☵ Frost 1st, Year 119, Age of Steel ☵
☵ Current Theme: Ephemeral Dream
☵ Attire: Naga Skin
"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
☵ Current Theme: Ephemeral Dream
☵ Attire: Naga Skin
"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
The sting of the cold kissed Kotoru's skin as he and his family hastily rode to the incursion. Some bandits thought it bold to attack villages on the outskirts of the city, taking what they want and doing what they wanted with the villagers.
Of course, actions such as this couldnt go unpunished, and the Dahshida sent out a call. "Seek and Destroy" was all they needed to hear in order for the entire house of Hattori to mobilize into action. This was Kotoru's first taste of combat outside of sparring and the training he did back at the estate. He was excited of course, and it showed by the wide grin he was sporting.
A force of 40 of the best the Hattori had to offer was taking part in this counter-measure. Koto's father was advancing toward the central village under siege at the moment, while his mother went to aid the village in the east. His brother and sister each had a unit and were heading towards the villages east & west from the capital.
Kotoru had the luck of being apart of his father's unit, as the parent wanted to see his youngest son in action, to see what his baby boy was capable of. This was a fact Koto was well aware of but was of little to no importance to the young wizard. No, his main concern was slaughtering foolish barbarians and sending an example to any others who would be foolish to try the same thing.
The village was in sight, the atmosphere surrounding it an auburn red as flames raged within the village, but his father gave the order to stop. Dismounting their mounts the unit continued on foot, slithering through the brush toward their prey. As they got closer they could hear the cries of children and women in the distance. As they approached one figure wasn't all to keen on playing it safe, as Kotoru rode into the village on his mount.
Kotoru saw no need to lurk in the shadows, as he wanted this filth to see exactly who was sending them to the afterlife. Entering the village, Kotoru was greeted by people running in fear. Trying to get a grasp on what was going on he heard the grunting rallying cries of the enemy. "Scum" he whispered dismounting his horse and took off in the direction in which the bandits where closes.
In his mind he was glad he arrived when he did, there's no telling what would have transpired if he had taken his father's approach and snuck into the village. The bandits seemed to be moving as if in search of something, but what? What besides their need to kill and pillage would drag them so far into Karnor territory? As he ran she saw that there was a cart that could easily be used as a ramp, a perfect vantage point to attack from.
Running as fast as he could he reached the cart and used it as a springboard to launch himself onto the roof of a nearby home. Once there he could see two bandits dragging a woman from her husband, and surprisingly they could see him as well. With an excited grin, he leaped off the roof, Orochi poised in a slashing position and took the first bandit down, the blade carving through shabby armor like it would through the flesh of cattle.
The feel of his staffblade moving through another being, the vibration of the blade impacting against the bones as it sliced sent a rush through Koto like a fresh high. Once the first one was down, Koto pivoted on his left heel and lunged at the second bandit, ramming Orochi's blade into the man's neck. Blood painted Koto's face and torso as he kicked the corpse off his weapon. The couple thanked him and ran to safety.
At this point, Koto's father and the rest of the unit had already infiltrated the village and began their assault. Kyofu came to stand next to his son as Koto watched the flames of burning building dance & multiply. "Why charge straight into a situation like this my son?" his father inquired to which Koto twirled and turned to face his father. "The order was to seek and destroy, so there is no need to show them the courtesy of an ambush father." He said moving to one of the bandits still clinging to life.
With a giggle, he planted the blade of Orochi into the man's chest and rested his head on his hands using Orochi as support. "Besides anyone foolish enough to attack a village within our borders deserves to be wiped from this plane of existence, its the only viable response there is for such an offense." he noted confidently, giving his weapon a twist to make sure the vermin was indeed no longer living.
His father looked at him with discerning eyes but his facial expression never changed, only a faint smile hinted on his lips, but soon faded as Koto soon took off, joining to the others in the unit. Though with little numbers, the Hattori warriors were mowing through the bandit unit, using coordinated formations of teams of two. Koto was on his own intentionally however, as the other members wanted to see his skill for themselves as well.
What they witness however shocked them, as Koto was now doing what he could to help evacuate the unfortunate souls still stuck in the crumbling village. It was both reckless and courageous at the same time, but an act his fellow clansmen respected and supported. His father gave the order to cover him, warriors clad in black appearing just when things would look bleak for Koto in his rescue efforts.
Now that his fight was done, he moved to rescue the souls that had been nearby. A family of six, the parents and 4 children, he scooped one of the babies in his arms and took off, gesturing for the other to follow him. Buildings had begun to crumble around him as a result of the fires. Kotoru knew that the away he could get them the safer they'd be. Luckily for him, the other surviving villagers thought the same.
He would encounter other people trying to escape the chaos. Like a lighthouse beacon, he rallied them behind him and would lead them further away from the fighting, two clansmen joining him{One in the front & covering the rear}. There were definitely some close calls. He found many trapped under fallen debris, parents separated from children or vice versa. The hardest part was finding those who couldnt leave their long since deceased loved ones behind.
With some convincing he was able to coax them to follow to safety, others, however, refused adamantly, swearing and threatening to kill him if he tried. As much as he had anticipated, he knew not everyone could be saved, especially if they didnt want to be saved. The further out he went the more people he found and could save. At this point, it was as if he was leading a small pilgrimage. At the southern entrance of the village, he would find that the fighting or the signs of bandits was little to nonexistent.
Finding a moment to catch his breath, he looked at the many that flocked to him, seeing their faces. Sorrow, pain, confusion, and fear were painted on their faces. He could see the hopelessness in the people's eyes, which only served to irritate him. A man approached and noticing the emblem on Koto's armor bowed in reverence to him. "I think I speak for all of us when I say we are deeply indebted to you and your house for saving us.
A scowl formed on his face and venomous words were about to flow forth when Koto's father appeared, a captive bandit in toe behind him. "It is our pleasure to be of service, though I must apologize, as had we gotten here sooner, we could have saved more of your fellow villagers and your homes. Though ensuring your safety is a reward in of itself, isn't that right Kotoru?" he ask, flashing his son a smile, only to be met with a glare.
"I didnt save them because it was the right thing to do...." he said walking up to the captive bandit. "No, I did it because they would have been an annoyance while I was culling these vermin. Their only saving grace is that they are natives of Karnor." he noted with the utmost disdain in his voice. "But now that you are out of harm's way, I can slaughter these vermin without fear of interference from weaklings who would rather run than die fighting."
His words hit the villagers like a bolt from a crossbow, but some of them knew there was some truth to what he had said. In the end, their defense of the village was successful, as the remnants of the bandit contingent were being snuffed out as the village became engulfed in flames.
