| Chapter 1 |
| Chapter 1 |
| The rain had covered the village in blood-like sheen. The entire tavern seemed to smell of damp earth; no matter where he traveled, everything had a tinge of decay. The sun had not shone its face in week, though as a man of the night, he cared little of such matters. Rumors of a body thief had reached him not a few nights before, all leading up to this tiny village, TanaViv. Most of the victims were drunkards too asinine not to wander the streets late at night. �So, you�re a swordsman?� The barmaid leaned across the table. He nodded listlessly, eyes quickly surveying her buxom youthfulness. She took up his dagger from the table and turned the sheath over in her hand. He eyed her with curiosity; she was much too young to be working at such an unsavory place. �Shouldn�t you be at home? It is a school night, you know?� She didn�t seem to take offence; with a completely unwholesome glare you leaned across the table to place the dagger back in the sheath. Her hand lingered a moment, and licking his ear, she whispered an invitation he was hard pressed to pass up. This was the hospitality TanaViv seemed most famous for. The barroom shuddered and erupted into chaos as a raven haired woman was thrown through the window and slammed into a table. Before she could rise, a dark figure climbed through the gapping hole her entrance had left. The barmaid screamed and fell back against the wall. The creature�s back stiffened at the sound and turned towards the light. Its skeletal figure creaked beneath skin like burnt leather, and as it�s back arched in a gesture of indolent violence, a flash of gnarled teeth could be seen. Its eyes were red as freshly drawn blood. It was a soul reaper. With a lolling moment the reaper crept closer to the table in the corner, taunting the barmaid as it slowly maid its way. Terrified, the young woman threw a bottle of wine at her predator. It shattered on contact, shards of glass jutted from its skin at sickening angles, glistening with wine. �Katsuhiro, save me! Keep it away; don�t let it kill me.� The creature was less then a foot away from them, and showed no signs of relenting. Calmly eyeing the creature, Katsuhiro reached behind his chair and felt around for the hilt of his sword. After a moment he found it, and whipping it from its sheath, he stood ready. Taking his cue, the demon charged, taking the full length of the sword into its chest without flinching, locking its talon-like hands around Katsuhiro�s wrists. The shear power of its grip was crushing him. �Scream for me.� Hot, acrid breath against his face. �Scream and make her scream.� Katsuhiro trembled against the reaper�s force, yet he was resolute on remaining silent. The reaper tightened its grip. Still, no response. Behind them, a stir, the hollow echo of unsteady footsteps across the rotting wood floor. �I thought you were dead, ryuuri. No matter. Once I kill this disrespectful human, I will-� The creature lurked forward and dropped its intended victim, then turned. Empty thud as a wooded chair hit the floor. The raven haired woman slouched forward slightly, breathing heavily. She knew that physical blows such as that had virtually no effect on the creature, if anything, it only made the reaper angrier. In the least it would buy the two humans sometime. With some effort the woman straightened herself, and with a breath against her hand, produced a spark. She drew the spark around herself, the light growing in intensity with each pass. Only then did the reaper seem panicked. It lunged for her, but was thrown back by a wall of light, then caught in midair by the shear force of the woman�s will. �Wither to Ashes.� Her voice was soft, yet carried with the strength of the most forceful command. The room erupted in a blinding flash of light, rending the flesh from the body of the wayward beast. After a momentary blindness, all that was left of the creature was smoldering ash. Katsuhiro gazed at the woman in pure amazement. She returned his look with an impish smile then dropped to the floor. When he reached her, she was barely conscious. �I think he might have wounded me.� |