[Flashback] Lunar Light, Pt. I

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..Lunar Light, Protecting the Village of the Moon Pt I
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......Deep within the north west forest region, the Village of the Moon made it's home. The people of the village lived a relatively peaceful life, having a keen knack for creating silk garments with the over abundance of silk worms that made their home in the area. Normally this might leave the inhabitant a prime target for attack, as different types of bandits and other people who lived outside the wild law of the land could have potentially sought to take the silk and the lands for themselves. But, as luck would have it, their land was one of the few that had weapons after the Radian Dawn. And, as such, they had a capable order to samurai warriors that protected the village, led by the great warrior Tarush.

......The sun had set and the moon was high in the sky, peering through the darkness and other broken celestial bodies in a half crescent. It was a beautiful sight, and one that the village itself was named after and worshiped. A young warrior of the village, Lethe, wasn't sure how much he actually believed in the gods he was told about growing up, but he enjoyed the beautiful night sky none the less. He'd often spent several nights growing up wandering in the forest until he found his 'spot', and he'd lay atop a large rock formation and stare into the night sky. On some nights, he could have sworn he'd seen people flying high in the sky, away from the ground and the people below.

......But, on this particular night he found himself in the village's tavern. It was a place of gather not only for the occupants of the village but for travelers that would happen to come by, be it just traveling through or if they were attempting to trade for one of the silk garments or masterfully crafted weapons the village had. Lethe sat at a corner table, alone, slowly drinking one of the ales the establishment provided. It was still a relatively new drink in these parts - at least the process of making it was - and he couldn't decide if this was a better drink than drinking one's own piss. Even through it's bitter taste, it still had a rather amusing side effect. Some people thought it actually made you stupider the more you drank, but Lethe had always merely been amused by it. After all, he'd had a long day and for some reason this made it all better.

......He winced as he took another drink. Ugh, this stuff really wasn't that great. If it was the last thing he'd do, he'd find a better alternative. The warrior would have continued lost in thought, but his attention was drawn as a large burly man stormed into the tavern. He walked with an overconfidence that only someone that was an outlaw could have. He made his way to a center table, plopped down, and barked out orders to the people working, demanding food and drink. Lethe kept a close eye on him for the new few minutes, studying his movements and attempting to determine his reason for being after. He'd never seen this man before and in a world like this, it usually meant trouble.

......The next couple minutes went by rather smoothly, with the man receiving his drinks and nourishment and going into them loudly. A couple other men from the village - beggars - came over to him and took seat next to him. Lethe halfway expected the man to get violent with them, but surprisingly he laughed and continued on. The true reason he didn't send them away became apparent, though, as he burst into loud storytelling, informing the men of his so called adventures. He told them about how he was a part of a organization, and Lethe knew it was used rather loosely, that sailed the open seas by day and came ashore by night. From the gist of his tale Lethe was able to ascertain that he was a pirate of some sort. But, why would he be here, so far away from the sea?

......Lethe continued listening until he heard the man begin to talk about the silk and weapons this village had, and how useful they'd be to him. Considering the type of man this was, he doubted that the man intended to trade. Furthermore, the fact that he was making veiled threats by himself either meant he was stupid, crazy, or both. Lethe had seen enough. He'd dealt with this kind of person before in his life, and as a child had been beaten half to death by a band of them. He wasn't about to let someone like this man hang around here any longer. The young man rose from his corner table and walked over to the center of the tavern, approaching the stranger. He kept his arms to his side, one angled so it rested atop his katana. "Excuse me, sir." Lethe said as he approached.

......The man casually looked up at him, and the continued back to his story. Such arrogance greatly annoyed the young warrior, but he gave the man a bit of patience." On the authority of the samurai of the Village of the Moon, I must ask you to leave this village." he said authoritatively, readying himself for any attack the man may attempt. The pirate didn't budge at first, seemingly lost in thought at what had just happened, but he slowly turned around. "Buzz off, duckling. I'm busy here, and you have nothing on -" The man's speech was cut off as Lethe spoke up, his voice drowning out the other, which caused him to stop. "None of that matters. I've sat and listened to your boasting the entire night, and based on your stories I do not believe you to be anyone we wish to associate ourselves with. We have better clients to trade with than filth like you. So, you will either leave or I'll force you to leave. Your choice."

......Grunting under his breath, the pirate groaned. "That's the problem with you organized types. Always throwing around your so called authority." He looked to his side, where a rather large greatsword that had entered the building with him sat plunged into the floor. "My choice, huh?"

***

......The big pirate, Lon, attacked Lethe without any pretense at skilled swordplay. He just fetched up that huge sword of his in both hands and brought it crashing down toward Lethe's head, intending to split it like an overripe melon. Thrusting his katana up, knowing there was a chance that the bigger sword might shear his own blade but having no other choice for defense, Lethe aught the descending blade. He didn't try to stop the sword's descent, but he did redirect it to the side, stepping to one side and he did because he expected the sudden reversal the pirate tried. He didn't entirely block the blow, though, and the flat of the blade slammed against his skull, almost knocking him out and leaving him disoriented.

......Working on sheer instinct and guided by skilled responses, Lethe managed to lock his opponent's blade with his while he struggled to hold on to his sense. His vision and hearing faded out, as the world sometimes did between shifts on patrol. Recovering a little, Lon shoved Lethe back but didn't gain much ground. Moving with skill and the dark savagery that filled him any time he fought, Lethe took a step forward and head butted the pirate in the face. Moaning, Lon stumbled back.

......Lethe showed no mercy, pushing himself forward again. Obviously, employing all the skill he had just to keep himself alive, the pirate kept retreating and stumbling and tripping over the broken terrain as he tried to walk up the incline behind him. Only a moment later, he went too far. As though from a great distance, Lethe heard the man's boots scrape in the loose drit, then the man fell, flailing and yelling, in the end wrapping his arms about his head. Ruthless and quick, Lethe knock the pirates blade from his hand, sending the big sword spinning through the air to land in the dense brush a dozen yards away.

......Lon held his hands up. "I surrender! I surrender! Give me mercy!" But, dazed as he was from the near miss of the sword, mercy was out of the reach of Lethe's mind. He remembered the bodies he seen in the flotsam left by the plunderers who had taken the caravan's goods. Even that was hard to hand on to, because his battered mind slipped even father back into the past, recalling the beatings he'd endured from a band of similar people of ill repute when he'd been younger. He assumed they were a band of bandits, since they'd beaten him, taken all of his money and equipment, and had left him for dead.

......"Mercy!" the pirate begged. But the main voice that Lethe listened to was the one of the bandit's leader all those years ago, cursing and swearing at him, threatening to beat him to death or bleed him out like a fresh butchered hog. Lethe drew back his katana and swung, aiming to take the pirate's head off.

......Without warning, a sword darted out and deflected Lethe's blow, causing the blade to cut into the earth only inches away from the pirate's arm wrapped head, "That's enough, Lethe.", someone said.

***

......Still lost in the memory of beatings he'd gotten at similar people's hands, the present overlapping the past, Lethe spun and lifted his blade. Incredibly, someone caught his arm before he could swing and halted the blow. "Lethe, it's me. It's me, Lethe. Teotl." Thick and hoarse with emotion, Teotl's voice was little more than a whisper, "It's me, damn it, leave off. We need this man alive."

......Head filled with pain, vision still spotty from the pirate's blow, Lethe squinted his eyes and tried to focus. Forced out as he made his way to the present reality, memory of those past events left with reluctance. "He's not those men, Lethe."Teotl said. Lethe focused on his friend, feeling the emotion drain from him., leaving him weak and shaking. "I know. I know that." But he knew he hadn't, not really. The pirate's blow had almost taken away his sense. He took in a deep breath and struggled to continue clearing his head.

..Wordcount: 1,730
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Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light, Protecting the Village of the Moon Pt I
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......While the burly pirate's life had been spared by the grace of Lethe's superior, that was the only shred of mercy he was to receive this night. Lethe's head, still in a small fog, rang as him and Teotl took to either side of their new captor. Upon Lon's attempt to speak, the Village of the Moon's guard captain responded with a swift and heavy blow to the man's head with the taped end of his weapon's hilt. It was precise and cleanly delivered, and the shallow drooping of the pirate's head, indicative that he'd lost consciousness. "And you were worried about me not showing him mercy?" Lethe jested as Teotl's rough handling of the man. The guard captain gave a sly smile as he ducked his head underneath one of the man's arms while Lethe did the same on the other side. Together, they'd drag the unconscious lug to where they could interrogate him. "Mercy for his kind is only available while they're useful."

......His kind? The young samurai wasn't quite sure what his friend meant by that statement. A human was a human, after all, unless he was speaking upon the man's pirate heritage. He quickly decided it probably wasn't anything worth pressing and helped carry the burden through the village. The fact that the pirate low life was so heavy made the task much more of a chore than it probably should have been. Deep grooves were driven into the ground from the man's boots, and Lethe became thankful the trek was a short one. Stopping at the door, Teotl turned to Lethe. "Lethe, you've come far these past few years, both in power and reputation. I am about to show you a side of this world few know exist. Do not ask questions, and merely watch." What his friend could be talking about the young man hadn't the slightest clue about. Whatever it was it sounded quite serious, and from the implication it seemed that he'd be a part of a select group. How interesting. Doing as he was told, Lethe asked no questioned and didn't press the statement, and they arrived at the guard headquarters and threw Lon into a sturdy wooden chair, tying down his arms and legs to secure his position.

......"And now the fun begins." Teotl approached the still unconscious man, and began to slap either side of his face. It didn't take long for such an assault to bring the man back to his rude, crude, and unpleasant conscious state. For someone that was tied up he displayed a remarkable amount of courage, spewing obscenities that Lethe had only heard a few times in his life. Teotl replied harshly to such language, striking Lon across the face with a thick wooden club. The strike left several splinters embedded into his bronze skin, and red liquid oozed freely from his mouth. The blow had no doubt lodged a few teeth loose.

......"Cut the bullshit, Lon." The guard captain's disposition had swiftly changed from his usual casual personality to a serious and stern one that Lethe had yet to see. "Now, be a good little piece of infernal trash and tell us where Taramis is." Teotl drilled the man in the gut and placed his hands on either shoulder, drawing his face close. "Tell us, or we'll string you up by your ankles, slice your neck, and stain the earth with your blood."

......Lon, none the less brazen, spat in the guard captain's face. "Go to hell." The response from Teotl was both quick and violent, and his struck the pirate in the jaw with a balled up first. First from the right, then from the left, then from the right again. Several yellow and gnarled teeth fell upon the ground, a soft ping indicating their final descent. More blood flowed from the man's mouth, only this was much darker than Lethe had ever seen. "No, thank you." Teotl held Lon up by his stringy hair, "But, I'd be happy to send you back in pieces, if you so wish."

......A gnarled look grew upon Lon's face, and he spoke .. but, it was different. Any indication of the heavy accent he once had was gone, and his voice was deep and brooding. "Your petty threats don't intimidate me. Though, I'm curious, what do you walking sacks of meat want with one as great as he?"

......Echoing through the small hidden building, an amused chuckle escaped from Teotl's lips. "I think you know, Lon. Everyone else probably thought it was a random event that caused the hyena pack to attack humans, but we both know better. Such dark power can easily corrupt, and ... demonic animals are not immune to such powers." By this time the man had walked behind Lon, and he drew his katana, resting the bladed edge on the man's shoulder. He slowly began to rock it back and forth, it slowly eating into his flesh. "Have you ever hear the saying 'there's more than one way to skin a cat'? Well, I'd like to find him to test that saying out on a demon."

......A demon? The word echoed in Lethe's head several times. He'd heard of such creatures in bed time stories as a child and rolling off the tongue of old elders, but he didn't think they were real. Though, in some small way he believed in another realm of existence beyond their own, as it was the only way he could describe his survival from those grave wounds as a child and subsequent vivid dreaming with another being.

......"I can always try it on you first." Teotl's words rolled off his tongue with pure malice, the blade slicing down and taking a thick layer of skin off the pirate's shoulder. "Teotl, what are you ...!" Lethe began to protest, knowing this was no way to treat a human prisoner. Little to his knowledge, however, Lon was anything but a human. "Don't worry, Lethe. He deserves it ... in fact, let's see your true form." Without waiting for a response, Teotl began to beat the man across the face with his blade hilt. "C'mon! Let's see it!"

......Whack. Whack. Whack. First red, and then dark - almost black - blood continued to spill on the floor. First the grunts of a man accompanied it, but it quickly shifted and distorted into a much deeper tone. With each precise strike the man's face became more and more grotesque, but it wasn't because of the strikes alone. Whatever magic was maintaining his human appearance was either being knocked out of concentration with each blow or the damage to his body was causing it to fail.

......Whack. Whack. Whack.

......Whack. Whack. Whack.

......The product of the vicious blows staggered Lethe. It wasn't the face of a beaten man, but ... that of a grotesque and malicious demons. It was something like that etched into the walls of some of the ruins within the forest. Was he one of the creatures from those stories he heard as a child?

......Where a nose once rested upon a rugged face, dual nostrils sat immediately entering the skull, akin to a bare skill. Lon's eyes, once a hazy white and pink with a bright blue iris, was completely gold, a murky brown swirled in for good measure. His mouth held a row of razor sharp teeth, while it's ears split into three pointed corners. The hair was gone, replaced with gnarled, rough, wrinkly skin.

......"Ah, there we go. My, my, Lon. Even for a demon you're ugly as a cow's ass." Teotl struck him thrice more for good measure, and then bent down in front of him. "So, how about now? Feel like talking now?"

......The entire time this took place, Lethe was stuck in stunned silence. What's more he couldn't believe that he'd bested a creature of such raw power in a dual of blades. Then again, he could have been hiding a lot of his power to maintain his facade, as a beast incognito of his prey was most effective. Folding his arms across his chest, the amber eyed soldier watched with genuine interest. Who was this Taramis fellow?

......Lon - if that was his real name - erupted into a fit of coughs. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you." he snarled, "You'll just walk to your own death anyway. As if you could stand up to him." Teotl struck him again, the force so great it split the side of his face. Lucky for Teotl this wasn't the kind of demon that enjoyed pain. "Cut the shit, speak!" the guard captain barked, driving his finger into the fresh wound.

......"Gilleg! That old hermit Gilleg! He'll know where he's at." Lon promptly responded through grit teeth, a deep snarl escaping through his teeth. For some reason Lethe never thought that torture - of all things - would work against a demon. Based on what he knew he figured a demon would have to be interrogated with holy water ... or whatever the beliefs called for. He wasn't completely sure since he'd never subscribed to that train of though. With the ground drawn impure by the black blood of the faux human demon, Teotl patted Lon's head with a toothy grin. "Thank you."

......Without saying another word, the samurai beheaded the creature in one swift blow.

***

......Back and shoulders on fire from carrying the dead body away and the lifting he'd done during the rest of his shift, Lethe entered the tavern with Teotl. Pipe smoke and the closing night filled the tavern with darkness. Men swapping stories and telling lies filled the tavern with noise. To the west, near the mouth where the forest opened up, the sunset settled into the water, looking like dying red embers scattered from a stirred campfire. A cold north wind followed Lethe into the tavern The weather had changed in the last hour, as if shrouded upon the land by an eerie wind. Come morning, Teotl had told Lethe, there might even be a layer of ice covering the village. It wouldn't enough to lock travel, but it would still be a bother.

......Men looked up as Lethe walked through the small building. Some of the men knew him, and some were from caravans out in the rest of the world. All of their eyes were wary. The Village of the Moon wasn't a big village, but the numbers swelled when there were merchants and travelers coming through the village. And if a man wanted trouble in the village, this was where he came.

......There was no table space in the tavern. Three men Lethe knew slightly offered their tables with their friends. Lethe thanked them but declined, pressing on through the tables until he spotted the man Teotl had talked about earlier that day. The man was in his middle years, gray showing in his square cut beard. He was broad shouldered and a little overweight, a solid man who had seen an active life. His clothing was second hand, worn but comfortable looking, and warm enough against the cool winds blowing in from the north. He wore round lensed spectacles, and Lethe could still count on the fingers of both hands how many times he'd seen such devices.

......A platter of bread and meat sat to the man's left. He wrote with his right hand, pausing every now and again to dip his quill into an ink well beside the book he worked in. A whale oil lantern near the book prided him with more than enough light to work by. Lethe stopped only a short distance from the table, uncertain what he should say.

......Teotl pushed into him, directing him into the nearest seat. The disruption caused the man to look up, a smile forming on his face as he saw Teotl. "Ahh, Master Teotl."

......Master? Lethe was unsure how a guard captain could attain such a title from someone. Teotl cut Lethe off before he could speak and inquire about it. "Thank you. This is my finest up and coming soldier, Lethe. Lethe, this is my ... lieutenant, Darrick." To the reference the man gave a quiet nod, an expression of reassurance. The young samurai reviewed the statement in his head. "Lieutenant, Teotl? I've never seen this man in the village."

......The dark haired captain waved his hand, "That's because he's not a member of the village guard, Lethe. He's a member of the Order of the Moon - the real Order of the Moon, not that buffer organization they have in the village."

......"Real? What do you mean?"

......"Yes, real. The Order of the Moon they have in the village isn't the true one. It's just an extension of the guard I established under false pretenses. The true Order of the Moon is my own brain child ... or, rather, I inherited it." Teotl took a piece of bread, took a bite and chewed it. Savoring every flavor in the piece of maize, Teotl began once again. "As you saw in there, there are parts of this world plagued by powerful creatures called demons. We don't know exactly how they got here, only that it was nearly a decade ago we had our first contact here with them. They're vile creatures, Lethe, worst than the most insatiable animal. And, as such, they must be put down and never allowed to our village. That is why the Order was established, to hunt these creatures and ensure the safety of everyone in the area."

......By this time Darrick had been listening quietly, and he now spoke up, "That Lon fellow was a demon, as I'm sure you know. We had been tracking him for a past couple days, and ... well, we were going to take him out ourselves, but your interference was unforeseen. You have quite the ability, though, which is why -"

......Teotl cut in, "We want you to join us. The filth almost always have some leader when they're plaguing an area. The one we seek is known as Taramis. He's a demon of the ice." He gave a broad gesture to the outside, "Which you can probably feel by the air. I have a small strike force assembled - finest troops under my command - and we're going to set off to take the head of this demon tonight. Are you in?"

......And so, there it was, all out in front of him for the taking. A domino that would set an entire series of events in motion. It would be the start of something larger than Lethe could even comprehend at this point, and would set in motion a much grander plan. Being as impulsive as he tended to be and seeking to be a part of something greater than himself, it didn't take Lethe any time at all to respond.

......"I'm in."

***

......Although he'd ridden horses a few times while working with overland trade caravans, Lethe had never grown used to their lurching gait. Even a ship's deck riding the crests of a storm tossed sea felt more certain than the beast beneath him as it picked its way down the forested hillside. Luckily, the animal followed Teotl's mount along the narrow trail and required no real guidance from him. He only wished that he could sleep in the saddle as some of the other men accompanying him seemed to be able to do. Last night at the village tavern, Lethe would not have guessed that Teotl could show such leadership and be a part of something so much bigger than mere soldier work, and headed the small army of men encamped outside Seeker's Point. But after witnessing their professionalism and dedication to their quest, he understood how they could have escaped notice.

......All of the warriors rode in single file along the trail. Two riderless horses testified to the fact that scouts ranged on foot ahead of the group. The men rode with hardly any noise, their gear carefully padded so that nothing clinked or clanked. One could never be too careful when hunting demons. They were hard eyed men, like wolves that hunted in a pack. The wintry wind and the leaden, overcast sky of the evening further brought that appearance out. Lethe straightened in the saddle, trying to find a comfortable position. Since leaving the tavern last evening he'd ridden all night. A few times he'd dozed in the saddle, exhaustion finally overcoming his fear of falling off the horse, but that had been reawakened after only a moment or two when he woke and found himself sliding.

......A bird call sounded in the quiet of the forest.

......Lethe's sharp ears picked the sound out, recognizing that it was false on because he'd heard the same cry earlier. The call came from one of the two scouts ahead. During the night, they'd use owl cause to communicate, but this evening they emulated a small ruby throated wren that sailors sometimes took on board sailing ships to raise. One of the scouts stepped from the forest and loped alongside Teotl's mount, matching the long limbered animal with ease. The scout and the captain talked briefly, then the scout disappeared again. Teotl appeared unconcerned, so Lethe tried to relax. His muscles were stiff and sore from interrogating Lon the day before and the long ride during the night. More than anything, he wanted off the horse, and he wished he'd stayed in Seeker's Point. He had no business among these men, at least beyond Teotl's insistence. He supposed that his superior's command and implied confidence in him was enough to get him to do just about anything duty wise. But, these other men were something to strive to be like. They all seemed to be veteran warriors, and the few words that Lethe had overheard them say alluded to past battles with demons, though none of them was as powerful as their new target.

......Lethe pushed his breath out, watching it fog briefly in the chill of the evening. The farther they went towards their target the colder it seemed to get. He couldn't imagine why Teotl had asked him to come along when there were already so many warriors. Perhaps a promotion was in his future and this was but a field test of his strength? The notion that it could be a possibility was enough to make Lethe put up with this. Hopefully it'd be worth it.

......A little farther on, the trail they followed led out into a cleared space. Among the littering of tree stumps sat a small house with a thatched roof. The land on the south of the house had been cleared for gardening. the current crop appeared to be onions and carrots, but there were strand where vine crops had grown during the summer. In back of the garden was a door set into a small hill that Lethe believed would lead to a root cellar. A well occupied space between the garden and the small barn. An old man and a young boy came out of the barn. They looked alike that Lethe believed they were family, probably grandfather and grandson. The old man carried a pitch fork and a milking pail. The handed the pail to the boy and waved him back into the barn. The old man, who was bald and had a long gray beard looked upon the arriving entourage. He wore deerskin outer garments, but the neck of a purple blouse showed under the jacket.

......"May the Light bless you," the old man said, holding the pitchfork in both hands. A little fear showed in his eyes, but the confident manner in which he wielded the pitchfork told Lethe that the old man was prepared for trouble. "And may the Light bless you," Teotl said, reining his horse in a respectful distance from the old man. "My name is Teotl, guard captain of the Village of the Moon, and if I got your directions right, you'd be Gilleg Barrows."

......"Aye," the old man said, keeping his stance open. His bright blue eyes roved over the warriors and Lethe, "And if you're who says you are, I've heard of you." Teotl gave him a polite nod, "I am," He said, swinging down from his horse with easy grace. "I've got papers that prove it right enough." He reached inside his cloak. "They bear the village elder's mark." The old man held up a hand. A light sapphire glow enveloped Teotle. For a month a ruby glow surrounded the sage and kept the sapphire glow from him. Then the ruby light faded and vanished entirely. "Sorry." Teotl apologized, "I was told you'd be a cautious man."

......"You're no demon." Barrows said. "No," Teotl agreed. "May the Light blind them and bind them and burn them forever." He spat. It was obvious by the sound of his voice that he had a deep hatred for them and their kin. Even so, what Teotl had said seemed well enough for the old man. "I bid you welcome to my home, "Gilleg began. "If you and your men have not eaten, I'll have a simple dinner out soon enough if you'll have it."

......"We wouldn't impose." Teotl said. "It's no imposition." The old man assured him, flashing him a warm smile. "As you can tell from the trail you followed up, we seldom have company here." Teotl gave a polite nod, "I need you to know something further." He said. Gilleg regarded him, "You've come with sword for the demon that plagues this area. I knew that from the reading I took of you. Come on inside the house, and we'll talk. Then we'll see if you're prepared to cleanse this land or not."

......Teotl waved to his men to dismount, and Lethe dismounted with them.

......The wind whistled through the trees overhead.

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..Other: 1 TEXP (May 26, for earning more than 250 EXP)

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