After a few moments had passed and he was all alone, Kirin stood and picked up the Odachi blade that Tharros had left for him. Through his pain and hurt he couldn't hide his excitement, Tharros had given him his very own weapon, a blade forged for a peak martial master.
He slowly unsheathed the blade in the darkness, the steel itself was hazy blue and beautiful, and it reflected the light of the Moon rising up ahead, he completely removed it from his scabbard, holding it with his hands he slowly took his stance.
He breathed in and out calmly, turning his focus to just the blade, he sent his energy through the blade, felt at it's natural slender curve, the sharpness, the lethality.
He forgot every other thing around him, the men that camped earlier and the songs they sang, or the thickness of the fog as the night grew darker, he completely focused on one swing.
Calmly and steadily, not taking any stance whatsoever, to make a single cut, a single slash imbued with intent. A slash with a singular purpose, a motive, a command.
A slash that drained him of his mental strength, he couldn't breathe for a moment not because he was too tired but because there was no air to breathe, Kirin himself hadn't realized what he had done with total concentration and intent, he had cut the very nature of air itself.
He sat on the ground suddenly drained and exhausted, he instinctively knew he wouldn't be able to swing his sword like that again, not for a long time at least, he fell with his back to the ground and gazed up at the sky.
It was indeed beautiful, the stars painted across the sky in whirls and patterns that never seemed to repeat themselves each night, he looked at his hands and the new blisters he had gotten.
They hurt, but if anything he felt proud of them, he had made progress and wouldn't stop, not when things were getting interesting, he clenched his fists in determination.
"Aahh shit" he cursed at the pain, but pain was good, it meant growth. He turned towards the camp the warriors had set, and he watched them for a few more moments before his belly rumbled in pain and hunger.
"Isn't that the captain's weapon?" Seth asked him as he walked up to him, Kirin nodded.
"He lent it to me for a few practice swings" Kirin lied, he knew he couldn't just say something as ridiculous as a peak partial master gave out his weapon to a second rate martial artist, the only thing a second-rate could do in terms on soul essence manipulation was body strengthening, with a good understanding of its applications added with elemental arts.
Kirin wanted to reach out to the captain and thank him for his gift but figured there would be a better time to do this, the fog kept getting thicker and thicker, making it difficult to see a few meters ahead of him.
"Need something to eat and drink?" Seth asked his friend.
"Hot wine and meat, that's all I need," Kirin said with a smile, he looked around and saw that the men seemed to be drinking from uncovered jars of sake and wine.
"Why do you always like your wine hot?" Seth asked confused, wine was best served cold, everyone knew that. Seth boiled the wine for a bit longer before pouring it out for Kirin then gave him some meat.
"Because it feels like I'm drinking tea, I like the idea of drinking tea but I hate tea, besides hot wine doesn't get me drunk" Kirin replied with a grin.
"What about you? Aren't you drinking?" Kirin asked Thane, he shook his head slightly.
"After the bullshit you just said? No thanks. I don't drink on missions, no matter the cause of celebration" he replied, Kirin simply nodded his head, wishing he had the same level of discipline as his friend.
He took his food and began munching on it, he hadn't realized just how hungry and tired he was until he finished eating, Seth had watched him eat without saying a single word, he had always done that, and Kirin wasn't bothered by it.
"What about the captain?" Kirin asked.
"He's on night watch so no drinking for him either," Seth said with a smile, Kirin nodded and stood up feeling full, he hadn't felt this satisfied in a long time.
"I'll be going to rest now," he said as he held the hilt of the Odachi blade in his hand, it gave him assurance as he walked into a tent, found a spot to sleep and completely passed out.
***
"Wake up Kirin, hurry and wake up now you fool" Seth shook Kirin forcefully, Kirin who was always a deep sleeper hated it when he was woken so abruptly, he sat up annoyed and pushed Seth away.
"What!" He almost shouted in annoyance.
"Shut up! They'll hear us you fool," Seth said, his voice hushed and mixed with a tinge of fear and despair. Kirin immediately got to his senses after seeing how panicked Seth had become.
"What happened?" Kirin asked in a low tone as he reached for his weapon, he strapped it on his back and knelt to face Seth.
"The Fluxxara! They've possessed almost everyone in the group, everyone except you, me, and the Captain," he said, his voice shook with every word he spoke.
Kirin couldn't fully understand what Seth had said, "What do you mean? How did they get possessed? And why are we the only ones that didn't" he asked surprised.
"Because we didn't drink the wine! Remember the fog? It might have been an attack from the creature to possess or something... I don't know" Seth said as he held both sides of his head.
Fear gripped Kirin's heart, he knew for a fact that they would die if they so much as got scratched with that black blub of blood, "Why aren't they attacking us now, where are they?" Kirin asked, a growing dread filled his heart.
"The captain, he's holding them all on his own, he said to come to get you and escape to the water clan" Seth answered, his eyes unable to meet Kirin's. Without thinking about it Kirin ran out of the tent.
"No Kirin, not that way" Seth screamed chasing after him. Kirin searched about looking for the Captain, searching for Tharros, the man whom he had respect for, who had thought him so much in so little a time, the man who laid down his sword to him.
Kirin froze in his steps, watching in horror as Tharros got surrounded, attacked, butchered and slashed, cut down by his own men.
Seth came outside and saw the horrid sight, right before the both of them, Tharros attacked the creatures about like a mad demon.
He looked anything but human at this point, completely covered in blacked blood, his left eye was completely missing, a black hole remained where his eye had been goughed out. And his left arm had been cut off but he had a mad gleam in his eyes, he showed no hesitation as he cut down the possessed men that were once his warriors, once his brothers. He gave them the death they deserved.
"Come at me, you bastards" Tharros screamed like a manic.
"Stab like you mean it, is that a blood spike or a needle. Harder!" His voice boomed amidst the chaos.
"You're not sucking on your mother's breats, cut harder Damnit" he laughed like a maniac, he turned and slashed and cut down as many as possible, but with every man he cut down, they healed themselves and attacked again.
"No..." Kirin's voice cracked, lost in his throat. He couldn't say anything, nor could he do anything but watch. At that moment the remaining eye of Tharros met with Kirin's, he smiled even wider and shouted.
"Son of House Arcanus, lost heir and child of Marcus, the spawns of chaos have been unleashed unto the realm" his voice thundered as the clouds gathered around them, the sky rumbled fiercely as it gathered over them.
"Run away and survive, live and avenge!" Tharros commanded as he was cut down, the things that were once his men climbed on top of him as they stabbed at his back with spikes of blood, Tharros relentlessly fell to one knee, screamed with all his strength, using all of his soul energy and life force and said a final sentence.
"Before Death, life reigns supreme".
He shouted, the clouds gathered above exploded in a bright light as not one but four immense bolts of lightning fell. It burned everything in sight, melted every in sight.
Everything.