Four Legs, Two Legs, Three Legs, And... [Medeia, Mura]

Damn… was it a curse? No, really, she made it sound like she was forced to siphon lifeforce from others, lest she… I don’t know, shrivels up? Withers? How long had she used it, then? Was she technically immortal by that matter?

But if she was… what the fuck? She must’ve seen a lot of shit. “I mean… can’t argue with that logic-“

“Neither can I.”

If both Mura and Kyūken agreed on something together, nothing else had to be said further. And Medeia seemed ready to pull a quick one on her previous, surviving employees, confident in her capabilities to clean her slate. If many of them were already dead… shit, how old was she? He had to guess… maybe, 200? Shit, it felt weird to guess – even internally – but she just laid it all out there, she was clearly older than the appearance portrayed.

“… I feel just fine, though – it’s not like you can pour too much into me…” Mura reassured her by rolling his right arm and shoulder a bit, feeling energized and rather uppity. His sour mood had vanished at this rate… so, uh…

What now? Beyond retrieving the money she had saved, what… now? He didn’t plan shit ahead – and now, he was just sitting with her. Mura had to ask with a raised brow: “I don’t wanna be rude, but I’ve never met a human with your ability… I’ve met Quincies, sure, but beyond that…”

“No but if too much of my lifeforce is drained then I will age rather quickly and rather unpleasantly too.” Medeia replied honestly, her green eyes looking rather grim for a moment. “It is a delicate balance and I need to make sure that I am always on top of it. My abilities are a gift as well as a curse and I have had a few close calls in the past when I have stretched myself thin. I have lived far longer than most but there is a price to pay for it, as there is with most things.”

In answer to his other comment, Medeia’s expression would soften a touch. “That is why we humans are so interesting, no? Each of us have different powers and I believe that is what separates us from any other race. Shinigami, Quincy, Fullbringers, they all have their benefits but deep down, they all possess the same set of skills. Us? We have the potential to develop any form of power, with all of us being unique to one another. Do you not agree?”

Ew… he didn’t really want to imagine what Medeia would look like right now if she expunged all of her stolen life energy. Can’t put a number on that, nor her age… so technically, he must’ve been talking to a walking national treasure of some sort, right? It left so many questions – where was she from? And who or what even taught her this magical prowess? Was it something she was born with, or was there more to it?

Mura had Spiritual Energy from the day he was born, sure – and he was able to utilize it from the age of 10. Even so, it never expressed itself beyond increased physical prowess, and the Niten Muryū had to be mastered over the span of 10 years. Something that Kyūken of all people taught him… nothing inherent to him or his Spiritual Prowess. But it also meant that some other humans out there possessed just as unique arsenals as Medeia here… it wasn’t just crosses and demons. It felt intriguing, exciting even.

Fullbringers… he’d heard that term before, hadn’t he? Yeah, he could’ve sworn he had. Either way, she had a point – with this much freedom in the hands of humans and their Spiritual Prowess, who knew just how many techniques existed out there? Perhaps that was their strongest trait overall.

“… T-This is too much for me – I mean, you got a damn good point…” Mura expressed in awe, his hand clawing on the side of his head, “… Hey, since you can manipulate life energy…” It was worth asking, yeah.

“Can you… heal limbs? Like, regenerate and stuff?” Obviously, he was referring to the possibility of bringing his left arm back, as a certain Hollow out there ate semi-good that fateful day.

The gaze of the witch would fall upon his missing arm at that point, suspecting that was what he was referring to. She did not mean to stare and the look on her eyes would appear to be mocking in any sense of the word. Besides, she knew how strong he was already and he was effective enough with one limb, let alone two. To be honest, she was uncertain whether she could do such a thing or not and when she looked back at Mura, the green eyed woman was honest with him.

“I am not certain if I could heal your arm. It would require a significant amount of energy to heal if it is possible and there could be a substantial risk to both of us. I am able to restore the body when it comes to recent wounds but since yours was caused further in the past, I do not know. It may be possible and it may not. I would have to attempt it to find out for sure.” Medeia wished she could give him a more promising answer but she genuinely was unsure.

Le sigh… at least, he knew now. It’d been a good few years now since he lost that arm – he really ought to just settle with a prosthetic. Case is, no prosthetic he knew of in the common market could tolerate his swordsmanship. He needed something spec-like, specially made for him… and shit cost money. Money he didn’t have in him to ask Akira about.

And forget about the money from his Head Master – that wasn’t his. What, you wanna send him to jail? Mura’s hands, ironically, were tied.

“Don’t,” Mura reassured her with a raised hand at her last words, “What if you end up losing your own arm in the process… as some sort of equilibrium-thing? Rather not risk that, it wouldn’t solve anything.”

… So this was her, now. Yesterday, a clear enemy – today, a changed person who was starting to terrify him with the mystery of this person who changed her. Mura knew oh so little about the witch to begin with, so in all honesty, his opinion of her was… tainted, to be exact. Flawed, and definitely in need of improvement. Other than her outwardly beauty, he couldn’t find any particularly good thing about her since she was still too associated with the destruction of his dojo. Oh well.

She’d just proven herself helpful by actually returning the life she’d stolen from him before. Though, what now? That was the question… what now?

“… After you finish your drink, show me the Head Master’s funds,” Mura requested with a sharp look in his dark-brown eyes, “I’ll have you apologize to him in person, too. Though, he might scold me for that later… it feels like the right thing to do. Don’t you agree?”

The brunette would have considered attempting to heal him further if asked but his reaction to the idea was enough to stop her from pressing on. He was rather humble in his response and Medeia accepted his decision. In truth, the risk of danger was as high as she had stated and there had not been any deception in her words. Healing others was not something that she used her powers that often to do anyway and her lack of experience could well kill them both. So, she simply nodded her head.

“If you want to see the funds then you will have to accompany me to the bank in order to withdraw them. I put the money in my account after I dealt with my old boss, as that was far safer than carrying the case around in the flesh. I am sure you can understand that. If an apology is necessary then I will acquiesce to your request as I would like to bring an end to all of this. I am afraid that I can only give back what I took during my visit though and I have no idea what happened to any previous funds that were taken from your Headmaster.” She replied truthfully, agreeing to his terms.

Well… at least, the funds she forcefully took from the Head Master that one time would be enough to renovate the dojo, so Mura nodded in agreement. He was adamant to lead her towards apologizing to the Head Master in person, but… wow, she looked burnt out of the hired muscle life. Despite looking elegant, he was still a first-person witness to her electric prowess, and he remembered the confidence in her every move. Techniques and methods of directing bolts of lightning from her palms in various ways – she was used to her power, had trained it extensively, and she’d been doing this for years.

All of that info from one fight. Any respectable martial artist should be able to tell.

If she had really put it all behind… then he was willing to forgive her. He didn’t want to be enemies with pretty girls, that was an incel’s mindset. “Then lead the way, uh…”

…

“…” He blinked loudly, his mind going numb, “What… do I call you? Lightning Witch doesn’t really sound like something you call a friend…”

“It would probably be an apt nickname for me considering.” The brunette replied dryly, standing up and starting to lead the way to the bank as she finally introduced herself properly. “My name is Medeia, no last name, just Medeia.” Her last name was not one that she had considered for centuries, knowing that her family was now long buried. She had never had any real feelings towards them and it seemed that it had been mutual. The brunette had run away when she had had the chance and the rest as they say was history.

As they walked, she would ask a question, figuring that it would be alright now that they were no longer at each other’s throats. “How long have you been a member of that dojo out of interest? From what I saw between you and the Headmaster, you seem to be a favourite of his.”

Medeia… not at all Japanese, figures. Not at all common, either. Probably a name from whenever long back in time she was born, and who the fuck knew? Given the explanation, she could be far older than he could guess, and yet it felt so nasty assuming a woman’s age like this.

Like, was he doing something wrong, or was it called for? Y’know what, just keep it in your own head, Mura. Don’t even mention it.

On top of her fancy, almost ‘western fantasy’ like name, she had no last name. Eastern or Western, most – if not all – people on Earth had last names, but… he wouldn’t believe that Medeia just forgot hers. Maybe she kept it secret, or maybe she just didn’t have any. Such an enigmatic woman.

“Ah, I… I’ve been there since I was a toddler,” Mura replied, “And I’m his most skilled student. Figures I be his favorite…” Most skilled used to be a fair assessment before his journey to China, but after learning Niten Muryū, he excelled far above the other swordsmen at the dojo. Too bad, he never had the chance to let that fact taint his soul with arrogance – China made sure to strip him down to the bones, and Medeia’s victory over him only further reminded him of how unreliable a single, overrated martial art was when all was on the line. Kyūken would vomit at the idea that his martial art could lose, but that was his weakness.

“Did… someone teach you to manipulate electricity?”

“Since you were a toddler? Your entire life must have been martial arts focused in that case.” Medeia answered with a touch of surprise in her voice. It was no wonder that the Master had been willing to sacrifice the money in exchange for his student's life although the brunette had to wonder how Mura’s young life must have been. Such a disciplined childhood must have been difficult and the witch pondered just how exactly it had affected the male.

When he asked about how she had learned her magic, the brunette pondered for a second before replying honestly. “There was someone who taught me the basics but it was unfortunately only after he died that I was able to master my abilities. As you know, my powers work most effectively when I am angered and the grief I felt after his passing was enough to focus my mind. Before I started working for mafias and such, it was revenge that motivated me rather than money.”