Dark Knight (w/ Tamashi)

It had been only a short time since he had received his guild mark to allow him within the safer places of the Sabertooth guild, it actually confused him quite a bit as to why they would allow him to join a mage guild when he himself appeared to have no magic to speak of. Then again this hadn't stopped him from taking part in a job to get a non magic user from a magic rich country into one that would burn someone at the stake if you accused them of using such things. He believed that if they worked together then they would most likely have been able to be on the cutting edge of magical technology but as things stood these two nations would never see eye to eye it seemed. This didn't sit well with the raven haired youth as the thought of such a tension was like a powder keg just waiting for one wrong spark for the whole thing to explode and take everything with it. That however was a worry for another day as for now his guilds expertise was being called upon by the magic council, he still didn't understand the least thing about them other than if they gave an order no matter how ridiculous it was to be followed pretty much without question. Well he could and would follow orders just in his own strange manner it often seemed, he still didn't quite understand his unorthodox way of thinking but it seemed to work for him regardless.

He could feel by the the shift in the earth and the way the air moved that something wasn't quite right, but then hearing people even within the guild changing made him know that something was far more serious that anyone could dare imagine. At the moment he was wearing a white cotton shirt that seemed to be hanging open showing a long line of runes running vertically up the left part of his chest, black trousers, no shoes so the purple runes on his feet easily seen, his eyes were covered in a black piece of cotton cloth as if he were trying to hide a secret. As always the youth was sitting by the job board, he had no idea why he had taken to sitting there for him it just felt right he supposed, that and he could make a quick get away if trouble came for him which was a possibility given he had no idea who the hell he was or his own history. He kept being told by others to wait, that his memories would come back in due time part of that scared him as what if he was a horrible person who had done horrible things? Would they still be as caring as they are now to him or would they throw him out defenceless to protect himself? he guessed that only time would be able to tell in the long run. He had been paying far to much attention to his own thoughts to realise the scurrying and steps of Gaia and her companion so when she coughed he couldn't help but jump a little. He knew better than to not pay attention to his surrounding especially at this unknown time so internally scolded himself about it, after all he didn't have the luxury of eyesight.

He raised his head as if looking to her "Umm... hello, sorry I don't quite recall your name." he said quietly, he had no idea why he couldn't remember such simple things, when he was checked out they said it could have been something to do with a trauma or something more sinister but without further tests they couldn't say and he had declined to have anyone poking and prodding him; after all he didn't know these people, they could be telling him one thing so they could do some weird experiment on him to see what made him tick. "Well I'm blind not deaf." he rebutted her comment about hearing what was going on "But yes, it's hard not to know certain things when people seem to have the polar opposite personalities than what is normal for them." he continued, then again he was also thinking wither or not he should tell her how things didn't feel right with his own unique way of seeing. "They say the eternal darkness is upon us once more, that this time it will not be leaving." he put his hand to his head "I swear all these doomsayers" he shook his head standing, to him it was stupid to think that the end times where near because of the unnatural darkness around them, there had to be some explanation and if it meant that he could get peace and quiet again while proving they were being fools he'd happily go on this errand. "Sure, lets get going before I kill someone for being an idiot." he said with a small shrug walking towards the guild halls exit.

Word Count: 837

The world, as well as the moon, was dark, but within a forest one light shone brightly. The source of the light was a torch held by a man in Far Eastern warrior’s attire. His dark sandals and socks trotted through a dark snow. His pants were white though the closer it came to the ground, the darker it was through the dark dust. He wore a red kimono, over which he wore a front and back plate lacquered in black. Four small diamond shapes in white adorned his front plate. A pauldron of the same black steel protected his left shoulder and plate mail his right upper arm. Both his arms were gloved in black steel, one of his gloved hands held leather straps of his backpack and the other a blazing torch. Red hairs flowed from underneath a crimson and golden headband and above that he carried a black steel conical shaped helmet.

Haruyuki trotted through the dark dust that fell to the ground like snow. It had been like this now for what seemed to be a few weeks though it was hard to tell since the sun did not shine at day. It had put his rhythms completely off. Haruyuki had read some of his ancients scrolls on natural and unnatural phenomena but none had any mention of this event. He also looked through the large library of the West-Fiore Trading Company, but he was none the wiser. After that, there was only one great library within a reasonable range, the royal library of Fiore in the capital, to which he was traversing now. Haruyuki tilts his head and glazed upon the ebony moon and thought to himself The night is dark and full of terrors. It was some sentences within a big about a religion of the sun, an appealing religion at moments like these. “Wooh!” Shouted Haruyuki out loud.

Haruyuki found himself laying the ground, his face buried in a layer of the dark snow. He had stumbled over a root. “Owh.” He stood up and brushed off the thick layer of black dust. The dust had softened is fall and his shouts for the surprise rather than for any pain. But his clothing was now completely covered in the black flock. He sighed, “Time to find a place to sleep.” He bends over to grab his torch and shone it around him. He found a suitable spot underneath a big tree, ironically it was the tree whose root unrooted Haruyuki. The area underneath the tree was reasonably clear from the moon dust.

Some time passed and Haruyuki had finished a cosy campfire that spread its lights about. Enough light to read one of the scrolls or books, one of many in his backpack. He picked the book, ‘Frederik the Great on the Art of War’. It was an interesting book about a grand king who was considered one of the best, if not the best general of his time. His usage of the oblique order was phenomenal and something that Haruyuki wanted to try for himself as well. Though where Frederik used it on the offensive he had thought of a method for a defensive position, one of his preferred fighting styles. Lure the enemy to a seemingly weak flank, to surprise them there by a volley of gunfire. Followed by a pincer moment to break the enemies flank and then on the sweep the vanguard and the other flank. Simple in the mind but difficult to pull off the right way. He had read one chapter and decided that it was time to sleep. He laid away the book and froze. Three lights kindled on the road in an arc around his fire. His right hand searched for his katana, which he found and grasped. Roars and growling were heard from the fires in the night. He jumped up and the flames moved at him, the speeded through the dark of night. Haruyuki flung his sword about, sending his scabbard flying at the nearest flame and charged at the second flame. Large red eyes reflected the flames of the campfire, the light showed sharp long teeth in a hairy snout. Wolves with candles upon there heads.


wc:708

Kyran felt insanely happy. His worries were inconsequential. His past was nothing but lost time. Now was the time to revel, to dance. Fighting was a last resort when words could do the same work. We're all gonna die Erebos said morosely. Ever since the sky went dark, the demon had been such a downer. Kyran wished he would go back. The mischievous demon would have been way more fun. W-we s-should go find Gaia. Mayb-be g-give her some f-flowers. Malinda stuttered. The demon had lost her confidence and her lustful nature. Now she focused solely on the girl that had Kyran's heart. A nice change that coincidentally brought on when the sky went dark. Ahriman and Medea had gone quiet, giving Kyran a slight peace of mind. Eae, on the other hand, had become a menace. She encouraged any action so long as it didn't follow the straight and narrow. Oooo look a baby with candy! Go steal it! Go! Go go go! Get me that candy! Kyran blissfully ignored her. He skipped along debating on what his next course of action should be.

He decided that seeing Gaia was the best thing to do. She was nearby after all. It wouldn't take too long to go get her. We can b-bring her on a n-n-nice d-date! Malinda said happily. Kyran smiled at the demon's enthusiasm. Then impregnate that little wannabe. Show her the night of her life and leave her with the baby. Kyran sighed unhappily at Eae's vicious tone. Couldn't the angel just take a chill pill? That would make everybody so much happier. He focused instead on getting to Gaia. Seeing her would make him way happier. Just the thought of her brought a smile to his face. I wish I could be that happy. I'll never be happy. You can't meet anybody when you're stuck in another guy's head. Erebos sighed. Malinda curled around the unhappy shadow, trying to comfort him. Kyran patted the unhappy demon as he walked. "Cheer up, Erebos! It's... well not a lovely day but at least we're alive!" Oh boy. Another dismal day where I must suffer the pain of life.

A group of wolves made of wax surrounded Kyran. He looked at them, mildly surprised. They showed him their wax teeth. "Hello! You're all cute puppies! Oh, I just want to gobble you up!" Kyran grinned then frowned. Wax would get caught between his teeth. That wouldn't be any fun at all. The wolves snarled again. The flame upon their heads flared. Kyran's cheerful demeanor vanished quickly. These wolves weren't going to play nice. A nasty smile slowly spread across Kyran's face. Cuts opened upon his hands. Twin blood blades formed quickly. As the wolves leapt, Kyran danced. His blades made several cuts on two of the wolves. The others flew by him. Surprisingly, blood flew from the cuts he made on the wolves. Perhaps they were merely covered in wax with real wolves beneath. Kyran licked the blood off his blades. He'd wait to see Gaia. Right now, he got to play. The wolves had no idea what they were up against.

The wolves turned as one. Those he'd hit were only slightly limping. Kyran chuckled. Taking these creatures apart would be a good work out and fun. They charged back toward him. Once more, Kyran danced. This time one of the wolves' claws struck his arm. He scowled but continued his dance. The cuts were a little deeper. Blood slicked the ground near the two injured wolves. He planned to focus on them. To slowly take them apart, bit by bit. The other two wolves would have to wait their turn. Kyran glanced down at his arm. The cut wasn't bleeding much. He didn't need to worry about it. Reversing the blade in his left hand, Kyran sank into a stance. A lusty grin curled his lip. Bloodlust was evident in his expression. To anyone that knew him well, the Kyran standing in front of them would appear to be a stranger.

WC: 676

The Kitsuharu girl had both liked and disliked the weather as of late. The people in the Ace of Spades and of the guild were fraught with worry, there were strange disappearances and flickering lights in the forests and hills. The violet-haired woman was extremely concerned about the negative changes. She was too new to know who exactly to trust in the guild and she was too new to give much guidance to the people who saw her tattoo, confirmed her as a mage, and asked her for assistance. What help could the summoner be when she was so untrained and inexperienced? She didn't like seeing the fear in the eyes of all of those around her, and she liked even less that she couldn't do anything about it. Karasuki did however like the events around her, it allowed her natural curiosity full and free reign on her mind. For once in her life, she had put down her books and had stopped living her life on the pages between the covers of some nature poems, transcendental philosophies or fictional novellas. She had gone between helping Gaia in the local tavern by passing out fresh made food and blankets to the fearful occupants and sneaking out to explore the town and its edges, trying to collect information and see just what the world was like. Always she asked, but why?

This night she had left the tavern around noon, or what she thought was noon. Karasuki had been seeking out the reasons for the darkness or an explanation for how the Moon Pollen affected people. She had touched it, smelled it, tasted it. It was flavorless, odorless, soft dust. Her hands were stained black from all of her experimenting and she had been able to look out into the hills. She saw the flickers of three moving objects in the distance and whispered, "Now that is something to inform Gaia of. It's confirmed, the lights are real." Karasuki had spun on her heel and raced back from the edges of the Ace of Spades. She had barely entered the city limits, heading to the tavern, when she spotted a man with red hair standing in a fighting stance. Her head tilted and she expected for some comments made by Geralt, but the pirate king sharing her soul had made no comments for the past week. Then, Karasuki saw the wolves, candle-like flames above them, snarling. She let out a short scream of surprise and apprehension as she watched the male fight the wolves.

The summoner didn't know if the doomsayers were right, but she could see right before her eyes that the monsters were real. They were real and they were in the Ace of Spades. Someone had to tell the Aces, someone had to protect the people being escorted to their homes. Karasuki clenched her hands tight and then collected herself. "First, help the man. Second, get to the tavern." Speaking out loud centered herself and gave her courage. She had wanted adventure and adventure had surely found her. Karasuki saw the male move into a stance and grin, feeling her spine tingle. There was something in her smile that made her think he was enjoying this. "I can help!" She called out, just to be sure that the man didn't presume her to be an enemy. "And he brought forth his Iron Fan shouting 'Rekka Shinen'!" Karasuki enunciated, speaking like a bard on a stage.

Through a cloud of purple haze and golden sparkles, a tall man wearing a big green coat, grey scarf and long dirty blond hair appeared between Karasuki and the pack as she joined the fight. Tasuki normally liked to talk, liked to jest, but upon seeing the wolves had instead said nothing snarky at all. Now was a time for him to protect Karasuki, who was like a little sister to him. He drew out his folded fan, unfolding it in a single swing and indeed shouted, "Rekka Shinen!" A curved torrent of flame, like a rolling ocean wave, appeared from the ground and moved upwards, rolling over the two candle wolves still standing like a tsunami overtaking a small seaside shack. And from behind that wave, came a second swing and a second wave of fire, overwhelming the wolves. The blaze had greatly injured the two wolves but had not killed them. At this point, Tasuki had glanced back to Karasuki demanding, "What the hell is going on here? What's with all this black snow? What are these things!?" Karasuki wished that she had an answer for him, but she didn't.

WC: 769