His heart raced as he made his way through the dense forest surrounding him. His ribs were broken and each step he took only heightened the pain that he felt. However deep within his own mind he felt it clawing, the pain driving it more wild as he moved. 'Not now. Not again.' He searched for any sign of another patrol but there was nothing. He'd traveled nearly 6 miles inland and the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. 'How much farther until I can rest.' His ribs once again shot with pain as he failed to realize a low hanging branch in front of him. Stumbling dumbly he found himself falling hard onto his side. As the urge to yell in pain set in he gritted his teeth. 'I mustn't make a sound. But I can't keep moving like this without wrapping my ribs.' As the thought crossed his mind the familiar voice came to his head.
"Worry not for your injuries, what follows if you stop is nothing less than certain death. Continue on Du Couteau. It will be a tough journey but you must keep moving. I've done all that I can but they know you are here. The temple is only 3 miles north of your location."
Gritting his teeth he swore under his breath. 'Why can't I ever catch a break?' He continued on through the trees. As he traveled he kept his mind sharp hearing everything around him. At even the slightest sign of danger he would be aware, but as he moved he gradually fatigued. The forest seemed to be a living being of its own fighting with him with each step he took forward. As he cut through the dense vegitation it seemed to grow back almost as quickly as he could cut it down.
After what seemed like an eternity Du Couteau stood at the edge of a sheer drop off. The sound of water roared as he started across the open expanse of granite. Water rushed quickly over the side of the cliff at the other end of the large canyon. 'Did I go the wrong way. No this is north.'
"You are correct Du Couteau. There in the middle of the waterfall rests the temple which you seek. A temple to the old gods, a temple desecrated with dark magic and human suffering. It is here that the heretics have chosen to lock away all of the treasure that they have stolen throughout the ages."
'So now I have to climb down a cliff. Can this get anymore tedious?' Du Couteau felt his patience wearing thing as he examined the cliff before him. It was a sheer drop to the bottom of a large granite canyon, but as he examined closer he could see an almost tangible path in front of him. Without any rope or harness he would have to rely on what strength he had left to hold him as he scaled down the rock face. Approaching slowly he made his moves slow and steadily with pinpoint precision. He was accustomed to scaling even harder obstacles than this, but the physical drain of the night was now becoming apparent. As he made his way down he felt his muscles begin to tighten and with each move he felt as though he would drop. 'I have to move faster.' It was the only thought in his mind. It would mean using more energy and causing more pain to himself, but if he didn't then he would surely fall from an immeasurable height to the stone floor below him. 'If I can get lower it won't matter if I fall. I will survive.' With one last deep breath he accelerated the rate of his decline, becoming less cautious to the footholds before him.
How many feet was it to the bottom. He dared not think of the consequence of a fall. It had been nearly 30 minutes since he had started his climb. His limbs were weak now. As he attempted to go further down a rock gave way leaving him hanging with no support from his legs. As he struggled to find some leverage he felt his grasp fail. As he began to slide quickly the thought of death occurred to him. Reaching desperately for anything he could find he managed to hook his hand on rock that stuck out just far enough to grasp with his finger tips. Searching desperately around him he found a small ledge to his left but no path to it. 'If I jump I can make it.' As he prepared his mind for the event he position his feet against the wall. Vaulting slightly to his left he landed heavily on the ledge. Standing for the first time in the last 45 minutes he looked over the edge. It was only about 65 more feet to the bottom of the canyon.
Stopping to catch his breath he examined the ledge to find that it led around the canyon almost like a path, leading behind the waterfall at the other end. 'It couldn't be.' He began to walk along the ledge he made his way around the canyon in a matter of minutes. As he examined the landscape in front of him he saw the roaring waterfall and not far behind it the landscape cracked open into the mouth of a large cave.
"What awaits you inside will twist the very fabric of your being. Prepare yourself mentally for what is to come Du Couteau. Do not allow the essence of this place to cloud your judgement. You are a bandit no longer, and you have come here for a purpose. I want you to say that purpose out loud and envision your niece."
Listening to the old sage Du Couteau felt the pain in his ribs recede. Picturing Isame he smiled softly. 'That's right. I won't let you down. I will return.'
With a newfound energy pulsing through his veins Du Coutea made his way into the large cave. The twisting corridor was well lit with torchlight. As he made his way further in the cave gave way to a vast open complex, a large structure stood at the center.
'This can't be what I think it is.' Du Couteau's mind ran over the image in his head. 'It's identical to the obelisk at Icathia.' His heart sank for a moment as he remembered the events of the past.
"The dark prophets within are the only people on this earth who still know the ritual. Passed down from generation to generation of their followers they are the only ones capable of opening that portal again. It will happen, but this time you will have a better weapon. This time you will have Isame. She alone holds the power of the heavens in her hands, and it is Isame who will bring this scheme to an end. Now go forth Du Couteau and be quick. There are more than a hundred men within these corridors. All of which will seek your head. The path to your left on the far side of the cavern is the path that you seek. Follow it blindly until you reach a room shrouded in darkness. Use your instincts and you will see the next chamber, it is there that you will find the treasures that you are seeking."
Making his way swiftly across the open room he came to the small corridor the sage spoke of. Making his way in cautiously he heard the sound of a man's voice.
"So you have arrived at last. And it will be my pleasure to see you out, but not before I carve out your heart." the voice was maniacal and followed by loud laughter, "Do me a favor and hold still. I promise that this will only hurt a lot."
A large axe came crashing down in front of Du Couteau as a small man emerged from around the corner. The axe was completely disproportionate to the man measuring nearly twice his height. Du Couteau waited hesitantly waiting for his opponent to make his first move. The man laughed once more before swinging the axe back at Du Couteau. Ducking low he kept his eyes on his opponent. 'The axe is much to large for him, he can't possibly cover himself while he is swinging.'
Waiting for the next move Du Couteau unsheathed his own ornate sword. As the small man again swung his axe Du Couteau stepped flawlessly to the side of the swing. Closing in on his opponent quickly he drove his blade through the man's chest.
"Never use a weapon that is twice as large as you are."
The mans corpse fell lifelessly onto the floor. Stepping past it Du Couteau made his way further in. 'If all of my opponents are to be this weak than my job will be over soon.' Just as the thought crossed his mind he felt the rush of wind behind him. The small man stood again on his feet his axe barreling directly towards Du Couteau.
"Don't think that it'll be that easy to kill me. How about you come back and play a little while longer." the mans laughter grew louder each time he spoke.
Avoiding his opponents attack Du Couteau once again made his way towards him. This time however the small man reversed the momentum of his swing driving the blunt end of the axe against Du Couteau's rib cage. The force of the blow sent Du Couteau spiraling into the wall of the corridor. Blood shot from his mouth as he tried desperately to regain his footing.
"This is my axe. Her name is Lucy. And she was forged right here in this very cave. Using the souls of my dead kin to stoke the fires of the forge. She has a mind of her own really, and she doesn't take kindly to people ignoring her." The man once again laughed maniacally before swinging the axe once more.
Du Couteau moved quickly barely avoiding the blow. But again the man reversed the momentum and sent the axe flying back towards him. With every fiber of his being Du Couteau dodged, never managing to find an opening.
"Oh come on. You were so quick to talk before. Lucy loves to talk and she always gets the last word." The small man was becoming more and more crazed as he sent his axe hurtling in a flurry of strange swings.
'There it is. It's the Axe.' Du Couteau had been watching the axe for the past 10 minutes while dodging it. With each swing it would pulse with an soft green aura. Blood still ran freely from the mans chest where Du Couteau had stabbed him. 'He uses the axe as a conduit for his own essence. He's not living, the Axe controls him.'
As another swing came hurtling towards him Du Couteau raised his sword and braced himself. In one fluid motion he caught the head of the axe and repelled it away quickly.
"Oh now why did you go and do that. It would be so much easier if you would just die already."
"I'm sorry but I can't do that, Lucy." Du Couteau's eyes burned with a near primal anger, "Do you know what the name of my sword is. She's not as unique as your sword is but she also has a name."
"Oh is that the truth? And what would that be."
Du Couteau rushed forwards and with all his strength brought the sword down hard across the mans chest. "Tamashi no habesuta" Du Couteau's voice resonated through the walls.
"Oh and what does that stand for?" The small man was not even phased by Du Couteau's attack.
Du Couteau smiled at the question as he drove the sword down across the mans arm severing the limb. As the axe fell heavily to the floor the mans body went limp. "Harvester of Souls, if you must know."
As he slipped the blade back into the sheath he made his way past the mans corpse and further down the corridor.
He had been walking for what seemed like hours when he stumbled across the room the sage spoke of. A veil of darkness spread over the cavern. Retrieving a torch from the wall Du Couteau entered, but not even the torchlight could penetrate the dark around him. 'What is this?' Du Couteau thought as he stood motionless focusing all of his senses on his surroundings.
"This is my domain, and no one dares tread inside it's depths. Why have you come here Marcus Du Couteau?"
"So you know my name then. You must also know that I'm going to kill you." Du Couteau tried to find an origin to the voice.
"So brave are you, when you cannot even see your opponent. Do you know what it feels like to be hunted Marcus. I do hope you wont mind me calling you that. I would like our conversation to be friendly before I have the honor of taking your head."
"It's only a matter of time before I find you. You know that." Du Couteau's words held firm his voice not faltering. He had felt it ever since his first encounter. The beast welling up inside of him, and it was nearly at breaking point.
"I don't think you will ever find me. In the last couple of minutes I could've killed you one hundred times over and you would have never even seen which direction it was coming from. I am allowing you to live for now. Answer my question. Why have you come here Du Couteau?"
"I came here for reasons that you don't have the priveledge of knowing." Du Couteau laughed.
There was a sharp pain in his side as he felt a small blade pierce his skin. Falling to one knee he awaiting a second strike but one did not come.
"I would appreciate if you were a little more courteous. You are in my domain of all places, show a little respect for the man who allows you to live." The voice remained calm.
Du Couteau breathed heavily as his vision began to blur. 'I couldn't have picked a better time than now to do this.' His muscles began to tighten once more as he felt the cold steel of battle rush over him. His eyes turned completely primal like an animal trapped in a cage. With each second his breathing became more and more steady as all feeling in his limbs was lost. "You've really done it now. You may regret your actions later." Du Couteau's last words before the room fell silent.
There was the sound of steel clashing before the voice spoke again. "And just how did you manage to find me?" There was no reply to the question.
Du Couteau had completely lost conscious awareness as his instinct ran wild. He could see clearly now everything within the veil. Before him stood a man nearly his own size. His long black hair fell lazily down his back and was tied off in a long pony tail. In his hands he held a long katana that shimmered even in the darkness. The man was dressed in a black suit as if he worked a day job. There was no expression on this mans face, the only thing for certain, was that nothing was certain. He was surely a threat, his motions swift and precise, even more precise than Du Couteau. 'I can't do this forever.' Du Couteau struggled to contain his primal instincts lest he be completely lost.
"Keep it coming. Let it take over you. I want to see what you get like when you're serious Marcus. My acquaintance down the hall stood no match for you, and even now I can feel your power growing. Let it out, let it become one with you. If you show me all of your power than I will show you all of mine." The man's voice was excited now.
Du Couteau struggled more and more by the second as he felt himself slipping further and further away. There was another attack and his opponent again deflected it. With each swing Du Couteau made his opponent didn't do as little as flinch. Each swing of his sword seemed to be predicted by his opponent who was always able to block with ease.
There was a stabbing sensation in Du Couteau's side again. His opponent laughed quietly. "My my, this will never do Marcus. You can't even hit me, and yet I could still kill you at any moment if I wanted to. Don't tell me this is the limit of your power. I'm not even beginning to have fun yet."
Du Couteau faltered as he felt the the mans blade pierce him several times 4 in all. With each new wound Du Couteau found his anger growing further and further until finally he could no longer see. Perhaps it was that he could never see from the very start, that his primal side lent him his vision. But as his vision went entirely black there was a flurry of sparks as the two men's' swords met. To the normal eye they would never catch all of the strikes, but one by one they were blocked by one or the other.
"That's it now. Let me show you what I can truly do." The man laughed once more.
Unsheathing a second blade the man began to move forward offensively. He didn't move quickly, but as he approached his figure began to blur. In an instant he stood behind Du Couteau his blades raised in a broad arc meant to decapitate the general. However it didn't work. Rolling to the side Du Couteau regained his footing stabbing quickly towards his opponent. The blow connected drawing the first of his opponents blood.
"Now you're getting the hang of it. It's an honor to fight with you." His opponent was still sincere in his gestures. "However I grow tired of this minor display of skill. You managed to hit me, which is something that no one before you has managed. So I congratulate you on that. But you are still no match for me. One last blow will finish this. Shall we do this the way men do it?" his opponents voice was still calm.
'One last strike to finish all of it.' The men stood apart from each other each holding their weapons at the ready. There was a blur and then they stood on opposite sides of where they had been. Neither moved standing still with their blade at the ready. Seconds past like days until finally Du Couteau fell to one knee and explosion of blood escaping from his chest.
"That was fun. It is an honor to have died to an opponent who was worthy. Wasn't it?" The other man's voice was somewhat shaky as he looked at his own hands. "How many was it? 9? 10? No it was more than that. And how many did I manage to connect. Just one. You have lived up to your title Du Couteau, I hope you find what it is you're seeking. As for myself it's my time to depart."
Falling face first onto the ground the black haired man soon lay still in a pool of blood. The veil lifted from the room revealing only Du Couteau, propping himself up on his sword. But it wasn't Du Couteau. The animal side of him held sway over the mans body as he sat motionless.
"Come back Du Couteau. I know that you are still there. Do not let it control you. Remember all of what is precious to you. Remember your daughters, and your family. Remember your journey and all of the hardship. Remember your wife. This is not the man that you are." The sages voice echoed deep within Du Couteau's mind as he gasped for air.
The pain in his chest was instantly apparent as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. 'Am I dying?' He was unaware of why he thought this already knowing he'd lost much blood.
"Take time to bandage your wounds. Rest here for a while. I will see what I can come up with." the old sage spoke as a white light enveloped the general's body.
Author's Note: So I felt pretty bad that I've been releasing stuff really slowly and tonight was really slow. It's 6:36 A.M. at the moment that I am typing these notes and I just got finished editting this little bit. I figured it was the least that I could do to give back to the readers of the story to release some action given the chapter I released last night. I really don't like writing filler, and I sincerely didn't mean for the last chapter to be so uneventful, but what was outlined in it will be important later on. However I hope this one is more on pace with what people like to see. With all of that being said I hope you all enjoy it.