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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 5231581" data-attributes="member: 5203"><p>The five Exalts stared at each other across the snow, the figure of Nine Laughing Wounds casting a garish shadow from the light of the Solar caste marks. One light suddenly swept away, as Ayama turned and began walking back to the camp with the body of Kalliope in her arms.</p><p></p><p> “Help us,” Zanka said suddenly.</p><p></p><p> “I will,” Nine Laughing Wounds replied.</p><p></p><p> “Do I have your promise?”</p><p></p><p> She laughed. “I know your tricks, Eclipse. I will not agree to such an open-ended promise.”</p><p></p><p> Kaliel stepped forward, and stated, “Then you will promise to provide you what assistance you can in accomplishing the assassination of the general of the Malfean army currently camped in the northwest of Crystal, as long as no attempts are made by any of us to kill or incapacitate you. You will also refrain from any acts of aggression toward us, and you will, upon the completion of the mission, restore my sisters to me, whole and unharmed. Our alliance will end with sunrise.” </p><p></p><p> “I noticed that you tried to slip Kassandra into the bargain,” Nine Laughing Wounds said. “I only have the one sister; I have no idea where the other one is. I will agree only to restore Kalliope to you, provided I am physically capable of reaching her before sunrise. This should encourage you to be certain you are not lax in protecting me from harm in the coming battle.” Nine Laughing Wounds smiled wickedly. “And at sunrise, I want a ten second head start.”</p><p></p><p> “Five seconds,” Kaliel said.</p><p></p><p> “Very well, five seconds then.” She extended her hand.</p><p></p><p> “It is done,” Zanka said, her caste mark flaring to life as she grabbed the offered hand. They all felt the power of the Eclipse oathbond take hold in their souls.</p><p></p><p> Ayama returned a short time later, and was informed of the oath that had been given. The Zenith asked Zanka to return to the camp briefly before they departed, and Kaliel stated that he needed to give instructions to his men and alert the Bull of the North that there would be a disturbance in the demon army tonight. This left Nine Laughing Wounds standing alone with Ghost for several minutes.</p><p></p><p> “So, I assume that you have a plan in mind,” Ghost said.</p><p></p><p> “Of course. I will explain it to all of you as we walk.”</p><p></p><p> “And what of the spectral army? Did you not say you want neither side to emerge victorious?”</p><p></p><p> “My associate will deal with the other army.” Nine Laughing Wounds looked Ghost up and down. “I notice that you do not address me with the hostility your companions do,” she said. “Could it be that you do not feel the same as they do?”</p><p></p><p> “Oh, no,” Ghost said, with a smile, “I do believe you are an abomination upon Creation that must be destroyed, make no mistake. But we are under a banner of truce for the moment, and I see no reason why we cannot be civil to one another. We have plenty of time to resume our pursuit and conquest of your kind another day.”</p><p></p><p> Nine Laughing Wounds stepped up close to Ghost, pressing her mostly nude body against him gently. “There are many kinds of pursuit and conquest,” she said quietly.</p><p></p><p> “An interesting idea,” Ghost said, “but one I have no wish to discuss at this time.” He hooked one finger under the length of thin chain that connected the steel ring through her collarbone and the smaller bar through her left nipple. “Besides, I think that you and I may have some significant differences in taste.” He gave a quick tug on the chain as he released it, causing Nine Laughing Wounds to hiss in pain and then smile.</p><p></p><p> “Another time, perhaps,” she said, stepping away as she heard someone approaching.</p><p></p><p> Once they had all reunited, they set out walking north. “What is your plan?” Kaliel asked.</p><p></p><p> “Well, I am not planning on carving my way through a horde of demons,” Nine Laughing Wounds said. “I know that this news comes as a disappointment to you, lover.”</p><p></p><p> “You will cease using that word in my presence,” the Dawn growled.</p><p></p><p> “I do not like to waste my efforts on lesser creatures,” she continued. “I have learned that their general is the type who leads from the rear. So, while one of my compatriots creates a distraction that will draw the Malfeans onto the field, we will lure the general away and eliminate him.”</p><p></p><p> “How do you propose we lure a demon general away from his army?” Ayama asked.</p><p></p><p> “First, he is not a demon,” Nine Laughing Wounds explained. “He is human, or at least appears to be one. I suspect he is an Akuma.”</p><p></p><p> “I am not familiar with that term,” Ghost said. “What is an Akuma?”</p><p></p><p> “I believe they are a type of undead,” Kaliel said.</p><p></p><p> “No,” Nine Laughing Wounds said, shaking her head. “An Akuma is a being that has been given demonic powers.”</p><p></p><p> “As long as we are on the subject of properly naming things,” Ghost said. “What do they call your kind? It is something we have wanted to know, and I would rather know the proper terms, rather than continuing to make up insulting and juvenile names for you.”</p><p></p><p> “I have no problem with the insulting names,” Kaliel said.</p><p></p><p> “The most common name for those like us is deathknight,” Nine Laughing Wounds said.</p><p></p><p> “And you are Exalted in some way, as we are?” Ghost pressed. “We cannot help but notice that those deathknights we have encountered bear caste marks that mirror ours, though they are formed of bloody wounds.”</p><p></p><p> “That is correct. We have five castes, reflections of the Solar castes. You have met others like me, but of different castes.”</p><p></p><p> “Such as the one we know as High Bright Sun,” Kaliel interrupted.</p><p></p><p> The deathknight frowned. “I am not familiar with that name. You have met a companion of mine, however – I believe he shoved four feet of soulsteel through you, lo… Kaliel.”</p><p></p><p> “But how exactly…”</p><p></p><p> The deathknight stepped toward Ghost and placed a finger to his lips. “I think I have answered all the questions about my kind I wish to reveal at this time. And we must be silent now, for we are nearing the sentry lines of the Malfean army.”</p><p></p><p> The five Exalts moved in silence for the next hour, slipping by the demonic sentinels unseen. As they neared the site that Nine Laughing Wounds had chosen for the ambush, she stopped.</p><p></p><p> “It is time to prepare to lure the general away,” she said. She then turned to Ghost. “And I will require your help.” She reached back, and seemed to open up a pocket of flesh on her right buttock, withdrawing a small clay jar. She handed it to Ghost; opening it, he saw that it was a purple dye.</p><p></p><p> “I will disguise myself as a messenger,” she explained. “I will also need to borrow a sharp knife from you. You must spread that dye on my skin.” She smiled. “And be thorough. Leave nothing untouched.”</p><p></p><p> The deathknight removed what little clothing she wore, and stood nude in the snow as she began cutting away her red hair, shaving herself bald. She seemed unaffected by the frigid cold as she completed her work, and then handed the knife back to Ghost. The other three stood by awkwardly, trying not to watch as Ghost began spreading the purple dye, giving the deathknight a lilac tone to her skin.</p><p></p><p> “You will pose as a neomah,” Ghost said, understanding her intent. Neomah were minor demons, frequently summoned and used as concubines, due to their general nonviolent natures and their ability to accommodate any type of lover. Though he had not heard of them used for any other purpose by mortal summoners, Ghost could imagine that in the demon realms they might serve other menial tasks.</p><p></p><p> “Correct,” she said, clearly not displeased with the thoroughness with which Ghost was performing his task. “I will convince him to follow me behind that hill there, to receive a private message from his superiors. That is where you will be waiting. Once he arrives, violence ensues. My companions will have acted by then, so the general’s forces will be in no position to come to his aid.” She spread her arm wide and turned, giving everyone a full view. “Very impressive work, Ghost. You have the hands of an artist.”</p><p></p><p> They moved into position behind the hill, crouching down in a spot where they would be able to see Nine Laughing Wounds and the general coming, but would be hidden from their view. The deathknight buried her soulsteel fighting chain in the snow, explaining that neomah did not carry weapons. As she sauntered away to play out her role, Kaliel pulled Ghost aside.</p><p></p><p> “I am not comfortable with the way you are associating with her,” Kaliel grumbled. “She is dangerous.”</p><p></p><p> “Of course she is,” Ghost replied. “I know the games she plays, Kaliel. But right now I am the only one of us who has not been openly hostile toward her. I do not deny that we all have the right to be hostile toward her, especially you, but at the same time she is only one among many of an enemy we know nothing about. As long as she wants to play this game, she is a potential source of information about these deathknights.”</p><p></p><p> “Just be certain she is not exploiting you for the same thing.”</p><p></p><p> “Please. What secrets can she learn from me? It is already clear that what she knows of us far outweighs what we know of her. And she is under no illusion that I consider her anything other than an enemy, as do the rest of you. I consider it worth the risk.” Ghost looked across the snow, where Nine Laughing Wounds’ lilac body had just vanished over the crest of the hill. “I have to admit, however, that it is not an altogether unpalatable task. Her wickedness aside, she is quite attractive.”</p><p></p><p> “I preferred her as a blonde,” Kaliel sniffed. He changed topics as he saw Ayama and Zanka approach. “I also wonder if you have considered that this could be a trap meant for us, not for this Malfean general.”</p><p></p><p> “Possibly,” Ghost conceded, “though she would not have to concoct such an elaborate ruse to do that. Simply showing up at the edge of camp with your sister’s body would have been enough to set you on her trail, and likely the rest of us as well.”</p><p></p><p> “I believe we are still considered not important enough to warrant such an effort to eliminate us,” Ayama stated.</p><p></p><p> “Quiet,” Ghost said suddenly, cupping his hand to his ear. “She has found the general.”</p><p></p><p> The four Solars moved into their hiding places and crouched down, waiting. Ghost, his hearing amplified by Essence, could make out as Nine Laughing Wounds informed the general that a messenger from Malfeas was awaiting him beyond the hillside, to deliver instructions meant only for him. The general snorted in annoyance, then told the ‘neomah’ to show him the place. A moment later, two figures appeared over the hill; Nine Laughing Wounds, in her neomah disguise, and a large man. The man looked like a typical Northerner, with close-cropped blonde hair. The armor he wore seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, like heat rising off desert sands.</p><p></p><p> As they began their descent, Ghost and Kaliel noticed a small flash of greenish light a short distance away, behind another hill. A few seconds later, two beings emerged from behind the hill, walking toward the demon encampment. One was a large man, or man-like being; his entire body and head from the waist up was swathed in a long brown scarf, and two glowing points of green light appeared where his eyes should be. He was both taller and broader than the Malfean general, and wore heavy gauntlets and boots made of bronze. Next to him was a creature that looked something like a lion carved from green jade, but the proportions of the body were wrong, and instead of a mane it sprouted a mass of tentacles from its head. A dark gem was embedded in its forehead. Upon seeing it, Ayama was able to identify it as a teodozjia, though she could not recall what purpose the demon served. She also realized that she felt an inexplicable animosity toward it.</p><p></p><p> The wrapped man and the teodozjia walked around the hill, and soon they were at the place where Nine Laughing Wounds had led the general, still several yards away from the arranged ambush position. The general and the wrapped man regarded each other coldly for several seconds, engaged in some sort of contest of wills. It was clear that Nine Laughing Wounds had not expected these new arrivals, but she managed not to betray her surprise. Finally, the Malfean general bowed his head slightly. A distance away, Kaliel reached down into the snow and picked up the deathknight’s fighting chain.</p><p></p><p> “You have summoned me here, Tiaka?” the demon general said at last.</p><p></p><p> “I have not,” the scarf-wrapped man replied. “Not yet.”</p><p></p><p> A frown crossed the general’s face. “But your herald…”</p><p></p><p> “I would send no herald for this!” Tiaka said angrily. He looked over at Nine Wounds Laughing, noticing her for the first time. The green glowing eyes widened.</p><p></p><p> “That is no neomah,” he said.</p><p></p><p> At that moment, Ghost’s golden typhoon wheel sliced through the air, cutting into the shoulder of Tiaka. Blood sprayed onto the snow, but the wrappings covering the man seemed to whip away like tendrils of smoke, and then reform over the wound.</p><p></p><p> A great shout echoed in the air as Kaliel began to charge forward. The teodozjia quickly turned and leapt away, going to meet Kaliel in the middle of the field at an incredibly fast rate. Kaliel pulled a small hatchet from his belt as he ran, and spun around and whipped it at the demon-lion’s head. The weapon bounced off, barely noticed, as the teodozjia leapt into the air. Kaliel brought Principle of Severity across its underbelly, blocking the impact of the demon’s blow. Behind him, Zanka moved forward to within a few feet of the battle, moving slowly and quietly so as not to attract attention to herself.</p><p></p><p> Back on the hillside, Tiaka roared and brought his arms up in a triumphant pose. He quickly began to grow even larger, growing about six inches taller and becoming even more massively muscled than he was before. He began to run forward, heading for Kaliel and the teodozjia. The Malfean general turned to face Nine Laughing Wounds, who now looked truly concerned. The air around the general shimmered for a moment, much like his armor.</p><p></p><p> Ghost ran forward, snatching the soulsteel chain out of Kaliel’s free hand as he battled the demon, and then leapt into the air, crossing the intervening yards as he whirled the weapon over his head. He landed on the hillside above the general and the deathknight, sweeping the chain down and spraying snow into the air, temporarily blinding the general. He then tossed the chain to Nine Laughing Wounds, who leapt up and caught it. Ghost saw that air around the general was still slightly hazy, and noticed that the spraying snow had not actually touched him, but had struck an invisible barrier surrounding the Malfean.</p><p></p><p> Ayama, who had been circling around to try and flank the battle, now stood on another part of the hillside, looking down at the wide-ranging battle. Her Zenith caste mark suddenly flared to life, and she spoke calmly.</p><p></p><p> “Unclean thing, come and meet your end.”</p><p></p><p> The head of the teodozjia suddenly whipped around, and it growled when it saw Ayama standing on the hillside, her caste mark burning and surrounded by the anima display of two blue winged snakes entwined around the symbol of the Unconquered Sun. The jade lion’s eyes flared green, and black lightning began to surround the creature, which surged across the snowy field and struck at the snakes, as though trying to destroy them. Kaliel stepped forward as the teodozjia tried to move away.</p><p></p><p> “You will pay attention to me!” he shouted, bringing his daiklaive around in an arc and slamming into the demon’s midsection. Shards of corrupted jade sprayed across the snow as the blade connected, but it was able to twist away enough to avoid the worst of the blow. The teodozjia began to lope away toward Ayama, but as Kaliel tried to follow, he was intercepted by the hulking form of Tiaka. Zanka also leapt out of the snow at the demon, slicing at it with her war fans, but only managed to slice off the end of its jade tail as it bounded off.</p><p></p><p> Nine Wounds Laughing snapped her chain around in an whirling arc so fast it was impossible to see, and the soulsteel screamed with a sound like a man choking to death on his own blood. She attempted to slice into the general’s neck with the wicked barbed hooks on the ends, but her weapon was deflected by the invisible field surrounding him, causing no harm and dropping limp into the snow. Ghost threw the Left Eye of Mars at him next, hoping to find some way to bypass the field by striking from multiple angles. The spinning orichalcum disc struck the shield, skittering around in midair like a wasp darting at its target. Ghost saw the general moving his hands, seeming to shift the shield around to meet his weapon, and then suddenly the typhoon wheel dropped into the snow, inert. Ghost jumped back out of the way as the deathknight rushed forward again.</p><p></p><p> Kaliel and Tiaka squared off, the Dawn’s anima beginning to flare brightly as he summoned Essence. He beckoned toward the hulking figure before him, daring him to approach. Howling, Tiaka charged in, simply trying to crush his enemy in his huge arms. The wings of Kaliel’s anima totem emerged, and seemed to slap away the man’s hands as the Dawn brought his daiklaive around to parry the attack. He then made a series of rapid cuts, his ethereal wings following the motion of the blade so that it appeared that the wingtips themselves were cutting and slicing at his foe. Tiaka attempted to bat aside Principle of Severity with his bronze gauntlets, but he could not keep up, and blood sprayed across the snow as Kaliel tore deep gashes through the man’s midsection, chest, and neck, and sliced away a piece of his left thigh the size of Kaliel’s forearm, exposing the bone underneath. The wounds would have felled any other being in Creation, but somehow Tiaka still stood, his wrappings flowing back to cover up the horrific wounds. A symbol of green light appeared on Tiaka’s forehead, the image of two crossed scimitars, and an aura of his own appeared, looking like a green sun rising from just behind his head. The bandaged man laughed, and kept advancing on Kaliel.</p><p></p><p> The teodozjia leapt at Ayama, attempting to take her head off with a swipe of a claw, but Ayama simply fell over onto the snow, and raised a foot to catch the demon in the chest, stopping its leap short. She then kicked it in the head with her other foot, sending it flying back down the hill. As the Zenith and the demon circled each other, the serpents in Ayama’s anima were lunging and snapping at the black bolts of lightning emitted by the demon’s aura. The demon hissed as the power of the Unconquered Sun burned its unholy flesh.</p><p></p><p> Nine Laughing Wounds had shifted her soulsteel chain into both hands, spinning both ends around and striking repeatedly at the general, but unable to get past his shield. The general waved his hand at the deathknight with a dismissive gesture, and she was struck by an unseen blow that sent her staggering back, leaving a red welt on her cheek. The injury was not serious, and Ghost was surprised to see that she looked slightly disappointed by this.</p><p></p><p> “Come now, general,” she mocked, “you can do better than that. Do you not want to hurt me?”</p><p></p><p> Ghost remembered Kaliel’s account of his first meeting with the deathknight in the deep forests of the East, and her unusual style of fighting. As Nine Laughing Wounds squared off against the general again, Ghost ran up behind her, leaping into the air as he drew his Chiaroscuro boomerangs. He landed atop the deathknight’s shoulders, pushing off hard as he launched himself into the air and over the head of the general. He heard the snap as her shoulder dislocated, and she cried out in pain and ecstasy. He threw a boomerang as he flipped over in midair, aiming for the general’s midesection, even as the deathknight, invigorated by the pain, pressed her own attack. Moments before the boomerang struck, the general’s shimmering armor pulsed, and literally pulled the man’s entrails aside, allowing the weapon to sail through a gaping hole in his stomach. The armor pulsed again, and everything was shoved back into place. A green caste mark similar to Tiaka’s appeared on the general’s head, but his resembled an hourglass.</p><p></p><p> “Seven spirits below!” Ghost swore. “What kind of thing are you?”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 5231581, member: 5203"] The five Exalts stared at each other across the snow, the figure of Nine Laughing Wounds casting a garish shadow from the light of the Solar caste marks. One light suddenly swept away, as Ayama turned and began walking back to the camp with the body of Kalliope in her arms. “Help us,” Zanka said suddenly. “I will,” Nine Laughing Wounds replied. “Do I have your promise?” She laughed. “I know your tricks, Eclipse. I will not agree to such an open-ended promise.” Kaliel stepped forward, and stated, “Then you will promise to provide you what assistance you can in accomplishing the assassination of the general of the Malfean army currently camped in the northwest of Crystal, as long as no attempts are made by any of us to kill or incapacitate you. You will also refrain from any acts of aggression toward us, and you will, upon the completion of the mission, restore my sisters to me, whole and unharmed. Our alliance will end with sunrise.” “I noticed that you tried to slip Kassandra into the bargain,” Nine Laughing Wounds said. “I only have the one sister; I have no idea where the other one is. I will agree only to restore Kalliope to you, provided I am physically capable of reaching her before sunrise. This should encourage you to be certain you are not lax in protecting me from harm in the coming battle.” Nine Laughing Wounds smiled wickedly. “And at sunrise, I want a ten second head start.” “Five seconds,” Kaliel said. “Very well, five seconds then.” She extended her hand. “It is done,” Zanka said, her caste mark flaring to life as she grabbed the offered hand. They all felt the power of the Eclipse oathbond take hold in their souls. Ayama returned a short time later, and was informed of the oath that had been given. The Zenith asked Zanka to return to the camp briefly before they departed, and Kaliel stated that he needed to give instructions to his men and alert the Bull of the North that there would be a disturbance in the demon army tonight. This left Nine Laughing Wounds standing alone with Ghost for several minutes. “So, I assume that you have a plan in mind,” Ghost said. “Of course. I will explain it to all of you as we walk.” “And what of the spectral army? Did you not say you want neither side to emerge victorious?” “My associate will deal with the other army.” Nine Laughing Wounds looked Ghost up and down. “I notice that you do not address me with the hostility your companions do,” she said. “Could it be that you do not feel the same as they do?” “Oh, no,” Ghost said, with a smile, “I do believe you are an abomination upon Creation that must be destroyed, make no mistake. But we are under a banner of truce for the moment, and I see no reason why we cannot be civil to one another. We have plenty of time to resume our pursuit and conquest of your kind another day.” Nine Laughing Wounds stepped up close to Ghost, pressing her mostly nude body against him gently. “There are many kinds of pursuit and conquest,” she said quietly. “An interesting idea,” Ghost said, “but one I have no wish to discuss at this time.” He hooked one finger under the length of thin chain that connected the steel ring through her collarbone and the smaller bar through her left nipple. “Besides, I think that you and I may have some significant differences in taste.” He gave a quick tug on the chain as he released it, causing Nine Laughing Wounds to hiss in pain and then smile. “Another time, perhaps,” she said, stepping away as she heard someone approaching. Once they had all reunited, they set out walking north. “What is your plan?” Kaliel asked. “Well, I am not planning on carving my way through a horde of demons,” Nine Laughing Wounds said. “I know that this news comes as a disappointment to you, lover.” “You will cease using that word in my presence,” the Dawn growled. “I do not like to waste my efforts on lesser creatures,” she continued. “I have learned that their general is the type who leads from the rear. So, while one of my compatriots creates a distraction that will draw the Malfeans onto the field, we will lure the general away and eliminate him.” “How do you propose we lure a demon general away from his army?” Ayama asked. “First, he is not a demon,” Nine Laughing Wounds explained. “He is human, or at least appears to be one. I suspect he is an Akuma.” “I am not familiar with that term,” Ghost said. “What is an Akuma?” “I believe they are a type of undead,” Kaliel said. “No,” Nine Laughing Wounds said, shaking her head. “An Akuma is a being that has been given demonic powers.” “As long as we are on the subject of properly naming things,” Ghost said. “What do they call your kind? It is something we have wanted to know, and I would rather know the proper terms, rather than continuing to make up insulting and juvenile names for you.” “I have no problem with the insulting names,” Kaliel said. “The most common name for those like us is deathknight,” Nine Laughing Wounds said. “And you are Exalted in some way, as we are?” Ghost pressed. “We cannot help but notice that those deathknights we have encountered bear caste marks that mirror ours, though they are formed of bloody wounds.” “That is correct. We have five castes, reflections of the Solar castes. You have met others like me, but of different castes.” “Such as the one we know as High Bright Sun,” Kaliel interrupted. The deathknight frowned. “I am not familiar with that name. You have met a companion of mine, however – I believe he shoved four feet of soulsteel through you, lo… Kaliel.” “But how exactly…” The deathknight stepped toward Ghost and placed a finger to his lips. “I think I have answered all the questions about my kind I wish to reveal at this time. And we must be silent now, for we are nearing the sentry lines of the Malfean army.” The five Exalts moved in silence for the next hour, slipping by the demonic sentinels unseen. As they neared the site that Nine Laughing Wounds had chosen for the ambush, she stopped. “It is time to prepare to lure the general away,” she said. She then turned to Ghost. “And I will require your help.” She reached back, and seemed to open up a pocket of flesh on her right buttock, withdrawing a small clay jar. She handed it to Ghost; opening it, he saw that it was a purple dye. “I will disguise myself as a messenger,” she explained. “I will also need to borrow a sharp knife from you. You must spread that dye on my skin.” She smiled. “And be thorough. Leave nothing untouched.” The deathknight removed what little clothing she wore, and stood nude in the snow as she began cutting away her red hair, shaving herself bald. She seemed unaffected by the frigid cold as she completed her work, and then handed the knife back to Ghost. The other three stood by awkwardly, trying not to watch as Ghost began spreading the purple dye, giving the deathknight a lilac tone to her skin. “You will pose as a neomah,” Ghost said, understanding her intent. Neomah were minor demons, frequently summoned and used as concubines, due to their general nonviolent natures and their ability to accommodate any type of lover. Though he had not heard of them used for any other purpose by mortal summoners, Ghost could imagine that in the demon realms they might serve other menial tasks. “Correct,” she said, clearly not displeased with the thoroughness with which Ghost was performing his task. “I will convince him to follow me behind that hill there, to receive a private message from his superiors. That is where you will be waiting. Once he arrives, violence ensues. My companions will have acted by then, so the general’s forces will be in no position to come to his aid.” She spread her arm wide and turned, giving everyone a full view. “Very impressive work, Ghost. You have the hands of an artist.” They moved into position behind the hill, crouching down in a spot where they would be able to see Nine Laughing Wounds and the general coming, but would be hidden from their view. The deathknight buried her soulsteel fighting chain in the snow, explaining that neomah did not carry weapons. As she sauntered away to play out her role, Kaliel pulled Ghost aside. “I am not comfortable with the way you are associating with her,” Kaliel grumbled. “She is dangerous.” “Of course she is,” Ghost replied. “I know the games she plays, Kaliel. But right now I am the only one of us who has not been openly hostile toward her. I do not deny that we all have the right to be hostile toward her, especially you, but at the same time she is only one among many of an enemy we know nothing about. As long as she wants to play this game, she is a potential source of information about these deathknights.” “Just be certain she is not exploiting you for the same thing.” “Please. What secrets can she learn from me? It is already clear that what she knows of us far outweighs what we know of her. And she is under no illusion that I consider her anything other than an enemy, as do the rest of you. I consider it worth the risk.” Ghost looked across the snow, where Nine Laughing Wounds’ lilac body had just vanished over the crest of the hill. “I have to admit, however, that it is not an altogether unpalatable task. Her wickedness aside, she is quite attractive.” “I preferred her as a blonde,” Kaliel sniffed. He changed topics as he saw Ayama and Zanka approach. “I also wonder if you have considered that this could be a trap meant for us, not for this Malfean general.” “Possibly,” Ghost conceded, “though she would not have to concoct such an elaborate ruse to do that. Simply showing up at the edge of camp with your sister’s body would have been enough to set you on her trail, and likely the rest of us as well.” “I believe we are still considered not important enough to warrant such an effort to eliminate us,” Ayama stated. “Quiet,” Ghost said suddenly, cupping his hand to his ear. “She has found the general.” The four Solars moved into their hiding places and crouched down, waiting. Ghost, his hearing amplified by Essence, could make out as Nine Laughing Wounds informed the general that a messenger from Malfeas was awaiting him beyond the hillside, to deliver instructions meant only for him. The general snorted in annoyance, then told the ‘neomah’ to show him the place. A moment later, two figures appeared over the hill; Nine Laughing Wounds, in her neomah disguise, and a large man. The man looked like a typical Northerner, with close-cropped blonde hair. The armor he wore seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, like heat rising off desert sands. As they began their descent, Ghost and Kaliel noticed a small flash of greenish light a short distance away, behind another hill. A few seconds later, two beings emerged from behind the hill, walking toward the demon encampment. One was a large man, or man-like being; his entire body and head from the waist up was swathed in a long brown scarf, and two glowing points of green light appeared where his eyes should be. He was both taller and broader than the Malfean general, and wore heavy gauntlets and boots made of bronze. Next to him was a creature that looked something like a lion carved from green jade, but the proportions of the body were wrong, and instead of a mane it sprouted a mass of tentacles from its head. A dark gem was embedded in its forehead. Upon seeing it, Ayama was able to identify it as a teodozjia, though she could not recall what purpose the demon served. She also realized that she felt an inexplicable animosity toward it. The wrapped man and the teodozjia walked around the hill, and soon they were at the place where Nine Laughing Wounds had led the general, still several yards away from the arranged ambush position. The general and the wrapped man regarded each other coldly for several seconds, engaged in some sort of contest of wills. It was clear that Nine Laughing Wounds had not expected these new arrivals, but she managed not to betray her surprise. Finally, the Malfean general bowed his head slightly. A distance away, Kaliel reached down into the snow and picked up the deathknight’s fighting chain. “You have summoned me here, Tiaka?” the demon general said at last. “I have not,” the scarf-wrapped man replied. “Not yet.” A frown crossed the general’s face. “But your herald…” “I would send no herald for this!” Tiaka said angrily. He looked over at Nine Wounds Laughing, noticing her for the first time. The green glowing eyes widened. “That is no neomah,” he said. At that moment, Ghost’s golden typhoon wheel sliced through the air, cutting into the shoulder of Tiaka. Blood sprayed onto the snow, but the wrappings covering the man seemed to whip away like tendrils of smoke, and then reform over the wound. A great shout echoed in the air as Kaliel began to charge forward. The teodozjia quickly turned and leapt away, going to meet Kaliel in the middle of the field at an incredibly fast rate. Kaliel pulled a small hatchet from his belt as he ran, and spun around and whipped it at the demon-lion’s head. The weapon bounced off, barely noticed, as the teodozjia leapt into the air. Kaliel brought Principle of Severity across its underbelly, blocking the impact of the demon’s blow. Behind him, Zanka moved forward to within a few feet of the battle, moving slowly and quietly so as not to attract attention to herself. Back on the hillside, Tiaka roared and brought his arms up in a triumphant pose. He quickly began to grow even larger, growing about six inches taller and becoming even more massively muscled than he was before. He began to run forward, heading for Kaliel and the teodozjia. The Malfean general turned to face Nine Laughing Wounds, who now looked truly concerned. The air around the general shimmered for a moment, much like his armor. Ghost ran forward, snatching the soulsteel chain out of Kaliel’s free hand as he battled the demon, and then leapt into the air, crossing the intervening yards as he whirled the weapon over his head. He landed on the hillside above the general and the deathknight, sweeping the chain down and spraying snow into the air, temporarily blinding the general. He then tossed the chain to Nine Laughing Wounds, who leapt up and caught it. Ghost saw that air around the general was still slightly hazy, and noticed that the spraying snow had not actually touched him, but had struck an invisible barrier surrounding the Malfean. Ayama, who had been circling around to try and flank the battle, now stood on another part of the hillside, looking down at the wide-ranging battle. Her Zenith caste mark suddenly flared to life, and she spoke calmly. “Unclean thing, come and meet your end.” The head of the teodozjia suddenly whipped around, and it growled when it saw Ayama standing on the hillside, her caste mark burning and surrounded by the anima display of two blue winged snakes entwined around the symbol of the Unconquered Sun. The jade lion’s eyes flared green, and black lightning began to surround the creature, which surged across the snowy field and struck at the snakes, as though trying to destroy them. Kaliel stepped forward as the teodozjia tried to move away. “You will pay attention to me!” he shouted, bringing his daiklaive around in an arc and slamming into the demon’s midsection. Shards of corrupted jade sprayed across the snow as the blade connected, but it was able to twist away enough to avoid the worst of the blow. The teodozjia began to lope away toward Ayama, but as Kaliel tried to follow, he was intercepted by the hulking form of Tiaka. Zanka also leapt out of the snow at the demon, slicing at it with her war fans, but only managed to slice off the end of its jade tail as it bounded off. Nine Wounds Laughing snapped her chain around in an whirling arc so fast it was impossible to see, and the soulsteel screamed with a sound like a man choking to death on his own blood. She attempted to slice into the general’s neck with the wicked barbed hooks on the ends, but her weapon was deflected by the invisible field surrounding him, causing no harm and dropping limp into the snow. Ghost threw the Left Eye of Mars at him next, hoping to find some way to bypass the field by striking from multiple angles. The spinning orichalcum disc struck the shield, skittering around in midair like a wasp darting at its target. Ghost saw the general moving his hands, seeming to shift the shield around to meet his weapon, and then suddenly the typhoon wheel dropped into the snow, inert. Ghost jumped back out of the way as the deathknight rushed forward again. Kaliel and Tiaka squared off, the Dawn’s anima beginning to flare brightly as he summoned Essence. He beckoned toward the hulking figure before him, daring him to approach. Howling, Tiaka charged in, simply trying to crush his enemy in his huge arms. The wings of Kaliel’s anima totem emerged, and seemed to slap away the man’s hands as the Dawn brought his daiklaive around to parry the attack. He then made a series of rapid cuts, his ethereal wings following the motion of the blade so that it appeared that the wingtips themselves were cutting and slicing at his foe. Tiaka attempted to bat aside Principle of Severity with his bronze gauntlets, but he could not keep up, and blood sprayed across the snow as Kaliel tore deep gashes through the man’s midsection, chest, and neck, and sliced away a piece of his left thigh the size of Kaliel’s forearm, exposing the bone underneath. The wounds would have felled any other being in Creation, but somehow Tiaka still stood, his wrappings flowing back to cover up the horrific wounds. A symbol of green light appeared on Tiaka’s forehead, the image of two crossed scimitars, and an aura of his own appeared, looking like a green sun rising from just behind his head. The bandaged man laughed, and kept advancing on Kaliel. The teodozjia leapt at Ayama, attempting to take her head off with a swipe of a claw, but Ayama simply fell over onto the snow, and raised a foot to catch the demon in the chest, stopping its leap short. She then kicked it in the head with her other foot, sending it flying back down the hill. As the Zenith and the demon circled each other, the serpents in Ayama’s anima were lunging and snapping at the black bolts of lightning emitted by the demon’s aura. The demon hissed as the power of the Unconquered Sun burned its unholy flesh. Nine Laughing Wounds had shifted her soulsteel chain into both hands, spinning both ends around and striking repeatedly at the general, but unable to get past his shield. The general waved his hand at the deathknight with a dismissive gesture, and she was struck by an unseen blow that sent her staggering back, leaving a red welt on her cheek. The injury was not serious, and Ghost was surprised to see that she looked slightly disappointed by this. “Come now, general,” she mocked, “you can do better than that. Do you not want to hurt me?” Ghost remembered Kaliel’s account of his first meeting with the deathknight in the deep forests of the East, and her unusual style of fighting. As Nine Laughing Wounds squared off against the general again, Ghost ran up behind her, leaping into the air as he drew his Chiaroscuro boomerangs. He landed atop the deathknight’s shoulders, pushing off hard as he launched himself into the air and over the head of the general. He heard the snap as her shoulder dislocated, and she cried out in pain and ecstasy. He threw a boomerang as he flipped over in midair, aiming for the general’s midesection, even as the deathknight, invigorated by the pain, pressed her own attack. Moments before the boomerang struck, the general’s shimmering armor pulsed, and literally pulled the man’s entrails aside, allowing the weapon to sail through a gaping hole in his stomach. The armor pulsed again, and everything was shoved back into place. A green caste mark similar to Tiaka’s appeared on the general’s head, but his resembled an hourglass. “Seven spirits below!” Ghost swore. “What kind of thing are you?” [/QUOTE]
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[Exalted 2e] Chosen of the Second Age
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