An: The idea was neat when I thought about it, thought about making it a little subplot/crossover tie in, but now I'm not so sure...
Yes, the scent is much stronger here. I had been following this trail for a while now, which had mysteriously gone quiet. A rustle in the bushes nearby alerts my senses, another unfamiliar smell tickling my nose. I take the few moments I have to duck into the shadow of said bush, my eyes narrowing to slits as I watch some...large thing erupt out of it. It is a large creature, at least five feet tall, with a compact musculature; though not much compared to myself. I waste no time in entangling the creature in my shadow, sharp thorns prodding and cutting into its flesh and covering its mouth so it cannot squeal out. I drag it into the darkness, entrapping it in a small, confined space, the creature only hurting itself in the struggle. How pitiful; what does it think it is accomplishing? Struggle as it may, it will not escape my clutches. I will extract what information I need out of it. I solidify in front of the creature, my gaze fixated on its squirming form, the thing going still as it sees me. I let go of the thorns wrapped around its mouth, as it needs that particular part to speak to me. It takes a quick, shuddering breath, then lets out an awkward laugh as it's face contorts wickedly. This makes my chest bubble with a dense heaviness, one of my hands eagerly grasping it by the neck. I just stare at it, taking in the things sharp horns on its head; wondering why it looks quite similar to a human in facial structure. Then again, fae from other places have differing forms as well. It just peers at me with yellow eyes, a foul stench emanating from its disgusting mouth as it speaks in a garbled voice.
"Hmm, what're you? Some kinda Western yokai? You want the girl? Too bad; the boss's already got her!" The creature shouts, it's words foreign to me. It didn't speak any of the languages I knew, at least. Though some of the words did sound familiar. Where have I heard them before? It takes me a few moments, wracking my brain for the information before it finally hits me. Chise often muttered some of the more common words under her breath, often when she was trying to figure out how to speak the same thoughts in English. So...this fae was speaking her old tongue, Japanese? Then it was Eastern in origin...I see. I could understand some of what it spoke, going by the small words Chise had used and using context from there. But it's larger meaning was lost to me, making me irritated. I shook the damn thing, my paiteince slowly wearing thin.
"Tell me...In a language I can understand. Before I kill you, you miserable peon." I roar, my jaw opening a bit as I shout at the thing. I admit I was going by the assumption it could speak English, considering it was intelligent enough to mock me. That and English being one of the wider known languages of the world, even among fae. Or as we called it, the Common tongue. The thing chuckles at me, it's sneer more prominent as it talks once again.
"Heh, understand me now, halfling? You reek of humans; despite being one of our own...You aren't going to get the child..." I snort, not pleased with its answer. I don't have time for this foolishness. I must get Chise back before any harm comes to her. I feel my claw dig into its flesh, the thing only wincing as I shout at it once more.
"Enough of your prattle...If you won't tell me, then I will force it out of you!" My claw grips around its skull, magical energy flowing through my body as I start chanting. It's eyes widen as my power flows through it, a silent scream forming on its face. I delve into its mind, attempting to scour its memories for information on the thing that grabbed Chise. I see rapid flashes of images, sounds, places as I look; trying to find a connecting thread to all of them. I see a figure through the creature's vision; the clear source of the strong magical energy, yet I cannot make them out clearly. Their true form seemed to be hidden from me, as if it was covered in a thick fog or haze and I could not make out if they were humanoid or bestial. Yet I could envision the general surroundings well enough due to my familiarity with the area. It was the forest, in one of the deeper parts of the glen, the trees copious in amount. I could also hear them, though that is muffled as well, again speaking in that foreign tongue.
"Found her at last...I was wondering where she went; overseas, hmm? Now why go to a place like this...? So cold, and muggy...Tch. Never mind, just go find her before that large energy signature catches onto us. That'd be bad; bad for you fools at least." I hear the voice mutter, it's words broken and once again difficult to decipher. I only catch part of it, but I assume it is not good. I watch as the memories shift again, this time to another part of the forest. I hear the creature breathe heavily as it walks, it's large frame not very suitable to walking around in this forest type environment. I can feel it's heavy footfalls as if they were my own, it's eyes darting to and fro as it searches through the copse of trees for its prey. I could only assume it was Chise; what else would that being be after? I feel the knot in my stomach tighten as I continue watching it scour the area, before a magical force that is not my own pushes me outside of its mind, breaking the scene. A sharp pain echoes throughout my mind, causing me to stumble and take a step back, my grip on the creature loosened. I blink, stunned for a moment, as I know I did not cancel the connection. It must have attempted to fight back with what little resistance it had left.
The fae only attempts to break free of the thorns covering its body, using its monstrous size and strength to rip them off. I summon more shadows to confine it, wrapping them around the fae's arms tightly. It snaps them apart with a flex of its muscles, surprise washing over me as I feel my magical energy wane suddenly. The world distorts, my power slipping as I feel a strong pull from the creature. We are now back in the forest; this thing must have countered my power. I must be tired from digging into its mind; that is strange. That is not so much a spell as a natural ability of mine, so it would not require the aid of other fae nor too much magical output on my end. Maybe because of the forcefulness of the contact and the time I had spent searching through its memories had tired me out? I haven't used that particular skill in a very long time, so I admit my control over it wasn't as exact nor as powerful as I had liked. This fae must have seen this and used a weakness in my defenses to break out...No matter. I have received some of the information I needed; t'would be best to dispose of this fool and move on in my pursuit. I haven't much time by the looks of things.
"Did you think your half-baked parlor tricks would hold me?" The humanoid creature taunts, once again reverting back to its natural tongue. I could tell from its tone that it was mocking me, but I had no time for such things. I attempted to blend in with the darkness, trying to use the shadows to my advantage, but I found it was slightly more difficult than I had anticipated. Probably because of my weakened mental state from the forced exit out of that other plane of exsistence. The fae only uses this opportunity to try and lunge at me, it's long and thick arms looking like tree trunks as they attempt to wrap around my chest. Pathetic...I easily dodge to the side of the creature, using my own strength to grab one of its arms and bend it backward. It lets out a guttural scream as I remove its arm, the sinew tearing and ripping under the pressure as the blood vessels separate from their proper places. Blood soaks the grass, the thing's arm just a large stump on the ground bleeding out; I ignore that, grasping the monster's skull with one of my claws, crushing it easily under my powerful grip. It's screams of torment grow louder for a moment before they slow, then stop completely as their head caves in under the pressure; the thing looking more like a squashed fruit than a human sized head. I make sure it is dead, staring at its lifeless eyes before I wipe the blood off of my hands using its skin. At least the parts not bloodied by our little tussle. Idiot; I told you not to resist. Just because you managed to work your way out of my trap does not mean you could overpower me.
"I am wasting time..." Chise...I can find you now. I muse, once again blending into the darkness as I speed through the forest, already knowing where their leader had taken Chise. I notice more of those similar types of demons, an appropriate moniker, I feel, as I make my towards said glen of trees. They all seem to be heading in the same direction as I; toward their so called leader. Good. The more I could wipe out, the less trouble I would have to deal with on the way back. And possibly less work the church would force on me, I assume, seeing as it was my apprentice that brought these fae here. They do not take kindly to other fae invading their lands, these humans, whether they are native or not. An old memory of mine flashes before my eyes, that of my first time coming into this particular land, but I ignore it, letting it sink into the back of my mind. I must get to Chise. I must. Thankfully, I am nearly there, the copse of trees opening up into a small clearing.
I can feel the creature's immense magical power before I even see it; the thing no longer making any attempt to hide its presence from me. It must have spotted me a while ago then...Interesting. The creature is more akin to a fox or wolf than something human, as it languishes about on all four of its large paws. It's nose twitches as it smells the air, and I watch its slit yellow eyes slink from side to side before they focus on the small human wrapped up in their fur. Chise is held down by the beast in its claws, her face bloody and dirtied, clear red streaks staining her cheek and her clothes also torn in places. Her eyes are closed, yet still wet with what I can only assume are tears, though she shudders under its heavy weight on her light form. I feel something...erupt inside me at seeing her in that state, my insides feeling very dense and heavy again as I watch the beast, small thorns unwillingly rising from the ground and piercing the peon I was using to hide in the chest. It makes a small squeak, the few others surrounded around their leader looking at their comrade in shock as the thorns tear into its flesh. As I hear the thing's innards rip and sunder from my assault, blood staining the grass as its body collapses, I feel an odd warmth as I watch the life ebb out of the creature, my body forcibly ejected from the thing's shadow as it was now dead. I am not sure where this feeling comes from; or even if it could be an emotion at all. It seems more...like an instinct, similar to when I had attempted to eat Chise when she slept at my side while I was transformed.
Was I once again submitting to my baser nature? No...I cannot lose my sense of reason here. I need to control myself, or else this will end badly for us both. I focus my thoughts on Chise; the reason I was here in the first place. She was already quite hurt; I did not want things to escalate further. However, that seemed like an inevitably as I watched the ogre like demons crowd around me. I was not too concerned about being able to kill them all; I was confident that would be quite simple. What I did have confusion over was how to get the both of us out of this mess without coming to any further harm. I feel the fox like beasts eyes on me then, it's mouth curving up into a wicked smile as it leers at me. It's teeth are mainly incisors, large fangs that threaten to tear Chise to pieces if I am not careful. This is one of the few things keeping my temper in check despite the heavy sensation spreading throughout my body; begging me to kill this thing, if I even could.
"So...Thou are the whelp that hast stolen my prey. Tch...What a farce; beaten to this delectable morsel by some pathetic halfling shadow. I feel almost ashamed that I, one of the great Eastern spirits have been so outclassed..." The monster rumbles, it's voice deep and rumbling, so much so as to cause the ground to shake a bit under the pressure of its spiritual energy. I knew this thing felt powerful, but this was something else...Yet, I did not miss where it said I 'won' in getting to Chise first. It seems this fae was able to speak the Common tongue, and quite well, too. It must be quite old; older than I by a few centuries going by its dialect. Ferocious though it was, maybe it was bound its own code of ethics like most ancient fae were. I assumed this was the case, my eyes locked into the small girl in its clutches as I spoke.
"Give her back...I'd rather not turn to violence...Yet if I must, I shall..." The thing only sneers at me, it's large mouth opening as it lets out a guffaw of laugher. I watch the spittle drip down it's large teeth and gums,
the creature's mouth closing into a neutral expression. I examine its white fur for any sign of hositily, finding that it was indeed bristled in some places. So it is on its gaurd...Troublesome. I did see some odd red fur coloring its features, mainly around its eyes and head, in the shape of an odd crest of sorts. I was not familiar with the markings; Eastern fae are quite rare for me to encounter. I spare a small glance to my sides, noticing that none of its peons have even tried to do anything to me. They are just standing there, hostility clear in their features, though their gaze is focused on the large beast before them.
You...you don't seem to know your place, Western half-thing! I was tracking her scent for a while; hoping to steal her away when the time was right. Now I find her shackled to some half baked shadow on the other side of the world! I should end thee right now..." The fox like thing growls, a deep rumble erupting out of its throat. So, going by what it has said; it was looking for Chise for a while now...Not that that means anything to me; she is my wife, my apprentice. I will not hand her over, as powerful as this thing may seem. I take a small step forward, inching my way towards the claw that held Chise. I feel the rush of wind as one of its large paws moves forward, it's other claw raking the ground as I leap back, it's eyes narrowing as it watches me. Was it testing me? This thing...I feel my thorns start to erupt out of my body, moving toward the giant white beast. I stop them, using my own willpower as best I can to avoid hitting the large paw in front of me. One of the smaller beasts charges toward me at this point, it's mouth opening in a large snarl as it spews curses at me. I move out of the way slightly, my numerous thorns piercing it in several vital spots as it bleeds out; the demons momentum slowing as it falls to the ground. Another one attempts to hit me with its weapon, a large cudgel made of wood and spikes, but I easily anticipate it. It's swing hits far short of the mark as I use my longer arms to grab it by the wrist, twirling the beast around as I throw it back toward its confused comrades. They all shout, a garbled mess as they are tangled thing of limbs, but I do not care. They are out of my way now; I can focus on the monster in front of me. A hearty chuckle causes me to pause, the beast seemingly mocking my efforts as it opens its mouth to speak once again.
"So thou beat these insignificant creatures...A pathetic show...Tell me, little shadow, what name does thou go by?" I am confused by it's words; for what reason would it ask my name? It surely saw me as beneath it, going by the way the beast addressed me.
"Who would you be, to ask for my name yet withhold your own? More importantly, that is my bride you hold; I would rather not see her scratched by those claws. She was quite expensive and elusive, you see..." I answer evasively, not wanting to give it the satisfaction of an answer, as I attempt to move closer to the claw that held Chise. I feel a sigh erupt out of its throat, the paw that contained Chise carefully entwining her in its grasp as it moves upwards. The paw easily drops the small human on its broad white back, as if to taunt me. It's yellow eyes just stare at me, surveying my face as if it was looking for something.
"This child...is no ordinary human. Her magical energy is quite something...If one had that kind of power, combined with the Book of Yokai...I could be unstoppable!" It bellows, one of the words lost to me as it was uttered in that foreign tongue. It was clearly different from Chise's dialect, yet it must be talking about something special. A rare magical artifact of sorts? So this...demon wanted Chise as a sort of conduit to use...whatever that thing was? Why? It seems plenty strong to me; then again most artifacts do have protection so that a being with vile intent cannot touch them. This beast was clearly only looking out for itself; a trait familiar to me in fae and humans. I won't let that happen...I promise, thorns staring to erupt from my shadow and the darkness around me. I position them around the large beast, who only grins at my display as if it was a cheap trick.
"I have no need for her magical prowess. She is..." I start to say, the words stuck in my throat. What is Chise to me? I really have no idea...I have no previous relationships with which to base ours on. She is surely different than the bond I have with Lindel, my master and acquaintance. Though it is a bit similar now that I think on it, yet with reversed roles. I am the one teaching now, Chise eagerly following me; that thought makes the dense weight in my body lighten, the memory of her green eyes staring at me making me feel a different kind of warmth. They were so different from the usual looks I received...So bright and warm...I don't want to lose that. That warmth. Another laugh from the large fox causes me to stiffen, my train of thought broken as I watch it cautiously.
"You don't need her magic, pathetic being that you are? I find that hard to believe...Yet why would you call her 'your bride'? Is that not the term humans use to refer to potential mates?" The being asks curiously, my head tilting in confusion as I take in its words. Of course she is my bride; if she chooses to be when she becomes an adult. Mates? What does it mean by that? Again with the weird turn of phrase...Angie's husband said something similar, and I do remember reading about the concept of marriage in books. Two kindred souls bound by a promise, yes? Then that is what we are, I suppose...I answer the creature honestly, unsure as to its intent in asking the question.
"Yes, as I have stated clearly before, she is my wife. I do intend to wed her, when she becomes of sufficient age..." Provided our experiment works. I will make sure of it if it is the last thing I do...I think, the beast only gives me another odd stare, the same as Chise and a few other humans give me from time to time.
"...You do not jest, hmmm? Interesting...Why do you wish to wed this child of man?" The fox asks, Chise's small form easily visible on its back. I could just get within reach and grab her in a couple large strides, but not yet...No. Wait for it. Just answer its questions for now.
"Why? Hmm...that is a difficult question...I would say...I'm not sure. That is what humans do, is it not?" I ponder, never really considered the question until now. I honestly had not thought too much of my proposal to Chise on her first night here; she was mainly to be my apprentice to the magical arts first and foremost. That had been going well, better than I hoped in fact, though not without its setbacks. This girl...however, has changed how I experience the world in so many ways since I bought her. Things seem...brighter now, more colorful with her around. And definitely less lonely, that odd warmth spreading through me again at the thought of our talk in the yard. It pushes away the heavy dense weight, making me feel lighter than before. Yes...whatever this is...These sensations that only she can prompt from me...
"I am not sure...Yet I know that I will not hand her over to the likes of you! You seek only to use her...for whatever purpose...She is my teacher, who helps me understand humans and their ways...Without her, I would be truly lost..." I hear myself say, the beasts only reaction to blink at me with its large slit eyes. It laughs, tilting its head back as its large body rumbles, Chise's small form slowly sliding down the length of its back. She rolls along the muscles of its back as the demon contorts from laughter, before there is nothing underneath her any longer. I feel shock course through me at that moment, my legs moving on my own towards the falling girl. I reach my arms out to grab her, my claws gently wrapping themselves around her small frame and bringing her closer to me. Her familiar warmth envelops me once again, yet I make haste to retreat from the large beasts side, whose eyes I can feel on me. It's breath is nearly enveloping us, the monsters teeth barred as I use my speed to move out of its reach. It's large jaws snap shut a moment later, teeth clamping down on only air as flecks of spittle fly from its frothing mouth. I conjure thorns around the creatures maw, their sharp barbs poking into its gums and fur, red blotches staining its white coat. All the while I keep moving away from it, Chise's comforting presence the only thing keeping me from attempting to murder this being. I must keep her safe, and away from this creature; yet I was at a loss as to how to do so. My thorns could only do so much damage, my gaze narrowing as I watched it easily tear out of the tentative binding with ease. The beasts head spun towards us, nostrils flaring in clear anger as it began to move its forpaws.
"You whelp! Don't think the parlor tricks you consider magic could hold a candle to me! I am one of the strongest yokai in the Eastern lands, Madara!" I paid little attention to its words, more focused on the charging form that was coming our way. The fox was quite fast, rearing up with its claws extended as if to rip me to pieces. It does not understand what I am, nor my power. I am shadow; and we are currently in a forest surrounded by darkness. Even if this Madara creature was a fae of darkness like myself, I doubt it was adept to using the shadows as I was. I feel satisfaction well up inside me as I watch shadows wrap around the thing's legs and catch him in place, pulling him away from us again inch by inch. He wears an expression of shock for a moment, then a strong magical energy flares up out of his body. I brace myself, holding Chise's body against me as I watch several medium sized blue spheres of flame surround the creature. They attack the shadows, the wisps of fire breaking his bonds, causing me a bit of pain as I was using my own magical force to power them. He's good...Not an ordinary fae, but I figured that much...Still, he won't get his hands on Chise! I think, once again expending energy to conjure more thorns to strike him. I see more balls of fire erupt from his being, these aimed more at me than the thorns going for him, though they destroy those as well.
I quickly make a wall of thorns to surround us, hoping that the thickness would weaken the fire and cause it to putter out before it reaches me. I feel my body growing sluggish, perhaps from the energy I have expended, and my hold on the wall of thorns weaken, despite doing the best I can to try and maintain it. It does stop several of the flames, the thorns burnt to a blue crisp, yet my chest thumps in surprise as a large claw follows right after. No! I attempt to summon more thorns, but they do not fully form in time, only part way sticking out of the ground as I turn my body around to protect Chise. Pain, that which I have not experienced in a long time, is sharply hot along my back, causing me to growl in surprise. I can feel the wet sensation of my own blood flowing down my back, the pain still intense as I feel myself only clutch Chise tighter to me. He will have to kill me to get to her. She is physically stable, if unconscious in my grasp, her breathing oddly calm despite the situation. The only real damage are the cuts on her face, more likely cussed by tree branches than this thing's claws, though I would not put it past him or his lackeys. I feel the odd heaviness descend on me once again, the one called Madara staring us down with a look of satisfaction.
"Argh...Not bad, kid. You actually managed to hurt me a little. I'll grant you the mercy of a quick death for your efforts..." He says, my body shaking from the large wound and the loss of so much power. I just stared at this monster, very aware of an odd chill in my gut. This wasn't the chill of loneliness, however. It was something different. Another odd feeling at a time like this? What could it be? I have no idea, nor any time to ponder it now, my legs wobbling as they attempted to move away from the beast. A smell that is not blood causes me to take notice, my eyes darting around for a moment to survey our surroundings. The creature senses it too, his nose rising up in the air to sniff out the scent, though he still keeps his eyes on us. Humans...? Why would they get involved? I'm not sure, but I know that the scent is familiar yet distant. I don't remember...what does it belong to? Who? The loud sound of something whistling through the trees catches my attention, along with an odd scent. I catch a speck of black soar past us, the fox named Madara howling in pain as something bores into its shoulder, blood oozing out of the hole along with the acrid tang of smoke. A...gun shot?
"Don't move...unless you...want another...one." A voice says, a small human figure slipping out from the trees, their face red and sweaty with exhaustion. Their breathing was quite labored, and I could hear them suck in air with each inhalation. This did not stop them from attempting to walk out of the copse of trees, the metal of their gun and a few other peripherals shining in the light of the moon. Madara only glares at the tiny human figure, his eyes cautiously following the tip of their smoking gun. Idiot; what do they plan to do? Even if they hit him, it was only because they caught him off guard. It's highly unlikely they will score a second hit, much less avoid an attack from this creature. Well, it has been a few decades since I last saw them; their skills could have possibly improved since then...yet not by this amount.
"You got lucky, human...If I wasn't dealing with this weakling halfling, you'd be a quick snack by now..." The fox growls, the human taking a step back towards us as it moves. I watch as it takes a small item from its pouch, all the while attempting to keep the gun trained on the giant fox. A familiar peal of laughter echoes out, the human pathetically trying to move between myself and Madara. It wasn't the fox that was chortling, however; it was the human.
"Like I'd bother! Only a fool would enter a fight they can't win. Then again, I am quite the fool..." The human mutters, the swell of its magical energy telling me it was attempting to try something. It had better do it quick...
"O forest sprites...grant us your wind...so that we may fly as you do...I ask thee..." I watch as a few Ariels surround the human, lending their power to the spell. I can feel their power, like the wind itself, pull at our being and I clutch Chise ever tighter. I'd rather not have her become separated from me; this spell was not as reliable a teleport as the one I knew. The fox lunges at us then, attempting to catch us using its large maw. Of course he would; meddlesome pest. I counter using my thorns, their sharp spines piercing his mouth and sides of his face, blood pooling from the wounds and slowing his momentum. Yet it was not enough to completely stop him as one of his large incisors manages to bite down hard on the human's arm, who lets out a rattling scream of pain. That scream is drowned out by the spatial distortion of our bodies, which temporarily blocks out light and sound, probably so the mind is not as adversely affected. I still cling to Chise tightly, refusing to let her go as the darkness surrounds us once more.
The spell is over in a few moments, our bodies finally transported to a different space entirely. I have trouble making things out clearly, my vision slightly blurred due to exhausted state, though I no longer feel Madara's powerful energy anywhere close to our position. So...we managed to elude him for now. Good. My senses perk up as my hearing slowly returns to me, a drawn out moan being the first thing I notice. It wasn't Chise; she was safe in my clawed arms, her breathing slow and steady as if she was asleep. Then...they made it, Hmm? I think, turning my head to the source of the noise. A small human figure is curled up near us, it's body shaking from the pain as it clutches its stump of an arm, blood pooling underneath it in deep crimson. Despite that, the crazy fool still has a smile on their face as they attempt to stare at me; a smile I knew well.
"Long time no see, Ainsworth! Good for you...I showed up when I...did...eh?"