The Dale Lands and the Great Forest were no place for a Shogunate diplomat. But here she was.
The whispers of a red-haired man who burned through monsters like dry parchment near a small frontier village called Stonewatch. Oddities, yes—but enough to send her. Enough to make the Council nervous. If the Human Kingdom had birthed a new weapon, it must be known. Measured. Controlled—or ended.
This was where her mission would begin.
The demihuman crane walked with elegance and poise into the heart of the village. Her retinue had abandoned her hours ago. She hadn't stopped them.
Her white kimono never touched the muddy ground. The intricate patterns of subtly woven clouds and wings danced rhythmically with every step. She looked humanoid, but undeniably alien—grace carved into motion.
The human villagers stopped what they were doing, if only for a moment, just to watch her pass. Then, slowly, they returned to their work.
But the silence she left in her wake lingered.
The Adventurers' Guild stank of oil, ale, and unwashed ambition.
The crane stepped through the threshold as if the filth might stain her soul. She glided forward with rhythmic grace, the hem of her kimono floating an inch above the grime. She passed between men and women alike—none dared speak until she'd moved beyond them. When they did, it was in whispers.
So these are the champions the world exalts... she thought, glancing at rusted weapons and dented armor. Crude.
The receptionist at the desk scribbled notes with a dull quill, unaware of the sudden silence behind her. The crane waited three heartbeats, then clicked her beak twice—sharp and precise.
The woman flinched and looked up.
Her eyes went wide.
"O-oh! Uh… what brings a demihuman here?"
The crane resisted the urge to sigh. Instead, she dipped her head a fraction—just enough to acknowledge, not enough to respect.
"I am Kinko, diplomatic envoy of the Shogunate of the Hundred and Eight," she said. "I request an audience with your Guildmaster. This matter pertains to regional security—and the rising irregularities in the Fae Wilds."
The receptionist nodded stiffly. Kinko could sense the tension ripple across the woman's shoulders almost immediately.
"...Please wait here a moment."
Kinko gave a curt nod.
She scanned the room for a place to stand—but there wasn't one. Not really. The stone floor was caked with grime, the air thick with spilled beer, sweat, and something vaguely rotting. The unwashed, brawny adventurers lounging nearby didn't improve things.
She stood near the wall, posture immaculate, wings folded neatly behind her.
This had better not be a waste of my precious time, she thought, narrowing her eyes just slightly.
The receptionist returned, slightly out of breath.
"The Guildmaster will see you now."
Kinko nodded once and ascended the stairs, her steps as fluid as drifting mist.
At the top, she opened the door and stepped into the office. It smelled faintly of ink, leather, and the iron tang of old blood. Behind a heavy desk sat a bald man with a weathered, scarred face. His blonde beard and mustache framed a scowl carved deep by years of command. His gray eyes narrowed the moment he saw her.
Kinko closed the door behind her and began to approach.
Karthas raised a hand—calm, firm.
"That's close enough, bird," he said, voice casual but unyielding. "Now, tell me—what's a silk-draped fop from the Hundred and Eight doing in a dump like this? Lose your way to the nearest throne room?"
She ignored his jab.
"Indeed. My presence in this... interesting place is not something that would normally happen. But I've heard rumors—rumors I took seriously. I brought them to the Shogun himself. He dismissed them, of course. Empty ramblings, he said. But I have a weakness. I take such ramblings seriously.
"And so, I came to see for myself if there was any merit to them. I've heard of a man in your employ—one who has made quite a name for himself among your order."
Karthas leaned back in his chair."That so? Well, let me think. If I did have such a man in my employ... what would the Shogunate want with him?"
Kinko sighed."I just told you what the Shogunate wants with him. Nothing. The Shogun couldn't care less. But as I said—I want something. And that something is simply to meet this man."
Karthas leaned forward."I'll just bet," he said grimly. "What have you heard, anyway?"
Kinko raised her eyes to the ceiling."An entire horde of lizardfolk has vanished. A gang of bandits, led by the infamous 'Ghost of the Forest,' has been wiped out. Whispers of dragons, wizards, and the Fae Wilds... all centered on your little town."
Karthas scowled."Oh. Is that all?"
Kinko bowed her head in a slow nod but said nothing.
Karthas stood up."Well, I don't know how you managed to hear about all that. Then again, my boys downstairs are real blabbermouths."
He walked to the door and opened it."I'll tell you what, little miss fancy-pants. You want to find this man? Go look for him yourself."
He gestured to the hallway."And stop wasting my time. I ain't got enough of it to spend all day talking to a swaggering rake like you."
"Don't have," Kinko said.
Karthas's face scrunched in a grimace."Don't have what?"
Kinko began walking out."You don't have enough of it to spend."
Karthas blinked, then scowled, realization dawning too late."Just get the hell out of my guild!" he barked, jabbing a finger at the door.
Kinko bowed and departed.
She descended the stairs, silent as snow, passed through the tavern without a word, and stepped into the cool night beyond. The town's filth clung to her feathers in spirit, if not in truth.
Beyond Stonewatch, just past the treeline, her retinue had made camp.
Shoji, her retainer, sat beside a modest fire. The tiger-man looked up as she approached, his golden eyes reflecting the flames.
"Satisfied, my lady?" he asked.
Kinko sighed, lowering herself gracefully onto the log beside him.
"Never, Shoji. But that brute was no help. I failed to secure the information I needed."
Shoji nodded once.
"Then we should return home, my lady."
She looked into the fire.
"He was hiding something. It was plain to see."
Shoji stretched, his broad shoulders rippling beneath his armor.
"Then it is for the best. This forest is full of scum. They don't deserve to breathe the same air as you."
Kinko rolled her eyes.
"Must you always lick my boots when I'm already tired?"
"Only when they've walked through filth, my lady."
She let out the faintest breath of amusement. Almost a laugh. Almost.
"You may have a point. I think I'll retire."
She rose without waiting for a response and stepped toward her tent. Her shadow stretched long behind her—elegant, tall, and silent as judgment.
And in the quiet of night, beneath the crisp, still air, a shout tore through the camp.
"We're under attack!"
Shoji's voice was sharp as a blade. The cry jolted Kinko from her sleep. She sprang from her bedroll and burst through the tent flaps, bare feet hitting the cold earth.
Outside, the world was chaos.
She was already surrounded—humans, at least ten of them, steel glinting in the moonlight. Trained eyes. Calm breath. These weren't panicked bandits. They came with intent.
Shoji was already moving.
The first came at him with a rusted axe. Shoji caught the haft mid-swing, twisted, and drove his knee into the man's gut with a crunch of bone. As the bandit crumpled, Shoji spun, slashing clean through another's chest.
"Stay behind me, my lady!" he roared, fangs bared.
Kinko took a step back, wings flared, breath tight in her chest.
Two more charged. Shoji met them with a roar, ducked under a wild swing, and slit one's throat in passing. He drove his second blade deep into the gut of the fourth—but didn't pull it out in time.
That hesitation cost him.
A blade plunged into his side—then another. One in the back.
Shoji turned, eyes wide. He cut one of them down even as he fell.
"Run…" he gasped, voice cracking.
Kinko hesitated. One heartbeat.
Then she ran.
She fled into the trees, wings tucked, kimono snapping behind her. But she had barely gone ten strides before they were on her—shouting, snarling, laughing. A hand caught her wrist. Another grabbed her shoulder and shoved her to the ground.
Mud splashed across her robes.
She scrambled, wings flailing, kicking blindly. A boot stomped down hard on her back, pinning her.
"Where's your bravado now, bird?" one of them sneered.
He was hideous. Patchy beard, teeth like broken fence posts. A scar split his face from brow to chin. His breath reeked of old ale and rot.
He knelt down slowly, savoring it.
"All that silk... gonna look real nice in a pile next to your feathers."
Kinko's breath came in shallow bursts. she jumped to her feet and attempted to escape. The attempt was short lived as one of the bandits punched her in the gut.
She was prey now. Her vision was full of stars and dimmed. she was barely conscious.
"I think chicken is on the menu tonight, boys!" She heard the other bandits cheering.
"Now all that's left is to take whatever's in that pretty tent of hers..."
The leader turned to smirk at the spoils—
And his head fell from his shoulders.
There was no sound. No warning. Just a thin arc of blood cutting the moonlight, followed by a heavy thud as his body collapsed.
Silence swallowed the clearing.
Then the next man screamed—barely.
Something moved through them. Not wind. Not beast. A shape in the dark, cleaving through flesh like paper.
A second bandit was hurled backward, spine bent the wrong way. A third gurgled as his own sword was rammed through his jaw from below. Another dropped, clutching a stump where his arm had been a moment ago.
Kinko saw both of them. One was a dirty man in a brown cloak. wild brown hair, and blue eyes with a scarred face. The other man had bright orange hair. He wore a green cloak. His green eyes were intense, as he caught sight of Kinko, and for the briefest moment she could swear his eyes had an inhuman glow.
Within seconds all six bandits were quickly dispatched.
The Orange haired man spoke. She could tell his voice was commanding but somehow a tiny bit alien. "Friends of yours?" he asked the Brown-cloaked man. The man shook his head "No, not this lot. My men are more disciplined, and don't go out in the open like this unless they need to. Kinko looked down at Shoji's body, and all of the sudden she fell to her knees.
The Orange haired man approached her and put out a hand. "My name is Hibana." he said with a smile on his face. Kinko was perplexed by the odd name. "And this man is Riven." His face became more serious. "I'm sorry we couldn't come sooner."
Kinko was usually extremely quick about know exactly what to say. but this situation jarred her.
"I'm...Kinko." She managed to get out.
Hibana smiled. "Come. We need to get you back to town." Riven spoke up. "We don't need to do anything. She's a kingdom Demihuman." Hibana looked to Riven. "What difference does that make? she's obviously in shock and she needs our help." Riven scoffed. "Waste of time, and resources." Hibana rolled his eyes and put out his hand again to Kinko. "Can you stand?"
Kinko nodded.
He took her hand—firm, but not forceful—and lifted her to her feet with ease. Her legs trembled, but held.
As she steadied herself, she looked at him again.
The hair.
Red as fire.
Her mind, still sluggish, sparked to life. Could he be the one? The man in the rumors? The one who burned through monsters like parchment?
He didn't look like a weapon.
But the blood on his hands—and the way those bandits had died—said otherwise.
She said nothing. Not yet. Her thoughts were still cloudy. Her pride, bruised. Shoji's body lay behind her, and the cold mud still clung to her knees.
But the question burned now.
Is this him?
She cast an appraisal spell on him.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: — Hibana
Species: Human
Tier: [F-Tier]
Level: 1
XP:0/1000
Vitals:
HP: 30/30
MP: 10/10
Stamina: 50/50
Stats:
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 1
Intelligence: 3
Vitality: 2
Magic Affinity: 2
Resistances:
Fire Resistance: 5
Cold Resistance: 2
Kinko stared at the display.
These stats… she thought, They're terrible!
Before she could speak, the red-haired man looked over at her.
"Oh... don't bother appraising me," he said casually. "My status window's been broken since I was born."
He turned toward the woods again, gesturing for her to follow.
"Come along, Kinko. We'll get you to safety. Then I'll send someone back for your friend."
Her eyes flicked toward Shoji's body. Still. Unmoving.
She didn't trust herself to speak.
She looked at the dismembered corpses around them—limbs scattered like butcher's refuse—then back at him.
Her thoughts went to what she had just seen. "What is this man that his status is broken? That's impossible! it goes against the will of Ordos!"
But they were.
She nodded.
The man in the brown cloak made a sound—somewhere between a grunt and a sigh. "Fine. I'll meet you at the base, Hibana." Then he turned and walked off into the woods, fading like smoke.
Kinko followed silently.
She couldn't believe it.
Here he is. The man she came to find.
And she still didn't know what to say.
Her tongue, once her sharpest weapon, now sat still behind her teeth.
Hopefully, she thought, my mind will clear soon. I need answers.