The First Day, Reprise

[Mari]

Taka had spent a day alone. Scarlet made sure of that, no food, no water. Nothing. He was ready, Scarlet had said she would break him and she meant it. She slowly descended the stairs in a low and purposeful rhythm. She knew the fallen ronin would hear her footsteps, and she knew the ache in his heart. She saw it in his broken gaze as she left him those few nights prior. She would use all those things to her advantage. Ulroke taught her well, and she would mould Taka in a similar fashion. If successful, she’d have her own unwavering knight, and if she failed - he’d be fodder for the succubus whore, Advencia.

As Scarlet descended the final step and rounded the corner, the flickering illumination of the single lantern she held cast an eerie light upon the residents of the lower sanctum.Her own face was cast in shadow, pale and greyed skin taking on an almost sickly appearance in the light. Her eyes darkened by the tainted corruption that corsed deep within her being, stained veins littered her face and exposed skin. She wore a long, crimson gown. Once belonging to Lichensith Ulrokes former lover. It’s sleeves covered her arms and the hem kissed the dirtied floor. Her presence illicit a few moans of discontent, but beyond that the prisoners were too far beaten, gone, or dead to otherwise object.

Scarlet passed these, until she stood in front of the cage that housed Taka. “Hello, ronin.” She said, her voice smooth and calculating. “I trust you find your stay comfortable?”

The Ronin shifted, his kimono dirtied from the detritus of the cell, acknowledging her presence. He cleared his throat, his voice gravelly, “How can I serve Amari-sama?”

Her lips turned down into a dissatisfied frown. “Scarlet.” She corrected, “address me appropriately.”

He nodded, “My apologies, Scarlet-sama.”

“Mmm. Tell me ronin, what do you desire?” Scarlet asked as she slid a finger along the cold iron bars, she inspected it and sighed, as she wiped the dirt off on the sleeve of her dress.

“I desire what any warrior of Akashima desires, to serve,” He replied.

Scarlet was not satisfied with the answer. “You’re saying what I want to hear.” She chastised, as she flicked her wrist, and a small key on a chain fell out from under her sleeve. “I don’t think you truly believe that, ronin.” Scarlet unlocked the cell and pulled the iron door open. “But you will. In time. Follow me.”

[Tainted Bushido]

The Ronin moved carefully, his gate steady, even as hunger gnawed at him. He needed water, food, actual nourishment. However, he had not been provided by the woman that had replaced Amari, and he was beginning to see Amari was gone. She fought him on her name, and the Ronin knew he would not win that fight.

They left the cells rising up, eventually the hallway emptying into the room he had debated with Lye the nature of Amari’s life. Licensith Ulroke had insisted she was stronger now, but Taka wasn't so sure. Confident yes, but confidence was not strength. She was not prepared for the future, and that was why he had been tormented to become her bodyguard. Both her master and Amari knew it.

When last he had been in the great hall tables had lined the center, with the throne at the far end.The tables had been pushed back, bar one which sat directly in front of the throne. Leaving a large open space as though a spectacle were about to take place. He drank in the details and remained silent, awaiting what he knew was her orders.

She sat upon the throne made of human bone and skulls, shifting herself till she were made comfortable. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?” She asked. As if on cue, two men came out from behind them, carrying plates of food. Breads, meats, fruits, enough to feed two people. A plate was placed in front of Amari, and she began to idly pile it up with a few bread rolls, and freshly fried eggs.

He knew the trap when he saw it. Remaining still he looked at Amari and saw she was gathering food. The Ronin’s stomach gurgled at the scent but he remained stoic and replied firmly, “I am.”

The Ronin had discipline. He knew that she would test him, looking for weakness. The fast and subsequent implied offering was just that. An implied offering, he could only take her words at face value now. To try and read deeper into them would court disaster for the Ronin. Much like when he had escorted Anila Sakurazuka, he would need to be on guard for word traps and treachery. He had willingly plunged into the wolves den, now he reaped the rewards.

Amari set the full plate aside, “That, is yours. If you prove yourself today.” She started loading another plate for herself, this one far less full. She gave herself a few eggs and a single roll, which she had picked up and cut open with a serrated knife. When finished she threw the knife toward Taka, it clattered noisily against the floor.

“I’m about to be attacked, do your Master a favor and kill the intruders.”

A fight, while starved. She wanted to see his conviction. He grabbed the knife and carefully tested its weight, he looked about for threats and took up position near Scarlet. His eyes scanned the room carefully, his body taut, still ready to go despite the hunger that gnawed at him.

[Mari]

“Oh…” Scarlet pulled her sleeve up, revealing a crude metallic bracelet, in it was the very magicite that had leached away her energy in Dheathain. “I forgot to mention, I’m unable to defend myself. So whatever happens to me, ronin, is on your shoulders.”

Two ropes fell from the ceiling, one on each side of Scarlet. Down them slid two of the Crimson Hand. Scarlet had given some of the men an opportunity to do what they will with her, attack her, flay her, fuck her, she gave them the free for all. If they were able to make it past Taka. The first had an axe, and the second two small daggers. Both charged at Scarlet.

Scarlet picked up a knife and fork and calmly began to slice an egg in half. She sighed, seeing that it was overcooked.

The Ronin sized up the attackers and went for the axe fighter first. The blade came about in a blow to gut the Ronin who remained unimpressed. As the blade came up he shifted swiftly and stabbed the bread knife up under the chin. Blood poured over his hand, and he ignored it grabbing the shaft of the axe as the knife user closed with Scarlet. He stabbed for her when Taka disappeared and reappeared, the axe brought down on the man’s outstretched arm. As the man cried out in alarm, the Ronin brought his foot out, forcing the man to a kneeling position, before he brought the axe down on his neck.

Blood sprayed across the table, staining scarlets egg with droplets of red. “I suppose they won’t be so dry now…” She mused, nonplussed by the gore on her food as she stabbed it with a fork and gently placed it in her mouth. Blood pooled around her feet, and the dirt began to soak it up. Scarlet kept her gaze on Taka, who quickly glanced up at the rafters for any more threats from above.

Scarlet knew he’d fight them off without concern, the men he fought, they were brutes, murderers, rapists, they were nothing to the ronin. She wanted to see how he fought under duress, and how far he’d go to follow her order.

He looked at the blood on his hand before he sighed and resumed his vigil. Scarlet could see his chest heaving from the exertion. It didn’t bother her, if he collapsed now, then he was not fit to champion her.

There was a glint from the shadows, as the next attacker readied a bow aimed at Scarlet's heart. She caught sight of this. “I wonder….” She mused, as she waved around her fork. “Do you think I’d still be capable of reviving now? Or would my death be permanent. What do you think?”

The Ronin's gaze seemed to catch the archer. He gripped the axe and threw it causing the man to stop his aim. He hopped the table with ease spilling his plate, but clearing it as he charged the bowyer. A dagger was pulled, but the Ronin threw a punch that caught the man off-guard. He threw another punch, those one throwing the man off balance and the Ronin pulled the man’s other dagger and stabbed him again in the throat. He didn't wait and grabbed the axe, seemingly more familiar with it than a knife and moved back to Scarlet his eyes sweeping the room once more.

“My thoughts are secondary to your safety,” he replied, throat parched.

Scarlet’s eyes fell to the food that now littered the floor. “That is still your plate.” She chided. Scarlet placed the knife and fork down neatly on her own half finished plate and picked up a clean, brass teapot. She poured two cups, one for herself and the other, for the Ronin. Blood floated atop his cup, and swirled with the floral brew but Scarlet paid it no mind. She slid it over to him.

“Drink.”

[Tainted Bushido]

He looked at the cup, and saw the blood. He looked up at her, “Is that an order?” his voice was soft, he cleared his throat to give it more strength. Amari shrugged in response, not giving him a definitive answer. Her dark, black eyes watched him intently as she raised her own cup to her lips.

He carefully grabbed the cup, before he poured it before him. The tea spilling to the ground, “I am not a bloodthirsty savage, despite what the oni otherwise wi-”

He stopped, hearing the sound of footsteps. Another man attacked head on, which Taka carefully held a gauntlet clad hand before him sizing up the man. A sword was drawn as he let forth a cry for battle, charging the Ronin who let out a steadying breath. Sword was brought down, only to find the Ronin grabbed the attack with empty hand. Using his shoulders as a fulcrum, Taka flipped the man to the ground, and brought the man’s own sword through the man’s chest.

The ronin's chest heaved once more, he was out of energy, famished, and thirsty. Even one of those was a problem. All three would be tortuous. He instead persisted, even when he should have passed out resolute not to fall. In that moment, with that dedication to the cause, Taka’s soul pulsed, and the room felt like the dark depths panther Ocean. Cold and indifferent the Ronin roughly pulled the sword from the bleeding out man and said, “This serves no purpose other than your amusement. What is the point?”

“I need protection whilst I enjoy my meal.” Came her reply.

“Were they actual enemies, I would agree. You told them to kill you, destroy, and defile you. You invited them to sate their desires on you. If you wished to test my resolve, there were better paths,” He retorted. He stopped talking as he grabbed a few rolls and placed them on the table easily the more edible of the spilled food. The rest of it however, was a loss. He wouldn't entertain her by trying to block and clean cooked eggs from the dirt. He still had some pride, some spine.

He heard the sounds of shuffling once more. He's tilting towards the source panther noise. Grumbling he gripped the long sword and wished for a Katana. The blade felt clumsy, ill balanced. He could use it, but an actual Katana would have been more useful. Then again, he highly doubted the entity Scarlet cared about his comfort at all. She seemed a capricious creature who amused herself with the death of others.

He brought the blade up in defensive posture, his breath hitching. He looked up he attacker as saw what her game was. She had given him warriors to fight, and had seen if he could fight and continue despite starvation. Now, now was the test of resolve. She was covered in rags, and he briefly recognized her as a woman brought in from a nearby village. She had been dragged off numerous time for the entertainment of others,and now she stood there with dagger before him. Her eyes widened seeing Taka, her brown hair splayed about her. Two prisoners, made to fight for freedom. Finally he ventured, “This is cruel, even for you…”

[Mari]

The woman sighed, feeling disappointed. He had promised her, and already that resolve had wavered. She should have expected as much, a day without food, water, or sun would not be enough to break the man. It was only the beginning, much like her, he would learn.

“It would do you well not to question me, nor my motives. Ronin. That is no longer your job nor your luxury. Those men. They are enemies. Each and every one of those attackers are men who abhore me, I do not need to tell them to attack me. They would on their own merit, they are wise to not attack without first disabling me. As I am now, they feel they had a chance.” Scarlet grinned. “But I have my sworn protector, who will protect me…” Scarlet paused as her glance shifted to the sniveling woman. “Against all threats.” Scarlet placed emphasis on the word.

“You believe she is a threat?” his voice held a tone of incredulity.

“Kill her. That is an order.” Scarlet said with a dismissive wave of her hand as she picked up her cup of tea and lounged back in the chair, crossing her legs. This was his true test. She doubted he would go through with such things especially so soon into his conditioning. Scarlet wanted to test his reactions, and gauge where the man was at.

“Cause and effect.” Scarlet mused, pittless black eyes with burning rings of crimson remained focused on Taka.

“You mistake me for a slave Scarlet-sama, as your bodyguard I am to counsel you against courses of action that needlessly endanger your life,” he turned to the woman and said, “They promised you freedom for her death, didn't they?”

“Such a shame.” Scarlet said as she stood. She placed her hands on the table, and a thick feeling of death began to leak from her person. The food, and the table itself began to rot and decay, the once fresh food now becoming fetid.

She played with the latch on her wrist till it fell away. “You could have given her a quick death, Taka.” Before the ronin had a chance to retaliate, or respond, tendrils of crackling crimson energy burst forth from Scarlet’s back, they shot past Taka and into the woman whose screams tore through the log cabin. She crumpled to her knees as she tried to claw at the tendrils that danced through her person. Her skin began to darken from internal bleeding. The woman writhed, choking on her own blood as she coughed. Her bloodshot eyes shifted from Scarlet to Taka.

“H-Help...please…” She begged as she reached out toward the ronin with a shaking hand. With another strike of Scarlet's corrupted soul magic, this time to the head, the woman fell silent. The way her eyes moved frantically about suggested she was still alive, and in pain, but immobile.

Scarlet turned her back on the woman. “You failed, however. I am not entirely heartless.” Scarlet held up three hands. “You get to choose one of three things. Food, water, or a bath.”

He looked at Scarlet for what seemed an eternity before he spoke, “Water.”

Scarlet nodded. “You won’t be staying in the cell tonight, you will have my own quarters. Follow.” She gestured for him to follow her out of the longhouse.

[Tainted Bushido]

They left the longhouse, moving over the grounds. His thoughts on the poor woman, who had been tortured and played with. This was the Crimson Hand, this is what Licensith Ulroke’s Althanas was, a vicious cycle of predator and prey. Action and reaction, and the only way to break the cycle was to replace one of the two figures in the equation. It was a vicious cruel world that brokered no room for mercy, or forgiveness.

They moved across the grounds and approached a cabin, windows barred, and door left ajar. The insides seemed to be only a single room with fireplace bath, bed, and a desk against the far wall. It appeared to have a jug of water upon it. The water was lined with frost.. The sheets and other accoutrements were missing, leaving only a straw filled mattress. While supposedly punishment for a job ill done, it was still a step above the cell he had been meditating in. The fireplace was not lit, and so he would have to fix that after she had left. They had moved silently through the area and Scarlet spoke breaking the silence, “These were once my quarters. They are now yours. Do not try to escape, the archers have been informed to shoot to kill if they think you’re leaving.”

“It is my job to protect you, I cannot do that from the next village over,” He replied softly.

“You are doing a poor job of that.” She muttered in response, closing the door behind her. “Your water is on the desk.”

He waited for what seemed an eternity before he carefully pulled the Kimono from his back. A hiss of pain escaping him as he gently pulled it off the scabs of his wound from Licensith Ulroke, aggravated by the fighting he had just done. The Kimono was tossed towards the empty tub, as he felt his back, drawing back fingers coated in black blood, and the crust of dried blackened blood. He sighed as he moved to the pitcher of water and carefully examined it. She seemed impassive at the sight of the blood, perhaps Amari was gone after all.

The woman had never been a threat, that was the only reason he hadn’t attacked her. The second she had stood prepared, he would have cut her down, much as the members of the Hand. Amari’s impatience with the act had shown him that he would only get one chance to follow orders, before he would be punished. He carefully unwrapped the cloth from about his hands, spiraling under the gauntlets he carefully peeled off and poured a bit of the water into them before he carefully cleaned his wound.

Once that was done he sighed, seeing he had used much of the pitcher. Pouring the water into a cup he sipped cautiously, feeling his throat greedily absorb it. Truthfully he could have done the same with a bath, but he didn’t need that much water. The pitcher had been more than enough. Carefully he brought the bandages of his left arm about his back and drew them taut. Attempting to bandage his wound so that he could act more freely, there was no telling what tomorrow would bring. He would stop to occasionally sip the water, knowing better than to chug it.

He had been a ronin, the ascetic life was one he knew well. While the Ixian Knights had given him more mass, more muscle, he knew how to live without. That lesson would never leave the Ronin, who had been beaten and left for dead many a time. A sigh escaped his lips, before he carefully pulled the Kimono back on, to cover the wound from prying eyes and sat heavily on the mattress. He looked over at Amari before he spoke, “Will that be all today Scarlet-sama?”

[Mari]

She had watched him go about the place as though it were truly her own. It was curious, how quickly he had managed to settle into his new quarters. They were by far much better than his fetid cell, but unlike the cell he would not be protected from the harsh Slavic nights. It’d be a miracle if he awoke tomorrow without some form of frostbite. It was almost nostalgic, he was reliving her lone days of torture. Her first few weeks here, of course… Amari didn’t have the same skills as Lye, nor the experience. “Practise makes perfect…” She whispered to herself.

He still had blackened blood, and dark marks swallowed up entire limbs. Scarlet narrowed her gaze, “Your body and blood is still blackened by that thing inside of you.” Scarlet mused, gesturing to his form with a small nod of her head.


“It is a sign I bear the taint of Jigoku, no more, no less,” He said softly.

His answer did not impress her, it was redundant. She knew this. She knew of the demon, and it’s motives, she knew it’s dislike for her and her own fall from so called grace. Scarlet had expected it to make an appearance today, but it hadn’t. It appeared the ronin had more control of his body than she first thought. She wondered if she could use his own struggles against him. It was one thing to fight her, it was another to fight both her and the oni inside of him.

“Championing me does not equate to being solely my bodyguard. It requires you to follow my orders, it requires you to not question my motives or reasons. You questioned me today.” Scarlets boots clicked against the wooden floorboard as she approached him, her hands reached out to grip his chin. Her touch as cold as the freshly falling snow outside. She tilted his head up to face her.

“Why promise yourself to me if you already waver?”


“If you believe I wavered then I wavered. That is the fact of it, you are my charge. I will always act in your best interests. However, it would be foolhardy to simply rotely agree to a course of action if I know it to be dangerous. That would be doing you a disservice. I would be putting you in more danger by not trying to tell you of the dangers and help you make an informed decision,” He replied firmly meeting her gaze.

“That foolhardy honour was the death of the knights, and it will be the death of you.” Scarlet said as she let his chin go, stepping away from him. His answers disappointed her, they were the typical noble notions he had always spurted. It appeared his few days in the cells had taught him nothing. Watching her writhe and revel in her own newfound freedom had not yet spurred him to seek his own.

Scarlet would change that.

[Tainted Bushido]

The ronin watched her go, and saw the stiffness of her shoulders. He closed his eyes, his tone firm, “You believe me a fool.”

“I do. Talk like that will get you killed.”

The honesty was refreshing to say the least. He needed to know her state, and this went a long way towards that. Her disdain for his Honor, his traditions was at the heart of it. She didn’t want a useless bodyguard, and he was anything but. He looked at her retreating form before he spoke up, “It was never the talk that got me killed. It was lifting my blade to fight. However, as you well know, that is hardly a deterrent. I think you mistake my honor for a crutch, when that’s never what my honor has been about. It’s...sad to see you not understand after all we had been through.”

“I feel close to nothing, Ronin, and it is the most freeing thing I have ever felt. Perhaps one day, you too will come to understand it.” She turned to glance at him over her shoulder. She looked as though she were going to say something, but changed her mind, “I have business to attend to. You are to be locked here, in solitary until I need you.”

He nodded, “As you wish Scarlet-sama.”

She gave him one final look of disdain before leaving, the door slamming shut behind her, followed by the loud grating of iron bars. If he was upset at the turn of events he hid it. He remained silent for awhile before he moved to the desk and carefully checked. The room at one time had been Amari’s sure there was some insight into what was to happen to him here. If it was a scrawled letter, or a carved word, something to connect to the woman he had sworn to protect, before Scarlet had taken her place.

He sighed as he saw bits of Amari in a rather morbid display. If she had been trying to dissuade him from searching more she had done a good job. He sighed, sitting on the mattress again as he huddled in his kimono for warmth. There was no wood in the fireplace to burn, and so he would be freezing tonight if he didn’t figure out a method of staying warm.

The cold would be an issue, especially once the sun set and the temperature dropped. He had faced the prospect of frostbite before, this was nothing new. He looked out each window trying to see where abouts in the compound he was and sighed, knowing he had been tucked away. He would never escape if he wished it, he would be shot down in a heartbeat. Scarlet seemed determined to make him just like her, and that was a scary prospect.

Taka already had enough problems with the Oni constantly whispering in his ear, goading him to violence. When he had killed those men it had cheered him on, letting him know how efficient and good he was at killing. He closed his eyes as the Oni replayed those memories in his head over and over the brutality, the ruthless efficiency.

[Mari]

The day was barely over, the sun sat high in the sky, signalling noon. Still, she was already done with the ronin. If he couldn’t perform the simplest of tasks, he’d sit in isolation to contemplate his reasons, and what it truly meant to champion her.

“Mistress~”

Scarlet stopped in her stead, and turned to face Advencia. The tiny buxom succubus. She wore her usual attire, white lace skirt with matching corset, bound up tight to have her breasts near spilling out over the top. “Yes?”

The demoness stalled in her energetic approach, stopping just a few feet before Scarlet. Her big blue eyes widened, “You...you’re….”

“Feeling a lot better.” Scarlet interjected, rubbing her hands together to generate warmth. The sun was high, but the Salvar air was still frigid, forever cursed with extreme weather, and the inner sanctum seemingly forever buried in snow. The demoness averted her gaze, and fidgeted with her hands. “I-If I may Mistress, you smell an awful lot like Ulroke.”

“We spend an awful lot of time together. We lay together, figuratively and literally. It’s only natural we’d smell similar, no?” Scarlet retorted. It was surprising...how calm and collected she felt, how much easier it was to think without her emotions clouding her judgement. Such a remark would normally annoy the woman, after all, to be likened to Ulroke was generally an insult. “You’re worried about me?” Scarlet asked, cocking her head to the side. The Demoness gave a small nod. Scarlet smirked as she took two steps toward the tiny girl. “Ulroke is lost in his anger, I’m not like that. I won’t mistreat you like he did.” Scarlet reached out, and her fingers danced along Advencia’s cheek. “Are you hungry?” Scarlet asked.

“Yes.”

Scarlet grinned, a new plan forming in her mind. If the ronin did not respond well to the cold, harsh truth, perhaps it would be an option to lavish him in the luxuries of man, ones he had sworn away from. Scarlet would rip away his abstinence, and wash him in worldly desires. “I want you to come with me, we have some plans to discuss. Tomorrow, you will feed.”

“Yes Mistress.” Advencia replied, following Scarlet as they both headed toward the longhouse.

[Tainted Bushido]

The room was sparse, that much was sure. Not a single blanket to be found, no hidden trove that Amari had secreted away from him. It seemed Scarlet was determined to punish him for his belligerence, real or perceived. He looked to the mattress and sighed resigning himself to sleeping under it. As he lifted it however, his eyes took on a pained look. It was perhaps the closest he had come to showing real emotion since he got here.

Dried flowers, pressed leaves, what looked to be letters and torn scraps of cloth. It looked like garbage, but this was what Taka had been looking for when he had searched the desk. He had been looking for the shreds of Amari still left, and yet here they were hiding under a mattress where no one would look. Had it not been for her cruelty, he would never have found it. He gently picked up a trinket, looking over it carefully before placing it back where it belonged with reverence.

Here, was a shrine to Amari, the woman who he vowed to protect. Scarlet may have worn Amari’s skin, but she was not Amari. One day, one day he would find Amari and bring her back, for now though, he would cherish a chance to see more of her. To see this honest glimpse of the woman he had thrown his life to save, gave him hope; Gently he lifted the letter from a person named Fenn, who seemed to be all over the place. A soft smirk crossing his lips before being suppressed once more.

“Perhaps…” He mused looking at the trove. He couldn’t leave it here. Scarlet seemed keen on divorcing herself from Amari as much as possible. This was clear evidence of the woman that once lived in her body. She would destroy it if only to prevent her heart from stirring at the memories they evoked. He moved quickly and grabbed a torn shirt, carefully packing the things into the fabric he looked into the fireplace and carefully tucked it in a nook.

He would have time to sift through her former life later. For now he needed rest, even as the hunger gnawed at his core. He carefully lifted the mattress and laid on the hard wood and carefully placed the mattress over him as a blanket. He closed his eyes and sighed, preparing to sleep when he felt something smooth under his hand. Frowning he gently lifted the mattress and lifted up a small ring of what looked like white hair, braided into a bracelet.

It seemed almost an entire life ago, when they had met at Castle Ixia.

He had given her a lock of hair to remember him by, a token of friendship. It had since grown into something more, and yet, here he was suffering for the sake of love. He had forgone duty, honor, even his soul for her. She had not cared, and now, now he was a victim of Ulroke for her safety. It was crushing to deal with it so bluntly, but perhaps much like the bracelet, somewhere hiding in Scarlet was Amari.

He gently ran a finger along the bracelet and closed his eyes, letting the mattress fall upon him. He dealt with the confined feelings and let the warmth slowly envelope him. He nestled into the course burlap that marked the mattress, ignoring the discomfort in favor of the warmth that it had begun to contain. He wouldn’t freeze, not tonight, but if she continued on this path, one day, very soon he would die.

He couldn't live without food and water forever.