A man named Marcus: Settling down

I awoke to an empty bed, the weight of the Danuki lying on my chest was gone and I was alone in the room. I took in a deep breath and rubbed my eyes, sitting up on the side of the bed and standing up to my feet. I heard the distinct sound of something sizzling coming from the kitchen, followed by the distinct smell of  cooked eggs.

I trailed the smell downstairs, turning into the kitchen to find Moriko standing at the lit oven stove with frying pan and spatula in hand. Her ears perked up when I entered the kitchen, turning her head to me and flashing and awkward smile.

“Morning...” She greeted me, lifting the pan from the stove top. “Some of the eggs I had with me weren't broken. I thought I could sell them but I don't think I have enough left...”

“Eggs sound good, actually.” I told her, sitting down at the table. “Though I wouldn't try eating anything else in the house right now, I've been gone for awhile.”

“I got them from a county over.” She explained, sliding a sunny side up egg on to my plate. “Thought if I got them here fast enough I could sell them for a pretty price with the shortage of chicken farmers and all.”

“Well, no use letting them go to waste then.” I said while picking up a fork and knife. “Thank you.”

“Yo...” She hesitated for a second, taking her seat and looking away. “You're welcome.”

I didn't want to pry at her, I wasn't sure of her state after the events from yesterday. We ate in silence, exchanging small time like “How did you sleep?” or “How do you think the weather looks?” or anything else to keep her mind off what happened yesterday. But somethings still needed to be cleared up, not to make the poor girl think she was being a burden on me or something.

“So, hey.” I started. “Just to be clear. I don't have any problems with you staying here. Stick around as long as you want, I don't mind.”

Moriko's ears rose on her head, she looked away again and her tail wagged ever so slightly. “Thank you...”

“I'm going to head into town today to get some things done.” I informed her after I finished my plate. “But first I should probably get rid of all the mouldy food I have lying around the ho-”

“I can do that!” Moriko piped up, almost jumping out of her chair.

I was caught off guard by her sudden eagerness, looking around the room before back at her with a raised brow. “You sure you don't want to come with me?”

“I'll be fine!” She insisted. “I'll have everything dusted and cleaned before you get back!”

“Are you absolutely sure you'll be okay alone?” I asked again.

“I'm not a little kid!” She scolded me. “Its not like I'm going hunting or anything... I'm just cleaning, anyone can clean.”

“Well, if you insist.” I shrugged, standing up from my chair. “I'm going to get cleaned and dressed, then I'm heading out.”

“Okay.”

I was reluctant, almost afraid to leave Moriko at the house, but she insisted. The idea of another assassin crawled through my mind, refusing to let go. But still, I persisted forward, taking the dirt trail down towards the road that led into Bouceroc. Things were seeming to return to normal, there weren't any more guards skulking in the buildings and roof tops with cross bows and the ready, and most of the defences had been torn down to bring the town back to its usual feel. The boards were pulled from the Pub as well, maybe I should visit Gunther sometime, I haven't seen that bastard in awhile.

But first, business. Kojak's corpse was hauled into Doc's building the day before and what was salvageable from Moriko's wares were ready for pick up at the town centre guard station. The streets were once again alive with the town residence, though I had yet to see a Dark Elf brave enough to take Bouceroc up on its offer, but they say time heals all wounds so it was going to happen sooner or later.

Doc's clinic was the easiest to reach from here, so I guess that's where I would start. There was always a strange silence around the clinic, even though he was the only doctor in town people tended to avoid him for as long as possible. Not that I can blame them, Doc was a rather creepy fellow, the mask was a mainstay in doctors some one hundred years ago but no one wears it nowadays. No one except for him, at least.

It seems to be almost like a security blanket for him. There's also the fact that he tends to mutter to himself or zone out completely when he thinks too hard on a single subject. So what you have in the end is some guy in a bird mask marching around the room speaking incoherently and stopping every few seconds to stare at nothing before continuing his endless rant. Nice guy, though.

I couldn't even open the door before my poor heart was assaulted by the fright of a pointed beak in my face.

“It is inconceivable!” He cried, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into the clinic. “Absolute hogwash! Impossible entirely!”

W-what!?” I cried as he pulled me past his facilities and into the back room where he was holding the body. “What is it!?”

He finally let go and pointed at the empty table in front of me. My heart skipped a beat when I realized that that was where Kojak was supposed to be lying.

“Oh man...” I whimpered. “I gotta get back to Moriko!”

“He didn't get back up, if that is what you were implying.” Doc told me straight up, pulling the thousands of pounds of pressure from my back. “Wolfgang's men made sure of that when they removed his head.”

I took in a long, deep sigh of relief before the situation hit me again. “Wait a minute, then where is he?”

Doc moved past the table and opened a cupboard, drawing a large jar in both his hands will with some sort of dust.

“What the hell is that?” I asked.

“This is Kojak.” he announced casually. “Or what is left of him.”

I furrowed my brows, stepping closer to the jar as Doc placed it on the table. A chalky white dust sat inside it, filling the large jar almost to the brim.

“I don't get it.” I admitted. “How is that Kojak?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Doc said to me. “It all happened so suddenly, I believed that demons were playing tricks on me.”

Doc shook the jar around, disturbing the bone dust inside.

“By the time I was ready to operate on the brute, he was already mummifying in front of my eyes. I scrambled to get a blood sample, but what I managed to pull out of him had turned a sickly green colour before evaporating inside the syringe itself! Within seconds, all that was left of him was his armour and cloak. And when I tried to retrieve his head, all that was left was the helmet filled with dust as well.”

“That...Shouldn't happen.” I stated the obvious. “What the hell does this mean?”

“He didn't have anything  on him.” Doc went on to explain. “No papers, no identity, nothing I could trace some kind of history with.”

“There's no way he went unnoticed until now.” I stated in disbelief. “You saw how huge this guy was.”

“But that's the thing.” Doc continued. “There is absolutely no information on this man. No traveller has ever spoken of this “Kojak the Indomitable”. He's never made it on any kind of most wanted list and no book with information on modern killers even mention his name. Its like he never existed.”

“Or he left no trail.” I suggested.

“That may have been the case. There have been reports of entire establishments or villages going missing in the dead of night...But why reveal himself now? Why make himself noticed?”

“Maybe he was tired of being a nobody?” I asked. “Being this efficient at your job and receiving no praise can get to your head.”

“Perhaps...Now that its mentioned, he isn't the first of his kind of be brought down...” Doc mumbled.

“Wait.” I spoke up. “His kind? You mean to tell me there are more of him?”

Doc looked at me, tilting his head to one side. “Why, yes? These giants have appeared every now and then in history. Emperor Crom being the most famous.”

“Like who?”

“There was another. Four years ago in the Town of Branxton on the Estonian boarder.” Doc explained. “He went by the name of Armstrong Vrot. Wanted for counts of murder, assault, theft, destruction of property, and other crimes I care not speak of...From what reports spoke of him, he was larger than Kojak, but not larger than Crom...”

“What happened to him?” I asked with interest.

“He was brought to justice by a team of bounty hunters. Maxwell Morees and a Centaur named Emilia Morees managed to decapitate him during a bout.” He explained. “Apparently it was the event that brought the two to wedlock...How very...ergh...Romantic?”

“Why beheading?” I asked inquisitively. “Wolfgang ordered the same to happen to Kojak.”

“I couldn't tell you.” Doc admitted. “Perhaps he believed that he could heal from mortal wounds? His head was removed so I may never know for sure...”

“Better safe than sorry.” I muttered. “So what now?”

“Now, you go about your day.” Doc ordered. “I was hoping that I may find something on him to share with you, maybe some sort of magical artifact implanted in his body, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The mutation seem to be...Well...From within, not without.”

I shrugged and stepped away from the table. “Well, I guess I'll see you around then.”

“A good day to you.” Doc nodded. “Oh and Marcus? That poor girl, she seemed very traumatized by the whole event...Maybe you should talk to her? Find something out she isn't telling you.”

“I'll...” I gulped and rubbed the side of my neck. “I'll do that...”

My next stop was the guard station, even though all I wanted to do was catch a pint at Gunther's and catch up with the foreign bastard. But I had duties to tend to beforehand. I walked through the front door and was immediately let inside, the guard in front showing me the way to where Wolfgang and the others were.

I was surprised to meet Hondo there, the Zipangu man I helped with his dept to Moriko a month ago. He greeted me with a smile and a wave, he looked less downtrodden since the last time I met him.

“Good to see you.” he greeted.

“Hondo.” I said in surprise. “What are you doing here.”

“The mercenaries Moriko hired have papers in Zipangu.” Wolfgang spoke up. “We're having Hondo translate what isn't drenched in blood for us.”

“It's mostly just working papers.” Hondo said. “Certificates so you know they're the real deal and not brigands with swords.”

The bodies were already in the morgue and preparing to be buried, no funeral, no way of shipping the bodies back home. The poor souls will be buried in a foreign land they have no connection to, so I guess the least we could do is learn their names...

“We were also holding on to their equipment.” Wolfgang said, bringing up the sword I used to fend off Kojak. “Figured you might want to keep this one.”

I took the sword from his hand and unsheathed it, through all the chaos of yesterday I didn't even know there was a transcript etched into the side of the blade.

“Hey Hondo?” I asked. “What does this say?”

Hondo took the blade from me, holding it carefully in his hands while he read over the runes.

“To my son Kaito.” he started. “May this sword keep you safe...”

I felt a twinge in my chest, a sudden sense of guilt. The blade failed to keep its master from harm, yet saved me from an early death. There's some kind of message in there, but it wasn't mine to keep.

“No.” I refused the blade. “Bury it with him. It seems only fair.”

“Right.” Wolfgang agreed. “Most warriors are buried with their weapons.”

The blade was sheathed and handed back to Wolfgang, who placed it on the table behind him.

“How's she doing?” Hondo asked, a surprising question coming from the man who was hunted by her a month ago.

“She's...off.” I admitted. “I knew she was trying to be a better person, but she's not as assertive as she was when we departed. She's being quiet, and rather meek around me...Its kind of off putting.”

“Sounds to me like she needs someone.” Said Wolfgang. “She seems to trust you over anyone else. A Danuki's trust is hard to earn.”

“Really?” I asked, admittedly, my experience with monsters were mostly of the ones that lived here in the west, Moriko was the first eastern monster I've ever actually met in person.

“When a Danuki lies, they usually take the guise of a human woman, usually when they're trying to rip some stupid fuck off or sell something less than savoury to someone else.” Wolfgang explained. “But in their true form, then their words and feelings are honest.”

“Wait.” I stopped him. “But she played with loaded dice when we met.”

“That's cheating, not lying. Two different things.”

“Uh... Okay?”

“Anyway.” Wolfgang brought us back on course. “You're here for her things, right?”

I was given a bag and a basket filled with the things that survived Kojak's assault. The bag seemed to just be mostly clothing and other nick knacks, but what really caught my attention was the basket. It was filled with seven or eight weapons, four swords, two axes, and a mace. I knew Moriko was a merchant, did Moriko always sell weapons? Some of these looked rather nifty.

“You guys didn't jack anything, did you?”  I asked Wolfgang.

“I made sure some of my less than virtuous boys stayed away from them, don't worry, everything is there.”

“Then I'll be on my way.” I gave Wolfgang and Hondo a nod. “Good to see you again, Hondo.”

“Come by and visit sometime!” he called out with a wave as I left the room and out the building.

The basket was murder on my shoulder, held up by a leather strap that I hoisted with my right hand. The bag however was practically weightless, fine silks and cotton was never known to weigh that much. I switched hands every so often while I marched through town, stepping past the average townsfolk and giving the occasional mean look to someone that looked like they wanted to swipe the things I was hauling around.

I had one final stop before I returned to Moriko, Gunther, the tavern keeper at the Saucy Bucket. The poster advertising my short lived boxing career tore off long ago. Man, it has been weeks since I stepped into this place.

I opened the door to see the usual patrons, talking amongst themselves and drinking their swills. Gunther sat at the front, cleaning a mug and placing it aside. He spotted me and lit up like I rose from the grave.

“Friend Marcus!” Gunther cried. “Please! Sit, sit! Have a drink!”

“Hey Gunther.” I greeted him, taking my usual seat at the bar. “How have you been?”

“As good as can.” He said, planting a mug of ale on the bar top. “Spent days as if war zone here with Dark Elves on prowl.”

“Good to see they didn't get their hands on you.” I laughed before taking a drink.

“Becka wouldn't let them!” He boasted. “They try, but little goblin girl come out swinging with frying pan like mad crazy person!”

“I heard that!” I heard a voice from the back, seeing the Goblin poke her head out from the kitchen.

“No no!” Gunther insisted. “I make compliment!”

“Better be...”

Gunther turned back to me. “So, what do you do now?”

“I can't stay long, actually.” I told him, much to his disappointment. “There's someone waiting for me back at my place.”

“Ah yes. I hear of incident.” He said, reaching for another mug to clean. “Poor girl must be very upset!”

“She's alive and in one peace, so that's a start.” I said before taking another gulp of my drink. “Though she's pretty shaken up, I need to hurry up and get back there.”

“Yes yes, of course!” Gunther agreed. “Have drink, it on house! Good to see a friend not in pieces!”

I took the time to drink and talk to Gunther, we caught up on what I was doing since I left for Whitegale all that time ago, though I did leave out the naughtier details. I insisted that I pay but Gunther would hear none of it With my drink done, I went on my way, giving Gunther one last “See you” before heading out the door and back in the direction of my home.

I came home to an almost wondrous sight. The house was spotless! I placed Moriko's things to the side and looked on in awe, not a speck of dust or smudge to be seen.

“Moriko?” I called out, pulling off my shoes before entering, I didn't dare smudge the pristine floors.

Moriko poked her head from the study, she beamed with a bright smile, one that was almost unbecoming of her, but still a nice change of pace from her usual features.

“Oh, there you are!” She greeted, stepping away from the study and into the living room. “Welcome home!”

Her appearance caught me off guard, wearing one of the spare hoodies I still had lying in my closet. She rolled up the sleeves to her elbows and draped the end down to her laps. Though her tail struggled to not raise the hoodie up to reveal her panties.

“I, uhm...” She pressed her finger against her lip, her ears twitching in embarrassment. “I didn't get a chance to clean my clothing yet, so I thought it was alright if I borrowed something of yours.”

Moriko locked her hands behind her back and gave me a flustered smile. “Your pants were too big, though.”

C...Cute. Almost too cute...No, she was impossibly cute! I struggled not to pick her up and squish her face like I was some sort of over burdening grand mother.

“Its alright.” I said with the most normal smile I could muster. “At least you didn't have to walk around naked.”

“I never realized how big this place was!” She commented. “You could fit an entire family tree in here!”

“C'mon, its not that big.” I said. “A real small-time noble family owned it before they sold.”

“All the creaking and empty rooms...I would probably hide under my covers if I were here alone at night.”

“I honestly never noticed.” I told her, honestly.

“Doesn't it get lonely?” She asked.

“Well, sometimes, yeah.” I said, giving her another smile. “But right now I have company, so its not all bad.”

Moriko blush turned brighter and looked away. “Y-yeah, I guess you do...”

She followed behind me when I walked past her into the kitchen, I swore I could see my face on the flooring.

“I also cleaned out all of the rotten food.” Moriko declared. “Tossed it all in the bin in the back.”

“Anything survive?” I asked.

“Not really, a few noodles and some biscuits. Found a barrel full of gross smelling mush, I think they were meat buns at one point.”

My heart sank at her words, I was really looking forward to those...

“Well, I guess I should probably go to the market soon.” I announced with my hands at my sides. “You want to come with?”

“Go with you?” Moriko asked. “Like...Shopping together?”

“Sure, It'll be fun! You can stop me from buying nothing but candy or booze.”

Moriko did her best to hide her smile, though the act wasn't good enough. “If you really want me to... As soon as I finish my laundry we can go, okay?”
-

Meadowlake, named after the lake it was built near, a castle-town with a population of a little over fifteen hundred. Twenty years ago, the town was over run and occupied by the Amazon Queen A'kahna and her unstoppable army of Amazonian warriors. The women were praised and pampered until they were too changed into Amazons and the men were used as property and slaves.

But Thane Earl Shuram of house Shuram-Shuram was away with two thousand of his men at arms quelling an Ecclesiarch incursion to the west. When he returned, he saw the banners of the Warrior Queen sway victoriously over his beloved home and his people enslaved. Unable to do battle with the superior numbers of Amazons, Earl commanded a daring raid during the night to rescue as many of his subjects as he could, including his wife and his twelve year old son.

With the help of fifteen of his best, Earl's operation was a success and he made off with a hundred of his loyal and his family and disappeared into the night.

After this event, Earl spent months fighting a brutal guerrilla war against Meadowlake's oppressors, losing many men who fell in battle or were captured and taken as slaves. Even though he was short, Earl Shuram was a large man with a barrel for a stomach and muscles that could crush coconuts between them. He never turned down a challenge and refused to submit to anyone who could not best him in battle.  But everything changed when A'kahna's forces invaded the northern empire of Vellond. Though on the rise at the time, Vellond already boasted a powerful military led by Tiberius Crom, who fought the Amazons blade for blade at every engagement. When the Vellond Legions finally reached Meadowlake county, Earl Shuram mustered the remainder of his forces and set out to assist Vellond's march against the Amazonian oppressors.

As a token of thanks for his bravery and assistance during the war, Tiberius Crom allowed Earl Shuram to continue his lordship over Meadowlake as a territory under the Empire. The House kept its banners and Earl Shuram of House Shuram-Shuram became the first master of the only chapter house in all of Vellond.

But it has been twenty years, Earl Shuram and his loving wife have both passed away to illness, leaving only their son, Ezekiel Shuram and his younger sister, Wanda Shuram behind. Ezekiel wields the weapon of his father, a mighty halberd that has slain many foes. He continues his fathers legacy of kindness, virtue, valour, and honour as Sir Shuram of House Shuram-Shuram under the Vellond Empire.

Two hundred men rode behind Ezekiel as they approached the castle town, the folks working the fields spotted him first, followed by the monsters swimming around in the vast and endless expanses of water the town was attached to. They all waved at him and his cohort, a wave he returned with a gentle smile.
Ezekiel was a knight of the Empire, a warrior who's fury in battle can only be matched by his kindness away from the fields of bloodshed. With the teachings and wisdom of his mother and father, Meadowlake thrived under his guidance and influence.

“Lord Shuram has returned!” A man on the outskirts of town announced.

Ezekiel and his cohort were immediately swarmed by men, women, and monsters alike. Asking him of his adventures, if he was hurt, cries of admiration and other cheers.

“Settle down everyone!” Ezekiel chuckled. “I return unharmed and in one peace!”

“Where is he!?” A voice shouts from the crowed, Ezekiel watched as the people parted like a river. “Where is that big oaf!?”

Out of the crowed pushed a rather portly woman, shorter than even Ezekiel, with her attire you would think her a baker, her long brown hair tied back.

“Hello, dear sister!” Ezekiel greeted her, the two exchanging bear hugs that would kill a regular man. “It is good to see you!”

“Look at you.” Wanda hummed, patting Ezekiel on both his shoulders. “All grimy and dirty, you smell like a dead rat you do!”

“Quit pestering me, woman!” Ezekiel complained. “You spend weeks marching with the Imperial armies and tell me you found time to bathe!”

“This won't do!” Wanda complained, grabbing her dear old brother by his ear. “Won't do at all, you are having a bath, mister!”

“Ow! Ow! Unhand me!” Ezekiel cried, much to the amusement of his subjects. “I, Ezekiel Shuram of House Shuram-Shuram shan't stand for this!”

“Out on the field you may be Ezekiel Shuram-Shuram!” Wanda proclaimed. “But to me you are Zekey, my dopey big brother! And I will treat you as such!”

The sun sank behind the waters of meadowlake, its orange glow glistening against its pure surface. And as night overtook the quiet castle-town, Ezekiel sat in a tub, hot foamy water up to his chest. He sighed and rubbed his beard.

“That damn Wanda.” He complained. “Always treating me like a child...”

“But I am no child!” he told himself, raising a fist from the water with a splash. “I am Sir Ezekiel Shuram of House Shuram-Shuram!”

“Yeah, you tell her!”

“Thank you!” He said to the voice, leaning back against the tub and sinking into the water.

Then his eyes shot opened, realizing what had just happened.

“Who said that!?” He called out. “Show yourself!”

“Over here, dumbo.”

Ezekiel followed the voice, spotting a figure sitting at the open window. The candlelight flicked gently against her slippery green skin, and her golden eyes gazed through the blond threads of hair atop her head. A monster sat before the embarrassed Ezekiel, who now covered his privates with his hands and dared not gaze at her naked form.

“Whats the matter?” She asked as she hopped into the room, her webbed feet slapping against the hard ground. “We Frog-Folk rarely wear clothing, why should you be ashamed to look at me?”

“W-W-What are you doing in here!?” Ezekiel asked. “How did you get in!?”

“I climbed, silly.” The Frog Girl purred, sauntering closer and closer towards the tub Ezekiel sat in. “I wanted to meet the Knight of Meadowlake for myself.”

“Why, milady.” Ezekiel struggled to find room to back up to in the tub. “If it was an audience you seek, you could have simply approached me when I was out and about in town!”

“Oh~ But wheres the fun in that?” She asked.

The Frog Girl's stomach pressed against the tub, flipping herself over and into the water with a discreet plop. It was a large tub, enough for Ezekiel and four others to fit in, and enough for a monster that was raised in the waters to move around unhindered. His heart jumped when she appeared again, her head appearing from the waters, gazing at him longingly. The mighty knight yelped in surprise when he felt a slippery grip around his member.

“Oh, you're a big boy, aren't you?” She cooed, crawling on top of him and pressing her weight down on his pelvis.

“Milady, please.” Ezekiel stumbled. “There is no reason to be so assertive! I am quite easy to approach on the street!”

“But then I wouldn't have you all to my self, would I now?” The monster giggled. “The renowned Ezekiel Shuram of House Shuram-Shuram. And I get to have a taste...”

She leaned in closer and closer, her webbed hands locked behind Ezekiel's. His eyes were wide, honestly, he had never found himself in a situation like this. Sure he has had his string of admirers, but none have gone to levels this extreme!

Much to his relief, there was a bang on the door.

“Zekey!?” Wanda called out. “Are you alright in there?”

“Oh, poo.” The Frog Girl pouted. “And here I thought you and I were going to have a little more time together.”

She leaned in close, real close, and pressed her lips against the shocked knight's. He felt her tongue slip in, exploring his mouth before pulling away, reluctantly removing her lips from his. She tantalizingly pulled on her lower lip between hers, giggling quietly before leaping from the tub. And as quickly as she came, she was gone.

Wanda opened the door a moment later, stepping in and scanning the room.

“Are you alright?” She asked, spotting the trail of water on the stone ground. “I thought I heard someones voice.”

“I'm fine!” Ezekiel announced with a cracking voice, crossing his legs and covering his member. “Shut the door, please!”

--

I needed to get back to work soon. The coin I had saved was becoming more and more meagre every day. That sword Tiberius sent me out to retrieve...Where would I find it? Where would I even start? But more importantly, what would he want it for?

“Marcus?”

Moriko's voice snapped me out of my trance, I pulled my head away from my hand rested on the table, still sitting at my seat even after dinner. For a merchant, Moriko was a mean cook, making Zipangu dishes at a master level and making pretty great stand ins if the usual ingredients were missing.

I looked up at her face, shaking my head and standing up from my chair.

“Yeah, what's up?” I asked her.

“Its getting late, is all.” She told me. “I just thought you wouldn't want to spend all night at the table.”

I laughed and scratched my head, I guess I could start a fire in the fire place and read one of the books I brought back with me from Whitegale.

“Yeah, you're right.” I said. “Sorry about that.”

“I was just wondering.” Moriko continued. “Would it be okay if I took a bath?”

“Take a bath?” I repeated her question. “Go for it, I don't see why you had to ask. This is your home as long as you want to stay here.”

“Oh...Well, Okay then.” Moriko said with a smile.

I yawned and stretched, stepping towards the living room. “I think I'm going to take it easy now.”

“Marcus?”

Before I could turn to look at her again, Moriko's arms wrapped around my neck. She planted a long, deep kiss against my cheek and smiled when she pulled away.

“Thanks again.”

I couldn't even respond before the Danuki skipped away, her tail wagging happily behind her as she turned the corner and hopped up the stairs.

“Well okay then.” I laughed, rubbing my neck. “You're welcome...”