have connections." He raised a hand and looked at his fingernails with obvious smugness. "I know you can’t see me, but I’m admiring my nails rather smugly, so just imagine it."

Maria shook her head, amused.

"And do your connections have anything that can give me my eyes back?"

Daniel approached and placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.

"I promise they can restore your sight, as long as you’re willing to teach me..."

Maria didn’t hesitate.

"Deal," she agreed, with a clear conscience, knowing that she had at least tried to persuade him to give up. The chance to get her eyes back was an opportunity she wasn’t willing to pass up.

Daniel sprang to his feet, full of enthusiasm. "Excellent!" he exclaimed, taking her hand to help her stand up.

"By the way, do you have any kind of ship we can use?" he asked, reluctant to walk all the way back to the laboratories.

Maria shook her head. "I was finishing a mission when they attacked me."

She took her scroll out of her pocket and pressed the emergency button, although, as expected, nothing happened.

"Great, there’s no signal either," she sighed. "Well, I suppose these bandits must have arrived in some kind of ship."

Daniel nodded in agreement. There were too many of them to march across the wastelands without risking attracting the Grimm, so they had most likely arrived in an ship.

"Great! Where is it?"

Maria thought about it for a moment before pointing in a direction.

"Over there!"

Following her finger, Daniel began walking. "I’ll go take a look..."

He hadn’t even taken two steps before Maria stopped him with a shout.

"IDIOT! I’M BLIND! HOW THE HELL WOULD I KNOW WHERE IT IS?!"

HAHAHA!

She burst out laughing. And he wasn’t the only one, as Gura, Sadako, and Aegis joined in as well.

Daniel would never admit that he had felt humiliated, but the truth was that he had.

"I guess we’ll have to wait for the crocodile girl to wake up," he commented, trying to change the subject. "What should we do until then?"

Aegis, perched on Sadako’s shoulder, caught his attention. "You could go retrieve the Moon Rocks that were on the ship and that you forgot to store in your inventory."

"FUCK!" he cursed. "GLaDOS is going to kill me!"

Without wasting any time, he hurried to pick up Aegis, since he was the only one who could find the rocks, or at least whatever remained of them after the crash.

"Don’t move from here, and keep an eye on the blind woman!" he ordered before hurriedly leaving.

Maria remained silent for a few seconds, feeling somewhat awkward about the situation. Finally, she decided to address the girls who were still nearby.

"Do you girls have names?" she asked.

Sadako didn’t answer. She simply sat down on the ground, pulled out a chocolate bar she had hidden among her clothes, and began eating. Of course, being a ghost, she didn’t need to eat, but she found a certain pleasure in doing things associated with the living, such as eating or pretending to sleep.

Gura didn’t answer either. She was too busy stripping the nearby corpses in search of clothes that fit her.

"Ahh..." Maria sighed.

She was already starting to miss the Bullhead thief.

[Image]

—//—

Author’s Note:

Short Chapter? Well, you know what they say: better out than in... or something like that.

I forgot for over two months to explain that all of Diablo’s fruits have some wolf in them, even if they don’t look like it. Something like this:

[Image]

If you want me to talk about something specific, leave a comment! Or if you have an idea, feel free to share it.

Kisses and hugs. Bye!