an Unwelcome Guest

[Taruvien]

Taruvien stood atop a crumbling ruin, surveying the ground around him.

This place had been one of the border villages, the first he and Kinarin had created in their private project. It was once a vibrant community, full of hardworking men... no matter which way you look at it, it's hard not to become emotionally attached to your own creations, especially when you breathe life into them and watch them develop from afar.

But he was no longer merely an observer. His punishment was also a blessing; he could do something to protect this realm now.

The area was littered with corpses. This was the work of a Shinigami, one like Taruvian and Kinarin, one who had forced his way into their world and begun killing with reckless abandon. The wounds were terrible, great gaping tears through flesh and bone; Soul Steel wounds.

Taruvien stood silent. A single tear rolled down his cheek from an eye hidden by armored plating. A tear for his own creations, senselessly destroyed in an instant.

He felt the presence of his comrade, Kinarin, and quickly regained his composure. 'You can come out, you know,' he murmured, knowing Kinarin could hear him from the shadows...

[Kinarin]

"I was not hiding" Kinarin said in a tone which was silent like his footsteps but with a hint of pure hate for what happened to his beloved village "Taruvien can...can we please destroy this shinigami in the same way he destroyed Naheed?" Kinarin said walking out of the shadows to stand by his brother and companion.

[Taruvien]

"We would be poor rulers to ignore such an insult to our creativity," Taruvien replied, giving his companion a solemn gaze. "We will find them, and kill them swiftly."

He turned, and noticed a trail of corpses leading from out of the charred remains, down a dirt road and into the distance... it had been methodically placed for gory effect, blood spattering everywhere, congealing in crimson pools. the sight would drive most men to grief.

Good thing Taruvien was no mere man.

Silently, he nodded to his friend, indicated the trail of the dead, and started following it, heavy footsteps booming in the still air.

[Kinarin]

As they walked Kinarin started to notice footsteps like Taruvien's but they seemed just out of time with Taruvien's This told Kinarin his target was near. "do you think it will be a strong berserker or one that is just annoyed at are...predicament?" Kinarin asked in his normal sacastic sort of way not realising how far a way the shinigami was.

[Taruvien]

"Annoyed? Dear friend, I think most would be quite jealous... they live monotonous, boring lives, always observing, while we are living in a world we created for ourselves! I'm quite curious as to why they merely cast us here instead of destroying the place completely."

Taruvien stopped. It was clear something was on Kinarin's mind - then he began to hear footsteps too. At first he thought maybe they belonged to the intruding Shinigami, but they were far too light and unsteady to be carrying a confident and slaughterous God of Death.

Looking around, Taruvien stopped a figure following them. It shambled along as if injured, leaning over and clutching at its side. It semmed to be human.

[Kinarin]

Noticing Taruvein stop Kinarin said quizzically "Taruvein why have you..." stopping mid sentence because Kinarin also saw the person holding their side. All of a sudden urgancy swept over Kinarin as the person was bleeding or even dying and they might have information on the attack, information which might be a message from the shinigami or even just a description of the battle. Rushing to help the injured person Kinarin could not help but feel as if he had met this person before it would not surprise him if he had he traveled to the villages quite a lot but what was more concerning was the look of trouble on his friend Taruvein's face.

[Taruvien]

Taruvien stood impassively, observing his comrade rush to the aid of the stranger. For all he knew, this person could be a trap, or worse, but that wasn't what troubled him. If the Shinigami had left such an obvious trail... then they were supposed to follow it.

When they met with this Shinigami, it would be on his terms, not Taruvien and Kinarins. This would put them at quite a disadvantage.

Noticing Kinarin reach the injured man, Taruvien cleared his thoughts and took to observing again. He knew Kinarin would do all he could for the man, and trusted him to get as much information as possible - it was likely the man was a survivor of the attack, and it wouldn't do to go unprepared.

"Find out who he is," Taruvien called, his gravely voice rumbling down the road after Kinarin.

[Kinarin]

"Ok" Kinarin shouted back then turned his attention to the mans wounds "let me take a look." "thank you," said then man in an unusually relaxed tone Kinarin though nothing of it he was too busy working with the wound to notice anything. A few minutes pass and Kinarin has patched the wound as best he can. He then askes the mans name to which the man replied "come now dont you recognise me old friend" it is at that moment fear struck the assassin and there are not many people who can do that to Kinarin. "Taruvien!" Kinarin shouted "TARUVIEN! The wounded guy is him!"

[Taruvien]

"Him...?" Taruvien's concern for his comrade's wellbeing grew with each step he took as he closed the gap between himself and this stranger.

Without hesitation, he gripped at the mans garb and tore it away - surprisingly, his skin came away too, revealing the cause of the carnage left behind at the village of Naheed.

Taruvien had expected some lowlife Shinigami, out for a blood rush, but the face he saw leering back at him was a familiar one. It was no surprise that he, of all the Shinigami, would wear the flesh of his victims as a disguise... and expertly, too.

It was an old friend of theirs, one who Taruvien had decided to exclude from the plan to create this private world - obviously he resented that and had come looking for a blood price. His name was Triton, and he would be a deadly foe to fight here.

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