[Arc] [Part 2] The Grave Robber - Trouble on the Countryside

Part 1:

It was a rainy evening on Lvneel droplets streaked down from the heavens as though mourning those who had lost their lives in the island’s civil war. As the winds of change blustered in, so too came the gentle breeze of quietus. [dass]Families mourned their lost loved ones as new burial sites were made to accommodate the dead; even now the people’s strife had not reached its conclusion, for alongside the war’s end a monster had arrived in their lands[cmt]Some of your sentences can run unnecessarily long. Rather than splitting this with a semi-colon, a period would have been more appropriate. [/cmt][/dass].

Despite the utility that death served in the graverobber’s life he rarely saw it as something to revel in; to fight and to kill was a noble and visceral pursuit in itself, but the ensuing result? A corpse was little better than a withered crop, a vessel vacated of its purpose and bereft of any beauty it may have once carried. Nonetheless, Doji could not simply overlook news of a war, if the man he was looking for had already gone and died here then his journey would be in vain.

Under the blanket of the evening’s caliginous clouds, Old Sutured Sail arrived at the island of Lvneel, its captain beaching the vessel before dropping anchor. The looming figure jumped down from the ship’s deck, clumps of wet sand flying from the impact of his landing. The hyateal drizzle fell upon the yokai’s face as in this moment he merely savored his surroundings; perhaps it was fitting that the mantle of rain would be worn by those who trafficked in death.

Some ways away heavy rainfall buffeted against the window of a strategy room. Streaking down its surface like the tears of a sobbing mother. Fitting that the island’s new royals would ascend the titles of matriarch and patriarch, the cries of their parents’ agony little more than a nagging memory.

Doji made his way through the lush foliage of the kingdom’s edges, the branches of the island’s coniferous trees brushed through his hair as he strode through its glenns and grottos. In his romp through the brush the giant terrified many woodland creatures, surely this forest would carry a vendetta against the Asakura clan for the rest of its days. As he tromped his way to the fringes of the settlement thunderous booming erupted from the sky, and a bright white flash illuminated the clouds above.

A red-tailed hawk fell from the above as though smote by a god of lightning. The smell of cooked bird filled the air as Doji crouched close to the ground and scrambled for shelter.

The Lerévérend family was enjoying dinner that evening as the calamity upon their house hurriedly approached, “You know Marguerite? I think Nicolas should start studying his scripture! The boy has a way with words! He’d be an even better priest than I am!”

[npc=misc]“Dad?”[/npc] The astute boy was paralyzed in fear. His parents continued with their argument.

“Oh no! Somebody in this family needs to make some real money, Franc!” The mother of the household sneered at her husband, a pathetic man who only barely supported his family through his work as a priest.

[npc=misc]“Mom?”[/npc] The boy, now shuddering with fear, hoped his mother would notice his meek call for help.

“I’ve been making berri hand over fist Marguerite!” Franc shouted.

“Only because of the war Franc! I don’t think a good reverend should relish death just cause it makes him a few handfuls of berri!” Marguerite countered.

[npc=misc]“Mom! Dad! Look!”[/npc] The young Nicolas screamed at his bickering parents pointing to the window.

A bizarre devil had pressed its face against the windowpane, lashing its tongue out like a snake, and comically bulging its eyes. The creature’s horns and long red hair signaled clearly to the pious family that a devil was upon them. The family gawked at the terrifying figure for a moment before the father nervously shouted at it, “Away foul demon! I compel you!”

“Yo-ka-ka-ka-ka-iii! Yo-ka-ka-ka-iii!” Doji cackled uproariously at the holy man's meek evocation, had prayers been enough to dispel the oni he would have never made it this far. “Oh, how adorable. Do you think you can ward me away? If it’s any relief, I’m just a stranger in need of a place to stay,” The giant smiled for a moment before unleashing a kick strong enough to break a large hole in the wooden wall separating him from shelter.

Franc Lerévérend, a coward but a man who would fight when backed into a corner, picked up one of the sharper pieces of lumber that were scattered from his house’s broken wall and charged toward the monster that had invaded his home. With inhuman swiftness, the lanky creature, crawling on hands and knees, skittered out of the way of the man’s attack before twisting its head to face the mother and her child.

“Would you two give us a moment?” The pallid creature, with its bizarre and beautiful human face, spoke down to Nicolas and Marguerite. The two fled their house screaming, causing many of the citizens of Hibiscus town to rise from their slumber and investigate the source of the racket.

In short order, a mob was formed led by the town’s militiamen to discover the fate of the reverend Franc and the devil that plagued his house. Upon their arrival the men were shocked by the wreckage of the home, the demon had torn the floorboards from the building’s second floor to sit comfortably upon a pile of rubble and bedding. An unconscious Franc lay strewn out on his house’s floor, a sizable slash ran horizontally through both of the man’s eyes, and all of his limbs were crushed.

“This everybody?” The oni asked the mob, hearing less than thirty voices.

[npc=misc]“Foul demon! In the name of the Queen, I demand you submit!”[/npc] The leader of the militia: Perceval LeClerc shouted up to the devil.

“And is it people such as you who enforce your Queen’s will? If so she must be in dire straits,” Doji mused further, “If you insist on fighting me I won't stop you, but if you’re incapable of forging your own destiny then I assure you that you're incapable of fighting the tides of mine.”

With this provocation, most of the men charged and were all met with Doji’s retort. The giant oni raked his hook swords through the rubble of the house shoving it forwards, catching the charging men in a wave of wreckage. In this single attack, the fight was won, and the mob of men was left shattered in a heap of debris.

The giant boy slept peacefully that night within the frame of the Lerévérend house, as even those men who awoke and managed to pry themselves from the rubble were unwilling to attempt another attack on the monster. That evening the militiamen of Hibiscus Town were critically injured, suffering many broken bones amongst their ranks. Fortunately, only a single townsperson died that evening in the form of the town’s reverend Franc.

The next morning Asakura Doji awoke as the roof of the house caved in over his head. After freeing himself from the rubble the troll investigated the town’s cemetery before making for the countryside and beginning his tour de Lvneel.

Post Word Count: 1,199
Total Word Count: 3,811

Round 1: Aspiring Royal Knights

Doji activates toggle Swaying Breeze
Doji uses AoE Heavenly Song: Melody of Zephyr's Guidance to buff self
Doji uses UT against Aspiring Royal Knights

Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use UT against Doji

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Doji' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 16

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 5, 18, 8, 3

Round 2: Aspiring Royal Knights

Doji uses HT Sunlight's Sixteenth Ray against Aspiring Royal Knights
Doji uses LT Horrid Hook against Aspiring Royal Knights
Doji uses UT against Aspiring Royal Knights

Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use UT against Doji

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Doji' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 1, 6, 14

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 6, 17, 20, 5

Round 3: Aspiring Royal Knights

Doji uses MT Seventh Star Slice against Aspiring Royal Knights
Doji uses LT Hilt of Tilled Earth against Aspiring Royal Knights
Doji uses LT Two Heavens Reversed against Aspiring Royal Knights
Doji uses UT against Aspiring Royal Knights

Aspiring Royal Knights use MT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use UT against Doji

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Doji' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 14, 18, 6, 14

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 5, 6, 2, 8

Round 4: Aspiring Royal Knights

Aspiring Royal Knights are defeated.

Doji uses LT Horrid Hook against Aspiring Royal Knights
Doji uses LT Monastery Slash against Aspiring Royal Knights
Doji uses LT Waning Crescent's Arc against Aspiring Royal Knights
Doji uses UT against Aspiring Royal Knights

Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use LT against Doji
Aspiring Royal Knights use UT against Doji

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Doji' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 4, 12, 17, 14

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 5, 20, 20, 9

Round 1: Surviving the Lightning

Doji activates toggle Swaying Breeze
Doi uses HT Haunting Visage against Inquisitors
Doji uses UT against Inquisitors

Lightning uses LT against Doji
Lightning uses LT against Doji
Lightning uses LT against Doji
Lightning uses UT against Doji

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Doji' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

'Reflex Check' : 13, 18

Round 1: Surviving the Lightning Cont.

Apologies, I misread charts and assumed I hadn't rolled enough earlier so I converted those failed rolls into the start of this combat. Because of how I misread things I'll now need to roll the attacks for the Lightning.

The member 'Doji' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

'Reflex Check' : 5, 9, 14, 18

Round 2: Surviving the Lightning

Doji uses MT Seventh Star Slice to buff self and damage Inquisitors
Doi uses LT Horrid Hook against Surviving the Lightning
Doi uses LT Hilt of Tilled Earth against Surviving the Lightning
Doji uses UT against Surviving the Lightning

Lightning uses LT against Doji
Lightning uses LT against Doji
Lightning uses LT against Doji
Lightning uses UT against Doji

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Doji' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 15, 5, 5, 14

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 12, 19, 17, 13

Round 3: Surviving the Lightning

Doji survives the lightning blast.

Doji uses LT Monastery Slash against Surviving the Lightning
Doi uses LT Two Heavens Reversed against Surviving the Lightning
Doi uses LT Waning Crescent's Arc against Surviving the Lightning
Doji uses UT against Surviving the Lightning

Lightning uses MT against Doji
Lightning uses LT against Doji
Lightning uses LT against Doji
Lightning uses UT against Doji

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Doji' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 3, 6, 12, 9

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 8, 18, 12, 16

Departing from the terrified populace of Hibiscus town in the morning Doji intended to head towards the province of Jewel, figuring if nothing else such a settlement would have lucrative riches to plunder from its cemeteries. With his destination in mind, he found his way to the crossing leading out of the town, reaching down for a road marker the blind giant felt for the direction he would travel along; in truth, he had a very loose grasp on the concept of road signs, and with his misunderstanding, he began walking the road to Aube.

The rolling fields of the provincial island glowed that afternoon, freshly watered by the prior night’s thunderstorm, and basking beneath the sun that shone down through the island’s parted clouds. The island’s nightingales and ravens chattered from the brush, corvids picked over the scattered leftovers of conflict remaining from the war. The troll was oblivious to the beauty and tragedy that he strode past, simply trying to quiet his nerves by tuning into the pleasant song of the nightingale.

Doji’s mind was occupied by thoughts of his fateful night at Flevance, of that shadowy figure that had duped him into denying a warrior his rightful death. Perhaps humanity was right to cast this monster out of its ranks, How can I call myself a warrior after participating in that vile act?... It would be a long and arduous road to redeem the honor of the Asakura.

Maybe if I deliver his final message. With that perhaps we could call it even. I don’t even know who this Castor guy is though! The oni tented his forehead between his index and his thumb.

Sometime later…

Making his way from Aube a small elderly man carried with him a collection of documents stolen from the Duke’s chambers. Throughout the months prior this little man had served as a loyal vizier to the Duke of Aube, helping the novice ruler understand the nature of his position. In truth, it was all a ruse, one of Saint Dax’s many hidden servants. Now he had begun his escape, traveling down towards the province’s coast where he was set to rendezvous with his contact and deliver his blackmail material.

As the man made his way across the hilly trails he seemed to see something that he could hardly believe: horns jutted from the head of some hulking creature, striding in long steps across the landscape with uncanny grace. This monster was heading up the path leading down to the waterfront; he needed to get down quickly, it would only be a matter of time before the Duke returned and noticed his missing possessions. Stuck between a rock and a hard place [dass]the vizier astutely noticed the large boy’s clouded eyes[cmt]Honestly completely forgot that he's blind. There's not enough in your narration to remind the reader that Doji is blind. If anything, there are times where it misleads the reader into (very rightfully) thinking he isn't. Like when he peered into Franc's home through the window with "bulging eyes".

Edit: In hindsight, I suppose you did hint at his blindness with the slashes over Franc's eyes and Doji not noticing the beauty and tragedy around him. BUT, even with such hints, I feel that your narration is severely lacking in expressing Doji's sightless perspective. Your narration tends to take a more omniscient perspective (and then dabbles in the ill-advised practice of head-hopping). If you insist on writing a blind main character, I would've liked to see a more unique brand of narration that better expresses the world through Doji's other senses.[/cmt][/dass], figuring him blind, the man began walking on tip toes down the hill, trying to sneak by unheard.

“[ass=What made him realize that the passer-by is an old man?]Hey gramps, am I headed the right way to Jewel[/ass]?” The creature asked casually. Pointing up the hill with a quizzical expression.

The elder was surprised the creature noticed him and that upon doing so it had reacted in such a civil fashion. [npc=pirt]“How did you…? Nevermind. And no, you’re headed up towards Aube, my friend.”[/npc] He answered curtly, wishing to get a move on.

“Hah! your friend?...” Doji scoffed at the notion, deep loneliness sat at the center of his heart, “…I don’t have any friends. Thank you for answering me, stranger. Seems I’ve gotten myself off course, could you tell me a bit about Aube before we part ways?” he further inquired of the hurrying vizier.

The elder grimaced, not excited at the prospect of trying to escape this huge thing. The Duke could send his men as soon as he discovered the items missing from his study, but this horned demon could become violent at any moment if he didn’t comply with it. He would stay and suffer its inquisition, at least for a little longer.

“And you were wondering how I knew you were here right?” Doji asked pointedly, knowing where the elder’s cut-off question was going, and that the man had been trying to sneak past him. “I guess it was just a change in the wind. Yahoo!” he smiled with a short laugh as a serendipitous wind caused his kimono to billow like a sail.

The traitorous elder sighed and imparted a bit of local lore regarding Aube, [ass=This phrase doesn't really make sense? What about Doji makes him a royal from the elder's perspective?]seems he was fated to counsel young royals[/ass],[npc=pirt] “You might think this a humble province, but things have been cutthroat for ages and they only got worse when the men fought their little war. Guardsmen and outlaws alike feed plenty of bodies into that pitch black swamp. Be mindful on your way out of town,”[/npc] He spoke with a foreboding tone to his voice.

Famine

Aube’s swamplands were amply fed, red-spotted amonita and other shrooms and lichens grew in abundance, drawing nutrients from the dense mass of carrion that constituted the swamp’s bottom; the casualties of the recent civil war were welcome additions, the local lichen and mycelium ravenously fed from their nutrients, growing tall and strong off their feast of flesh.

The people of Aube were not so fortunate as the fungi that fed from them, in this province it was guards and gangsters who ate well, there was little more than tablescraps and grapes left for the rest. Though once Aube was a thriving place, it seemed now that little aside from despair remained.

Those able to leave their homes were escorted out of Cossia by the city’s fat-bellied bailiffs, those who couldn’t were left for dead alongside the city’s refuse. A bone-thin elderly man languished as he was left behind; slumped against the wall the last wind of his consciousness spoke his dying words to him:

[npc=misc]It’s time. There’s no room in this world for an old man like me. I hope that it’s a pleasant dream, either way probably better than facing the comin’ nightmare.[/npc]

Post Word Count: 990
Total Word Count: 4,801

Though the elder had just told him that he was lost, at least he was on the path to one of the country’s provinces, the oni truly was a hopeless navigator. He immediately veered onto a branching path as soon as one became available to him. As Doji strode along the dirt road he was oblivious to the beginnings of vineyards that surrounded him; this was certainly not the way into the city. As the demon approached a nearby cottage a young man watched from his window, gathering his nerve to confront the imposing figure.

David dreamed of becoming a knight, were he able to serve Queen Annabelle and make a name for himself he might live a life worth living; he could provide for his mother, be free from the torment of both criminals and the town’s guard alike, he and his mother could even live a life of relative luxury. All that stood in his way was the fiend gliding towards his doorstep, god had given him his chance.

The boy fetched the sling from his wall, the only armament he could afford to fashion for himself. With his weapon in hand he ran through the cottage’s small dining room for the door. David’s mother pleaded he stop, and prayed that the devil would pass. The boy was undeterred, his lord had offered him providence, not protection.

Doji was surprised that only a single small human had come to meet him at the border of this settlement; in broad daylight, he was more accustomed to being swarmed by mobs. “Hey, little fella. Tell me, Aube is supposed to be a thriving city eh? If I’m right this country has been flourishing since you all got done with your war, no?”

David was irked by the fiend’s thoughtless talk of a struggle he knew nothing of. “Silence thy serpent’s tongue devil! My name is David Granger, son of bailiff Napoleon Granger! By the hand of my god I shall smite thee!” With a wild look in his eye, the boy hurled a large rock from his sling towards the demon’s forehead.

The sharp clangor of metal rang out across the fields of rooting and transplanted vines. David’s stone fell to the ground with a solid thud.

“Shini-hi-hi… you people invoke your god so freely. I wonder if he ever tires of your begging,” The rōnin  scooped a mound of fertile mud upon the flat of his hooked sword.

The oni slung the soil down on David, muddying his clothes with the foul-smelling substance. “Your idle delusions will never change the will to which you submit. Call on your god as much as you want, it’ll never change your place in the world!” Doji hesitated for a moment looking down at the fuming young man.

“Tell me, why is it that you want to kill me?” He asked with a condescending furrow to his brow.

The boy who aspired for knighthood choked back his fear and anger. “I want something better! I want a better life for myself! For my family! If I can’t take your head we can’t have that!”

“If that's how you think then you’ll never get what you want,” Doji responded coldly. “[ass=Isn't that what he's literally trying to do, though?]If you’re holding yourself back waiting for a better life to fall into your lap then you were doomed from the start. If you want something you have to force the world to give it to you![/ass]”

The giant warrior raised his sword, preparing to knock the boy unconscious with its flat before David’s mother ran from the house and pleaded for the his mercy, “Please spare him! If our god is not enough to repel thee then take me instead! Just spare my boy!”

The villain smiled at the mother’s brave supplication before speaking back to David. The boy looked to his mother, he didn’t think she had anything like this in her.

“You’re lucky your ma is here kid. Go ahead and throw another stone. Hell, throw as many as you want,” Doji wished to see this boy keep trying, and to show pity to this brave family. Crushing the boy at this moment would leave him as another faceless name, lost to the tide of history. Likewise, the boy’s death would leave his mom heartbroken; though he cared little for patriarchs he couldn’t help but show pity to mothers.

As the giant oni blundered his way back to the path to Aube’s city David the ankle-biter continued to pelt him with stones from the road. Doji dodged and danced his head out of the way of David’s rocks, and took the brunt of the stones that hit his body quite easily with his large frame. Making their way further along the path the pair of young men heard the sound of fluting in the distance.

“Yahoo! Hey David, would you mind giving me a moment? I’ll give ya a free shot at my head!” The oni smiled arrogantly and pointed to his skull as the smaller adolescent shot up a scornful look. Nonetheless, the boy lowered his sling for the moment.

Doji excitedly fetched his shakuhachi from his belt and began playing an ominous yet upbeat tune, striding towards the other musicians with monstrous speed. The devil seemed to fly over the rough road to Aube, drawing closer to the 3 men by the moment.

One of the scouts’ horses spooked at the large figure approaching the trio and so, struggling to hold onto the bucking creature the guardsman atop it steered his mount the other way where it began to flee, [npc=misc]“You two see if you can draw it back towards the encampment! I’ll get us back up!”[/npc]

The other two, awestruck, their eyes bulging and their mouths wide open watched as their cowardly compatriot fled, before turning back to face the horrifying creature that had now made its way directly in front of them. Both men screamed in terror. The oni laughed uproariously at the chaos that had begun to unfold, “Yo-ka-ka-ka-iiii!”

Post Word Count: 1,003
Total Word Count: 5,804

Alister leapt fiercely into battle, his attack on the titan barely missed as the monster shifted into a low stance. Doji smiled bizarrely at the little soldier before whispering menacingly: “No one will make me kneel,” The proclamation fell on deaf ears.

Alister stared condescendingly up at his opponent, knowing this creature to be lower than any knight or ruler of Lvneel. He growled at the monologuing monster before leaping further into the air, landing on the crouched demon’s back. This beast’s condescension would be his end.  

“Gotcha! Yahoo!” The oni cackled as he quickly flung himself back to full height, using the lever of his back as a catapult to launch the young knight into a nearby tree. Birds and Squirrels chittered and fled as their home was disturbed. A robin’s nest shattered into a miserable yolky mess.

Wiping the egg from his face Alister snarled in frustration before poking his head from the branches and signing his command. It was time for his compatriot to unleash the rats.

The swarm of furry critters snapped to attention, standing at the ready like a furry Warband. "Are you sure Alister?!"

Alister growled again, throwing out a thumbs up after a brief moment of hesitation. Once the rats were unleashed there was no stopping them until they'd had their fill of flesh. I hate those little fuckers, but this thing is smart. We need an edge or it’s gonna kill us. Alister thought to himself.

With his comrade's command, Pierre began playing the rat's patter song, prattling its lyrics apprehensively.

"Little rats, today's your day!" The rats turned their heads up, chittering at the song's beginning. "To run amok and roughly play." The chittering intensified. "Cats have gone and come what may, Little rats today's your day."

Pierre continued singing and piping the rest of the song's riveting lyrics and melody. With the finale of its first verse, the rats were unleashed, baring their jagged front teeth before charging for Doji.

The little creatures charged for Doji, scampering up the length of his modified tabi and knee armor, but being shaken and brushed off beyond that point. This gave Alister the perfect opportunity to strike. The flutist paused to cheer on his deaf ally, “With your head, Alister shall ascend the royal knights! Die, Fiend!”

Doji, fully occupied, and caught off guard by the deaf knight, thought of what it would be like to have his head chopped off, almost seeming to see it flash before his vacant eyes. Would this quiet little fellow be his executioner?

The crack of a rock hitting firmly against a skull echoed through the field. The giant oni toppled to his knees with the impact, causing Alister to miss his decapitation attempt.

“Cheap shot redeemed jumbo!” David shouted cockily over to Doji “And what was that about not being brought to your knees?”

David still had a chance to get the kill for himself. A little bit of friendly competition never hurt anybody.

A massive lump had formed on Doji’s head, he struggled to remain conscious, but the red-haired demon couldn’t be put down. Mumbling down to himself "I was speaking figuratively..."

Following his tumultuous sense of direction, the creature began dancing blindly and uncontrollably but did so with his swords drawn. Raining terror upon the rats and the earth beneath, as though the prior evening’s torrent had returned in the form of cold sharp steel.

Alister made the mistake of letting out a loud effort as he dove in for his next attempt at the kill. He was at home amidst the battle of braggarts and glory-seeking loudmouths. “Graaah!”

The clashing of metal soon gave way to the sound of swords whirling through the air, followed shortly after by the clang of the knight’s blades clattering to the earth below. The sound of Alister’s screaming rang.

“You think so lowly of me, like a beast to hunt,” Doji spoke with a sinister softness to his voice, savoring the smell of the bloody aftermath of the punishment he had doled. “Even if you are just a human, I can still understand your nature,” The knight collapsed to the ground, agonizing over his missing forearm. “I still see you for what you are, Alister was it?” Doji picked the knight up by his remaining arm. “I know what it’s like being uncouth as a warrior. I respect that you can harm me. But to sink to the depths of dishonor? To fight like a little rat, to hardly speak a word to a blind opponent?” The monster threw the little knight by his arm like a rag doll.“Disgraceful.”

The irony of the blind devil claiming to understand him wasn’t lost on Alister. [dass]This red-haired devil could not hope to comprehend what he had inflicted upon the deaf knight; perhaps the two were fated by heaven not to understand one another[cmt]The loss of an arm wouldn't be quite as devastating to a deaf person as it would be to a mute person. In fact, this whole time, I feel like Alister would've been better off as mute than deaf (especially considering his partner actually does speak words to him.)[/cmt][/dass].

The egg-faced knight thudded to the ground, disarmed in more ways than one, and likely unable to hold even one sword in his condition. Despite this Alister was a stubborn and prideful man, he had to respond to this foul devil’s grievous insult and injury however he could. He would lead the fiend into their trap, quickly he sprinted over to his flutist ally. The two quietly conversed for a moment before seeming to agree; the bardic knight, the craftier of the two was well practiced in the use of a grappling hook and used this ability to snag the massive monster’s gourd and mask before the two began running for the walls of Cossia.

The longstrider followed the thieving knights, still sore and dizzy from the rock that had struck his skull. Following in tow, the little slinger wannabe and a gaggle of persistent rats followed after the Brobdingnagian.

Aube | Outside Cossia
It was not long before the sprinting men had led the stumbling troll back to their allies. Leading the march of the fledgling knights was Napoleon, Bailiff Knight, and Lieutenant Valet to the Duke of Aube. It was Napoleon’s duty, to serve and direct knights and commoners at any cost. Due to his perpetual servitude and the meager salary the man could hardly care for his wife and son, who were both made to live in a cottage and “oversee the vineyards,” in actuality needing to work amongst the commoners to eke out a meager living.

Napoleon knew that this monster traveled the islands it visited very quickly, likely owing to the creature’s long legs and purported “inhuman movement.” The lieutenant knew that it was only a matter of time before this demon reached the city, with his troops Napoleon would hold the creature off; affording as much time as he could for the knights to complete the evacuation of Cossia.

The Bailiff Knight was startled to see the disarmed Alister along with one of the other scouts.

“Alister! Take this man to triage immediately!” Alister and the Piper Knight scrambled past the men’s formation, and back towards the walls of Cossia.

He was further upset upon seeing his son chasing after the devil, hurling rocks at its head and back to no avail. The man was terrified at the idea of his son getting caught in the fray of battle.

“David! Get back!” The boy’s father shouted sternly.

“Dad! If I can kill him we can move to the city with you! Maybe we could even live in the capitol!” David called back, excited to see his father for the first time in months.

“Nonsense! That thing will kill you boy! Fall back to Cossia, we can still evacuate!” Napoleon cried desperately to his son.

David showed no sign of stopping his attack, or of retreating. The Lieutenant put his palm to his face and growled at the boy’s disobedience before ordering two of the fledgling knights to capture his son. As the two cautiously approached the fiend immediately made his presence known.

“Now what’s the problem with giving David a chance pops?” Doji spoke condescendingly down to the mob.

The giant oni swept away David’s pursuers with monstrous efficacy, throwing them to the roadside with his hooks like toy soldiers.

“Plus…” The oni smiled down superciliously at the remaining knights. The men readied their halberds and lucernes. “...he’s the only one who actually stands a chance! Yo-ka-ka-ka-ka-iii!”

Doji began catching and shattering spears with his hooks, rampaging through the inexperienced knights with the strength of a demon that had trained its entire life for this moment. The giant devil rampaged through the fledgling men with ease as they charged him, if they didn’t have a clever strategy the little men were doomed, and the bailiff was hardly very clever as a strategist.

As Napoleon assessed the tides of battle he realized that Adonis was right; marching the men forwards was a terrible mistake. He hoped that none of the fledglings were mortally wounded as he called for a retreat. “Fall back, men! Lead it to the gates!”

The maddened creature continued to laugh as it gave chase to the fleeing men, it was only a matter of time before they had come to the gate’s portcullis. Alister and the Piper Knight, begging the men above to let them in. The men above would not raise the gates, no matter how desperately the deaf knight signed.

As the knights’ ranks came to the road ahead of the gate the lieutenant shouted out an order, “Disperse!” All men but the frantic Alister heard and obeyed this command, Napoleon didn’t even notice the man signing behind him as he readied his hand signal for Adonis.

“Have at thee devil!” The Bailiff Knight Granger challenged the giant oni. The creature lurched forwards to attack, falling directly into his trap.

However, David also followed. Napoleon was unwilling to see his son scorched, and so hesitated a moment with his signal raised before screaming at the boy.

“David! Get away this instant!” With wide eyes, the boy heeded his father’s stern and frantic command.

“Eh? What’s gonna happen to David? I thought we were going to duel?” Doji inquired with a confused look before Napoleon threw his hand down, completing the signal.

At that signal barrels of a flammable wine concoction and cauldrons of boiling hot sand were poured from above the gates. Napoleon leaped out of the way of the falling substances, and Doji followed suit, he understood what was going on the moment his opponent started running. Though the giant boy’s hakama and the sleeves of his kimono were splashed by the flammable fluid.

The only man who had suffered the full brunt of the siege defense was Alister. He fell to the ground agonizing as the boiling sand scarred his face and filtered itself into the recesses of his armor. This day would mark the beginnings of Black Knight Alister, the Iron hand, and the vendetta that he would hold against Aube’s Lieutenant Valet and the monstrous Cemetery Ghoul Doji.

Doji quickly clambered up the walls using his hook swords before turning to face the men atop it. Adonis glowered at the rangy fiend, channeling his anger at Napoleon’s actions into initiating his contingency plan.

It has to work, The man thought to himself.

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From atop Cossia’s walls the dank stench of the bog combined with the pleasant scent of grapes surrounding the devil like a miasma of sewage and sauvignon. Even to somebody who isn’t blind the province’s capital city isn’t particularly spectacular, the buildings are drab and uniform, consisting mostly of shoddy tenement houses; indeed, Aube sits beneath the bright and pristine hills of Lvneel almost like a stain on the country’s fairytale reputation.

The last of the city’s populace was just evacuated by the time the giant oni arrived. The knights directed their safe passage through the ravenous swampland surrounding the settlement. As the last family made their way through the gates the knights began barricading and sealing the city’s exit. A little boy spoke to one of the busy knights.

[npc=misc]“Mister knight, are you gonna kill da monster? Ooh! And if you see my bear, would you bring him back to me?”[/npc] The boy spoke with a slight lisp. He had dropped his toy bear in the city as his large family was ushered out of their house at the city’s edge.

The knight initially felt slight irritation and an urge to remind the commoner of his place. However, the chevalier suppressed this mean impulse, before choking out a reassuring response with a half-hearted smile, “No one man is going to defeat a monster like that boy! We’ll all play our parts! But if I see your bear I’ll be sure to save him kiddo!”

The knight, swallowing his fears, spoke down to the lad with a confident grin and a comedically dutiful tone to his voice, “I’ll tell the men to begin searching for your bear post haste, sir!”

Unbeheld by Doji was the sorry state of this struggling province. Its sodden dirt roads had kept carts, livestock, and personal effects from being evacuated from the city alongside their owners. Its worn cobblestone fortifications served more as deterrents than protection. A sullen and mud-stained stuffed bear almost seemed to stare up at the figure on the wall, its expressionless beaded eyes glinting beneath the faint sunlight; this single abandoned toy would be Doji’s #1 fan as his ordeal in Cossia began.

Adonis glared at the creature with a cunning and condescending look in his eye before lighting his cigar and tossing his match to a nearby line of gunpowder. The powder ignited and began sparking like a fuse to its end; a stash of explosive barrels hidden within the rampart. The first contingency plan of the Strategic Knight Adonis was afoot.

Instantly a plume of explosive fire erupted from the wall, engulfing the massive figure in a sweet-smelling conflagration. For a longstanding and pensive moment, the smoke obscured the results of the man’s strategy.

“Yokhoo!” The red-hiared boy coughed and sputtered out the sweet flaming substance. “Gyah! What is this shit?”

Adonis stared in confusion for a moment before recollecting himself and answering smugly, “Zinfandel Black. Vinohohoo…” The strategist chuckled to himself before indulging himself, even if nobody was present to savor his genius Adonis was more than happy to monologue to his enemies, “... wine, gunpowder, and a bit of reagent to bring it all together. Guaranteed to splatter and burn any man to a crisp!”

“Well it smells terrible, isn’t wine your people’s sake? It’s supposed to be bitter! Ykhoo!” The thick-skinned demon spat out a mouthful of the smoldering substance before brushing the remainder from his skin and hair. The oni sneered down towards the knight, his skin singed, his clothing alight, and a foul sweet taste in his mouth; the bitterness of the burn tasted better to the demon than the rich and cloying sweetness of the wine.

The swift giant lept towards the cunning knight, who ran further back into the fortification to begin the next step of his plan. On one wall of the portcullis’ operating room was a set of stairs leading up to the top of the rampart, the knight hurriedly gave his command to the men in the room:

“Spearmen, place the barricade and hold the door! Claude, ready the net! You two come with me!” Adonis grabbed two of the remaining men, each equipped with crossbows, and rushed up the stairs.

As the giant charged for the wall of the room to begin tearing it down he was stabbed in the knees by the spearmen within.

Doji crouched and scowled into the room disappointedly, his face like that of a bratty teenage girl.

“Hey,” the boy spoke bluntly, “Get outta that little room and fight me like warriors.”

The men looked at one another before chuckling amongst themselves at the incubus’ impudent demand.  

Claude followed Adonis to the structure’s roof. The crossbowmen were able to ready their shots undisturbed, and Claude too was able to prepare to toss his net onto the monster. Finally, Adonis moved into position and trained his ballista on the creature's head.

“Hey, where’d the smoking guy go?” Doji sniffed at the air, placing the scent of the still-lit cigar above him. His adversary must have climbed to higher ground,“Oh is that what you're doing? Are you just gonna keep running around and hiding? So boring.”

A net was thrown, surely it would catch him!

Meanwhile in reality the twine trap simply fell into a pile at Doji’s feet. Adonis shot Claude an exasperated look as the chaos began. He was upon them.

Upon figuring out Adonis’ location Doji leaped to the building’s top, its foundation shaking beneath the monster’s weight. In no short order, the Strategic Knight found himself swept up and dangled from atop the wall, all his compatriots knocked unconscious.

“Wait, wait, wait! Please don’t drop me!” The terrified knight cried back to his captor.

“Eh? Why not? You and those guys were gonna stab and shoot me.”

Adonis stammered, looking down the 30-foot drop to the ground below, and trying to think of a reason that would compel this red-haired devil not to drop him.

The flutist called up to his commander’s captor. “Hey demon! I have your mask! And your booze too!”

Alister growled from his agonistic spot on the ground, still bleeding and burning as his ally solicited a deal with the devil. You curr. All of you, cowards and weaklings. He seethed.

“Oh! Well, that’ll do it! You give me my stuff I'll give you yours! Yaha!” Doji held Adonis casually as he took the knight for a terrifying ride, leaping down from the building to the road below. Upon his landing, the oni stuck out his unoccupied hand and beckoned the little knight to give him his possessions back. The two made their trade, with Doji gently setting Adonis down as he grabbed his stolen possessions. Once they finished the oni hopped back over the wall and into the city.

The knights were forced to abandon the wall of Cossia to pursue the giant, filtering down to the city below and taking up tactical and stealthy positions amongst the derelict Ville. The guerilla tactics that the city’s guards had picked up during wartime could be put to good use slaying a titan.

As Doji descended into the city the area seemed vacant, almost peaceful. This momentary peace broke as the crossbow bolt whizzed straight past his nose.

“Woo! Oh, so we’re still playing cat and mouse?” The horned demon murmured to himself before jumping high into the air, sending a tremor through the soft soil of the city’s streets with the impact of his landing. This served as the perfect moment for the knight’s attack, as the devil had effectively surrounded itself, amongst the stout buildings of Aube he was out in the open on the city streets.

Vollies of bolts shot towards the devil from the recesses of the city, each man had set a course for their bolt to impale the creature’s vitals. It was only by chance at this moment that the monster had reason to duck, he’d assumed that he escaped his enemy’s range; however, these crossbowmen were not to be fucked with. Doji had stepped on something soft, and enjoying how the object felt he reached down to pick it up.

As the giant oni stood back to full height, still oblivious to his opponent’s line of fire, he held the little stuffed bear aloft, dangling the toy by one of its arms just as he had Alister.

“The little things we leave behind…” The boy seemed to show more compassion for this inanimate object than he had any of the knights he’d left broken, “If only there was somebody to save you.”

What perfect timing. The stuffy’s savior had arrived.

The Caitiff Knight Sacha? What was this fledgling doing standing before the mammoth demon? The firing squad was taken aback and ceased their volley awaiting their commander’s orders.

Sacha couldn’t believe he’d gotten himself into this. How could he have such terrible fortune that the devil itself held the toy he was hunting?

“Hear me now, red-haired giant!” The fledgling coward summoned all of his courage to confront the creature, [ass=I like this simile.]belting his words out like a banshee trying its best not to shriek[/ass], “Spare that bear from your reign of terror!”

The firing squad gawked, displeased and surprised by their peer’s frivolous interruption.

The relentless Adonis returned to the battlefield, a command ready for the city knights “Spare no bear! End this devil’s reign of terror!” The ruthless and furious Adonis raised his hand to the sky as he screamed his order, signaling all the men to open fire on Doji. With the flutist knight’s aid, Adonis was able to find a broken down part of the wall and clamber back into the city.

“My apologies sir, he’s coming with me,” Doji spoke cordially to this man, as Sacha had not explicitly insulted or threatened him in his address. With this the giant leaped back into the air, sweeping the incoming crossbow bolts just off their course with the force of his jump.

In leaping and sprinting through Cossia Doji was quickly able to surmise that the city had no graveyard for its commoners, the sole mausoleum being that of the city’s nobility. He had neither time nor desire to plunder another noble crypt. Such a crumbling city likely offered little even amongst the hands of generations passed.

It was not long before Doji came to the evacuation effort’s barricade. A sturdy wall of uprooted cypress trees formed an imposition against the hellion forcing him to risk impalement or brave the swamp. The monster quickly came to the latter option as crossbow and ballista fire continued raining on him from afar.

Used to nature giving way to his trampling the troll simply strode into the thick and hungering depths of the swamp. In no short order, the giant boy was up to his waist in water and muck.

The aspiring royal knights chased after their quarry relentlessly, each wishing to claim the creature’s head for themselves. Riding atop a beautiful white horse David and his father Napoleon fled along a hidden path through the swamp. Sacha chased after the stolen bear piloting a raft, Adonis hitched a ride with his contemptible ally firing at the creature with his light ballista.

The giant stranded in the mud was helpless for a moment, catching a bolt to the shoulder before thrashing against the impudent swamp. Would the abyssal swamp swallow the dreams of those amongst it?

Civilians were directed dutifully by the knights tasked with Cossia’s evacuation, briskly walking through the scarcely trodden road leading North of Aube; this path was a winding and treacherous dirt road soaked by the bog surrounding it. Nonetheless, the knights had thus far managed to avoid losing anybody to the mire.

Of course, it was time for the swamp to eat its fill. It was its duty to devour any ambitions and bodies it could pull into its cadaverous maw.

Doji’s ambition wouldn’t be scarfed down like some palatable treat, the mere taste of it burned like a ghost pepper. And though the swamp’s silt seemed to sink faster and faster the giant was able to thrash free from its silt and hook himself onto one of the thick trunked cypresses that rooted themselves amongst the bog.

The monster’s motion had thrown Sacha and Adonis from their raft, and congruently, sunken the sidepath that David and Napoleon rode their beautiful horse Alexandre upon.

Sacha had landed next to the tree and stuck himself onto it using a hunting knife, as he gained his footing against the trunk he aimed for the giant’s left sword arm where the stuffed toy flopped dangerously close to the blade of the hooked sword. With a grunt, he hurled a throwing knife towards the oni.

Bullseye! The little stuffy was impaled through the hand and pulled from the devil’s grasp. The little toy’s eyes glinted, spilling cotton filling from its injured paw as it perilously dangled from a nearby cypress.

Adonis had sunk only to his waist and thus continued firing his ballista at Doji, missing his shots because of the giant creature’s thrashing motions. Frustrated with the failure of plan after plan for the monster’s capture, he would not stop firing until the swamp had consumed him up to his chest.

“Ack!” he exclaimed, his face just above the muddied water’s surface, “Sacha! Help me!”

The Caitiff Knight looked down in horror at the peril of his superior. Becoming instantly aware of the situation’s urgency, though he had nailed the toy bear to a nearby tree with his shot, Sacha thrust his hand down to Adonis. The crestfallen strategist accepted his foolhardy ally’s saving grace, and though caked in mud, was able to cling to the branches of the nearby tree.

As Alexandre galloped into the mud Napoleon prevented him and his son’s impending demise by grabbing the boy around the waist and diving off of the horse to the muck nearest the road. The father scrambled to the road as his boy David grasped the reins of the now mired white horse.

“We’re not leaving him! Alexandre!” David shouted to the sinking horse, jerking on the reins, and attempted to pull the equine back towards the road.

“You’ll be swallowed too boy! We can’t hold onto him, countless oxen have sunken into this quagmire!” The man looked down at his miserable son before speaking more solemnly. “If you hold onto him you’ll only sink yourself.”

The white horse sank deeper into the mud, it was now chest deep, “Alexandre!” David shouted the horse’s name over and over as the creature sunk into the depths of the swamp.

In the end, only the dream of a beautiful horse would be claimed by the swamp this day.

Doji snatched up the stuffed animal once more before swinging through the trees. It was not long until the boy heard the voices and shuffling of many footsteps through the mud; perhaps this would be his way out of the marsh.

The shout of a boy broke the terrified silence of the evacuating civilians. [npc=misc]“Hey, monster! Can I have my bear back?”[/npc]

The devil reared back and winged the teddy into the path ahead of the masses, splattering part of the road into the marsh below. Gasps, chattering, and shrieks of terror erupted from amongst the crowd.

“Are you sure I can’t keep it? Who’s going to get it back for ya? Any of you knights?” Doji had heard the clattering of the men’s armor and felt obliged to poke at their pride.

The knights were silent, none of the guards' best and brightest were tasked with the evacuation, these men were simply present to guide the civilians through the swamp.

[npc=misc]“No, you can’t keep him!”[/npc] The boy cried out to the monster. At this moment, the youngster was willing to defy the demon if it meant any chance of being reunited with his fuzzy companion.

Doji cracked a sharp grin, seemingly just keeping himself from bursting out laughing. “Yahoo! Alright kid! You know what? He’s yours!” The jovial oni hurled the little teddy bear down towards the boy with unwarranted force.

The toy would be terrified if it could be, but instead, the inanimate object simply crashed into the mud of the road in front of the kid like a meteor falling from the heavens. The scapegrace’s ephemeral and capricious act of sympathy was like a shooting star on the night’s tapestry of his misdeeds.

David, Napoleon, Adonis, and Sacha had all straggled and climbed their way to the main road out of Cossia and were present as the monster said its last farewell to the people of Aube.

“You people better build a graveyard! Why wait to etch your mark on the annals of history?” The people were confused by the brute’s encouraging words, but this phrase stuck with them. In the coming months, Aube would begin to flourish, its local wine trade burgeoning into a proper industry, owing primarily to the competent rule of Queen Annabelle and her closest counsel.

With his business finished our giant set out along the path leading out from the swamp, galavanting blindly along the road that, unbeknownst to Doji, actually led to Jewel!

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