Snippet #1037622

The hollow spirit of man bound in an immortal shell strode, his goal driving him ever onwards. The sights and sounds of the city locked in time and mists receded from his finely tuned senses. The scents of cooking, of the detergent used to wash clothes, and of paint disappeared as Ren walked from the city of Kishima city leaving it's ancient style buildings behind him.


Instead replaced by the verdant and ageless forests that surrounded the city in a cloak of trees. Here the nature that citizens of Kishima let mingle with their city ruled in an omnipresent glory. The rich leaf mulch muting all steps and filling the air with an earthly perfume that intermingled with the scents of flowers and mists to create a sense of life so strong old men felt young again. A life that ran rampart uncaring of the troubles of the sentient beings that lived in their cities. So great a sense of life that even this undead specter of a man felt it if only dimly. But unlike the old man who felt young again this Revenant felt only a moment of discomfort and melancholy. In life these forests and their life had made this master of death reflect on the virtue of what he did. In his undead state it only made him if only temporary of what he had lost in his death and revival. But although you can plant a seedling in lifeless soil it will only wither and die in time. And so it was with Ren's melancholy. All that mattered was his goal, the task that had been assigned by the man that held this assassin bound to life and death. To eliminate the children of Hecate and to find the extent of this Dark Goddess's ambitions and motivates. To that end and to that end alone he had been tasked. Nothing else mattered, and nothing would stop him. He could not be reasoned with, he felt no pain, He could not be corrupted and swayed from his purpose. Some thought themselves virtuous enough to walk the path they thought right. Ren's master had taken away his protege's ability to even think of swaying from the path let alone the ability to actually walk away.

A tireless hunter requiring no food, no shelter Ren walked the paths of this world for his life's mission. And this forest in it's ageless vitality was merely another step in the mission. For time out of memory demons,vampires, and the shadows that were no longer truly alive had haunted these woods. Their hunger to have what they did not posses drew them here like moths to the flame. For in these ageless woods they could bathe in at least the sensation of life. And since time out memory their existence had been whispered of in old legends and tales. Dismissed as figments of imagination to scare children by the majority of people the Goddess of Oribelle's summons were drawing them out in the same manner as Ren. But the nature of the Neesha was that the shadows that had protected them also made it difficult to tell Neesha apart from other supernaturals.


And so with each encounter in this forest one had to be careful, to keep their guard up until the facts and threats had been confirmed. And this Revenant knew as much. But in the end his goal was to find Neesha and often the best way to attract a predator was to expose oneself. And so Ren took no great care in walking through the woods. If not for his ancient armor and weapons the Revenant would have looked like another person on a walk through the forest of Kishima. And so those who took a great deal to hide themselves watched his progress through the paths of the forests. Those wise knew Ren for what he was and those he hunted drew closer sensing easy prey.

For 500 years Ren had hunted and though his quarry were anything but average mortals He was still a master of death. Humans had not been the only ones to die at the end of his blades. And even when he was but a man this hollow spirit had killed creatures of overwhelming power through carefully planned tactics and ambushes. And thus he feigned his normal walk through the woods all the meanwhile using his own abilities to track his prey that thought itself the hunter.

The prey drew ever closer into the trap laid out by the Revenant assassin. It's hunger was palpable and anyone with half a mind would have sensed it. To the fine tuned senses of the assassin it might as well been loud footsteps. And so hunter and prey drew ever closer in a game as old as time itself. The trap closed as the prey launched what it thought would be a successful sneak attack. Only to find the hunter one step ahead of it.

Although his fighting instincts spoke of ending it right then and there Ren's mind and mission needed the prey alive. After all killing Neesha where only half the mission. The Dark Goddess Hecate was the true enemy and the best way to get at a mother was through her children. So instead of cold steel the prey found the ice cold and unbreakable grip of Death at it's throat. Dead lifeless eyes stared into anger and shame filled eyes.

" Why does your Mother send you, what is her plan?" Ren asked the foul thing in his odd echoing tone of voice it's nature as lifeless as his eyes.

" Let me go." It managed to choke out with vehemence trying in vain to struggle free of Death's grasp.

" Why Does your Mother send you,what is her plan." Ren reticulated after slamming it against a nearby tree the sound of broken bones and the howl of pain echoing loudly in the quiet forest air.

" You'll get nothing from me." It choked out between gasps of pain and attempts to breathe hampered by both Ren's grasp at it's throat and broken ribs.

" Then I'll take your soul." Ren replied ramming his free hand into the foul thing's chest and ripping it out. Although mortal the wound was only the beginning for the Neesha. Dropping the physical body of the Neesha He held aloft the soul of the foul thing. A transparent ghost of the physical he ripped it asunder killing not only the body but also the soul. In the few seconds before death claimed the body horror washed over the Neesha.

Ren for his part walked on his mission still beckoned and the death of a Neesha was only part of it. The mystery behind the foul creatures was his master's true desire. And for that mission and that alone this tireless hunter walked the path.