Actors Wanted
Single Man Out
(Prologue)
By: Little Ucchan
Six figures stood in a wide semicircle in front of the Demon Lord, the formation leaving the long red carpet that led from the throne to the main doors of the audience hall empty. Four of those figures stood to the left of throne, the closest to the Demon Lord being a pale and lanky teenaged boy with short, stark white hair. He wore long, flowing white and black robes that draped his lithe form and covered his hands completely. He wasn't floating this time, instead holding himself upright with an air of indifference, his glass blue eyes holding nothing to the casual observer, contrary to the larger demon that stood to his left.
His muscular arms were crossed irritably over his naked chest as he stood at his full height of 9'10", dark brows chiseled over even darker skin drawn down into a permanent scowl. His hair was a long rag of black tangles and frizz that reached just past his shoulders, and his pants and boots were of the same black hue that he looked like a silhouetted dark mass of muscle and power, in contrast still to the small boy that followed next in the lineup.
He sat on top of an optib without wings that hovered three feet off the ground and was almost the same size as the boy himself. The imp's eyelid was half closed in a sleepy daze while its master sat at attention on its back. The boy was just that, a boy that looked no more than eight years old, with soft green eyes and even lighter green hair, wearing a large hat that drooped in the back and Chinese clothes the color of crimson and gold.
The space at the boy's right was suspiciously empty, as if some invisible man was reserving the position between him and the fourth person that completed the right side of the hall. She was a well endowed woman, with seamless curves and brilliant wavy red hair that spilled like blood around her face and down her back. A heart shaped face with lips painted an even darker red than her hair, she wore a metallic green dress that seemed to move across her body like scales, with a flourish of black feathers that crowned the top of her breasts and equally dark gloves that traveled all the way down to her delicate fingers.
Across the threshold of the hall's red carpet, the left side of the room was oddly vacant. Only two figures took up the second half of the vast audience hall, their positions, like the white haired boy and the heavily muscled man, closer to the Demon Lord's side.
The one opposite of the boy stood at attention, a long spear held at his side. At ten feet flat, he held a strong resemblance with his darker skinned brethren: broad chest, large muscles, and strong facial features. But unlike his brother, he was lighter skinned, and held the pose of a guard at constant attention. His mouth remained in a constant straight line, and his hair, swept back in a tight ponytail, gave him the illusion of being bald. The armor that covered his entire left arm, his stomach and his heart only added to his watch guard image.
The final officer in the room was a demon even shorter than a toddler's height. He was draped in a dark purple cloak and robe, the hood half drawn, enough to make him blend in, but not enough to hide his facial features from sight when he spoke, as he planned it. His nose was the biggest feature on his face, poking out from underneath his hood and distracting enough to hide away his narrow eyes, small and sunken behind the many folds of his skin. His grinned was sharply rotten, literally and figuratively, and split the lower half of his face with its grim state of decay.
Six of the notorious nine members of the BlackGuard had gathered at their liege and captain's beckoning, the Demon Lord's 'execution army' as it was sometimes called, all in one room. The reason: the rebel faction that was going against their regime. Although that wasn't the current topic of discussion among the officers present.
"We should kill her!"
"Honey, you think we should kill a lot of things."
Baldestar's scowl deepened, the hairs on his arms bristling as he glared at the woman. "Demon slayers are to be killed on sight!" he cried, his throat rumbling as he spoke. "It is our way. It always has been."
"We are not to kill her," the boy on the optibsaid, his mount shifting a bit, as if uncomfortable with the noise. "She is too important to the survival of our kind."
"I hadn't thought you'd be one to forgo tradition, Nino-kun."
Nino looked across the audience hall to the officer who had spoken. He chuckled and kneaded his dwarfish hands together. Nino frowned and held his head high. "I may be old fashioned, Yazu, but I do not cling to traditions that hold no meaning in the present."
Baldestar glared at the boy, his wild hair seeming to stand further on end. "You think killing demon slayers has no relevance in the present?"
"I never said anything about demon slayers as a whole," Nino said. "But slaying this particular slayer will complicate our overall goals. Considering what we have in play now, any added complication will set us back from our deadline."
"Such a nuisance." The woman brushed back her hair with a flick of her wrist. "Being a slayer and the rune bearer. She would have been easier to deal with if she was one and not the other."
"We would have killed her or taken her captive without any difficulty," Baldestar agreed.
"Maybe we can do something after," Yazu suggested, his lips curling up into his trademark grin. He snickered. "No one said anything about after."
The woman blinked, eyelashes fluttering in surprise. "Yazu's right." She craned her neck towards the throne. "What do you think, darling?"
Attention was suddenly diverted to the throne, where the Demon Lord sat, monitoring the conversation that had, without his prior consent, unfolded before him. Tajhinn resisted the urge to rub his temple. "To be frank I am more concerned with completing the rune project than what happens after."
"Come on, darling," she urged, pursing her lips in a sensual fashion. "We only want Our Lord to partake in our conversation."
"You know how I feel about your type of 'conversations,' Minerva," Tajhinn said. "If you wish for a second opinion, ask your fellow officers."
Minerva raised an eyebrow, turning to the officers in question: the two stoic demons that stood on either end of the gathered semicircle, holding the positions of 1st and 2nd Rank Officers of the BlackGuard.
Sanjo met the woman's gaze with an impassive stare, the sentry hardly moving as he spoke. "The answer is of no importance to this matter," he announced.
Sae gave a short nod, white hair shifting with the movement. "I agree."
Minerva pouted. "Figures."
"It's trivial what happens to her after our realm is stabilized," Kayeda stepped in. The gathered officers gave their attention to the imposing figure who stood to the right of the Demon Lord, his pole-arm, a bardiche, ever vigilant at the general's side. "As members of this elite team, we shouldn't be wasting our time with inconsequential matters. Find the rune bearer and bring her here. Stop the rising tide of revolt against our regime. Those are our missions. Act accordingly."
"You heard the captain." Yazu glanced around his fellow members, face wrinkling into a smile. "I'd say this meeting is adjourned."
"I was not aware the BlackGuard conducted their meetings without all of their members present."
"Gammon honey!" Minerva greeted as the double doors swung open and the tall cloaked figure of the phantom demon stepped into the audience hall. "So good of you to join us."
The fabric of his cloak rustled as Gammon took his position on the left side of the audience hall, right across from the empty space between Minerva and Nino. "9th Rank Officer Minerva. I wish you would refrain from adding that… suffix to my name."
Minerva gave him a pleasant smiled.
Sanjo shifted his gaze to the newcomer. "You're late, Gammon," he said.
Gammon bowed his head. "Forgive me, Sanjo-sama. It will not happen again."
"It'd better not," Baldestar snapped. "We've had enough breeches in protocol."
Minerva dismissed the issue with a wave of her hand. "Honey, we've been breeching protocol since we let Souji go. A late officer is hardly worth raising hell over."
Baldestar glared at her. "Your irreverence for our customs is outstanding, Minerva."
"Forgive me for being a contemporary add-on to your old republic," she replied with mock seriousness.
"Careful," Yazu warned, that curling grin once again on his face. "Lest you insult everyone else in the room with your serpent's tongue."
"I will not hold my tongue for you men," she stressed, then licked her lips suggestively. "Or have you forgotten what my tongue is good for?"
"Please refrain from using sexual innuendoes in our presence," Gammon droned irritably. "Some of us have sensitive minds."
"Oh, I'm sorry Nino-kun."
"I'm not a child, Minerva!"
Kayeda took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling a migraine coming on. "The meeting had not started yet," he informed Gammon. "We were just…" He looked at Minerva, who smiled at him innocently. "…passing the time while waiting for your arrival."
"I see." Gammon bowed once. "Thank you for your consideration, Captain. Allow me to make up for my tardiness by offering a bit of news."
"Will it also explain your tardiness, I wonder?"
Gammon glanced over at Yazu. "Quick to suspect, I see."
"Your appearance, or lack there of," Yazu smirked, "does leave room for questioning."
Gammon did not dignify that comment with a response, instead turning back to the throne. "My Lord. Maki Mihokita is awaiting an audience with you in the lobby." No one, except Gammon, saw how Tajhinn's eyes narrowed at the announcement.
Minerva blinked, poising two of her fingers over her lips thoughtfully. "Mihokita? That cute little brunette with the spiked hair?"
Nino nodded. "That's the Ashkran hit man with the five second kill record."
"Five seconds?" Baldestar snorted. "What standards are these Ashkran demons holding themselves up to?"
"I believe," Gammon continued, again, ignoring all side comments, "he's here to report his latest kill."
"And why would that hold any interest with us?" Yazu asked, intrigued.
"Because his targets were 'wanderers' who had no authorization to go snooping around the rune bearer."
The room had gone quiet after Gammon's announcement. Minerva had shifted uncomfortably where she stood, and Nino had suddenly gone pale. Even Yazu was silent for once, no biting remark forthcoming. Gammon's focus still remained on the Demon Lord. Tajhinn revealed nothing.
Baldestar's muscles tightened, his teeth gritting against one another. "Rebels."
"So they are real."
Yazu chuckled. "Oh? You thought they were just a figment of our imaginations, Nino-kun?"
The boy shook his head and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I just did not believe that there were any still alive that would oppose us in this way."
"Fresh blood tends to act stupid."
Minerva glared at Baldestar, pleasant smile gone. "I resent that remark, bethshima. Old blood can be just as troublesome in their ways as the new."
"But old blood would not stage revolts against their superiors," Baldestar growled. "Nor would they desert their liege whenever they grew tired of serving them, like your lover did."
Minerva hissed, her pupils starting to dilate and expand to fill the whiteness of her eyes. Yazu chuckled, leaning over towards Sanjo. "Seems she's still not over him." Sanjo gave a slight snort.
"He did not desert us!" Minerva screamed.
Yazu casually pointed to the gap on the other side of him, a spot, like the one between Minerva and Nino, someone else was clearly supposed to fill. "I think he did."
The woman's face darkened.
Baldestar lifted his head, unimpressed. "The subversive tactics your people are so fond of are disgusting. We wouldn't resort to such a roundabout methodology."
"No," Sae said. "We'd just start a war and kill everyone in our way."
Again, the audience hall was cast into silence. Minerva's eyes returned to normal, and she made a point of dusting herself off. Baldestar quickly glanced around the room, seeing everyone's eyes on him. He coughed into his hand and backed down.
"Thank you, Sae."
The boy nodded to his liege.
"This is not the work of Ashkra-based demons," Tajhinn began. "Though I would not rule out their involvement, or anyone's for that matter. The ringleader, however, is clearly old blood, either from the revolution or knows a great deal of it."
"Impossible!" Baldestar cried. "Anyone who has any significant power from the revolution is standing in this room right now!"
"Souji isn't in this room," Minerva pointed out.
"Neither is Leo," Baldestar countered. Minerva glared.
"Minerva. Baldestar."
Both of them stood at attention under Sanjo's gaze.
"Excuse me."
"Sorry."
"It's not Souji," Nino stated. "He's a follower, not a leader. And it couldn't be Leo either."
"And why rule out Leo," Yazu asked with a grin, turning to Minerva. "He has motive. He's not very fond of us, aside from… a choice few." Minerva gave him the middle finger. Yazu's grin widened.
Nino ignored the exchange, turning to the Demon Lord and Kayeda. "Intelligence has reported that he's using the Flame of Revolution as his battle cry, correct?"
"That is correct, Nino-kun," Kayeda answered with a nod.
He turned back to Yazu. "Then it cannot be Leo. Like Our Lord said, it's old blood. And though I admit he would have motive, Leo wasn't alive during the war. It holds no meaning to him, so if this really was his doing, the choice of symbolism wouldn't make any sense."
"Well that winds down our list of possible revolutionary activists." Yazu crossed his arms thoughtfully before turning to Sanjo. "Who'd we spite recently who'd want to pay us back for it?"
"As to my knowledge, we had not done such a thing," was his response.
Minerva rubbed her head, exasperated with the direction of the conversation. "Who says it has to be old blood? The Flame is a sign of revolt. It could be just that, not one man seeking out vengeance for past wrongs. Not everyone is fond of our current policies."
Kayeda frowned at Minerva's words. "We are giving them stability by fortifying our lands."
"Some people balk at the idea of settling down," Minerva said. "They suffer from wanderlust. I know I do."
"Is that any testimony of your standpoint on the rune project, Minerva?" Yazu asked.
"You are really pushing it today."
"Only because it makes life interesting."
"Tch." Minerva ran a hand through her hair. "Don't misunderstand. Wanderers still need a place to return to. I think it's good what we're doing. Others might not understand and mistake it as a sign of weakness. That and our 'no kill' rule," Minerva added as an afterthought, shaking her head. "Now that just baffles people."
"There is too little of us as is to allow casual killing among demons anymore," Kayeda said.
"Yeah, but it takes the fun out of living," Baldestar grumbled. Kayeda gave him a leveled look. He shrugged, half apologetic. "It's true."
"Baldestar has a point. Though there's more Ashkrans and hybrids showing up, many of our people still consist of first and second generation old world demons. Our old leader, they could deal with, because he was of the same blood and had the same traditions. Our Lord Tajhinn comes from Ashkra, and is ushering in a new way of living many demons either do not understand or cannot adapt to."
"Are you saying I cannot adapt as well as you have, Nino-kun?" Baldestar asked.
"I'm saying you're stubborn," was Nino's response.
"Ah."
"Because you have no brains."
"Yazu."
"Sorry, Sanjo."
"Nino-kun." The boy looked up at his lord. "Should we have expected this kind of reaction among the old generation then?" Tajhinn asked.
"It's a normal reaction," he answered with a nod, "to feel threatened by new rulership. However, such unrest would have been limited to our own lands, and against symbols of authority, like our optib servants or our assassins. Even to an extent, our Ashkra brethren and the hybrids, because of Your Lordship's relations to them. But the type of sabotage we are facing now goes far beyond what should have been expected as a reaction to a change in power."
"So what this all comes down to in the end is that we do have someone who has a grudge against us." Minerva sighed, stretching her arms behind her head. "Typical. And he's vying for the same thing we need. Except he'll kill her just to spite us."
"Sounds like our 'he' might actually turn out to be a 'she'." Yazu smirked. "He's vindictive enough. Like we stole his lover or something. Don't you agree, Minerva?"
The woman glared.
Tajhinn watched the exchanged take place with the practiced ease of a babysitter watching her charges while thinking of something else entirely different. He knew the BlackGuard's routine well, and it both frustrated and reassured him. Frustrated because accomplishing anything ground breaking with a group as widely diverse in opinions and skill sets as these seven was near to impossible. And reassured because by having their mannerisms set, any officer behaving out of place would easily be picked out by another officer, if not by him.
So far, everything had gone as he predicted. They opened one topic out of many that still needed to be addressed and suddenly went off tangent. Considering the last meeting he had with the BlackGuard spanned a record of four days, Tajhinn had a strong feeling he'd be sitting on his throne for a very long time. And if it weren't for a small shift in Gammon's pattern of behavior, it would have been so.
Tajhinn leaned an elbow on the armrest of his throne, leaning to his right to rest his chin on his raised fist. The subject had switched to Leo once again, but still Gammon had not said anything, not even the haughty remark that was normally forthcoming whenever the 6th Rank Officer's desertion was brought up in discussion. Come to think of it, he hasn't said a word since he mentioned the rebels.
The phantom demon's cloaked shifted once Baldestar and Minerva started another one of their arguments. A few seconds later it shifted again. Tajhinn mentally frowned whenGammon's cloak shifted a third time. He's agitated.
"Allow me to make up for my tardiness by offering a bit of news."
"Maki Mihokita is awaiting an audience with you..."
"Hmph."
Kayeda looked over at his liege, puzzled. Sae flicked his gaze at them both, and just as quickly turned back to watching his fellow officers.
"My Lord?" Kayeda whispered under his breath, choosing a moment when the room was the loudest, the discussion between Minerva and Baldestar escalating to another shouting contest.
"Do not be alarmed, Kayeda," Tajhinn spoke softly, his words hidden behind the shield of his raised hand. "I simply wish to test something."
The castle was designed to be a virtual dead zone for telepathic communication. Contact with other demons and links through the creation of portals was impossible under the protective interference of the energy trapped within the castle walls. The walls that made up the Demon Lord's audience hall had the strongest amount of energy present that it even interfered with combative uses of energy: mental shields and protective barriers. An ideal place for open discussion and honesty, it was the worst place to hold hidden motives. In the presence of the Demon Lord on his home court, it was as if you had spoken the truth behind your deception to his face.
Tajhinn felt his vision go beyond what he saw from his own two eyes, and the hall was suddenly converted into a mass of colors, strings of words, thoughts, and impressions congregating around each of the demons in the room. However, before he could move towards Gammon, he felt a presence acknowledge him at his left. It was Sae, but as always, there was no accompanying thoughts attached to his aura.
He felt him pause, then as quickly as Tajhinn had acknowledge him, that emptiness that the Demon Lord recognized as Sae's aura stretched out and enveloped the remaining five BlackGuard officers, leaving only Gammon's aura exposed.
Tajhinn mentally smirked and pushed forward.
/ Fools… We'll never get back on track./
Tajhinn stopped in front of Gammon's essence, already picking up some of the phantom's thoughts.
/They've come full circle on the subject and don't even realize it. Wasting time with their constant bickering./
He felt a flash of annoyance, then anxiety. Followed by contempt.
/I should bring up the halfling./
A pause.
/No. That's too assertive. One of them will catch on./
More irritation. Then a rising anger.
/Look what we've become! This kind of disgrace would never be allowed by Master./
Tajhinn narrowed his eyes. Master?
A sudden presence to his left broke all of his concentration.
Tajhinn's extended vision reeled back the instant he felt the aura of Nino's optib break through Sae's barrier, its eye wide in a stricken panic as it stared at the Demon Lord, pupil shrinking rapidly till it was a small speck among a wall of white.
It screamed.
Tajhinn's spirit slammed back into his body, the impact eliciting a gasp from the Demon Lord just as chaos broke out among the BlackGuard.
"Nino!"
The boy was thrown off his mount's back, landing on the floor with a startled cry. Kayeda took up guard in front of his liege, Sanjo following suit one step ahead of him.
The optib hovered near its master, jittering about, looking in one direction then the other, searching and afraid. Its eyelid started to expand, revealing more and more of the crazed eyeball underneath.
"Nino!" Baldestar barked at him again. "Control your beast! Quickly!"
"Hiseiko!" Nino cried out to it. "Hiseiko! Calm down! It's okay!"
The optib didn't acknowledge its master's plea, eyelid opening wider, the pupil shrinking as it shook uncontrollably.
"Baldestar," Sanjo commanded.
Baldestar gritted out a cursed and approached the optib. It suddenly turned to face the larger demon, the imp completely still. Nino gasped, seeing Hiseiko's eye fully open, the white of its eye blood red.
"Baldestar! Wait!"
The optib fired.
The beam of energy caught Baldestar on the side of the face, drawing blood and a surprised grunt from the bethshima. He stumbled onto one knee, the smell of smoke and seared flesh rising from the demon's face.
The optib then turned to stare past the two guards, directly at the Demon Lord. It started to tremble again, recognition striking it blind, and the red of its eye darkened to black, its pupil turning white.
Sanjo and Kayeda prepared themselves for the assault, but nothing came. Only silence.
Until they heard the Demon Lord gasp behind them.
"Tajhinn!" Minerva shrieked.
Kayeda spun around to find Tajhinn gripping the edge of his throne hard enough to crack the marble armrests. "My Lord!"
"Hiseiko! Stop!"
Sanjo tightened his stance. "Yazu."
"Damn." Yazu raised his arms out in front of him and called to the optib's mind. The instant he touched it, he was slammed against the far wall of the audience hall.
Minerva moved, drawing three long needles each a foot long from within the foliage of her feathered collar. Sanjo leveled his spear at the optib's pupil, then lowered it once Sae's form fell into his line of attack. The boy stood right in front of the optib in the way of both Sanjo's spear and Minerva's needles.
Minerva drew her hand back and held her position. "Sae! Move!"
He didn't. Instead he knelt in front of the beast, meeting the imp's black gaze with his own empty blue eyes. The pressure on the Demon Lord was suddenly released.
"My Lord, are you alright?"
Tajhinn pressed his claws against the side of his head, shaking it slightly to drive out the lingering psychic impression the optib had driven into him. He held up his other hand, halting any further questions from Kayeda, and peered past him to Sae and Hiseiko.
The optib's eye had returned to its normal color, the imp quivering underneath the boy's gaze. Sae reached out a hand and it shied away, but never did it break its gaze with him. The trembling became less.
Sae reached out again, and the optib allowed him to touch it, his pale fingers lightly stroking the top of its eyelid. It stopped trembling altogether, its eyelid slowly closing to its half opened position, placated at last.
Yazu wobbled up to Sanjo's side, shaking off the dust that now covered his robe. "Couldn't he have done that sooner?" He then glared up at the larger demon, suddenly remembering. "And that's the last time I let you pit me up against the Barrier Child."
The usually impassive demon allowed himself a small smile. "I thought you could manipulate anyone's mind."
Yazu sputtered indignantly, unable to find proper fighting words in the face of the BlackGuard's 2nd Rank Officer, and instead glowered childishly.
The smile disappeared once Baldestar approached their group. "Baldestar."
He gave Sanjo a little smirk, wiping away the blood that had fallen over his left eye. "It's a flesh wound. Nothing more." He stopped next to Nino and the back-to-normal Hiseiko, the boy still seated on the floor.
Nino looked at the wound on the bethshima's face and glanced away. "I'm sorry, Baldestar."
Baldestar grunted a response and lifted the boy by the back of his shirt, setting him lightly on top of his optib's back. "Just don't do it again."
Nino nodded, then caught Sae as he was leaving the group. "Sae." The white-haired demon stopped and turned. Nino hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "Thank you."
He nodded once and headed over to the Demon Lord.
"Darling, are you alright?" Minerva asked, placing a gloved hand on the side of Tajhinn's face.
He nodded, gently pulling the woman's hand away. "I'm fine, Minerva."
She closed her hand around his, not at all convinced. "Are you sure?"
He smiled, patted her hand, and let it go, standing up as he saw Sae approaching. "It just took me by surprise. That's all."
Minerva unwillingly let it go at that, keeping her stance by the throne as the Demon Lord went to converse with his top subordinate.
Kayeda was already there. "Good work, Sae," he commemorated with a stern nod.
"Yes," Tajhinn agreed. "You did well."
Sae bowed in acceptance of their praise, then made to pass by the Demon Lord in order to return to his post. His robes brushed against Tajhinn's shins, the boy, in a sudden instant, very close to his liege.
"Do not be so reckless again," he warned, his words barely a push of air from his pale lips. "I cannot always help you."
"I understand."
Sae was halfway to his post when Lord Tajhinn started to converse with his 5th Rank Officer, no pause or change in either of their demeanors to signal there had been an exchange.
"My Lord." Nino bowed his head in shame, his optib lowering itself closer to the floor in front of their liege. "I'm sorry, Lord Tajhinn. Hiseiko—"
The Demon Lord surprised him by kneeling down before the humbled boy and his mount, placing his palm against the top of the optib's brow. Hiseiko's eyelid fully closed, accepting the apologetic gesture only the two of them knew the Demon Lord had to make. Tajhinn smiled, getting up and patting the boy on the head. "It's alright, Nino-kun. There was no harm done."
"No harm done?" Yazu snorted, more dust falling off of his cloak. "I was just punted into a wall."
"Aww," Minerva crooned mockingly. "Was your ego bruised?"
Yazu grumbled unintelligibly, then turned his head to the front of the audience hall, to the cloaked figure that still stood at attention at his post. "And why didn't you do anything?"
Gammon's cloak rustled. "And make a fool of myself as you have?"
"Gammon." Sanjo voice cut in.
"Forgive me, Sanjo-sama," Gammon apologized. "But my abilities only allow me to create puppet demons. If I would have been of any help to this situation, believe me, I would have taken action."
"That is not the issue I had wished to bring up," Sanjo corrected. "Why, when Our Lord was in danger, did you not so much as take one step forward?"
The energy in the room was oppressive. Baldestar gave a low growl. Minerva held, in open view, the needles poised between her fingers.
"Are you accusing me of treason, Sanjo-sama?" Gammon asked casually.
"Funny you brought up treason," Yazu laughed, his grin as wide and as sinister as ever. "I had been meaning to ask how you were able to come across the details of Maki's targets."
"I fail to see your question's relation to this matter."
"The targets I assign to my assassins are not up for broadcast," Tajhinn interrupted. His voice, though calm, resonated throughout the hall. The remaining BlackGuard said nothing to interrupt him. "That order was given less than twelve hours ago. How did you know who Maki was assigned to kill?"
Gammon's cloak rustled again, forcing disdain into his voice to counter his unease. "If the orders are confidential, then that halfling should learn to hold his tongue. He spoke them to me when I ran across him in the Mortal Realm."
"He told them to you when you ran across him?" Tajhinn's eyes narrowed. "Or did he run across you when he found his targets?"
Five seconds passed. Five whole seconds where no one moved or breathed.
Then Gammon's cloak rustled back. Like a signal flag waving the start of a dance of death, that one move brought everything to a startling point.
By the time Minerva released her needles, Gammon's dummies were already in place, the shadow replicas of their creator taking the blows while the officer made his escape. Each needle hit their mark, pieces of ivory masks clattering to the marble floor with the sound of breaking glass. The last puppet vanished, and so had Gammon.
Yazu snorted. "I'm impressed. He got through the doors."
Baldestar cracked his knuckles. "But he won't get far."
He followed after Sanjo, who had already thrown open the grand hall's tall double doors, and sped down the stairs, gaining on the few seconds lead Gammon had bought himself.
The remaining four officers and their captain remained where they were, their leader gazing down the long stretch of empty space the audience hall encompassed, past the open doors and down the stairway. His presence of mind went past Sanjo and Baldestar, who were tearing through more shadow copies as they forced their way through, past Gammon who was halfway down the stairs with more puppets appearing in his wake, to stop at the young brunette pacing back and forth at the base of the stairs.
/Maki./
He looked up, startled by the commune. "Boss? This is a no telepathy zone! How'd the hell d'you—!"
/Gammon is the enemy./
Maki blinked and looked up. Gammon had just appeared over the fifty step stretch.
/Slay him./
The assassin grinned, even as Gammon split into seven replicas of himself. "You don't have to tell me twice!"
He punched his right fist into his left palm, the contact a trigger in releasing the boy's spiritual energy. His hands seemed to be on fire as the fingerless gloves that he wore suddenly transformed, covering his forearms in a organic gleam of metal. He crouched down and with those same enflamed hands tapped the sides of his knee caps. The fabric glowed, and as he raced forward to confront his target, extended the length of his shins to his feet, hardening to become that same protective armor that adorned his hands.
"You think you can catch me, halfling?" Gammon's voice came from all seven of the clones, masking which among them was the real one. Maki's grin grew wider.
He met the onrush of black cloaks head on. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. His foot has lashed out to connected with five different masks, breaking each one, leaving only two Gammons left. Maki jumped back from the Gammon that stood in front of him and, tapping his right arm, morphed the armguard again to add a blade that extended well beyond his clenched fist.
He landed in front of the second Gammon, who had, in the middle of the fight, slipped by. The phantom did a double take, for the first time showing surprise in his movement.
"Tag." Maki smirked and drew his arm back. "You're it."
The arm blade sliced through Gammon's mask, the demon screaming as the ivory pieces clattered down the steps, his cloak fluttering noisily till it settled at the base of the stairs. The copy Gammon Maki had left alone disappeared, as did the remaining copies that Sanjo and Baldestar were fighting further up, both bethshimas appearing at the first landing to find the remains of their 7th Rank Officer scattered across the stairs.
"Mihokita."
Maki stood at attention in front of Sanjo, the soldier regarding him for a moment before nodding briefly and moving past him. Maki exhaled a deep breath and tapped either of his elbows. The armguards glowed, then shrunk back to the gloves on his hands. Baldestar stopped next to him as he bent over to tap his knees.
"You killed him," he said, more as a unbelieving question than a statement.
Maki stood up and hiked a thumb behind him, forgetting propriety in favor of annoyance. "The body didn't disappear, did it?"
"No." Maki turned to face Sanjo, who was kneeling beside the broken mask pieces, now black crumbles of ash upon their destruction. Sanjo had pulled out something from the ashes and was now staring at it intently.
"What do you mean 'no'?" Baldestar demanded, brushing past Maki to stand in front of his brethren. " 'No' he did kill him or 'no'—?"
"He didn't." Sanjo got up and presented the item that was in his hand: a rectangular strip of paper with the character for 'duplicate' inscribed on it.
Baldestar grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. "No wonder those puppets were so damn easy to kill."
Maki shook his head in disbelief. "No way… That was not a copy."
"Bethshimas don't lie, boy." Baldestar clenched his jaw, the muscles in his neck bulging. "If we say it was a copy, it was a copy."
Sanjo gave a low growl and rose from the floor.
Baldestar glanced over at him. "Sanjo?"
He didn't say anything, only crushed the piece of paper he found in Gammon's mask in his hand.
"What do you mean 'it was a copy'?"
All six officers were once again gathered in front of the Demon Lord. Maki Mihokita was present as well.
Kayeda frowned, troubled by what his two officers had reported. "Are you saying the Gammon that was here wasn't the real one?"
Sanjo nodded, holding up the paper charm they had found in Gammon's mask. "The Gammon Mihokita killed was a shikigami."
"A shikigami?" Yazu curled his fingers around his chin. "And it acted just like him too."
"Gammon cannot make a shikigami that accurate to himself," Nino stated with conviction. "Let alone with the ability to make its own shadow puppets."
"Why's that Nino-kun?" Minerva asked. "He is an old world demon, like the rest of you. Isn't it possible to develop that level of skill gradually over time?"
"Skill, yes. But power, no." Nino corrected. "Gammon's power, along with everyone else's, was recorded at the time of the new regime, and at that time he was not capable of creating and controlling a shikigami that could convincingly pass off as himself in our presence. With the ban on kin slaying in place since then, he could not have increased his powers since that time without committing a felony.
"And all of our assassinations are carried out by Ashkran demons, who do not absorb energy the same way we do. So he's had no chance to kill a demon legally."
"Do you realize what you are implying, Nino-kun?" Baldestar demanded.
The boy gave a nod. "Either Gammon has been able to kill other demons without our knowledge of it, or someone with considerable power is supporting him."
"Our mysterious rebel leader, no doubt." Minerva swayed her hips to one side. "The question that still remains is 'who'?"
"I have a way of finding out." The BlackGuard and the Demon Lord looked over to the front of the audience hall, where Maki Mihokita still stood at attention. He visibly tensed where he stood. He clenched and unclenched his hands, the feel of leather creasing beneath his palm a comforting distraction. "If I'm allowed to speak."
"Of course," Yazu chuckled. "Since you've already spoken, I don't see the need to ask for our permission." Maki flinched.
"Stop giving him such a hard time, Yazu." Minerva gave the assassin a wink and a smile. "What is it, sweetheart?"
Maki gazed uncertainly at the woman, then turned to the throne for confirmation. Tajhinn nodded.
"I think one of Gammon's puppets is still in the Mortal Realm," Maki reported.
"You think?" Baldestar raised an eyebrow. "Half notions don't do us any good, boy."
"Let him speak first, Baldestar, and place your judgment after."
"Yes. Forgive me, My Lord."
Tajhinn turned back to Maki. "Go on."
"Yes Bo… Milord." He shook his head as if trying to clear it. "I lost its signature the moment I ran into Gammon. I don't know if he's retract it or not. Or if it's just laying dormant somewhere in the city."
"It's in the city," Nino confirmed. "If it's under the order of Ritari Gemun, it won't leave unless killed or its mission complete."
"Which is killing the rune bearer's allies." Yazu gave a wide grin. "Doesn't seem too bad of an idea to let it run amok."
"If we do that, we won't be able to follow Gammon."
"You really like ruining my fun, eh Nino-kun?"
Nino sniffed indignantly. "Even if he can make a shikigami that can mirror his own abilities, the puppets that shikigami makes aren't that good. The real one will have to be present to control the kind of puppets intelligence has reported."
"Then let me go," Baldestar wrapped his hand around his fist and cracked his knuckles. "BlackGuard Officers should be executed by BlackGuard Officers."
"No. Gammon will surely sense you."
"My Lord, are you not permitting us to execute one of our own?" Baldestar demanded. When the Demon Lord nodded, he turned to Kayeda. "Captain!"
"I am sorry, Baldestar, but I agree with Our Lord. If Minerva goes, he may stay to fight, but in the face of any higher rank officer, he will run."
"Then who do you intend to send?" Baldestar cried, swinging his arm out to gesture at Maki. "The boy?"
"Sending a hit man after a hit is logical." The larger demon turned to the teenager next to him, who didn't bother to look up as he spoke. "Gammon will be eager to fight him," Sae said.
"Of course," Yazu agreed, raising an appreciative eyebrow. "He did destroy one of his most perfect toys. I'm sure he won't let that go unpunished."
"Then it's settled," Tajhinn announced. "Maki will take care of Gammon."
"And the shadow puppet?" Minerva asked, pushing away a lock of red hair from her face. "Darling, you're not thinking of making Mihokita handle both the bait and the catch?"
"No. You are absolutely right, Minerva. We'll have Dario assist him."
"Dario?" Minerva blinked long eyelashes at the name.
Baldestar frowned. "Isn't that a bit too much for a simple puppet?"
"A puppet and its bait," Nino reminded him. "Dario is efficient. He'll bring the puppet out of hiding the fastest, and he's strong enough to handle both without seeming like a threat to Gammon."
Yazu snorted, still not liking the choice of demons to send for this task. He wrinkled his nose. "He's pretty old to pair with our flighty Ashkran boy. I was thinking of someone more like—"
"We're sending Dario," the Demon Lord repeated. This time, all discussion on the matter stopped. "Maki."
"Yes Boss!" Maki gritted his teeth. "I mean, Milord."
"You have your orders. Carry them out before sunset. I'll send Dario to meet you within the hour."
"Yes Milord! I will not fail you!" Maki cried, a little too loud, his body sweating as he held his fist over his heart in salutation, then bowed in respect in front of the gathered BlackGuard members. His heart was still racing, even as the audience hall's double doors swung close behind him and he was no longer in the presence of the most fearsome group of profession killers he had ever seen in his entire life.
And now, he was assigned to kill one of them.
Granted, he did have the gall to 'slay' Gammon barely half an hour ago. But the assassin hadn't taken too kindly to first being threatened, then having to wait anxiously to be summoned only to have that same person who rattled his nerves so badly come streaming down the steps with two bethshimason his ass. The frustration was more than enough incentive for action.
But now, knowing the Gammon he fought was a fake, and skilled enough to dupe an entire room of demon elitists…
Ah shit. He stopped in the middle of his trek downstairs, craning his neck back to stare at the high ceiling that seemed to disappear into black stars. Maki wished, at that moment. he had the tolerance to smoke, like Kurumi did.
Tajh… why the hell d'you assign me this one.
"Why did you give Gammon's execution to Mihokita?"
They were the only two in the audience hall. In light of the situation, the meeting was brought to a close early, and the BlackGuard was to reassemble after the mission's success, two days from today. Still, the meeting between the lord and his general had not ended.
Tajhinn looked up to his right, gazing at the broad veteran soldier tiredly. "You had agreed with me."
"I had agreed that sending Baldestar was a bad idea," he corrected. "But I also agreed that the execution of BlackGuard members should be the responsibility of the BlackGuard. Minerva would have sufficed."
"Minerva cannot kill Gammon. They are evenly matched."
"I'd rather have sent someone who was evenly matched and well aware of Gammon's tendencies than someone who is clearly out of his league. And a hybrid as well! Gammon has a hatred for his kind!"
"Well, I guess that's why he's so hot on opposing me."
Kayeda paused, staring at his lord reproachfully. "You are different."
"I am the same," Tajhinn corrected with a sigh. "Just a different set of circumstances."
Kayeda sensed he was about to change the subject. "My Lord."
"I did not want to risk losing an officer in this," Tajhinn finally confessed. "Especially for a mere test."
"You think Gammon would risk our ire further by killing one of our officers?"
"No," he answered with a rueful smile. "But his supporter might. And it's a bit too early for my tastes to be sacrificing my bishops and rooks."
"My Lord."
"Yes, Kayeda?"
"Do you know who it is?" the general asked after a pause. "This rebel leader that is using the Flame as his insignia?"
Tajhinn's eyebrows furrowed, remembering the thoughts that had filtered to his mind through Gammon's puppet. He was either trying to throw me off or spoke the truth. and if it was true, there's only one person Gammon has ever called by the title of 'Master.' "This mission's outcome will prove if I'm right or wrong."
"If Mihokita dies or not?" Kayeda asked, and when Tajhinn shook his head with the weight of a thousand sins, he understood.
"Ah. …I see."
"Call Dario in," the Demon Lord ordered. "And pray that I'm wrong."
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Well that was a rather lengthy piece of prologue. Now, I have a question to pose to the viewing audience. Since writing behind enemy lines is where I need to most opinions on because I do it very sparingly and end up getting the least because there are no Ronins involved, (sweatdrop. Amazing how one track minded we are) I will ask for the sake of my sanity, and I hope to get an answer to my simple question: Which BlackGuard officer do you like the most? Or found interesting, or wouldn't mind reading more about?
Granted there was a shit load of characters in this chapter, I understand that a lot of people might have been confused cause mass character introductions confuse me. (is dizzy) But I just wanted to know who do you like or who stood out, so I can better learn to write distinguishable voices in mass group discussions. (sweatdrop)
So vote! Maybe I'll give a prize to whoever hits 200. P And if anyone noticed, this is the second time Sae has made an appearance, the first when Yume got her orders to attack the Ronins at Kanaji (EONS ago) and she got lost in the castle. But probably a lot of you don't remember. Sae tends to drift in and out of scenes that way. (sweatdrop)
And I love Maki! And Tajhinn. But Tajhinn was a given. But poor Maki, getting caught up in politics like that. (sigh)
Anyway… wow. A lot has happened. (smile) Gammon's now on Maki's hit list, involving a trap, a puppet, and a lure, and someone dying all in the name of confirming the rebel leader's identity? Anyone sense 'battle' in the next chapter? And I wonder which Ronin will be caught up in the middle of it? (smile) Not gonna say anymore. Till next time! (runs away from Mallet-sama.)
Ucchan