azzie-beastbinder

[azzie-beastbinder]

"...So in summary, we may be looking at a second Phyrexia?"

"One that's going one plane at a time, but yes. One of my Dokuchi put together that document on the Pestoxy, please make sure you and yours read it thoroughly."

"Excellent, thank you Lord Hayashi. I'll make a personal study of it once Regent Light-Paws is done. On to the second problem... What is the status of the Reckoner gangs in Towashi?"

"...Stable. The Mukotai's collapse means that the Dokuchi got shunted into the top three list, but our alliance with the Okiba and discussions with Lieutenant Watanabe of the Hyozans means that it's evened back out. None of the big three are currently interested in power plays, and the smaller gangs are more or less isolated to their own turfs."

"Color me fucking surprised..."

"Be nice, Kaito."

"Excellent. And your connections?"

"Stable alliances between the Dokuchi, the Order of Jukai and affiliated budoka temples and traditions, and the Warren of Dragons. The Okibas have a deep reach in the Takenuma Swamp. Both gangs also have spoken with Lady Naomi Kurosawa, and Boss Haruko is assisting with negotiations on that front."

"Wasn't Clan Kurosawa one of the ones that sent one of their heirs to your suitor party, Hayashi?"

"Affirmative, Chief Shizuki. Like with the other clans, I made it clear that I am not interested in marriage alliances."

"A very good call, considering the greater planar stage we're dealing with. Speaking of, how goes the work in Ixalan-Torrezon?"

A sharp inhale. "Cal, you wanna be the one to explain what's going on there besides the Pestoxy thing?"

"Everything is well enough. Advancements are being made to stabilize the continent of Torrezon as well as new techniques to deal with our enemies there. Our conclave is still warning against the arrival of human visitors to anywhere that is not directly under control of the Church, but that is to be expected."

"So non-humans are okay?"

"If you wish to teach our traitorous brethren how your blood tastes, yes."

"Good to know, thank you Regent Vazante. Once things are calm enough for a delegation, I'll speak with your leadership about a formal alliance between our nations instead of relying on the Dokuchi as the under-the-table go-between. No offense, Lord Hayashi."

"None taken, that's just how things work."

"...How are things going with reworking the laws? Unless that's something you can't answer with Kaito and I in the room."

"Slow yet steady. Regent Vazante has been very helpful with regards to collating the information so we can see the problems easier."

"We've had to re-work and re-word several dozen statutes already, as well as following many paper trails to figure out what money has been going to where and whom, but more have been written and introduced. They should be a bit more clear, and less vague and easier to abuse. The vast majority of laws were simply vaguely written enough that they could be applied however and whenever one wished. The goal of these will be to restrict it and to make it less so, as well as introducing a means by which enforcers may be able to be more discretionary with their applications of enforcement. I have also introduced a measure to include something similar to our Order of Condemnation to help hold everyone accountable."

"Part of that, as Calisto and I have discussed, is making intercessor magic and kami diplomacy a more standard part of enforcer training. Giving them training that doesn't resort immediately to violence to fall back on. Additionally, we've been making donations to the Living Historians and similar yet smaller factions to fund training for social workers disconnected from the Imperial Court."

"And they don't have a problem with it?"

"It still falls under their goal of faction neutrality. Especially because I've been splitting the names of who's donating between 'Boss Koda Hayashi' and 'Lord Evandro Akio Hayashi-Vazante', so it's technically coming from both an Imperial noble house and from a Reckoner gang."

"Wonderful. Hopefully the changes we'll be making will enable them to have an easier time with maintaining that neutrality without issue."

"...Do we have anyone with connections to Otawara or the Futurists? Because we should also be paying attention to them."

"I have an understanding with Branch Chief Katsumasa, but we're still attempting to locate Director Emire. The Dokuchi Reckoners do not have constant enough reach into Otawara to find him. We have, however, confirmed the presence of the existence of the on-and-off Luneau-Otawara Omenpath."

"We've been able to speak with several other Branch Chiefs, but with just as little luck in locating the director. It would help if we knew what he looked like. Or if he even is a he."

"Another thing to worry about, then. Perhaps we should look into creating some sort of council of individuals representing the major factions of Kamigawa? And specify that whoever is sent to represent the faction should have enough authority to make decisions on behalf of the faction."

"It's a good idea, but the problem there is that there are many splinter factions within the larger groupings. Futurist branches run fairly independently, Reckoner gangs are individual groups, and there are, of course, groups connected to factions without being part of them."

"We can workshop it, though. The Reckoner gangs, for example, meet regularly as-is. If I speak with Lieutenant Watanabe and Lieutenant Bearclaw, I can bring their concerns with me to represent the major Reckoner gangs. But then we come back to 'who's actually in charge of the Saiba Futurists' and the clusterfuck of trying to find Director Emire."

"An idea and discussion for a later meeting, then. Any further topics before we're done?"

"Are there any extraplanar alliances besides Torrezon that the Imperial Court is considering? I'd prefer not to put things like that at risk."

"Other than initial meetings with Bretagard villages near the Omenpath and reparations from both the Imperial Court and your clan to Breathold in Stensia, no. We're monitoring the rivalry growing between Avishkar and Ravnica to see how that escalates before deciding if we should ally with one or the other."

"Noted, and I'll keep an eye on that with my own connections - Calisto don't give me that look - and report back anything notable. Right now it seems to just be ego-tripping, but we're aware that it could tip in any direction. Thank you for seeing us today, Your Highness."

"Of course, Lord Hayashi. Any updates that come before our next meeting can be sent through the usual channels."

[azzie-beastbinder]

Good news from Kamigawa!

Thanks to efforts from the Emperor and various heads and regents of some Imperial noble clans, the laws are getting cleaned up and reintroduced, slowly but surely. Confusing or vague wording is being hashed out and cleaned up!

Word on the streets is that the Imperial enforcer academies are going to be making intercessor magic and kami diplomacy standard parts rather than just...to use a Ravnican phrase, beat-cop stuff. Screening for applicants to enforcer academies is also going to be a lot more rigorous, and cloned enforcers will be receiving specific help and benefits that they need. So the average enforcer will be more dangerous, but ideally this will improve the average Kamigawan's experience with enforcers.

Aaaand a little birdie told me that social services in Towashi (and, albeit to a lesser extent, Eigan Town, Otawara, and Sokenzanshi) are getting more funding for better training and for hiring on more people.

Things are looking up here in Kamigawa!

[azzie-beastbinder]

Page of Swords and Ace of Pentacles

You can see the carrot up ahead, but you find yourself looking back to see if there's also a stick.

[azzie-beastbinder]

— BERTOLT BRECHT, trans. H. R. Hays.

[azzie-beastbinder]

"...So in summary, we may be looking at a second Phyrexia?"

"One that's going one plane at a time, but yes. One of my Dokuchi put together that document on the Pestoxy, please make sure you and yours read it thoroughly."

"Excellent, thank you Lord Hayashi. I'll make a personal study of it once Regent Light-Paws is done. On to the second problem... What is the status of the Reckoner gangs in Towashi?"

"...Stable. The Mukotai's collapse means that the Dokuchi got shunted into the top three list, but our alliance with the Okiba and discussions with Lieutenant Watanabe of the Hyozans means that it's evened back out. None of the big three are currently interested in power plays, and the smaller gangs are more or less isolated to their own turfs."

"Color me fucking surprised..."

"Be nice, Kaito."

"Excellent. And your connections?"

"Stable alliances between the Dokuchi, the Order of Jukai and affiliated budoka temples and traditions, and the Warren of Dragons. The Okibas have a deep reach in the Takenuma Swamp. Both gangs also have spoken with Lady Naomi Kurosawa, and Boss Haruko is assisting with negotiations on that front."

"Wasn't Clan Kurosawa one of the ones that sent one of their heirs to your suitor party, Hayashi?"

"Affirmative, Chief Shizuki. Like with the other clans, I made it clear that I am not interested in marriage alliances."

"A very good call, considering the greater planar stage we're dealing with. Speaking of, how goes the work in Ixalan-Torrezon?"

A sharp inhale. "Cal, you wanna be the one to explain what's going on there besides the Pestoxy thing?"

"Everything is well enough. Advancements are being made to stabilize the continent of Torrezon as well as new techniques to deal with our enemies there. Our conclave is still warning against the arrival of human visitors to anywhere that is not directly under control of the Church, but that is to be expected."

"So non-humans are okay?"

"If you wish to teach our traitorous brethren how your blood tastes, yes."

"Good to know, thank you Regent Vazante. Once things are calm enough for a delegation, I'll speak with your leadership about a formal alliance between our nations instead of relying on the Dokuchi as the under-the-table go-between. No offense, Lord Hayashi."

"None taken, that's just how things work."

"...How are things going with reworking the laws? Unless that's something you can't answer with Kaito and I in the room."

"Slow yet steady. Regent Vazante has been very helpful with regards to collating the information so we can see the problems easier."

"We've had to re-work and re-word several dozen statutes already, as well as following many paper trails to figure out what money has been going to where and whom, but more have been written and introduced. They should be a bit more clear, and less vague and easier to abuse. The vast majority of laws were simply vaguely written enough that they could be applied however and whenever one wished. The goal of these will be to restrict it and to make it less so, as well as introducing a means by which enforcers may be able to be more discretionary with their applications of enforcement. I have also introduced a measure to include something similar to our Order of Condemnation to help hold everyone accountable."

"Part of that, as Calisto and I have discussed, is making intercessor magic and kami diplomacy a more standard part of enforcer training. Giving them training that doesn't resort immediately to violence to fall back on. Additionally, we've been making donations to the Living Historians and similar yet smaller factions to fund training for social workers disconnected from the Imperial Court."

"And they don't have a problem with it?"

"It still falls under their goal of faction neutrality. Especially because I've been splitting the names of who's donating between 'Boss Koda Hayashi' and 'Lord Evandro Akio Hayashi-Vazante', so it's technically coming from both an Imperial noble house and from a Reckoner gang."

"Wonderful. Hopefully the changes we'll be making will enable them to have an easier time with maintaining that neutrality without issue."

"...Do we have anyone with connections to Otawara or the Futurists? Because we should also be paying attention to them."

"I have an understanding with Branch Chief Katsumasa, but we're still attempting to locate Director Emire. The Dokuchi Reckoners do not have constant enough reach into Otawara to find him. We have, however, confirmed the presence of the existence of the on-and-off Luneau-Otawara Omenpath."

"We've been able to speak with several other Branch Chiefs, but with just as little luck in locating the director. It would help if we knew what he looked like. Or if he even is a he."

"Another thing to worry about, then. Perhaps we should look into creating some sort of council of individuals representing the major factions of Kamigawa? And specify that whoever is sent to represent the faction should have enough authority to make decisions on behalf of the faction."

"It's a good idea, but the problem there is that there are many splinter factions within the larger groupings. Futurist branches run fairly independently, Reckoner gangs are individual groups, and there are, of course, groups connected to factions without being part of them."

"We can workshop it, though. The Reckoner gangs, for example, meet regularly as-is. If I speak with Lieutenant Watanabe and Lieutenant Bearclaw, I can bring their concerns with me to represent the major Reckoner gangs. But then we come back to 'who's actually in charge of the Saiba Futurists' and the clusterfuck of trying to find Director Emire."

"An idea and discussion for a later meeting, then. Any further topics before we're done?"

"Are there any extraplanar alliances besides Torrezon that the Imperial Court is considering? I'd prefer not to put things like that at risk."

"Other than initial meetings with Bretagard villages near the Omenpath and reparations from both the Imperial Court and your clan to Breathold in Stensia, no. We're monitoring the rivalry growing between Avishkar and Ravnica to see how that escalates before deciding if we should ally with one or the other."

"Noted, and I'll keep an eye on that with my own connections - Calisto don't give me that look - and report back anything notable. Right now it seems to just be ego-tripping, but we're aware that it could tip in any direction. Thank you for seeing us today, Your Highness."

"Of course, Lord Hayashi. Any updates that come before our next meeting can be sent through the usual channels."

[azzie-beastbinder]

Uhhhh most recently Boss Hayashi went into Duskmourn to rescue one of our younglings and succeeded, so now we're all just staying close. Oh! And Zenkuro's having me help him look for apartments.

He did wind up settling on the mannequin-filled one.

Well, it seems like things have been quite eventful since the last time I checked my communicator.

As for what I have been up to, I have taken my niece, Malkonia, with me on a journey around Theros so that she may learn about the plane as part of her studies. We are, thankfully, accompanied by Aoidi. It has been very eventful so far.

I must confess that I am very worried. The entire concept of prophecy has been...shaken since the compleation and death of Klothys, but that does not mean that I am discarding the concept, especially for a prophecy that's been at play for hundreds of years now.

But enough about the ramblings of an aged healer. How are things going for the rest of the individuals on this network?

[azzie-beastbinder]

Taking Stock

Ghostmark slowly sat down on his bed. His completed homework was carefully stacked on his desk. He had separated them into folders per class: Magical Physiologies, Beginning Computational Magic, History of Magic and Art, and Basic Magical Auras. He had also finished writing an article for the Strixhaven Star gathering students’ thoughts on recent events, keeping them all anonymous, and he was going to review it with Grayson to see if it was publishable as-is or if anything needed to be cut. Now Ghostmark was working on some props for the Playactors Drama Guild to give his hands something to do while his mind raced.

The main thing he was worried about was none other than his sister, Goldenscar. She had fallen ill and finally collapsed from it three days ago. The doctor had identified it as typhoid fever when he got her down to the infirmary. Now the school was investigating to make sure this didn’t become an outbreak and Goldenscar had been brought back to Towashi by Vasro and Koda so she could recover there. And, being completely honest, Ghostmark didn’t see her returning to Arcavios. He had seen her last journal entry still laying open in the dorm when he arrived to bring her to the infirmary.

Aurora had promised to get Goldenscar’s things packed up, but Ghostmark knew he’d have to find the hidden stuff. They were both Dokuchi Reckoners, after all; hiding their equipment when not in use was a natural part of their training.

Now Ghostmark was the only Dokuchi Reckoner on Arcavios.

He painted the already-primed props in silence. Despite his own worries about not being able to use magic – or rather, not being able to use magic not derived from being a Dokuchi Reckoner – he was doing well in his studies. His preparations for getting into the Quandrix college were going well. Not being able to cast a spell actually had very little to do with what he was studying. It was...refreshing, in a way.

He set aside the prop he was working on to dry and picked up the next one. He hummed a lullaby that Koda used to sing as he worked. When they were younger and Koda’s nightmares kept him awake at all hours, he would sneak into Ghostmark’s room and the two would talk about them, then Koda would make sure Ghostmark went back to sleep.

His siblings had always looked out for him. They made sure that his choice to be a pacifist was protected. They made sure that he wasn’t passed over in the gang for training. They trusted him and loved him.

He hoped, desperately, that he could repay that trust and love with whatever he could find in Arcavios.

[azzie-beastbinder]

get yourself a main character whos two primary emotions are "little cunt" and "catatonic with grief"

[azzie-beastbinder]

Now a lot of people, a lot of well-meaning people, what they're gonna say to you is, Revenge feels empty. You do all that, you go all that way, you get the revenge, you feel nothing. So you just shouldn't bother. And what I'm gonna say is, it varies. Take me. First time I got revenge, yeah, pretty empty, and I was like, yeah, okay, I guess they were right. But then the second time I had to get revenge, woah nelly! Better than sex! So I was like, alright, first time was a fluke, it's like when you have to pump the pump on a soap dispenser a couple of times to get it going, but now we're in business. But the third time, that sort of just fell on a mid point between the first and the second. It was just okay. Fourth time was as good as the second, fifth time was as good as the third, but then the sixth time, you know, that was so awful I thought maybe the tank was empty, but then the seventh time was so good, you know, made me wonder why I even bothered the second and fourth times. Eighth time was just okay. I had a cold. Nothing's as good when you have a cold. And so on, and so forth. What I'm saying is that you gotta keep at it. Artists don't let a dry spell spoil their passion, and people are gonna say a lot of profound-sounding stuff when you've got their dad who killed your dad dangling off something

[azzie-beastbinder]

One of them had its hand out at the right height to knock me off of the counter when it suddenly fell over :<

If I never see a mannequin again, it will be too soon :<

[azzie-beastbinder]

Premonition

It was risky. Of course it was. Trekking through the mountains in winter would always prove potentially treacherous.

But when the Saint is calling, any of the Church and Legion must answer. There was no refusing a being suffused with the might and authority of the divine. Not without excellent reason.

And unfortunately, Guitirre did not have excellent reason beyond "I am too far away", which wasn't good enough. High Marshal Arguel had already begun sending some of the Marshals that Guitirre had garrisoned while they were training the new blooded paladins, and so he had to ride out to lead them. Arguel was pulling up his own companies and commanders in kind.

Out of the small fleet he had been overseeing, Guitirre was only traveling with two hundred paladins. Just enough to hopefully be too intimidating to attack as they traveled, but also just enough not to harry their speed too much as they went. There were no clerics among them, either, which would be considered almost sacrilegious if not for the fact that they would be traveling practically all hours of the day and thus the shortened prayers and rites of the Legion were all they could commit too. Part of him worried for the lack of healing, but his clergymen had to stay behind. The port had suffered an attack just two nights before his arrival and were still reeling. A bloodletter was among them, he was told. The clergy were getting stretched too thin at this rate.

They were still almost a week out from reaching their destination to the south where the fighting had all but quagmired with the change in season. In order to keep pace, they traveled close to the mountains that ran down the length of the continent, staying in the foothills to try and use them as cover. Thankfully, of the two hundred he had with him -- with more groupings of two hundred to follow, staggered by at least two days each -- all of them were Skymarchers. Which meant those who could not be granted horses could fly and keep up with the chargers they were using. It was taxing, and so the ones on horses rotated from dusk to dawn.

The chill of winter had most certainly set in. Occasional bouts of wind and snow pelted the soldiers, but they pushed onward. They couldn't be held up for too long. Everything rested on a precarious edge.

The sun was hidden behind the peaks of the mountains around them. The path was wide and the snow was ankle-deep. Long shadows had been drawn, and with them came a harsh cold. The High Marshal called out for the paladins to begin forming loose ranks. They had been traveling for a few nights without issue now, but he knew better than to be too lax in times like these. He kept his eye on the road before them, occasionally looking toward the navigator for the journey. She was the only human with them, and the only one who kept her horse. She looked slightly exhausted, but she'd be able to rest when evening came. Though the paladins made no camp, they had given her enough room in one of the carts they were using to transport supplies for her to sleep. So far, no great deviations had to be made.

Some part of the High Marshal's intuition told him to be alert and be aware. There was some overcast that made the shade of the mountains deepen and the air grow colder.

An hour after the sun had sank beneath the mountain's peaks, something strange waited for them on the road. There was another pair of horses, alongside a cart, off to the side. Guitirre narrowed his eyes at it when it was first spotted. He sent ahead five paladins to scout it out and see if there was anyone still inside. The rest of the company with him remained about a hundred paces back, but still moving forward, albeit slowly. Just in case there were hypothermic survivors who might be a little startled to see two hundred armed warriors with them.

And lo and behold, there were people huddled within. One of them was a cleric -- a condemner, no less -- and she was traveling with a paladin and his squire. Guitirre was a little surprised. He was brought to the condemner. She was dressed in the usual darker attire for her Order, with much of her form obscured by heavy black robes that were both a symbol of status as well as a means of keeping warm. Her hair was kept neatly tied and braided, and she held herself with poise despite her present circumstances.

"Hail, High Marshal," she said. Her cheeks were a little hollow. She looked a few days from a Fast. The paladin looked to be in better shape, as did the squire. She must've given them her rations, Guitirre reasoned.

"Greetings, Condemner," he said, dipping his head to her. "I do not believe we have met."

"You may be a little more familiar with my older brother," said the condemner. "I am Palmira Magro, Lazaro Ayere's sister."

"Ah, I do know him," Guitirre said with a nod. "You were at their wedding. I thought you looked vaguely familiar." He tilted his head. "What brings you out on this highway in the dead of winter?"

"I could be asking you the same," Palmira answered, bringing her cloak a bit closer around her shoulders. "This is Marcello Barros and his squire Fabia Machado."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintances," Guitirre said, nodding to them. The paladin offered a salute and the squire offered a bow.

"We were on the way to administer Fabia's Rite when we became stuck in a blizzard," Palmira explained. "It's taken us the better part of the day to begin digging the wheels free."

"So I see." He looked to their cart where there was gouges dug out around the wheels. "Are you headed south?"

"We are. Cardinal Socorro has asked for my presence, and Fabia's family is native to Mosena, which is by the southern pass we'll be crossing anyway."

"Mm." Guitirre nodded again. "Well, why don't we escort you then? We're missing our own clergymen, and I'm sure having a condemner with us could never hurt. Though I must warn, we are in quite the hurry."

"That would be amenable, High Marshal. We would be honored to accompany you." Palmira bowed low. Guitirre ordered for his paladins to help get her horses and cart back on the road, allowing for a brief enough reprieve from the relentless travel. Within a half-hour, they were off again, and Guitirre felt a little more confident now that they had a woman of the cloth with them.

A blessing, he thought to himself.

And yet... there was still that sense that stuck with him. He felt a sense of unease, but he couldn't place where it was coming from. As the days continued to wear on, and even after a few proper rites had been observed, that feeling never went away.

They were three days from making it to the end of the range when he felt something beginning to prick at him. Night was falling. The shadows cast by the mountains felt deeper and darker than they had before. The sky was still clouded over. Wind was beginning to pick up, and snow was beginning to fall. He ordered the company to begin to slow, but not stop. Stopping would mean they might get too stuck in the snow, but they needed to stay close enough so that they wouldn't lose anyone.

That prickling feeling continued to harry him. It was starting to grow sharp in the remains of his shoulder. A dull ache and throb, that--

He stopped. His eyes grew wide. He immediately began looking around.

"High Marshal?" asked one of the paladins close to him. The wind was really beginning to pick up now, stirring the cloak he wore around his shoulders.

"Bloodletter," he said quietly. "To arms!" he shouted. "To arms, to arms! Form ranks-"

But the wind was tearing his voice away. The snow had gotten worse, creating a veritable whiteout. He heard a shout from one of his paladins, then another, and another.

A sharp pain lanced through him, and he reflexively gripped his other shoulder with a grunt. Old scars were beginning to open as though fresh. Black wings beat through the wind and snow, and he ducked just in time to avoid a wickedly spiked flail.

"Ambush!" he shouted. "Ambush! Form ranks! Push forward! Go! Go! Run! Don't get caught in the snows!"

Horses whinnied and shrieked. Steel clashed on steel. The sound of loosed bolts and an occasional crack of fire broke out behind him. He urged his horse forward, still shouting orders over the howling of wind and the growing storm.

The flail came again. He moved himself to the left, feeling a tip score alongside his breastplate.

"Where is the condemner?" he shouted. "Bind the bastard!"

"Right here, High Marshal," Palmira said, shockingly close. Guitirre turned and came face-to-face with a shade that struck him from his horse, shrieking madly all the while. Guitirre was momentarily surprised before he righted himself, his legs dissolved into a blackened mist. His horse screeched and continued to tear off down the road.

"Contain your shade!" Guitirre said as the spirit came for him again. He rose higher to try and get a better vantage point and see through the storm, but the snow was too thick, and the wind's howl too loud. "Condemner!"

But when he looked at her, he saw a strange green glow wrapped about her arms. The storm was calm nearest to her. A patient smile was on her face. Guitirre battered away the shade as he unsheathed his weapon, barely having enough time to react to the bloodletter that threw out its flail yet again. Blood was beginning to seep from beneath the armor of his ruined shoulder, and he felt it welling from the older scratches on his face.

"You're a fool for not bringing proper clergy with you," Palmira laughed. "Taking you out of the game has been made so much easier!"

"Traitor!" he spat, his rapier swiping through the shade's limb. It screeched and reeled, wounded. He saw Palmira wince in sympathy, but the smile didn't falter.

How did she learn to-

The thought was cut off as the bloodletter's flail finally found its mark. Its long chain wrapped around his throat and ripped him backwards towards it. He was able to batter away the wounded shade as it attacked him, and he was able to carefully maneuver around the worse of the bloodletter's claws when it came close. He spun his way out of the binding the chain held on him.

"I summon the silent blade!" he shouted over the storm. He swung away from the bloodletter as it clawed at him again, though his vision was beginning to fuzz at the edges. "Stealth, rationality, and swift death! As Dokuchi aids Dokuchi, as human aids oni, so you will aid me! Rise!" He clashed his sword to his chest, using the motion to parry away another attack from both the shade and bloodletter. "And make merry!"

He had no idea how this would work. If this would work.

He hoped the oni would not be appearing right where he was; otherwise, he might break a leg falling from this height. But all he had to do was hope and pray that it would, that he could sicc him on that damned traitor condemner or at least get the bloodletter and shade to focus on something bigger and badder than him.

From the shadows, a clawed hand emerged, wrapping around the leg of the bloodletter and slamming it down to the snow as the ten-foot-tall oni emerged fully from the shadows. Zenkuro the Silent-Blade did not speak yet as he dropped down fully on top of the bloodletter. The demon hissed and shrieked. Guitirre smiled and was about to say something when the shade struck him, a hand moving through his armor as if it wasn't there and into him. He let out a pained groan but conjured enough of his own knowledge of sangromancy to kick the fiend from his body and slice at its throat. It shrieked and howled, becoming wisps and smoke. He grunted as the lingering touch of the shade deepened the pain of his old opened wounds. His shoulder burned as it bled.

The bloodletter beat its wings against the snow. The wind howled and whipped around them, ice and snow now feeling like a thousand tiny knives cutting into any exposed skin. The cold did not seem to bother Zenkuro as he sunk his sais into the bloodletter. He was quick and methodical as he tore the other monster's arms off. The beast let out another shrieking wail, blackened ichor steaming as it fell into the ice around them.

Guitirre dove past the shade towards Palmira as Zenkuro finished off the bloodletter. He kicked her down into the snow, putting his blade to her throat.

"A good trick," he said, his voice weaker than he'd like it to be. His own blood dripped down his armor, some of it already frozen to the sides of it. "Too bad I have tricks and allies of my own."

Palmira looked up at him with eyes full of mirth. A cruel smile was on her face. "I never thought to see you allying with demons."

"Take this lesson back to your master then," Guitirre said, forcing a smile. "Oni are not demons. Crucial difference. They are greater than them." He nodded to Zenkuro as the oni tore into the demon's neck as it still struggled despite losing its arms. Palmira spat at the High Marshal's boots.

"You think that will scare me? Or him? He is beyond fear," she answered.

"So he likes to claim. But if that were true, then why would he send you to take care of me?"

"Because you and the rest of the Legion are a thorn in his side," she answered. "You are one of the last hurdles between us and the divinity we were promised!"

"Mm. So that's how he got you," he said. "Well, I'll be sure to tell your family you died valiantly, lass. Your blasphemy will be known only to me."

"What?" she said, looking confused. "You would lie?"

"Of course. We need unity and strength, not more strife added to grief," he answered. "It is a thing called mercy and restraint, lass. Besides, better to let your memory not be sullied by desperation and confusion."

"There is no confusion! I have seen the light of reason!" she hissed. "The Saint is a false idol of stolen divinity! We were made to rule!"

"You can tell yourself that until the day the stars die. Somewhere deep down, I think you know it's not true." Guitirre pulled his blade back. "Anything you'd like for me to tell your family?"

"That they need to join with me," Palmira said defiantly. "There will be greater peace in it. My children will follow me."

"Nothing for your brothers? Your sister? Your parents?"

"That I will see them soon," she said with a fanatic's smile. Guitirre let out a sigh and brought his sword down in an executioner's blow... and then stopped. He winked at her before he simply smacked her with the guard of his rapier, knocking her unconscious. As she went out, so too did the storm around them. The air stilled. The snow stopped falling. The paladins were locked in their own struggles, which Guitirre asked Zenkuro to help dispatch.

Within three minutes, all was quelled. Guitirre had Palmira properly bound and thrown into the back of one of the carts, and he started asking for head counts when he stumbled, his vision blurring. He began to hear a ringing in his ears and he shook his head, dizzy as a drunkard.

"I'll be fine," he tried to say, though the words were slurred and thick. Everything felt as though it were moving in slow motion. He blinked as black began to crowd his vision, and the next thing he knew, he was on one side, sprawled in the snow as the darkness took his vision away.

[azzie-beastbinder]

:v

[azzie-beastbinder]

If I never see a mannequin again, it will be too soon :<

[azzie-beastbinder]

Snippets from the diary of Goldenscar, Guji of Jinja Dokuchi and head kami channeler of the Dokuchi Reckoners

[azzie-beastbinder]

Source: neko.cat.cafe

[azzie-beastbinder]

Snippets from the diary of Goldenscar, Guji of Jinja Dokuchi and head kami channeler of the Dokuchi Reckoners

[azzie-beastbinder]

Yeahhh this open house wasn't it. I'm not sure why Zenkuro is house shopping, but he wasn't impressed by the apartment or the shoddy work done to clean it up, so we're gonna head to the next one.

Zenkuro took me to an "open house" of an apartment in Towashi today and we're making bets on how long this is going to go before something weird comes up.