[...] <~ This is what the author will use to indicate out of story sass.
(...) <~ As of now this is character inner thought.
'...' <~ This is character mental speak like between Qaurtz and Fuyu.
"..." <~ This is actual speech.
-I'm just a line break ignore me-
Dawn was on the horizons and shadows return from within the receding mist, figures watched as the new face from last nightfall appeared through the mist followed by another fresh meat both smelling of blood and a successful hunt.
This trial made tradition by those before them was passed, astonishing many for it has been years since another has joined the ranks of the shadows. It looks like an initiation will finally be held after years of silence within the Shadow District.
(^v^) <~ [Why...is this face scary?]
But the other new face will be watched, after all...anything or anyone that came from the forest would be all but soaked in the Spectral and bound by either Fate, Destiny, or h*ll Glory could even show themselves to Sanguis once more after millenia.
Darkness smiled at the Night and Shadows to welcome upon the world stage a new generation, *We wonder who will become the Kings this cycle…*
-I'm just a line break ignore me-
I went inside, keying Gold Eyes to the wards [less of a mouthful than 'formations'], still feeling the eyes watching me, the only good thing I felt when we got home (and when did this place become home?) is the relief of knowing that no one tried to break in. It was now 7 AM so for hunters it was time to recover, regroup, (sleep) and wait for another nightfall.
Looking through Nekoma's eyes I find that, as expected, Silvie is still dead asleep but I have a feeling that won't continue. So as a way to keep my somewhat sane mind (and not at all because I am giving in to golden puppy eyes) I went and started breakfast (dinner for me really).
"Gold, wait, food done 5" - Woah, 5 words..[barely].
For my troubles I received a small twitch in the lips which I'll take.
'Hn, Quartz shower, my room.'
'...' - "Hey, kid. Follow me you're dragging dirt on the floor." - [Who do you think actually talk in complete sentences in this house, [that's not asleep.]
I made bacon, eggs, and rice, [we're not savages] feeling the adrenaline deep in my bones [we know it's in the brain okay it's a figure of speech] calm the ache of a high [god he's addicted]. I set up the table and then settled my perfectionist by cleaning up the places Gold Eyes went through (it looked like a warzone) and welcomed Silvie who demanded tea immediately upon arrival.
Shaking my head, I gave the tyrant her tribute, I was addicted to coffee [not the crappy sh*t, espresso and high quality grounds, *whispers - savages *shake head - who the h*ll drinks that watered down crap], Silvie is a slave too tea, and we're both slaves too meat [what? their carnivores] and adrenaline.
We just got started on our plates when Gold Eyes came out hair dripping wet and looking like a young startup model wearing some of my extra clothes of a white t-shirt and black jeans. Silvie immediately focused attention on the newcomer, curious, as I never bring anyone home.
[Hair a deep maroon red color with slitted dragon-like golden eyes.]
"Hey! What's your name big brother?" - Sil [nickname, which is just an excuse for less writing.]
"My name is Kasai Tengoku, Heaven's Fiery Justice." - Kasai
My eyes narrowed and dilated as I recognized his name and title. Quartz wrapped uneasily around Silvie's legs as we were sitting down with the genius enforcer of the Tengoku family, nicknamed Heaven's Royalty. I suddenly realized something as the information registered, what were one of the Tengoku doing in the middle of nowhere, registering as a rank 1 stage 1, no space ring or equipment, and banged up enough to resort to stealing prey from another?
The Tengoku family were one of the Sacred 12, a group of high tier bloodline beast-hunting families which together keep the human territories safe against invasions by extra dimensional creatures. Out of the 12, the Tengokus were considered the semi-official leaders because of their innate leadership abilities and strong combat power. Seeing one of them away from the frontier, high mana zones prone to dimensional rifts, is almost a miracle in of itself.
I was suspicious, not about his identity, that was confirmed by his appearance and general aura, but for why he was here, people like him don't appear somewhere backwater like Chronos City for no reason.
"Enforcer, why are you hurt and here?" - Fuyu [How did he…]
He laughed, quite loudly and bitterly, and took his time swallowing a piece of bacon before speaking gesturing for me and Quartz to calm down, Silvie had no idea what was going on so just kept on eating while staring at the confrontation.
"Don't worry I won't bring trouble to you, the ones who did this to me think me dead and gone. I was betrayed by one of my court and poisoned, at this point I am a new hunter with no court or background, I was only lucky to have survived the assassination with my cultivation ruined." - The Fallen Enforcer Kasai
"Hn, speech? Summons?" - Fuyu who shot Silvie a look as she clearly wanted to say something but thought better of it after that.
"I can speak better after getting some food in me and a shower, sorry about the previous impoliteness. Regarding my grimoire, it was damaged and many of my contracted harmed during the assassination attempt, during my escape only 2 of my newer and thus weaker members were combat ready. I was lucky to have ran into you, if I had been forced to stay there for any longer I feared I would have suffered quite tragically." - The for some reason Nice and Talkative Kasai
"Hn, why tell? What next?" - Fuyu serious and cautious
"I tell you this because for one you are my savior and I owe you an explanation at the least and for two you are a powerful and talented contractor. One who from what I can tell just after finishing your ceremony and getting your partner was able to advance to stage 2 and hunt stage 3s or even higher and also have a good character that would save someone who tried to steal your kill. This ties into what I want to do next, I know that you know who I am, I know that you want to become stronger to protect yourself and your family, so how about you join me as the first member of my new (and better) court and help me, once again, reach the apex?" - An inspiring and passionate Kasai
"...Why you talk so much? Just say you want to recruit my brother, it's a lot less of a mouthful." - A cheeky Sillvie
"Hn, agreed. Enforcer, tell benefits." - Fuyu in full consideration mode cause this could determine his future.
"...Well first of all, if you join me I know a beast with your affinities who owes me a favor you can get an augment from." - Kasai
"How, specifics, and what else?" - Fuyu
"I can sense your affinity cause I am hypersensitive to mana, the beast herself will explain it to you if you agree, and better yet I will eventually hold multiple companies which can gather resources for your cultivation and advancement." - Kasai being a real sellout and 'humble' brag right now.
"'Eventually'?" - Fuyu
"Yes, I have multiple claims of ownership which in the past have been forgotten and ignored." - Kasai
I looked at Silvie and Quartz, with the cards all laid on the table, well at least the ones relevant right now, it was time to make a decision which we all knew would impact our future greatly. Do we join with this fallen great son of heaven [literally] or do we strike it on our own and avoid this complicated and seemingly unnecessary situation.
[We'll know next time on Dr*g*n B*ll-
*Cough - Ignore the idiot, "Back to the Dungeons with you!!".
*Screaming and crying fading and becoming muffled
*Sigh - See you next time. - *Whispers/Murmur - I hope he doesn't hurt him too bad this time…]
-I'm just a line break ignore me-
Big Decision & Advancement
I stood representing myself, Silvie, Quartz, and our future family (contracted beasts or humanoids it doesn't matter) to walk over and bow to my new King.
Hunters have for millenia created groups called "Courts" with whom they would travel and fight alongside with. Kings are the leaders and creators of a court, they can be anybody but it is extremely hard to become a successful one as the work is arduous, they have to manage, support, create, and protect their courts. All the while, hunters are a bunch of crazies and when you want to be respected and obeyed by one, not to mention potentially dozens of them you had better be strong, intelligent, and charismatic.
In courts, members usually end up becoming closer than kin and strongly protective of each other and especially the King who is traditionally the lynchpin of the group. I am also under the impression that many court members will take on roles denoted by positions such as queen, bishop, knight, etc. Members are theorized to also be naturally very well matched as Kings will normally only make a strong member they are well-matched with a Queen who is thought off as his partner in combat and romance.
For Kasai, who mind you was a powerful and from what I can see just [like fair] King, to be betrayed and almost assassinated was unthinkable to me or probably any other hunter. To betray a King after the ceremony and acceptance into the court is considered a worse crime than genocied to the large majority of hunters. Especially to hunters who wish for a king able to bond with and guide them. [Unless their natural leaders, then they just kinda hate each other.]
When you accept an invitation into a court, it isn't just a group that you join, it is a family, and members accepted by a King gain a bond similar to a familiar one or a family bond whereupon it is a simple matter to feel each other's state or, if the bond is deep enough, their emotions. This makes betraying a King sacrilege to hunters but it also makes a King like Kasai most wished for and wanted.
To have this opportunity land at his feet almost blew Fuyu's mind. It was almost too good to be true in a lot of ways and agreeing was almost unquestionably the correct decision in this moment. To be the first member of a court, especially a soon to be powerful court, made his position higher than new members and with Kasai being an experienced King not to mention a Tengoku it was a matter of time before this paid off.
Now to finalized the deal.
"Are you sure?" - Kasai
"Yes, I Fuyu Attakai swear allegiance to my new King." - Fuyu still on one knee in front of Kasai
"Good. Before we start the ceremony, do you have any previous contracts or something that might impact the ceremony?" - Kasai…
I hesitated in responding before reaffirming my decision and deciding that if he was going to be my King I wouldn't want any secrets coming in between us. Slowly, as I still wasn't sure I wanted Silvie or anyone in fact to see this, I took off my coat and unbuttoned my shirt revealing tattoos of chains, which thankfully didn't get to incircle my neck or arms, on my torso and back. The chains were steel-like and etched onto them were runes that if completed would have bound me as a slave to that b*st*rd rich kid who thought he could claim me.
I closed my eyes, fearing the reactions of my loved ones and future King to the uncompleted slave contract markings I have just showed them. Hearing nothing, I was tempted to open my eyes to reassess the situation when I felt calloused fingers brushing my hair aside to hold my cheek. I opened my eyes to the sight of my sister in shock and tears, Quartz looking (and feeling) sad even though he couldn't have done anything during the moment, and Kasai's jaw locked as his eyes spoke of rage and disgust.
I flinched back from the sight and realised my aura into the air trying to comfort my sister and Quartz while not being sure what I was suppose to do for Kasai.
"Who did this to you? And how did this happen?" - Kasai
Hearing his tone, I lowered my head and spoke the truth hoping to soothe his righteous anger on my behalf.
"I caught the attention of a rich second generation hunter during my awakening ceremony and didn't notice him because of his cloaking magic item. He threw a stun capture card at me making me unable to defend myself leaving me at his mercy. He took his time gloating over his success as I am well known as a very powerful and talented soon to be hunter in the past and disturbed Quartz who was still a normal King Cobra at the time. Quartz seeing the opportunity while he was fighting against my will to establish the contract attacked and rescued me resulting in these chains." - Fuyu
"Did you take care of the corpse?" - Kasai
"Yes." - Fuyu
"Perfect, as expected of someone I will make apart of my new court. The fact that you got ambushed in the first place will need to be discussed and worked on but regardless I commend you on your response to the situation as it sounds like you went about it systematically and logically. The contract that f*ck*r tried on you won't interfere much in the ceremony, at most it would bend the uncompleted disgusting mess that is on your body to a more artistically moving symbol to represent our bond. Now before we hopefully remove or at least change that messed up thing, I will let you know beforehand that I think that with a bond between us you will get some emotions that don't really make sense at times and thoughts that are slightly out of place. This is normal and to be expected, so please don't worry about it moving forward.
Now, I, Kasai Tengoku, invite the hunter Fuyu Attakai to my court as my prime neo member, the first of my court "Ethereal Dusk". I will hold you as my right and left hand, my commander, and my queen. I extend my hand symbolizing my heart, mind, and soul, will you, Fuyu Attakai, accept my heartfelt invitation?" - Kasai [Wow dude, smooth...]
I was in shock but still continued the ceremony following my decision to accept him.
"I, Fuyu Attakai, accept Kasai Tengoku as my King and lord, I will join his court and never betray him, helping to prop us up higher and higher to become the strongest. I accept my place as his right and left hand, his commander, and his queen. I extend my heart, mind, and soul to him and gratefully acknowledge his heartfelt invitation with my own acceptance." - Fuyu who is talking more than he was with Quartz. [Wow dude, betrayal, you weren't even this talkative during Quartz's contract also I'm 100% sure this is the most he has or ever will speak.]
"We bind ourselves to each other as lord and subject, may the Eternities bare witness to our bond stronger than blood and friendship!" - Fuyu and Kasai together.
-I'm just a line break ignore me-
Kasai's POV:
When we finished the ceremony both of us were exhausted but my new queen especially so considering he was still wrung out from his hunt. I herded him into the shower his contracted showed me too, telling him to rest afterwards as we both were too tired to talk more about our plan moving forward.
I felt sky high considering I had just nailed a genius hunter in a backwater place like this Chronos City. I felt slightly guilty about not telling him the full consequences of the contract but for how much we both will benefit I felt that it will cancel itself out.
Finding someone so well matched to my soul length and affinities here astounded me, especially as I was barely surviving in that moonlight forest and was saved by his arrival. His unsuccessful, thank the Eternities, slave contract actually helped me in this instance as within our contract it should make him more willing to listen to my orders but clear headed and unaffected by the bond otherwise.
My queen was beautiful, talented, and from what I have seen smart and calm in battle, exactly what I wanted in a partner and queen. I can't wait for Fuyu to become strong enough to notice the magical and soul length compatibility between us. The link was almost to the level of soulmates and natural pairings. I even have a feeling that when Fuyu and I reach a rank high enough to soulbound and assimilate completely with our bloodlines the bond would reach that level.
I really can't wait to get to know him better, I know that we both are strangers right now but I felt drawn to him by more than just our magic and soul. I can't thank the Eternities enough for this opportunity after my near assassination, I knew I should have never allowed that weasel to find members for my court!
"When I come back with my new court and queen they had better be prepared for my revenge."