𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐋𝐈 - 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑

                                    

                                          
BREATHE. You need to breathe. Kinzoku Mikazuki reminded herself, golden gaze falling back on the beast, its large body nearly obscuring the rest of the tunnel despite the lighting that shined from a hole on the ceiling. The sorceress steadied herself, clutching the side of the wall while she took a gulp of air. The fact that neither she or Satoru hadn't been noticed yet was both a gift and a Curse. A gift because they still had time to turn back, and a Curse because they both knew neither ever would. 
The Mother of All Rats screeched, the sound reverberating through the walls while the water around the embarkment shuddered in fear. The rats echoed the sound, speaking back to their mother while their eyes turned blood red, their fur turning into a strange fleshy and gooey substance.
There were at least eight-hundreds of them – and she was lowballing it. The mother's face contorted into an ugly grimace, yet the sorceress still recognized the gesture. A smile. A sick, twisted, cruel smile. Ninkilim rose from the ground, its large belly facing its youngling before she gagged and hunched forward, a clean set of bones sliding out of her mouth and into the water. The rats swarmed into the water, cleaning the flesh out of the bone with their teeth, pulling at muscle and tendons while the mother cackled in the distance. 
"My children." She sang, her voice nearly as sick and disturbing as said offspring. "I have brought you sustenance. You will soon grow strong and fierce and ravage the surface."
Mikazuki gulped, an anxious expression crossing her face as Ninkilim spoke. The Mother of All Rats smiled once again, sheltering the rats as they crowded over the body, consuming its flesh and tearing it to shreds. The sorceress felt bile rise in her throat. 
That could have been me. 
"Worry not, my children." Ninkilim continued to speak, her voice mirroring that of nails on a blackboard. "Our compliance will be rewarded, and once we have completed the goal, we will feast on their young and taste their humanly flesh." 
The sorceress titled her head to the side, seriously considering Ninkilim's words. If their plan was to ravage the surface, then they didn't have a choice. Whether it was the Magistrate's wish or not, it didn't matter. The Mother of All Rats was a Mythical Cursed Spirit who intended to destroy the city above them, and as such, she had to be dealt with. 
They swore an oath – whether it was to the Magistrate or to the dearly departed, it didn't make a difference. This was their duty as sorcerers, one they would never dare run away from. Mikazuki hadn't backed out of it ten years ago, so she certainly wasn't about to start now. 
The sorceress pulled her hair out of her face, a wicked smile appearing on her face before turning to check on Gojo. Satoru seemed to have the same thought, as he reached towards his back, fist closing around the handle of the nodachi. She could practically hear the song of her Goldslayer, desperate to claim her kill, to spill the glorious blood of those who dare tempt her. 
And just like her mistress, Goldslayer wouldn't be satisfied until she could bathe in the blood of her enemies.
Mikazuki kneeled, bandaging her leg with a quick tourniquet before looking back up, her golden gaze filled with a thirst for blood comparable to that of Ninkilim's vibrant crimson ones. Time was running out, and as soon as the clock struck midnight, The Mother of All Rats would be at her strongest. Meaning it had to be now or never. 
It's now or never. 
Gojo Satoru was the first to move, slowly walking towards the back of the horde while the blade of the katana dragged beside him, the golden edge cutting through the water like steel through paper. The rats didn't notice him, they were too busy feasting on the body, and by the time they noticed the sound of Goldslayer slicing through the air, it was too late. 
The horde scattered, dark purple blood spraying across the water while their bodies exploded into glittering dust. Ninkilim howled, tears streaming down her crimson eyes as she watched her babies being massacred by the sorcerer. 
"My beautiful children!" She screamed in agony, falling to her knees while the water turned into a purple river – a mix of Curselings blood and human waste coming together at her paws. 
The Curse's tears soon turned to stone, and like the furious mother she truly was, the Mother of All Rats stalked forwards, each step rumbling like a storm, the walls of the tunnel trembling in unison as she approached. Mikazuki wiped the sweat from her face, emerging from the shadows and blocking the creature's path. Ninkilim looked down, tilting her head to the side with a curious expression on her face. 
Mikazuki smiled, already knowing exactly what she needed to do. However, following the plan was the easy part. The hard part? Surviving long enough to complete it. Still, the sorceress extended her arm, gold pouring out from the cracks and turning into a huge sable with a gleaming blade and a broad handle. The weapon fell into Mikazuki's hand, her fist closing around the leather as she prepared herself. 
"Beautiful?" Mikazuki cackled. "Those are the ugliest babies I've ever seen in my entire life." She eyed the beast, a condescending smile playing on her lips. "Then again, with a mother who looks like that..." 
Murder. She was going to be murdered. Ninkilim narrowed her eyes, settling her crimson gaze on the meagre sorceress in front of her, like she couldn't quite believe the words that had come out of her mouth. Neither could Mikazuki, but she was here to do a job. 
"Who are you, puny little human?" Ninkilim asked, her sights set on Mikazuki with an unreadable expression on her face. 
The Kinzoku smiled, taking a deep breath before bracing herself. 
"Ah, but you see? That's not the question you should be asking." Mikazuki taunted, reaffirming her grip on the sable. She would be needing it soon. "The real question, Mother of All Rats, is who am I to you?" 
One blade wouldn't be enough, and so Mikazuki summoned another, stretching the gold in her blood so thin she could feel her skin turning paler by the second. But none of that mattered, not when she was about to summon the wrath of an ancient goddess – bargaining her own life in the process was just a side effect. 
Without giving it another thought, Mikazuki swung both sables, cutting through the sea of Curselings like butter, purple blood splattering all over her face while Ninkilim's pure scream of agony rattled both the walls of the tunnel and the sorceress' own bones. The Mother of All Rats sunk to her knees, a new set of tears streaming down her face. 
The calm before the storm. 
Mikazuki spat on the ground; her saliva mixed with droplets of Curselings blood. The sorceress looked up, her golden gaze showing no guilt or remorse, a wicked smile playing on her lips as she watched Ninkilim come undone in front of her. 
"I'm Kinzoku Mikazuki." She spoke clearly, eyes quickly flickering to the watch she wore around her wrist. 
Midnight. 
"... and tonight, I'm your worst nightmare."