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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Jan 29, 2009 17:25:17 GMT -5
"Personally, I like the Gnomes." He said, picking his teeth with a skewer. "They've got a great sense of humor an' their pranks are hilarious, plus their machines are quite interestin'."
He tossed the skewer aside and picked up the canteen.
"Is that what ya' do? Find other demons ta' fight? Are ya' a demon slayer?"
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Post by Chani {♥} on Jan 29, 2009 17:53:19 GMT -5
"I agree with Kamui," Fujikoru said immediately after his defensive statements about the gnomes. "They're very humorous!" Even if Sallic had been the most boring place in the world, he would have agreed; anything to get Kimiko to stay until her wounds healed. "They celebrate everything," he added. Kimiko rolled her eyes.
"Nothing but a lot of festive, mischievous dwarves," she spat at Fujikoru. She turned to Kamui as he asked her a question, raising her eyebrows. "A demon-slayer? Wouldn't that be a bit hypocritical?" She laughed at the thought.
"It's not unheard of, Kimiko-sama," Fujikoru said quietly, averting his eyes in case this angered her, but she simply ignored him. She was still looking at Kamui.
"No." She shook her head. "My goal isn't to exterminate all demon-kind." She cleared her throat, turning her gaze to the fire in anticipation of his laughter at her next comment: "My goal is to rule them." She said it off-handedly, hoping this would lessen the humor of her statement. She knew it sounded silly and impossible to others, she was used to this being laughed at, but she just didn't care. They'd see. She'd show them.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Jan 29, 2009 22:17:09 GMT -5
He uncapped the canteen and took a sip.
"Rule demon-kind, huh?"
He was silent for a moment, thinking about his great-great and great-grandfather. About how they and the other Demon Lords have ceaselessly schemed and warred for power and dominance over their peers for countless millenia.
"I see. Impossible dreams are best."
There was no trace of derisiveness in his tone.
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Post by Chani {♥} on Feb 22, 2009 4:25:39 GMT -5
Fujikoru snorted, alarmed by Kamui's statement, and looked to Kimiko expectantly, half-dreading and half-desiring an outburst, but she remained calm. She didn't look offended at all. He frowned in disappointment and stared into the shadows beyond the dancing light of the fire.
Kimiko hadn't removed her gaze from Kamui, even as a short silence passed between them.
"What is that you do when you're not saving damsels in distress, hero?" she asked, her tone only slightly scathing in comparison to her rude demeanor.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Feb 22, 2009 5:34:42 GMT -5
Kamui waved his hand dismissively, "Oh, I do this an' that. Mostly I'm a wander, drifting where the currents or my own whim take me."
He grinned.
"But I do like ta' save the odd damsel when I can. I'm lookin' for one in particular. Have ya' encountered a dark haired, yellow eyed girl? She's Hagakarinese an' a half-demon, like yourself."
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Post by Chani {♥} on Feb 22, 2009 23:19:46 GMT -5
Kimiko stared at Kamui for a moment, her expression almost stone-like in that it did not shift so much as an inch, then she shrugged.
"I don't think so," she responded. "Of course, that's not a very abstract description. And then again, you could give me all the details you want. The only demons I remember are the ones in my way, and, not to sound arrogant, but that makes for a short life expectancy. Not much is left to memory when it's all said and done." She smiled. "Believe it or not, I'm rather self-sufficient most of the time."
Fujikoru looked almost afraid to speak for a moment, as if waiting to ascertain that Kimiko was finished with her confident spout first. He finally cleared his throat.
"What was the woman's name, Kamui?" he finally asked quietly.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Feb 22, 2009 23:53:43 GMT -5
"Aha ha ha!" Kamui laughed. "Ya' needn't call me, 'Sir'. Everyone called my father that... See, he was a knight. Ha ha. Get it?"
Sakurako rolled her eyes.
"In anycase, her name was Kanzaki Hikaru," He said, placing the surname first, as was Hagakarinese custom. "She was quite skilled in the use of staff weapons. Her father was Kanzaki Hiroshi, a human samurai. He... died, sometime ago, defending me an' Hikaru from pirates. I'm afraid I don't have much knowledge of her demonic heritage, which would perhaps be most useful, other then her mother was a full-blooded monkey demon named Miyuki. She was my own mother's lady-in-waiting."
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Post by Chani {♥} on Feb 23, 2009 15:48:04 GMT -5
Kimiko stared into the flames, pretending not to have listened to Kamui. She remembered her own father, sacrificing his life to save her and her mother, and then, inevitably, her mother...
She shook her head and stared at Fujikoru as Kamui finished speaking. "Why do you ask, Fuji? You don't know this girl, do you?" she inquired contemptuously.
"Uh, no, of course not, Kimiko-sama," he said, turning away to stare into the shadows surrounding them again. "I was merely curious."
"Hm," grunted Kimiko, turning back to Kamui. "What of your own demonic heritage, hero?"
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Feb 24, 2009 19:02:12 GMT -5
He was silent for a moment, debating on how to answer her question. He supposed he would just tell her the truth. Given her desire to rule demonkind, he curious as to how she would react.
"Oh," He said casually, "My mother, Kagome, was the the great granddaughter of the Tailed One, also know as the Lord of Apes and Ilsidahur's Bane, the Demon Lord Seiyuuki. The sword I hold was forged for my mother by Seiyuuki's son, Demon Lord Yamazaru who is also known as Ilsidahur's Bane. They are my great-great and great grandfathers."
(Note: Ilsidahur is a canonical demon lord in D&D, albeit a minor one.
I had thought up Seiyuuki/Yamazaru and their layer of the Abyss, Janguru-to Iu Jigoku (A Jungle Called Hell), before I ever heard about Ilsidahur, so their similarities are a coincidence.
In any case, I figure they'd be in conflict with another demon lord that also claims patronship over simian fiends... hence "Ilsidahur's Bane".
I suppose it works out though. Several of the demon lords have contested titles, like Malcanthet, who is the current patron of succubi. The title Prince of Demons has also been long contested.)
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Post by Chani {♥} on Feb 24, 2009 23:55:56 GMT -5
Kimiko listened quietly, watching the flames. She looked at Kamui curiously, as if trying to find some hint that he was lying. Fujikoru had gasped.
"You lie," he decided aloud, crossing his arms over his chest in finality. Of course Fujikoru would be unaccepting that this stranger had something he could boast over his master, Kimiko-sama.
"But what idiot would make such a boast?" Kimiko said to Fujikoru, though her eyes did not leave Kamui. "I think he's telling the truth. That bloodline would be more trouble than its worth. The higher up you are, the more enemies you possess." Fujikoru seemed torn between his fear of arguing with Kimiko and his dislike of Kamui's statement.
"But, Kimiko-sama... I... Don't...," he sputtered. Finally, he sighed in exasperation as she failed to even acknowledge he had said anything. "Blood is meaningless." Kimiko smiled at this statement, but Fujikoru had went on muttering bitterly to himself and did not notice the hint of fondness in her expression as she glanced at him briefly.
Then, Kimiko frowned. She appeared to be battling within herself, wondering if she should ask what she was about to.
"Does your family... claim you?" she asked quietly, staring determinedly in the fire and half-hoping he hadn't heard her.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Feb 25, 2009 2:24:40 GMT -5
"I assure ya', it's not a lie, but believe what ya' will." He said to Fuji, shrugging.
He looked at Kimiko. "Do they claim me? Hmm. Yes an' no, I suppose. Yamazaru's daughter, my grandmother, was slain over a thousand years ago by a rival demon lord, or so my mother told me. I never met her. My mother, when she fell in love with my human father, gave up much of her power in order to live among the humans. This, an' my birth, she kept a secret from Yamazaru an' Seiyuuki, who only found out after she was... well, she was killed. From what I can gather, Yamazaru would have slain me while I was still a child, but Seiyuuki intervened. I guess he was curious about me, or somethin'."
Kamui shrugged and continued.
"Anyway, they both openly despise me for my human heritage, but they do not deny my connection ta' them. They once called upon me ta' act as steward for their Abyssal layer for a brief time while they were off on some crusade against another demon lord. They were loath ta' do so, but they were even more loath ta' let someone not of their blood act as steward. Ah, man... that was a pain. All these lesser demons babblin' about doom, gloom, an' brimstone... But I digress. They woulda called on my half-sister, but she severed all ties with them."
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Post by Chani {♥} on Feb 25, 2009 3:22:26 GMT -5
Fujikoru had, at first, stubbornly avoided looking at Kamui, pretending he wasn't listening, but he really couldn't help but do so. He was listening just as intently as Kimiko was, though she did naught to hide her interest.
It was obvious to Kimiko that he was not lying. Fujikoru persistently held onto his doubts, still avoiding eye contact with Kamui. He told himself that Kamui was a liar and had probably recited this boast a thousand times to other demons.
"Curious?" he repeated, unable to resist a chance to attack Kamui's words. He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Curious? Is that the best you can come up with?"
"Seiyuuki is not so unlike Nakagima in that, is he?" Kimiko interjected, frowning at Fujikoru. Fujikoru boldy frowned back, a certain loathing filling his eyes at their acquaintance's name.
"Nakagima is a nuisance," said Fujikoru, though he kept his words quiet in case they offended Kimiko.
"Why would he lie? Like you said, Fuji, that bloodline is more dangerous than its worth," Kimiko said coolly.
"That's true," Fujikoru said, feeling awkward under Kimiko's frigid gaze. He squirmed a bit. He had met his fair share of demons that would have loved to add Kamui's severed head to their accomplishments. He looked at Kimiko. Was she one of them? She was so unpredictable.
But Kimiko hadn't any intention of engaging Kamui in a fight. For now, he had kept her interest. She also wasn't as offended as she had been earlier about him coming to her rescue. It was still a play on her dignity, but at least she hadn't been saved by some mortal buffoon.
"I've never been to the Abyssal layer," Kimiko said dreamily to no one in particular. Fujikoru snorted.
"Obviously, or you would be in a thousand pieces," he mumbled grumpily. "Start a fight with every demon in sight and be slain in moments..." Kimiko glared at him. "Er... I apologize, Kimiko-sama. I was commenting on your incredible bravery, not your lack of strength. I meant no offense! Please forgive me!" Fujikoru threw his arms over his head and then put his palms and chest to the ground in a bow. Kimiko rolled her eyes.
"My mother was of the Kitsookami Clan," she said. Fujikoru looked surprised. She hardly ever spoke of her own heritage, and when she did, her voice was usually much harder than now. In fact, as far as Fujikoru knew, even their companion Rodney knew little to nothing of her past. "You might have heard of them, since you're Hagakarinese, but perhaps not. They're dwindling in numbers anymore. They're not very good at picking their battles."
"Runs in the family, doesn't it?" Fujikoru muttered to himself. Kimiko hadn't heard him.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Feb 25, 2009 21:37:44 GMT -5
"Yes, it certainly can be a bother. I've encountered numerous demons that would have my head on a pike. It's not like they even had ta' worry about arousin' Yamazaru or Seiyuuki's wrath, which woulda put some of them off. I'm a tolerable blemish ta' them, but a blemish none the less... Ah, well."
He shrugged and chuckled slightly. There was little to no resentment in his voice.
"As for the Abyss? Heh, well... It's the murderous, unpredictable underbelly of the multiverse. Each of it's infinite layers are a unique microcosm of terror. On one, geysers of scaldin' steam flow from tumorous, fleshy plains ta' roilin' skies of turbid clouds heavy with spoiled pus... yeah, rainin' pus... On another, what appears ta' be an idyllic forest dappled with a fresh sunrise instead crawls with insidious chameleon killers and cunnin', razor branched fiendish plants. All layers present a different face, but one truth is constant. The Abyss itself works ta' destroy its inhabitants with a passion and tenacity that could be described as sentient. Only corrupted souls of the foulest of mortals an' demons can thrive there... But I'm babblin', ya' must know this already. As for the Kitsookami Clan? I've heard of 'em, but've never dealt directly with them."
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Post by Chani {♥} on Feb 25, 2009 21:46:48 GMT -5
"They're a worthless lot," Kimiko said, waving her hand to emphasize on their insignificance. "Cowardly." She listened to his description of the Abyssal layer with interest. "Well, I'd heard stories, of course, who hasn't?" She smiled. "But I never knew which rumors to believe. The demons who talk about it the most are usually the ones who haven't even been there. Fuji, your great-grandfather resides there, does he not?"
"Last I knew, Kimiko-sama," Fujikoru responded politely. Kimiko had turned back to Kamui.
"Is there really a...," she stopped, leaning as much as she could considering the pain in her ribs so that she could see the side of Kamui's head a bit better. "What happened to your ear?" Fujikoru chose not to answer for Kamui. She didn't like it when he accused Chiisai of doing things, especially if he really had.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Feb 25, 2009 23:06:12 GMT -5
"Every layer is different, with wildly different terrains and climates. There's even a so-called "livin' layer", that seems ta' be composed of the innards of some impossibly huge entity. Veins flow like rivers, fleshy organs an' endocrine glands hang like boulders an' secrete bile an' corrosive fluids onta' livin' fields soak in natural acids. Some demons use the layer as a garbage disposal. On some layers even time flows quite differently then on the material plane. Like goin' backwards, for instance, or speeding up an' slowing down at sporadic intervals. Some powerful demon lords can bend their layer ta' their will, creatin' grand, but sometimes superfluous, palaces an' fortresses..."
He put his hand over the small bite marks in his ear. It had stopped bleeding hours ago, only drawing a few trickles, but his ear was still a little red and sore.
"...Oh, my ear? It was just some lit'le mischievous critter the forest who bit me while ya' were still out is all."
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