Midnight was often referred to as the witching hour. As the end of one day came and the birth of the new arose, there was that clean cut time in between. Not quite tomorrow, but not today either. A time when, it was said, spirits awoke and wandered the world. People like Hoshikata knew that was bull, knew the spirits wandered whenever they desired to. Still, he felt some kinship to the hour. Perhaps it had to do with his ability to blend so well with the shadows.
At this moment he was up in a tree looking down on a camp. A contact of TITAN had dropped this one on him, a mission for the elusive group that he'd not had contact with since leaving Cloud behind. These mercenaries were bad news, not just for the group but for him also. They were seeking evil to eradicate it, and while he could fool most of the world he doubted they would feel pretty words like the rest of the people did.
There were some well trained people around, that was obvious by the barrier that they erected around their campsite. And now they were on alert, because the Seer had found that it picked him up just fine even when he was in his ghostly form. As they began to search, rather too thoroughly for his liking, he would get a quick count. Ten people total, most of whom were trained in the art of combat like he was.
Like a shadow, he drops down and wraps himself in the spirits of the dead, seeming to vanish entirely from sight. Over this he armors himself more by delving deep into the spiritual world, immersing his body into it. And then he leaps through that barrier.
Lightning screamed along his form as he passed, stripping the otherworldly armor from him before he made it through. It hurt, oh but did it hurt. One of these people was using holy magic on him. But he retained the cloak of shadows, and used it to slip into a tent before it fled entirely. He knew they knew where he made his entry, and he knew they knew he was in the camp now.
Ten people, but only six tents. This one was empty, but it held a bedroll and lantern, leading him to believe it was going to be that way for only a short moment more. Hoshikata works quickly, kicking the lantern out and lifting the sleeping bag up, trying it to the support pole. And then giving a holler, before slashing open the rear of the tent and slipping out.
Sure enough they were coming. He slips around to the side of the tent and presses into the shadows as three run by, one swearing as they step in. In that darkness, the bedroll could easily be mistaken for someone. And from the grunts and rings of metal on metal, the darkness was doing a good job of tricking them into attacking it, then each other. All too soon they would come back out. Two of them were bleeding, and all three looked angry.
Those looks would change to alarm as the entire tent hitched up, as if caught in a strong wind, and flew at them. Hoshikata wouldn't sit around to see if anyone so much as got tripped up, instead moving along to another tent and sliding in even as his hand pulled the tanto he kept in his robes free.
This one was not empty. The woman inside was facing away from him, poking through a bag, going through her knives. She speaks, telling him to go find the intruder while she got her weapon. She looks up as he instead closes the distance. Her mouth opens, but no sound comes out before the blade slides in and up, and he watches the light fade from her eyes as he pulls it out and drops her.
A moment later she walks out of the tent, holding two of her knives and prowling around for the intruder. And one of the others runs up, speaks of partnering in order to not be caught unawares. Into a tent they go, and out walks only the woman, smiling. They might not all be caught so easily, but the trick would do for the moment.
He only got another one like that before the body got found. Hoshikata knew it was up when they began to come right for him. Four of them surround him, one swinging a sword at his head. And staring in amazement as he vanishes from sight. Then gaping as his sword, swinging wider than it should, gets knocked further aside and slashes one of his friends across the face. The other three pick up the fight then, a flurry of blades poking and slashing at the space there Hoshikata stood only a moment before, and many of them being nudged, ever so gently, into hitting an ally.
When the cloak fell this time, he was beside a tent, deep in the shadows. Golden eyes watch as the four attack empty air, and with a smile he uses one of his mind attacks. One of them stops attacking, then shakes his head and turns, cutting the head clean off one of his own. He takes another down before the final one begins to fight back. As his own friend breaks his defense and cuts him down, Hoshikata imagines he felt rather betrayed. And the man would feel the same as one of the stolen knives flies through the air to bury itself in his throat.
That left three, but unless he missed his guess they would not be easy. Light steps are made as the man heads to the edge of the camp and stabs a hand through the barrier. He would retreat quickly, slipping under a wagon as two others come up to the area. One of them was attuned to the barrier, but not both unless he missed his guess. Those golden orbs flicker in the light with danger as he spots it now. The spirit of one, linked to this defensive construction.
The other stolen blade flies through the air, aim true as it comes in for the man's neck. And gets struck down as the man turns and bats it aside with a staff. Hoshikata growls out a word and lifts his hand. The other, a warrior rushing at him with an ax, is left to wonder where his life went wrong as the ax leaps out at him, slicing his head in half with a powerful blow as raw kinetic force slams into it.
Instinct tells him to react, and Hoshikata ducks and rolls as a sword cuts the air where his head was a moment before. The two left begin to work together, showing more skill than he liked. The Seer steps into the space between tents again in an attempt to force them to both come infront of him, but they instead move into those tents. And now he sees it, a spirit watching him, linked to the one who was holding up the barrier.
Once more raw kinetic power is flung out, the tents those two were in throw away from him violently. Hoshikata runs to his left, moves aside as a blade stabs through the fabric and the swordsman steps free. And the swordsman grunts as a tanto blade slides between his ribs and into his heart. Hoshikata pulls the tanto free and lifts the sword, tossing it up. It does not come down.
As the other like him, the other who could see the spirits, comes free of their own trap, he smiles. Just this one. The man rushes in, staff swinging fast and skillfully. Hoshikata steps back, forced to give ground for the moment before the sword comes flying in from above. His hand flickers, wide open. The man begins to block the sword strikes from above, and still gets in some swings of his own at Hoshikata.
Then, like a missile from a vengeful god, the Staff of Verin flies into Hoshikata's hand. The pointed cap is thrust out as the other blocks a sword that was no longer being held by any force but gravity. As the final one falls, the barrier follows it. And Hoshikata steps out of the camp after tipping a few lanterns over.
Fire would consume it, and let people assume as they would for who attacked.
Charred leaves crunch underfoot as he looks around the cap. A breeze kicks up, blowing his cape from his shoulder and revealing the hilt to his large blade. Someone did this. He would find them, their trail. And make them pay.
At this moment he was up in a tree looking down on a camp. A contact of TITAN had dropped this one on him, a mission for the elusive group that he'd not had contact with since leaving Cloud behind. These mercenaries were bad news, not just for the group but for him also. They were seeking evil to eradicate it, and while he could fool most of the world he doubted they would feel pretty words like the rest of the people did.
There were some well trained people around, that was obvious by the barrier that they erected around their campsite. And now they were on alert, because the Seer had found that it picked him up just fine even when he was in his ghostly form. As they began to search, rather too thoroughly for his liking, he would get a quick count. Ten people total, most of whom were trained in the art of combat like he was.
Like a shadow, he drops down and wraps himself in the spirits of the dead, seeming to vanish entirely from sight. Over this he armors himself more by delving deep into the spiritual world, immersing his body into it. And then he leaps through that barrier.
Lightning screamed along his form as he passed, stripping the otherworldly armor from him before he made it through. It hurt, oh but did it hurt. One of these people was using holy magic on him. But he retained the cloak of shadows, and used it to slip into a tent before it fled entirely. He knew they knew where he made his entry, and he knew they knew he was in the camp now.
Ten people, but only six tents. This one was empty, but it held a bedroll and lantern, leading him to believe it was going to be that way for only a short moment more. Hoshikata works quickly, kicking the lantern out and lifting the sleeping bag up, trying it to the support pole. And then giving a holler, before slashing open the rear of the tent and slipping out.
Sure enough they were coming. He slips around to the side of the tent and presses into the shadows as three run by, one swearing as they step in. In that darkness, the bedroll could easily be mistaken for someone. And from the grunts and rings of metal on metal, the darkness was doing a good job of tricking them into attacking it, then each other. All too soon they would come back out. Two of them were bleeding, and all three looked angry.
Those looks would change to alarm as the entire tent hitched up, as if caught in a strong wind, and flew at them. Hoshikata wouldn't sit around to see if anyone so much as got tripped up, instead moving along to another tent and sliding in even as his hand pulled the tanto he kept in his robes free.
This one was not empty. The woman inside was facing away from him, poking through a bag, going through her knives. She speaks, telling him to go find the intruder while she got her weapon. She looks up as he instead closes the distance. Her mouth opens, but no sound comes out before the blade slides in and up, and he watches the light fade from her eyes as he pulls it out and drops her.
A moment later she walks out of the tent, holding two of her knives and prowling around for the intruder. And one of the others runs up, speaks of partnering in order to not be caught unawares. Into a tent they go, and out walks only the woman, smiling. They might not all be caught so easily, but the trick would do for the moment.
He only got another one like that before the body got found. Hoshikata knew it was up when they began to come right for him. Four of them surround him, one swinging a sword at his head. And staring in amazement as he vanishes from sight. Then gaping as his sword, swinging wider than it should, gets knocked further aside and slashes one of his friends across the face. The other three pick up the fight then, a flurry of blades poking and slashing at the space there Hoshikata stood only a moment before, and many of them being nudged, ever so gently, into hitting an ally.
When the cloak fell this time, he was beside a tent, deep in the shadows. Golden eyes watch as the four attack empty air, and with a smile he uses one of his mind attacks. One of them stops attacking, then shakes his head and turns, cutting the head clean off one of his own. He takes another down before the final one begins to fight back. As his own friend breaks his defense and cuts him down, Hoshikata imagines he felt rather betrayed. And the man would feel the same as one of the stolen knives flies through the air to bury itself in his throat.
That left three, but unless he missed his guess they would not be easy. Light steps are made as the man heads to the edge of the camp and stabs a hand through the barrier. He would retreat quickly, slipping under a wagon as two others come up to the area. One of them was attuned to the barrier, but not both unless he missed his guess. Those golden orbs flicker in the light with danger as he spots it now. The spirit of one, linked to this defensive construction.
The other stolen blade flies through the air, aim true as it comes in for the man's neck. And gets struck down as the man turns and bats it aside with a staff. Hoshikata growls out a word and lifts his hand. The other, a warrior rushing at him with an ax, is left to wonder where his life went wrong as the ax leaps out at him, slicing his head in half with a powerful blow as raw kinetic force slams into it.
Instinct tells him to react, and Hoshikata ducks and rolls as a sword cuts the air where his head was a moment before. The two left begin to work together, showing more skill than he liked. The Seer steps into the space between tents again in an attempt to force them to both come infront of him, but they instead move into those tents. And now he sees it, a spirit watching him, linked to the one who was holding up the barrier.
Once more raw kinetic power is flung out, the tents those two were in throw away from him violently. Hoshikata runs to his left, moves aside as a blade stabs through the fabric and the swordsman steps free. And the swordsman grunts as a tanto blade slides between his ribs and into his heart. Hoshikata pulls the tanto free and lifts the sword, tossing it up. It does not come down.
As the other like him, the other who could see the spirits, comes free of their own trap, he smiles. Just this one. The man rushes in, staff swinging fast and skillfully. Hoshikata steps back, forced to give ground for the moment before the sword comes flying in from above. His hand flickers, wide open. The man begins to block the sword strikes from above, and still gets in some swings of his own at Hoshikata.
Then, like a missile from a vengeful god, the Staff of Verin flies into Hoshikata's hand. The pointed cap is thrust out as the other blocks a sword that was no longer being held by any force but gravity. As the final one falls, the barrier follows it. And Hoshikata steps out of the camp after tipping a few lanterns over.
Fire would consume it, and let people assume as they would for who attacked.
Charred leaves crunch underfoot as he looks around the cap. A breeze kicks up, blowing his cape from his shoulder and revealing the hilt to his large blade. Someone did this. He would find them, their trail. And make them pay.