Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kameno was no protector. Maybe that's how the village saw her, but they only saw the results; they had no idea about her real intentions. She was simply a demon killer... a half demon with a chip on her shoulder. Not accepted by demons and not accepted by humans. She told herself that she only killed demons because they actually presented a challenge... but she knew it was a lie. Her human heart wouldn't let her kill an innocent human... but it had hardened over the years; hardened to the point where she could ignore one human while fighting to kill a demon.... because killing the demon would make her stronger and save the village.

Not that Kameno had such noble thoughts. She never bothered to consider it that intently. She just knew she'd rather kill this dragon now instead of letting it go near the village; if one human died becaue of it, well... sucks to be them.

No... This could kill two humans: the village's priestess and this dragon's human container...! ..... Sucks for them; she had to kill a dragon. Her ears picked up the sound of the flying dagger, and immediately, Kameno knew what she had to try. She gripped her claws into the dragon's back and pulled with all her might to try and swing it into the dagger's path.


In the village, along with preparations for the festival, there was an energetic and excited feel. There was something different, something to change up the routine. There were exciting visitors. As Mamoru and Ren walked about, they attracted attention of different types. Many of the adults gawked at Mamoru's towering height, either from astonishment or jealousy, and many of the children giggled and talked amongst themselves about Ren's blue hair. Neither of these traits were common, and it began to ripple throughout the villagers in hushed whispers and curious glances.

Then came their questions... Despite the vivid description of the missing demon, no one was able to provide an answer. Some tried to be helpful but honestly had no idea. Others laughed it off as some weird joke. A few showed concern and distress that these visitors would even ask about a creature so gruesome; this was a time of celebration after all! Rumors of the visitors spread....

... But it wouldn't be enough to hinder them getting lunch. "Welcome! You seem hungry!" The shop owner laughed, good naturedly. Money was money, even if it came from a tall boy and his blue haired companion. "What can I getcha?"

Tension filled the air as soon as those coins hit the counter. Immediately, the owner's eyes widened, and for a moment, it seemed like he couldn't breathe. Thankfully, Mamoru was placing his order, so it gave the man a chance to recover before Ren asked his own question. Staring at the coins was rude, so he quickly cleared his throat and did his best to act like he hadn't seen them. "We're best known for our barbeque, but if you have a sweet tooth, our dango can't be beat! O-Of course, if there's something else you'd like, I'm sure I can scrounge something up..!" The food stall provided travelers with pick-me-up types of foods to help them along the way, but for that sort of coin, even the chef wouldn't mind preparing a full meal for the pair.

"Ah, the festival! I thought you might be travelers, but now I know it!" He laughed again, proud to have been right. "Tomorrow's the Moon Festival. These are troubling times what with the warlords all trying to win land and demons on the rise. They're even in the forest! Ahh, but don't worry; no demon's been in this village for as long as I can remember!" He laughed. He looked to be somewhere in his thirties. "Anyways, we hold the Moon Festival after every full moon, hoping to help sooth the souls of travelers who've lost their lives for one reason or another."


The face of the crying woman shook the half-demon. Her heart ached as she saw her failure reflected in those tears. Her claws pulled out of the woman, and she fumbled a step back, but her movements were too sluggish. The dragon raised its sword, summoning another attack.

"Crap..!" Kameno tried to jump back, but the wind sliced about her arms, drawing blood that dripped to the ground as she backed away. "D*** you!" She needed a new plan, but she couldn't concentrate after seeing those tears. She shook her head and darted around to the dragon's left, hoping to stall or confuse it. If it followed her, it would be turning its back on Kazima.

Mamoru's order of food could be heard cooking, and the smell of the cooking meat wafted out into the street. "How long? I'd say... Well, I can't remember a time when it didn't exist, but my parents made a big deal about it when I was growing up, so I guess it's about as old as me, give or take a few years. .... Saaaay, that's a nice sword you have there..! Where'd you get something like that? Are you the son of a lord or something?" He grinned with interest, but he tried to play it off as casual curiosity. Really, he wanted to learn more about these travelers: they looked so different and had so much money..!

This village had been at peace for so long, they'd forgotten how to be wary of strangers. They trusted others so easily because they believed the Guardian Spirit would protect them from anything.

"A... A demon...?" The man froze, his expression one of confused laughter. He heard Mamoru's words but wanted to take them as a joke... but the inability to process should tip the half-demon off that his honesty may not have been the best idea...

As the seconds ticked by, the scent of burning meat stretched from the stall. The owner jolted at the smell and quickly served up Mamoru's order. "Here, on the house", the man said quickly, unable to meet Mamoru's eyes. "Don't bother paying; just... just get out." The stall owner turned and walked into the back of his shop, not wanting to acknowledge Mamoru's existance. He didn't want to accept the half-demon's words, nor what they could mean. That demons could be here would mean that the Guardian Spirit could fail-- had failed, and that would mean the village's idea of peace was wrong.




Jigoku followed. Normally that would've made Kameno grin that a plan of hers had worked, but at the moment, it was taking all she could to dodge the dragon's continuous attacks. 'I have to think of something...!' At least she was leading it away from the priestess; fighting around the human would've been a pain.

So lost was she in her thoughts that she somehow missed the blue haired, bumbling fool who literally ran into her. She stumbled, rolling with the fall, and managed to get leaves and at least a twig or two caught up in her unkempt hair. Dirt from the forest floor smeared her ragged clothes, but she didn't care about that. She didn't care about any of that! Because now the dragon had a sitting target.

Cat-like yellow-green eyes glared at the half wolf demon as he made his way towards her as if to help her up. Idiot!! Now he was a target, too! She pounced at the half-demon, grabbing his shoulders with her clawed hands before pulling her feet up and onto his shoulders to kick off and jump into the closest tree. She used him as a spring board to escape from the dragon, and if she were lucky, the two creatures would decide to fight each other, leaving her time to circle back and kill the dragon from behind. A cowardly move, but Kameno was no hero.

Jigoku sighed in the direction of the half demon before reabsorbing the wind sword. "This is useless." He said to Kameno. "Hostilities were opened by you and your priestess. I am going to the village. If you sheath your hostility I will not pursue you." Jigoku then turned around and began to walk towards the village.