"Are ya crazy or are ya just stupid?"
"There are several possible answers to that question," Kota told the shopkeeper, who had him by the front of the shirt and pulled up onto his tip-toes. Somehow, he managed to keep a grim, deadpan expression while he said it, too. The shopkeeper was tall. Really tall. And beefy. It would be just his luck that the first vendor he decided to steal from today would be the tallest, beefiest Serenian he'd had the displeasure of meeting in a long while.
And alert as a sheepdog in wolf country. Figured, considering Cerenis was a city of sailors and, inevitably, pirates.
"Well, ain't that just fancy. Now ya better be plannin' on givin' back what ya swiped, or I'm gonna take that back and more."
"I have no idea what you're talkin' about," Kota said automatically, and tried to pry the man's fingers off of him. He may as well have been trying to wriggle out of the jaws of a shark. Honestly, he didn't even know why he said that; the guy had caught him in the act, but even caught red-handed his instinct was to deny, deny, deny.
Because the truth, in all things criminal, rarely set you free. Quite the opposite, from his experience!
The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed to ominous slits. He was not buying it.
Kota wouldn't, either.
Problem was, he no longer had the guy's stuff. Because in what was probably the most ridiculous, most unfortunate series of events ever, some little street rat of an opportunistic brat had zipped on by and snatched it right out of Kota's pocket as soon as the shopkeeper had grabbed him, and the guy didn't believe him when he said he no longer had it.
Kota wouldn't, either.
There was a metallic hiss, and Kota realized he'd drawn a blade. "I oughta cut out your lyin' tongue," he growled. "Now where's my money? I know ya took it! So ya better cough it up 'fore I slit ya open and look myself!"
The blade flashed in front of his nose and Kota leaned away from it, as far back as the fabric of his shirt would let him, the first beads of sweat slicking his skin.
He was so, so unbelievably screwed.
Just then, two sets if ominous, deep growling set up on either side of the men. Like hideous shadows two large beasts had silently crept out into the light, hackles bristling, lips curled back into an ugly snarl that showed white and spit. They were wolves, most probably, but of the biggest breed one could imagine - huge sulking creatures with fur a mixture of black and white. They had sharp yellow eyes, and both pairs were set directly on the man with the blade.
The growling rose an octave, turning into guttural snarling, enough to turn even the bravest of men's blood to ice.
Perhaps more oddly, though posed to strike, neither had yet launched and torn out a throat.
The answer was soon evident, but probably even more strange.
"They have a strong dislike for weapons."
Somebody drawled nearby, their voice cold and not at all friendly. The young man attached to it was no less intimidating than his apparent wolf-pets, though he was slouching against a wall almost lazily. Dressed in black, unusual garments, with one half of his face covered by a sheet of that raven black hair, he looked morose. Moreover, his one good eye was chillingly inhuman, a pool of black with a red iris that held the smallest slit of a vertical pupil.
Even if he seemed unarmed, there was a very obvious air of danger and magic about him.
Normally he wouldn't bother helping thieves. But he had been observing, and had seen the thief get almost instantly stolen from even as he was being captured. A cruel twist of fate, that one. Now, no matter what he said or did, he was essentially doomed. That seemed good enough reason to help him - after all, he himself had to steal a few times already just to help feed himself while stuck in large cities. Not much hunting for his wolves in places like this...well, actually they thought there was plenty, but he wasn't about to go and let them return to their diet of unfortunate human victims.
The shopkeeper went very still and very stiff, and Kota could feel the trembling beginning in the arm that held him.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one abruptly scared stiff. The hair all along Kota's arms and the back of his neck stood on end and a violent chill went through him when he heard those growls, and for a moment he didn't want to look. But morbid curiosity won out and, dreading every moment of it, he turned his head.
And nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of the wolves.
And the young, ominous man that went with them.
The shopkeeper gave a cry of fright and practically threw Kota away, dropping the knife in the process and bolting back into his shop. With a grunt, thrown off balance by the sudden movement, Kota toppled over and landed on hands and knees.
Then, in horror, he stared at the trio. Unlike the shopkeeper, he dared not move, just in case the wolves were of a nature to chase.
Well, that had the desired effect. He snorted under his breath as the man fled with a cry, and it was all he could do to exert his will over the wolves and deaden their natural urge to chase. Instead, they turned their hungry yellow eyes on the young man now on hands and knees. Still snarling, the one nearest Kota stepped forward, eagerness in its stance.
It was suddenly cuffed about the ear with enough force to knock it's head to the side, and it yelped before cowering to the ground with a growl. Over it stood the young man, standing much straighter now, and easily taller than Kota even if he had been standing. He was glowering darkly at the creature, and the other wolf seemed hesitant to push it's own luck despite not being hit as well.
That one unnatural eye flicked down to Kota, before he stooped and roughly hauled the other man to his feet. He released him quickly enough, but he'd given the other a terse once-over all the same. Not bleeding, didn't seem hurt, just shaken. He was essentially done here, then. His face didn't let up out of the frown, and with such an unusual eye, it was hard to see the concern that was there.
He liked people. He helped them when he could. But they made him uneasy, and he knew he scared them. Rightly so, he thought bitterly.
Turning on a booted heel, he snagged the beaten wolf by the scruff and half dragged it along after him before both creatures knew it was time to leave. They skulked along behind the mysterious dark skinned young man.
Oh no, oh no, oh no!
Just as he'd feared would happen, the wolf lunged for him, faster than he could roll to the side, faster than he could even think to be afraid, and him with no water source nearby to draw his magic from to protect himself.
He was so dead.
But right before the beast's jaws clamped on him, someone smacked the wolf, stopping the attack, and then he was pulled roughly to his feet, still gaping at what the holy spirits had just happened. Pulled to his feet, given a once over, and then...the guy was off.
Just like that.
Thus concluding what was possibly the single most random, bizarre series of events in his life.
What.
For a few seconds, Kota stood there with his mouth hanging open stupidly and his pulse pounding in his ears. Had that...had that just happened? He looked around himself, searching for someone who could validate this whole experience for him and tell him he hadn't cracked, but if there had been anyone around, they'd fled when the wolves came out.
All that remained was the man, and he was getting further and further away.
"Wait!" Before he knew what he was doing, he'd started after him, mindful of the wolves trailing behind him. "Wait! Just hold on a bloody second, will ya!"
Nagendra flinched visibly, his shoulders stooping into a slouch almost immediately. What sort of fool would follow him after all that? He set his jaw, despite the part of him that wanted to turn and answer the stranger. But that part of him was weak and small these days - he'd already learned with much abundance how bad it was for him to linger around others.
Fortunately for Kota, and rather unfortunately, it was again the wolves that intervened.
Both wheeled around eagerly, ears back and malice at the ready. They were forbidden from hunting down these weak hairless things, but if one came after them it was alright, yes? Deciding that it must be so, they both lunged for Kota as if their hind quarters were springs.
Once more, their snapping, spittle-laced jaws came close to Kota but not close enough. Abruptly the tall young man had each in a head lock, one under each arm, an angry grimace on his face. They snarled and snapped and yowled, hind claws scrabbling across the stones of the road as they tried to get some purchase and wrench free from their master. Nagendra looked tall and strong, but not so strong as to be able to wrestle with two such large beasts with the ease that he did, further enhancing the notion that he was certainly abnormal.
"Wretched creatures."
He hissed, before both suddenly disappeared into wisps of black smoke - he'd banished them for now, and he hoped he wouldn't regret doing so for the sake of one idiot stranger.
Still with a look of fresh anger on his face, he barked out his words to Kota.
"What's so important you would die over it fool!?"
With a yelp that was too high-pitched to be called manly, Kota jerked backwards and just about pissed himself when, for the second time in less than 10 minutes, he nearly got his face ripped off by a pair of wolves.
And was once again saved--kind of.
He could only watch in horror as the man wrestled with his "pets", holding them off with a strange, unnatural sort of strength that surely wouldn't hold, and he realized in that moment that following the big man with the really big man-eating dogs was probably not the best decision of his life. Spittle landed on his face and he could smell their breath even from that distance and yet all he could do was freeze in petrified shock.
Right up to the part where they vanished into smoke.
What the...
"Uh..." Kota blinked slowly, legs shaking more than he'd like to admit. "Well, uh...to be perfectly honest, nothing," Kota answered, and swallowed hard. He reached up to wipe at some of the spittle on his cheek with numb fingers. "Just...ya know. Wanted to say thanks? Heh..."
Though seething with obvious anger, Nagendra also noted the absolute terror that had gripped the man just a moment before. His legs were even trembling.
A pang of guilt ran numbly through him, but it had been partially this stranger's fault too given the obvious predisposition of those creatures. Still, it was just another bitter reminder of the fear that followed in his wake.
Thus the thanks, though nervous, knocked the wind visibly out of his sails. It was almost comical, the way the anger was shoved aside by surprise, and then sheepish embarrassment.
He jerked around to give the man his back almost immediately after, so that the look was not seen particularly long. Grumbling, he hunched into the fur collar of his vest, arms crossed.
"You're welcome."
He muttered, before starting to stride away again on booted feet. He couldn't remember the last time somebody had honestly thanked him. And for this man to do it, after his own wolves nearly took his face twice, was quite a feat. It sort of set him off his usual grim demeanor, if only for the moment.
His reaction only puzzled Kota more. It was like his simple gratitude had punched the stranger straight in the feels gut, and then he was off again, just like that.
It was so...strange. Have someone swoop in, save your life, and then flee all mysterious-like!
Well, Kota didn't like mystery. He liked knowing the answers. Curiosity always got the better of him, even when it probably shouldn't, and that was what made him dart after his strangely dressed, scary-eyed savior.
Now that there were no deathbeasts trailing him, he felt no hesitation in catching up with him and falling in right alongside him. "Soooo...what? You just rescue me and that's it? Swoop in, save the day, then vanish into the sunset? C'mon, mate! You gotta give me a little more than that! Let me buy you some ale, some lunch, something! Seriously, you really saved my bacon, I owe ya at least that much."
Jerking, Nagendra shied away like a skittish animal as the man came up beside him. That look of embarrassment was gone, his usual frown back in place, but he was staring at Kota with some hard to place look.
Honestly, he was startled. And perplexed. This man should have run off by now. Why was he being so persistent??
People parted ahead of him thanks to his brisk strides and grim face, which made navigating the annoyingly energetic streets a bit easier. He didn't like being around so many people, it made him jittery, which was quite obvious by his stiff stature.
"You were caught stealing. I doubt you have the money to waste on me."
His voice was a disgruntled grumble, before finally he whirled on Kota. He turned the full force of that strange eye on the young man, straightening back up so that he looked down on the other.
"Why aren't you scared? It should be obvious by now that I'm dangerous! Are you this town's idiot??"
Kota gave a rich, jovial laugh. For someone so scary and ominous who apparently wrestled deathbeasts for fun and saved the day like it was no big deal, this guy was surprisingly naive. And now here he was, trying to be all intimidating at him, puffing himself up and everything. But Kota had seen a that flash of something else behind the anger and intimidation in that moment when he'd thanked him.
Something that wasn't all rugged and scary, but that was kind of vulnerable.
Kota smiled. "It's your death-hounds I'm scared of. You seem decent enough," he said, sweeping a look up and down him. "And anyway, I have plenty of money. Enough to pay you back with a meal, at least! The stealing, ah..."
His smile turned sheepish. "Well, never mind that."
Again Nagendra was knocked off his usual stable ground of cold and prickly behavior, this time by that laugh. Some odd shiver went straight down to his toes. What a warm, happy sound. His stomach twisted, and he worked hard at removing the look of dumbstruck wonder from his face and returning it to it's frown.
Honestly, what possessed this man??
Finally succeeding, he turned his head way with a growl and grimace.
"Proof you don't know me."
Why was he so insistent on this. It irritated him and made him uneasy. He'd yet to meet a person who so openly seemed to want to spend any time around him. It was like holding water out to a man dying of thirst - he so badly wanted to partake.
But everything in him knew it was a bad idea.
"The botched theft, you mean."
He lashed out darkly, but still hadn't walked away. Damn it all.
"I don't like being around people. I'm leaving the city for the woods."
He bit off his words again, and this time walked off in earnest toward the north exit of the city - the one facing the forest. It was odd he'd announce where he was going, unless it was as good as a 'yes' as Kota would get to the offer of a meal.
If he really wanted to feed him, he'd have to bring it out to him.
Kota stared at the man's back as he headed away, blinking slowly at their exchange. Well! That was utterly perplexing. And yet, he took note of one interesting detail:
The man had told Kota what he was doing.
But he hadn't once told Kota to leave him alone or go away.
And he hadn't rejected the offer of a meal.
Ha! Maybe he was just shy, one of those noble types that didn't like to ask for things?
Kota could have probably spent his time doing other things than chasing some elusive, mysterious stranger with deathdogs, but curiosity was a strong, driving force in his life--part of why he'd left Thanatos and set off across the world. Besides, as a pirate, he was used to danger. Danger often went hand-in-hand with adventure, and he'd met some shady characters in his time. Some of them weren't nearly as bad as they liked others to believe!
Of course, some of them were.
Well, fine then!
Taking note of the direction the man went, Kota headed to the nearest tavern and came out with a small meal of meat, cheese, and bread. Pottage would have been ideal, but this he could carry and it was still hot. Heading in the direction the stranger had gone, Kota stepped out into the woods.
"Hello? Mysterious hero type? You out there?"
Kota's call was at first answered with a silent, solid wall of dark trees. Then there was a harsh flapping of wings, as something large and dark perched on a branch above his head. It was a bird, of course...but one the size of a child and covered with a thick layer of black feathers. Its head was hunched between the shoulders of its wings, and it stared down at the man with emotionless inky eyes.
It screeched at him harshly, then turned itself around on the thick branch, large curved talons gouging the wood. And then it hoped to another branch, hardly needing to open its wings. Pine needles filtered down after the jarring of its weight, and it turned back to stare at Kota. It screeched again, and once more bounced to a branch further into the woods.
It was being as obvious as possible about the man with the food needing to follow.
Not far into the forest is where it eventually stopped, and assuming the young man had followed, he would find himself in a rare clearing big enough for light to reach through the boughs overhead straining for the sun.
'Mysterious Hero' was laying flat out on his back amid the mossy ground, hands resting on his stomach rather peacefully. The ground was pleasantly warm, as was the sun on his skin - he was aware, dimly, that he liked to sun himself because the dark god within him was a serpent. But he'd always like sunlight himself so on some days, like today, he just let it be.
The bird fluttered heavily to the ground and sulked about awkwardly, as large birds often do when on the ground.
Finally Nagendra sighed, opened his unusual eye, and sat up to give Kota a mild frown. He really was persistent...
Oookay. First creepy wolves, then ominous man, and now an enigmatic giant bird that was doing a little "follow me" dance. This whole day was so weird.
Kota watched the bird hop away from him, and it was then that he hesitated. What he'd misread the situation? What if he was wrong? Like the guy even said, he probably should be scared, and now he was being lured off deeper into the woods. It had all the makings of the kind of story children were told to be wary of strangers.
So since he wasn't a child, he ignored the warnings completely.
With a deep breath, he followed, if at a distance; he didn't trust those talons, and if this bird was like those dogs and came from the same place, he didn't trust it at all.
Soon he found himself in a sunny clearing, and there was his new friend, sunning himself on the ground. Kota still hung back, especially as the bird hopped onto the ground, but when the man frowned over at him, Kota returned it with a smile and motioned at him with the wrapped up food.
"You didn't say you didn't want it," he explained.
Nagendra couldn't do much more than let out an irritable sigh, that smile knocking the wind out of his sails. It was hard to maintain a cold demeanor in the face of such unexplainable good will. The huge bird fluttered heavily onto his thigh, and he grimaced as those talons found purchase through his pants and into his skin.
"Shove off, scavenger."
He growled with clear warning, and the feathered lump eyeballed him calmly. They seemed to be at some kind of silent stalemate, and so the odd young man returned his attention to their 'guest', waving him over curtly.
"I'll eat it. And then you can consider your 'debt' repaid."
It was actually making his mouth water though, the idea of properly prepared food. Eating what these black beasts caught, sometimes raw, was not the most pleasant of menus. The huge bird, still clinging to his thigh painfully, seemed more curious toward Kota than his food. It flared it's wings a little in the sun, as if also content to warm itself, gaze focused on the would-be thief.
Kota winced sympathetically as that bird perched on the man's thigh and yet, strangely, the guy didn't try and shove the thing off. Instead, he seemed to be tolerating it.
And while he still felt uneasy with the bird so close, this man had saved him twice already from his helldogs. If he could keep him safe from those, surely a feathered rat was no large feat.
Walking closer, Kota stopped beside the man and took a seat on the ground close by. He set the wrapped food on the ground and nudged it closer. "Deal. Eat up, then, friend! And while I have ya here, why don'tcha tell me what all that was all about? Y'know, the whole save the day and then run away thing?"
"I'm not your friend."
Was his curt reply, before he grabbed the food and unwrapped the warm contents. Yes, finally, real food. The huge bird shifted on his thigh, and blood became apparent on the grass.
"None for you."
He all but snarled it, but the bird still seemed to be considering taking the chance. Nagendra kept a fiercely cold eye on it as he began to stuff the food into his mouth. At this point, he didn't care how unseemly it might appear - he was hungry, and for something other than raw game. This was the best meal he'd had in ages, and while he managed to keep the happiness off his face, the speed with which he was eating was clear enough evidence.
Finally he responded to the rest of Kota's words, barely giving him his attention.
"I wasn't running away you idiot. I was passing by. I threatened a man. I left. I don't like to be in cities, and I was eager to get through that one. The only reason I went through rather than going around was the slim chance I could find proper food. WRETCH!!"
The roar was as abrupt as it was brutal as Nagendra swung out with his arm. The huge bird-beast had yanked a huge chunk of meat out of his hand, opening up bloodied gashes along his fingers with it's beak in it's haste. His elbow caught the bird right in the chest, and it let out an indignant screech as it's huge wings snapped open and it wobbled and lept backward off of his thigh. It hunched angrily and gave all manner of horrific, shrill bird sounds at the man.
Again they seemed at a stalemate, for Nagendra didn't bother retaliating further, though his face was still quite twisted with anger.
"Cursed thing."
He spat, before shoving what was left of the smoked flesh into his mouth. He then gave his bleeding hand a disinterested look. Damnable creature, so greedy...
The guy...was...bleeding, noticeably now. Didn't he notice that his bird pal was kind of cutting him open? Didn't that hurt? How could he act so blase about that? And yet, there he was, eating and conversing like this was just a thing that happened.
It was a bit difficult to carry on a conversation with someone getting skewered and bleeding by a giant death bird.
"Uh, yeah, okay, I guess that makes sense--gah!"
He flinched when the bird slashed him with its beak. That was what it finally took to get him to belt the bird one?
Kota hunched his shoulders and stared at it warily, as though ready to beat the feathered hell beast should it decide to make him its next perch.
"Er...are you okay?" he asked at length, and looked at the man without turning his head so he could keep the bird in his peripheral vision. "I mean, like, maybe you...shouldn't let it do that? Sit on ya and whatnot? The hell is that thing, anyway?"
They seemed awful chummy.
As the tension died down, the huge bird began to preen itself irritably. For now, it seemed it was content enough to stay on the ground.
For his part, Nagendra was polishing off his food despite the multitude of bleeding wounds. At the question, he simply glowered at Kota with his unnatural eye, before licking some of the blood off his fingers.
"They're just scratches, stop your pestering."
He pulled his knees up near his chest then, sitting hunched and looking generally miserable.
It seemed to be a natural look for him.
"It's a litch bird." He finally grumbled at length, looking away.
"...You've repaid your imaginary debt to me. Go away already."
Kota stared blankly for a moment, and then grimaced when he'd finished mentally translating the word. Lich. An undead bird. Those things had a different name, but some in Thanatos dabbled in such things, and that...couldn't be good. Not to mention the kinds of undead gunk it must have had on its claws!
He shifted uncomfortably and kept an even closer eye on the beast. "Uh, with all due respect, you're like...bleedin' a lot, and that can't be safe, so er...look, you need anything to tend to it? And like, I'm not saying that to pester. That's a thing called concern."
As if sensing Kota's reaction, the bird screeched terribly at him. Its hulking form then awkwardly turned about before taking off with a few large wing beats. It landed heavily onto a low hanging branch, where it stayed, as if keeping watch on the forest nearby.
Despite their interactions, the bird was much...easier company than his wolves. They were ever eager to kill and maim. The bird was more content to watch, though it showed undue interest in anybody and anything weak or sickly. Honestly, there was always a certain amount of background noise whenever he had one of these 'summoned' creatures out - something with the dark god allowed him to understand them.
He purposefully shut it out, however.
He wasn't interested in whatever terrible things they had to say.
With an irritable snort, Nagendra glared at the young man across from him. Without saying anything, he whipped his hand out in front of Kota's face. His fingers, though previously torn and bleeding, were already healed. A bit of pink scar tissue stood out here and there, but even that seemed to be fading back into his muted brown skin tone.
"Clearly, I do not need your concern."
Kota flinched at the screech, and he wasn't sure if he felt better or more anxious with the thing up in the trees. On the one hand, it was no longer at pecking level. On the other hand, it was now at swooping level, and he trusted that creature no farther than he could throw it.
He turned his body a little so he could keep its tree in his peripheral, and when he turned back to look at the man, he jumped, because he had a hand in his face.
"Whoa! Jeez! What are you--huh?"
Where once there had been torn wounds, now there was...nothing. Just healed over skin. Blinking in surprise, Kota glanced down at the man's leg, then back at his hand.
"How did...? But you--! What?" he finally managed, and grabbed the guy's hand so he could examine it for himself. "How did you do that?"
Nagendra went stiff as a board as that idiot actually grabbed him. Nobody ever touched him! Well, unless they were trying to kill or maim him or some such. What sort of fool just grabbed at something so obviously unnatural?? After today, he was seriously beginning to think this man had NO natural survival instincts at all!
After the momentary shock wore off, Nagendra hissed irritably and yanked his hand away, shifting awkwardly on the ground as he glared at his unwanted guest.
"What sort of great idiot are you?? By now it should be apparent that I am not a normal person! This sort of healing is one of my abilities."
By now, both on his hand and thigh, there was no longer even a trace of scar tissue. It was back to it's smooth, pre-wound form.
Kota smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Oh, it's obvious you're different," he said, waving at Nagendra in a gesture that encompassed the whole of him. "No one's got eyes like you, or travels with undead birds they let claw them, or has wolf things, or like...heals without trying. And most people aren't nearly as anti-people as you seem to be."
Sitting back on his hands, he tilted his head curiously. "Or is the question you're trying to ask more along the lines of whether or not I'm scared of you?"
It was somewhat...unpleasant having to listen to himself be described. Still glowering, he shifted slightly again, knees again pulled up closer to his body.
But once again, this odd man managed to say something that momentarily breeched his usual prickly façade. Genuinely surprised, Nagendra blinked at Kota, his expression alarmingly defenseless.
Wha...?
He shook his head somewhat violently, as if shaking free of that stunned look, and then rubbed at his face with a grumble.
"You ought to be...maybe you really are an idiot..."
Kota arched an eyebrow.
"I'll bite. Why is it I should be scared of ya, again? You come in, rescue me, and then...we just sit around having one of the most awkward conversations I've ever had. Not exactly the handywork of a scary monster, man."
Glancing up toward the tree, Kota motioned toward the bird. "Now that? That I'm afraid of. That and those wolves of yours. But you? Nah."
This was not something he wanted to try and explain to someone. Anyone else would take one look at him, and cross to the other side of the road. Anyone seeing his beasts or the way he controlled them would flat out turn and run. Nobody had ever not shown some degree of fear or discomfort around him.
It was easier that way. For everyone involved.
He didn't exactly want to be alone, but it was safer if he was.
A silent snarl was cast at Kota, and Nagendra hunched up even more.
"If you must know, I am brimming with vile black magic. Nothing good can come of being near me."
He shifted then, glancing away.
"The creatures I summon are nothing by comparison."
Kota gave the man a pointed look, then looked down at the small space between them, and then looked back at the man.
"I dunno, mate. We've been sittin' here a while, pretty close together, and so far nothing bad's come from it. Well, you got mauled by your hellbeast, but if you're worried about me, so far I seem to be doing okay."
He smiled crookedly. "I even touched you, and look. Still alive."
A snap of frustration overcame him. With an irritable cry, Nagendra slammed his fist down on the small path of earth between their seated forms. The soil itself abruptly dried, as if everything had been leeched from it, cracking and groaning as the grass withered and blackened. As his trembling fist remained, the crackling wound in the earth spread slowly, everything turning a sickly dark shade of bluish grey even as it was sapped of life.
Whirling to face Kota, Nagendra was equal parts furious and desperate.
"Just what do you want from me!?"
He finally lifted his fist, stopping the slow rot.
"Is this enough!? What do you want to see?? I'm warning you for your own good!"
When the man raised his fist, for one startling second Kota thought he was about to get belted.
Instead, the man slammed his first down onto the earth, and what happened then was perhaps even more startling.
Wide-eyed, Kota watched as the earth just...just died. Shriveled up, turned the color of a bruise--or a corpse--and spread. With a jolt of realization, Kota scrambled backwards on his hands to put some space between it and him, because he didn't want to know what would happen if it touched him.
But then it stopped and the man whirled on him, and Kota could only stare at him for a moment, heart thumping in his chest in surprise and, for the first time since they had spent this time together, a touch of fear. He didn't want to admit it; it betrayed everything he had been trying to prove here. But it was definitely there.
"I, uh...I...nothing...?" he answered weakly, and gestured lamely at the dead ground. "I didn't exactly want to see anything...? I didn't want to see that, certainly! But, uh, I guess...see, the point here was that nothin' bad happened until ya went and made it happen just now. Like, that was you trying to scare me, and that doesn't actually count?"
The flash of fear in Kota was somehow satisfying. That was the reaction he expected.
The reaction he deserved.
People needed to fear him. It was the only way to keep them away, which was the only way to keep them safe. Hopefully this fool here had learned his les-
...what.
Nagendra gritted his teeth in frustration. This man...truly saw things the way he wanted to, didn't he??
"The point is that is exactly the sort of being I am. I will cause destruction and death. If you have any natural instincts at all, you will stay away from me!"
Finally he stood, hunching almost immediately, and began to make his way further into the woods. The great bird screeched and took flight with massive wing beats, disappearing somewhere above the canopy even as Nagendra's darkly clad body threatened to disappear completely into the shadows between the trees.
Kota frowned at the man's outburst and watched him as he rose to his feet and stalked further into the woods, his mouth slightly open as though to say something, but not quite sure what. With a sigh, he propped his elbow on his knee and watched him go. What a strange day. Getting rescued by a cranky guy that felt he was cursed, repay him a little, and then...it all ends when he tries to scare him away, fails, and decides to get all angsty about it.
What a strange guy!
Of course, he had no doubt that there was something deeply wrong with him, given his behavior, hints of self-destructiveness, and...uh...the company he was keeping. But he didn't seem as bad as he thought he was, if he had the capacity to rescue him.
Oh well. He wasn't going to go after him, for he had already overstayed his welcome and...that would just be weird! Go off and stalk the moody man with the lich things? Inima, no! So instead he rose to his feet, dusted himself off, and prepared to peacefully part ways. He stopped to stretch his legs, and then he was off, heading in the opposite direction toward the village.
That was when he heard the voices.
"They went this way!" a gruff voice said from up ahead. "Damned thief and his unholy friend! Had some fuckin' demon dogs with him, so be careful, boys. There's no tellin' what that fucker can do."
"Will ya stop worryin' already? Goddamn, I toldja we can handle it."
"Yeah, well, ya didn't see what I did."
"No. But I've seen worse than what you're describin'. Killed worse, too."
Oh, Inima. Kota froze in his tracks, heart leaping into his throat. He could hear their footsteps now, crunching closer through the woods. They weren't far from him now.
And they sure had murder on the brain.
Turning on his heel, Kota ran, sprinting in the direction he'd seen his former rescuer go. It wasn't long before he caught up to him. He was kind of hard to miss.
"Hey! You! Yeah, you, I swear I'm not purposely stalking you! There's some people coming and they wanna kill us!"
The dappled light lit his path through the forest, his shoulders slowly relaxing from their usually hunched position. He couldn't completely relax, but being away from others was somewhat less stressful. Today had been unpleasant, to say the least, and he was almost looking forward to another night curled up in the elements.
At least he'd had some real food for once.
But that made him think of the would-be thief, which made his jaw twitch.
And then said twitch-inducing person was hollering at him, and his spine snapped into an irritable hunch almost instantly. He whirled around, about ready to give this lump of flesh a good walloping, when it finally sank in what he was saying.
"Kill us?"
At first, ironically, Nagendra couldn't fathom why they would be after HIM. The guy who tried to steal? Sure.
But then he remembered he'd sort of threatened people with the dire wolves, and he sighed. It was a sound of tired frustration, not unlike 'here we go again'.
Snorting, he waved off Kota's frantic demeanor.
"If you're so worried, then stand behind me. Stay out of the way, and maybe you'll come out unscathed."
Nagendra simply turned toward the direction Kota had ran, and waited. He had long grown weary of manhunts through forests, and had found it was far easier to simply take care of things at the onset. He could either scare them away, or he'd kill them. Despite his loathing for the Dark God's bloodthirst, he'd long ago lost the energy to fight off every urge. Self-defense was a good enough excuse to let loose now and again.
@Rhi-Rhi
"Uh, well, I'm not exactly worried, I mean like...I could take a guy, you know! I can fight! It's just there's a few of 'em. And they didn't sound at all worried about your wolves. If they're not worried about your wolves, they've got to have something nasty up their sleeve," Kota said as he slipped behind the guy, and already his eyes were roaming for sources of water he could pull from.
His options weren't exactly plentiful, but he could draw from the plants around them.
Not that he had much time to think and assess, because no sooner had he stepped behind the strange giant of a man when their pursuers came crashing through the undergrowth and into the open.
There were five of them, as it turned out, each one of them meaner and nastier and bigger than the last, with the leader among them looking built from a tree. He was broad, tall, and gnarled with scars and muscle, his head shaved clean to reveal a tattooed scalp, his face sharply asymmetric with a nose that was crooked from being broken too many times. He smiled when he saw them, a smile that revealed he was missing his front teeth.
Stopping several yards away, he slapped the shaft of the heavy mace he carried against the palm of his hand. It was a wickedly spiked thing, and his other men were carrying equally cruel weapons: spiked clubs and axes and flails.
"Well, looky here. It almost looks like you boys were expecting us!" the big man said with a laugh, before spitting to the side. Looking to his men, he gave a casual jerk of his thumb. "Get 'em, boys."
And then all five of them were rushing them, weapons streaking through the air--
Along with the crackle of magic as two of the men proved to be mages with command over fire and electricity.
He'd have liked to make a sharp comment and perhaps get this group of rather burly (and, unfortunately, unintelligent) men to hold of their attack. He didn't WANT to kill them. But he would, if they attacked him. Trying to belay them and get them to reconsider was about the best he could, for once the blood quickened, there was little resistance to the power that boiled and flowed out of him.
Sadly for them, the men attacked a breath later, and Nagendra could only clench his jaw in frustration. There was nothing he could do now. This was not a situation to take lightly, especially with his unwanted companion standing behind him.
Both arms lifted skyward even as he barked an order that he hoped Kota would obey.
"
Do not step in front of me!!"
Pain lanced through his face, radiating from his right eye, but he was already accustomed to it. His muscles coiled and bunched, as if alive of their own will beneath his skin. There was a screech somewhere above even as a reddish miasma sprung up in front of him, and then the huge lich bird dove into the closest attacker to buy Nagendra just enough time to complete the spell.
The miasma rippled, and then bubbled and boiled larger and larger still, forming tendrils and ropes of red smoke. And then with a hiss it took a form - that of a dragon, blood red, with eyes nothing more than glowing pits of white-hot flame. It screamed with such otherworldly rage that any animal within range bolted away, from bird to deer to insect.
And then it fell upon the group of men in a fit of fury, and being little more than a wraith, their weapons and attacks were futile. It's cries blended in with their own screams of pain and death.
Soon enough, each man had been relieved of his various limbs and organs, leaving a swath of red carnage.
Nagendra trembled as he brought his spell to a close, dispelling the apparition despite the bubbling lust for blood and destruction. How easy it would be to tear apart this forest, to set it ablaze! To go and memorize the fear in the faces of those villagers-
He growled and dropped his hands, the dragon evaporating into reddish smoke. His body remained a tense, livid thing for a moment longer, before he finally began to relax and take in deep breaths. It was done. There was no need for any more, despite the throbbing in his eye.
@Rhi-Rhi
Kota didn't actually see much of what happened.
And he certainly didn't get in the guy's way.
The reason he didn't see much of what happened was because shortly after the huge bird dove into one of those men ans ripped him asunder, Kota lost his meal.
He was still where Nagrenda left him, on his knees on the ground, doubled over and dry-heaving, because he had nothing more to throw up, but couldn't get the screams, gore, or smell of blood out of his mind or out of his nose. He was shaking, too startled and weak to rise yet, and didn't dare look over to the place where Nagrenda still was.