Chapter 2: Tigers and Dragons
Bones sat at the desk of her inn room, face flat on the desk top smeared with ink. Beside her desk sits a trash bin that was overflowing with crumpled balls of paper; the reason she hated writing in ink. She had spent the last few days organizing her thoughts and trying to write a report, but she would catch one little mistake and too her luck she had no whiteout on hand, forcing her to crumple up the page she had been writing on and start all over again. Sometimes being detail critical was a real pain.
"Bones-sensei, it's time to wake up," Shiko said, gently shaking Bones.
The knight moaned as she picked her ink smeared face off the desk, wiping the sleepiness from her baggy eyes. Yawning so deeply that her jaw hurt, she turned to look at her squire while rubbing her soar jaw to end up having pick it off the ground.
Shiko was wearing nothing more than an apron and thigh long socks. Seeing how her master was looking at the girl blushed and asked, "Do you like, master."
The knight shook her head to clear her mind and looked at her squire again, but still she saw the young hunter in the most immodest costume she could imagine. Her eyes as large as shields, the knight looked away and rubbed the blood that began to trickle from her nose. "Um, Shiko-san, I, um… well to say… it's um, looks good on you… really good… But, um we shouldn't you be wearing something more, um… covering! As soon as I finish my report, we'll be leaving."
"Leaving? Where are we going?" the hunter asked, looking at her master curiously. She began to change.
"I have to get my nodachi repaired. It originally belonged to my mother and she told me when she gave it to me to go to a shop called the 'Dragon's Den'," the knight said, looking back. Seeing the forest elf in the process of undressing, she blushed deep red and quickly looked back at her desk. Ever since she k, kissed me, I've been unable to look at her whenever she's, she's… Damn! The very thought of it makes my blood rush to my head!
"Is something wrong Bones-sensei?" Shiko asked.
"Nah, it's nothing!" Bones said. With a shaking hand she put her ball point pen to paper and began to write. The sooner I get this done, the sooner we can get out of her here… DAMN IT! Making a mistake, she tossed her pin aside, crumpled the paper she had been writing on and threw it into the trash can.
"Um, could you need some help?" Shiko asked.
"It's okay, I just need to focus and…" Bones said, writing on the next page of paper only to end up crumpling it up and tossing it into the trash can.
"Please Bones-sensei, I'm your squire! Let me help you!" the girl said, laying her hands on the knight's. "I'll scribe for you.
"I guess it can't be help," the knights said, shrugging. "Dear Sir Lord Cadaver, I have made contact with a minion of the Hellborn Necromancer and consequentially obtained a squire, who at the same time, though the two are separate individuals. The minion was a sentient Hellborn Skeleton who had been murdering individuals and animating their remains to create a chain of murders that could not have easily been tracked back to it. Unfortunately, I was forced to destroy it before I could interrogate it about the location of its master. As for my squire, she is a Hellborn Genocide survivor like myself and is capable of performing Soulpiercing without chanting an incantation. This skill alone makes her invaluable to our cause and I'm than capable of handling her. I would be honored to have your blessing and imbue me with the wisdom needed to teach her as you taught me.
"I regress; we have investigated the town where the incident has happened and the surrounding area to find no immediate signs to suggest that there was any true purpose of the Hellborn Skeleton save to create as much chaos and despair as possible. I will search for any leads I can find, but I must first repair my nodachi which was greatly damaged in my battle with the Hellborn Skeleton. Due to the rarity of nodachi, I'm forced to locate a shop in Duslan'' called the 'Dragon's Den' whom my mother has told me to go when she originally gave it. I will keep you noticed if any new leads appear in my journeys. Sincerely, Bones."
The squire scribbled what her master dictated with the skill of a master calligrapher, stringing the characters gracefully across the page with thoughtful care. Bones almost didn't notice that the girl had cleverly added more into the part cornering herself especially their relationship.
"Wait! You can't
tell him that!" Bones exclaimed her face crimson red.
Meanwhile...
The gathered members of the council looked at the carrion crow with unmistakable surprise.
"Is this true Cadaver?" Asked a woman in draped in white cloak and white gown. Her face was hidden by the mask like collar of her dress and the shadows of her cloak's hood. The silver crescent moon that fastened her cloak symbolized her position as liaison between the Skullguard and the church.
"Nev'rmor is honest crow and has yet to make any mistakes as of yet. If what he saw is as we say, we are to place an investigation team into the area as we speak," Cadaver said.
"Bones, isn't she…?" the woman asked.
"She survived a hellfire genocide at his hands, but worry not she's not the type to rush off seeking revenge. In fact she is probably writing a report on the manner as we speak," the lord said, shrugging.
As though cued, a glowing pentagram appeared on the dining hall table. Flashing in so brightly that the council members were forced to shield their eyes, the pentagram disappeared leaving behind a black scroll case with the seal of the Skullguard. "Well speak of the devil." The knight grabbed the scroll case and broke the seal. Tossing aside it's cap, he drew a rolled piece of paper. He chuckled to himself and said, "My I never knew that she interested in girls like that."
"Well? What does it say?" the woman in white asked.
"Patience, Phantom, milady… we have all the time in the world," said another councilmember. Her dark skin which peeked through her veil and calasiris revealed her to be a sand elf from the northern desert.
"That's a little hypocritical Mummy, you're the most impatient of all of five of us," said another council member, dressed in a sailor suit whose shirt left her mid-rift exposed. She wore a bandana over her lower face from the nose down and an eye patch over right eye. Her tanned skin and aquamarine hair marked her as a ocean elf. "Right Carrion?"
The last of the five council members was draped in wolf pelts that hid his face, leaving his identity even more mysterious than Cadaver. He neither replied nor showed any signs of paying attention.
"Stay out of this Ghoul!" Mummy hissed.
"Bones has confirmed Nev'rmor's report and though by her claims, there are no traces in the immediate area of the town of Coton. Further more, it seems she is forced to go to Duslan' to get her nodachi repaired… her destination is the Dragon's Den."
Silence descended upon the council members.
"The Dragon's Den! Isn't that the heart of the Dragon Clan mafia?" Phantom asked shocked.
"The same mafia that dabbles in about everything illegal?" Mummy asked, confused.
"The same bastards that have been slipping under my nose, smuggling contraband into the main land and giving me a bad rep!?!" Ghoul added, her eyes flashing with anger.
Carrion didn't ask a question, but by the way looked towards Cadaver, he suggested that he was just as curious.
"Yes, the very crime organization that has used the lawless nature of Duslan' to their advantage. Not even we have the jurisdiction to disband them and all because they haven't abused the arts of necromancy in any manner that we could act on. They are thorn in the side of this entire continent and the surrounding seas and there's nothing that we can do! However this may be in our fortune. Though Bones is a dread elf, her mother left her homeland long ago and to my knowledge never told her anything about it. In other words, she may just be able to reveal something we can't. Even though she knows little of the Dryad's Cemetery, she knows enough to not foolish wave her badge around and get herself killed or worse by it."
"Worse?" Phantom asked.
"In Duslan', slavery isn't only allowed, it accounts for a third of its profit the other two thirds being narcotics and prostitution with the employees being most slaves themselves. In short, if she were be enslaved, she would wish she was dead."
"That's cruel! Isn't the Dryad's Cemetery in your domain?" Phantom asked.
"Yes, but I cannot
leave my castle for my political reasons and if I tried sending someone
in my place to change the laws, they'd be killed or worse…" Cadaver
said. "However, like I said she's not so stupid to get herself
in such a situation. The only thing that could possibly blow her cover
is discovering the Hellfire Necromancer or one of his consorts being
in Duslan', but what are the chances of that?"
"You're in a good mood," the cloaked man said, gauging Neco Lee who held a letter in her hands. As he had been before, he sat in his throne overlooking a chessboard with the rest of the room hidden in darkness.
"Neco Long has returned to Duslan'' and he says that he has brought back something quite exotic! Oh I must see what it is! You don't mind, do you?" The girl said.
"Duslan'' eh? I hear it's a haven for criminals. From slavers to necromancers, I hear the only law they obey is take what you kill," the man said, resting his chin on his wrist as he leaned forward with his elbows perched on one of the throne's armrests. "Tell me this, is it a coincidence you share the same surname?"
"We shared a father, each of our mothers taught us a different sin. For me it was lust and for him greed… Though there's a funny thing about him. He doesn't take money!" the girl said.
"Then what does he take?" the man asked.
"Services. You see we share something common, we both value cute girls!" the girl said walking over to one of her lifeless, animate dolls and pinched it by the chin.
"He intrigues me… I think I'll send a pawn to scout him out," the man said, waving forward a hand.
A cloaked figure stepped
out of the shadows with a scythe clutched in it's skeletal hands.
Clatter, clatter.
The Armatra soared down the tracks that determined it's destination. Bones, Marrow and Shiko sat comfortable in a homely passenger car, eating a late morning snack. Bones had bought some more caramel cubes and was plopping them into her mouth while Shiko nibbled on a double chocolate chip cookie and Marrow having wolfed down a loaf of sweet bread.
"Um, Bones-sensei?" Shiko began, looking up at her master.
"Yes, Shiko-san?" Bones asked back.
"I know this may sound bad, but what is Soulpiercing Silver?" the hunter asked, looking at her shamefully.
"I expected you wouldn't know. To perform Soulpiercing without an incantation requires years of training or natural talent, usually later having no idea what it is. I assumed you were the later and there's no problem with that. After all, as my squire, I must teach you everything, but to understand Soulpiercing you must first understand how necromancy works. Magic in general is fueled by the mana which is born from all living creatures and channeled by mages, but mana is incapable of animating the dead. Well in actuality you can animate a corpse, but you would have to manually control it's every action and is a really tedious task. I regress; to animate a corpse you place a sliver of your own soul into a corpse to bring it into semi-automatic animation." the knight said.
"Semi-automatic animation?" the hunter asked, confused.
"Well you see animation comes in three forms: marionette animation, semi-automatic animation, and full automatic animation. Marionette animation is the process of giving an inanimate object animation through manual manipulation while semi-automatic and full automatic animation do not require constant manual manipulation to be animated. The difference between semi-automatic and full automatic animation is that semi automatic animation relies on some one else to give it orders, but is capable of completing any order it is given such as your basic zombie or skeleton where as full automatic animation enables the animated object to think and act on its own such as liches and vampires. Are you following me so far?" the knight asked.
The hunter stared at master with a blank expression on her face. "Uh…"
"Well I guess I should simplified it for you. Marionette animation manipulates an object like a puppet. Semi-auto animation gives an object to act on orders without constant aid on its master side to an extent. Full auto animation gives an object free will. Does that help?" The knight asked.
"I think I understand now!" Shiko said smiling.
"Now as I said before for semi-auto animation, you must place a sliver of your own soul into a corpse to animate it. Well that sliver of soul can easily be cut if somebody were to harness their own spirit with an attack such as your arrows or my nodachi. The process of harnessing one's soul in this matter is called Soulpiercing, but it's difficult to do unarmed as you say back in the cemetery. However channeling it into any weapon is not easy either. A weapon made from silver of the purist quality has the ability to channel one's soul, hence it's referred as Soulpiercing silver. Of course silver of any quality can be turned into Soulpiercing silver, you merely need to purify it with a transmutation spell as I did," the knight said, fingering the remains of her nodachi.
"Can't you have it's blade forged with Soulpiercing Silver?" the girl asked.
"Not necessarily. The blade of a nodachi is folded a hundred times to make incredibly sharp, but frail in comparison to other swords. Unlike steel that is purified from iron, becoming stronger, silver that is purified into Soulpiercing silver becomes frailer and wouldn't survive the forging process." the knight explained.
"Oh, I see…" the girl said. "Um, why are riding the Armatra? Couldn't we just pass the border from Coton?"
"If you wanted to die, yes. The Dryad's cemetery was once a part of the Gaiose Forest until it was cut down in some long forgotten war, killing the dryad's that resigned in the trees. The dryad's blood soaked into the ground, their anguish cursing the entire area turning it into a swamp of unimaginable hatred and suffering. Dread elves were said to be born as a race on the day the swamp was born. Worse yet, over time many creatures have come to call that swamp home and if you aren't careful, they'll devour you," the knight said. "Or so my mother told me."
"Wow, I never knew," the girl said looking out the train's window at the dark patch of swamp just north of them.
"In order to make passage through the Dryad's Cemetery safe, the local hunters have taken the responsibility of securing a path for public use and everyone traveling along it. Of course, nobody's perfect and there's still a risk to taking this path, but compared to winging it and tackling the swamp blindly, it's more preferred," Bones said.
"I agree," the Shiko said.
Beep
"Arriving at the Dryad Cemetery Border Station. Please gather your belongings before leaving. Thank you for riding the Armatra." Announced a prerecorded voice over the intercom.
"We're almost there, better get ready," Bones said.
"Right," the girl said, collecting her assorted possessions.
As the trained pulled into the station, the trio departed the Armatra and faced the land before them. Dark clouds hung over the wetland strewn with the stumps of trees that have been cut down cemeteries ago, but appear to have cut down just the other day.
"They say the sun never shines in the dryad's cemetery and the clouds only part at night to allow the moonlight shine upon the corpses of nature to remind the residents the fate of the swamp…" Bones said. Looking over towards her squire she asked in concern, "Are you alright?"
"I can feel it's pain, it's sorrow! The land cries for an end to its suffering, but it can never find any. I cannot forgive whoever would be so selfish to do this!" Shiko answered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I just need to tune it out."
Sensitivity towards nature. Not many knights take consider nature to mean anything in the arts of necromancy, but death is merely a part of nature; one part we tend to deny nature of. Considering the hazards ahead of us, such a talent will be a great aid. The knight thought. "Let's get going, I hear things become more dangerous when night falls." Bones grabbed Marrow and carried her in her arms. "And remember, stay on the tree stumps!"
"Right!" the hunter replied.
The two elves began to traverse the swamp, leaping from stump to stump. They had no trouble determining where the path laid for every thirty feet, a pair of spears were stuck out of a stump on either side with a white ribbon tied to each for easy visibility. Every so often the path would fork with signs telling where each path lead, forcing the women to stop and read the signs to insure they didn't make a wrong turn and be forced to waste time back tracking. By mid day, they had stopped to rest and check a map they had picked up at the station. They estimated by the number of paths they had crossed, it were half way there.
"We're so lucky that it's less than a day's trip away," Shiko said, unpacking a bento lunch she had prepared for the three of them.
"Well Duslan' was originally the capital of the entire forest located in the heart of the country, but with the wide spread deforestation that lead to the swamp's creation, it became a crucial trade town between the swamp and the forest. I've also heard it's the home of several illegal businesses that we cannot do anything about it," Bones said. "Also I'd suggest you keep our status and allegiance secret. I don't want to think what would happen to us if the locals were to discover that we were law enforcement."
"K," Shiko replied, eating from her bento.
Arf! Arf!
Marrow, who had left her bento spotless as though she had been left to starve was staring at the girls, hoping to get some table scraps.
"Sorry girl, but we have to build up as much energy as possible," Bones said between shoveling the food into her mouth.
It's kind of disturbing to watch, but I guess pets do take after their masters… Bones-sempai must be famished! The girl thought watching her master with wide eyes.
None were aware of a tentacle like vine slithering out from the wet soil and coiling about the stump where Shiko was sitting. Snaking around one of the girl's legs, the vine retracted, jerking the hunter into the ground.
"Eek! What's going on?" The hunter tried, grabbing the stump.
"Crap!" Bones cried. She reached for her nodachi to remember that it was unusable. I guess nature sensitivity doesn't really help when you're distracted!
"Bones-sensei help!" the girl cried, struggling against the vine with clear signs of winning.
More vines rocketed from the ground, grabbing the girl everywhere she could and more often than not that was somewhere quite peculiar.
"No! I'm saving myself for Bones! Stop it!" The hunter cried.
"Let go of her!" Bones yelled grabbing the vines. "(Drain dry, wither in the sun, wilt and die)!"
The vines began to thrash about violently as they began to shrink and writhe, turning an unhealthy brown as it fell lifelessly and broke apart.
"I was so scared!" Shiko cried, wrapping her arms about the knight's neck.
"It's okay… be better hurry. I don't know if that would be the last of them," the knight said, rubbing the girl's back soothingly.
"O, okay!"
The girl said, sniffling.
By night fall the trio had reached Duslan', but their clothes had seen better days. Anyone that would be walking the path after them would find it strewn with the bodies of countless creatures they had the misfortune of encountering on their journey.
"S, so many tentacles! I, I thought that was suppose to be the safest way through," Shiko said, looking anxiously at a nearly empty quiver she remembered filling before they had left Coton.
"I hate to imagine what we would encounter if we had wander off the path," Bones said, panting.
"Arf!" Marrow barked. She, of the three, was the most untouched mostly because she was no more of a threat to the creatures than a nuisance compared to the armed elves.
"Well we better change our clothes before locating the Dragon's Den," Bones said looking at her tattered clothes.
"But beside my yukata and apron, these are my only clothes," Shiko said, blushing.
"I only have my knight uniform… I didn't expect that we'd be staying long enough to have to change clothes. I guess we'll have to find the nearest clothier," the knight said, sighing.
Neither woman saw the
shadows that had been watching them and slipped in pace behind them
at a safe distance as they began to climb the stone stairway that lead
to the city.
Duslan' was a city built above the ground long before the Dryad's Cemetery came to be. Some might argue that it was more of a castle than a city as a high wall encased the city, protecting from being raided. Built on a high foundation of stone with the only means of accessing it was through the stairs at each of it's four entrances named in respect to their location in the city (North, East, South and West). Though there were no guards in sight, the women could feel eyes piercing them. Even Marrow was on her guard, looking from wall to wall with suspicion. Occasionally the moon's light would reveal that every so many feet there were narrow, vertical holes in the walls that framed the stairs; arrow slits.
"Be on your guard, but don't brandish any weapons," the knight said softly.
"Roger," Shiko replied.
The stairs leveled out onto a rather empty street. Occasionally a cloaked figure would skulk from one alley into another as the trio walked down the dark, unlit streets of the city. The town was silent until they heard somebody scream.
Shiko tried to run to investigate it, but Bones stopped her, shaking her head. Soon the sound had ended as suddenly as it began. "Please remember there is law in Duslan' and all heroes end up with a dagger in their back," she warned her squire.
Soon enough the screaming had ended as suddenly as sudden as it began.
The girl looked longingly in the direction of where she heard the screaming coming from, but could do no more than sigh heavily and followed her master who once again began searching the streets for a clothier.
"(That face…)" whispered one of the shadows who trailed the trio.
" (It's similar, but she would have aged by now. That girl speaks like a forest elf.)" the other shadow commented.
"(But didn't she run off to the forest three decades ago?)" the first shadow said.
"(Are you saying they're related?)" the second asked.
"(Never know. We should tell Master Long, no?)" the first suggested.
"(The Den is too far away. They say their looking for a clothier. We should tell Lady Weiming instead!)" the second replied.
"(You're right. I'll take the back alleys and inform Lady Weiming of their coming while you stay behind make sure they reach the White Tiger's Wardrobe,)" the first said, slipping into a nearby alley.
"(Right!)"
the second shadow said.
"You girls, have no stamina!" a woman said in the back rooms of the White Tiger's Wardrobe. "If you die on me so easily then what I will be able to play with eh?" She kicked aside a corpse of a naked girl whose body was covered in several wilts, cuts and scars as she walked to a cage in the far back of the room. Cracking a whip, the woman looked towards a cage containing several other girls and smiled. "I'm glad Master Long talked me into buying these slaves in bulk. They only last so long before they break. Now which of you am I going to play with next?"
The girls, numbering between ten and twenty, were cramped in a cage so small that they barely had standing room. All been stripped naked save for a slave collar each wore. They shivered in fear and the coldness of the room, some crying, others begging for forgiveness while some given up on all hope. None would believe these girls were once the daughters and sisters of the city's very own residents whom their own fathers and brothers had sold to the slavers to pay for protection from the Dragon clan.
As the woman walked to the cage and was about to open it, a shadow appeared behind her. "You're interrupting my play time so you better have a good reason lest your death be slow and painful!" the woman hissed, glaring at the shadow that kneeled behind her.
"Two women have entered Duslan' in which has a face similar to her. They are in search of clothes and will being arriving here any time soon," the shadow said.
The woman's eyes glowed with a sadistic joy. From ear to ear a wicked grin crossed her face. "Is that so? Then I'll make sure to greet them properly! By chance does Master Long know yet?"
"No milady, but I intend to tell him afterwards," the shadow said.
"Take that body with you. I made sure to keep her face untouched so that he can sell it to his number one customer," the woman said pointing to corpse.
"As you wish milady," the shadow said grabbing the corpse and disappearing.
"I'm sorry my pretties,
but it looks like I'll have to greet some guests. Don't worry, I'll
be back!" The woman said, turning away from the cage and walking
behind a wall screen stripping of the tight fitting, black leather outfit
she had been wearing, revealing the Chinese character of "hu"
on her back.
"How long is this street?" Shiko asked. "Are we still on the same block?"
"It's impossible to read the signs in this light," Bones said rubbing her eyes. "If only there was somebody to ask for directions?"
"Are you lost?" a voice asked behind them.
"EEK!" Shiko cried, hugging Bones with her hands unintentionally squeezing the knight's breasts.
"GRRR!" Marrow growled, bearing her fangs.
"Forgive me if I gave you a scare," said a cloaked figure behind them. "But I didn't recognize your faces and thought you were new around these parts."
"Well thank you," Bones said, smiling. How convenient; just when we announce we're lost somebody steps out of nowhere to help us… You think we'd be fooled so easily? "Would you by chance know where the closest clothier is?"
"If you mean the White Tiger's Wardrobe, just head down the street. You should be able to see it's sign from here…" the cloaked figure pointed a finger in the direction of where the women had been going.
As if cued, a distant light appeared at the end of the street.
"I see it, but how come we couldn't see it now?" the hunter asked.
"It's a special shop that only opens at midnight which, luckily for you, it now is! I hear they're having a sale so you better hurry before all the good clothes are taken!" the cloaked said.
"We'll be sure to make haste. Is there any way we can help you for your humble generosity?" Bones asked.
"Well, if you don't mind giving telling me your name?" the cloaked figure asked.
Damn it! I can't really give use my knight name around here. There's a chance they've heard of me and like hell am I going to use that name… Well I guess I can always use her name. "It's Gútóu Daiyu," the knight said.
This took the cloaked figure by surprise. "I, Is that so? Well nice to meet you, 'princess' Daiyu," the cloaked figure said, bowing. "Now if you don't mind, I must depart," the cloaked figure said, turning on heel and hastily retreating into an alley.
'Princess'? Why do I have the feeling that I've just made things tens times harder than us? The knight wondered, looking at the cloaked figure.
"Daiyu?" Shiko asked looking at the knight.
"It's my mother's maiden name. I thought I could in place of my 'real' name to keep from drawing too much unwanted attention, but I fear it did just the opposite…" Bones said, rubbing her forehead. "I'm pretty sure this "White Tiger's Wardrobe is some kind of trap, but we don't have much of a choice, stay on your guard."
"Roger!" The girl said.
"By the way… you can let go of my breasts now," the knight added, seeing that the girl hadn't let go of her yet.
"Sorry!" The hunter cried retrieving her hands in embarrassment.
The two women and dog headed down the street, prepared for any trap that was thrown at them.
"Milady!" The cloaked figure said, slipping through the back door of the White Tiger's Wardrobe.
"Are they coming?" the woman asked.
"Yes, but there's something you must know! The girl that looks like her claims to have the same name as her!" the cloaked figure said.
"Well then we ever have a suicidal princess or a dumb liar, either way, I'll enjoy making scream in pain!" the woman said, laughing sadistically.
"But if by some chance it's really her-" the cloaked figure began.
"Cuts and bruises will heal and that bitch knows it so if she dare gives me any shit about roughing the girl up a little, then I'll suggest to Master Long that the she's been withholding money from him. That'll surely shut her up!" the woman said with a sinister grin. "Now be gone! I have customers to attend to!"
"Yes milady," the cloaked figure said bowing and dashing through the back door.
"Every second that
passes makes me want to see if it's true… if the slave princess has
really returned!" the woman said laughing to herself.
The White Tiger's Wardrobe was hard to miss as it was the most whitest of all buildings, made with what appeared to be the same white marble as Coton's morgue. It had a large neon sign bearing a white tiger laying atop a wardrobe over a double door.
"Am I blind or is are all painfully visible locations carefully hidden so that you can't find it until after you've asked for directions?" Bones asked Marrow.
"Well I guess they used the same architect…" Shiko said. I hope there's no corpses inside.
The women entered the building to greet by a very alive and large white tiger that pounced on Marrow.
"Marrow!" Bones cried, grabbing the tiger by the golden collar it wore and trying with all her strength to pull it off the dog.
"Saber! Where's your manners? We don't eat our customer's pets, now do we?" the women from the back room said. She wore here long brown hair up in twin braids on either side of her head two large loops, a gray, sleeveless tight fitting qipao, long gloves and thigh long boots.
The tiger reluctantly got off of Marrow who was hiding her head under her paws, whimpering.
"Marrow are you okay?" Bones said, looking the dog over for injuries.
"Forgive her, she has a tendency to pounce on any little animal she can. It's a game to her," the woman said, shaking her head. "I'll be sure to punish her strictly later."
"…" Shiko remained silently, clenching her fists so tightly that her knuckles were white. The knight may have been to preoccupied to notice the tiger's back side was patch work of long, thin lesions; the wounds from being whipped repeatedly. The sadistic tone of the woman's voice filled her with rage. She's trying to hide it, but she's overjoyed with the idea of wounding it. Sure it's may not be the most well behaved creature, but to harm it to the extent of animal cruelty, how dare you take pleasure in it!
"Shiko-san, can you help me? You surely have more knowledge on animal anatomy than I," Bones asked in dry tones, sensing her squires ire.
"Y, yes!" the hunter said, kneeling beside the dog.
"I saw the scars and I know how you feel, but please control your emotions… We can't afford to be making scene here. I'll report this to council and hopefully they can do on something," the knight said, squeezing the girl's hand comfortingly. Even though I know that they can't do anything, let's allow her to hope for a while.
"Right…" the girl said sorrowfully. She gave a long look at the tiger who glared at it's master with clear disgust and sighed.
"Judging by your dress, you must have a hard journey here… Worry not! We have the best clothes in all of Duslan'!" the woman said. As cold as ice yet gentle as the spring breeze… if you're a fake, you're quite a good actor, 'princess', the woman thought as she lead the women through a series of clothing wracks.
They didn't drop their guard or forget the tiger, they went allowed themselves to enjoy picking through the clothes. It seemed that the only way for Shiko could keep herself from loosing her temper was hunting down the most revealing clothes to try on and show off in front of Bones, much to the knight's embarrassment. Though they merely had the intention of replacing their tattered clothes, the women ended up with a armful of clothes each.
"My what good tastes," the woman said smiling.
"I fear we got carried away. I doubt I have enough money to pay for all for of this!" Bones said, blushing embarrassedly.
"Don't worry 'Slave Princess' Diayu, I'm more than sure you and your companion can pay for it and the rest of your tab back in the brothels!" The woman drew a whip from her qipao and struck at Bones.
"Don't you dare hurt her!" Shiko cried, throwing herself in the whip's path. The girl flinched as the whip struck her.
"Shiko-san!" Bones grabbed the girl.
"I'm okay, Bones-sensei," the girl said, smiling at her master. Blood trickle down her face from the wound the whip opened, spilling into one her eyes and down her cheek.
"As your master, it is my responsibility to protect your health even if it means throwing away my life. I cannot let anybody to harm my squire and go unpunished!" the knight said. "I don't care what happens to me, but I will not tolerate anything happening to her."
"Yes, yes, preach all you want, you won't get far in this town, 'Princess'," the woman said, snapping the whip again.
The caught the whip in her hand and clenched it shut, refusing to let go no matter how hard the woman tugged on it. Wrapping the whip around her hand, she charged forward and grabbed the woman in her free hand. "(Destruction in tune, the power of decay, bring all I touch to ruin!)" Smoke drifted under her hand, causing the woman to scream in agony. "For the crimes of assaulting a knight and her squire, I punish you with social execution!" She let go of the woman who fell to the floor clutching her face and screaming venomously at her.
"Bones-sensei!" Shiko said, looking at her master with fear. She wasn't afraid of her master, but rather for her. She remembered clearly upon entering being told to keep their status secret, but Bones had outright exposed themselves.
"Even the gentlest dragon bears it fangs when it must protect it's loved ones," the knight said, wiping the blood off of the hunter's face. "However I fear I've jeopardized our cover. We better get business done and leave before things turns ugly."
"But the tiger!" The hunter said.
The knight smiled, "Don't worry. It has become a part of our business."
They ignored the woman that rolled around the floor, screaming the most hideous of curses at them one, as they searched for the tiger. They caught glimpse of its tail as it passed through a door in the back of the clothier and followed through. What they found on the other side shocked them.
Having entered the back room, they saw the cage filled with naked, shivering women, begging to be let free. The tiger sat by the cage looking at them with eyes filled with hope.
"Thank you honored Tora-sama," the hunter said, bowing the tiger. Looking at the lock she saw that there was no key hole or other visible manner of unlocking it.
"It's a spell-lock only the person who locked it can unlock it," the knight said. "(Dust to dust, ash to ash, turn everything I touch into rust!)" With the spell's completion, she laid her hand on the lock and caused it to rust. With a swift yank, the lock broke off. She threw the cage door open and yelled, "You're free now! Escape while you have the chance!"
None of the women moved. "Why? The dragon-ladies will just hunt us down and capture us again. We were sold to the Dragon clan to pay off our family's debts. If we did escape, we'd be sold straight to the brothels or worse," said one of the girls.
"Or worse?" the knight asked.
"We would be where we are now. There were originally thirty of us altogether and now less than twenty remain because our current master spends her time torturing us to death. It's the price we pay for trying to escape. If we escape again we will be killed and sold to their best customer, the necrophiliac Neco Lee…"
"Neco Lee… Anybody
who does business with that woman regardless of the fact she's a criminal
is aiding and abiding a public enemy! If that is the case, I will bring
the entire Skullguard on this Dragon Clan if I must to shut it down!"
The knight declared.
"Long time, no see sister," spoke a man dressed in a black changshan, trousers, dou li with a veil covering the back and sides of his head and half veil covering his face from the nose down. He sat on an overstuff couch, embraced by two identical twin girls with the most peculiar of skin. In one hand he carried a pipe in which mysterious green smoke rose from it's bowl.
The girls that were wrapped about wore their black hair in ox horns and wore black sleeveless qipao with a immodestly short skirt, thigh long socks. Their skin held a green tint and hanging from their forehead was a mysterious talisman with "xianshi" or "Immortal Corpse" written on it.
"So what have you brought for me?" Neco Lee asked.
"Well there's been a complication. You see, one of the Tigerqueen's cub had bought some slaves from and, in the process, smuggled my gift for you from under my nose. I fear if you wish to have it, you must hunt her down and take from her (preferably cold, dead) fingers,"
"Where can I find this little cub?" Neco Lee said angrily.
"The White Tiger's Wardrobe. Feel free to level the place. It's an eyesore and I've been wanting to get back at that damn Tiger Clan for ever since I first stole this city from them. They've been ruining the name of the Dragon Clan to get back at us and stand in our way of bring organization to this lawless hellhole. You do as you wish with the slaves she's bought," the man said, waving dismissively.
"Though I don't like how you're ordering me around, I'll gladly clean up after you, brother Long," Neco Lee said. "I'll make that bitch pay for stealing my toys." The girl said with a wicked grin on her face.
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