(post co-written by Butterfly Princess and Qaida)
Somehow, the fallen Tyrfing had now companions to his seemingly endless journey. It was quite an oddity in every sense of the matter. For such a long time, he had avoided any kinds of involvement with another creature except for the interaction for his feeding. As such, he never bothered himself to notice anything else which does not concern him on a personal level. This was much easier as he had no time to take someone under his custody. After all, his hands were already full just from taking care of himself. Despite such reasoning, he had still allowed those people to take the same route as him. Perhaps, it was the void which glaringly presented itself within their eyes. The souls that shall never know the meaning of being whole. An existence that was forever tarnished by a past so irrevocable.
In any case, he had decided to leave his so-called traveling partners for some solitary reprieve which he had experienced every moment of his life. Walking through the small village which was the last one to be seen for the next league of journey, he had allowed the Kitsune and the Flower Child to attend to whatever their needs may be. In his opinion, it would be better for him to leave those two and never be concerned about them despite the contract of debts. He was certain that this was the same thinking those two have. However, the unseen threads of fate would not allow them to part just yet.
So for now, Xenith passed his time by looking around to see what the dilapidated village could offer him. Although, his hopes were lacking in vigor from the very beginning. Chancing upon a lone tree which was near the borders of the town, he had chosen it to be a spot for him to relax. This day in every word was quite mundane and due to that it was rather interesting to be taken noted. Leaning on the trunk, he looked through the quivering leaves that took hold of the blue skies and clouds floating listlessly above. It seemed that moments like this would be limited soon enough. As such, this was completely welcomed as the air around him was being too crowded for his liking. Furthermore, he had noticed that his broken self was getting more fragmented as the hand of time continued to drift away. Even more, everything appeared to be so tedious. As a result, he was getting slightly agitated. However, he had also found some sense of purpose in all of those blurry connections that had been formed. For what reason, he has yet to ascertain.
Unfortunately, his inner monologue was disturbed by the thirst that sent his throat parched which needed of a special crimson liquid. Thinking back on it, he had prevented himself from feeding on anyone even towards the Kitsune he had deemed as his food. The reason still evaded his logic. He could feel the reign on his sanity waning by every second. As such, his senses heightened more than ever to allow him to sense the prey that would satisfy his indispensable craving. A group of men encroaching around him was becoming a pleasant scene to his silver-moon eyes which he caught from the corner of his vision. Closing his eyes, the fight within him did not break the facade of complete apathy and indifference. Sometimes, he wanted to question the fates whether they are cruel or not.
Kanan moved steadily behind his Queen, at the back of the group. His eye darted around, trying to keep a look out for anything out of the ordinary as they passed the little village. His hand gripped his weapon tightly as it was strapped to his hip now, instead of being held in his hand.
He had a tight feeling in his chest, almost as if something was off as they strode along the pathway. Slowly, Kanan began to fall further behind the group, his instincts picking up on something amiss in the air.
"You're not from this town, are you boy?"
The question was heard but it was still ignored all together. To Xenith, the energy required to answer their useless queries was a waste. Moreover, he could also hear some of their brazen declarations in the guise of whispers to one another. They had deemed him loaded with money due to his stature and appearance. Adding to that, they seemed to have taken fancy towards his companions. In such a forsaken village with limited resources for stable livelihood, he knew for a fact that his retinue was a beacon of easy rewards to a good life. Still, he remained immovable from his position. It was clear to him that the men wanted to have a piece of fun in terms of either mugging him or beating him to a pulp. These humans believed that their numbers brought certain victory for such an endeavor, However even if they were a dozen, they will suffer an end that would be most beneficial to him. It was practically killing two birds with one stone as the saying goes.
"Oi! Are you listening? You bas-"
Those words were left incomplete as the one who spoke walked within the easy reach of Xenith. A clawed hand grabbed hold of the said man by the throat who was utterly surprised by such a strong gesture. Doing in all his pathetic strength to persuade the Tyrfing to release him by pulling away from the death grip however, it was a failure all the way. Those eyes of indifference held no care or delicacy in them as the hold tightened without the possibility of mercy. His face of immaculate beauty leaned closer to the man who was now having a hard time to breath as the grip was closing his means of breathing.
"Food is served."
After saying that, no one has enough time to accommodate themselves to the next events that transpired before them. Xenith had bitten down on the man's neck as blood flowed from the gaping hole his fangs had created. The thirst that he had meticulously hid was quickly emerging from the depths of his consciousness. As a result, the man was drained of his blood which served as the Tyrfing's fundamental nourishment. Dropping the now lifeless man on the ground, he licked the corners of his lips which sported some blood drops in a rather sensual manner which brought a terrifying beauty to what he had just done. The men slowly stepped back in utter shock of what just occurred. It seemed that the lone tourist was not a human being to start with. Eyes of silver gazed at the man who had initiated the worthless questions about him.
"You are next."
The smell of blood filled the air. How could Kanan ever forget such a scent? There was too much of it to be a mere accident either. Turning, his single, crystal blue eye searched the small village, but saw nothing. Without a word to those who had gone far ahead of him, he made his way through a small gap between a pair of houses and beyond. There was a large field out behind the two houses, a couple of trees, and then beyond those trees were several men.
It seemed a fight of sorts had broken out, but there was some kind of difference there that told Kanan this was no ordinary fight. Already a few of the men had fallen, a single man seemed to be the villagers' target. He was... intriguing to watch, but at the same time, Kanan felt that he should step in to stop the one sided fight. Who ever that man was, he was much too powerful for the group of dwindling villagers.
He moved quickly to cover the distance, drew his sword and three of the chains that were attached to his person disappeared into blue sparkles of energy as he sacrificed them. The moment he was in range, he swung his sword in three upward arcs. The air vibrated from his attack and took shape as he used the magic. Those sharp, arcing, blades shot across the plain, tearing apart the yellowed grass and whipped right between the men and their target.
A dangerous dance of the wind swept between Xenith and his next course of meal. The breeze which took the form of invincible blades had put him to a stop. A feeling of irritation bloomed inside of him as his feeding was interrupted. One should know proper manners when seeing someone eating. Looking to his side, his eyes of silver chasms took sight of a man who wore an eyepatch on one eye while the other of crystal blue looked at him defiantly. This person dared to be an annoyance for him. Thinking about it, why does it seemed that he had been attracting quite the amount of insufferable people in his midst?
Whatever the case may be, Xenith was not in the mood to tolerate such things. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly that it was almost unnoticeable. It was not until an innocent passing breeze brought a rather intriguing scent that he had believed to be lost in the midst of eternal bondage. Disregarding the villager who had fallen to the ground in fear, the Tyrfing was now in front of the man who dared to attack him. The speed that he did was indistinguishable to the eyes of mere mortals or even to other mythical beings. There was no denying that he was a being that is not of human origins.
Kanan hadn't seen the man move from where he'd been and he took several steps backwards when he was confronted so suddenly. The proximity did nothing to lessen his agitation and immediate regression to defense. With the distance put between himself and the hostile man before him, he raised his large sword, leveling it up at the other with all intent to use the weapon should he need to.
"You. Who are you."
Whether it was meant to be a question, it was not certain for his voice did not bring a tone of such. Instead, it was much like an order as it reverberated a sensation of intimidation and the fragility of nothingness. Xenith easily towered the eyepatch boy as he stood there without any show of clear intentions of what he was about to do next. One thing was for certain, he desired an answer.
"Kanan," he replied coldly, his single eye narrowing. He didn't give any further identification of himself, only inquired upon the man's reasoning for the dead villagers.
"Why did you kill them? They were nothing but villagers..." His voice was stone cold, heavy with disgust and every fiber in his body told him to lash out, to fight back before it was too late.
Without regard to the questions being thrown at his person, Xenith was more attuned to the scent of lingering chamomile that had come from this cyclops of a man. It brought him a certain emotion that had been sealed in the memories of shattered glass. The weapon directed at him did not invoke any kind of apprehension or wariness. Instead, he delicately took hold the tip of blade as if plucking a bug from a withered rose. It was then he pulled it away from the one known as Kanan with great force that would be deemed inhumane in all aspects. After doing so, he grabbed hold of Kanan by his throat and pulled him close. Then, Xenith placed his lips near Kanan's ears as the scent of chamomile only embraced the Tyrfing even more.
In an instant his blade was torn from his grasp and he was left in a state of shock. His eye widened and his mouth dropped open at the sudden loss of his weapon. It was even more startling as the hand wrapped around his throat and held him fast. The man pulled him close and whispered in his ear, sending chills down Kanan's spine.
"How intoxicating you are."
Further to cement that statement as truth, Xenith licked the Kanan's neck where the artery pulsed so lively and wonderful for him. It was done not for affection but due to the sensation of reclaiming of what was lost once.
The feeling of a warm tongue across his skin sent more chills and goosebumps along his skin. He trembled slightly in the man's hold, his teeth ground together as he stood there, simply helpless to the tight hold. He wasn't sure what he should do, if he could do anything at all.
"I wonder what your blood would taste like."
"My...blood..." he asked slowly, slightly confused. Why did he want... blood? Of all things? Kanan finally found that he could move again and gripped the man's wrist that held his throat. He attempted to remove the hand that held him, putting every ounce of muscle into the movement before gripping his arm with both hands.
Admirable. It was the only word that Xenith could describe the feat of removing his grip on Kanan's throat. However, it was also futile in every sense of the word. Yet, he would not deny the pleasure of resistance. After all, it was more fun to rule over someone who has a will than some lifeless puppet. Ignoring the actions of rebellion, he slowly yet gently pierced the fragile skin with his fangs. It was successful to draw blood as it trickled down like a timid nectar of a flower. Even more, its scent was far desirable than all the other ones he had in his existence.
Kanan felt the sharp pressure of the man's teeth against the side of his neck. He flinched, but as his skin was pierced, he felt entirely different. A low gasp escaped him, his head fell back slightly and his eye closed tightly. Even his grip on the man's arm lost all strength. His face heated when he realized that the man holding him was drinking his blood. Even if it was just a little.
However, the Tyrfing was not able to fully satiate the blooming desire to implant his fangs completely on the broken skin. It was due to the sense of a familiar presence nearing his whereabouts. His solitary moment must come to an end now. How disappointing. Releasing Kanan, Xenith instead held the boy's chin so tenderly as if it was a precious stone of great importance. Those silver eyes revealed nothing as it penetrated Kanan's gaze as if devouring his soul.
Then the man with alluring silver eyes pulled away and Kanan felt as if all strength had left him. His breath was irregular as his head fell forward and his eye opened up just enough to see him. Fingers encircled his chin to hold his gaze.
"We shall continue this some other time."
The words spoken to him stirred his heart, a strange feeling coursed through him and he trembled slightly. Continue? Another time? What exactly... Kanan couldn't think straight, devoured by the man's gaze as he was.
"Name... you're name..." Kanan whispered, hoping to keep the man's attention on him if not for a few seconds more.
Releasing his hold on Kanan's chin, the Tyrfing created a much needed distance but not before he heard the rather exhausted whisper of the man who tickled his fancy of a past he had thought to be buried in the dunes of time.
"Xenith."
When it was delivered, Xenith left the area in order to approach the presence that was watching beyond the forest line. Placing one of his clawed finger to his lips, there was still some blood sticking to his nail. The scent was alluring and made the beast inside him bang within its mental cages despite having his hunger satisfied even before Kanan had arrived. Cleaning the tip of his claw which resembled a feline with its finesse and allure, he cannot help but anticipate the next meeting.
"Kanan, until next time."
The moment Xenith released him, he dropped to his knees. His breath was strained as he tried to calm his overly excited body. What was wrong with him? What happened exactly? He couldn't really comprehend it. However, whatever had taken Xenith's attention now had Kanan's. Something, or someone, had come into the vicinity. Was it the group that Kanan had left? Probably, which meant they were looking for him.
Kanan took a deep settling breath, his fingers reaching up and just barely brushing the area where Xenith had bitten him. He wondered when that 'other time' would come. For some odd reason, he wished that it would come sooner rather than later. Standing, Kanan retrieved his sword which was some distance away, and composed himself further before going into the tree line before the village and confronting his companions.
RPG
