“Damn! There is no way I can even remotely make you look human!”
She sighed as she yanked a large blanket over Dake's bovine head.
“Sorry, Sunshine.”
She glared at him, tugging even harder.
“Please don’t call me that, I hate that name.”
“Well, isn’t it your name?”
She leveled him with a serious gaze, her auburn hair lighting up as sun peaked out beyond some clouds. “No, my name is Brilliant Sunshine of the Golden Harvest.”
They were standing right off a dirt road leading into a small port on the edge of a sea. It was named “Taris Point” and it looked like it only had a population of less than a thousand. Only a few bushes shielded them from any curious eyes, but the road was almost abandoned in the middle of the morning. Inside, his floppy ears could hear the sounds of a merchant area and he wondered if they would have real weapons there. He swung his head back over to look at her, a tight-bodied woman who occasionally had a sun burst out from her forehead. She was wearing one of his shirts, it hung down to her knees and showed off the wonderful swell of her breasts and hips underneath. A tiny cooking knife was shoved into a rope belt and he grinned at the destruction she could do with such a tiny weapon.
“Right, ‘Sunshine.’”
She shook her head, rolling her eyes, “How about ‘Brilliant’ or even ‘Golden Harvest,’ both of those are better than something as sappy as ‘Sunshine.’”
Sunshine gave up on the dirty canvas and belted it around his waist, making Dake look like some huge, deformed leper. His head was formed like a bull’s head. It almost hung from his shoulders which was easily two hards wide. He stamped his hoof on the ground and she glanced down with a dramatic sigh.
“Forgot the feet. Why can’t you learn to change shape? I heard Lunars can do that.”
Dake yawned, “What is a Lunar?”
“I told you, those blessed by Luna.”
“Who is Luna?”
“The moon, you idiot! You should know, you must be one of them!”
She bopped him on the nose with her fist. He blinked, barely feeling it and reached up to scratch the gold plate that covered the broken-off end of his right horn. She sighed and fretted for a moment, looking over the bush at the town. A frown furrowed her brow as she stared at it.
“Look, Dake, I’ve never been here, but it could be dangerous.”
He hated being confused, but everything always lead to more questions in this new world.
“Why?”
“Don’t you… no, you wouldn’t. I think I’m one of the Anathema.”
“Ana… thema?”
“The Unclean, Despoilers of the Creation, you know, the destroyers of the world.”
Dake shrugged, nonplussed, “Okay.”
She gave him an exasperated look. Dake shrugged again, moving his massive shoulders as he stepped back slightly. Somewhere behind him, the canvas tore slightly.
“What? I’m from the Horde. I’m using to being with people who are going to destroy the world, slay the enemies, and clear out all that is good in the world. If it wasn’t for Righteousness, I wouldn’t have tried to be one of the ‘good guys,’ as it were.”
She perked up at his friend’s name.
“Righteousness? What is his full name? Maybe he can help us.”
“Righteousness.”
“Yeah, what is his full name? Maybe I’ve heard of him.” There was just a tiny hint of desperation in her voice.
“That’s it, we don’t use fancy names with ‘of’ or ‘and’ in the middle. I told you that.”
Groaning, she clutched her head and shook it.
“How did you ever survive childbirth?”
Dake thought for a moment, “Ma had a large club. Dad skinned the survivors.”
Sunshine groaned again.
“Come on. I need supplies and to figure out what is going on. Just come along. And… and don’t attract attention.”
He didn’t have the heart to explain that a eight-foot tall humanoid that looked like some perverse offspring of man and bull would always attract attention. He hefted his ax under his canvas cloak and grinned to himself. His horns itched, that always meant that something violent was going to happen.
The town was dirty, smelly, and had the feel of week-old fish on every surface. Dake sighed irritably as he followed Sunshine through the crowds. It would have been tight passing, but most people took one look at him and spread apart, giving him almost a clear path. Around him, guards stared at him nervously and he resisted the urge to grin at them.
Instead, he focused on the various carts and stalls that lined the road. The vast array of foods and treats startled him. He smelled the wonderful aroma of meats and puddings and his stomach grumbled. His eyes focused on the exchanges. To his annoyance, it wasn’t gold and platinum being traded but more of those useless jade coins of various colors. However, he saw the occasional silver piece which gave him hope that this town had at least some hints of civilization.
He was also thankful that the two weeks he was traveling with Sunshine, she was trying to teach him the language of the land. Something called Forest-Tongue. It was a less guttural language than he was used to, but it was easy enough to learn once he got started. In this town, almost everyone spoke it and he just listened to the cadence and sounds, muttering them under his breath as he tried to get used to speaking it.
When Sunshine suddenly accelerated, he kept behind, watching her bright hair bounce in the crowds before disappearing into a bar. He stepped off the side of the road, near a now nervous-looking man selling some sort of wrapped vegetable. Glancing down, his stomach rumbled and he fished under the makeshift cloak for his change. Feeling out a silver, he pulled it out and held it out.
The merchant stared at the strange coinage for a moment before taking it with a shaking hand. He hefted it, then bit into it. Looking up at Dake for a moment, he handed three of the wrapped vegetables to Dake who took them in one.
He turned back around, stuffing the steaming food in his mouth. Sunshine slipped out of the bar and moved into the next one, a look of frustration and determination on her face. He chuckled and slowly enjoyed the strange spices in his food. When the last one was gone, he stretched out and chuckled. Sunshine had moved from bar to bar, her expression growing more stormy with every passing second.
Dake watched casually. He let his mind spin for a bit before making a decision. Turning back to the merchant, he dug out another silver.
“Where… money… change?”
The merchant’s eyes widened for a moment, then he gestured nervously down the street. Dake dropped the silver on the counter and grabbed two of the vegetable rolls. The silver was gone before he turned around and started walking down the street in the direction given.
Keeping an ear out for Sunshine, he didn’t have to go far until he found a secure-looking building near the corner of the merchant area. It had good quality steel bars on the windows, guards at the door, and a large jade coin painted on a sign over the door. Grinning, Dake made his way there.
When the two guards interposed themselves in front of his way, Dake took a deep breath and stood up straight. Their eyes followed him as he stood to his full height. Digging in his bag, he pulled out a handful of jade coins and several large hunks of silver.
“Money change.” The words were still uncomfortable on his tongue. The guards seemed to understand and stepped aside, scanning him from head to toe. Grateful that his ax was hidden in his pack, Dake pushed himself into the money-changer’s office.
A minute of waiting in the room, a harried-looking man came in from a side door, took one look at Dake and jumped slightly. Regaining his composure quickly, he glanced out the door at the guards, one of them who was looking in the room, then back at Dake.
“Uh… how may I help you?”
Dake dug out his money bag and dropped it on the table. The wood groaned with the weight.
“Change money.”
The changer sunk down slowly in his chair and teased the bag open. Pulling out a large weight of platinum, he gasped and started to pull out the contents more rapidly. Dake watched him, unsure of the words he was saying, but seeing the effect of the metals on the man’s face. He tried to keep the currencies straight, in that day Sunshine tried to explain them. She didn’t have any money, she said so herself, but he took a fair amount from the Dragon-Blooded that he killed and she explained it.
It took almost an hour of counting and weighing the money. The changer said something about melting it down, for an imprint, but Dake didn’t care. He just circled around slowly, watching the man but also listening to the street for Sunshine.
“As… sir?”
Dake’s head swung over toward the money changer.
“Yes.”
“You appear to have several jade talents worth… I’m unable to change this into any… um… portable amount of money. Much of this could only be managed in a larger city and I feel that I could only give you three-quarters of its worth, due to the…” the words kept on going and Dake waited a moment before shrugging and interrupting him.
“Change what you can.”
“What,” the man swallowed, “What currencies? I have jade, script, and silver.”
“All.”
His horns were beginning to itch something fierce and he felt the need to move quickly.
“I can give you a reasonable amount of jade and silver, and scripts for maybe ten thousand koku.”
Koku, the script from somewhere he had never been. Dake didn’t trust paper money, but Sunshine seemed to think it was safe money. Ten thousand seemed like a lot so he nodded. The money changer seemed relieved and pushed about half of his money aside, back to the bag, and started to start writing stuff on paper. It took another twenty minutes but soon Dake had jade coins and bars, a stack of papers wrapped in green paper, and a larger stack of silver coins and bars. It was a depressingly small amount, compared to what he was handing over but he shrugged again.
The money changer had him sign something and he shoved everything back into his money bag, counting each one as he went. The money-changer seemed surprised he could count, but there was no fear in his eyes which implied that he was honest.
Happy at last, Dake nodded and shoved his money bag back under his canvas.
“Thank you.”
“A pleasure, sir. Please, come back any time.”
The money changer was very polite now and Dake grinned as he pushed his way out of the office.
An hour or so later, he was once again standing by the vegetable dealer place. He kept on ear out, listening to the costs for things, hearing the coinage and people talking. He was pleased with his exchange, it seemed a bit on the light side compared to what he could buy in his old world, but still fair. He kept his arms folded underneath his canvas as he watched the crowds swell up with the midday sun.
Just as the sun was starting to come down from its apex, the noise of the crowd changed. There was an expected silence as the sound of marching filled the air. Dake felt it vibrating on the floor and stepped back, pressing himself against the wall as the streets cleared themselves for a large squad of men coming through. It was a small unit of men, maybe half a hundred, most of them unassuming except for their uniforms. He didn’t recognize anything but the weapons and he grinned with the thought of killing all of them. He could try, he might be that good.
At the front was a woman, stunning good looks, wearing a chain suit of bright red jade and black metal. His eyes gazed at her, from head to toe, enjoying the curves but also her hard face. A scar scratched her from above her right ear, across her face, down along her chin and disappeared toward her left breast. He chuckled, a mortal wound she obviously survived. She didn’t even glance at those around her as she marched forward. In her gloved hand, she had a huge spear, easily twice her height and made of the same red crystal, probably jade in this world. It sparkled in the sun.
The crowds were silent, looking away from the troops and woman as they marched down the street. Dake had every intention of not attracting attention.
At least until he felt a hand brushing up against his money bag. Without taking his eyes off the woman, who marched down the street with a purpose, he reached down and grabbed the arm it was attached to. Without thinking, he wrenched it hard, feeling bone shattering from his strength.
There was a scream of a young child as he felt the bones grind together and. He released it sharply, yanking it forward to expose the pickpocket. It was a boy, maybe about ten years old, clutching his arm as he stumbled forward, out from behind the vegetable merchant’s place. The merchant looked surprise, then frightened as the marching soldiers stopped with a crunch of boots on the beaten ground.
Dake sighed in annoyance as the world seemed to focus on him. The woman in front went a few more steps before stopping. She turned around and looked down the street. Her eyes focused on Dake and he felt the itching in his horns growing with every breath. Her hair was burning red and she looked like she was sunburned. Her lips tightened in an annoyed expression as she started to walk toward him.
The crowd around Dake melted away, including the vegetable dealer. Dake stepped forward just slightly, his hand reaching under his canvas to caress the haft of his enchanted ax.
She stopped in front of him and he looked down at her, she was easily a foot or two shorter than him. Her red chain armor sparkled in the light as she glare up at him, trying to see in the shadows of his canvas cloak. Reaching up, she pushed it aside, then gasped as his bovine head came into view.
Stepping back, she said something in a language he didn’t know, then he guessed, repeated herself in Forest-Tongue.
“Beastman!”
The response was electric. The guards spun on their heels and started to surround him, a large arc of men with brandished weapons, all glaring at him. Sunlight glinted off half a hundred swords and one nasty-looking spear.
Dake’s horns itched.
The red-haired woman tossed back her hair and held her spear with both hands. Dake could see the experience in her position, she would be a worthy fight. Even with the others getting in the way. He chuckled.
She started to say something, “By the standing orders of the Empire, I place you under arrest under-”
Dake shook his head, tossing back his canvas and standing to his full height.
“No.”
He knew that word. She said a few more words, then stopped, her mouth hanging down. It took a second for her to regain her senses.
“What?”
“No, you are not.” His voice was deep and low.
A hot flush rose up in her cheeks as she snapped back, “Yes, I am!”
“You and what army?”
She started to response and he chuckled, itching to start the fight.
“Sorry, you are going to call this an army?”
Her lip began to curl and he watched as a flame, like gases burning off a marsh, rose up around her. Her hair began to twist without wind as shimmers of heat haloed her head. The ruby chain sparkled as the smell of burning dirt filled the air. Glancing down, he saw her feet searing the ground. Slowly, he let his gaze languishingly travel up her legs, hips, breasts, and back to her eyes before he smiled. Behind her, the soldiers behind her muttered and rippled, preparing themselves to attack.
She hesitated for a moment, then anger burned in her eyes. Crouching down, she drew her weapon back for a two-handed strike, hissing as she moved.
“What are you called, beastman, so I can inscribe it into your grave?”
Dake wrapped his fingers around the massive haft of his ax and pulled it into a ready position. A ripple of surprise came from the soldiers, it was larger than most of their heads. It glinted red and gold in the noon sunlight.
“Dake.”
His opponent’s eyes narrowed, “What is the rest of your name?”
He sighed, this time in annoyance. “What is it with you people and names? Find, call me the Cleaver of Two Worlds, if you need a big fancy name with multiple words in it.”
Despite his snapping, he felt a sinking sensation when she nodded.
“Very well, Cleaver, prepare to enjoy the Underworld.”
Dake didn’t think dying was that bad, he’s died many times and come back through the graveyards each time. He wasn’t given a chance to think about it as she launched a blistering attack. The spear gave off a flaring noise as it exploded in flames, searing his hair and ear as he narrowly avoided the first attack. The smell of burning filled his nostrils and she drew back for another blow. He managed to get the haft of his ax up to block the second and third. With a snort, he stepped sideways of the fourth, released his left hand from his ax, and brought his fist back. The wind screamed as he landed a punch right against her chest, between below her chain-covered breasts. The expression on her face instantly changed from arrogant anger to surprised as the wind was knocked out of her and she flew back. With an inarticulate yelp, she fell to the ground but managed to keep her spear in her hands.
Dake laughed, loud and bellowing. As his laughter echoed along the the streets, he leveled his gaze on the soldiers.
“Now, which one of you is going to put me in my place?”
They started to step forward and Dake let an evil grin cross his face. He twisted his ax slightly, so he would be fighting to the flat edge of the blade. Taking a deep breath, wallowing in the rising joy of violence, he let out the most powerful bellow he could. The roar burst out in the street, vibrating windows and sending the surrounding crowds screaming in fear. Terror rippled through the knot of guards and they faltered, their valor beginning to crack.
Still bellowing, Dake charged. His feet pounded the ground for the few steps as he brought the flat of his ax against one the guard’s head. The man went out like a light but Dake was already bringing it across the front ranks, leaving crumpling warriors to fall to the ground.
They started to stir back to life, those who didn’t flee, but Dake managed to respond before them. With another snort, he followed through with his motion, set his shoulder, and rammed as hard as he could into the second ranks. A cascade of men fell down but others were on him, slashing at him with their weapons. None of the blows did any significant damage to him and he stepped back to bring his ax back into a ready position. It felt heavy in his hand, but his horns were itching like there was no tomorrow.
The surrounded guards attacked, all at once, from all directions. Dake parried most of them but two slammed into his side, cutting deep into his skin. He winched as he felt one of the blades scrape along his ribs.
Everything froze for a moment as he pressed a hand against one of the wounds and brought it up to his eyes. Bright red blood dripped from his fingers and he felt rage starting to rise up inside him. Menace stormed across his expression as he changed his position, twisting the ax back into a killing position and got ready for a true and blood slaughter. Fear rippled through the warriors as he took a deep breath. His first blow was almost a blur as it cut through the face of one guard, down through the shoulders of a second, and removed a third’s hip. The guards hesitated and attacked, their blades flashing in the air as they left minor cuts on his immense body.
Roaring, he punched his ax through another pair of men, decapitating both. As their heads went flying in the air, he felt a shiver of warning on his back and quickly dodged to the left as the burning spear of the warrior’s leader pierced the space his spine was moments before. He spun around, following the movements of his ax, and brought it down on the spear shaft.
Instead of breaking like a proper weapon, both weapons bounced off the impact point. She snarled as she was dropped to her knees from the force of the blow, her knuckles cracking from the blow. Dake stepped back, feeling the energy of the blow out of control, took it out on the guards that surrounded him, spinning around in a long loop that left severed arms, legs, and fingers dropping to the ground in a fountain of blood.
Screams filled the air as he felt the slashes of swords cutting into him. The pain was beginning to seep into his bones and he felt the first prickling of fear that he might actually lose. Shaking his head, he snorted and prepared himself for an attack by the red-haired woman.
She screamed with her attack, slashing twice with the immense spear. The blade sparkled in the air and he threw his ax haft to block the first attack. On the second, he dropped his ax on his foot and grabbed the spear with both hands. The crystal cut deep into his hands as he tightened his grip. She jerked at it, trying to release the weapon, but his strength overwhelmed hers.
With a roar, he picked up the spear and her, his muscles bulging from the power. Still bellowing, he swung her into her men, using her like a club. Wet thuds of impact didn’t shake her off as he began to pound into the men. His ax remained on his foot as he just circled around on his other. His eyes focused on her, desperately trying to remain holding her spear.
Shaking it violently, Dake slammed the spear into another knot of people and she finally slipped off her weapon. He grabbed it, the blade still near him, and started to whack everyone who came close. Soon, a pile of bodies rose up around him.
In a pause of the battle, he saw her standing up, fury rising up in the flames around her body. Even enraged, he was taken aback by the intense beauty in her face and body. An idea twisted through his mind. Flipping the spear, he hefted it one, drew back and launched it. She twisted to her side, to parry, but he was aiming over the buildings lining the street. The bright red jade flashed in the air as it went up and over the building, landing somewhere out of sight.
Grinning like a fool, he leveled his smile on her.
“Fetch.”
She didn’t move, but her guards launched a coordinated attack. He felt the swords cutting into him. Focusing on the fight, he jerked his foot and his ax jumped right back into his hand before he started to slaughter the men around him. His eyes glanced toward the woman, who was slowly backing up with fury and anger. One of her soldiers was talking frantically to her and she shook her head, refusing to take her eyes off him. She started shouting orders, coordinating the fighters and their attack.
Dake found himself fighting more seriously, barely able to hear the command but feeling the effect of their cuts and slashes. He grabbed the face of one of the guards and used him like a club until his neck snapped like a twig. Then, he went back to using his ax, the enchanted steel easily cutting through men and women alike.
Then, it was almost over. Less than a dozen guards remained. Dake smiled over the distance between him and the red-haired woman, the guards between them. They were shaking in fear, but she was vibrating with the utter fury and anger that sent a pang of longing through him. The stench of blood filtered through the fight, of sweat and fear, pooling on the ground.
Hefting his dripping ax, he jerked his head.
“So, think you can still make it?”
His voice rumbled deeply, interrupted by the heavy pants that rocked his body. She snarled and started forward, but one of the guards held her by the shoulder as she pass.
“No, Lady Ember, please. Let us hold him off, get the rest of the troops!”
The nameless minion’s voice was frantic, brimming with the knowledge that he was sacrificing himself, and Dake actually paused, frowning for a moment. The solider begged for her to go for reinforcements and Dake held his ax, waiting for her response.
It was obvious she was torn between her duties. She hesitated, then he heard the creak of her gloves as she squeezed her hands into fists. Her jaw tightened as she stepped back. She patted the solider on the shoulder, then backed away from the fight.
No one moved until she about a hundred feet away, then the dozen soldiers attacked the tauren warrior. He roared with pleasure and violence as he cut through them, slashing through armor and body. They managed to get a set of wounds, none serious, before he killed them.
His last opponent was the man who begged for her to leave. He clutched his sword. Dake could see him gathering his courage and the absolute knowledge that there was no chance he could survive.
Dake paused, speaking from one warrior to another, “That was very brave.”
The guard nodded, still brandishing his weapon. His feet danced slightly, squishing in the blood and gore. Dake remained there, steady as he stared into the man’s face. Resolve was cracking, at least in the human, so Dake took a deep breath and thought about the next series of blows. There was no question he was going to win. He imagined a thousand ways of killing the man and each one was more brutal the one before it. He filtered through his choices and finally selected the best one, a rapid killing blow that would not let him suffer.
To his surprise, the man let out a sob and knelt down. His weapon dropped to the ground with a wet thud, laying randomly across a pair of legs on the ground.
Dake stepped forward, watching tears forming in the guard’s eyes. He continued to walk, his heavy hooves crushing limbs and splashing in blood as he measured out the distance between them. Then, he was looking down at the man, watching the bowed shoulders and head.
He smiled. Reaching down, he patted the guard on the head.
“There is honor in surrender.”
The tauren kept on walking, hefting his ax and leaving the carnage behind.
A few minutes away, along abandoned streets, Dake stopped and ripped off a length of canvas from a clothesline. He wiped the blood on the inner edge of it while looking around. He was standing near some pubs, all empty. His breath was slow and steady as he looked around.
“Okay… I might have screwed up.”
A young voice rose up from one of the chairs.
“You think?”
Dake sheathed his ax and turned to the owner of the voice. It was a girl, maybe sixteen, lounging in a chair. In front of her was a small café table, with two other chairs next to it. He spotted a flickering on her forehead, for a moment, it looked like a crescent moon. She turned her head slightly and it disappeared from his sight. Shrugging, he came over to her and looked her over.
“Who are you?”
A wry smile was his only response. He noticed that her right ear had a triangle cut in it, like a sheep or cattle. He automatically looked for weapons, but found none. He snorted.
“I’m Dake.”
An amused giggled and she stretched out on the chair, arching her back over the end of it for a moment before sitting back down.
“I thought you were the Cleaver of Two Worlds.”
“People here are obsessed with names.”
She started to tug at her cut ear, “Yes, we are.”
“And you are?”
“Oh, they call me the Incorrigible Thief of Moonlight.”
Dake shook his head, rolling his eyes. She saw it and giggled again. Her finger traced random shapes in some water dripping off a glass on the table.
“I saw your fight with the Ember of Passionate Flames.”
“What is it…” he let out a powerful sigh, “Is that who she was?”
“Yes, you made a powerful enemy today. She is the warlord for the entire region.”
“Warlord?”
The girl was searching his face for a response. He smiled after a moment, “Warlord, you say.”
“Yes, with an unusual hatred for beastmen.”
“What are beastmen?”
Another giggle, “Well, you. Unless you happen to be a full moon of some sort?” It was just a quiet question, subtle but he still didn’t understand it. He frowned for a moment.
“No. I’m straight.”
She laughed at that. A few moments later, Dake started to chuckle. Her amusement was contagious and soon his chuckles turned to laughter.
At least until Sunshine came running up.
“Dake! We need to get out of here!”
Dake spun around, looking for an attacker, but found none. The auburn woman skidded to a halt next to him, looking over her shoulder with hints of annoyance and worry. Dake followed her gaze, but saw nothing.
“Why?”
“Someone just pissed off the local warlord. She has a large squad heading here now with a lot more after that.”
“How big…?”
The teenage girl, still lounging on her chair, spoke up, “Lots of men. With sharp pointy bits.”
Sunshine finally noticed her and her eyes narrowed.
“Dake? Who is your friend?”
“Uh… Thief… Inco… some girl.”
Incorrigible Thief giggled, “No one of note. But, you better hurry up. If it is the local claw, you got about five minutes for the gate before they manage to get someone set up there. I think.”
Sunshine swore, switching languages in the middle, “I wonder who…”
She froze, slowly turning to face Dake. Her eyes probed his, then dropped down to the canvas covering him. Her eyes widened as she found the blood and Dake twisted it out of her sight. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the various cuts and bruises already forming through the matted hair that covered his body.
“Damn it, Dake, we can’t afford to cause trouble!”
He toed the ground, looking away, “Sorry, someone tried to pick my pocket.”
Sunshine’s voice grew shrill, “And you killed them!?”
Dake glared at her, “Of course not. You don’t kill thieves! I just broke his arm, maybe next time he’ll be better.”
“And then what?”
“Some lady attacked me.”
“Some lady?”
“Yeah, her name was… um… Ember…”
The teenage girl giggled again, completely unphazed by the conversation, “Ember of Passionate Flames, the local warlord. She and about fifty guards attacked him.”
Sunshine blanched. Then, rage boiled across her face as she reached up and grabbed Dake by the chin hairs. Pulling him down, she spoke directly into his face.
“We. Will. Talk. Later.”
Dake chuckled nervously, “Okay. But, aren’t we suppose to be leaving?”
Sunshine glanced around, biting her lips and releasing his chin. Dake rubbed his hairs as she spoke softly.
“I got what I needed, there is someone in Goresrot that might have what I need.”
“Good, let’s go.”
Dake followed her as Sunshine sprinted off toward the gate. He noticed that she found a new weapon, a simple chopping sword, and wondered if she was any good at it.
At the café table, the teenage girl watched them disappear around the corner. The smile on her lips faded almost instantly as she looked around. Closing her eyes, she started to concentrate for just a second. Her form blurred and shifted, curling up into itself as a moon symbol graced her forehead for a moment. Then, her body re-solidified into that of a little boy, the one who tried to steal from Dake.
Rubbing his uninjured arm, he chuckled to himself, the symbol on his forehead fading after a few seconds.
“Well now… Dake, Cleaver of Two Worlds. And his Sunshine. It looks like there is a new game to play.”
A humorless smile crossed his lips.
“Good thing, I was getting bored with this town.”