A Trip to Hatchling's Sorrow

Kyran hiked through the mountainous terrain that surrounded the tiny village he had been called out to. The ground was slowly turning from a brilliant green to a dull yellow. It was a sign that dampened Kyran's sense of adventure. Something bad was happening around here. Not only that but someone believed that he was capable of fixing it for them as well. That was the most confusing part. He hadn't done anything at this point that would gain his name any fame. At least, nothing that could be tracked back to him anyway. At least Kyran was sure writing the semi-famous series Dark Phoenix couldn't be traced back to him. What had led this mysterious person to him? Scanning the note that had urgently asked him to go to Hatchling's Sorrow for the thousandth time, Kyran didn't see anything. Just like he hadn't seen anything the previous nine hundred ninety nine times. Regardless, Kyran was happy to come here. It sounded as if the town was in trouble.

Hatchling's Sorrow was said to be cursed. Not in only one way but three. An intriguing place that's for sure. It was peaceful. Now something had upset the balance. Someone had managed to create a magical phenomenon within the tiny village. The note didn't specify what the phenomenon was exactly. That meant Kyran would have to figure that out for himself. The note did tell him that whatever was happening was turning people on each other. Violence stirred beneath the outer layer of happiness. The wrong movement would make it all light up. Either everyone would form a mob--Kyran shuddered at that thought-- or they would all turn on each other. Neither outcome was one Kyran wished to have come to pass. Therefore, he hiked into the unknown regions of Tolgalen in the hopes of finding a way to calm the crises. His only stipulation was that he couldn't use magic. The note said that might end up pointing the finger at him. Kyran didn't mind. He had gone without using his magic plenty of times. That was what his gear for.

The hike down to the village was relatively peaceful. The only thing that worried him was the closer he got, the worse the plant life seemed to get. It went from dying to downright poisonous. How did the people here even manage to survive? Was this the magical phenomenon that the note warned him about? Kyran stuck close to the dirt path as he neared Hatchling's Sorrow. The sides of the path had been cleared of all vegetation. That meant it was safe to walk on. Right? Kyran shifted his grip on the makeshift walking stick he had picked up. Tapping the end on the path, he proceeded cautiously. At one point, his tapping caused a rush of vine-like growth to shoot upward out of the path. It latched onto his walking stick and swallowed it before sinking back into the ground. The whole even took about ten seconds. Kyran was stunned. Surely this was the issue in the note. Killer trap plants could not be normal for these people. This new danger slowed Kyran's pace down to a crawl. The sun was well on its way to the horizan when he finally entered Hatchling's Sorrow.

Kyran wasn't sure what to expect when he entered the village. What he hadn't expected was stony expressions and openly hostile looks in his direction. Was there something wrong with what he had on or was it something else? "Hey there sonny. Don't mind them. Come here and give an old man a hand" Kyran saw an old fisherman struggling to come down the stairs of his porch. He hurried to help the old guy to the chair set in front of his porch. "Thank yee kindly, sir. Now what brings you to this cursed backwater place?" The old man pulled a pipe out of his pocket and used a fire lacrima to light it. Kyran was surprised someone with such patchy clothing would have a lacrima. It took a moment to register the question through his shock. "I was asked to help out with a magical matter that was bothering this place. I assume its the attacking plants outside the town." The old man chuckled, puffing on his pipe. He gestured to the stairs on his left. "Sit down for a bit, sonny and I'll tell you a tale. Then you'll know what to look for." Kyran complied figuring knowing a little more would be massively helpful. He couldn't deny that he was excited for more info as well. Learning new things always excited him.

The old man puffed once or twice more on his pipe. "Do you know why this village is called Hatchling's Sorrow?" Kyran shook his head. He had tried to find the answer since the name seemed a little depressing. The old man chuckled softly. "Not surprised. No one wants people to know they were responsible for nearly wiping out a dragon species by deception." Kyran's eyebrows raised a little bit at that tidbit. How had that come about? The old man's gray eyes pierced Kyran when he looked over. "A long time ago, when Tolgalen was still a vast untamed land, the Djinn of Discord, Taxen, transformed a siren into a dragon as per her wish. She attracted a mate from another dragon species. They had eggs together." The old man turned his head to peer off into the distance. "In those days, this village was host to plenty of powerful mages. A group of them believed they could use these eggs to create a race of slave dragons. They slew the mate taken by the Siren Dragon and stole her clutch of eggs. Or at least tried to." Kyran raised an eyebrow. How did one try to steal something? "You see dragon eggs have powerful magic of their own. When the mages tried to steal them, the eggs defended themselves. One was left behind. One was crushed as the mages made their escape. Only two of the four made it to the village. The mages tried to work their magic but... it didn't go well. One of the two...lets just say it wasn't pretty. The other pulled its magic so tightly around itself that it remains here today, buried in the old laboratory beneath the village." Kyran opened his mouth to ask a question but the old man tapped his pipe on the arm chair for silence. Kyran settled back to wait for the man to be finished. "When the Siren Dragon became aware of this atrocity, she laid curses upon the village. One for each egg that had been destroyed or taken. The first was the Curse of the Crushed. No one born here is allowed to set foot outside a specific boundary of one or two miles. There's more to it but that's all you need to know. The second was the Curse of Red Death. It causes all good plant life around here to die rapidly and encourages poisonous or dangerous plants to grow. Again more to it but not important. The last is the Curse of the Unhatched. Mages born here tend to go insane and turn on the village. Means that most mages are killed at a young age and magic is viewed with suspicion. Despite all that, this village trudges on."

The old man emptied out his pipe and turned toward Kyran. "I'm guess the reason you're called here is the fragile prosperity this village enjoys is in danger. Things we need, things vital to our survival have disappeared. On top of that, several people have turned up dead. I don't know who summoned you, boy but I'm glad they did. Get...to...the...bottom...of this" Kyran stood up as the old man clutched his chest. His breath became unsteady and his eyes widened in shock. Kyran reached out to help him but before he could touch the old man, the pipe fell to the ground. The old man slumped back in his seat, his eyes wide and staring. Kyran stared in horror. The old man had been completely healthy. How had he died so suddenly? Carefully, Kyran examined the body. Rapidly disappearing blue lines caught his eye a moment before they slipped away into the ground from the old man's foot. A spell? Or something more sinister? It would have to wait. He drew in a deep breath. This would be a risk but it was worth it. "Help! Help me please! This man just died out of nowhere! Oh gods!" It might have been a touch dramatic but Kyran turned away to fake heave against the wall. People gathered around quickly.

"Its old Tom!" "I can't believe it..." "It got another one!" "It was the newcomer! It had to be!" "Don't be daft Trent. He just got here." "Besides, can't you see how distraught he is?" "Doesn't mean he didn't help in some way..." Kyran listened to all the voices as they discussed the death of the old man. None of them seemed truly shocked about the death, merely who had died. Interesting. That meant a fair amount of people had died like this lately. He turned around slowly. "I'm sorry I lost my cool. Death is just difficult for me to handle." He smiled sheepishly, coldly watching them through that mask. Silently, Kyran thanked Ruvel. By watching the VP, Kyran had learned to semi-decently imitate expressions to hide his actual feelings. He wasn't sure why Ruvel had been the one to watch. It just seemed like he was closed off a little more than the other leaders of WFTC. "Does this happen a lot?" He asked gesturing to the body. All of them looked at each other. It was clear they didn't want to talk about it. One of them, a red head, shook her head before they dispersed. They didn't even bother to move the body. Kyran's jaw dropped at their callousness. He tried to talk to a few as they passed by but they hurried away from him as quick as they could.

Clearly the villagers weren't going to talk to him. Kyran thought back over what the old man, Tom, had said. There had been several incidents by what he had said. Not all deaths but disappearance of precious goods. Out here that was probably food stock and/or water. Easy enough to find but Kyran wasn't sure there would be many clues. Too many people used those things regularly. Any clue would have had to have been found within hours of the crime. The other lead that he had found was the strange blue lines retreating into the ground from Tom's body. Was it a creature? A spell? Where was it headed? Answering those questions might lead him closer to the answer. Kyran crouched down to investigate the soil where he had seen the lines. It was chalky, crumbling in his hand unlike the packed dirt beside it. Interesting. Perhaps this was a creature. Or a spell gone very horribly wrong. It felt like he was stepping into one of the detective novels he had read. They weren't really to his taste but the thrill was fun to read.

"You killed Tom, didn't you?! You always hated the man! Wanted his house and his things! You killed him to grab up his property!" Kyran stood up at the shouting. It was a stringy man who looked very unhealthy, yelling at a larger man with defined muscles. When the other one spoke, Kyran recognized him. This was the man that accused him of killing Tom. "I did no such thing, Jerry! Besides, you probably killed him for his hunting spear! Everyone knows you can't hunt. On top of that, you probably stole all the food too! Skinny thing like you needs that fat, right?" The two lunged at each other. Kyran once again felt surprise touch him. No one moved to break them up. In fact, some stopped to watch. Kyran was about to head over when he heard another argument break out. Then another. Then another. Whatever was going on, the note had been right. This village was close to ripping itself apart. Or perhaps worse, the outsider who got on the bad side of the villagers. He would have to keep to himself or risk being the match that lit the conflagration. While he could cut through them easily, Kyran didn't want to do anything that might hurt the West Fiore Trading Company's reputation. He had to proceed cautiously. Now if only he had a clear way to proceed, he would be set. All the shouting kept Kyran from pinpointing if anyone was really a suspect.

It was time to head underground. It was the only lead he had at the moment unfortunately. Kyran also felt uneasy with staying with all the villagers. He tended to say or do that wrong thing around people. Ahriman had awoken from the slumber Kyran's long trek had put him into. He sensed the violence beneath everything. It made him slobber all over the place inside Kyran's mind. Kyran tried not to grimace as he began searching for a manhole cover. Ahriman's hunger would wake the others. Plus it was nasty to hear the demon wolf's thoughts on the matter. Slaughtering the whole town was not okay in any book. Come host, let us bathe in their blood Ahriman growled, snapping as a little girl passed by. She looked up at Kyran, her eyes full of terrible knowledge. He stopped, watching her pass by. Interesting. What did the girl know? Or what had she seen that had filled those young orbs with such anguish? Something to find out another day. It was better to try and find the manhole. Ahriman snarled at the idea of going underground. Kyran couldn't tell if it was fear or something else. If it was fear, Kyran could always threaten the demon wolf into submission. There! He finally spotted one by the dead fountain near the center of town. The fountain had once been a thing of beauty. Now it was broken, dirty and defaced in so many ways, no trace of that beauty remained. Kyran paused in front of it. He felt for it. It reminded him so much of himself. "Hopefully, we'll both shine in the sun together once again." Kyran said touching the edge of the fountain. Then he crouched down to remove the manhole cover. Time to get to work.

There wasn't much to the underground as Kyran had thought there might be. Only a tunnel going off into darkness, the ladder leading to the surface and a door directly behind the ladder. Kyran had a feeling the tunnel might lead him where he wanted. He could feel something powerful from behind the door. Whatever it was, Kyran had no desire to disturb it. Perhaps it was the final egg that Tom had talked about. Ahriman snarled, trying to get Kyran to return to the surface. Now Kyran could feel the wolf demon's fear. Whatever was behind the door terrified the wolf. He smiled to himself as he headed down the tunnel. Ahriman's fear receded the further Kyran got from the door. A pity that was. Ahriman needed a healthy dose of fear. It might calm the demon down a bit. As Kyran got further into the tunnel, the walls of the tunnel changed from stone to dirt. A bit further down, it changed from dirt to the chalky substance he had found above. This was closer to the place he needed. A blue glow soon emanated from the walls. Kyran carefully pulled Calamity from his shoulder. A sense of danger prickled across his skin.

The tunnel ended abruptly leaving Kyran in a chamber. The chamber held a weird crystalline structure that reached into the ceiling. Blue lines shot from the base and the top, covering nearly the entire chamber. Kyran had a feeling touching any of the lines was a bad idea. He stayed at the edge of the chamber, peering at the structure. It was a transparent blue color, occasionally throwing off sparks. This was the thing that had killed Tom and the others. Yet Kyran felt there was something else in play here. This structure couldn't be sentient could it. He shot an arrow past just to be certain. There was no reaction whatsoever. A shot to the crystalline structure yielded similar results. That wasn't good. Whatever was happening above, it was being controlled by one of the villagers. Unless there were other outsiders up above. He crept around the edge of the chamber. Maybe another angle would present a clue about who was doing this or how they were controlling it. Either would work nicely. A trip around the entire chamber caused a weight to fall heavily onto Kyran's shoulders. There were children's toys scattered about the base of the column. It brought to mind the girl with terrible adult eyes. Could she be the one attacking? Why? There was more to this than Kyran was seeing. He only had to uncover the rest of this mystery.

WC: 2861

Accusing a child of magic in this town didn't seem like a good idea. Accusing a child of using magic to hurt the villagers on purpose was a certain death sentence for the child. And that was without the violence that boiled beneath the surface. Kyran couldn't risk doing such a thing without knowing more. There were other events besides the deaths. Events that more than likely would have left clear clues and yet it seemed as if no one had found this chamber before him. It was all very curious. There was either another player in the mix or someone was controlling the child for whatever reason. Kyran rubbed his chin. With the villagers so shut down, he had no hope of learning everything needed to safely clear this case. As it was, he had to work with what he had. Without getting the girl killed. Assuming that she was the one controlling this massive crystal thing.

Kyran started for the ladder again. When he was about halfway back, Medea woke up. What are you doing host? Away! Away with all haste! That thing will kill us all! Flee! Flee for our lives! She hissed as Ahriman began to howl. Kyran sprinted for the ladder. It was the only way out of the underground that he knew of. The crystal structure made it too dangerous to explore for another option. What was scaring the demons so badly? Why were they terrified of the door behind the ladder? That was the only logical place that the thing they were scared of resided. The tunnel nor the ladder had scared them. Kyran scrambled up to the top of the ladder. It didn't seem like a good idea to freak the demons out too much. They might take over and then he would be in a heap of trouble.

Kyran emerged by the fountain. He blinked as the setting sun glared into his eyes. As he did so, something crashed onto the back of his head. Kyran crumpled. Not because they had managed to knock him out but because they had taken him by surprise. He was smart enough to act unconscious when the attackers checked him over. "Is he out?" Kyran heard someone say. He felt someone poke him repeatedly with their foot. No movement betrayed his conscious state. The speaker breathed a sigh of relief. "Take the stranger to the jailhouse. We'll take his weapons there and torture the answers out of him. Surely he must know why people are dying and what happened to the food." Kyran felt his arms taken before he was being dragged somewhere. Probably the jailhouse. "What if he doesn't know anything, Conner?" A feminine voice spoke up. It sounded as if she was fairly timid but wanted to do the right thing. Kyran silently applauded her though the demons booed and hissed. They seemed to be over their momentary terror. Conner, the voice from before, answered coldly "He's an outsider in Hatchling's Sorrow. He knows something. No one comes here without reason. Almost always a sinister one. We'll get the answers out of him any way we can." Kyran winced without thinking. If only he wasn't associated with WFTC, he could fight his way free. However, Kyran wouldn't do anything to hurt the only family he had known.

Therefore, the 'unconscious' mage allowed himself to be dragged into the jailhouse. He was tossed into a chair. They stripped him of all his weapons, his coat and for some reason, his boots as well. Kyran couldn't fathom why they would take his boots. "We'll leave him there til Psycho get back from the field. He likes to torture living things. That'll loosen the stranger's tongue" Conner sneered before Kyran heard the metallic slamming of a metal door. There was an audible click as a key was turned in a lock. There went his idea of escape. It was a futile hope that they would be so careless. Kyran waited a long time before he slowly opened his eyes. He wanted to know his surroundings before the resident psychopath came for him. Not that torture would even work. Kyran's lips curled in a rueful smile. They had no idea how to make him suffer. Not after his childhood.

The jailhouse was falling apart. Literally. The wood was rotted. The windows barely held any glass. There wasn't any furniture at all to ease stepping on the splintering wood that wasn't rotting. Not in the cell or on the main floor. Their reason for taking his boots came a little clearer. His gear had been piled carelessly by the door. The only thing that seemed to be in working condition were the cells. The metal appeared to be relatively new. A surprise considering the condition of the rest of the jailhouse. This entire building seemed to only be for the storing of prisoners. An odd concept Kyran didn't quite understand. Couldn't any prisoners easily escape from here? Though not if what Tom had said was true. Only those born outside the town could really escape. Any born in Hatchling's Sorrow would have no where to run. They couldn't get outside the boundary. A sad reality. Kyran leaned back in the chair to await his tormentors. There was no reason to try and escape. They would probably give him the rest of the information he needed to put an end to all of this. Medea hissed in excitement. This would be a challenge, pitting his will against theirs. Ahriman was also excited for the potential violence. Kyran wished he didn't have the demons. Then he might have waited in peace.

WC: 942
Total: 3803

It took a bit of time for the Sheriff to return with 'psycho'. Kyran watched them file in through the door. There were five of them each carrying a set of torture tools. The last one looked eager to get started. Kyran slowly got up. He took a stance similar to one that Johann tended to take. "There is no need for any of those, gentleman. Simply ask me your questions and I will answer them." One of the men spit in his direction. Kyran didn't try dodging it. "You weren't born here. Why would we trust you to tell us the truth?" Conner asked Kyran with a steely look in his eyes. Clearly trying to be polite wasn't going to get him anywhere. Kyran shifted on his feet, careful of the splinters. "Looks like this one is scared. Let me at him Conner. I'll have him talking in minutes." The stringy looking man licked his lips, a creepy light shining in his eyes. Kyran looked him dead in the eye with no emotion on his face. Conner jerked his head but turned away. It looked as if he might be sick. This Psycho must really do a number on his victims. It might not be a good idea to let the bastard even touch him.

When the man opened the door, Kyran exploded into action. He silently thanked his old mentor for teaching him black tiger style as his foot connected with the man's face. The floor pierced his foot as he landed. The psycho was rolling around screaming. He clutched his face as Kyran looked down at him. "I've seen your ilk before. I would kill you before letting you touch me." Kyran looked at the other four men. They were all standing stunned looking at the man on the floor. "Now ask your questions and return my gear. I was invited here by someone to help out Hatchling's Sorrow. That is the only reason I am here." Kyran pulled the note out and held it out to Conner. The grizzled man hesitantly took the piece of paper.

"I'll kill you!" The stringy man shouted rising from the floor. He held a blade in each hand. Kyran just looked at him with contempt. Conner opened his mouth before snapping his mouth shut. Kyran had shook his head at him. The psychopath charged forward, swinging his blades. Kyran slid under his attack. His hands ripped the blades away, tearing skin on the man's wrists. His head slammed into the other man's jaw. Kyran didn't hold anything back. His fists slammed into the man's chest and stomach until the psychopath fell to the floor unconscious. "If you're going to put people in a cell, this man should be the first one. He likes hurting people. Gets off on it. If you don't put him away, I will put him down." The men looked away ashamed. They had known this man was dangerous but they had liked having his skills on hand. Kyran had to tamp down the urge to go demon on them all. Being a magic user was probably worse than being an outsider here.

Kyran turned to Conner. "Well?" He asked gesturing to the note. Kyran was no longer in the mood to fuck around. There were lives at stake. Conner handed the note back. "That explains why you're here only. It doesn't mean we can trust you to get the job done. Leave. Now." Conner snapped his fingers One of the others handed Kyran his gear. Kyran scowled at all of them. Their town was in danger and he represented the best chance to save it. Yet they were sending him away because he was a stranger? Hell no. Medea purred as Kyran stepped up to the challenge facing him. "Then you're condemning your entire town to die, Sheriff. Its supposed to be your responsibility to protect these people! I'm the best chance you've got!" Kyran had gotten in Conner's face. The other men gathered around. Medea sniffed not even considering them a threat. Kyran didn't want to fight them however. That would bring things back on the WFTC. He backed slowly away from Conner. "I'm not going to leave until I get to the bottom of this." Conner scowled but Kyran had already turned his back. He stalked out of the jailhouse, pulling on his boots along the way. He had food storehouses to check. Hopefully there would be something there. Anything at all to point him away from the little girl.

His feet had stopped bleeding by the time his boots were on. Perks of his magic. Kyran was tempted to start using his magic, throwing it around to scare the things he needed out of the villagers. A deep breath had to be forced into his lungs to calm himself down. He couldn't go around killing people. That would besmirch the name of WFTC. Kyran strode down the steps. He hadn't seen any big warehouses on the way into town. More than likely the food stores were nearer to the back of the village. He headed in that direction, keeping his head down. He didn't want to draw any more attention to himself at the moment. That would be asking for more trouble then it was worth. Especially if there were any others as prejudice as Conner was.

The trip to the food stores brought Kyran across the little girl again. This time he looked at the woman holding her hand. The woman looked vaguely familiar but a scarf wrapped around the lower part of her half of her face prevented him from seeing anything identifying. Kyran ignored the pair once they had passed, determined to reach the storehouses. He didn't want to point fingers at that little girl. At any cost that was necessary. Unless she really was the mastermind behind all of this. Then Kyran would take her down to ensure the safety of the town. He really hoped that wasn't what ended up happening. While he was more than capable of hurting children, it was something he was loath to do.

WC: 1021
Total: 4824

The food stores weren't in the best of shape. They looked as if they were just barely holding themselves up. A strong wind might be able to knock them down with relatively little effort. Kyran watched them apprehensively for a moment. When he was assured that they wouldn't fall, the mage cautiously approached the buildings. Villagers watched him warily but none actively bared his way forward. Kyran circled the buildings a few times. Nothing stood out to him. Kyran grit his teeth. He needed something. Before he could walk closer to the food stores, something tugged on his pant leg. Looking down revealed a tiny black haired boy child.

"Are you gonna steal our food again, mister?" The boy asked. His eyes were watery as if he was afraid but there was determination in his gaze. Kyran almost said no before catching himself. This had to be handled carefully. Slowly, Kyran sank to the ground. The boy stared at him probably willing himself not to cry. "What do you mean?" Kyran asked gently. The boy wiped a runny nose on his sleeve. "You stole food a few weeks ago. All the food we had. It was lots. Then it was taked again a couple days ago. You stole it. Why? Are you going to steal it again." Kyran wanted to smile triumphantly. He had gotten the information from a child. That was good. "Why do you think I stole the food? I only just arrived in town today." The waning sunlight marked the end of that day. He needed to hurry this along. There was no telling what another day would bring. "You had to taked it. You're a stranger. All strangers are bad, mister. Didn't you know?" Kyran shook his head. Reaching behind him, he pulled out a loaf of bread from his pack. Kyran handed the bread to the boy. "I don't have much food but I'll share this with you. I didn't steal the food, young one. I'm here to try and figure out who did." The boy clasped the bread to his chest and ran off as quick as his little legs could carry him.

Kyran stood up, dusting his hands off. Now he had the information he needed. If the food kept getting continually taken, someone must have seen. Someone like old Tom. The people being picked off may not be so random after all. Kyran needed to look into Tom's belongings quickly. Whoever had killed him would want to erase whatever evidence the old man had had to convict them with. Kyran hoped Tom had evidence anyway. That way everything would be smooth sailing. Unfortunately things didn't tend to go that way for Kyran. He prayed to whatever gods there might be that Tom had some kind of evidence. He didn't want to be in this insane village any longer. What kind of place was this that a child thought it okay to accuse a stranger of whatever crime might have been committed. Just because they were a stranger.

A line of villagers stood in Kyran's way as he strode down the hill that held the food stores. Ahriman nearly jumped to the forefront. Kyran turned his head as red rolled across his eyes. He stopped near the line. "How can I help all of you?" Kyran asked, a growl in his voice. The villagers looked at each other suddenly unsure of this course of action. A woman stepped forward boldly, though her shaking knees robbed Kyran's ability to respect her courageous. "We want you out of this town. You're bothering our children, beating our people and stealing from us with no cause. I-if you won't leave, w-we'll force y-you." The woman said faltering when Kyran began to growl loudly. Ahriman was too close to the surface as Kyran began letting his irritation get the better of him. The villagers were hesitating. They had no idea what he could do or if they could even take him. "Get out of my way. Now. I'm here by request to solve your problem and I haven't taken a thing from you people except your blatant bias!" Kyran shouted the last word. It caused the villagers to step away in shock.

Taking advantage, Kyran swept past them. Ahriman scrambled at his mind trying to take control and give the villagers 'what they deserved'. It was a struggle not to let the demon do as he wished. Kyran wanted these assholes to get exactly what they deserved. His hands tightened on the white jacket that signified his allegiance to something bigger. Something more important than petty revenge. If he attacked the villagers, WFTC would pay for it. That wasn't something Kyran wanted. Ever. They were like family. He didn't want them to pay for his mistakes. Those thoughts kept him from turning around and unleashing Ahriman. Only barely however. The demon was strong with the violence about the village feeding him power.

There were a couple of villagers at Tom's place taking things out of the house. Kyran cursed foully when he saw this. There went his only chance of clearing the girl of this crime. She was the only lead he had left. The villagers spotted him. Unlike the last group, these ones wanted to make someone pay. Each set down the box he was carrying and grabbed a makeshift weapon. Kyran sighed heavily. Ahriman barked happily as the mage ran forward to meet his attackers. Jab to the throat, block awkward attack, kick to the stomach. Kyran went from three attackers to one in the space of three seconds. He grinned ferally at the last man, Ahriman changing his eyes to red. Medea scrabbled to try and get a hold as well. This fight was a challenge or should be one anyways. The last attacker hesitated. "What are you?" He said in horror. Kyran chuckled, slamming his fist into the man's temple. "I'm your worst nightmare." He took a moment to knock the other two out. That taken care of Kyran strode into Tom's house. Best to take advantage of this opportunity.

The inside of the house was a mess from the men gathering everything into boxes. Kyran looked around as best he could. With Ahriman in the forefront, his sense of smell had sharpened considerably. The scents of the men mingled with Tom's and there were a few other scents mixed in together. The tangled mess made Kyran want to roar. There was nothing here. Nothing he could find much less... what was that? As he had been stalking about in a rage, a familiar scent drifted across his senses. A growing feeling of dread settled in Kyran's stomach as he followed in through the house. It was recent. Too recent. He couldn't be here. He should be back in Darkwell village gorging himself on the family fortune. Why was Gruen here?!

There was a whiff of the little girl as well. Kyran rubbed his face into his hands. The pure shock had caused Ahriman and Medea to retreat. Kyran knew why he was drawn to the girl now. She was family. Probably Gruen's daughter. The poor girl. What had she suffered at that monster's hands? Who was her mother? Something dark was rising inside of Kyran. He wanted to rip to rend, to tear into his brother and it had nothing to do with his demons. In fact, his demons were whimpering as his darkness rose. Kyran stalked from the house. Grabbing Ahriman, Kyran forced the demon to the forefront. His sense of smell sharpened as his fingernails lengthened into claws and his eyes turned red. His ears pointed, his teeth sharpened. The wolf was ready to hunt. He raised his head carefully, trying not to draw the attention of any of the villagers. Kyran still possessed enough of his own mind to want to keep the WFTC from getting in trouble. The moment he had Gruen's scent, Kyran took off. His nose led him unerringly toward the village edge nearest to the lake.

WC: 1341
Total: 6165

The scent led him straight to a house built on the waterside. There weren't any houses within a fair distance of it. It appeared worn from the spraying water but beyond that was in good repair. Kyran silently thanked his luck that no villagers had seen him on the way here. That would have gotten him in a fair amount of trouble. The moon was rising in the east. It pulled at the wolf, testing Kyran's control. His darkness may have initially scared the demon but now Ahriman wanted control. Kyran savagely beat him back into place. This was his time. He would be the only one in control.

The door of the shack flew off its hinges. The girl's scent was strong here, coupled with Gruen's and one other scent. Kyran followed the strongest, most recent scent through the house. It led him into an office space. Gruen sat behind his desk, smiling over clasped hands. Beside him was the woman concealed by a scarf. She was holding a knife to the little girl's throat. "Hello there, brother. Its so good to see you. Take a seat please. We have a few things to discuss" Kyran growled taking a step forward. Gruen gestured and the woman pushed the knife closer to the girl's neck. "Ah ah! You wouldn't want us to harm your daughter now would you?"

The news hit Kyran like lightning. He almost leapt across the distance to kill Gruen. His brother wore a self satisfied smirk as if he knew there was no way Kyran could deny him. It wasn't the knife at the child's throat, or Gruen's promise of hurting her that had Kyran sliding into the chair. It was the smell of fear wafting off the child. Kyran wasn't sure she was his. Couldn't be sure really. But he didn't like seeing her scared. Gruen smiled widely leaning forward on his elbows. He thought he had this won. Kyran wanted to show him just how wrong he was.

"Naturally you'll want proof that she is yours." He nodded at the woman. She dropped the scarf and Kyran nearly fell over backwards. The blonde hair tumbling down her back, the proud arch of her eyebrow, the scorn in her blue eyes. Claudia. Scars marred the left side of her face. Kyran had put them there the night he had lost it. "How...?" Gruen grinned triumpantly. "Well you see, Claudia here has some healing magic of her own. When you left her for dead, she managed to heal herself. A few months later, your daughter popped out. No one would have her after that so naturally, I married her. Despite your mark on her, Claudia is still very beautiful. Your daughter was put to use..." The wood of the chair cracked audibly under Kyran's fist. Gruen didn't seem to mind the interruption. He smiled reaching out to run a finger down Claudia's arm. Kyran broke the other arm of the chair trying not to kill them both.

"We are the ones behind the recent incidents around the village." Gruen said softly. He held up a hand to stop any questions. "Memory magic was used to make the villagers believe we have been here for years. My little specialty. Regardless, you will do as I command in a few minutes. In exchange, We will give you the means to stop the attack, not to mention your daughter, our youngest brother and our youngest sister will live." Gruen slid a pair of pictures across the table. It held the picture of a busty redhead. She sported a Sabertooth crest on her left breast. The other picture held a man with green hair and pointed ears. Kyran hated all these surprises. The woman had been around the guild with Ruvel a few times. He had caught glimpses of her in passing. SOmehow he had never realized they were related. "They are why you went berserk that night aren't they? You learned what father did to them. Every last detail as he tried to put you in your place." Kyran's red eyes began to glow as they snapped up to Gruen's face. His older brother didn't seem the least bit scared. He didn't know the beast he was rousing to life.

"I have a modest little trading company." Gruen began. Kyran felt dread settle into the pit of his stomach. This was going somewhere bad. "The West Fiore Trading Company is a big trading company that pushes my own trading company out of the way sometimes." Kyran doubted it was that simple but he wasn't about to correct his brother. There would be no telling what he would do. "Since you work for them, I want you to pass information to me. Anything on their shipping that you can find that will help me keep one step ahead of them. We'll keep your daughter and our siblings as insurance that you'll do this." Kyran closed his eyes slowly. His family or his home. An impossible choice. One that Gruen was now forcing upon him. This was turning into one hell of a day. Clearly, Gruen knew him too well. He expected, rightly, that Kyran would do as commanded.

His brother heaved himself out of the chair. Gruen had put on a little weight. His red hair was receding from his forehead and was plastered to his skull by sweat. Kyran stood slowly, his lean frame putting his brother to shame. Gruen sneered at him but Kyran caught Claudia looking. That look of interest from her made his stomach roil. Gruen led Kyran into the basement. There was a secondary crystal structure there. This was how the girl--Kyran couldn't think of her as his daughter yet--controlled the things that killed people. "Why do all this? Why kill people and steal their food stock?" Kyran asked quietly as Gruen headed back up the stairs. There was no indication of what Kyran was to do with this thing. Gruen clearly expected him to figure it out. Gruen paused on the stairs "It was the perfect way to draw you in. Plus I always did love a little chaos. Killing people was just a bonus." Kyran's hands clenched as Gruen walked out the door laughing.

WC: 1042
Total: 7207

Kyran took his anger out on the crystal. Damn his brother. Damn his demons. Damn his situation. When the crystal lay shattered at his feet, Kyran released Ahriman's form. As he shifted through the shattered crystal something else dawned upon him. This had been a living creature. Gruen had purposefully made him believe it was just a crystal. In fact, the crystalline creature beneath the village was probably the mother or at least another of its kind. Kyran fell to his knees amid the crystal creature's remains, tears streaking down his face. Why? Why did this all have to come about?

The demons tried to push their way forward. For a moment, Kyran was tempted to let them. They would alleviate him of any guilt. The death of anyone as a result wouldn't be his fault. He could rest, forget about the world and his trials for a little while. It would be so easy to simply let go. The demons pushed their advantage, Erebus at the front of the line. Kyran barely hung onto control by his fingertips. What gave him to strength to hold on surprised him. It wasn't his family-- the ones he wanted to protect anyway. It wasn't the guild. It was the thought of Gaia. The little be-speckled mage who had made something inside his chest, something he long thought broken if not dead, turn over. The woman who made his stomach twist. The one he looked forward to seeing, loved teasing, liked sharing his love of books with. The thought of her was what allowed Kyran the strength to push back the demons.

With a heavy heart, Kyran gathered up the remains of the creature and headed up the stairs. Gruen was waiting at the top. "I should mention, I don't want you caught. Don't do anything out of the ordinary to get any of the information. At least not until the company trusts you with more. Until then, get me what you can. My company can hold on til then. Just keep in mind, the longer you take to get me information, the angrier I'll get. My hand just might slip, giving the order to end one of the three you're trying to protect." He gave Kyran a cruel smirk before waving him out the door.

Kyran carried the corpse of the crystal creature to the center of town. What few villagers were about followed him there. They stood silently around him as he lowered the creature to the ground. "This is the creature that has been killing your people and eating your food stocks." Kyran cried out in a loud voice. He wasn't sure if it really had eaten the food stocks but Gruen wouldn't steal anymore now. He wouldn't jeopardize his deal with Kyran. Conner stepped up poking the remains of the creature. "How can we trust what you say? You're an outsider. For all we know, you created the creature and loosed it on us!" Kyran heaved a sigh. These villagers were way too paranoid for their own good. He focused on Gaia to stop the demons from taking over. "Believe what you wish. Just don't dump that underground. The killing and the food stealing will stop."

His back turned on the crowd. He was done with this town. Done with this whole business. He had completed the job he set out to do but gained a host of new problems. For now, Kyran would return to WFTC HQ. Afterward, he would stay away from the guild as much as possible to prevent himself from giving Gruen anything useful. Perhaps talking to Mr. Mizune--the Vice president not the CEO-- would be a good idea at some point. He was dating or at least regularly seeing the girl Gruen claimed was their youngest sister. Regardless, Kyran needed to find a good way to deal with this problem without endangering his family or the guild. If there wasn't one, Kyran would sacrifice himself for the good of both. Such was life.

WC: 674
Total: 7881