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[Doragon Kagetsuki]

Necroknight

By Elkat of Team Dragon

A YuriNeko Project

Chapter 1: The New Squire

Crackle, crackle

Flickering flames danced atop melting candles, faintly lighting the crypt where the ceremony was being held. Skeletal soldiers dressed in armor made of magically reinforced, interlocking bones, stood along the crypt’s walls protecting the precious corpses stored within and watching the only two living creatures in the entire room.

One was a young girl, no older than fifteen in human years, with long black hair, cold brown eyes, and corpse white skin. She wore a black tabard over a two-piece chain mail suit, gauntlets, greaves and sabotons of bone. A black nodachi was strapped to her back, an heirloom from her mother. She kneeled before a cloaked figure, her left hand over her heart and her right atop a flesh bound book dyed black. “I, Marrona of the Skullguard, swear upon the Necronomicon to uphold and enforce the law written in it to punish all who would abuse the art of necromancy for personal gain lest Hell take my incompetent soul alive.”

The cloaked figure’s face was hidden behind the high collar of his tabard and the shadows from within the hood of his cloak. Bleached white bone armor peeked out from under his cloak, the only white he was wearing. In his right hand he held a grim long sword with a skull ornament pummel and ebony scabbard. “I, sir lord Cadaver of the Skullguard, with the dead as our witness, bestow upon you the title of Necroknight.” He lay flat of his blade on each of the girl’s shoulders, first the left and then right, before raising the sword into the air and striking the blade into the ground.

CHK!

The skeletal soldiers, followed suit, striking the butts or blades of their weapons into the ground to confirm their understanding and seal the contract.

CHK! CHK!

The cloaked man kneeled beside Marrona with hand outstretched. “Rise, my lady. We are now equals, knights-in-arms. You no longer need to bow before me.”

“Yes my lord,” Marrona said, taking the man’s hand with her own. “Though may I ask something of you my lord?”

“What is it my lady?” Cadaver asked.

“To never be called Marrona again. My knight name shall be ‘Bones’,” the girl said.

“As you wish, Lady Bones.” The man chuckled to himself.

---

A decade passes.

Clatter, clatter.

The Armatra, a magically powered passenger train that ran through the Gaiose forest from the southern coast to the border between it and its northern neighbor the Dryad’s Cemetery, surged down the rails which determined its fate. For Bones and her canine companion Marrow, there was no other choice when it came to crossing over long distances of the massive forest nation. Normally pets weren’t allowed, but the conductor made an exception when he saw her badge.

Bones wore her usual wardrobe, a random black graphic t-shirt, black cargo pants and black skater shoes. Today’s t-shirt had a skull with a red hourglass on its forehead and eight, arachnidan legs reaching out of the sides of the skull. She also carried a black messenger bag with the logo of her favorite band, Cemetery Soldiers, on the bag’s flap.

The Shetland sheepdog, Marrow, laid at her feet peacefully snoozing. The dog did only three things in this world: eat, sleep and bark at anybody who entered Bones’ home, but her master wouldn’t have her any other way. The only thing that could wake the dog from her sleep, other than kicking or tripping over her, was the smell of fresh food.

The train’s hostess entered the passenger car that Bones and Marrow were in pushing a cart carrying several tasty snacks, rousing the dog from its sleep with a jerk.

“You hungry girl?” Bones asked, scratching the dog behind the ear. The sheltie looked up at her master and barked in answer. “Oneesan, over here please!”

The hostess pushed the cart down the train, but stopped at the sight of Marrow. “Excuse me ma’am, but pets aren’t allowed on the train.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s seems the conductor forgot to tell you, I’m an exception,” Bones reached into her pocket, pulling out her badge and showing it to the hostess.

The hostess’s eyes widen and the color drained from her face. “F, Forgive me my lady! I swear I had no idea that....Err...who you were!”

“It’s okay. I guess it’s hard for people to tell who I am while dressed so casually. Now, could we have some food and drink?” the young knight asked with a smile that was intended to be comforting, but lacked warmth.

“Of course! Whatever would you like?” The hostess asked, trying to hide her fear.

“I’ll have an Evil Elixir and Marrow will have some sweet bread. I don’t suppose you would have any candy corn?” Bones asked.

“I, I, I’m terribly sorry my lady, but, but...” the hostess said, stuttering in fear.

“I guess not. Then I take some caramel cubes. *Sigh*” Damn they come out only once a year and I never stockpile enough.

“Here you are ma’am.” The hostess handed Bones an unopened soda can and bag of wrapped caramel cubes. She hesitantly leaned down to give the loaf of sweet bread to Marrow who snatched it out of her hand, causing her to yank it back.

“Marrow, where’s your manners? You never bite the hand that feeds you!” Bones scolded the dog who was already scarfing the bread down like there was no tomorrow. “I’m so sorry about that, Oneechan! I really need to teach her some etiquette.”

“I, It’s okay,” the hostess said, rubbing her hand gratefully. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“No, thank you for asking,” the knight said, opening the soda can and sipping from it.

“If you need anything, just call,” the hostess bowed and pushed the cart off. To think, that girl is one of ‘them’… The hostess thought, risking a glance back.

Bones opened the bag of caramels, picked out a caramel cube, unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. It shouldn’t be much longer before we reach Coton. I wonder what kind of incident could cause Lord Cadaver to search me out personally…

---

The night before…

Arf! Arf!

Marrow barked furiously at the intruder, but she was no determent. The intruder simply passed by without a glance in the dog’s direction as it entered the six by ten tomb. Instead, it headed straight towards the sole coffin placed in the center. Marrow continued to bark at him, but she was helpless to stop him as he reached the coffin and lifted open the lid.

The blade of nodachi pressed into his throat. “So we meet at last tomb robber!” Bones said, sitting up from within the coffin. She was dressed in only a T-shirt that was obviously a few sizes too small especially around the chest and a pair of boxers that immodestly exposed her smooth white legs.

“If you mean the man that Nev’rmor is cleaning up outside, I fear you’re too late,” the stranger said in a voice no louder than a stage whisper.

That voice! “Forgive me my lord! I had no idea it was you!” Bones hastily sheathed her nodachi, her face red with embarrassment.

“No need to apologize, though you need to learn how to sleep lightly. You’re still deaf when you sleep.” the man said, shaking his head. “You were lucky that the tomb robber didn’t slay the mutt or even run.”

“Forgive me my lord,” Bones said, looking away in shame.

“No, forgive me. Even though we’re equals, I chastised you. Besides I’m here to ask for your help,” the knight said.

“My help?” Bones asked looking at the man with curiosity.

“A serious of mysterious murders has been happening in the town of Coton that has the local law enforcement baffled,” the knight said, leaning against the nearest wall of the tomb and crossing his arms. “You see there is no question to who are the murders, but the problem is that they’re found dead and have been dead long before they supposedly murdered the victims.”

Bones eyes grew wide. “You don’t mean?!”

“I fear so… Somebody using necromancy to commit murder without exposing their true identity! As you know, the unlawful use of the dark arts is strictly prohibited by the Necronomicon, whose rules we, the Skullguard, enforce. To allow the culprit to go unpunished would not only put hundreds in danger, but would be an insult to the very order! That is why I have been forced to ask you to investigate.”

“But why me, my lord?” Bones asked.

“I, as you know, bear the title of Lord Knight and therefore cannot leave my people without much trouble both in leaving and what happens after I leave. I have no delusions about being loved by all my people and I know many of who want my position or merely oppose the Skullguard. I risk my very positions, much less my life, by seeking you out now. I also cannot entrust this mission to the green swords; they merely sit about twiddling their thumbs waiting for missions to fall into their laps and thereby lack the experience needed to take a difficult quest as this. You, who have made a name for yourself through taking initiative and hunting down all leads you hear detailing possible abuse of necromancy are far more experienced and skill for this; maybe a little too much.”

“You speak too highly of me my lord, but I understand what you mean and will gratefully accept your offer.” Bones said bowing to the knight.

“As modest as ever, though I must warn you. Because of your actions, the church has grown rather uncomfortable. You perform nearly the same miracles they do and rarely ask for more in return than you truly deserve where as the Church requests pricey donations before they even raise a finger. They are beginning to see you as a threat and never once have trusted us necroknights. If you let your guard down, you may find that the night mother has placed a dagger in your back.”

“I understand perfectly,” Bones replied, unsheathing her sword and looking into its blade.

---

Beep

“Arriving at Coton Station. Please gather your belongings before leaving. Thank you for riding the Armatra.” Spoke a prerecorded voice over the intercom.

“We’re almost there, girl,” Bones said, scratching Marrow behind the ear. As the train pulled into the station, the knight grabbed her messenger bag and Marrow’s leash before leaving the train once it pulled to a stop.

Coton was a little town with a bad location. Set on the border between the Gaiose Forest and the Dryad’s Cemetery, very few every came to this town and the residents dreamt of the day they could afford to leave the town. There was no tourism and most of the people who came did so only to get from one country to another as it was the only area on the border where the forest elves and the dread elves didn’t try to kill each other for being to close to their country.

Unlike in most towns where Bones would received a fair amount of double takes and worried glances, sometimes outright hatred or distrust for her pale complexion, the identifying feature of all dread elves, the residents barely lent a glance. However she also noticed that the atmosphere was far more gloomier. For forest elves who were normally calm, quiet and self kept, this was unlike them. The sadness, the fear, the despair; it felt like she had passed into the Dryad’s Forest.

No wander why mother left her homeland. This much dread isn’t right, especially for a small town like this. Is this because of the murders? Bones thought, looking at the people.

RARG!

“Oops!”

Before she knew, the knight was lying flat on her back, the wind knocked out of her body and somebody lying atop her with their head between breasts. “I’m so sorry, Inu-chan! I didn’t see you down there!” the person said to Marrow as she sat up. It was a young forest elf with long brown hair, gentle green eyes, and the golden yellow skin of her kind. It was obvious that she was a hunter of some sort by the camouflage hoodie and pants she wore, the quiver of arrows on her hip and the long bow on her back.

“I’m so lucky that I landed on something so soft!” the girl said with a smile, her hands resting on Bones’ bosoms. “Why these are so soft, they feel just like bre-” Blush filled the girl’s face as her eyes widened in shock. Slowly she looked down at where her hands were and then at the confused and embarrassed face of the knight. The girl tumbled off Bones with a start, kneeling beside her and bowing repeated. “I’m so sorry! I swear I didn’t know you were underneath! I swear!”

“It’s okay.” Bones said, sitting up and brushing herself up.

“Please, if there’s anything I could do for you, anything!” the girl pleaded.

“Anything?” Bones asked.

“Yes, e, even if it, it’s my body…” the girl’s voice trailed off.

Her body… the knight thought, her eyes trailing to the girl’s chest which was quite full. Wait! What am I thinking? “Well, maybe you can help me, but she should somewhere a little more private.”

“Private?” the girl repeated.

“N, Not like that!” the knight exclaimed, realizing how the girl was interpreting her statement.

---

The Black Cat was a chain of a cafés that was quite popular in the Gaiose Forest where it spread like wild fire. It served an assortment of dishes, but most in particular were sweet and chocolaty. In most towns the popularity was so great that the customers had to make reservations. The little shop in Coton, by contrast, was so bear that Bones was surprised it was still open.

Bones, Marrow and the girl sat at the farthest table they could find in the corner of the store. Bones sipped a caramel milkshake and ate the rest of the caramel cubes she had got on the train while the girl had bottle of chocolate milk and ate a slice of chocolate cake. Marrow on the other hand, had scarfed down the steak bone Bones had bought for her from the butchery and was staring at the two women with hungry eyes.

“Before I ask, why don’t we introduce ourselves? I’m Bones and I make a living for myself by investigating odd phenomenon.” the knight said.

“I’m Shiko Tsuryoshi. I’m a hunter,” he girl said, smiling. “Nice to meet you, Bones-chan.”

“Same here, Shiko-san,” Bones returned. “Now-”

“Please call me Shiko,” Shiko interrupted the knight.

“Okay. Shiko-san, I’ve heard that there’s been some odd murders… something about the culprits having been dead long before they committed the act. I know some things about magic, especially dark arts and I was wondering if this could be the workings of a necromancer.” Bones said.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help… I just got here today myself so I don’t know about this town… No matter where I go, it seems I can’t escape death…” the girl said, looking down at the table sadly.

Without thought the dread elf grabbed the girl’s hands and squeezed them comfortingly. “But we all die someday,” she said in a soft, gentle voice.

“It’s not dying I’m afraid of, it’s the dead,” the girl said, blushing as looked at the woman. “When I was little, the town’s bully locked me inside a tomb and wouldn’t me out. No matter how hard I screamed, nobody would help me! I screamed and screamed and screamed, but nobody came… I eventually found a hole in the wall large enough for me to escape and, and….” The girl’s face paled and her breathing became labored, tears formed at the rims of her eyes. “T, they were all dead! Everyone, my family, my friends; even the bully! Everyone was dead.”

Bones’ heart stopped. The memories of years past… walking through the razed village she had once called home, crying over the corpses of the villagers. The memories vanished as quickly as they came and the knight found herself holding the girl in her arms, rubbing her back comfortingly and whispering soothingly into the girl’s ears. “It’s okay, you’re not alone.”

“I, I’m so sorry!” the girl said between sniffles. “We hardly know each other and here I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve,” the girl said, blushing in embarrassedly.

“It’s okay. No matter how hard you try to forget them, those memories will haunt you for life,” the woman said, smiling warmly.

Shiko looked at the knight in surprise. Those words… there’s no pity in them. No, those are words of understanding. She knows how I feel… the pain, the loneliness, the sadness.

“Is something wrong?” Bones asked. Everyone in her village dead, could it been him?

“It’s nothing…” the Shiko replied, blushing and looking shyly away. She’s so beautiful and kind. Her breasts are so soft and… Why am I thinking of that! Girl’s eyes grew as large as shields and her face turned beet red as the memory of Bones’ breasts appeared before her eyes.

“Excuse me, but I have some business in this town to attend. I’m glad we me and I hope we will meet again someday,” Bones said, getting up.

“Um, yeah!” the girl said, watching the knight leave the café. Why does my heart ache so?

---

The Coton town morgue was hard to miss and Bones felt like an idiot for asking for directions. The tallest building in the town, it was made of white marble with massive sign bearing a black coffin. To its left was the town’s funeral store and to its right was the town’s hospital, allowing for great convenience between the two businesses though (to no surprise) very few ever wanted to go to the hospital.

“Marrow heel!” Bones commanded the dog that was sniffing an area of the hospital’s wall. Marrow turned to face her master and barked. “Don’t give me lip! Heel!” Moaning, the dog reluctantly followed the knight into the morgue.

“That was close…” Shiko said, lowering a sheet of paper away from the wall of the hospital where she was hiding. “This is so wrong! If she catches me, I, I don’t know what she’d think of me. B, but my heart won’t stop aching unless I can see her…” The girl grabbed her chest and looked longingly at the door Bones disappeared through. “Of all places, why did she go into there!?!”

The morgue’s interior was just as white as it’s exterior, if not whiter. The reception room was quite small, more a hall than a room with little to no actual furnishings. Then again, Bones didn’t expect many would want to visit the morgue unless they needed to. At the far end of the room was a counter accessible through a small door in the counter’s side and a door in the back wall leading to where the corpses were stored.

At the counter stood a young forest elf girl nibbling a banana roll. She wore a white nurse’s outfit with the same black coffin symbol on her hat as seen on the morgue’s sign. Her brown hair was tied up in a bun under her hat save for the strands that framed her face. Her cold, brown eyes looked at Marrow. “Excuse me ma’am, but animals aren’t allowed.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to leave her outside; I don’t know what trouble she would get herself into,” Bones said, reaching into her bag for her badge.

“I, I’m so sorry!” The girl cried ducking behind the counter. “I had no idea you were in town!”

Bones looked at the counter in confusion. Does my reputation precede me? “I heard about the series of murders and decided to check them out. Is the mortician in?”

“I’ll get Choku right away!” the girl said, dashing through the back door.

The adjoining room was lined with several slabs containing the tagged bodies of the deceased. A number of tables were located around the center of the room with trays of medical tools positioned beside for performing autopsy. Along the wall where the door was connected, there was a small oak desk where a woman in a lab coat over scrubs sat writing in a binder. When the girl entered, the woman looked up at her, nudging her glasses in place with her forefinger, and asked, “Nu Nam, what’s wrong?”

“T, t, the necroknight from Morlon is here!” Nu Nam exclaimed.

The woman’s eyes grew as large as shields as the color drained from her face. “W, What?”

The woman and Nu Nam hastily entered the reception room and bowed. “Long time, no see eh?” the woman said, laughing nervously.

“Do I know you?” Bones asked looking at the woman.

“I’m Dow Choku from Morlon?” the woman said. When it was clear that Bones didn’t recognize her, she added, embarrassingly, “The girl who kissed the corpse.”

Bones eyes glowed with recognition. “I remember you now! What are you doing in Coton?”

“Neco Lee, the Necro-mistress, tried to kill me and enslave Nu Nam with her death-dolls,” the woman said, sighing.

“You mean that horny necrophiliac that collected the corpses of beautiful girls to dress like dolls and animate as her undying servants?” Bones asked.

“Yes, no matter where we hid, she’d find us so we were forced to ask the Skullguard for help. They made fake corpses of us and had them cut up to look like we were murdered brutally before escorting us to Coton for our own safety,” Choku said sadly.

“Such extreme measures. Couldn’t they just arrest her and force her to stand trial?” the knight asked.

“They tried, but she had disappeared from Morlon. They say her underground ‘play rooms’ were completely intact. They were investigating for any traces of magic in case she was magicked away before I left the town, but I haven’t heard anything from them so I don’t know much more then that. But, more importantly, why are you here?” The mortician said, folding her arms across her chest.

“I’m investigating the murders that have been happening recently,” Bones said.

“I knew it was only a manner of time before one of you necroknights would be lured here, but I fear it’s for naught. I’ve already spoke with the suspects, if you haven’t forgotten I can carry conversations with the dead, but they just repeat some stupid riddle over and over again,” the woman said shaking her head. “I have spoken with some rather rude corpses before, but these guys are just absurd!”

“If the corpses are speaking in riddles then it’s most likely they are unable to speak outright by either fear or by the effect of a spell. We necroknights are trained to interpret such riddles. I’d be honored if you took me back,” the knight said, bowing to the mortician.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt. I don’t mind the business so much, but I don’t like the chance that Nu Nam could be targeted by one of these dead assassins,” the mortician said, pushing open the door and gesturing for the knight to enter.

“Thank you. Marrow guard the entrance,” Bones said, instructing the dog before stepping through the door.

Once the door was closed, the dog lay in front of the door and began to fall asleep.

Nu Nam was too busy admiring how well the dog was “protecting” the door to hear the front door open silently or see Shiko creep into the reception room, quietly shutting the door behind and quickly ducking behind her paper screen, blending seamlessly into the room’s walls.

---

Choku wasted no time locating the door where the one of the suspects from the murders was, opening it and pulling the slab where the body laid. A sheet covered the body which she removed. “As you can see, the cause of death was decapitation. There are no signs that he had put a fight what so ever, so it’s safe to assume to either the man knew the original murderer or he was never aware of the murderer’s presence.”

“Cause of death is irrelevant in this matter,” Bones said placing her hand over the corpse’s head. “(Speaking the Soul, Communing the Corpse, Answer my questions in Full.) Who killed you?”

“Charred to the bone, dressed in tattered robes, he reaps the mortal sown.” the corpse spoke.

“You see! What the hell that supposed to mean?” Choku said, sighing.

“Charred to the bone…” Bones whispered. A hellborn skeleton. He was here. “Where were you when you died?”

“Garden of dead, plot of sorrow, eternal rest in a dirt bed.” the corpse answered.

“Wait, you didn’t tell me anything about that!” Choku cried angrily.

“When did you die?” Bones asked, ignoring the mortician.

“Dotted sky, heavenly mirror, time of rest be nigh,” the corpse continued to answer.

“Well I could tell you that much!” the mortician said.

“Thank you, you may rest now,” Bones said, removing her hand from above the corpse. “Thank you, corpse kisser-san, I wouldn’t have been able to learn this much if it weren’t for your help.” She bowed to the mortician.

“I only did that once and it was an accident!” Choku exclaimed, her face turning beet red.

“I wander how Nu Nam would react if she heard you refer to her as an acci-”

Slap!

“I don’t care how you joke with me, but don’t you dare play any damn mind games with her!!! She’s simple girl that easy to upset I won’t tolerate you making her sad!!! You hear me!!! I don’t care if you’re a necroknight or about your damn laws!!! Cut me down if you like, but I won’t let you hurt her!!!” Choku screamed her anger visible in her face.

“I’m not so zealous to uphold every law in the Necronomicon, especially when I was in the wrong of the matter nor will I hold a grudge against for defending somebody close to you. I can only ask forgiveness and be at your mercy,” Bones said. Though the manner in which spoke lacked any signs of emotion, her cheeks (beside where she was struck) were red with shame and her eyes reflected her guilt.

“Even if I wanted to stay angry at you, I couldn’t. Even though I had the right to be angry, I let my own anger get out of control and acted without thought. For that, I must ask forgiveness,” Choku said, blushing in shame.

“I will forgive you if you forgive me,” Bones said.

“It’s a deal,” the mortician said, holding out her hand.

“With the dead as our witness,” Bones said, taking the woman’s hand and shaking it. “Now, if you would do me the honor of showing me out, I believe I have a murderer to catch.”

“This way, my lady,” Choku pulled opened the door and gestured for the knight to step through.

“My lady, are you alright?” Nu Nam said, rushing through the door. Having forgotten the dog laying before her, she tripped over Marrow (who snarled at being woken in such a rude manner) fell into the knight’s arms.

“I’m alright. Choku was defending your honor. You should be grateful to have such a caring master,” the knight said with a soft smile. Helping the receptionist onto her feet and smoothing her companion’s ruffled disposition, the woman bowed to Nu Nam and Choku and departed the morgue with the dog in tow.

“She’s quite an exceptional woman isn’t she?” Choku said, sighing in relief. “She doesn’t let her position inflate her ego and is by far too forgiving.”

“She even overlooked the fact you bringing me to life was an infraction of her laws,” Nu Nam said, smiling. “To think somebody like her can be a necro-”

“WHAT!?!” Shiko cried, gasping in shock and dropping her screen. Looking at the surprised women who were clearly weren’t aware of her presence, the girl grabbed her screen and tried to hide behind it.

“Um, we know you’re behind there,” Choku said, a large sweat drop falling over her head.

Shiko ducked through the front door, her face crimson red with embarrassment. Seeing Bones nearby, she ducked back into the ally hid behind her screen. H, how can this be? What kind of cruel twist fate is this? Oh why is beautiful Bones a necrophiliac! Tears gushed from the girl’s in a comical fashion as she watched the knight and dog walk off. My aching heart, can I really have fallen in love with her, somebody I barely know and just found to be a necrophiliac? If this is fate, then I cannot deny my heart! I must not allow her to continue this unmoral love affair! I will save her! With righteousness filling her heart, she began to stalk the knight from the shadows.

---

Night had fallen on the town of Coton, especially its cemetery where Bones and Marrow strolled, unaware that Shiko was tailing closely behind. The cemetery was like any other cemetery, a plot of grassy land covered with tombstones, above ground tombs and the random memorial statue. For the knight, she breathed easily, the dark and grim atmosphere making her feel at home while the hunter was doing her best to hide her labored breathing lest she be caught as she looked wearily at the tombstones.

She heard the many of a tale of the dead rising from the grave and slaying all in their sight and ghosts of the angry deceased haunting the burial grounds cursing anybody who entered. The place she walked now was the setting of her every nightmare since she was traumatized with the massacre of her town’s residents when she was little and the slightest sound mad her jump. Neither the knight or the hunter noticed they were being followed by two others ever since they entered the cemetery.

“Doesn’t this bring back memories Marrow?” Bones said, breathing in the cold, cemetery air deeply. She ran her hands over the tombstones affectionately as though she had been good friends with the people that they represented. Following the cobblestone path to the center of the graveyard, where a massive statue sculpted in memory of the town’s founder stood. “Well this should be as good as any place else. Let’s start preparations.” The woman dropped her messenger bag on the ground and began to undress.

Shiko’s eyes grew as large as shields as she watched the knight’s clothes drop to the ground piece by piece. Holding up her screen with one hand, she modestly covered her eyes with her other hand, though by chance her fingers were held apart, allowing the girl to peek through the gap. When the woman was stripped down to her underwear and continued to undress, blood began to trickle from the hunter’s nose, down her upper lip and into her gaping mouth. Deep within the girl’s body, she felt something stirring.

Once the knight was nude, she opened the messenger bag and pulled out as small drawstring purse. Opening the pouch, she reached inside with her hand even though its mouth was too small to have allowed her to do so. Even more impossible was what she drew from the pouch. Pulling forth a shirt and pants of black, elastic fabric, she put them on (too much of the hunter’s relief and disappointment). She drew next a pair of gloves and socks of the same black, elastic cloth which she donned before drawing a two piece suit of chain mail, greaves, and sabotons made of bone. To top things off, she drew out a black tabard with the insignia of the Skullguard on it’s breast to wear atop her armor. Reaching back in the bag that impossibly carried all of her clothes she drew out a nodachi sheathed with a lacquered ebony saya.

Skiko watched the knight’s process of dressing herself with shock and surprise. For such a tiny purse to hold so many items of such sizes was absurd. The knight failed to stop amazing her as she began to stash her discarded clothes into the purse including her messenger bag after retrieving her badge from within it. The girl hadn’t seen anything like it in all her life, but then again, despite living in a magically sustained world, she had never seen magic used for such out of the world usage of magic.

She’s so awesome! The hunter thought, clutching her heart that was beating quite rapidly. Even if she is a, a necrophiliac, I can’t stop thinking of her. Releasing a heavy sigh she began to direct her attention to the moonlit sky, but the sight of a black, scythe carrying silhouette standing atop the statue above the knight, preparing to pounce on her made the girl stop. She knew that she warn the woman, but instead- dropping her screen to draw her bow and nock a silver tipped arrow from her quiver, chose to shoot the assailant.

Bones was taken back to not only see the hunter, but to see her with an arrowed nocked. At first she thought the arrow was aimed at her, but seeing the girl aim above before releasing the arrow, drew her attention to the assailant.

The assailant fell to all fours, nimbly dodging the arrow while balancing atop the statue and keeping a hold of its scythe. Launching itself from it’s current pose, it sailed forth towards the hunter and swung the scythe in a killing arc.

Bones wasted no time covering the distance between her and the hunter, positioning her before the assailant and blocking its scythe with the blade of her nodachi as she drew it, forcing the assailant back with the attack. Marrow was at her heels, fangs bared and a threatening growl rumbling from within her throat and out of her mouth. “Marrow guard Shiko-san.” The woman commanded, quickly tossing a thankful nod to the girl, before turning her attention to the assailant.

The assailant, who now was illuminated by the moonlight, was revealed to be a skeleton with charred bones, dressed in black, tattered robe carrying a scythe with a blood stained blade in its bony hands. Twin pin points lit its empty eye sockets leaving no mystery to its source of animism.

“As I thought, a hellborn skeleton!” the knight said. “As cool as skeletons are, your kind leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

The skeleton cackled, “Our lord knew that if we brought enough chaos, we’d draw one of you blasted necroknights here!”

“I, I, It spoke!!” Shiko said, the color draining from her face. “T, T, The skeleton spoke!!!” Her hands shook with fear as she tried to nock another arrow.

“And a little forest elf girl too! The o’ holy knight called you Shiko, didn’t she? I think I remember

somebody crying that name out before I killed them, but I can’t remember which. I think it was the first town we ever razed under our master’s orders. We didn’t take the time to memorize every little village we slaughtered in it or the town after, but I think the town was called, Devi!” the skeleton said, cackling manically.

Tears streamed down Shiko’s face. “Y, y, you… It was you who killed everyone!?! My family! My friends! Everyone!!!” Centering her bow on the hellborn skeletons skull, she fired the arrow. As the arrow flew glowed a mysterious light.

The skeleton blocked the arrow with his scythe, but on contact, the arrow exploded with blinding light. The skeleton screamed in hideous pain as it backed away. “That stung you little bitch!”

Soulpiercing silver? Bones thought. Is she a necrobane?

“You’ll pay for that you little bitch!” the skeleton cried, charging towards Shiko.

“I won’t you harm her!” Bones roared, swinging her nodachi at the charging skeleton. Their blade’s clashed, sending sparks flying. Closing her eyes, the knight began to chant. “O’ holy night, starlit heaven, turn my soul into light!” The blade of the nodachi began to glow a dark, ominous light, turning the blade black with the darkness of night. With a war cry, she cut through the blade of the assailant’s scythe and cut into it’s robes, forcing the skeleton to jump back to avoid a more seriously wound.

“Transmuting that blade into Soulpiercing silver! So necroknights can as easily slay undead as they can animate them!” The skeleton said, cackling. Tossing aside its destroyed scythe, it waved its hands in the air and began to chant. “Sulfuric taste, fiery breath, reduce everything to smoldering waste!” In haling a deep breath, it expelled a spray of blue fire at the elves.

“Get down!” Bones cried, tackling Shiko and pressing her to the ground. Marrow fell flat on her stomach and tucked her head under her forepaws. The jet of fire struck the tomb that Shiko had been hiding against and reduced it to molten marble. An infernal flamethrower spell. Not only is it sentient, but wise enough to use it’s immunity to hellfire to caste a spell that would normal scorched the lungs and mouth of the caster!

“Your reflexes are admirable, necroknight, but how will you slay me if you can’t touch me?” The skeleton said, smoking pouring from its mouth. Weaving its hands in the air, it began to chant again. “Fiery lush, charcoaled flesh, burn everything I touch!” The skeleton was lit afire with the same bright blue flames. Everything on the skeletons body and everything it touch caught afire and were reduced to ash within seconds. The cobblestone path under its feet melt. The very air around it crackled with hellish heat.

“Shiko-san stay down! I will deal with it!” Bones said as picked herself up. A hellfire armor spell also nicknamed the fiery suicide spell, only a creature born from hellfire could survive it’s unearthly temperature and wicked flames. Not even my nodachi, whose blade was folded a hundred times and forged in flames nearly as hot as hell itself, would last long without melting. I must end this quickly lest this entire cemetery will catch fire! Leveling her nodachi to thrust, she charged forward. Seconds before she would connect, she raised it in the air, stepping on and leaping off a grave stone, launching herself into the air. “Men!”

The skeleton caught the sword’s blade in its hand, causing it to melt. “Even silver melts at my touch!” With it’s other hand it reached out to grab Bones.

“Don’t you dare touch my beautiful Bones!” Shiko cried, sitting up in a crouch and firing an arrow at the skeleton. The arrow glowed brightly as the one she shot before, connecting with the skeletons outstretched hand and exploding in brilliant light. As the light faded, the skeleton’s arm was gone.

However, before the skeleton could get the chance to curse the girl, Bones reached out with her left hand, channeling a ball of black light in her palm and smashing it into its skull, disintegrating the skull while the hellish flames engulfed her arm. Pulling her arm back and jumping back, she watched as the chain mail and bone armor she had been wearing fell to the ground in molten puddles. Even the sleeve of her undershirt was gone. By pure luck her armed remained in tact save for some light burns.

The now decapitated skeleton fell to the ground, the flames dying as quickly as they were born, leaving behind a smoldering corpse that turned to ash soon after it touch the ground.

Suddenly, a fit coughing over took the woman, forcing her to drop what remained of her nodachi and cover her mouth. Pulling the hand away, she that the white bones of her gauntlet were dripping red with her blood. I poured too much of my soul into that attack. The world began to darken around her as her sight got fuzzy. At least I won… Her thoughts trailed off as it lapsed into unconsciousness, her body collapsing listlessly onto the ground.

“Bones-sama!” Shiko cried, running over to the knight’s side.

---

Deep within a dark room, a pawn fell on its side, it’s top disintegrating. The chest board, along with the table it was set on were the few items visible in the room.

“Uh-oh! Skelly’s dead!” chirped a cheerful forest elf dressed in a red Victorian gown. She was accompanied by several other elven girls who each was dressed like gothic dolls.

“I have plenty of reapers left to sacrifice. As long as one of them makes it across the board, there’s nothing be worried about, right bishop Neco Lee?” a man enshrouded in shadows said, fingering one of the bishops on the chest board. He sat in a thrown of black velvet and sipped at a goblet of liquid that was too thick to be wine.

“So who you were trying to find with the Skelly, your majesty?” Neco Lee asked, looking at the man.

“Nobody. I was just wanted to tell the council hi!”

---

“I, I, it’s all my fault… They died because of me! It’s all my fault!” A young Bones cried, hugging her hips to chest and hiding within the dark shadows of the crypt where her family had been charged to protect. At that time she still answered to her birth name, Marrona, and was young and innocent, unaware of the evils of the world. “He lied to me! He said, nobody would be hurt, but killed everybody…. But I was the one who showed him the way in so its all my fault! Mother, father, auntie, uncle! Please forgive me!” The girl sobbed into her knees.

Crick, crack

The charred black skeletons had found her. Mindlessly they forged forward, reaching out with clawing hands seeking to tear the girl apart like they had with the rest of the village.

“Please stop! Leave me alone!” the girl cried out in fear.

That was when something happened that the girl could never understand then; they stopped and began to shuffle away. At first she was relieved, but then it struck her; they had obeyed. “Stop!” She commanded, wiping away the tears.

They stopped.

A grin crossed the girl’s face. A joyless, ironic grin. She had lost her entire family and village, but now, by some unknown power, could control the skeletons that killed the villagers and were in fact once her family. Laughing hysterically, she curled up into a ball and fell asleep from exhaustion. “Maybe I’ll wake up and find this is a just a bad dream,” the girl said before closing her eyes.

She would wake to find that was a dream. The dream that haunted her sleep every night, retelling how she lost her entire family and village because of her innocence.

---

Waking was never easy for her. Her body, which had been stripped down was covered in a cold sweat. Yet, despite being nude, she was quite warm. Maybe it was because she wasn’t alone. Lying beside her fast asleep, equally as nude as her and embracing her with a death grip was Shiko. Confusion and shock over took the knight, leaving incapable of doing anything other than gawking at the girl. Trying to move, she jarred her left armed, sending a thousand jolts of pain through her arm and causing her to cringe.

A light turned on without warning, blinding the knight. “You’re pretty lucky. If it weren’t for that armor, you would have lost your arm or more,” Choku said, standing in a very familiar doorway. “I also usually don’t allow the living to sleep on my work tables, but for you, I made an exception.”

Bones looked around. The room where she laid was the back room of the morgue. “Um, why am I here?”

“Aren’t you comfortable. That girl was opposed to it, but the hospital next door isn’t very charitable and since you didn’t have any serious wounds, I thought you sleep more soundly with the dead. She assisted to be with you, so I had no choice. By the way, she’s the one brought you here,” the mortician said.

“Is that so?” The knight said, smiling at the sleeping girl. “Though, why are we BOTH naked?”

“Well, I tried to explain to her that dread elves were also so cold, but she refused to listen and stripped naked to try and keep your warm. She seems really attached to you,” the woman said. “I made her promise to not do anything obscene in my morgue. And before you crack that joke, Nu Nam and I never did anything of that kind in here!”

“I wasn’t going to. I need only to have manners slapped into me once,” the knight, rubbing her cheek where she had been hit.

“So whose the girl? I saw her hiding in the reception room earlier yesterday,” Choku asked.

“Choku-san, are they awake? I made some Ginger milk cur-” Nu Nam said, entering the back room with a tray carrying bowls of Ginger milk curd, but ended tripping over Marrow who happened to be laying in front of the door and crashing into the ground with several shattered bowls.

Shiko woke with a start reaching for her quiver which had been removed and strewn on the ground with the rest of her clothes. Seeing Nu Nam on the flower, the rather grumpy canine and the mess surrounding them she sighed in relief. Seeing that Bones was awake, she pulled the thin sheet that would normally cover a corpse about her body.

“You were a great help back there,” Bones said smiling. “I’m sorry for what happened to your family… I knew that he had something to do with it…”

“Bones-sama… I know it’s not my place to say this, but can I come with you? I have nowhere else to go and I don’t think I can live with myself if we were part. Even though we hardly know each other, I, I think I’ve fallen madly in love with you,” the girl said, looking away embarrassedly.

“I am a necroknight. I have a sworn duty to travel about this world, punishing necromancers who’d use the dark arts for their own game or the pain and suffering of others. Most of my time that I don’t spend in town resting, writing reports to the grand council or investigating supernatural phenomenon, I’m lurking about cemeteries, tombs and morgues. I can’t put you through so much-”

“I don’t care! I’d walk through hell as long as it meant I would be at your side!” the girl said, looking into the knight’s eyes. “Please let me be with you!”

“There’s also a manner of funding. The council don’t mind funding my expenses because I serving the Skullguard, but they’d never agree to foot the bill for a nonmember like you!” the knight said. “The only people to ever receive exceptions are…” the woman looked at the girl from head to toe with a scrutinizing eye. She seems pretty old to be a squire, but then there’s no exact laws restricting the age of a squire. Besides her ability to use soulpiercing silver without chanting an incantation would reduce the amount of training I’d need to give, and her archery is pretty top notch. Her body is even… Wait why am I thinking of that!?! “Shiko-san. I cannot deny you of your devotion, even if there’s a chance that it’s misplaced, or persuade you otherwise, so leave me no other option. With the dead as our witness, will you be my squire?”

The girl’s tear brimmed eyes glowed with unimaginable joy as the girl threw her arms around the knight’s neck and kissed the woman romantically. “I swear upon my very life to serve you my lady!” She said, tears streaking down her face.

Bones was left speechless, her very ability to think taken by the unexpected kiss.

None saw the carrion crow that had been sitting in a window of the back room as it flapped its wings and took flight.

---

Days later, in the dining hall of a distant castle, sir lord Cadaver sat at one end of the table along with the other members of the grand council of the Skullguard. Before formal gathering could start, the crow flew into the dining room and landed on Cadaver’s outstretched arm.

“I have a quite interesting report for you, o’ august council!” the Carrion Crow said. “I saw it all with my own eye!” The crow regurgitated a perfectly intact human eye ball that rested in his open beak. “Lady Bones of the Skullguard has made contact with one of the Hellfire Necromancer!”

[Doragon Kagetsuki]

Chapter 2: Tigers and Dragons

Bones sat at the desk of her inn room, face flat on the desk top smeared with ink. Beside her desk sits a trash bin that was overflowing with crumpled balls of paper; the reason she hated writing in ink. She had spent the last few days organizing her thoughts and trying to write a report, but she would catch one little mistake and too her luck she had no whiteout on hand, forcing her to crumple up the page she had been writing on and start all over again. Sometimes being detail critical was a real pain.

“Bones-sensei, it’s time to wake up,” Shiko said, gently shaking Bones.

The knight moaned as she picked her ink smeared face off the desk, wiping the sleepiness from her baggy eyes. Yawning so deeply that her jaw hurt, she turned to look at her squire while rubbing her soar jaw to end up having pick it off the ground.

Shiko was wearing nothing more than an apron and thigh long socks. Seeing how her master was looking at the girl blushed and asked, “Do you like, master.”

The knight shook her head to clear her mind and looked at her squire again, but still she saw the young hunter in the most immodest costume she could imagine. Her eyes as large as shields, the knight looked away and rubbed the blood that began to trickle from her nose. “Um, Shiko-san, I, um… well to say… it’s um, looks good on you… really good… But, um we shouldn’t you be wearing something more, um… covering! As soon as I finish my report, we’ll be leaving.”

“Leaving? Where are we going?” the hunter asked, looking at her master curiously. She began to change.

“I have to get my nodachi repaired. It originally belonged to my mother and she told me when she gave it to me to go to a shop called the ‘Dragon’s Den’,” the knight said, looking back. Seeing the forest elf in the process of undressing, she blushed deep red and quickly looked back at her desk. Ever since she k, kissed me, I’ve been unable to look at her whenever she’s, she’s… Damn! The very thought of it makes my blood rush to my head!

“Is something wrong Bones-sensei?” Shiko asked.

“Nah, it’s nothing!” Bones said. With a shaking hand she put her ball point pen to paper and began to write. The sooner I get this done, the sooner we can get out of her here… DAMN IT! Making a mistake, she tossed her pin aside, crumpled the paper she had been writing on and threw it into the trash can.

“Um, could you need some help?” Shiko asked.

“It’s okay, I just need to focus and…” Bones said, writing on the next page of paper only to end up crumpling it up and tossing it into the trash can.

“Please Bones-sensei, I’m your squire! Let me help you!” the girl said, laying her hands on the knight’s. “I’ll scribe for you.

“I guess it can’t be help,” the knights said, shrugging. “Dear Sir Lord Cadaver, I have made contact with a minion of the Hellborn Necromancer and consequentially obtained a squire, who at the same time, though the two are separate individuals. The minion was a sentient Hellborn Skeleton who had been murdering individuals and animating their remains to create a chain of murders that could not have easily been tracked back to it. Unfortunately, I was forced to destroy it before I could interrogate it about the location of its master. As for my squire, she is a Hellborn Genocide survivor like myself and is capable of performing Soulpiercing without chanting an incantation. This skill alone makes her invaluable to our cause and I’m than capable of handling her. I would be honored to have your blessing and imbue me with the wisdom needed to teach her as you taught me.

“I regress; we have investigated the town where the incident has happened and the surrounding area to find no immediate signs to suggest that there was any true purpose of the Hellborn Skeleton save to create as much chaos and despair as possible. I will search for any leads I can find, but I must first repair my nodachi which was greatly damaged in my battle with the Hellborn Skeleton. Due to the rarity of nodachi, I’m forced to locate a shop in Duslan'’ called the ‘Dragon’s Den’ whom my mother has told me to go when she originally gave it. I will keep you noticed if any new leads appear in my journeys. Sincerely, Bones.”

The squire scribbled what her master dictated with the skill of a master calligrapher, stringing the characters gracefully across the page with thoughtful care. Bones almost didn’t notice that the girl had cleverly added more into the part cornering herself especially their relationship.

“Wait! You can’t tell him that!” Bones exclaimed her face crimson red.

---

The gathered members of the council looked at the carrion crow with unmistakable surprise.

“Is this true Cadaver?” Asked a woman in draped in white cloak and white gown. Her face was hidden by the mask like collar of her dress and the shadows of her cloak’s hood. The silver crescent moon that fastened her cloak symbolized her position as liaison between the Skullguard and the church.

“Nev’rmor is honest crow and has yet to make any mistakes as of yet. If what he saw is as we say, we are to place an investigation team into the area as we speak,” Cadaver said.

“Bones, isn’t she…?” the woman asked.

“She survived a hellfire genocide at his hands, but worry not she’s not the type to rush off seeking revenge. In fact she is probably writing a report on the manner as we speak,” the lord said, shrugging.

As though cued, a glowing pentagram appeared on the dining hall table. Flashing in so brightly that the council members were forced to shield their eyes, the pentagram disappeared leaving behind a black scroll case with the seal of the Skullguard. “Well speak of the devil.” The knight grabbed the scroll case and broke the seal. Tossing aside it’s cap, he drew a rolled piece of paper. He chuckled to himself and said, “My I never knew that she interested in girls like that.”

“Well? What does it say?” the woman in white asked.

“Patience, Phantom, milady… we have all the time in the world,” said another councilmember. Her dark skin which peeked through her veil and calasiris revealed her to be a sand elf from the northern desert.

“That’s a little hypocritical Mummy, you’re the most impatient of all of five of us,” said another council member, dressed in a sailor suit whose shirt left her mid-rift exposed. She wore a bandana over her lower face from the nose down and an eye patch over right eye. Her tanned skin and aquamarine hair marked her as a ocean elf. “Right Carrion?”

The last of the five council members was draped in wolf pelts that hid his face, leaving his identity even more mysterious than Cadaver. He neither replied nor showed any signs of paying attention.

“Stay out of this Ghoul!” Mummy hissed.

“Bones has confirmed Nev’rmor’s report and though by her claims, there are no traces in the immediate area of the town of Coton. Further more, it seems she is forced to go to Duslan' to get her nodachi repaired… her destination is the Dragon’s Den.”

Silence descended upon the council members.

“The Dragon’s Den! Isn’t that the heart of the Dragon Clan mafia?” Phantom asked shocked.

“The same mafia that dabbles in about everything illegal?” Mummy asked, confused.

“The same bastards that have been slipping under my nose, smuggling contraband into the main land and giving me a bad rep!?!” Ghoul added, her eyes flashing with anger.

Carrion didn’t ask a question, but by the way looked towards Cadaver, he suggested that he was just as curious.

“Yes, the very crime organization that has used the lawless nature of Duslan' to their advantage. Not even we have the jurisdiction to disband them and all because they haven’t abused the arts of necromancy in any manner that we could act on. They are thorn in the side of this entire continent and the surrounding seas and there’s nothing that we can do! However this may be in our fortune. Though Bones is a dread elf, her mother left her homeland long ago and to my knowledge never told her anything about it. In other words, she may just be able to reveal something we can’t. Even though she knows little of the Dryad’s Cemetery, she knows enough to not foolish wave her badge around and get herself killed or worse by it.”

“Worse?” Phantom asked.

“In Duslan', slavery isn’t only allowed, it accounts for a third of its profit the other two thirds being narcotics and prostitution with the employees being most slaves themselves. In short, if she were be enslaved, she would wish she was dead.”

“That’s cruel! Isn’t the Dryad’s Cemetery in your domain?” Phantom asked.

“Yes, but I cannot leave my castle for my political reasons and if I tried sending someone in my place to change the laws, they’d be killed or worse…” Cadaver said. “However, like I said she’s not so stupid to get herself in such a situation. The only thing that could possibly blow her cover is discovering the Hellfire Necromancer or one of his consorts being in Duslan', but what are the chances of that?”

“You’re in a good mood,” the cloaked man said, gauging Neco Lee who held a letter in her hands. As he had been before, he sat in his throne overlooking a chessboard with the rest of the room hidden in darkness.

“Neco Long has returned to Duslan'’ and he says that he has brought back something quite exotic! Oh I must see what it is! You don’t mind, do you?” The girl said.

“Duslan'’ eh? I hear it’s a haven for criminals. From slavers to necromancers, I hear the only law they obey is take what you kill,” the man said, resting his chin on his wrist as he leaned forward with his elbows perched on one of the throne’s armrests. “Tell me this, is it a coincidence you share the same surname?”

“We shared a father, each of our mothers taught us a different sin. For me it was lust and for him greed… Though there’s a funny thing about him. He doesn’t take money!” the girl said.

“Then what does he take?” the man asked.

“Services. You see we share something common, we both value cute girls!” the girl said walking over to one of her lifeless, animate dolls and pinched it by the chin.

“He intrigues me… I think I’ll send a pawn to scout him out,” the man said, waving forward a hand.

A cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows with a scythe clutched in it’s skeletal hands.

---

Clatter, clatter.

The Armatra soared down the tracks that determined it’s destination. Bones, Marrow and Shiko sat comfortable in a homely passenger car, eating a late morning snack. Bones had bought some more caramel cubes and was plopping them into her mouth while Shiko nibbled on a double chocolate chip cookie and Marrow having wolfed down a loaf of sweet bread.

“Um, Bones-sensei?” Shiko began, looking up at her master.

“Yes, Shiko-san?” Bones asked back.

“I know this may sound bad, but what is Soulpiercing Silver?” the hunter asked, looking at her shamefully.

“I expected you wouldn’t know. To perform Soulpiercing without an incantation requires years of training or natural talent, usually later having no idea what it is. I assumed you were the later and there’s no problem with that. After all, as my squire, I must teach you everything, but to understand Soulpiercing you must first understand how necromancy works. Magic in general is fueled by the mana which is born from all living creatures and channeled by mages, but mana is incapable of animating the dead. Well in actuality you can animate a corpse, but you would have to manually control it’s every action and is a really tedious task. I regress; to animate a corpse you place a sliver of your own soul into a corpse to bring it into semi-automatic animation.” the knight said.

“Semi-automatic animation?” the hunter asked, confused.

“Well you see animation comes in three forms: marionette animation, semi-automatic animation, and full automatic animation. Marionette animation is the process of giving an inanimate object animation through manual manipulation while semi-automatic and full automatic animation do not require constant manual manipulation to be animated. The difference between semi-automatic and full automatic animation is that semi automatic animation relies on some one else to give it orders, but is capable of completing any order it is given such as your basic zombie or skeleton where as full automatic animation enables the animated object to think and act on its own such as liches and vampires. Are you following me so far?” the knight asked.

The hunter stared at master with a blank expression on her face. “Uh…”

“Well I guess I should simplified it for you. Marionette animation manipulates an object like a puppet. Semi-auto animation gives an object to act on orders without constant aid on its master side to an extent. Full auto animation gives an object free will. Does that help?” The knight asked.

“I think I understand now!” Shiko said smiling.

“Now as I said before for semi-auto animation, you must place a sliver of your own soul into a corpse to animate it. Well that sliver of soul can easily be cut if somebody were to harness their own spirit with an attack such as your arrows or my nodachi. The process of harnessing one’s soul in this matter is called Soulpiercing, but it’s difficult to do unarmed as you say back in the cemetery. However channeling it into any weapon is not easy either. A weapon made from silver of the purist quality has the ability to channel one’s soul, hence it’s referred as Soulpiercing silver. Of course silver of any quality can be turned into Soulpiercing silver, you merely need to purify it with a transmutation spell as I did,” the knight said, fingering the remains of her nodachi.

“Can’t you have it’s blade forged with Soulpiercing Silver?” the girl asked.

“Not necessarily. The blade of a nodachi is folded a hundred times to make incredibly sharp, but frail in comparison to other swords. Unlike steel that is purified from iron, becoming stronger, silver that is purified into Soulpiercing silver becomes frailer and wouldn’t survive the forging process.” the knight explained.

“Oh, I see…” the girl said. “Um, why are riding the Armatra? Couldn’t we just pass the border from Coton?”

“If you wanted to die, yes. The Dryad’s cemetery was once a part of the Gaiose Forest until it was cut down in some long forgotten war, killing the dryad’s that resigned in the trees. The dryad’s blood soaked into the ground, their anguish cursing the entire area turning it into a swamp of unimaginable hatred and suffering. Dread elves were said to be born as a race on the day the swamp was born. Worse yet, over time many creatures have come to call that swamp home and if you aren’t careful, they’ll devour you,” the knight said. “Or so my mother told me.”

“Wow, I never knew,” the girl said looking out the train’s window at the dark patch of swamp just north of them.

“In order to make passage through the Dryad’s Cemetery safe, the local hunters have taken the responsibility of securing a path for public use and everyone traveling along it. Of course, nobody’s perfect and there’s still a risk to taking this path, but compared to winging it and tackling the swamp blindly, it’s more preferred,” Bones said.

“I agree,” the Shiko said.

Beep

“Arriving at the Dryad Cemetery Border Station. Please gather your belongings before leaving. Thank you for riding the Armatra.” Announced a prerecorded voice over the intercom.

“We’re almost there, better get ready,” Bones said.

“Right,” the girl said, collecting her assorted possessions.

As the trained pulled into the station, the trio departed the Armatra and faced the land before them. Dark clouds hung over the wetland strewn with the stumps of trees that have been cut down cemeteries ago, but appear to have cut down just the other day.

“They say the sun never shines in the dryad’s cemetery and the clouds only part at night to allow the moonlight shine upon the corpses of nature to remind the residents the fate of the swamp…” Bones said. Looking over towards her squire she asked in concern, “Are you alright?”

“I can feel it’s pain, it’s sorrow! The land cries for an end to its suffering, but it can never find any. I cannot forgive whoever would be so selfish to do this!” Shiko answered, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I just need to tune it out.”

Sensitivity towards nature. Not many knights take consider nature to mean anything in the arts of necromancy, but death is merely a part of nature; one part we tend to deny nature of. Considering the hazards ahead of us, such a talent will be a great aid. The knight thought. “Let’s get going, I hear things become more dangerous when night falls.” Bones grabbed Marrow and carried her in her arms. “And remember, stay on the tree stumps!”

“Right!” the hunter replied.

The two elves began to traverse the swamp, leaping from stump to stump. They had no trouble determining where the path laid for every thirty feet, a pair of spears were stuck out of a stump on either side with a white ribbon tied to each for easy visibility. Every so often the path would fork with signs telling where each path lead, forcing the women to stop and read the signs to insure they didn’t make a wrong turn and be forced to waste time back tracking. By mid day, they had stopped to rest and check a map they had picked up at the station. They estimated by the number of paths they had crossed, it were half way there.

“We’re so lucky that it’s less than a day’s trip away,” Shiko said, unpacking a bento lunch she had prepared for the three of them.

“Well Duslan’ was originally the capital of the entire forest located in the heart of the country, but with the wide spread deforestation that lead to the swamp’s creation, it became a crucial trade town between the swamp and the forest. I’ve also heard it’s the home of several illegal businesses that we cannot do anything about it,” Bones said. “Also I’d suggest you keep our status and allegiance secret. I don’t want to think what would happen to us if the locals were to discover that we were law enforcement.”

“K,” Shiko replied, eating from her bento.

Arf! Arf!

Marrow, who had left her bento spotless as though she had been left to starve was staring at the girls, hoping to get some table scraps.

“Sorry girl, but we have to build up as much energy as possible,” Bones said between shoveling the food into her mouth.

It’s kind of disturbing to watch, but I guess pets do take after their masters… Bones-sempai must be famished! The girl thought watching her master with wide eyes.

None were aware of a tentacle like vine slithering out from the wet soil and coiling about the stump where Shiko was sitting. Snaking around one of the girl’s legs, the vine retracted, jerking the hunter into the ground.

“Eek! What’s going on?” The hunter tried, grabbing the stump.

“Crap!” Bones cried. She reached for her nodachi to remember that it was unusable. I guess nature sensitivity doesn’t really help when you’re distracted!

“Bones-sensei help!” the girl cried, struggling against the vine with clear signs of winning.

More vines rocketed from the ground, grabbing the girl everywhere she could and more often than not that was somewhere quite peculiar.

“No! I’m saving myself for Bones! Stop it!” The hunter cried.

“Let go of her!” Bones yelled grabbing the vines. “(Drain dry, wither in the sun, wilt and die)!”

The vines began to thrash about violently as they began to shrink and writhe, turning an unhealthy brown as it fell lifelessly and broke apart.

“I was so scared!” Shiko cried, wrapping her arms about the knight’s neck.

“It’s okay… be better hurry. I don’t know if that would be the last of them,” the knight said, rubbing the girl’s back soothingly.

“O, okay!” The girl said, sniffling.

---

By night fall the trio had reached Duslan’, but their clothes had seen better days. Anyone that would be walking the path after them would find it strewn with the bodies of countless creatures they had the misfortune of encountering on their journey.

“S, so many tentacles! I, I thought that was suppose to be the safest way through,” Shiko said, looking anxiously at a nearly empty quiver she remembered filling before they had left Coton.

“I hate to imagine what we would encounter if we had wander off the path,” Bones said, panting.

“Arf!” Marrow barked. She, of the three, was the most untouched mostly because she was no more of a threat to the creatures than a nuisance compared to the armed elves.

“Well we better change our clothes before locating the Dragon’s Den,” Bones said looking at her tattered clothes.

“But beside my yukata and apron, these are my only clothes,” Shiko said, blushing.

“I only have my knight uniform… I didn’t expect that we’d be staying long enough to have to change clothes. I guess we’ll have to find the nearest clothier,” the knight said, sighing.

Neither woman saw the shadows that had been watching them and slipped in pace behind them at a safe distance as they began to climb the stone stairway that lead to the city.

Duslan’ was a city built above the ground long before the Dryad’s Cemetery came to be. Some might argue that it was more of a castle than a city as a high wall encased the city, protecting from being raided. Built on a high foundation of stone with the only means of accessing it was through the stairs at each of it’s four entrances named in respect to their location in the city (North, East, South and West). Though there were no guards in sight, the women could feel eyes piercing them. Even Marrow was on her guard, looking from wall to wall with suspicion. Occasionally the moon’s light would reveal that every so many feet there were narrow, vertical holes in the walls that framed the stairs; arrow slits.

“Be on your guard, but don’t brandish any weapons,” the knight said softly.

“Roger,” Shiko replied.

The stairs leveled out onto a rather empty street. Occasionally a cloaked figure would skulk from one alley into another as the trio walked down the dark, unlit streets of the city. The town was silent until they heard somebody scream.

Shiko tried to run to investigate it, but Bones stopped her, shaking her head. Soon the sound had ended as suddenly as it began. “Please remember there is law in Duslan’ and all heroes end up with a dagger in their back,” she warned her squire.

Soon enough the screaming had ended as suddenly as sudden as it began.

The girl looked longingly in the direction of where she heard the screaming coming from, but could do no more than sigh heavily and followed her master who once again began searching the streets for a clothier.

“(That face…)” whispered one of the shadows who trailed the trio.

“ (It's similar, but she would have aged by now. That girl speaks like a forest elf.)” the other shadow commented.

“(But didn't she run off to the forest three decades ago?)” the first shadow said.

“(Are you saying they're related?)” the second asked.

“(Never know. We should tell Master Long, no?)” the first suggested.

“(The Den is too far away. They say their looking for a clothier. We should tell Lady Weiming instead!)” the second replied.

“(You‘re right. I’ll take the back alleys and inform Lady Weiming of their coming while you stay behind make sure they reach the White Tiger’s Wardrobe,)” the first said, slipping into a nearby alley.

“(Right!)” the second shadow said.

---

“You girls, have no stamina!” a woman said in the back rooms of the White Tiger’s Wardrobe. “If you die on me so easily then what I will be able to play with eh?” She kicked aside a corpse of a naked girl whose body was covered in several wilts, cuts and scars as she walked to a cage in the far back of the room. Cracking a whip, the woman looked towards a cage containing several other girls and smiled. “I’m glad Master Long talked me into buying these slaves in bulk. They only last so long before they break. Now which of you am I going to play with next?”

The girls, numbering between ten and twenty, were cramped in a cage so small that they barely had standing room. All been stripped naked save for a slave collar each wore. They shivered in fear and the coldness of the room, some crying, others begging for forgiveness while some given up on all hope. None would believe these girls were once the daughters and sisters of the city’s very own residents whom their own fathers and brothers had sold to the slavers to pay for protection from the Dragon clan.

As the woman walked to the cage and was about to open it, a shadow appeared behind her. “You’re interrupting my play time so you better have a good reason lest your death be slow and painful!” the woman hissed, glaring at the shadow that kneeled behind her.

“Two women have entered Duslan’ in which has a face similar to her. They are in search of clothes and will being arriving here any time soon,” the shadow said.

The woman’s eyes glowed with a sadistic joy. From ear to ear a wicked grin crossed her face. “Is that so? Then I’ll make sure to greet them properly! By chance does Master Long know yet?”

“No milady, but I intend to tell him afterwards,” the shadow said.

“Take that body with you. I made sure to keep her face untouched so that he can sell it to his number one customer,” the woman said pointing to corpse.

“As you wish milady,” the shadow said grabbing the corpse and disappearing.

“I’m sorry my pretties, but it looks like I’ll have to greet some guests. Don’t worry, I’ll be back!” The woman said, turning away from the cage and walking behind a wall screen stripping of the tight fitting, black leather outfit she had been wearing, revealing the Chinese character of “hu” on her back.

---

“How long is this street?” Shiko asked. “Are we still on the same block?”

“It’s impossible to read the signs in this light,” Bones said rubbing her eyes. “If only there was somebody to ask for directions?”

“Are you lost?” a voice asked behind them.

“EEK!” Shiko cried, hugging Bones with her hands unintentionally squeezing the knight’s breasts.

“GRRR!” Marrow growled, bearing her fangs.

“Forgive me if I gave you a scare,” said a cloaked figure behind them. “But I didn’t recognize your faces and thought you were new around these parts.”

“Well thank you,” Bones said, smiling. How convenient; just when we announce we’re lost somebody steps out of nowhere to help us… You think we’d be fooled so easily? “Would you by chance know where the closest clothier is?”

“If you mean the White Tiger’s Wardrobe, just head down the street. You should be able to see it’s sign from here…” the cloaked figure pointed a finger in the direction of where the women had been going.

As if cued, a distant light appeared at the end of the street.

“I see it, but how come we couldn’t see it now?” the hunter asked.

“It’s a special shop that only opens at midnight which, luckily for you, it now is! I hear they’re having a sale so you better hurry before all the good clothes are taken!” the cloaked said.

“We’ll be sure to make haste. Is there any way we can help you for your humble generosity?” Bones asked.

“Well, if you don’t mind giving telling me your name?” the cloaked figure asked.

Damn it! I can’t really give use my knight name around here. There’s a chance they’ve heard of me and like hell am I going to use that name… Well I guess I can always use her name. “It’s Gútóu Daiyu,” the knight said.

This took the cloaked figure by surprise. “I, Is that so? Well nice to meet you, ‘princess’ Daiyu,” the cloaked figure said, bowing. “Now if you don’t mind, I must depart,” the cloaked figure said, turning on heel and hastily retreating into an alley.

‘Princess’? Why do I have the feeling that I’ve just made things tens times harder than us? The knight wondered, looking at the cloaked figure.

“Daiyu?” Shiko asked looking at the knight.

“It’s my mother’s maiden name. I thought I could in place of my ‘real’ name to keep from drawing too much unwanted attention, but I fear it did just the opposite…” Bones said, rubbing her forehead. “I’m pretty sure this “White Tiger’s Wardrobe is some kind of trap, but we don’t have much of a choice, stay on your guard.”

“Roger!” The girl said.

“By the way… you can let go of my breasts now,” the knight added, seeing that the girl hadn’t let go of her yet.

“Sorry!” The hunter cried retrieving her hands in embarrassment.

The two women and dog headed down the street, prepared for any trap that was thrown at them.

“Milady!” The cloaked figure said, slipping through the back door of the White Tiger’s Wardrobe.

“Are they coming?” the woman asked.

“Yes, but there’s something you must know! The girl that looks like her claims to have the same name as her!” the cloaked figure said.

“Well then we ever have a suicidal princess or a dumb liar, either way, I’ll enjoy making scream in pain!” the woman said, laughing sadistically.

“But if by some chance it’s really her-” the cloaked figure began.

“Cuts and bruises will heal and that bitch knows it so if she dare gives me any shit about roughing the girl up a little, then I’ll suggest to Master Long that the she’s been withholding money from him. That’ll surely shut her up!” the woman said with a sinister grin. “Now be gone! I have customers to attend to!”

“Yes milady,” the cloaked figure said bowing and dashing through the back door.

“Every second that passes makes me want to see if it’s true… if the slave princess has really returned!” the woman said laughing to herself.

---

The White Tiger’s Wardrobe was hard to miss as it was the most whitest of all buildings, made with what appeared to be the same white marble as Coton’s morgue. It had a large neon sign bearing a white tiger laying atop a wardrobe over a double door.

“Am I blind or is are all painfully visible locations carefully hidden so that you can’t find it until after you’ve asked for directions?” Bones asked Marrow.

“Well I guess they used the same architect…” Shiko said. I hope there’s no corpses inside.

The women entered the building to greet by a very alive and large white tiger that pounced on Marrow.

“Marrow!” Bones cried, grabbing the tiger by the golden collar it wore and trying with all her strength to pull it off the dog.

“Saber! Where’s your manners? We don’t eat our customer’s pets, now do we?” the women from the back room said. She wore here long brown hair up in twin braids on either side of her head two large loops, a gray, sleeveless tight fitting qipao, long gloves and thigh long boots.

The tiger reluctantly got off of Marrow who was hiding her head under her paws, whimpering.

“Marrow are you okay?” Bones said, looking the dog over for injuries.

“Forgive her, she has a tendency to pounce on any little animal she can. It’s a game to her,” the woman said, shaking her head. “I’ll be sure to punish her strictly later.”

“…” Shiko remained silently, clenching her fists so tightly that her knuckles were white. The knight may have been to preoccupied to notice the tiger’s back side was patch work of long, thin lesions; the wounds from being whipped repeatedly. The sadistic tone of the woman’s voice filled her with rage. She’s trying to hide it, but she’s overjoyed with the idea of wounding it. Sure it’s may not be the most well behaved creature, but to harm it to the extent of animal cruelty, how dare you take pleasure in it!

“Shiko-san, can you help me? You surely have more knowledge on animal anatomy than I,” Bones asked in dry tones, sensing her squires ire.

“Y, yes!” the hunter said, kneeling beside the dog.

“I saw the scars and I know how you feel, but please control your emotions… We can’t afford to be making scene here. I’ll report this to council and hopefully they can do on something,” the knight said, squeezing the girl’s hand comfortingly. Even though I know that they can’t do anything, let’s allow her to hope for a while.

“Right…” the girl said sorrowfully. She gave a long look at the tiger who glared at it’s master with clear disgust and sighed.

“Judging by your dress, you must have a hard journey here… Worry not! We have the best clothes in all of Duslan’!” the woman said. As cold as ice yet gentle as the spring breeze… if you’re a fake, you’re quite a good actor, ‘princess’, the woman thought as she lead the women through a series of clothing wracks.

They didn’t drop their guard or forget the tiger, they went allowed themselves to enjoy picking through the clothes. It seemed that the only way for Shiko could keep herself from loosing her temper was hunting down the most revealing clothes to try on and show off in front of Bones, much to the knight’s embarrassment. Though they merely had the intention of replacing their tattered clothes, the women ended up with a armful of clothes each.

“My what good tastes,” the woman said smiling.

“I fear we got carried away. I doubt I have enough money to pay for all for of this!” Bones said, blushing embarrassedly.

“Don’t worry ‘Slave Princess’ Diayu, I’m more than sure you and your companion can pay for it and the rest of your tab back in the brothels!” The woman drew a whip from her qipao and struck at Bones.

“Don’t you dare hurt her!” Shiko cried, throwing herself in the whip’s path. The girl flinched as the whip struck her.

“Shiko-san!” Bones grabbed the girl.

“I’m okay, Bones-sensei,” the girl said, smiling at her master. Blood trickle down her face from the wound the whip opened, spilling into one her eyes and down her cheek.

“As your master, it is my responsibility to protect your health even if it means throwing away my life. I cannot let anybody to harm my squire and go unpunished!” the knight said. “I don’t care what happens to me, but I will not tolerate anything happening to her.”

“Yes, yes, preach all you want, you won’t get far in this town, ‘Princess’,” the woman said, snapping the whip again.

The caught the whip in her hand and clenched it shut, refusing to let go no matter how hard the woman tugged on it. Wrapping the whip around her hand, she charged forward and grabbed the woman in her free hand. “(Destruction in tune, the power of decay, bring all I touch to ruin!)” Smoke drifted under her hand, causing the woman to scream in agony. “For the crimes of assaulting a knight and her squire, I punish you with social execution!” She let go of the woman who fell to the floor clutching her face and screaming venomously at her.

“Bones-sensei!” Shiko said, looking at her master with fear. She wasn’t afraid of her master, but rather for her. She remembered clearly upon entering being told to keep their status secret, but Bones had outright exposed themselves.

“Even the gentlest dragon bears it fangs when it must protect it’s loved ones,” the knight said, wiping the blood off of the hunter’s face. “However I fear I’ve jeopardized our cover. We better get business done and leave before things turns ugly.”

“But the tiger!” The hunter said.

The knight smiled, “Don’t worry. It has become a part of our business.”

They ignored the woman that rolled around the floor, screaming the most hideous of curses at them one, as they searched for the tiger. They caught glimpse of its tail as it passed through a door in the back of the clothier and followed through. What they found on the other side shocked them.

Having entered the back room, they saw the cage filled with naked, shivering women, begging to be let free. The tiger sat by the cage looking at them with eyes filled with hope.

“Thank you honored Tora-sama,” the hunter said, bowing the tiger. Looking at the lock she saw that there was no key hole or other visible manner of unlocking it.

“It’s a spell-lock only the person who locked it can unlock it,” the knight said. “(Dust to dust, ash to ash, turn everything I touch into rust!)” With the spell’s completion, she laid her hand on the lock and caused it to rust. With a swift yank, the lock broke off. She threw the cage door open and yelled, “You’re free now! Escape while you have the chance!”

None of the women moved. “Why? The dragon-ladies will just hunt us down and capture us again. We were sold to the Dragon clan to pay off our family’s debts. If we did escape, we’d be sold straight to the brothels or worse,” said one of the girls.

“Or worse?” the knight asked.

“We would be where we are now. There were originally thirty of us altogether and now less than twenty remain because our current master spends her time torturing us to death. It’s the price we pay for trying to escape. If we escape again we will be killed and sold to their best customer, the necrophiliac Neco Lee…”

“Neco Lee… Anybody who does business with that woman regardless of the fact she’s a criminal is aiding and abiding a public enemy! If that is the case, I will bring the entire Skullguard on this Dragon Clan if I must to shut it down!” The knight declared.

---

“Long time, no see sister,” spoke a man dressed in a black changshan, trousers, dou li with a veil covering the back and sides of his head and half veil covering his face from the nose down. He sat on an overstuff couch, embraced by two identical twin girls with the most peculiar of skin. In one hand he carried a pipe in which mysterious green smoke rose from it’s bowl.

The girls that were wrapped about wore their black hair in ox horns and wore black sleeveless qipao with a immodestly short skirt, thigh long socks. Their skin held a green tint and hanging from their forehead was a mysterious talisman with “xianshi” or “Immortal Corpse” written on it.

“So what have you brought for me?” Neco Lee asked.

“Well there’s been a complication. You see, one of the Tigerqueen’s cub had bought some slaves from and, in the process, smuggled my gift for you from under my nose. I fear if you wish to have it, you must hunt her down and take from her (preferably cold, dead) fingers,”

“Where can I find this little cub?” Neco Lee said angrily.

“The White Tiger’s Wardrobe. Feel free to level the place. It’s an eyesore and I’ve been wanting to get back at that damn Tiger Clan for ever since I first stole this city from them. They’ve been ruining the name of the Dragon Clan to get back at us and stand in our way of bring organization to this lawless hellhole. You do as you wish with the slaves she’s bought,” the man said, waving dismissively.

“Though I don’t like how you’re ordering me around, I’ll gladly clean up after you, brother Long,” Neco Lee said. “I’ll make that bitch pay for stealing my toys.” The girl said with a wicked grin on her face.