— ✦ —
— ✦ —
A robed man stepped from behind the corner along with one man clad in armor. Then two, then six.
That can’t be…
The robed man leaned his head forward slightly and with his wrinkly hands, lifted the hood.
A faint smile revealed itself on his face.
“Greetings, monster.” His voice croaked out.
Hiroshi’s body tensed as he shifted to a side, readying himself to strike if need be.
“We’ve been following you.”
One of his eyes widened, his grin widening.
“Who are you?” Hiroshi stated.
“Who are we? We’re The Oitheric Order.” He tapped at his crest on his robe.
Shit. That’s the sign that was engraved on the chimera… and in the goblin cave…
Just who are they?
“State your business with me, make it quick.” Hiroshi ordered.
“Well now, that’s a bit rude. I think it’s proper we start with introductions, don’t you think?”
Hiroshi stayed silent.
“I am Inquisitor Orenthis, of The Oitheric Order. I serve our god, Oitheric. What is your name, kid?” His smile remained.
He’s an inquisitor? He must be different from the rest of his goons.
I shouldn’t reveal too much.
“I am—”
Hiroshi Tanaka
A different word came out of his mouth.
“Lilith.”
Lilith?! Who's Lilith?! Why couldn’t I say my name?!
“Oh, Lilith?” He put his hand to his chin and rubbed it.
“It sounds… familiar.”
He reached for his robe and took out a small notebook and flicked through it, grunting in agreement.
“Mhmm. That matches the record. Interesting.”
Record? Something’s wrong here.
The inquisitor closed the notebook and put it back in his pocket.
“We’re here to make a simple… deal… with you.”
His eyes squinted a little, looking at the soldiers clad in white armor.
Status Inspect.
Initiate Oitheric Knight
Level 35
HP: 4500/4500
MP: 2000/2000
Skills: Holy Strike, Light’s Touch, ???, ???
He glanced over at another one of them.
Oitheric Knight
Level 45
HP: 5500/5500
MP: 2500/2500
Skills: Crusader’s Pierce, Holy Strike, Divine Blessing, ???, ???
So, there are some that are weaker and stronger than me… With this many, it’s almost equal to the goblin general, if not stronger.
His eyes locked with the priest who stood between the men. He clasped a small bag next to him.
“Status Inspect… Failed.” The system announced.
The old man flinched.
“Gauging our strength, are you?” His grin widened.
The soldiers placed their feet forward, hands over their sword hilts. The leader waved his hand and they returned to their normal stance.
Hiroshi took a step back.
Shit… he knew I inspected him?
“Don’t do that again.” His smile faded.
Hiroshi gulped.
“We know about you. About the goblin who is with you and about the small pup. So, here’s our terms.”
How long has he been watching us? But they didn’t find me back at the village…
“You come with us, and we let the goblins along with the pup go free. We shall not harm you; we simply have… questions.”
“So, if I go with you, no harm will befall the goblins and F— the pup?” He raised a brow.
“Yes. Exactly.” The old man said calmly.
“Wait. You mentioned goblins, but not the one that was with me.”
The old man sighed and raised the bag that was in his hand before him.
No…
“That’s right. The tribe and the pup can go free.”
Blood dripped from the bottom of the linen bag.
Hiroshi’s heart began to race.
Don’t tell me.
“However, one got in our way. I’m sure you’ll let it pass.”
His eyes remained fixated on the bag.
Gobu hadn’t come back to camp…
“Here, you can have it.”
The old man tossed the bag over, which landed with a thud just before Hiroshi.
A head rolled out of the bag.
It had the necklace Hiroshi gave to Gobu.
The old man continued to speak but none of the sounds reached Hiroshi anymore.
Everything slowly turned to darkness as he maintained his look down.
Gobu’s worried face came to him first. Inside of the cage, deep in the cave.
The vision's border shifted and moved.
He remembered him like he just met him yesterday. His worried face, small body, tucked away in the darkness of the cage.
If I had the choice to do it again, I would free you again, Gobu.
The sensation of breaking the lock was fresh.
The vision faded.
Another came to him.
They stood outside of the cave, side by side, the sun peeking behind the horizon as it went into hiding, the sky an orange colour. Cold wind blew against their faces.
It’s like the world opened up for us…
The vision shifted into another.
Gobu lay on his back on a log with his belly full of meat. The first time they ate together.
Hiroshi remembered staring at Gobu, smiling. A feeling of warmth was within him. He was glad to have a companion in this world.
He was really fond of the meat.
The vision faded slowly and a new one slowly appeared.
Gobu scratched into the bark of the tree, counting his kills. Each time he came back tired, Gobu smiled and gave a thumbs-up, which warmed his heart.
I should have appreciated him more…
The final vision formed.
Hiroshi stood in the Valley of Death with Gobu behind. He raised the dead goblins, green and crimson alike.
Gobu’s disturbed face magnified. He was scared. It angered him.
I never got to apologize for that. He didn’t talk to me for so long after that.
I’m sorry, Gobu.
“Are you even listening?” The inquisitor tilted his head slightly.
He stared at Hiroshi who was zoned out.
“Mhm.” Hiroshi replied as he knelt down.
“Huh?”
He watched him kneel down, take the head into his arms, and turn around.
“Where are you going?” The inquisitor slowly began to raise his hand. The soldiers started to get ready.
Hiroshi walked over to a small patch of flowers on the grass in the camp and carefully set down the head.
He then turned around and started to walk towards the group of church members.
“Ah good, so you will come with us?” The inquisitor smiled, putting his hands together, watching his movements carefully.
Hiroshi hadn’t replied.
The inquisitor blinked.
He wasn’t there anymore.
Each of the guards drew their blades. The inquisitor’s eyes squinted.
The sound of armor clanging as it hit the floor alerted them.
In Hiroshi’s hand was one of the Initiate Oihter Knights head; a long line of blood connected with the floor as he took a few more steps.
“So that’s a no.” He began to laugh, despite one of his subordinates perishing in a split second.
He stopped walking.
Then turned his head behind on a slight angle.
A single tear streamed down his cheek.
Hiroshi’s eyes were dead, not a sign of life in them.
“Fine, fine. A head for a head.” The inquisitor leaned forward, almost laughing.
“That seems reasonable enough, am I right?”
A cracking sound from the force of Hiroshi’s teeth gritting escaped.
Hiroshi turned his body and launched the head towards another knight’s head, which ricocheted off. The knight wiped the blood off of his helmet and began to run towards him, sword raised high.
“I guess not.” He sighed.
“Take her in, dead or alive. Kill the goblins and the pup. Report to me once you’re done.” He croaked out his orders and began to turn.
Hiroshi appeared right in front of his face suddenly, with dark crimson claws aimed for his neck.
Everything shook as dust lifted into the air. A long trail was left from where Hiroshi was pushed back.
The inquisitor let out a long, annoyed sigh.
“Can’t you morons do your job? AH?”
He shouted out at his soldiers.
“Kill her!”
“She should be dead already.” He whispered to himself.
The soldiers all charged at Hiroshi’s dark shadow in the dust at the same time, their blades raised high.
A razor-thin curved blue line shot out from the dust, cutting one of them through a gap in the armor. The others had blocked it just in time.
“There!” One of the soldiers shouted.
The red glowing eyes vanished.
“Behind you!” another shouted.
“Huh?”
As he turned his head, he felt a blade pierce his back, coming out of his chest.
Hiroshi’s phantom image vanished as a knight stood behind his comrade, his blade piercing through him.
“Shit! It was an illusion!”
Blood spurted out through his helmet as he collapsed onto the floor.
Another knight shouted out.
“Prepare a heal spell!”
The knight pulled out his blade and threw it to the ground beside him, and began chanting in a magical language.
Red glowing eyes appeared once again, this time coming at great speed.
Long claws shot out of the dust cloud toward the chanting knight.
Metal screeched as another blocked the claws. Hiroshi leapt a few paces back into the dust.
“Hurry up! This isn’t a regular vampire.”
The inquisitor stood there, unimpressed by his knights’ performance. His hand was resting on his whip at his hip.
“Shut up! I’m going as fast as I can!”
The knight on the ground continued to spasm as he gurgled blood.
A golden aura surrounded the knight performing the spell.
“It’s almost done!”
A purple color pulsed ahead of the knights.
Another knight worryingly shouted out.
“Where did she go?! Her presence vanished!”
The knight’s hands began to shake as he whispered the spell, then stopped.
Thin red veins began to crawl into his vision, everything turning a red color as Hiroshi drank from his neck.
“When did she—”
He felt a scrape and before long his eyes began to glow red.
“What are you doing! Finish the damn spell!” Another guard shouted out.
“Hendrick!”
The knight bent down and picked up his sword once again and gripped it tightly.
“What the—”
The knight’s eyes widened as he witnessed his comrade begin to stab the downed knight in his back over and over, laughing like a maniac.
Red eyes in the dust appeared again, the knight’s eyes caught them. He turned his body to face them.
They moved left to right, approaching fast. A clang escaped as the knight’s blade clashed with Hiroshi’s claws.
A long screech followed as the claws scraped down the blade, cutting his hand through his plated armor.
“She’s over here!” He shouted out, as he began to lose ground, taking a step back.
Three more soldiers rushed in and surrounded them.
“Charge at the same time!” One shouted out.
They all began to converge towards Hiroshi at the same time when he suddenly leaped into the air.
Hiroshi’s body flipped twice, cutting each shoulder of the knight before him, who fell on his back.
Landing on the knight's chest, Hiroshi turned around to face the three soldiers.
The dust was blown away with a single strike of the inquisitor’s whip.
“Stop messing around. End her.” He raised his hand, pointing his whip at Hiroshi.
His eyes were locked onto the inquisitor, ignoring the soldiers.
The inquisitor began to turn his back to Hiroshi, but before his eyes caught it, he began to twist his body.
Hiroshi appeared behind the inquisitor and was met with a blow to his lower side by the whip’s handle. The inquisitor grabbed him by his head and threw him a few paces away.
A wide grin appeared on the old man’s face.
“Now now, you’re not ready for me yet.”