Legion
This is the story of Takakage, the human paladin seeking to end the great war between Korioza and Taira. He is willing to sacrifice his life and soul to end the suffering caused by the endless conflict, but comes across a terrible secret. Legion.
Chapter 1
Takakage, or Taka to his friends, stood idly staring out towards a village. He would reach it soon, he knew, but could not help himself from wondering what he might find inside, or who he may meet. Allowing himself a grin at this thought, he turned away and prepared to set up camp. Making his way through the forest back to the clearing he found, he drew the Dragon Flame from its sheath and gazed fondly at it. The dying light flashed off of the blade, reflecting his image, the image of a steel-clad colossus, short black hair and storm-cloud grey eyes. He flicked the sword up towards the sky, before kicking a tree, which promptly crashed to the ground. A flash of red spun down, and embedded itself in the fallen tree. The stone placed in the phylactery at the hilt began to hum and glow, as the blade of the sword gave off an intense heat. Taka pulled the sword from the trunk, sliding it out as easily as a wet hand might slip from a cuff. With a sweep, he ignited the trunk, causing a roaring fire to leap up. He lay against the base of another tree, and began to doze, keeping an eye open, his pack conspicuously open beside him.
A slight rustling shook him out of his slight stupor. Keeping his eyes closed, he listened intently. Footsteps padded up to his bag, and hands began rummaging through it. He waited until the thief paused to strike. The young thief was far too busy going through Taka's pack to notice the eyes of his victim creep open. A hand shot out and grabbed his arm, whilst a deep, flowing, melodic voice asked as to why he was being disturbed.
"I...I...I only..." stammered the young thief, lost for words at the huge knight's speed.
"If you wished for food, you need only have asked." Came the voice again, this time in a more gentle tone. Taka pulled himself into a sitting position, focusing on the boy properly, but this time, he was the one lost for words. The thief was nondescript, wearing near rags and a simple headband, but what left Taka speechless was the massive scythe slung across his back. The weapon in question was huge, at least six foot from base to tip.
"What is your name, may I ask?" inquired Taka, his curiosity piqued. The boy looked at him, his confidence returning now that he saw that the armoured giant in front of him was not hostile. He sat down, crossed his legs, and gazed at the sky.
"I...I don't know..." he replied, head falling back to lock onto Taka's helmet, lying on the floor. Taka was now even more curious, since this lad was no demon, which did not have need for names, but neither was he completely human. Taka leaned against the trunk of the tree he was sitting next to, thinking. If the boy had no name, then he was likely a refugee, another victim of the war ravaging the country. This still, however, did not explain how he got the weapon on his back.
"Then where do you come from?" Taka asked, looking the boy in the eyes.
"I lived in a village, near the borders" he replied, picking at the ground.
"And you had a family there?" Taka pressed another question onto the lad.
"Once, but something huge came, and destroyed it all. It ate them, relishing in their screams." The lad shivered, and Takakage noticed how cold it was in the air. He pulled his heavy cloak from his pack, and wrapped it around the lad.
"Thank you sir" he sniffed.
"Call me Taka, I'm no noble." Takakage replied cheerfully. Inside, he felt a huge pity for the lad. He couldn't have been more than nineteen years of age, twenty at the most. And yet he had to see his entire village destroyed by what sounded suspiciously like a demon.
"Well, it seems you'll need a name, since I cannot call you 'boy' all the time." Taka grinned, and began to stand.
Leaving the teenager next to the fire, he strode over to the hollow tree trunk where he had left his shinpi obu pouch. Swiftly retrieving it from where it lay, he walked back over to the lad, and looked at him. He was, as Taka thought, only about nineteen or so, with long hair that fell over his eyes, which were a hazel colour. Sitting back down, he pulled his orbs from the pouch and began inserting them into his armour.
The helmet was first, then the shoulders, then the chest. He slotted the two elemental stones into his weapons, and connected his arcane orbs to his hands. The lad watched him curiously, and could not help himself from blurting out the question Taka had been expecting from the moment he took out the first glowing stone.
"What are those stones Taka?" The question hung in the air for a second, before Takakage, smiling softly, replied.
"These are shinpi obu, or magic orbs. They give me the power to use different spells or attacks depending on which one is active at the time." The boy's interest was heightened by this, and he asked for a demonstration. Grinning, Taka got to his feet, and activated the orb in his left shoulderguard. The familiar energy sped down his arm, the Hurricane Cutter glowing with a bright golden light. Taka raised the sword above his head and slammed his sword to the floor in a sweeping arc.
A wave of golden light followed the sweep of his sword, pausing for a split second, before hurtling towards the tree Taka had set on fire earlier. It sped towards it, passed through, doing no visible damage, and dissipated. He turned back to the boy, and told him to keep watching. Takakage strode over to the log and, lifting it effortlessly, picked up one end. It immediately sheared away from the other half of the tree, leaving a clean cut directly through it. He looked back at the lad, and saw an expression of awe on his face. He could not help but allow himself to feel a little big-headed.
Eventually, Taka began to place his gear into his pack, having felt that there was a conflict nearby. The boy noticed him preparing to leave, and ran over to him.
"Taka, where are you going?" the lad queried.
"There are battles to be fought, I cannot stay here any longer than necessary." Taka replied.
The boy looked thoughtful at this, and eventually spoke again.
"Can I come with you?" Taka was surprised by this, but not totally unprepared.
"That depends, are you able to wield that scythe on your back?" The boy replied by saying that he did, and was very proficient too. Taka smiled, beckoned and turned to leave. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. Stopping, it came to him.
The boy's name. He turned, and with a grin on his face, said to the boy:
"What do you think of Scythe as a name, until we find your real one?" His face cracked in a smile, and Taka, now knowing that he had not missed anything else, turned and, with Scythe wandering along beside him, set off into the forest to begin a quest that would lead him to an encounter that he would never have expected.