The Mares [Marschal Leigh]

The job request board was full of letters from those who needed things done, but couldn't do those jobs on their own or were too scared to do them. Standing before the large, wooden board was a tall man, with hair as black as the night sky, strands of white like stars shining bright. One of his hands would run gingerly across the board, pointer finger's sharp claw looking for a specific name of a job he had learned about. Of a job that involved stable-hands and flesh-eating mares: a job that had sounded most appealing to the young male. His finger would pause on a letter and his red eyes would skim the words sloppily written on the parchment paper, then his finger would twitch and snatch the paper off the board. A sly grin spilled over his lips, revealing fangs that were ready to tear the flesh off of bone and the bone off of its sickly marrow. He would turn from the stand and exit the guild hall, beginning his travels to the Cursed Lands: the lands no one ever returned from.


Marschal's feet would lightly step on the ground, carrying him toward his destination, toward the end of what would be the stable-hands. His claws would dig into the palms of his hands, drawing dark blood, pupils dilated as he looked around for the stable he needed. The world was dark and menacing here, but this place felt like a natural home to the hanyō, for his eyes easily adjusted to the dim lighting. In the distance, the mage would catch wind of the sound of horses neighing, and the felinistic man would change his destination accordingly. Marschy would walk a long distance before he would run across the broken down stable that would contain the fleshing-eating mares. He paused at the entrance of the stable, staring menacingly into the dark depths, just quietly listening to what was going on inside.

Walking out from the building would be a man dressed in trousers, and he would look up from the ground, noticing Marschal, and yell, "hey!"

Marschal went rigid when the man yelled at him, his eyes going wide and his body stiffening from the words. He didn't know what was going to happen now: if the person was going to attack him or send him off to work. So, the man just stood there as rigid as possible, waiting for the man to come charging at him or walking over to scold him. What he really didn't want to do right now was help the stablehands clean up horse shit and keep the horses calm. No, what he really needed to do was get the mares out of the stables and to the man who wanted them. The man wasn't moving though; in fact, he wasn't even sure anymore if the man planned on attacking him or not. Warily, Marschal would look around, for maybe the man wasn't talking to him at all, but to someone else.

No one else was around though, all he could hear was the silence echoing into the air and ringing in his ears. Thus, Marschy was slightly confused as to what was going on; was there a spider on him or a creature behind him? He'd run his arms over his body, checking to make sure no insect was on him, but he didn't feel anything, and looked back at the man. His eyes would narrow suspiciously and look around again, but once more, nothing would make an announcement of their presence. It was getting awfully strange to him now, and awkward.

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The man wasn't staring at him though, Marschal would soon realize, but at another person just behind him, with a mare on a leash. Slowly, the Black Rose mage would turn around to see what the other stablehand was looking at, noticing someone struggling with one of the mares. His eyes would dart between the one who had just exited the building, and was now running to help his coworker, to the one struggling with the horse. Maybe they had believed him to be just another of their coworkers coming to start work, so that was fortunate for him. Marschy wouldn't hesitate any longer before he launched himself at the man struggling with the horse, who was rearing and bucking. He would shove the man out of the way and grab the reins of the flesh-eating mare, yanking her down with enough strength to keep her hooves stationed. Forcibly, he would lower her head and snarl at her, growling a low and threatening sound to the mare in order to end her struggling.

However, the mare was smarter than he happened to be and would reach forward to nip the man on the face. Marschal would move out of the way, just before the sharp teeth of the horse would chomp on the air where his face had once been. Anger broiled up in the man, and he would yank on the reins that he hand fast in his hands, and whip it around the mare's face. Quickly, he would tie the strings tight enough that it would keep the mare's mouth shut and unable to bite him. He was not about to deal with the horse chewing on and making a meal out of him when he had better things to do. Instead, he would grip on to the loose part of the reins and pull the mare along to one of the trees in Lycan Woods. Luckily, he managed to keep himself from making the mare his own meal, though it was tempting to do such a thing.

Unfortunately, he wasn't done with what was already going on, for the sensation of a powerful magic would envelop him. A shiver would run down his spine and Marschal would whirl around on his feet to look for what would be his next opponent. The man he had shoved away from the horse was still lying on the ground, stunned by what had just happened. As for the other man, he was befuddled at how Marschy had managed to get so quickly to the mare's side as he had. So, he was standing there, scratching his head and staring at the Black Rose mage with a little bit of wonder in his eyes. Whereas the mage would only grin his sharp teeth at the man and start walking back to the building and head inside. Here it was where he felt the push of strong energy, maybe not necessarily that energy being magic of others.

Inside, the stable was more rundown than what Marschal had thought it was going to be, certain it would be decent. No, this building had holes everywhere, and he was not even certain how they managed to keep the horses so well in it. After all, it looked like one could easily just break down the wall behind them and charge home free. His red eyes skimmed the place, landing each on a stable-hand, who all were too busy to notice he was there. He would move toward one of the containment boxes that a mare was in and begin to unlock the door to it. Once it was unlocked, he moved inside to grab the mane of the equine and pull her along, out to where the other one was. Marschy would do this a few more times, and each time his eyes would warily watch the stable-hands as they cleaned.

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As he walked into the stables for a third time, to retrieve the last of the flesh-eating mares, a guard would notice him. The man would scream out, "hey!" in his general direction and come rushing on the man to stop him from taking the horse. Marschal had to weave out of the way of the man, in order not to get hit by him, and ran to the box that had the last mare. Quickly, he would unlock the box door and let the mare out, grabbing her by the mane before taking a swig of his alcohol. When the guard was close enough to the mage, he would stomp his feet harshly into the ground and let out a roar. A leg would come up and smash into the face of the guard, pushing him back far enough to give Marschal time to attack again. He would come rushing at the mage, but Marschal would apprehend the man before he could get close enough to take the mare.

With the guard stunned, the man would tug on the horse's mane to get her going and start running her out to the other two. Marschy laughed at the misfortune of the guard, but he hadn't been expecting to run across two more of them. The third wasn't downed either, and would come charging at Marschal when he had regained his balance and mind. Wildly looking around, the man would swing around and slam his foot into the shoulder of the guard that had first attacked him. He watched as he stumbled backward, holding his shoulder, but soon collapsed to the ground, now unconscious. Not hesitating, Marschal would look to the two remaining guards, then slapped the rump of the horse to scare her. She would startle and charge one of the guards, biting down onto his neck and tearing a good one from him.

The Black Rose mage would clap his hands together and laugh, dancing a little bit at the excitement this had caused. At which point, the legal mage would take another swig of his gourd and launch himself at the remaining guard. Marschal spat onto his fists, which quickly ignited in flames as he rushed the guard, pulling his arms up and back. He would raise up a fist and slam it into the gut of the guard before he could react, then slam it again into him. Fire quelled over the man, and burnt him a little, leaving a small burn effect after the second punch of his fist. Feebly, the guard would try to get an attack in, but Marschy easily blocked the attack and slammed his fist into the man's chest. Afterward, he would do a roundhouse kick to the man's head, in which the guard would have his eyes roll to the back of his head and fall the ground.

Two of the three guards were down and out for the count, all that was left was to take down this last guard. The mare was busy making a meal out of him and the guard was trying to fight back, but miserably failing to do so. None of his attacks landed, and Marschal would rush the man in order to protect the mare from being damaged. With a few swirls and twirls, the Black Rose mage would land a kick and a punch on the man, forcing him backward. His attacks would be relentless, all the while dodging the man's own attacks and the weapon that he wielded. Then he would whip out his Hellhound Collars and slash the guard with them, draining the hp of the man with one hit. Luckily for Marschal, this attack would heal his health with 50% of what was drained from the guard's own life force.

Slamming his weapon into the chest of the guard, he would dig one of the curved blades into the man's skin. He would strike the man three more times before pulling back and taking a swig of his sake from his gourd. After downing the gourd, the mage would suck in a deep breath, pull back one of his fists, and let it go into the man's chin. The guard would be thrown back two meters, landing harshly on the ground with a thud, and not getting back up. Marschal smirked at the man's folly, then quickly grabbed the mane of the flesh-eating mare and pulled her along. Bringing her to the other two mares, he would dust himself off and untie the other two to take them with him. Now, all he had to do was get them back to the man that wanted them, but he figured this would be hard, too.

Marschy would begin walking them into the forest, listening back behind him at the rushing of footsteps. It was likely that he had been found out by the rest of the guards and the stable-hands because of the noise he had made. Oh well...

Foes' HP:

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Despite how fast the Black Rose mage was moving, Marschal had somehow been detained by three of the stable-hands. He didn't know how fast they could move, but somehow they had managed to keep up with the pace that he was making. On top of that, the flesh-eating mares were getting restless, and he really didn't want to have to handle them and these guys. So, he let go of the horses for now, which he ended up being lucky about, as they had stuck close to where he was. In fact, they had stayed right where he had left them as he rushed the three grooms that were coming at him. First, he would dart to the left, overtaking one of the grooms in a single hit, taking him to the ground. Once there, Marschal would land a heavy blow to the man's face, knocking out a few teeth from the impact.

Unfortunately, the other two grooms had surrounded him now, and were grappling at his arms to pull him off the man. He was far stronger than them though, and yanked them to the ground with him, continuing to punch the first groom. Fist after fist would land on the other man's face, first causing him to spit out a few more teeth, then breaking his nose. A light was in Marschal's eyes, one filled with complete malevolence, as he struck out at the assailant beneath him. Marschy was not going to let this man go until he had completely and utterly mutilated the man and left him for dead. Of course, he had been fortunate enough already that these grooms had been stupid enough to not grab any weapons against him. They were easy to take out as well, so he thought that using his magic would be the last thing he needed to do.

Standing to his feet, the attacker on the ground bloody, broken, and probably dead for all Marschal knew, he dusted himself free of the blood. His eyes would shoot toward the other two grooms, a sly grin spreading across his face as he stared at the two of them. Pupils dilated, the Black Rose mage truly looked like a demonic creature from the very depths of the fiery Hell. Curling his fingers into the shape of a claw, Marschal would launch himself at one of the two remaining grooms, clawing at his face. Nails would dig into the skin of the man, who, at the time, had grabbed a stick to fend off his attacker with. Where flesh was torn from meat, the stick would be rammed into the gut of Marschy, causing him to falter in his step. He would take a step backward, pulling himself off of the stick, which had left a decent hole in the side of his abdomen.

Anger flowed through him, not because he was angry at himself for not killing the man on sight, but because he had managed to get hurt. Looking up from his wound, the deranged man would let out a menacing roar from the bowels of his throat. He would rush the groom and tackle him to the ground, raising a hand up and slamming his claws into the man's chest. His claws would pierce the skin of the stable-hand, digging deep into the meat that guarded the rib cage and heart. Viciously, he would press deeper into the man's chest, deep enough that his claws scraped at the man's beating heart. Marschal would press harder and his claws would wrap around the groom's heart, and he would pull it out violently. The man beneath him would cough up blood, and his eyes would roll into the back of his head, signifying that he head died.

The smile on Marschal's face would spread wider and he would laugh maniacally before looking to the heart in his blood-covered hand. His tongue would run over his lips and he would bring the heart up to his mouth, biting down into the thick meat. Blood oozed down his chin, and he would chew on the bite until he swallowed it, licking his lips for a second time. Then his eyes would shift to to the remaining groom, who stood there in a stance like he had just been petrified. However, the man soon looked down at his own shaking legs, and the wet spot in his pants that had not been there earlier. Marschal stood to his feet, dropping the heart to the ground and wiping his face, which only smeared blood over it. He would slowly walk toward the man at first, like he was talking prey, eyeing him with a clever look to his eyes.

His ears would perk forward, pupils still dilated, and as he neared the groom, he would launch himself at him. While the groom tried to run, Marschal was faster, and he would tackle the man to the ground and sink his fangs into the man's neck. With a good grip on the skin, he would tear it from its place, blood spurting from the punctured jugular vein. Hands pressed to the neck of the injured groom, where he dug his claws into the back of the man's neck. Marschal would drag him to his feet by his neck, and toss him aside, throwing him up against the trunk of a tree. He would advance on the groom, who was now too far injured to move and fight back from the suddenly dark mage. To which, the mage would lower himself down and pounce on the groom, gripping his head in his hands and twisting his neck.

A loud snap would follow with the action, and the groom's body would go limp in the hands of the once good mage. Marschal would pull his hands away and let the body drop full to the ground, licking the blood from his hands. The Black Rose mage would get back to his feet and solemnly walk over to the mares, grabbing up their reins. They could smell the blood that was all over Marschal, and they would reach out to him, try to nip him, but he would swat them away. With the three nuisances taken care off, he would start up his trek back to the man's house that had wanted the mares. After all, he would get these horses to the man, whether it meant he would be killed, himself, or have to kill. Clearly, he was ready to kill, though he had spared the lives of those guards when he was first getting the mares.

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Lycan Woods was an eerily peaceful place, and that was likely because no one could escape the place without dying first. Dying... well, that meant never leaving the woods, so this place was likely drenched in the souls and bones of those who had tried. It was, overall, a calm walk through the forest, and not much was happening, for he had gotten far enough away from the stables. So, that meant there was no more potential of being attacked by guards or grooms, just the walk back home. Of course, that didn't mean Marschal was Scott free because he still had the mares he needed to deal with. Likewise, the apparently really wanted his flesh or the blood that was covering parts of his body, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that they would try to get really close to him and nip him or at least aim to get a lick off him.

Marschal would not have that though, and would gently swat at their faces when he felt they were getting to close. The last thing he needed was to be one of their meals, when he clearly needed to get this job finished as soon as possible. He didn't want to linger around the woods for long because he was certain there were other types of monsters out there. Marschy didn't really feel like wanting to deal with those creatures that lurked in the depths of the woods, not right now. No, he was solely focused on making sure these mares would return to the man who wanted them as safely as possible. Humming to himself, the legal mage would weave through the dense trees of the forest, while quietly grooming himself. Such as licking the blood off his hand and mouth, or dusting the speckles of blood from his pants and shirt.

He didn't much like getting himself dirty, and that was the perk of being a feline: he had to keep himself clean. Marschal didn't know why, but a single speck of getting dirty meant the end of the world for the youthful mage. No, he would not be able to leave any place looking like a haggard man, stained clothes and everything wrong. In fact, he would not leave the guild until he was certain that his clothes didn't have a speck of dirty or grime on them. Now, he couldn't present these mares to the man without looking gross with all the blood on him, the man would wonder. Heaven forbid he would question on why Marschal was covered in blood, then accuse him of injuring one of the mares. Please, he would never do such a thing when he knew that money happened to be involved in getting them back.

Misfortune struck when one of the mares decided to go wild over the smell of blood and rushed Marschal almost instantly. He would be forced to shove the mare off him and keep her from trying to eat him alive, as difficult as that was. She would rear up at him and try to slam her front hooves into his chest, but he would dart out of the way before they could. Marschal would weave around her and try to calm her down, though she would only continue to buck and rear at him. What she really wanted was the blood that covered him or the flesh that covered the meat over his bones. No, no, that was not acceptable for the Black Rose mage, and the two would battle it out for a while with each other. This was not being handled very well, and these mares were ones that were relentless in getting what they wanted.

After a while, Marschal was able to snatch the reins of the mare again and pull her down to his eye level. He would gently place a clawed hand on her nose and stroke up and down, making a soft shushing noise at her. The mare would puff out her nostrils at him, eyes wildly looking around as she tried to locate where he was. With him standing in front of her though, she was not able to see him, but only able to feel his gentle touch. She would puff out her nostrils a few more times before fully calming down, and Marschal would smile at her. Patting the side of her face, he would walk her toward where the others had run off, and grabbed their reins again. Then he would bring them along through the forest, humming softly to himself to keep the horses preoccupied.

That had been a lot easier than the mage had been expecting, and eventually, the foursome had reached the man's place. He would walk to the stables of the man's house and begin locking them up into their own boxes when the man appeared.

"You brought them?!!" the man stated, rushing over to the flesh-eating mares and looking them over quickly. "None of them look injured, this is fabulous! Thank you so much for getting me these mares, I can't repay you enough."

"No problem, sir, just doing my job," the man would respond to his client, giving a shrug of his shoulders as he locked the last door. He would turn around and shake hands with the man, then bade him farewell before heading back out. Today had been a very eventful and successful day, now he could go back home to Black Rose and rest for a while.

A yawn would escape Marschal's mouth and he would wave to the client again, who happened to be far too happy over his catch. Well, it wasn't his catch, but Marschal would let the man believe that he had been successful in getting the mares. He just didn't know how long it would last before the stable-hands and the guards decided to go find the mares again. At which point, giving a final fair well to the client, Marschy would disappear over the hill and head back home.

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