servants of the dark sword

[Reiko]

Kit could only smile as she sat on the rooftop of the village to watch the sun set. Her red tails seemed to glow in red light as they swished lazily. These evenings were quite common for the kitsune, as she had not spent adventuring in a while. The ronin girl still had her weapons with her but they only left their Saya to be maintained and nothing more.

The Trade village of Tien was were she stopped to live, it was made to give tradesmen from Shanleh a place that was more like home when they visited Corone though the place was a small island off of the continent and wasn’t considered a part of Corone but was only a quick ferry away. Why this is the case the three tails could not tell.

“Mother! Mommy!” A voice cried out and Kadenzaa perked her ears knowing the source. The girl was her own Daughter Inari; the girl was just seeing her first spring but looked almost a woman already. “I got your rice ball.” The pretty blue tailed girl climbed up on the low roof while holding the rice ball in her mouth.

“Thank you sweetie.” The vixen mother’s voice felt a little absently as Inari placed the ball in her mother’s hand. Kit went to nibble it despite the fact that some of her daughter’s saliva was on it. “You know it seems evenings like this used to scare me.”

Inari made a confused look as she shook her tail. “But why mother? It’s so nice out and there’s nothing scary in the least.”

“Well it used to mean that something’s bad happens, the calm before the storm.”

“I guess but how can something bad happen?”

“Well you know the animals get a whiff of something bad and go quiet and hide. I think I smell something funny.”

“Yeah I know. You told me that so many times when we adventured.”

“Ok I’ll try to remember what I told you a thousand times. Well let’s get to bed. I think we’ll start adventuring again in the morning.”

Inari’s tail wagged happily at the thought of adventuring again. “You mean it?”

“Yup. This has gotten a bit boring hasn’t it?”

Both foxes got off of the roof, both smiling at the thought of returning to adventure, they headed to the inn that gladly gave them a place to stay for some easy yet dull work, a bit of fox magic easily kept people entertained. One fellow whose eyes were permanently squinting smiled at seeing the fox girl’s come in. “Will you ladies give us a show tonight?”

Kit gave a polite smile and shook her head. “Sorry but we just want to relax tonight. A busy day tomorrow.”

“Ok no problem.” The man conceded while keeping his smile though the voice was clearly disappointed.

“Hey mom, I don’t want to go to bed just yet.” Inari meekly spoke hoping she wasn’t going to be sent strait to bathing then to bed; she wasn’t tired yet.

“Alright.” Kit pulled up a seat and ordered a drink for her and some milk for Inari. The two girls talked about their uneventful days, old adventures and what their new adventures would be like.

[Zerith]

“Alright, can you tell me again what brings you here?”

“Bloody hell, just how many times would it take for this guy to understand?”

That’s what Zerith was asking himself. Somehow an old man that was sitting in the inn was having a little difficulty understand what was being said to him. Although the exact reason was still a mystery. So instead of tackling that problem it would have been simpler speak more slowly and not mumble. With luck, he would catch one to what Zerith said this time.

“I’m looking for someone named Sevelakath,” the young man began. “I can’t tell you much about him but I do know he’s taller than me. Also he has the same colour of hair as I do and looked much older. Does any of that sound familiar?”

“Ummm, let me think”, the old man answered as he rubbed his chin. Eyes seemed to stare off into space, possibly trying to recall an image of such a man. Recreating how the subject looked and carried himself while ears probably tried to remember the sound of his voice. After about a minute Zerith heard the old man’s voice again, although it probably wasn’t the answer he was waiting for. “Nope, sorry. I guess my memory isn’t as good as it used to be”.

“You guess so? Well thanks for nothing then”, Zerith thought to himself as he groaned and rose up for his chair and left the man’s table. Perhaps that was enough asking around for the night, the people in the inn were probably just tired from a long day of work. If any answers were to be found from such people, then they would probably be found during the day. Now it was time to just sit back and relax, possibly even having a drink if you wanted to.

Frustrated with the fact that he wasn’t getting anywhere, Zerith took a seat at the bar and placed his halberd beside him so it was leaning against the counter. A drink was ordered and within a few minutes a glass stood on the countertop. If he had enough of them it could have been possible to forget all about the work that had to be done tomorrow. But that would result in having on pathetic drunk around, something that everyone could do without.

“Hey, the foxes are here again.”

Zerith turned around in his seat to see who the voice belonged to, but in the end was unable to. Instead the pair of eyes settled one the forms of the two foxes. The two girls sat not to far from him but were clearly to busy talking to one another to notice what was going on around them. Obviously they must have been known here, otherwise why else would some of the people here be happy to see them? They probably lived somewhere close-by and were regulars here, that just had to be it.

“Hey, do you think they’ll put on another show tonight?” the man sitting beside Zerith asked.

The young fighter replied, “Why would it matter if it did or not? They’re not here to just put on a show for you, they’re individuals too, so if they don’t want to put on a show then that’s perfectly fine. Did you even stop to think they perhaps they have had a long day with work and just wanted to relax a bit?”

“Wow, no need to get all upset because I asked you a question. I just thought you had an answer, I’m sorry.”

“Like hell you are”, Zerith shot back. “ Why don’t you just shut up, finish your drink and let everyone here have a nice time okay? If you really want to be a pain in the ass, then go piss someone else off”. Zerith didn’t get any answers, even when he asked this bastard earlier that evening. Now he wanted an answer to one of his questions? Well he wouldn’t get one from Zerith anytime soon.

[The Cinderella Man]

Victor doddered down the chintzy main street of the village, genuinely looking like a macabre apparition. His worn gray robes were damp, tugging on his slumped shoulders even further as he did his best to keep a straight heading. The fatigue was present on his face as well, a grim shadow that made him look like an old man on his way to meet his maker, but it was only a shadow. The stubborn determination overruled the weariness, the sheer resolute that brought him this far and kept him placing one foot before the other. That saved his life.

“Oh yeah, that was a nice plan. Join the crew, see the world, earn some money. What a heap of dung that was!” his mind commented, but even the voice in his head sounded irked by the current situation. A short while ago he was doing some heavy labor at the Serenti docks, loading, unloading, loading, unloading, like an automaton with shit for brains. It was grunt work with the rest of the unfortunate scum that couldn’t find a better way to earn for a living with a paycheck that would ensure you have just enough to come back the next morning. But he was hungry, he had to eat. It was hard enough to find a fair fight that far south in Corone, and his decaying reputation wasn’t helping him either. So he hanged up his gloves for the time being and rolled up his sleeves.

About a week after he was approached by a man who, by Victor’s reckoning, looked too young to captain a paper boat. And yet this youth of some twenty-something summers was a captain of a rather shabby ship by the name of Dedalus, and he needed a couple of solid lads on board. Victor couldn’t really say why captain Merander approached him and not the hundred and one other bum that was sitting in the tavern that day. Maybe it was because Victor wasn’t drunk. Maybe he just flipped the coin and picked at random. Maybe none of them wanted to take the job. Victor didn’t care. The pay was at least thrice as good as what he got on the docks and the work was about the same. Only on the sea.

They were supposed to do a merchant tour, covering most of the adjacent south islands and returning to Serenti within a month, but somewhere between the first and the second island the whole deal went sour. Three significantly smaller vessels rode in on them, outmaneuvered the wet-behind-ears captain and made the crew walk the plank. Victor was the only one whose hands weren’t fastened tight enough, enabling him to be where he was now, on some god forsaken island with nothing but clothes on his back. And they were rather ratty as well.

The inn should have been a godsend, but wasn’t. He didn’t even have two gold pieces to rub together and he was certain that even if the barkeep accepted a raincheck from some people regarding the bill, he wouldn’t have accepted it from a stranger that looked like something chewed him up and spat him out twice. Still, it was his only option at the time being. There was always a chance that the owner was one of the good ones that would offer compassion and sympathy and all the fairytale crap that people put in cheap novels. Victor didn’t count on it, but a remote chance was better then no chance at all.

“Who knows? It seems like a tranquil small place. People tend to be kinder in smaller communities.” the rare positive spur of his mind commented. The prizefighter wouldn’t put any money on it though, even if he had any.

The batwings swung in noiselessly, allowing Victor’s entry to remain unnoticed by the majority of the customers. He straightened up a little bit now, just so he wouldn’t look like a drunkard or a thief. Most folk seemed like regular clientele, barflies and farmers that unwound and chewed the fat, people that sought no trouble and caused none in return. He didn’t want to disrupt the harmony, aiming for the corner of the room behind the two peculiar women and hoping his entry would be unheeded. Luckily, a lad with a huge polearm was having a rather raucous argument with one of the customers, allowing Victor to slip into the corner.

Unfortunately, while the rest disregarded the prizefighter, the trained eyes of a young blonde waitress noticed him and in a matter of seconds. She wasn’t completely unattractive, her figure short but finely shaped, clad in a rather unsightly brown dress and a gray apron that might have been white once. She had the artificial smile on, the professional kind that was both cold and warm at the same time. She moved like a fairy though, evading the groping hands of the drunkards and swiveling between the tables effortlessly. And all of that with a platter filled with mugs and glasses.

“What can I getcha?” she asked, her azure eyes doing a quick survey of the subject before her. He looked like a bum, there was no doubt about it, but when he took his hood of and tried to offer her a weary smile, she was certain that he meant no harm.

“Miss I... I don’t want any trouble.” he started to explain. She put on another professional face on, the listening face, placing her free hand on her hip as she waited for his story. “I got shipwrecked earlier today and this place was the first I came across. I won’t cause any trouble. Just rest for a couple of minutes before I move on.”

She looked at him long and hard, as if trying to dig her way past his gaze and into his mind to confirm whether or not his story was true. And no matter how hard she tried, she failed to find deceit in his words. She looked behind to make certain that the plump barkeep wasn’t looking, before she leant closer to him. Her hand picked up one of the half-empty mugs and placed it before him with a less artificial smile.

“He’s going to give me a hard time if he noticed you were just sitting around.” she nodded her head towards the man behind the bar. “So just pretend you’re drinking.”

She winked and made herself scarce. Victor smiled for the first time in days. Maybe there was some truth in those cheap novels.

[Reiko]

Yipes who knew that Kit an Inari’s little entertainment was going to be a big deal. Both vixens were blushing when they heard the argument centered on them as one hero decided to battle with his loud rhetoric for the fox girls right not to entertain.

Inari looked down as she wondered why the man would argue that they needed no do one of their shows. “Do you think he doesn’t like it?” Inari asked Kit who shook her head.

“Naw we’re great and I haven’t seen him before.” Her three tails danced together in happiness. “I think he’s trying to impress us.” The three tails smiled at her daughter. “Just don’t let him buy you any drinks. Now you wait here.”

Kit stood up and walked past a man and a waitress. Kit had seen that one many times, a sweet girl but that was all the fox girl knew the hussies tended to be easier to point out and tell what’s going on. Perhaps this one was a better trickster than the others but Kit wasn’t sure.

No that wasn’t any of her business; the argument was the first thing she needed to fix.

“Hehe, I’m sorry that you two had to argue about my not doing a show tonight.” Kit wondered if the man that was disappointed had fallen for her fox magic. A simple charm spell was what made the amateur dance and music such a hit and Inari’s illusions were worth a bit more praise than the heating mother. “It’s just if I do it every night then everyone will get bored. Then it won’t matter any more.” Kadenzaa smiled as she moved her tails in the magical pattern to charm the individual and hope that he’d see it her way.

“Oh yes sorry.” The man said man who was arguing with the stranger.

Yeah I don’t recognize him at all. Nice weapon, must be a mercenary. Kit hoped that he would fall for the spell too, he seemed to have a stronger Will than the other man. “I really don’t want you guys fighting, me and my daughter just want some peace before bedtime.”

[Cassandra]

((sorry i took so long))

Cassandra slipped into the small town unnoticed. She had not realized how far south she had wandered until a few nights ago when she stopped to really look at the stars and noticed that the constellations were not in their usual homes.

It didn’t bother the young woman of 20-something years that she had drifted so far. In fact, she was rather thrilled at the prospect of seeing a whole new place. Wandering was in her blood and she was never upset about finding herself in unfamiliar territory for very long.

She quickly made her way to the first inn she saw and quietly slipped in. A blonde barmaid was taking care of a customer on the far side and she silently found empty seat. The room was filled with the usual types of people she saw in a bar and her eyes glanced over them, wondering if any of them might be up for an adventure.

She watched, slightly amused as the elder of two foxwomen stood and went over to a young man. She couldn’t hear their conversation, but she saw the look of the one man change from being stubborn to being quite docile and more friendly.

Either the man is a pushover, or that fox knows magic. I wonder how she does it?

[Zerith]

What the hell was with this guy. Just moments ago he was busy argue with Zerith, claiming the young fighter was treating him rather rudely. Now suddenly with the appearance of one of the two fox girls, he was sorry. Did he really like these two or something? Or was he trying to make Zerith look like the bad guy.

That bastard, that had to be it. He was trying to make it look like this entire argument was Zerith’s fault. Surely she must have heard it, how this idiot was the one that spoke first. Asking a question that Zerith wouldn’t have an answer too. Instead of apologizing to the woman, this jerk should have been apologizing to the young mercenary. At least for making Zerith’s night a little more miserable.

“Well if he wants to try and do something like that. I might as well come out with the true story.”

The pair of Sapphire eyes quickly moved from the man to the fox woman. Then with a smile he spoke, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience. You see it has just been a long day for me and I just wanted a nice quiet evening as well. However, after you and your daughter arrived this man here suddenly asks me if I you were going to do some kind of show or not. Naturally, I wouldn’t have some sort of answer and I expressed my opinion that you two weren’t here just to put on a show for everyone. I’ll admit that I may have answered a little harshly but I was just frustrated with life in general, then this person had to ask me a question that I think should have been brought to you.”

“So I guess you could say this is all my fault. I should have taken a deep breath or something instead of just lashing out at this poor fellow. I’m sorry for all of this. I didn’t mean for it to escalate to this point. I hope you can forgive me”, Zerith finished as he still looked up to the woman.

“There, now the truth is out in the open. It’s the least I could do for her. This way we’re not fighting anymore and she gets the nice night she asked for”. He probably didn’t know it now, but for some reason he didn’t feel like he was getting back at the man. Now he just felt like letting this woman get the nice evening she wanted.

[The Cinderella Man]

Victor peered into the ale mug before him studiously. Sure it didn’t smell right, sure it had a cigarette butt inside, but he could see no spit or phlegm inside the yellow liquid. And that was a good sign because, alcohol aside, ale was rather nutritious and he was both hungry and thirsty. The salty ocean water that was forced into his stomach and lungs as he fled for the shore only made it worse and he needed fuel to burn. And between eating his own shoes and drinking a fishy leftover ale, he opted for the latter. His fingers sunk into the lukewarm liquid, fishing out the intruder with little trouble and casting it aside.

From the table ahead of him, the younger of the peculiar fox vixens with queer blue hair turned around and looked at the prizefighter in his moment of misery. Victor wanted to tell her that it wasn’t always like this, that there was a time where he sauntered through grandiloquent halls with polished floors and dames so refined and exquisite, they could make your head spin with a snap of their pale svelte fingers. But that would’ve been just another fairytale, a dream gone wrong at the decisive intersection, and it would probably have no influence on the conclusion already drawn in the girls head. Instead he raised the mug towards the feline lass, drawing his lips in a mirthful smile as he spoke.

“Cheers.” was the only word he uttered before he took a couple of deep draughts. Unfortunately, he drank too fast, making the ale take a detour on its way to his stomach and turning into his windpipe. It made him lower the mug hastily as his lungs insisted on the series of dry coughs. A couple of heads turned, most didn’t, but it was enough for the man to feel smaller then he really was.

Luckily, the focus of the patrons was still mostly on the scene in the middle, where a red-haired furry woman with multitude of tails hanging from her backside was having a talk with one of the arguing men. She seemed like a nice individual, trying to calm the entire situation with her sweet womanly charms. It was amazing what a woman could do with a smile and a wink and, god forbid, a bit of bare skin. Men climbed mountains and fought wars for something as trivial as that. Even Victor fought his own little war for his Delilah. And, like many men that charged against the windmills, he lost.

“A woman can kill you on a thousand different ways.” Victor remembered the words of his old friend back from Scara Brae. It made him smile morosely as he eavesdropped on the conversation. The warrior seemed like a doormat type of a person, apologizing defensively for something that needed no apology and trying to explain the reasoning behind his actions that shouldn’t have occurred in the first place. Then again, it might have simply been the man’s feeble attempt at chivalry and courtesy, those virtues long forgotten by the world. If that was the case, Victor would’ve bought him a drink. If he had money to pay for it.

[Reiko]

Inari smiled and practically giggled seeing the stranger drink in front of her and seemingly aware of the young girl’s watching. It was sorta cute to see a man try to show his drinking prowess and do so far too quickly while coughing as the burning liquid went amiss. If the mother fox knew what her daughter was doing then it’d probably lead to a preach about the right kind of man, one like her unseen father or Ziggy, men that Kit had loved and lost, mostly to the three tails’ fault.

Kit however was busy smiling at her victory in slaying the argument that would taint her celebration of a return to adventuring. The two men for reason of magic or looking better than the other for a woman seemed to have won and Kit snuffed the harsh words before they could snowball into a brawl, something that Kit did not want her daughter to be a part of. “Thanks for understanding. It’s tough to enjoy a nice night.” Kit smiled and went back to her daughter and hoping that her spell didn’t work too well, the unarmed man looked like he might try and woo Kit to bed but it seemed that he knew better and gave the girl peace.

Kadenzaa smiled to her daughter as she sat down and joined her child once again to drink in peace. “Do you want something for dinner?” Kit asked as she made her self comfortable.

“Um I’m not sure…” Inari said as she looked out the window. The smell of smoke seemed to have tickled her nose and made her sneeze. “I guess not; I think they’re burning the food.”

Kit smelt the smoke too but she scowled as her ears twitched to hear the ringing of the alarm bell. “I have to get my blades.” The vixen said while hiding her apprehension. “We’re leaving early.” Kit grabbed Inari by the wrist and took her up to the room.

The blades were leaning against the dresser, which was once rare as Kit used to take her blades everywhere and even when she would be without clothing the swords were nearby.

“Mom what’s wrong?” Inari asked as she followed and yelped from her mother’s tight grip.

“The town’s under attack.” Kit grabbed the three blades in a bundle and handed Inari her bow before leading her daughter back down into the common room. The place was starting to become a mess as patrons fled and left the building as the sounds of fire and a strange pounding was heard all too well.

[Cassandra]

Cassandra watched curiously as the fox-tailed woman calmed an impeding fight and then returned to her seat. She wasn’t all that hungry, so she had not yet ordered her dinner. In one hand she held a large glass of water, the other held her staff and dual blade in place, balanced against the table’s edge.

What a boring night this is…

She was about to summon a waitress to order a little bit of food, when the foxes’ hurry attracted her attention. Why were they in such a rush now? Then she heard it, a steady thumping coming from outside couple with screams she had not heard until just now.

Awwww, what is this time? Can’t a girl go somewhere and not have to help save a town?

She could smell wood burning now and heard the roar of flames nearby. While other patrons fled the small establishment, Cassy stayed where she was. The last thing she wanted was to get trampled on her way out the door. She stood and slung her dualblade over her shoulder to its usual spot. She still preferred to use her oak staff first. The idea of killing people, even on accident was horrendous.

Out of the corner of one eye, she saw that the two female foxes were down in the tavern again, this time with weapons. She walked over to them, neatly avoiding the remaining customers.

“Hey! Do you have any idea what’s going on out there?”

[Zerith]

“There, you happy now lady? Now you can just go and enjoy the rest of your night,” Zerith thought. The man beside him had his own thoughts too. However he didn’t seem to any sense of the term “inner monologue”.

“You know what?” the unarmed stranger asked to the youth. “I never realized just how fine that fox lady is. Maybe I’ll get up and see if she would like some company for the ni-“

“I don’t think so buddy,” Zerith responded. “She’s probably the type of person that would like a nice quiet night to herself.”

But then again she probably wouldn’t get such a treat. As suddenly something caught her attention and made the two fox girls head upstairs in a hurry. It took a few moments for Zerith to discover what the cause was, in fact it wasn’t until he heard the screams and smell the smoke that he finally clued in. Of course that was when everyone else realize something bad was happening. Naturally, it didn’t take long for Zerith to find himself watching a race to the door. He even grabbed his halberd in case it was knocked over or if someone decided to swipe it amongst all the commotion.

As he searched desperately to see if there was anyone who seemed like they knew what was going one, he saw that the two girls returned and were armed. Then some other woman approached them with another weapon in hand. Were they planning on going out there and seeing what was going on? Interesting. Perhaps tonight wouldn’t be as boring and uneventful as he originally thought. Although he didn’t quite enjoy the circumstances, to him excitement was more than welcome.

“Alright then,” Zerith spoke out loud before he finished what was left of his drink. Upon placing the empty glass down he hopped off the stool and to his feet. “Time to go see what the hell is going on out there,” and he headed out the door and to the street.

Though although he knew there were screams and fires out there, he had no idea just how close to hell he would find himself in. “What the…”

[The Cinderella Man]

“Hey, where’s the fire, people?” Victor found himself thinking as the tedious monotony of the evening in the backwater town turned into a hive whose bees got a bit too high on honey. People panicked, most siphoning through the batwing doors with curses on their lips and frowns on their brows, and in the midst of all of the commotion the boxer managed to catch fragments of what was going on. Somebody was setting estates ablaze – by the time he heard this, his nose managed to pick up the scent of arson in coming in as the mass went out of the tavern – and apparently slaying any and all who stood as an opposition. As if to confirm the latter, his ears picked up a scream, dreadful, desperate, haunting, overruling the pitter-patter of feet and the voices of the dispersing people.

Unlike the majority that acted like a herd of buffalos, four figures seemed to opt for a more subtle approach to whatever issue was at hand. The three were already familiar to the prizefighter; a peculiar red-and-blue feline pair of women and a lad whose attempt at chivalry nearly went down the drain moments before. The fourth one was an incredibly petite brown-haired woman with a stick. It seemed everybody carried a weapon or three with them nowadays, staying ever-vigilant for situations like the one that transpired around them at this moment. People like that wound up as heroes in the novels that he liked to read while he was a wee lad and the world was a great big rainbow made out of candy. In the real world people like that ended up being the feast for the crows.

Victor erected himself from his spot in the corner, his knees giving out a crackle far too old-sounding for his mere twenty-six years. He drained what was left in the mug, leaving the suspicious looking dark fragments of something at the bottom, before he made an attempt to make like a tree and leave inconspicuously. The battle on board of Dedalus wasn’t his battle and neither was this struggle for the bumfuck middle of nowhere. He was unable to evade the first one, but he would be damned if he got caught in the second one. Besides, there were four people who wanted to play heroes already. He didn’t want to be the fifth wheel.

“Hey, lad!” the bartender noticed his attempt at leaving the room despite the fact that his focus was on the crossbow that his hands prepared for whatever waited outside. One of the hands left the crossbow and dipped below the bar, producing a baseball bat that the man probably kept as a contingency plan for the stubborn customers. “There you go! Give’em hell.”

Victor accepted the wooden weapon wordlessly, ascertaining the bat for a couple of seconds before shrugging his shoulders and pushing through the batwing doors with a whatever look on his face. Outside, the fiery chaos enlightened the night, erasing the usual dense darkness and replacing it with an eerily xanthous glow. The fires weren’t clearly visible in the near vicinity of the tavern, but beyond the first line of houses the fiery tongues reached for the starry dome above. Screams that were occasional visitors to the crackling silence were now a demented cacophony of desperate voices, pleading for mercy and receiving none. They made the boxer swallow dryly, his gut churning as if it was alive and had a mind of its own, making him reevaluate his decision to play the ignorant stranger that slipped into the night.

But this wasn’t his fight. This wasn’t his town. This wasn’t the risk he had to take. With such a multitude of people running around – and most more competent then him in swordplay – the only difference he would make is that one extra sepulture that the graveyard folk had to perform. He would get the usual speech, of a battle bravely fought and the selfless sacrifice, maybe a nice gravestone as well, the whole nine yards, and then he would be food for the maggots and disappear in oblivion. To hell with such glory. Instead of stepping into the fray, Victor started to make the way towards one of the town exits, hoping he wouldn’t run into one of the attackers.

[Reiko]

Kit heard the words of the young woman asking what was going on. She didn’t look like much a fighter but then again someone could say the same about Kit. “It’s an attack, bandits, most likely.” Kit stopped talking as she slung her katana over her shoulder and hung her wakizashi and tanto set on about her waistline. “I hope they’re just fools and when a few die they’ll run away back to the hills and have a long thought about their foolishness. If we keep our heads then all will be fine.” Kit forced her tails to wag as she faked a reassuring smile.

The man who was part of the argument was faster and ran right out into the fray, a rash move though the man seemed to be a mercenary that wasn’t entirely green. He probably could handle himself.

The other stranger that toasted Inari was given a strange club but when Kit expected the man to rush after the mercenary to fight he instead fled out the back door with his tail between his legs. He probably wouldn’t get very far if he planned to run like a rabbit, rabbits only lived long if they had a safe place to run to.

“Ok Inari, you have your bow ready, I’ll need some cover if there’s an ambush outside.” Kit trusted her daughter to help her, the child had little or no experience but she listened to her mother and for all Kit knew she was good enough to get out of this mess.

Kit was right to ask for Inari’s help as once she walked out into the smoky and fiery village two men came at her with farming tools. Both were clumsy and laid barely a scratch on the three-tailed vixen, one died with an arrow in the chest and the other died with a cut down the torso and one up the waist. If these were bandits they were more pathetic than normal.

But they weren’t bandits, their eyes were soulless and they moved like puppets on a string as they lumbered forward, killing any living thing they came across. They weren’t the problem; the big problem sounded itself with a beastly roar that even had Kit cowing to some cover. There were some large one-eyed giants that breathed fire at the edge. These monsters were demons.

[Cassandra]

Cassandra nodded and followed the fox-woman and her daughter out the front door. Once outside, she darted away, figuring that it was best to split up a bit so they could cover more ground. She held her staff at a slight diagonal in front of her as she moved through the milling crowd. It wasn't long before she was attacked. The oak staff flew in a tight circle, thudding into the small, wiry frame of a man carrying a pitchfork. He fell without a single cry, but Cassandra didn't notice.

More and more people carrying clubs, pitchforks and even garden hoes were coming. Moving quickly and confidentally, she made her way to a small clearing and finally noticed what was so strange about this situation. The only people who were screaming in pain, were those being attacked. The attackers plooded along, devoid of emotion or thought. Then she heard it.

An earth shattering roar rent the air. It chilled the young woman from head to toe as she looked about for the source of the roar. It did not take long for her green eyes to find what creature could produce such a roar. Giant beings, with fire coming from their mouths stood at one end of the village. Evidentally, their firebreath was what caused the village buildings to burn. Cassandra stayed in her hiding spot, rooted to the spot. She had never seen such things before and had no idea, whatsoever, how to fight them.

All of a sudden she wished Luther was with her. They had been through a great many things together. Between them, they had avenged the deaths of his entire race. She glanced at the ring he'd given her, fond memories of how she'd gotten it running through her mind. Luther would know how to fight these creatures, whatever they were. Luther, however, was not here. She wasn't sure exactly where he was, for they had needed to go their separate ways for a time.

After this is over, I think I'll go find him. It's been far too long.

[Zerith]

“Alright listen here buddy,” Zerith shouted at the man that was attacking him. The two were caught in a lock between the shaft of the halberd and the one of a pitchfork. “I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking by killing innocent people, but I’m not going down willingly!” And with that Zerith pushed forward, sending the man off balance and staggering backwards. Upon finally gaining the upper hand Zerith seized the moment by thrusting the spear tip of his pole-arm into his attacker’s chest, followed by a quick twist to ensure this one wouldn’t be getting up again.

Although it just didn’t seem right, there was something weird about these guys. They didn’t talk, scream, yell or anything. It was like they didn’t have any sense of emotion. Didn’t these men have lives and families here? Didn’t the care to know if their wives and children were among the dead? What was with them, it was like they didn’t have any idea what was going on around them. Like they were just empty vessel with no real purpose. They were like puppets, tied to strings and helplessly at the will of whatever was pulling them, controlling every move they made. It wasn’t normal, or even natural.

Just then a deafening roar filled the air, drowning out the sceams of agony and the sounds of the flames that ate away at the structure of some of the buildings. Instantly chills went up and down Zerith’s spine as he spun around to see what the hell could make such a roar. He never heard such a thing up until now, and as his mind began to create images of possibilities, he became terrified to see what the reality behind the roar was.

But he didn’t have a choice as whatever was the source behind the roar eventually found him. Massive, red eyed giants stood at one end of the village. Flames shot from their mouths out onto the various houses that made up the village. They were unlikely anything the halberdier had ever seen up until now, and as a result Zerith had no idea what to do. Without thinking Zerith gripped onto his halberd tightly and prepared himself for whatever happened next. There wasn’t any point in hiding because if he didn’t he would only die in the flames. Not to mention these things hadn’t entered the village yet, so Zerith would only have to worry about the flames as he continued to fight the other men that were still slaughtering others.

The only problem now was trying to figure out what the hell he would do when those things did decide to come after them.

[The Cinderella Man]

Occasional screams and shouts turned into a demented cacophony as Victor plodded through the main street (which was pretty much the only street) of the village. The smoke was prominent in the air, forming a faint mist over the entire environment, making the prizefighter cough sporadically. People were running this way and that, some in panic, some in fear, some with newfound courage with makeshift weapons in their hands. And through this mayhem his mind kept repeating the justifying phrase: “This isn’t your fight. This isn’t your fight.”

And then it became his fight.

One of the houses near the outskirts was caught in flame, and while that was nothing peculiar in a village that was slowly being eaten by the blazing flames, the scene that took place in front of the house was. A burly man, a farmer by Victor’s reckoning, held a child by the scalp, pulling it towards the house, paying absolutely no heed to the screams. Not even when the child below, sobbing and scared out of its wits, yawped: “DADDY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!” From the second floor of the house another scream came, terrified, in agony, originating from a room that started to get assailed by fire. The emotionless automaton of a man either had no ears or no heart. With his right hand still holding the small girl by her hair, his left took her by the knees and with no reluctance whatsoever flung her through the closed window and into the fiery bedlam of the interior. The girl screamed, the glass crashed and the man stood as if he just fed a log to the pyre.

“Bloody hell! You goddamned bastard!” Victor shouted, running towards the house with his hands gripping the bat so hard they became white. The zombie-like man turned, looked at the advancing prizefighter with an empty, dull look on his face that just screamed indifference. By the time he got his hands up in a poor sluggish attempt to attack Victor, the baseball bat came from the side, hitting his temple with a fierce THWACK!. The man spun once, his face distorted in a fraction of a second, turned into a face of a disfigured abomination before the man fell like a sack of wet hay. Victor, who never killed a man before this moment, had no time to ponder on his actions. The screams from the house came in tandem, a duet of petrified voices that begged for salvation, and despite his self-preservation he was forced to act.

The front door didn’t give in until about three shoulder butts and two kicks that nearly made his foot numb. The fire smelled of petroleum, the artificial ardent smell hitting the boxer as soon as he entered. Luckily, he managed to get to the tossed child with little difficulty since the room where the girl crash-landed stood adjacent to the main hallway. Her blue eyes stared up almost in a prayer, a plea that begged him to make the pain go away. He looked at her legs and saw the reason. One of them had a dislocated knee and the other bleed like a fountain with two shards of glass sticking out of it.

“I’m going to get you out, alright? Don’t worry. I’ll get you out.” he assured the girl that sobbed so hard the tears streamed down her face. Despite the flames whipping his back, he picked her up gently, cradled her in his arms and expedited out the main door.

“M... Mommy.” she muttered several times, but Victor heard it only when he reached the street and lowered the girl to the ground. “Please... Help... Help mommy.” the girl managed to say again and as if on cue, the scream from above rose above the commotion again. Victor looked at the main door and the house looked back with the sadistic fiery grin, calling him into the furnace.

“Alright. You wait here, I’ll go get your mommy.” he spoke to the child, fleetly getting up and rushing into the house again. The hallway was like an oven, but it was nothing compared to the second floor that was like a furnace, burning through his tattered robes as if they didn’t exist, burning so hard it hurt. He pushed the pain away, pushed every thought away. It was like being in the fifteenth round and barely standing up. You cleared your head and kept your eyes at the prize, hoping you were worthy of it. He ran, his hand covering his face, his lungs breathing in smoke and breathing out rapidly. Another scream set him on the right path, making his crash through the locked door of the bedroom where the woman sat tied to a chair.

“What kind of sick shit it this?!” his mind pondered, but Victor failed to acknowledge it, his fingers already working on the rope frantically, his words reassuring the woman that things will be alright even though he had no idea how they could.

“Here, take this.” he took of his robes, old and worn and hopefully damp enough to last until they reached the exit. He draped it around her lithe shivering form, then swung one of her hands around his shoulders before they entered the inferno again. He couldn’t remember who carried who more, nor how they found their way to the exit. The next thing he remembered was lying on the dirt of the road, his left arm pulsating with burning ache and his eyes staring at the sky above. The woman was holding her child, thanking him over and over again through his tears, like a broken record she repeated her words, rocking her child gently.

“Go. Get away from the village. Head for the forest and hide there.” he finally found enough composure to speak and pull himself up to a sitting position. His left arm was still being eaten by flames, spreading an unhealthy sickening stench of singed flesh. The woman seemed reluctant to leave, but after a couple of more shrieks ripped through their proximity, she scuttled away into the darkness fleetly. He hoped they make it. He hoped the girl gets her knee fixed and her wound bandaged and that she forgets the trauma instigated by her father going berserk and feeding both her and her mother to the flames. And he hoped he would partially be the reason for their salvation.

With a painful moan, Victor pulled himself up to his feet, picking up his club wearily and heading in the opposite direction of the one he was heading before his rendezvous with the broken family. He played a hero for a little while back there and while it certainly didn’t feel awfully good – his left arm insisting on this little fact – he decided to follow his motto... Well, one of his many mottos. And this one said that if you start doing something, you should damn well see it until the end.

However, once he rejoined with the group of would-be heroes that he recognized from back in the tavern, the situation declared it would not be a good end he would see. Three giant single-eyed creatures stood before them, the titans breathing flames like dragons. Victor stood beside Kit with his bat hanging loosely at his side, his eyes still having trouble with accepting with what stood before them. Because the monsters were here aright, spewing fire and set to demolish everything that stood in their path. And he was yet to see the archetype knight in the shining armor.

“Any bright ideas, people?”

[Reiko]

There was too many of them, the soulless men that were slaves to the unknown power. Kit had chopped one in half, decapitated 3, impaled 4 and Inari had fell three with her arrows. But there was always more and the fires were spreading. The smoke shown the moon red as the fires burned like the sun as another house lit up like a bonfire.

“Inari we need a plan!” Kit coughed as some smoke entered her lung and another soulless made an attempt at her life by trying to impale her on a makeshift spear that was pitchfork. Kit almost was as she blocked and held the weapon with the wakizashi in her left hand while backpedaling to keep the trident from getting the power to break through her kimono and the skin underneath. It was slower than expected since Kit was pushed into a corner of a burning building, the flames licked her and she screamed while slicing another head off with the katana. No more of this mindless fighting, She couldn’t keep this all day and nor could the other townspeople.

Inari didn’t hear or see her mother as she fell backwards to avoid a hatchet from taking her head. Tears streaked the young kitsune’s eyes as smoke and sorrow stung her face. Her fox ears could hear some of the horrors of screaming children that were older in years but not in body. She looked up at the evil peon’s mindless face and screamed such a scream but conjured foxfire to burn the mind dead human. Inari hated it and she almost curled up into a ball but Kit ran by and grabbed Inari’s arm while taking her to shelter.

The giants were in the town and razing the place to the ground with no worries for their smaller allies. The shelter was garden outside a house that had not let caught ablaze but it was only a matter of time before the healthy trees would succumb to the blaze. But there was time to get Kit’s mind together.

Kit wasn’t alone, there was a girl there, the one from the tavern, she seemed to have started out brave but was cowed by the large giants and who could blame her since Inari easily whimpered at the sight and Kit’s breath shortened. Also there was the fighter that was arguing, holding up a good fight nearby.

Then came the newcomer, the boxer that ran, maybe he wanted to play hero all alone or a coward trying to get away but at least now he had a strike of wisdom. He was there to help and asking questions.

But the ground shook and Inari fell to her knees, as she lost balance, Kit had a better since and stayed up with a bit of a dance. The nose sniffed and the red eye went strait toward the male, as if the oni thought women were pitiful. Te creature snarled and inhaled. Kit leapt at the boxer as the beast exhaled its fire. The flame singed her tail as it left the tip and the awful smell of burning fur. Kit tried to resist but still had to scream out her fear.

Inari regained some composure and drew one more arrow, she was almost out but she had to try. The younger fox girl took aim and fired, as the result led to an ear shattering scream as the monster took a painful but negligible wound.

“Are you alright?” Kit asked as she recovered from the burn and the scream. “Glad to see you back.” She looked to the rest of the group. “All these creatures are being controlled, we need to find the one controlling. I’m going to look but I’m going to need help.” Kit looked to her daughter. “I need you to get out any survivors.”

“Um ok.” Inari wagged her tail with apprehension as her mother placed a great responsibility on her, though it was nice to have a chance to prove her self there but there were terrible consequences for failure.

Sadly the planning would be interrupted as the giant was once gain after them though it needed time to recover from the fire breath but still one of its feet or claws could crush anyone of the group into goo.

[Cassandra]

Cassy was relieved to see the others arrive nearby, but she still could not bring herself to come completely out of hiding yet. She watched the fire-breathing cyclopses fearfully. She could hear the agonizing screams of townsfolk as they were killed by the mindless. Quivering slightly, she tried to tune out the awful screaming, knowing it would only make her feel worse and make her unable to do any good.

The stench of singed hair and fur filled her nose, making her crinkle it up. It was very hot even in the small area that had not yet started to burn, making her glad that her clothing was so lightweight. Her lungs and eyes burned from the smoke that was filling the air more and more, but she still tried to keep an eye on those around her.

Then horror of horrors, one of the giants found them. She screamed, unable to restrain herself, as it let loose a long stream of fire. She watched breathless as the foxwoman saved the giant’s target and the younger fox bravely took a shot.

She stood then, forcing herself to take action as the mother began to give instructions to the young fox. Hearing the instruction to help the survivors, Cassy made her way to stand by the young fox woman.

“I’ll help you. I don’t think I can go up against those things anyway. Let’s get moving.”

Forcing herself to walk purposefully, Cassy began making her way toward the nearest building to search for survivors, hoping she would find them in time.

[Zerith]

Honestly, Zerith was surprised at the sight of the boxer. It was mostly due to the fact that he only had a baseball bat to defend, and was still alive. Then again they were only fighting puppets recently, but now they would have to deal with demons. So Zerith’s faith in the wooden weapon was wavering. He didn’t doubt the boxer’s fighting ability, his job was to beat the crap out of people afterall. The only problem was they weren’t going up against people anymore.

Though before Zerith could greet everyone that showed up including the two fox women he spoke to earlier, one of the giants took the initiative. With it’s eye fixed on the form of the boxer, the beast unleashed it’s fire upon the unlucky man. Although perhaps he wasn’t as unlucky as Zerith thought at first, as one of the foxes had the courage to leap into the path of the flames. You’d rarely see someone willingly taking a blow for someone they didn’t know, yet that didn’t make it any less amazing.

With the smell of burning air fresh in the air and the scream still ringing in his ears, Zerith was quick to listen to what the women had to say. Apparently somehow she knew something was controlling all of this and she intended to find the source. Then she gave told the other fox to look for survivors which was quickly followed by the appearance of another woman would offered to help the young girl in her search.

In the meantime, it was clear that something needed to be done about the giants. Or else they would definitely pose a problem to the search for the source. “Well while those two look for survivors and you look for whatever is in control of all of this. I think I’ll distract these giants, otherwise they’ll get in the way of everything.”

The dilemma now was the fact that there was no way he could handle them by himself. It’d be suicide to even make an attempt, so why bother. “Alright Zerith, think”, he told himself. “Well, what if that other guy helps out as well? Maybe working alongside him could make things easier. He looks strong at least.”

“Hey,” the halberdier called out to the boxer. “I don’t suppose you’re up for a little tag team action? Y’know, you go right and I go left?”

Hopefully he’d see it was at least worth a shot. Otherwise there was no point in trying at all.

[The Cinderella Man]

It was one of those moments when you’re caught with your pants down and no matter what your brain tells you, your body fails to react. Legs turn to stone, feet seemed to stand in wet cement and your mind fails to provide a plausible plan of action. He last felt this way back in third grade, standing against the class bully whose rather unintelligent mind managed to reach a conclusion that he didn’t like Victor for some inane reason. The prizefighter was rather big for a kid his age, but Alain Gorren was bigger. Much bigger. And when he came at Victor, the same frozen feeling that he was feeling now overwhelmed him, petrified him, made him a sitting duck. The only difference was that back then he wasn’t looking death straight in the eye.

The fiery giant exhaled another burst of flames and they darted towards the prizefighter with immaculate accuracy. But instead of a fire that would singe his body in an instant, his body was struck with something solid, making him crash onto the ground fiercely. Only when he heard the question, he realized that he was saved at the last moment by the furry vixen. Her face was looming over him, strict and determined, and still in daze from the events that revolved around him, he realized he had never seen an act of such selfless courage. “You... You saved my life...” was all he managed to mumble before he pushed himself up to his feet with some difficulty.

She seemed dauntless though, recovering from the save almost immediately and trying to put some sense into madness that seemed to be culminating around them. What was even more surprising was that her daughter – the blue-haired youth from back at the bar that smiled mirthfully at his toast – was at her side, battle ready though not as fearless as her foxy mother. No surprise there, Victor thought. The kid looked like somebody who should be chased by first lads that wanted to court her, not by a bunch of mindless freaks that wanted to chop her head off. The lithe brown-haired woman eased his mind a little bit though, deciding to help the young lass. Even the greenhorn with a huge polearm weapon at his side seemed eager to enter the fray. In all of this chaos, where valor was something everybody had, the average plain washed-out boxer such as Victor seemed like a fly caught underneath a glass. He could see everything that was going on, but kept hitting the glass, knowing there was little he could do to help. At least the others had some reasonable plans.

“Alright, I guess there’s no better bait around then us.” he nodded to the young zealous warrior before turning to his savior. With his mind in an upheaval, he didn’t feel disconcerted by the fact that his bacon was just saved by a woman, but he was certain that would come into the picture soon enough. “We’ll draw as many of them as we can. You try to get behind their lines and to whoever is doing all of this.” the prizefighter said to the woman.

The giant decided not to give them any more time for palaver, pulling his head back as he inhaled. Victor knew what would follow and decided not to make the same mistake twice. He doubted he was in Lady Luck’s good graces that much that he would get saved by fluke twice in as many minutes. So instead of playing the role of a motionless statue like the last time, he darted to the right of the giant. And just in time it seemed, because the fiery puke that came out of the thing’s mouth followed his run so close he could almost feel the soles of his shoes peel off due to the heat. A misstep would turn him into an overly done pot roast. That thought was more then enough to fuel his movements, making him dart past the second titan that stood about ten paces behind the first one, breathing fire on what used to be general store. Victor made use of the moment of distraction, using his bat to hit the demon in the knee. It felt like hitting a rock, his hands growing numb from the resulting vibration of his weapon. He got the thing’s attention though (Was it a golem? Victor didn’t know a whole lot about those things, but it seemed like one), the fiery eye looking down at him as if he was a cur that pissed on its leg.

Behind the three giants, a throng of mindless men with makeshift weapons walked forwards like a legion of automations set on destruction. The prizefighter saw it as a good thing. Two of the three gargantuan fire breathers were getting ready to turn him into charcoal and with their gazes at his bulky figure, he ran straight for the advancing flock. The demons at his back exhaled again, this time their murderous breath coming out in a growl, serving as a perfect cue for the boxer to throw himself behind the overturned carriage that stood to his side. Flames burst by him like a stream, breaking against the wooden wagon and incinerating a handful of hollow-eyed zombies that didn’t even know what struck them. Unfortunately, soon enough the wagon itself was ablaze, making Victor make a run for the burning building to his side. It seemed like flimsy cover, but it was better then standing out in the street. The two giants and about a dozen men followed his escape.

[Reiko]

Kit panted and kept any whimpering stifled, the burn had really hurt and it did take some toll on her body. But she had to look strong; this motley gang was really the only ones capable of doing much as the rest were peasants and while some fought they were not much a threat to the seemingly large army of puppet humans.

Kit was glad that no one minded their duties, as the girl stranger was eager to help the Reiko’s daughter in finding survivors. Also the mercenary and the boxer were willing to work as decoys the most dangerous and vital. “I think everything will work out.” Kadenzaa put on an awkward smile to attempt to be reassuring though Victor had ran away once again but as a decoy instead of a coward.

Kit looked around while trying to stay hidden. Where’s the master? She looked to the top of a nearby hill. Most likely spot. The swordswoman went that direction, taking cover to hide from the puppets and killing a few when it was convenient and she wouldn’t be seen. If the master got the idea that someone was after him then the mindless peasants could be set on her in overwhelming numbers and even weak and pathetic fiends could be a problem.

Inari looked to the other girl and smiled. “Ok I think I know where there’d be a few.” The blue tailed vixen wagged her tail as she went towards a large house, one that was burning lightly but partially collapsed. Inari’s ears perked up to here screaming and cries, someone was there.

The young kitsune girl had her bow out when she saw the collapsed doorway; there were more of the funny men looking for victims with a free will to torture, 5 of them. Inari hid behind a fallen display case, the owners of the house must have been rich but more importantly that 5 was too much for the younger vixen to deal with, her fox fire might burn them but they seemed immune to pain and incinerating them all was beyond the girl.

“Uh do you think you can do something?” Inari asked her partner hoping that she could. “I can try a trick but they’re too stupid.” Inari brought an arrow notched in and concentrated an illusion of mist to keep her and Cassandra out of view. The arrow was shot and the sound of the groan made her feel lucky, it was luck that made the arrow strike true. The puppets also needed their eyes since they were bumping around in the illusion, not able to see though it. Hopefully Cassi could do something.

[The Cinderella Man]

((Reiko told me he is no longer interested in finishing this so he gave me permission to bunny his character and conclude this quest.))

“Smart move, slick.”

It was actually anything but. The heat around him was unbearable, singing his skin so much he felt his limbs actually ache instead of burn, and it was only bound to become worse. The possessed folken that followed his escape weren’t dumb enough to follow, but the two giants seemed more then eager to finish the job. They exhaled fire over the blazing house relentlessly, and with each minute the environment around him degraded a little bit more. Soon enough the roof was bound to collapse and when it went down, it would first bury him, then make him a human roast. A man didn’t have to be an architect to know that. And Victor actually had some knowledge in the architecture.

And yet, there was nothing he could do but sit in this inferno, wiping the profuse sweat from his brow and hoping for a miracle. He didn’t know how the others were doing, but given the pickle he got himself into, they couldn’t be doing much worse.

Only they could. The throng of mindless locals that fell under the influence of whoever was behind this now advanced on Doji and as deft as she was in wielding her blades, there were just too many. They came like a swarm, clogging up the main street with their dull gazes and witless faces, overwhelming her, pushing her back until she found herself surrounded by them. She was the greatest threat out of the shabby camaraderie that decided to take a stand and the brain behind this operation decided to take her out first. But there was something bestial in the woman, something unyielding, and like a cornered animal she bit, she scratched, and even though she was a lone warrior in a sea of foes, she still sliced at them. After a couple of minutes there were so many corpses around her that those that came at her next had to step over their fallen buddies.

And when she started to feel that her energy was veining and that she had naught but enough of it for a single attack, everything just stopped. The stupid-faced yahoos whose minds were controlled by an unseen force simply stopped around her, looking at her and straight her with their empty eyes. Even the golems that seemed keen on flushing out the vermin that was Victor took a breather, standing as if somebody told them to take a break. Uncanny silence swept over the small town, disrupted with nothing but the sound of the crackling fires that slowly devoured the local homesteads and a pair of footsteps. Victor used this standstill to sneak out of the burning home, but what he saw the scene with Kit and the hypnotized crowd, he stopped in his tracks.

At first the sound of the footsteps seemed to be coming from the gathered crowd, but soon the bodies of the mindless started to move, creating a bottleneck through which a single figure walked at a steady, almost dreamy gait. The man himself was rather unremarkable, a sunburnt worker with a filthy white shirt marred by what seemed like coal. But though he looked mundane, his face was eldritch, his eyes crimson. And in his hand he held a blade enveloped in an aura that to Victor seemed like abysmally black smoke. It was this man that was the leader of the insurrection, a simple miner that during his regular daily work found the blade that consumed him, giving him power beyond his imagination. But the blade had a mind of its own, a demon that drove it, that commanded those that wielded it. And right now it found a host much stronger then some nitwit that couldn’t hold a pickaxe properly.

“You are a strong one indeed. I have lay dormant for too long and now finally I found a worthy host. You will be my host.” the miner spoke, but both Kit and Victor were pretty certain it wasn’t the man who spoke those words. His voice was too malevolent, too inhumane, as if it was coming from the Underworld itself. Doji seemed startled for a couple of seconds, but after her breathing slowed down, she returned to her confident self.

“Your host? What if I refuse?” she spoke, her voice sounding so timid when compared to the one of the miner and the demon that possessed him.

“Then I’m going to keep killing these innocent folk. This isn’t a choice, Doji. Either you’re with me or you fight against me.” and with that said the man did the strangest thing Victor ever saw in his life. He neared the blade to his own throat and made a deep cut without even flinching. Not even when the blood gurgled in his throat and he fell to the ground, there was no sign of any kind of reaction from the man. Nothing but that dull gaze. And then he collapsed and the blade rolled from his hands. Kit flinched and took a step back, the words of the demon still echoing in her ears. And though she didn’t know what the demon meant, once the people started to move at her once again, she understood.

Because they weren’t out to get her anymore. No, they were out to arrogate the blade, to become another tyrant. The blade was calling them, bawling a tantalizing offer that spoke of immense power of unimaginable magnitude. Even Victor, who never believed in magic hoodoo and fancy enchantments, felt this magnetism that pulled towards that piece of metal.

Kit didn’t have too much time to think. Regardless of who took the blade, the death would follow. But if she took it... She could fight the demon, hold off his influence until she found a way to exorcise him from the blade. That was the only way she could save these people. The reiko bowed down with agonizing slowness, her hand reaching for the blade, retracting gingerly, reaching out again, retracting again. The power emanating from the swords felt so wrong, so vile, but to accept it was the right thing to do. So she did.

And even as she touched the sword, she could feel the demon surging through the metal and invading her mind. It was a devastating power, malicious and cold, making her shiver and crumble to her knees. And when she felt like she was being overwhelmed, she thought of Inari, she thought of this wonderful little lass that needed her to hold on, that needed her to fight. And the demon was kept at bay. For the time being at least. The crowd around her dispersed, most merely walking away aimlessly as their brain functions started to return. The three golems that were Victor’s worst enemies only minutes ago crumbled into large piles of smoldering ash. The fires still burned, but they too would soon subside. It was over, Victor thought. But Kit knew that it only begun.

The prizefighter approached the furry woman hastily, moving through the sea of departing folk that had the I-seemed-to-forget-what-I-came-here-for looks on their faces. When he was finally at her side, he knelt beside her, trying to make contact with her eyes. They were closed shut though as the reiko shivered.

“Hey, you alright? It seems that whatever you did ended this whole mess.” he spoke, placing one hand on her shoulder. She was cold, deathly cold and quivering as if she had a fever.

“No. No it’s not over. I... The demon. It’s in the blade. I... I need to find a way to defeat it.” she muttered silently. Victor didn’t know what to say to this, but he remembered the selfless act with which she saved his life. And he thought that the only right thing to do would be to offer some help in return.

“I’ll help you do this.” he said, his offer sounding so uncanny even to him. This, however, finally managed to get her eyes open and through the tears of despair her violet irises looked at him questioningly. “Hey, you saved my life back there. The least I can do is escort you until I can return the favor.”

He didn’t get a reply instantly though. Because even as he finished his proposal, there was a childish voice soaring across the distance, preceding the blue-furred lass that sprinted towards her mother. In a matter of seconds the two were rejoined, the young girl embracing her mother tightly and asking her if she was alright. Victor made an assessment that the two were sisters, since Kit didn’t look old enough to have a daughter so old.

“I’m fine.” Doji said to her daughter. “But there is something we must do, Inari. There is evil in this blade and we need to defeat it.” and then, with a slight pause, she lifted her eyes towards Victor who was now standing beside them and added: “And we’re going to need all the help we can get. I gladly accept your help.”

Inari understood what her mother implied to, but she wasn’t too happy about it. She leant closer to her mother, uttering in a whisper: “I don’t know, mommy. He looks weird.”

Victor overheard this, but only smiled meekly, thinking the furry lass was the kettle that called the pot black. For how else do you describe a pair of furry women then weird?

((Continues in “The desert of the real” (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=856)

SPOILS: Victor receives a Rywan baseball bat.))

[Zerith]

Apparently Zerith wouldn’t need to be the distraction. The boxer seemed to be the better one for the job. He took off, barely missing the blasts of fire and bolted past the giants. Of course, the titans followed their target with each of their eyes. As Victor disappeared into a random house the three giants were already approaching it. In the meantime, only one thing was on Zerith’s mind as he watched the large demons beginning to try and seal the boxer in the large coffin he chose.

“Damn, we should have took off together. Then he wouldn’t be in that mess.”

Yet before Zerith could make what would have been a feeble attempt at saving Victor. More of the mindless came at him, swinging whatever weapons they held in their hands. None of them knew really knew how to fight and were probably just focusing on killing. Where they aimed for didn’t matter, all that mattered was seeing the halberdier’s corpse on the ground and his blood staining the dirt around it. Although Zerith did have the upper hand when it came to overall fighting ability, he was really outnumbered. So if something didn’t happen that turned the fight in his favor, he’d be no different than the bodies that he cut down around him.

With each wide swing of his halberd, more attackers fell. But for each one cut down seemed to be immediately replaced with another one. The face, the weapon and the body changed each time. However Zerith felt the same thing constantly and it never changed. That foreboding feeling that the end was quickly approaching, and there was nothing he could to stop it and keep living.

That was until the mindless mysteriously stopped. For some weird reason each and every one of them stopped attacking and simply stood in place. The strange sight of this caused Zerith to stop fighting back as well. He didn’t understand what was going on and why the fight just stopped so suddenly. The mindless were still before him and even still held onto their weapons. The halberdier even pushed one of the many backward to see what the reaction would be. Yet all he received was watching the empty shell stagger backwards a bit and then remain in place. Sapphire eyes stared into emptiness and the emptiness just stared back.

Suddenly, Zerith’s ears picked up the sound of footprints not too far away. The mindless parted for whoever was making their way through them. Though whoever the person was remained a mystery to the young mercenary. He tried to make his way through the crowd, pushing past many as he attempted to discover just who or what the footsteps belonged to. But there were just too many, making it difficult to maneuver. Before he could see who the mystery person was he heard a body hit the ground. Part of him feared for his comrades as he thought that perhaps one of them had fallen.

“You’ll do perfectly,” a cold, sinister voice spoke in Zerith’s mind. “Come, pick up the sword that’s lying on the ground. Then I will give you the power to rule nations, cause any heroes that oppose you to fall, burn empires and make their leaders follow you. Just pick up the sword and everyone will know your name and fear you. For you will be unstoppable.”

He couldn’t resist it, something in him suddenly needed the sword. He needed to own it, then he would eventually own Althanas. With that type of power, he could do anything he wanted and everyone would know nobody could stop him. So without further hesitation, Zerith pushed forward. He was much more aggressive this time around as he found himself killing the unfortunate people in his way without any remorse. They didn’t matter now, neither did that boxer or those fox girls. The only thing that matter now was that Zerith had to obtained the sword on the ground that called to him and demanded that he picked it up.

Just as he had the sword in sight, one of the foxes picked it up and the voice that echoed in his mind stopped. He didn’t understand what just happened, why he felt that need and desire for the weapon. Then he felt guilty as the realization of those innocent lives he had just taken, their bodies lying in the dirt behind him as a testament to his evil deed. For those moments they didn’t matter to him and all that was important was fulfilling his selfish desires.

Although he hated himself for what he did, the halberdier joined the foxes and the boxer. Kit explained that there was evil in the blade and it had to be defeated. The idea sounded interesting and Zerith felt strongly that he should help considering it was probably that same evil that possessed him into wanting that blade so badly. However the boxer offered his help and was accepted first which made the halberdier feel like his presence was unnecessary. “I think I’m going to bow out of that task,” Zerith said. “I still hope you manage to get rid of that evil though. Then maybe all the people that died here can rest in peace afterwards”. With that said Zerith said his farewells and departed, first to help put out the fires and then he’d continue with his search.

“Besides,” he called out to them. “After seeing what that boxer can do, I know you should have no problem with getting the job done.”

((Seeing as how Letho finished off the demons, I can only hope this is okay.

SPOILS: After searching through the ash of the giants. Zerith somehow finds some demonhide that could hopefully be used to make some form of armor. The quality of the hide and the amount of it can be determined by the judge. ))

[Cassandra]

Cassy nodded at the fox girl’s question and silently began to move forward. Thanks to the illusionary mist, she was able to move up on the five men before without being noticed. In swift succession, the steel capped staff thudded into the four that remained standing on their feet. Glancing back to Inari, Cassy motioned for her to stay there and keep a look out.

Picking her way carefully around fallen debris the young woman began her search for the people unable to find their way out. She thought briefly about casting the rain spell she had learned from Luther, but quickly nixed the idea. She was not strong enough for it to do any good in here. The sounds of voices lifted in cries of fear and pain reached her ears and she redirected her steps. The house would finish collapsing soon, so she had to hurry. At last, through a flaming doorway she saw the sources of those voices.

Two small children and their mother huddled in a corner. The mother had one arm wrapped around each child. It was the children who were screaming. Their mother’s shoulders shook but she did not cry out. Smoke hung thick in the room, making all those within it cough a great deal. Cassy covered her mouth and nose with one hand, watched the flickering of the flames on the doorframe for a few short moments, then leaped through. The children did not stop screaming. If anything, they screamed louder at the appearance of a stranger.

“Shhh I’m here to help! Come on, you’ve got to get out of here!”

Cassy bent forward to grab one child’s arm, intending to lift him up into her arms and carry him out, but he jerked away.

“We can’t! Fire!!”

Cassy groaned. Hurriedly, she shook the mother’s shoulders, “Come on! Come on! You have to get up, there’s a way out, but it won’t be there for long.” The mother didn’t seem inspired to move. She was apparently convinced that she and her children would die here. Frustrated, Cassy grabbed the woman’s arm and yanked her to her feet. Shoving a small girl in the woman’s arms and picking up the little boy, she began leading the way out.

It was difficult at first to get them all through the doorway, but once through, the way seemed to be easier. Whatever gods might have been watching, Cassy thought they must be on her side. The path that she had picked through, while still as hot as an oven, was still clear. Before they knew it, they were outside. While she was inside though, more of the mindless townspeople had gathered at the door to replace their fallen comrades.

“Oh no...” she set the boy down and gave him and his mother a shove, “Run!”

Bring her staff into play once again, the young woman tried to cover the escape of the people she had rescued. Just as they were starting to surround her, they stopped just as if they had been wind up toys whose gears had run down. Confused, she pushed one with the end of her staff. No response.

“What the heck is going on now?”

A vicious tugging at her made her turn back the way she had come. She could hear a sinister voice, but saw no one that could possibly be speaking. She saw the halberdier running through the crowd, cutting down people who weren’t offering any resistance at all, but were merely standing there. As she drew closer, she saw a sword on the ground and the other fox woman reaching for it. As soon as she picked the sword up, the voice that called to Cassy stopped.

Cautiously, she approached the small group. She heard the explanation and smiled fondly at the sight of the younger fox hugging the older. She watched silently as the halberdier walked away. She had never figured out his name, but she supposed it wasn’t all that important.

“I would like to help you in your quest to get rid of this evil you spoke of, but regrettably I have other things I must tend to. I wish you well in your endeavor.”

She gave a very slight bow then turned to leave. She too, would help put out the remainder of the fires, but after that there was a certain young man she was intent on finding.

[Dissinger]

Overall:

I felt this thread lacked any true story, mostly because of the rushed ending towards the end. Perhaps if some more drama and suspense had been built up this thread would have done far better. I got very little in the ways of feeling any fear for them. The closest I got to feeling anything for the characters towards the end was Doji's last stand, killing and slowly enclosing herself in corpses. Perhaps in the next installment you guys will be able to finish what you started here.

Onto the judging!

Introduction: 4 This was a perfect range from sub par to on par. Usually when you write an introduction, the point is to hook your reader into the story. It's said that the first five pages are written with the sole intent on drawing the reader in, and if you can't grab them during that time, you lost them. As we're doing short stories, the first two posts need to be a hook that draws the reader in.

I could only really say I was somewhat interesting in Zerith's. Even Duro's introduction, while good seemed lengthy and lost its punch towards the end. Don't get me wrong, I feel you did good, its just that with no hook, your introduction had nothing for me to want to continue to read on.

Setting: 5 I would say that your setting was on again off again. Sometimes you set the stage and made it a backdrop. Sometimes, you used it and made it worth something. In the end I have to say that you guys have a good grasp of Setting, it’s just now you need to interact with said atmosphere.

When Cassandra tried to pull the family out towards the end, I didn't really see a burning down house, more of a tunnel she was dragging them through. A bit more time spent on describing the setting could work wonders here. Try to make the setting important to what’s going on. Make it relevant to the action; tell me how the entire situation is different because you are in this place.

Strategy: 3 This is where the thread begins to suffer a bit. As there was no real conflict developed, the strategy seemed to be hack and slash. A couple of you tried some more diverse strategy, but in the end it came down to who could lop off the most heads won. Perhaps it was the fact that Reiko had to fall out, but the abrupt ending didn't help the thread at all.

Writing Style: 4 Guys, I know I fall victim to this as well, but please read your posts over before you put them up. Sometimes I felt like you guys would put them through word, look for the misspelled words, fix a few technical problems, and then post it up. While I do this as well, it would help you immensely to read it over once before you put it up. Error's like this are easily avoidable, and I think I'll put up a few of them so you can see what I'm talking about...


"Well it used to mean that something's bad happens, the calm before the storm"


Just moments ago he was busy argue with Zerith, claiming the young fighter was treating him rather rudely.


And when she started to feel that her energy was veining and that she had naught but enough...


Awww, what is this time?

These errors are something even I have trouble with and spell check will not find. My suggestion is to read your post aloud, as you often find them quicker that way. If you trip over the phrase perhaps you should try to rephrase it.

Rising Action: 3 Once again the short and abrupt ending to the thread killed the rising action. There was no true conflict and as it wasn't developed it hurt you guys immensely.

Dialogue: 6 Some of the dialogue was spot on, and some of it was predictable. I like how you guys worked with what you had, hence the above average score. In the future I would just recommend averting yourselves from using something you might find in a B-rated movie, perhaps that’s what you were going for here, but predictable dialogue can easily backfire in future endeavors.

Character: 7 I saw some solid character despite the short comings of the thread. I was chuckling as I read about Victor's aversion to heroism. I was cringing at Zerith's rather brash way of dealing with the barfly. Cassandra intrigued me, especially the part about Luther, and I want to find out who exactly he was. Reiko did a good job of showing Doji as a believable hero. Instead of being fearless she merely kept her cool, but showed a few human sides to her that helped the reader identify with the protagonist.

Climax: 3 Unfortunately there was no climax because of the way the thread came. The climax may have been Doji picking up the sword, but I felt minimal points could be given as the drop following it was abrupt. There was no time for me to identify it as the climax, and because of that the thread once again suffered.

Conclusion: 4 You guys tried hard to make it work, and I could see the effort. Rather than just go off and do your own things, you had each respond to Doji's plight, before they either helped, or walked off citing an excuse. For that I thank you as it helped bring closure to something I felt was left unresolved. While the score may be low, you guys have to remember that the abrupt ending hurt it.

Wildcard: 10 I personally hated how the rubric tore you guys apart. I know you guys are good writers, and because of that I feel I got to pump you here. Not just because you are good writers, but because you made the best with the hand you were dealt. It’s hard when the QM basically says "Alright game over, wrap up and move on." While I'm not angry and Reiko for doing so, (far from it, at least you gave them ability to finish it rather than leave another dead thread) I do have to say that it hurt the thread a lot. However, I have to give Kudos for trying to follow through with the story.

And the verdict is…..

45!

Spoils:

The Cinderella Man gets 500 EXP and the Rywan Bat. Its slightly singed though still cracks skulls just fine.

Reiko gets 1750 EXP and her Demonic Sword.

Cassandra gets 750 EXP and 200 gold from the grateful townsfolk upon helping them put out the fires in their town.

Zerith gets 750 EXP and some demon hide, roughly enough to make a pair of bracers. Also the hide has the ability to resist fire.

All EXP spoils are given according to level. Any questions concerning the judgment can be PMed to me or IMed to me on AIM at SethDahlios.

EDIT! EXP and gold added!