Chapter Text
It hadn’t really sunk in until this moment. The rain poured down, making the entire affair take much, much longer. Eventually the attendants managed to set the wooden longboat alight with some oil, slowly starting to slide it out to sea.
Even as the flames started flickering, then roaring high, he could still see her face perfectly, her expression almost peaceful. Her hair lay gently spread out, and anyone would have thought she was just in a wonderful peaceful sleep. Her clothing was all brand new and prepared, with her left sleeve folded up neatly to try to hide the lack of an arm.
The flames licked her cheek as the boat slowly started drifting out into the ocean, sails blowing in order to pull her along. On any other day the audience might have cheered the sails, but today they just looked along in a silent, long moment.
She meant many things to all of them. Mother, sister, aunt… but to him, she was a dear comrade, a good friend, and the woman who helped him go from nothing to something. But here… she was robbed from him. All in a flash, all in one cold, brutal moment that had only just hit him like a tonne of bricks.
If only he could’ve saved her. But he couldn’t. It was burned into his memory, everything.
It started with that cruel grin. Their own friend turned on them, spinning on his heels, axe held high. Then came the piercing scream, the splash of blood that even covered him. She fell straight to the floor, her ribcage shattered, her shoulder dangling free from her body due to the sheer force.
He screamed. He lunged towards her, but he could do nothing to save her now. He looked back up to those burning eyes, hearing that horrible laugh as the traitor started walking away.
“This isn’t personal. You’re just in my way.”
The next moments felt like a terrible dream, and yet it was burned so solidly in his mind.. He remembered everything, looking down to her blood soaked face, blood pouring from her body, the iron stench infecting his nose and making him cough with its raw power. As he scooped her up she practically fell apart, her arm peeling away and falling to the floor. She’d started crying somehow, and could barely even muster a word, her right hand barely managing to lift itself up to graze his cheek.
“I… I’m sorry.” She croaked. Her final moments she spent blaming herself, as if she could see the traitor’s treachery, but it was just the guilt and pain of hindsight.
“Thank you… Please… Commander. Help them. And…” She coughed, a mass of blood coming out of the side of her open chest.
“Kill the bastard.” Her eyes lost their sheen. Her arm fell to the floor with a sickening slap of flesh against stone. Her neck lost all its strength, even as he held her, and all he could do was just stare, tears streaming down his face.
The woman who’d given him everything. Who’d taken a half breed freak who’d failed nearly everything he’d tried to do, and turned him into a warrior, a comrade. She was gone, snatched away cruelly in the blink of an eye.
He looked down and could see her again in his arms. That face of regret and sorrow, those eyes, bleeding as they saw everything that ever was, ever would be, everything she missed. The face, that spark of hope when she named him Commander in her stead.
The more he stared the more confused he was. He was so used to death, he had killed dozens if not hundreds in his conquests as a Demon Hunter, an elite fighter who killed the corrupted monsters that called themselves Demons.
But this time was different.
He felt empty, like something was torn out of him. He'd spent so long giving his all to one woman he'd forgotten who on earth himself was.
His heart felt like it had been shattered into a thousand pieces, tears streaming down his face, blurring his vision of reality. Looking at this phantasm, he moved his hands and blinked hard, scrunching his eyes. Once they opened he saw the grass and dirt again, slowly walking towards the ocean before falling to his knees.
Every step felt like he was dragging a corpse along with him the whole way, but every time he looked behind, he saw nothing clinging to him.
"... Why?" He echoed softly, not really speaking to anyone.
"Why… Why couldn’t I save her? Why was I not good enough?"
************************************************
All he ever wanted was to be a knight and save people and yet every day he lived robbed him of the chance. Now the Commander was dead, the one person that made him feel like he belonged, like he had a reason for existing.
Some pick she made. All I have are scattered comrades and… well nothing.
He looked up at the raging inferno before him. Kneeling perched on the edge of a cliff, the blossoming orange flames of a village being burned in a violent attack reflected in his very eyes. He knew this sight well, he'd seen it many times, but none stuck in his head more than the first time, being one of those poor innocents, screaming and running for their lives. Now they looked up to the sky itself as if it was falling, howling in pain and desperation, begging for a savior, a hero to purge the darkness.
But he knew the truth. No hero would come descending from the sky in shining gold armor. There would be no respite from the hellish inferno that swallowed them. The cruel and evil beasts would level the entire place and devour every single soul alive, and there would be nothing to stop them while they cried out for mercy.
He leaped. He crashed down onto the floor, a streak of black as his cloak flapped behind, only settling when his feet slammed down into the floor. To a lot of people that impact would've been painful at least but this man shrugged it off like it was a simple task, performing it with such ease it was like he'd done it a dozen times before. And then he sprinted, feet tearing through the dirt as he hurtled himself forward at an incredible speed, the wind whipping at his face, carrying with it smouldering ashes and screams of the dying.
No hero was coming to save them today. That was true indeed. But something was coming. A warrior? A knight? A soldier? That was up to how they wished to see him. The man kept rushing towards the village, the light revealing under the hood placed across his head. It would however reveal only a little, a snarling expression of pure rage, and a white mask stylised like a fox, with red markings all over it. As his eyes met the flames, the reflection burned with them. A man of rage, a man who lived for vengeance and bloodshed.
No glorious hero had come. No saint from heaven, no proud knight, no loyal warrior. A monster had come. A monster seeking bloodshed.
As he entered the village, he barreled through a small alleyway, entering a main street and pausing, looking around and taking in the situation. To his left stood a group of villagers, with a few at the front being armed and ready, but most just cowering, clustered in a group. None of them were properly armoured and ready, just having grabbed weapons out of their houses and taken to the streets.
To his right stood the invaders, quickly advancing up. Demons. Corrupted magic given form and life with charcoal flesh and burning red eyes, crackling with dark magic. Everywhere they stepped they bought destruction and despair and this time was no different, for villagers cowered in shadows or huddled in small groups, terrified of the end that was approaching. Every step the demons took spread darkness and death, they stole innocent lives in a gruesome bloodbath, the smoke from their flames blotting out even the sun, plunging everyone into a hopeless nightmare.
It was then a few looked up. They saw a hooded and cloaked man walking calmly towards the tide of destruction. The flames flickered a reflection into his brown eyes, stern, cold and with no fear against the oncoming horde. A few demons saw him and attacked, sprinting forward, but the man summoned a magical polearm, effortlessly slicing and stabbing them down.
It was then the tides truly turned and the carnage truly began, for more and more started rushing him. He flowed between them like water, striking them elegantly, but leaving their bodies mangled like they were attacked by a beast.
They’d all heard the rumors, the tales. A man who turned up in those darkest moments, not with a boast, or a badge, but slaughter and carnage. A man willing to fight alone no matter the odds, whirling around the battlefield like a god of destruction, each swing seemingly as effortless as breathing, yet carving through demon flesh and splattering their blood everywhere.
The more he fought, the more hope came to the people. Their eyes widened, they started cheering, some picked up weapons and started joining in. To them, a hero had descended in their final moments to save them. He kept going, an impromptu army behind him as he shredded his way through the street,
The more who joined, the more he slowly started to speak. It was simple, direct instructions, guiding the masses with all the skills expected from someone who was used to the raging flows of the battlefield.
A few asked his name, and he replied simply, loudly and with a solid aura of confidence, one designed to inspire those around him, rather than any sense of ego or bravado.
“Drakken Amore. Demon Hunter.”
They knew that name. They heard the rumours. He only had to say his name once, but it was shouted around and passed on many hundreds more times, each time giving them morale and making even more people join the fight. Eventually they hit a point where he couldn’t find anything to kill, for they were either turning away to flee, or being cut down by angry civilians.
He took a breath and sighed, looking around at the brutal carnage that had been left on both sides. Demon corpses, innocent civilians dead, buildings burning down. It was a victory, but it was a bittersweet one in his eyes.
He left this life behind. He was tired of the fighting, the carnage, but he didn’t feel any regrets for helping them. Of course there were the tears, the grief, but there were also people smiling and cheering, happy that their life had been saved.
With his job done he turned on his heels and started moving very quickly away from the village, the smoke and ash blending in with his dark cloak, ready to move on without a word. His job was done, and his time now better spent elsewhere. However he paused, looking back at the raging inferno and let out a soft sigh, realising that it’d be better if he stayed to help. After all, his retirement wasn’t that important, it’d still be there once he’s done.
And that he did, helping put out the fires, moving the rubble and other things to clear the streets and generally restore the village to a moderately livable state. When it came time to leave though, he got accosted by civilians, all cheering at their victory. They all wanted to show their thanks, offering food, money and family treasures, but he turned them down. He told them to keep it, to prepare for another day and to give it their all in the repairs.
As he took a few steps away, he looked back and saw a mix of surprised and dismayed faces, and he was struck with a pan of guilt. He glanced around and spotted the village baker who’d offered some of her muffins and stepped back, smiling at the woman.
“... Actually… If you don’t mind ma’am.” He chuckled, taking a cupcake and waving as he properly left this time, walking far enough that he couldn’t smell the smoke and ash. Letting out a groan, he lifted his shirt, looking over a gash from a stray demon’s claw, blood welling up and dripping down. It hurt sure, but nothing serious and he could get it checked over when he got back home. In fact, it was clotting up quickly, due
He hummed, pulling out the phone his friend gave him and flicking the screen until it read “Demon Incursions”. A radar ping sound echoed from the phone, revealing that the entire surrounding area seemed clear, at least for now.
At least the trip home would be uneventful but still he sighed. He felt deflated, even after helping the village. He remembered the days of working with the old squad, Sparky by his side deep into the thick of it, Titan looming overhead as her halberd came crashing down. Phoenix on the flank firing his weaponry, usually with the Commander in tow to rein him in so he didn't blow up half the buildings as collateral damage.
He missed those days. There was just the next mission, hardly a care in the world, an unstoppable squad, but unfortunately those days were gone, and no amount of reminiscing or wishing them to return would do anything. Life only ever went forward, and it was impossible to change the past.
And it was even more impossible to forget about it.
A few hours later he arrived home. For a lot of his life he'd been living in a fairly medium size village called "Tammy's Village", or just "Tammy's" for short, nicknamed after the person that organised the village in the first place.
It was a place with a unique charm, for past the wooden stake walls and gates that surrounded the outside were a web of hand built houses, arranged seemingly randomly. Each one had marks of their owner, some being made out of wood rather than stone, or having three floors, or large, wide rooms and doorways, and so on, all custom built by their owner specifically for their needs, linking to the rest of the village by a paved path.
All of the paths converged in a singular ring in the centre of the village, surrounding a beautiful fountain. The smooth stone depicted an Inari, a beastkin with lineage from a mystical fox, featuring nine tails and fox ears on a very beautiful woman clad in smooth, flowing robes. In fact this statue depicted Tamamo-no-Mae, the Divine Beast the Inari worshipped as a religious deity.
From here the path forked in two directions that didn't immediately lead to more housing. One led to a massive wooden hall built into the bottom of an ancient tree, with a side trail heading down to a beach beneath the cliff side. The other curved and travelled up a hill, getting wider as large red painted wooden gates, called Torii, dotted the path.
The Torii differentiated the village from the grounds of the shrine, a large vertical temple with four stories and a bell at the top, generally shaped like a square, with sloping roofs.
This village is where he'd been staying for a long time, in fact the majority of his life. After an incident when he was young separated him from his family, he eventually ended up here. After a rocky start they accepted him, and he chose to stay even after his father found him again.
"Well so much for your retirement!" A woman scolded, and Drakken quickly turned around to see a pouting face.
The woman in front of him was Tammy, a spitting image of the statue in the centre. She was a little short and clad in a white kimono with floral patterns. But by far the most dazzling aspects had to either be her eyes or tails.
Her eyes were a brilliant dazzling emerald green, and her nine fluffy tail practically shone with a radiant golden glow as the fur waved around, reflecting the sunlight in a most hypnotic manner.
Drakken chuckled a little. Her face was always cute when she was trying to be mad.
"Hey Tammy. Relax, I was just out for a walk."
Tammy just lifted up a piece of rolled up paper, which unravelled to reveal a mission request for the village he just saved.
"O…kay." He replied, scratching the back of his head. "An aggressive walk."
She crossed her arms, shaking her head, those fox ears bouncing along.
"You said you'd retire and help me around. Not randomly run off and go get yourself in danger!"
"Relax. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle." Drakken mused, waving at her dismissively as he started approaching the fountain.
"At least take someone with you! Wait… are you bleeding?"
"No no, relax." Tammy just stared at him more and more and then he sighed and relented. "Fine… Fine. Yes I got hit."
Crossing her arms, Tammy frowned, actually looking somewhat annoyed by Drakken's attempt to brush things away.
"I might be old but my smell is still just as sharp when I was a young kit. Unlike your ability to lie, you're just as bad as when you were a child."
Drakken winced at the scolding, turning away and laughing awkwardly. "Sorry… sorry. I'll go to the infirmary. But really relax, I'm alright."
Tammy sighed, smiling and patting his head, making him flinch at the sudden touch. "Alright alright. Get yourself patched up."
Gently pushing her away, Drakken smiled, waving a little as he started stepping away. “Don’t worry Tammy. You know me, I’ll be just fine. Besides, I’m still walking.”
“Your standards for health really need revising…” She mumbled behind him.
Drakken slowly started strolling across the village, wincing lightly at the large gash above his hip, still stinging. Glancing over to a large flat corner he saw the village kids playing football, shouting, yelling and kicking the ball over to goalposts put together far too close to have a legal game. Though he found the noise annoying, he did at least appreciate being able to see kids having fun in a place where they didn’t need to worry or fear for their lives.
For now though, he didn’t have much interest in watching the kids play their games more, and started moving along to the infirmary. The building was in two parts, with a long, round tarped building at the front, for emergencies and immediate attention, and then a rather traditional pagoda style building with multiple floors. The second building was for the staff, long stay visitors, or non-urgent cases who could afford to sit in queues.
He looked himself over with a chuckle, knowing very well Tammy would want him in the emergency queue, but going in the queue for normal patients. Eventually he managed to get a seat in a waiting room with a few other people. One man who’d managed to hurt his hand with some kind of tool accident, but it had been stabilised, and a mother and her children, one crying loudly, complaining of stomach pains.
It was probably for the best he was here, but he was pretty confident the most they’d do is clean him up and wave some fancy magic over him, nothing that would take more than a few minutes anyhow. Eventually it was his turn and he sat down in a simple room with a nurse. There was a table, a few chairs, and a medium size pile of paperwork of his entire time here since he was about seven years old, some of the older pages starting to turn yellow with age.
The nurse was Bianca, a succubus who’d been working for the village for over 30 years at this point, and had been every step of the way regarding Drakken’s many, many bodily mishaps over the years, from small fights in the village all the way up to stumbling in a broken wreck from a demon assault.
She favoured a rather simple form, with black hair, horns and a little black devil tail that ended with a heart shaped tip. She had two black batlike wings from her back too, far too small to fly with, often fluttering a little as she spoke or moved. She wore a simple grey coat over a white shirt and a black skirt, her legs slightly darkened by a pair of tights.
Pushing down some half moon glasses down her face, she just smiled softly with an expression that screamed she’d been expecting this for some time.
“Don’t tell me.” She drawled in a very mature, and slightly amused tone. “Your retirement had an unfortunate accident and now Tammy sent you here because she’s panicked that you’re hurt. But of course you’re completely fine, and this is going to be a quick patch up.”
Drakken scratched his head sheepishly and chuckled. “Yeah… that’s… literally it.”
“Ah geez. You two never change. Honestly adorable, though I do worry for you. Alright, shirt off, let me see what I’m working with.”
He did so awkwardly, wincing at the stinging pain as he pried the shirt away, tearing away where the blood had soaked in and dried, glueing it to his body. As he did so, it started bleeding again, showing a rather hefty tear in his side from the fighting, a moment he’d misjudged and gotten slashed.
That wouldn’t be the only mark on his body though, with various scars dotting everywhere, though the most eye-catching would be a triple clawlike scar all the way from his left shoulder to his right hip. Though they’d done a decent job in patching it up, it had still scarred and even as the years went by and it had become more subdued, it was still quite noticeable.
“Hmm. A grunt claw I’m guessing. This is pretty minor, well on you anyway. I can tell even now some of the internals have started sealing up and patching themselves. Honestly, it’s truly a wonder what you are.” Bianca cooed as she gently inspected the wound, placing a hand on each side and gently moving the skin around to get an idea of what she was dealing with.
Drakken sat a bit quietly, wincing. Bianca hummed, sliding over to her desk and scribbling down a few notes.
“Alright I can fix this one up pretty well, just be careful about knocking the area for the next few days.” She paused and hummed. “Hold on, I thought you’d retired, why are you back in the field?”
The response came after a pause and Drakken screwing his face up a little. “I just… saw the contract and thought I’d help out. Don’t even really want the pay or anything just… I was in the area.”
“I’ll write down boredom.” Bianca replied, flashing a cheeky smirk as she wrote a bit more. “Unless I’m wrong, do correct me.”
“Well. You’re not wrong…” Drakken awkwardly chuckled. “I have been getting kind of bored. It’s a lovely place here, don’t get me wrong… it’s just… I’m not made for settling down.”
“Hold still.” The succubus walked over, kneeling down and placing one hand on the wound, making Drakken hiss loudly. “Oh don’t be a baby. It’s not the first time we’ve done this.” Blue little sparks started dancing around her arm, more and more coalescing until they flowed around like water, spiralling up and down the arm and hand that was touching him.
She was calling upon one of the many spheres of magic available in this world, in this case the sphere of water, famed for its many applications in healing and soothing. As the magic flowed into him, the pain spiked, but he also felt some of his flesh physically knit together in a disturbing sensation, though one he was fully used to by now.
After a minute of this, though it honestly felt more like five, Bianca stood up, heading over to a sink and washing the blood off of her hands. He wasn’t miraculously fixed, but the actual wound had been sealed so the internals could heal without interruption.
“There you go sweetie. You’re all fixed up.”
“Thanks a lot.” Drakken replied, wincing as he stood up and put the blood soaked shirt back on. “Sorry. Should’ve known better than to be hit at all.”
She rolled her eyes and sat down, starting to write the report. “As I keep saying, the more you hold yourself to your ridiculous standards, you’ll always get annoyed. You went and saved a bunch of people from demons and got a nasty mark for it. That’s normal.”
Drakken grimaced. “... How much do I owe you?”
“This time or all the previous times?” Bianca chuckled softly.
“... The total?”
At that reply Bianca stopped smiling, looking through the files. “Oh… Uh… 10,000. But honestly I’m happy to wave the fees away. They’re nearly all injuries from your Shrine Guardian or Demon Hunter work and you do great work for the community with that.”
Drakken nodded, smiling a little and placing a very large bag full of money down, both notes and coins. “Consider us settled.”
Bianca coughed a little, staring wide eyed at the bag. “B-but-”
“Nope.” Drakken interrupted. “It’s time I start actually cleaning up after myself and picking up stuff I’ve left till later. Thanks for the help. Until next time Bianca.” He quickly waved and exited the room, though he couldn’t resist smiling as he went to leave. It did feel good to finally check some things off after all.
Off to the left of the village, down a straighter path than the rest and away from the other houses stood Drakken’s house. Just like village custom he’d pitched in to help build it, though he’d pulled a few favours in order to get a few businesses to help give materials out this far from other main towns.
The house was rather large, being three floors high, made out of brick with a slate roof. It was honestly rather simple and bland on the outside, with a small fence surrounding a very well kept garden, in fact so well kept that he could smell the freshly cut grass. A slab pathway took him to the main door, painted black, with a silver name plate reading “Draknithmyr ‘Drakken’ Amore”.
He’d dropped a lot of his original name since coming here, trying to fit in a little more and using the last name Tammy gave him as a sign of respect to her, but his real first name was stamped onto the door, a foreign thing that he’d changed to an easier pronunciation for everyone.
He sighed a little as he just pushed it open. He felt tired, not really used to the sheer rush after many months of being retired. But… he knew that was where he really belonged, fighting and trying to save them, like those knights he used to dream about as a kid.
He spent the next few hours relaxing, at least until he had a surprise knock on the door. At first he half considered just shouting at them to enter, but he talked himself out of it for the sake of respect, getting out of his chair with a groan and heading over. Opening the door he came face to face with a flash of brilliant yellow, and he winced at the visual assault.
“Yo yo yo dude!” A large dragonkin stood before him, slamming down a warhammer and leaning on it. Clad in metal armour coated with brilliant yellow scales, with a matching bright sun bleached blonde messy hairdo: Sparky Amirico.
Sparky and Drakken dated back even further than Delta Squad, with Sparky being one of the first kids to actually approach the angry, angsty younger Drakken when he was adopted by Tammy.
“It’s been too long!”
Drakken grinned, then yelped as he was yanked into a really tight hug, croaking as he tried to push Sparky away. “Dude! Ow!” He honestly couldn’t even be mad though, he was fighting just laughing at the sheer sight of him.
Releasing the hug, Sparky just casually walked inside, slapping the door shut and hefting in his hammer with his tail. “Soooo, what you been up to, Mr. Retired?”
“Not much.” Drakken admitted. “Mostly just helping build new houses or farming. Though yesterday I did a contract since it looked like it was going to get skipped.”
“Yeah, retired my ass, I knew you’d be sneaking out to fight.” Sparky grinned, heading into the kitchen. “Yo, got any food in?”
“...You have literally been in for five minutes.” Drakken remarked with a chuckle. “God, please never change. Snacks are on the top shelf.”
“Ahah!” Sparky announced, pulling out a large baguette, filled with some salad leaves, tomatoes and salami. “Hey, how did ya know I was comin’?”
“I didn’t.. I just like them now.” Drakken grinned, hopping up onto a counter and dangling his feet off while Sparky took a seat, enthusiastically munching the baguette. “How come you’re here anyway? Not complaining, just you’ve been away working.”
Sparky munched away a little, trying to talk with his mouth full, then pausing to reconsider and swallowing shortly after. “Well I took a mission for the Merc Guild a while back. Chasing down a group of demons being corralled by someone.”
“Mercenary Guild?” Drakken paused. “Aren’t you a Demon Hunter? Why are you doing contracts from them?”
Sparky chuckled. “There’s more of them. Gotta pay the bills, you know? Keep the house running.”
“Fair point.” Then, he paused for a moment.: “Nice to see you again, you know. It’s been a while.”
“Ah no worries. Honestly I’m here to ask a favour off you. This last contract I got, I’d like your help with. Sparky frowned a bit, trying to work out how to sweeten the request a little.
“Look, I know you’re retired and all but… Yeah I need some helping hands.”
Drakken hummed, scratching his chin a little. “Well I’ll consider it. What’s the job details?”
The dragon’s face lit up into a grin, blue eyes beaming with joy as he scooted around to face Drakken. “Apparently around here there’s a group of dragons leading a bunch of demons and coaxing them to attack settlements, farms, and mines. They seem to be focusing on food and weapons rather than wealth or anything.”
“So they’re arming themselves up against something.” Drakken mused. “What are they doing to civilians?”
“Everything: Killing, kidnapping. I’ve heard some are even being converted into demons.”
Drakken nodded. “Alright then. I’m coming out of retirement, we need to sort this out right now.” Hopping off the counter, he twisted, cracking his back in the process, which made him grunt at the sensation.
“Yooo! This is great dude! Thanks a freaking tonne!” Sparky yelled, hopping to his feet. “It’s gonna be just like the old days! We turn up, beat them the Hel up, go home, and cash it in!”
Drakken nodded, humming. “Just us two, huh?… I’d rather fancy my chances with a few more people by our side.”
“Yeah, good point… But the rest of Delta’s kinda scattered at this point. I can try to contact them but it’ll be a bit difficult. Do you know anyone else that can help?”
“Hmm…” Drakken hummed, pacing a little around the room. “Ya know, I think maybe I do. Do you remember Ren?”
Sparky, having finished his sandwich already, was currently going through cupboards to find more things to eat. “He was that fox we both used to hang out with right? He left before we headed to the academy. What was it he did again?”
“He joined a small branch of the Mercenary Guild called the Frontier Rangers. Got hired to explore new places looking for things like relics, or making new maps. Or, doing stuff like keeping the ecosystem safe from the Demons. He came back a little after Delta fell apart, and he’s been staying in the village since.”
“Huh. Man he’s really been through a lot in that case. He sounds helpful, though is he combat ready?”
Drakken nodded. “I can always give him a test run but he’s a Frontiersmen. You know, the ones they throw into new areas to help clear the demons and make maps.”
“Ooh man, he’s the good stuff. I’ll get some things packed and find our rations. You fetch him and see if he’s willing to give us a hand.”
“You got it, Sparky. Don’t eat me out of house and home while I’m gone.” With that, Drakken turned on his heels, heading to leave.
As he left he took a moment to ponder on just how strange the day had been compared to his entire retirement, but he was honestly enjoying the excitement and rush.
It took him quite a while to actually locate Ren, as he wasn’t home and Drakken had to traipse around the entire village to catch sight of him. And when he did it was a sight, for Ren had seven bushy fox tails in a brilliant golden fur, though they had stark black tips, contrasting to his overall brightness.
Ren wasn’t wearing a Kimono like many of the other Inari, but he did wear clothing similar in style, with wide legged fabric trousers and a shirt with long puffy sleeves. The entire outfit was wide, graceful and flowing, with a primarily white colouring with some embroidered leaves for decoration. However, the entire outfit’s gracefulness was offset by the fact he was wearing a pair of black boots.
Ren was currently helping one of the new settlers set up wooden scaffolding around their house, something he’d presumably picked up from his time with the rangers. When Drakken walked over, he stopped what he was doing, waving enthusiastically as a hammer dangled from his other hand.
“Drakken-kun! How are you today?” Ren’s voice was a rather pleasing one, with a distinct excitement, but the words spoken well and carefully with the overall tone seeming gentle, much as you’d expect from an Inari.
Drakken chuckled softly. “Wrong language Ren. I’m fine, but me and Sparky need a favour from you.”
“Ahah. Sorry, it’s still a habit for me. What do you need?”
Pausing a little, trying to think of a way to word it, Drakken stood still with his hand on his hip. Once he had an idea of what to say, he stated: “Well Sparky accepted a request to help chase down a rogue Cursed and their band of demons. Unfortunately they’ve been causing a lot of hassle and stealing a lot of resources. He came to me to help, but I’m not entirely sold on just us two. I know this isn’t really your forte, but you’re a Frontiersman and I know you’re a pretty decent combatant. With… well…” He trailed off here, scratching his head with a long depressing sigh as he remembered his old team.
Ren’s smile faded quite quickly when he observed his friend looking down, and he stepped forward and placed a hand on Drakken’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright. We gotta stick together. I’m happy to give you a hand, but I’m kinda rusty on that front.”
Drakken nodded quietly, then cracked his neck. “Won’t take long to get you back into shape. Once you’re ready, I’ll happily give you a quick warm up.”
“Thanks a lot. I won’t be a minute, I always keep all my stuff packed up just in case.”
“Don’t I know it. Lemme guess, you’ve got a whole massive rucksack already packed to camp?”
Ren grinned. “Yep you know it.” Handing his tools over and telling the workers his plan, Ren then headed off to his house to grab all of his travelling gear.
Drakken smiled, but then just sighed. He couldn’t put a finger on it but it just felt exhausting. Smiling, being happy, trying to make everyone else happy, yet not feeling it himself, but he couldn’t really pin a word to describe it. He trudged back home, though was met with a surprise; Tammy sat in one of the garden chairs in the front lawn, sipping on a glass of apple juice as Sparky was chatting away and keeping her company.
The lawn was extremely simplistic, not even having a fence, just a bunch of trimmed grass, with simple white metal table in the center. Four wooden padded chairs surrounded the table, and a small black and white striped parasol stood in the center, adding shade to those who were sat in it. A few slabs were roughly put down to form a path to the main village, but they were generally uneven and hastily set up.
“Sparky. Tam.” Drakken waved a little. “Something up?”
Tammy smiled softly. “Nothing to be worried about darling. I’d just like to have a little talk to you before you all go off to work.”
“How so?” Drakken leaned in, though not sitting down in case he needed to make a quick getaway.
His mother hummed softly, taking a gentle sip of the juice. “Well, I think it is about time to talk about some things that have been going on. Like perhaps, just to select a topic to start with, your faux retirement.”
Drakken gulped, his claws sliding gently down the table. “I… Yeah. I suppose we probably should talk about it.”
“I was under the impression that you had finished your work as a mercenary and Demon Hunter.” She left a pause for effect then continued. “But here I am, finding contracts being delivered to you, and you rushing off with Sparky, straight into more reckless danger.”
Sighing, Drakken stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Okay. Look, I'll be straight. I got bored. Just sitting around all day… I only know fighting, it’s… I want to help people. So I started picking up contracts here and there. Nothing big, just ones I thought would be forgotten.”
Tammy hummed softly, then nodded. “Honestly I’m somewhat annoyed you didn’t tell me that was what you were doing. At the same time, it’s exactly what I’d expect you to do, and I’m honestly… I can’t really be mad. You’re doing a good thing.”
“Sorry. I didn’t want you worried, but I just… urgh.” Drakken groaned, turning away with a sigh. “I’m terrible at this stuff.”
“Darling, take a seat.” Tammy replied. She waited patiently while Drakken eyed her, aware that if he sat he would never be able to escape this conversation without a divine miracle. At least, one probably not granted by his mother.
His eyes met her beautiful blue ones, and he sighed. As soon as he saw them, he felt all his worries and stress just melt away, lost in their brilliant shining nature, as if looking into them he saw a piece of heaven itself staring back. Pulling out a chair, he sat down, sighing softly, feeling more at ease than he’d been in a very long time. “Alright let’s hear it.” He stated with a bit of a sour tone, still annoyed he was being scolded like a kid.
Leaning forward, she took his hand in hers, feeling warm to the touch. He watched her carefully and didn’t really react to it, looking down and then back at her, feeling a little unsure if this was going to end with praise, a warning or a scolding.
“Thank you. For working so hard, for all of us.” Tammy’s words were spoken carefully and they carried a weight that was inhuman, almost supernatural. Her eyes stared right into his, and he felt as if they tore him apart, laying his bare soul straight to her vision. It was a moment in time where it was like his entire life was on display, the truth of every action, no matter how shrouded by lies and indifference, was presented to her in the mere blink of an eye.
He shuddered, not really sure where to go from here. He’d been assaulted from two angles, laid bare and stripped, and yet she was giving him genuine meaningful praise. There were no ulterior motives or selfish desires, she was just speaking from her heart, from the deepest parts of herself.
He took a breath and it honestly felt stolen away by the sheer all seeing stare. It was a humbling prospect, to stare deep into the eyes of a divine, and being judged by then, and not just told you were worthy, but to be thanked by them.
This sensation had been so alien, to be genuinely thanked, and to sit and accept that thanks and have to come up with a reply to it. He honestly couldn’t remember a time recently this had happened, it was certainly over a year ago, when the Commander locked her eyes with his, thanking him for his hard work and promoting him to second squad leader.
“Thank you Tammy. I’m sorry I kept this stuff from you, but I genuinely didn’t want you to worry.”
“Oh. I know. I appreciate your attempts, even if their execution was not the best. But here, I believe it’s going to be time for you to leave soon. I’m sure I see Ren approaching. Keep him safe okay? He isn’t like you, you see battlefields differently and tackle it differently.”
“Hey!” Ren grinned, waving as he paused at the gate, hefting a huge rucksack with a myriad of camping equipment hanging of it, his steps often overlaid with the sound of some pans clanging.
“Yo, yo!” Sparky waved back, then turned to Sparky. “Ya ready boss? Not to interrupt Tam, but I don’t really know how much time we have on the lead.”
As she blinked, Drakken felt the strange sensation slowly dissipate as she looked up to Sparky and smiled. “Oh I fully understand dear. Please, all of you be careful, and I wish you the best of luck.”
Drakken slowly got up, taking a sigh of relief. Finally having his mother look away with those mysterious eyes was like lifting a sack of bricks off his back. “Thanks Tammy. We’ll be good, no worries there. Sparky, get Ren to the car, I just need to grab my bag and we’re good to go.”
“Aye you got it boss!” Sparky grinned. “Here round the back.”
Watching them leave, he waved to Tammy, heading inside to grab his rucksack. As he did, he stepped past a mirror, glancing in it idly. He swore he saw himself wearing some kind of mask, but after a quick double take he just saw himself. Maybe all this fighting business was finally getting to him.