"[Ah? It is you, Blackcloak.]" The Faun ex-general imdiately perked up the mont I arrived. Using his usual spear as a crutch he rose up from his crouching position with slow, deliberate motions, shedding the orange film of light covering his body in the process. Once he stood straight, he raised a fist to his chest in the customary salute and added, "[Greetings to you.]"
"[I wish a delightful evening upon you as well, general,]" I returned the courtesy with a smile, and the ram-headed muscleman in front of let out a low, rumbling chuckle in return.
"[Aye. This night was made for hunting.]"
"[In that regard, I defer to your experience,]" I responded as I surveyed the wooded area of the city park around us. "[May this be the grounds upon which we shall lie in wait?]"
"[Aye. The Chira shall pass by these woods in two nights' ti. Is it thine wish to inspect the slaying grounds?]"
"[Such were the intentions behind my visit, yes,]" I replied. By the looks of it, Brang wanted to get going right away, so I hastily raised a palm to halt him. "[Forestall your equines, general, for before we shall attempt to scour the land in a mundane endeavor, I wish to attempt sothing that may yield results in a different manner.]"
"[Is that so?]" He set the butt of his spear against the soft ground with a quiet 'thunk' sound and gave an intrigued look.
"[Aye. I wish to employ the Rites of Dominance in an effort to aid our exploration of the land.]"
"[You wish to scout the terrain whilst we test our ttle in combat?]"
"[Your assumption is within the distance of striking upon the truth. I wish to have one pair of our specters of Dominance locked in battle, thus fulfilling the spirit of the rite, while the rest of our specters shall scour the land and seek to commit its lay to mory in preparation for the day of the covert slaying of the beast.]"
Brang's ears swiveled around for a while, an act I have long since associated with confusion, but at last he raised a hand to his chin and told , "[Such use of the Rite is, to say with soft words, highly unorthodox.]"
"[That, it may be, but is it an act that we may pursue?]"
"[I see no true obstacle in our way,]" he granted in a contemplative tone, then after he rubbed his chin a bit more, he flashed a toothy smile and added, "[At the very least, it shall serve as a novel experience.]"
"[Undoubtedly,]" I responded with a grin of my own.
With that said, we locked eyes for a mont, and the odd, tingling sensation of Dominance quickly followed. As previously agreed, I imdiately sent out an orange ghost copy of , and Brang did the sa. The two phantoms imdiately entered into a familiar routine that was very reminiscent of the battle we fought the first ti; he had more range and experience, I had more mobility and better reflexes, resulting in a stalemate.
That said, I don't want to brag or anything, but my own specter was doing considerably better this ti around. It was probably due to us sparring like this every other day or so, but I got quite used to Brang's movents. When I had my training spear with , I could even land a few lucky hits on the guy every once in a while. I didn't have it on this ti though, so I had my specter focus on dodging instead.
Once the familiar rhythm was established, I sent out four more transparent phantoms, and my 'opponent' followed suit with four of his own. Once they were out, I had them scout on our left, and as if by an unspoken agreent, Brang's copies did the sa on our right. I waited for a couple of seconds to see if there were any complications or unintended side effects, but everything seed to be perfectly normal, so I simply allowed the specters to continue exploring in a slowly expanding circle.
That said, while I admit that getting the map of my surroundings slowly etched into my brain was, using Brang's words, 'a novel experience' indeed, it wasn't particularly riveting after a while. As such, I decided to try and strike up a conversation with the Faun. I an, if I had to stare at him like this for an extended ti anyway, I might as well make the most of it.
"[So, general...]" I casually addressed Brang, yet to my shock, he actually blinked in surprise and nearly broke the connection. The specters wavered for a mont, but once he regained his balance, they also continued on as if nothing happened.
"[I sincerely request that you refrain from surprising like that in the future, Blackcloak. This heart of mine is no longer young enough to bear with it.]"
"[My apologies of the most sincere kind. I only wished to converse while we await the completion of our exploration.]"
The Faun gave an odd look, then stated, "[It is rare to find an opponent who may employ more than three spirits of the mind. To think you would possess leeway to converse even under the weight of five of them tells volus of thine willpower.]"
"[I admit I find it unwarranted, yet I must thank you for the complint all the sa. With such things spoken, if talking under the Rite of Dominance strains you so, I'm willing to decrease the numbers of our spectral facsimiles.]"
"[Nay. I may be old, yet I shall not sha myself by backing down from a challenge, even if it's you who propose it.]"
"[Hearing so fills with feelings of mirth.]"
Brang gave an appreciative, if sowhat shallow, nod.
"[If so, then may I humbly ask why you addressed ?]"
"[I only wished to engage in conversation of diminutive size.]" That didn't co out right, so I lightly cleared my throat and tried again. "[I ant to convey that I wished to inquire about your wellbeing, alongside that of your n.]"
"[Thy request strikes as odd. Have you not seen to our needs in detail? Thine stewardship provides us with food, shelter, and purpose. We can seldom ask for more.]"
"[Not even that second table of indoor sports?]" I teased him a little, and just as I expected his ears imdiately turned in two different directions as he hastily told :
"[Mayhap with the exception of that.]" We both stifled our snickers, lest they would interrupt our oh-so-heated ntal battle. "[With such things told, I must confess that thine treatnt of and my kin is remarkably pleasing.]"
"[Is that so?]"
"[You have already earned the loyalty and respect of the young ones.]"
"[How about yours, general?]"
"[Well, you would be hard-pressed to earn sothing you already possess, wouldn't you agree?]" he responded between chuckles, and I couldn't help but smile along.
After that, we remained silent for a while, at least until Brang addressed for a change.
"[You inquired about my wellbeing. May I do the sa in turn?]"
"[Certainly, if you deem that courtesy dictates so.]"
"[Aye, albeit I admit I do wonder about thine welfare beyond the realm of courtesy.]"
"[Is that so? What makes you entertain such worries?]"
"[For the sake of explanation, I would call upon thine troubled countenance upon thine arrival.]"
"[Your eyes are sharp as ever, general, for I was troubled indeed.]"
I intended to leave it at that, yet seeing the expectant look in Brang's eyes, I ultimately decided that I might as well tell him about my problems. I didn't expect him to give advice, but I figured that getting it off my chest couldn't hurt, and it was as good a topic as any to pass the ti while we explored the area. As such, I did just that, and I gave him a footnotes version of the 'argunt' I had with Judy.
He listened to my words with his full attention, and once I reached the end of my retelling, he gave a sagely nod.
"[I must agree with thine lover's concerns.]"
"[You do?]"
"[Aye. For the family to remain strong and independent, the continuation of thine bloodline is paramount. Only by siring progeny can you ensure that thine legacy shall endure and thy descendants may one day proudly wear thine mantle.]"
"[... I wish you no offense, general, but I hope with sincerity of the most sincere variety that you are aware that I am not a Lord of the Abyss. I possess no title or mantle my children may inherit.]"
"[Hmmm. Thine words ring true. Thine title of regent is one of importance, yet one which is not subject to inheritance.]" At this point he paused as he tilted his head to the left in yet another familiar gesture. "[Yet, if that is the case, then why did thine betrothed wish for a child?]"
"[I must explain, for I believe you are laboring under a misunderstanding. Her wish of intimacy had more relation to the endeepening of our interpersonal associations rather than procreation.]"
"[Truly? I must confess, I am not well versed in the intricacies of such matrimonial relations, for my kin engages in no such thing.]"
That actually reminded of sothing I wanted to as for a while already, and given the opportunity Brang just presented, it would have been awfully sloppy of not to strike the proverbial iron while it was hot.
"[Do forgive my curiosity, but this question has plagued my mind for days: do your kin possess females?]"
My Faun companion once again found my question perplexing, at least based on his ear-movent, but he soon answered all the sa, with a head-shake slow enough to keep our eye contact uninterrupted.
"[Nay, Blackcloak. My kin does not possess thine kin's dimorphism.]"
I decided to put aside the question of how the Faun language was complex enough to use terms like 'dimorphism', yet it was so rigid it made jump through hoops when trying to describe Snowy's and Crowey's nicknas, and instead I focused on the actual content of this answer.
"[If that is so, then from whence do your neophytes spring forth?]"
...
Okay, that's it. I wanted to ignore it, but I can't.
First off, I only wanted to ask, 'Where do baby Fauns co from?'. How did such an innocent question turn into that!? And what even is a 'neophyte' anyway!?
In the anti, Brang was completely unaware of my linguistics-induced existential crisis. He considered my question very seriously, and at last he told , "[My kin is borne from the Emperor's Well.]"
"[Please do elaborate,]" I prompted him, and he obliged without any objections.
"[My kin was conceived by the power of the Emperor. The first Fauns were all fully grown by the ti they first opened their eyes to the world. We do not sire or bear little ones.]"
"[If so, then by what thod do you procreate?]" I asked, followed by a relieved sigh; this ti I managed to use the right terms.
Brang fell silent for a while, and while I couldn't perfectly read his expressions yet, because of the surface emotions exchanged between us during Dominance, I could feel that he was a little conflicted.
"[Upon our demise in our duty, all of the Faun Abyssal are entitled to our final rites. The fallen is taken to the Well of the Emperor, and from the bodies of the dead, a new scion is born, carrying the will of their predecessor.]"
"[Just so?]"
"[Just so.]"
"[... The lights you shed upon my question revealed just as many things unknown to as they made known. May I request that you enlighten even further?]" He imdiately nodded, so I continued without any further ado. "[You ntioned the Wellspring of the Emperor a number of tis. Could you elaborate on its details? Is it one of the fad Wellsprings of Primordial Magicka of the Abyss?]"
"[Thine supposition is correct.]"
"[If so, then which clan of the Abyss does it belong to?]"
"[None. The Well of the Emperor is neutral ground, guarded by the Faun Undivided. It awaits the return of the one true Emperor, for only he may bind the Well to his will.]"
I guessed as much by the na, but I still flashed an appreciative smile at the helpful Faun.
"[I welco your explanation. I have one more doubt, and I hope you could assuage its incessant itch: if your neophytes are reborn from the flesh of the fallen, then how do you increase your numbers?]"
"[Thine question is astute. In words as straight as a well-made sword: the more venerable the fallen, the greater the number of the scions who erge from the Well after their final rites.]"
"[I believe I understand,]" I told him and fell silent as I contemplated on what I just learned.
In short, Fauns were mono-sex, they had no childhood, and when they died, their bodies were recomposed into one or more new Fauns, each one inheriting bits and pieces of the original's mories and/or personality. I reckoned the last part was so that they could cut back on basic training and make them combat-ready ASAP, but even without that deduction, it was easy to tell that they were a species artificially created and bred for battle. That wasn't surprising at all.
The thing that actually baffled a little was that, while they were obviously made and conditioned to be murder machines, they weren't single-minded murder machines. They had their quirks, their odd artistic talents, and Brang was a straight-up virtuoso of the air hockey table. Now, I could chalk a lot of this up to the good-old placeholder developnt hypothesis, but there still had to be a grain of potential in them to develop in such directions. I wondered; was I mistaken about the Faun being simple mooks? Did they have so sort of more nuanced narrative reason behind their existence? Or was it just my inadvertent ddling causing bigger waves than I ever imagined?
All of those were questions for later though, as my attention was drawn back to Brang upon him letting out a wistful sigh, followed by a tingle of forlorn emotions being transmitted to through Dominance.
"[Generals in service of the houses all receive grand processions upon their fall. I also wished to be laid to rest in such fashion, yet I'm afraid the chances of such an occurrence are all but vanishing. It is truly a—]"
"[Halt, general!]" I interrupted him with a tinge of panic in my voice. "[I implore, nay, I order thee to cease elevating your banner of demise!"]
The old Faun looked funny for a mont, and then asked, "[Pardon my ignorance, Blackcloak, but I have yet to learn about this… 'banner of demise' you speak of.]"
It took all my willpower to keep myself from facepalming in frustration. I already had a terrible ti when it ca to expressing simple idioms in Faunish; just how was I supposed to explain tropes like 'death flags' to him? Nevertheless, I had to give it a try, if only so that he would stop looking so comically confused.
"[A banner of demise is...]" I began, only to stop as I ran a couple of permutations of the explanation under my breath before settling on, "[It is a choice of words which make the shedding of your earthly coil more likely.]"
"[Is that so?]" Brang mused, and it was easy to tell he wasn't completely convinced. Whether that was because of the strangeness of the concept, or because my explanation was inadequate. Either way, I felt obliged to press on.
"[It is so, and so I request that you watch your words. I would be truly troubled if the funeral procession you described ever ca to pass.]"
Brang blinked at in surprise, followed by a strangely jovial chuckle.
"[If you request so, I have little choice but to obey and avoid these 'banners' you speak of in the future.]"
I couldn't help but involuntarily narrow my eyes in response to his words, and even though he sounded completely serious, I couldn't help but feel that he was taking the piss out of . That said, a promise was a promise, and I was just about to drop the issue when I was jolted by sothing one of my specters saw.
"[Trouble approaches! General, prepare to disengage!]"
I barely even finished my line by the ti Brang cut the Rite of Dominance short and he readied his spear.
"[Is it the Chira?]"
"[Nay, sothing much worse!]" No sooner I said that, I confird Rinne dashing towards us through the wooded area on our left, her slasher-grin all but glowing in the dark. I could've sworn that when I checked her location before I Phased over, she was nowhere near the park, but that was the least of my problems at the mont. "[We shall continue this conversation at a later date! For now, I shall distract her, and you must use the opportunity to hide your presence!]"
"[Understood!]" Brang responded with the kind of gusto you would expect from a military man… ram… person. Let's go with guy.
With that sorted I quickly dashed to the left, allowing my Faun companion to do the sa in the other direction, and I called out to the annoying huntress in the only way I could be sure I would get her full attention.
"Rinne! Look out!"
Now, let make one thing clear: I expected her to look my way, and maybe even bark back at about calling her by her na again, giving Brang a few precious seconds to activate his invisibility Sigil and slip away. What I didn't expect was that she would twitch, veer to the side, and then run head-first into a tree with such a painfully loud 'thunk' that it made involuntarily shudder. So… would this make her a creepy, annoying, highly visible, and clumsy ninja? That's a lot of adjectives…
I really, really wished I could just leave and pretend I didn't see anything, but my inner good Samaritan vetoed my every attempt to just turn around and flee the scene of the cri, so I resigned myself to my fate and walked over to the young woman cradling her head on the ground.
"Hey, Mountain Girl? Are you all right?"
She froze when she heard my voice again, and she imdiately jumped to her (sowhat wobbly) feet.
"Yes, we're the perfect image of fineness!" she declared in a loud voice, but a single look at her teary eyes and the large, red lump on her forehead was enough to tell that she wasn't. "We were hit by a surprise attack, but it would take more than that to deter us from our eternal quest for the eradication of—"
"Yes, yes, you are very edgy as usual," I cut in with a not at all subtle roll of my eyes. "I guess that ans you're all right."
My unwanted conversational partner honest to goodness puffed out her cheeks in indignation, but before I could tell her that no matter how much she did so, it was waaaaay too late for her to try to reinvent herself as a cutesy moe archetype, her eyes abruptly opened wide and she glanced around in a hurry.
"Where is the foul creature of the underworld!?"
"I think he ran away in the commotion," I told her while taking a half-step to the right, so that I would partially block her line of sight of the already cloaked Brang. As far as I knew, she couldn't see through Snowy's invisibility Sigil, but it never hurt to be careful. I decided to keep her occupied for a little longer, so I asked her, "What are you doing here anyway? I thought we agreed that we'd et near the docks today."
"Yes, we did," she told while wiping the corners of her eyes with the lapels of her suit. "We were heading there under the deep, ever-perating darkness of the night when we recognized the unmistakable stench of the despicable creatures of the Abyss."
"So… you're telling you followed your nose here?"
"Yes, we did," she declared rather proudly, completely ignoring the incredulity in my voice. "Here, we saw you engaging the horrid monstrosity, and we rushed forth to share in the bounty of the bloody carnage that was sure to follow!" After saying that, she touched her forehead and let out a small, pained hiss. "Yet, before we could paint the ground in the garnet of flowing life, we were struck by a cowardly attack by so unseen assailant!"
"No, you hit a tree," I told her on no uncertain terms.
"Nonsense," she rebuked with one of her mincing looks that seed to ask whether I was blind or just stupid. "We are Onikiri no Tsukaite Rinne!"
"That doesn't change the fact that you hit a tree," I repeated, this ti with added exasperation.
"That's not how Rinne rembers it!" she declared with an actual pout on her lips. It only lasted for a mont though, as her face slackened and, a few seconds later she gave an apprehensive squint. "Onikiri says that you're a suspicious person. She said that you must be working with the creature of the underworld, and called out to to allow them to escape! Were you?"
That was surprising. It looks like her sword was pretty sharp after all.
…
That was a terrible pun. I feel ashad, and I apologize.
Anyhow, I shrugged my shoulders and told her, "No, I just wanted to warn you."
"In that case, it's fine," she declared with so much conviction I felt like I was hit by conversational whip-lash. She didn't seem to care (or notice), as she pressed on by telling , "Let us embark on our journey to find and massacre the creatures of the underworld! The night is young, and carnage awaits us!"
"Yes, yes. Let's go," I spoke in resignation, following which my creepy… well, no, actually. Calling her creepy at this point was kind of inaccurate. Lately having her around started to feel more like I was looking after a chuunibyou cousin over spring break… except that cousin was actually older than . She wasn't really creepy anymore, just kind of cringy and annoying.
Putting that tangent aside, I sent a covert nod to the still cloaked Brang observing us from afar, and I followed after Mountain Girl who, for so reason, began to prattle about the number of cats she found in the neighborhood. Oh well, at least it was no longer about bloodbaths and overly flowery monologues about hunting.
…
Oh, how far my bar for acceptable topics has fallen…
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