It was an important day for Tomoe. Having left Penumbral Guard, he was very much still called upon to see this ongoing mystery through to its end. He and Gunter had previously become initiates of the Black Dragons... somehow. It was a very disturbing event admittedly, and not one that was looked back on fondly by the Joyan. Having severed ties with his old guild to focus on more personal matters of his own, still toiling over how to erase his old humanity, he nevertheless honored contracts by which he was bound. There was no point at which he stopped thinking about these murders in Hosenka, despite becoming a murderer once again himself. He wasn't here as a member of a light guild doing his due diligence, but instead a man with curiosity. What truly was the reason for the murders? If the conclusion proved interesting, it would be something of an experience to delve into the mind of another killer.

Thus, Tomoe waited outside the "Misty Mills" hot spring in the Sultry Heights of Hosenka. He called upon Gunter, who he had also been informed had left the guild a few days prior to his own departure. Perhaps they could continue their adventures as brothers in arms under no particular banner, doing what they wanted, when they wanted to.

Yeah. Yeah, that'd be nice., Tomoe thought with a smirk, waiting outside the hot springs to continue their investigations once again.

---

WC: 241/1,500

Gunter makes his way up the street towards Tomoe sluggishly. Fortunately for Gunter, he received a letter from this asshole. It interfered with his nap. He gets up to Tomoe and is like "Listen here, cunt" while yawning. "Why did it have to happen at this time. Cutting into my nappy-poo's? Like if you wanted to take me out on a date, take me to dinner first. Instead of steamy hot fun times. Could've done it during the day. Lemme guess, this is the part where I take off my pants, right?"

Gunter then moves forward to get the job rolling as he desperately wanted to get paid and go to bed. He didn't even wait for Tomoe's response or listen to it, but instead just making his way towards the entrance of the bath house. While inside, he looks at the front desk and sees a beautiful woman. Perhaps it's simply a dude. Honestly, it doesn't matter - sleep deprivation was playing tricks on Gunter's eyes. All three of them. He approached the individual, whatever their sexuality or gender might be, and says "Alright. We're here for the... the... thing." Gunter looks at Tomoe. "What the fuck is the code again? Oh, right. Tubby Lumpkins needs a bath. Oh, wait. No. Yomu needs a bath."

Gunter gives a thumbs-up after saying this, nailing it on the first try. But anywho... yawn. "Alright Tomoe... let's... yeah." With that, Gunter looks around, sees a chair. "I go seat now." He walks over and he takes a seat in the chair and says "You got this, home dog. Wake me when... yeah." Gunter leans over in his chair, mostly dead and asleep, ready to pass out at any moment as he faded off.

---

Word Count: 290/1,500

"What in the hell-"

Tomoe was cut off by Gunter's sudden and abrupt entrance. And just as soon as he had arrived, he took off to start the job. It was a wild sight. Here Tomoe was, hoping to have some kind of talk about guild relations and seeing about future plans, and... the only thing that he got was the most odd and profound roasting session and then got passed by. Things got gay quick, but thankfully Gunter wasn't so out of his mind to actually take his pants off after everything was said and done. An actual, legitimate fight would've had to break out if Gunter was that far gone at this point.

Instead, thankfully, they entered the bath house without incident. After Gunter gave the reply with the code, Tomoe couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Lord above, you're fucked.", Tomoe blurted out while looking at Gunter stumble over into a chair like a drunk newborn.

After the password was uttered, the hostess nodded her head in understanding, somewhat put off by the... eccentric, sleepy man. It wasn't every day she got customers like this, even those working this shift. At first she was alarmed that Gunter had literally said out loud that his words were a code, but she didn't seem to focus on it for long. Perhaps things weren't as spied on today? A lucky day, if anything.

They were moved into one of the many bathing areas and told to wait. Tomoe had no choice but to drag the moron along with him. "Come with me, ya shittin' bastard, or I'll put ya to sleep nice and quick."

The ronin kicked at Gunter's shins as the man seemed about to fall unconscious, hopefully waking him up. If that wouldn't prove enough, Tomoe would gesture to one of the random staff within the vicinity to escort Gunter to their destination. Once they arrived, one way or another, Tomoe took a seat while fully clothed and awaited the money. Putting his left hand into his left pants' pocket while seated, he felt for the magnifying glass within. He found it after a second of rummaging, but didn't withdraw it just yet. He waited for Gunter's perspective on things before continuing.

---

WC: 615/1,500

Perhaps it was the kick in the shin or the fact that he even sat down for a second. Either way, Gunter didn't want to get up. But he did. Gunter rises from his chair like an old man, looks at the closest staff member and says "Get me a fucking coffee. Please. And make it strong. We're talking whiskey strong. You know what? Also bring me a bottle of whiskey. If you don't have it, figure it out. Otherwise I'll have Kratos drown you all." Kratos responds by cracking his neck and knuckles.

With that, Gunter follows Tomoe. Once they get out to the hot springs and Tomoe takes a seat on the bench, Gunter simply lights a cigarette. Eventually, the hostess comes back with a coffee mug full of coffee, and a bottle of whiskey, fear on her face. Gunter takes the coffee and the bottle and says "Alright. Get back to work, you." He takes a sip of his coffee, leers in disgust, and spits it out. "God this shit is weak." He then walks over to the water and pours the coffee out in the hot springs' bathing water. He cracks open the bottle and starts pouring whiskey into his mug instead.

He looks at Tomoe and says ""What does it take to get good help these days am I right? Fuck. Everyone is just laxing around. God I want to sleep. Only thing keeping me up is the whiskey. And money. So Tomoe, how are things going back at the guild?

Gunter waits for Tomoe's response, and right after the reply, suddenly Gunter hears someone gasping for air. Gunter's immediate response is to look at Kratos and say "I didn't tell you to drown anyone yet!"

---

Word Count: 581/1,500

"The guild? Oh, yeah. I left. Wasn't workin' out for me. Wasn't my thing. I've got other things in mind in the future that Penumbral Guard wouldn't get me. Bigger things."

Tomoe shot Gunter a wink, hinting at something similar to the corpse he'd tossed off a bridge. But with the dance of flames in his eyes, he was wordlessly hinting at something so much more... grand than simple protection. He didn't want to live for the dreams of another; or, well, not the dreams of somebody less than HER. SHE was absolute and perfect, and he'd be the puppet being pulled along by phantasmal strings to achieve the new world. Whatever amount of that Gunter could gleam from a single sustained look? That was up to the man's own intuition. Tomoe wouldn't say anything about it himself, but it was clear that a darkness had awoken in him however slight it may have been.

And a moment later, it was gone. Gone as the sound of gargling disrupted all other ideas. Tomoe gave an odd glance at Gunter after he'd talked about his Dardian, Kratos, drowning someone. He ignored it though, as that wasn't his concern, but rather finding out what was going on with the gargling.

After getting to the location of the sound which had since ceased, Tomoe found a man's corpse. Freshly killed, with his mouth slit open. On closer inspection, the guy was a member of the White Star gang. After another moment, Tomoe looked up from his investigation, and saw the silhouette of a man in the distance. The only thing that he could see through the steam was an Ourobouros tattoo matching the one they'd seen earlier in their investigations.

Tomoe's eyes widened, the culprit having revealed himself, and quickly shot a glance to Gunter as if to say, "Let's rush this bastard!".

Tomoe would draw the sword from his pocket dimension, ready to rush the unknown assailant with Gunter's assistance.

---

WC: 943/1,500

Upon hearing Tomoe say to get the bastard, Gunter goes alongside him against this assailant, also telling Kratos to give covering fire. Kratos punches the ground, grabs a big chunk of rock, and hurls it at the mysterious figure. The Dardian then goes to grab the bench and throws it at the mysterious figure as well. As Gunter is charging with Tomoe, he activates his eye while also saying "Tomoe, tell your lemur to take to the skies." As Gunter catches up with Tomoe, being that he's faster, while also making sure to avoid the incoming bench, the assailant that they were running towards vanishes just before they could get close enough to make out his face. The rock would've flung through the air ahead of them, smashing into the wooden fence behind the assailant with the tattoo. The bench goes over the fence, in case he disappeared behind. Gunter then says to Kratos "I want you to scout out the area." Kratos simply digs. As he digs, he unfortunately digs down through the pool and continues digging. The pool then drains into the holes and tunnels.

Gunter turns to Tomoe and says "Did you see him? Because I didn't see fuck all." Gunter would wait on Tomoe's response, and while doing so, the hostess from earlier comes out and gasps at the broken fence, boulder on the other side, and bench laying on the road outside the establishment. There's a massive hole draining the water from the hot springs and going underground. The massive pothole/crater in the ground where the Dardian ripped out stone to throw at the assailant. Gunter notices this hostess and says, kinda jokingly, "How are you gonna get customers in this place? This looks like a pigsty."

Gunter waits for Tomoe to go collect the money and follows him outside of this establishment. As Gunter leaves with Tomoe, Gunter asks "So why did you leave? Because last time we talked, you were all about that 'Aegis' dream!' and 'Off the bridge you go if you harm it!'" Gunter then made a grumpy Tomoe face like, 'meh meh mehhh'. Gunter continues walking with Tomoe, listening to his response.

---

Word Count: 944/1,500

"My lemur? How-"

Without fail, Tomoe's lemur could be seen through the misty shroud soaring ahead, keeping an eye on the situation from above. That eye of Gunter's... well, the man hadn't even looked upward when he had said that, so Tomoe had to assume that meant he had some kind of perception-based ability with it active. With the lemur being 10 meters above them, its range extended at least that far. It was unclear as to exactly how far it would reach, but at the very least it could see things from 10 meters away without Gunter actually looking at the things in question. If they ever came to blows against each other in the future, that was information that Tomoe would keep in mind...

For now, though, the jig was up. The lemur wouldn't be able to spy on Gunter anymore, and even if there was a reason, it was now pointless. Without Penumbral Guard, there was no longer any point to keep any particular attention directed to the man. Less resources to worry about, anyway.

Taking another step forward as these thoughts passed through him in a single breath, the ronin was a single forward lunge from reaching the mystery man when... they disappeared into the steam and away from the area. Chaos was ongoing, with a rock and a bench being tossed, and the bathing area pouring out into the makeshift bowl that was the hole the Dardian had dug. The lemur had even narrowly avoided the projectiles tossed as it closed in to see if the assassin was anywhere in the vicinity.

"Good grief. What a disaster. Uh. I ain't payin' for any of it. They'd better pray they've got the insurance policies that legends are made of, once all this is done.", Tomoe spoke, scratching his head and stepping back to look at and secretly admire the carnage.

With its heart almost beating out of its chest, the lemur rested on a fence with its arms crossed, clearly pissed off at risking its life for something that was nearly pointless and almost getting crushed by its own allies as a result. If it had a voice, it would call the trio that failed to catch up to a single man right in front of them a gaggle of fucking clowns. Instead, a condescending look from above towards the beings that saw themselves as 'stronger' was all it did before flying off once again to do better things - like stealing and throwing rocks at the elderly.

Quickly, Tomoe received the money from the hostess and began making his exit from the place with Gunter. The next part, the Joyan was dreading: returning to Yomu at the gambling den they had previously invited to start their initiation. After thoroughly damaging the hot springs' property, they were then on their way to the gambling den where... well, by fate, they had also damaged before. What an amazing day.

As they arrived, it could be seen plain as day that the gambling den was destroyed inside and out. All the windows were being fitted with new glass, and new bricks being laid down to rebuild damaged parts of the structure. Inside wasn't too much better, as once they got past the laborers repairing the place and sending the three adventurers death glares as they entered, they were greeted to an establishment nowhere near as lively as the first time they entered. Blood stains were still being mopped up, tiles replaced, and all of the employees and goons were new faces since last time. Sitting at a table playing poker with a bunch of thugs was Yomu, taking up an entire quarter of the sitting space around the table by himself.

On the way over, Tomoe would use quick sleight of hand techniques to swipe countertops and tables with Weirdlock's magnifying glass to pick up any fingerprints he could manage, up until finally arriving at the table where the gigantic man was, the magnifying glass having already been hidden once again.

"Hey, boss man, we got your money. That'll be all, yeah? Nothin' else to it, right?  It, uh... it was pretty treacherous over there this time, lemme tell ya. A guy died while we were waitin'. Mouth slit an' all. White Star member."

---

WC: 1,500/1,500

Yomu looks at Tomoe and says "No, that'll be all, ughhhh. And just in time, too. For dinner. Gahhh... mmm... mmm, fuck..." he says while chewing on a disgusting abomination of food in front of him. He says this to Tomoe while eating, spitting meat and cheese and barbecue sauce all over Tomoe and Gunter. It's a well cooked roast drenched in cheese, barbecue sauce falling out of it like it's a jelly donut. A truly disgusting man, but one that fits this disgusting man. "Alright, augh ughhh" Yomu says while choking and coughing up chunks of meat. "That'll be all. Ughhhh. The woman at the front will give you your money. And I'll call on you two later. Aghhh."

As Tomoe and Gunter walk away, Yomu finishes off the last of his "offering" and yells out loud "BRING ME SOME WOMEN! I WANT A GOOD FUCK. MAKE SURE THEY'RE SUCCULENT, TOO. OTHERWISE WE'LL NEED MORE TO QUENCH MY THIRST." Perhaps it's because Gunter's eye is open, but he can almost sense a slight amount of disgust inevitably coming from Tomoe. As Gunter and Tomoe leave the renowned establishment and the caged beast that lays within, Gunter looks at Tomoe and says "I guess we go see Weirdlock now." As Tomoe and Gunter walk away, Yomu can be heard hacking up the remnants of sludge that laid in the back of his throat, and spits it somewhere. Probably at the floor. It hits the solid surface with a sickening thud, sounding like a heavy turd hitting the ground like a brick.

They're walking back towards Weirdlock, and Gunter asks Tomoe his former question that he assumed Tomoe didn't hear over all the chaos and commotion. "So why did you leave Penumbral Guard again?" Gunter waits for Tomoe's response and heads back to Weirdlock. As soon as Gunter gets there, he lets Tomoe deal with Weirdlock and collects the money.

Gunter heads outside afterwards, and asks Tomoe if he has any questions or plans? Perhaps what he's going to do next. He'll wait for a response before leaving.

---

Word Count: 1,291/1,500

Tomoe almost had the eyes of a demon as he looked at Yomu's disgusting pigsty of a food mountain, ready to vomit all over the vile heap if he kept looking at it. Instead, he denied himself, and restrained himself. The eyes of a demon, after all, meant that he would then need to stab his own eyes out afterwards. Yomu wasn't worthy of the wrath of an angered Tomoe, not yet. Thus, the Joyan endured, being pelted by scraps of food like he was a prostitute taking a money shot. He'd wipe and brush it all away as it shot at him, ensuring that he took the minimum amount of damage possible from it. This defense was futile regardless, as Tomoe felt filthy even while remaining mostly unharmed. He would need to wash his entire outfit, as well as the contents in the pocket dimension ring, just to be sure; otherwise, this food-spewing beast would probably start a plague just by being in his vicinity.

Ignoring the cries for women from Yomu, the ronin tried his best to put all thoughts of what that behemoth would do to those poor girls out of his mind. Even the implied cannibalism. What would happen to them would happen, and nobody right now had the power to stop that for good.

Tomoe would get to Weirdlock's office and report the details of the quest - telling him all about the stranger with the Ourobouros tattoo, and that the symbol might not be that of a group but that of a person instead. He was dismissed after, and went outside to finish up with Gunter. He didn't answer Gunter at first, and didn't answer Gunter the second time immediately either. Only after finishing and getting his money, handing Gunter's side of the reward to him, did he respond.

"It wasn't what I needed anymore. I found a new calling, and I wouldn't be able to accomplish what I want to under Penumbral Guard. In truth, they were probably never good for me. I rejected who I really was, and Aegis' dream was ultimately just piss and vinegar. It was all nothing but a distraction, at the end of the day. Mere shit smeared over a wall messily."

That was all Tomoe needed to say on the matter, using a voice not like his own but more refined than usual, just like that time on the bridge. He had no regrets, and that was that. He'd say his goodbyes to Gunter, and said that if they ever met again, he'd be more than willing to talk things out and more than accepting of his murderous, "My Dardian pisses on bums" attitude.

---

WC: 1,500/1,500

- EXIT -

Gunter gives Tomoe a wave goodbye as the man walks away. Gunter looks up at the night sky, remembering that not long ago the situation of him and Tomoe on that bridge. He thinks to himself Boy things have fucking changed in a short period of time. He stands there, whipping out a cigarette from his pack. He puts it to his lips and lights it. He inhales deeply and exhales the smoke, watching it dance and fade. "God I'm sick of Hosenka." Gunter says with both a tired voice and expression. "This place is so... boring."

He walks down the alleys of the Crimson Quarter with Kratos beside him, thinking about what to do next. He then looks at Kratos and says "Hey bud, are you getting sick and tired of this fucking place?" Kratos kind of looks at him with a look of, "You know I can't respond right?" but simply nods. Gunter looks at Kratos and says "We really gotta get the 'you not talking' thing fixed. I'm sure there's an item somewhere for it. Maybe a necklace or some strange magical bunny you gotta devour or some shit." Kratos simply looks at him and shrugs his shoulders. "Well buddy, let's blow this disgusting, shit and piss covered popsicle stand. Because good god do I feel like I wanna kill something. Like even going back into Weirdlock's office and cracking his skull open." Kratos simply responds with a smile and a crack of his knuckles in agreement. "But first, just like every time we finish a job? Let's get fucked."

Gunter and Kratos start making their way to the nearest bar. They head inside, take a seat, and Gunter snaps his fingers and points at the top shelf. Two of the strongest available. As the bartender gets cups, Gunter interrupts, "No, no, bottles." To which the bartender grabs two bottles of rum off the top shelf. Gunter and Kratos hang out in the bar until closing, getting absolutely shittered. Upon their leaving the bar, three patrons were dead and the bartender crippled for life. Tables smashed in half. And a chair leg broken off up a dude's ass.

Gunter and Kratos don't leave the bar, merely looking upon the carnage. They go upstairs, forcefully open a door, and throw the room's current inhabitants out a window, hearing their skulls go splat on the pavement below. Gunter and Kratos pass out in the room for the night, dreaming of more liquor that they will drink upon their awakening.

---

Word Count: 1,711/1,500

Exit