Act 1, The Isle of Kura part 1

"Then Kako the demon hunter drew his sword in mid air just before landing on the mighty black wing of the demon who had fallen prey to him. He carefully walked across the wing which hovered in mid flight with an occasional flapping towards the demons back."

Tatsuki sat on the cold ground conveying the story surrounded by children, people who were bored and other teenagers who felt like skipping out on their chores.

"The demon took notice of Kako who was nearly to his back. The demon then flapped his enormous black wings hard throwing Kako off of him and to the bottom of the canyon where he was reduced to nothing more than a bloody mess among the sharp rocks."

"DAMN IT GIRL!" shouted a guy of about 18 with long black hair he wore in a pony tale as he slammed his fist on the wooden fence post behind his little sister scaring off her audience.

"MIKIO!" Tatsuki shouted back at him as she got to her feet and in his face.

"Why do you tell them of such nonsense?!" he continued. "and how could you know of such tales when maybe 4 or 5 vagrants and or traders come through Copri in a year?."

"I'd say ya just answered your own question, I mean someone’s gotta stir their imaginations."

"Father, I hate you for allowing my little sister to believe such idiotic notions." Mikio said turning around and looking up at the sky.

Tatsuki just sighed and walked away towards the Chao pass.
Kitchwa came stumbling through Chao pass bruised bloody and weary. "It was all worth it though" he thought to himself "for a prize as great as the bracelet of the Phantom Medjai, I could spare some blood and deal with a few bruises" he continued. He kept walking east through the pass. GRUMMMBLE! Kitchwa looked down at his growling stomach, "That’s right, I really haven't eaten in 3 days. Ah-well there should be a village somewhere on the other side of this pass."

"Just like Mikio, what’s he got against a good story anyway?!" Tatsuki said angrily to herself as she stopped and sat down on a rock.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! She heard the sound of somebody walking in the snow. CRUNCH! CRUNCH! she looked to the right and saw a guy with black hair bleached at the top that went down to his neck. He was clearly Elvin judging by the long pointy ears. He wore a blue iron chef like shirt that only went down to half way over his stomach, the rest of which was covered by dirty white bandages. He also wore two crossed, studded leather belts that held a sheathed sword against his black pants, with a quiver of arrows on the opposite side and a bow on his back.

"A wanderer?" Tatsuki thought.
As he got closer Tatsuki noticed a little brown monkey on his right shoulder.

"Hey you" Kitchwa said to Tatsuki after stopping in front of her.
"Is there..." before Kitchwa could finish the monkey had jumped off of his shoulder and onto Tatsuki's head, then started sniffing her long jet black hair and looking for ticks.

"Yes, and Copri is about half a mile dead ahead."

"How did you know that’s what I wanted to know?" Kitchwa asked suspiciously.

"Your not the first wanderer to come through here," she answered as she picked up the monkey and held it up in front of her face.

"C'mon, Garth" he said as he turned around "Garth!" he snapped when his pet monkey didn't come.
"Garth!"

"Impatient aren’t you." said Tatsuki calmly feeding Garth a banana.

Kitchwa just shot her an annoyed look.

"Here if he’s that important to you." Tatsuki said as she picked up Garth and handed him to Kitchwa. Kitchwa just walked away and didn't even thank her.

"What a jerk" Tatsuki said as she watched him walk towards the village.

Kitchwa was met by strange looks and curious glances when he got to Copri. He walked down a row of shops and houses when he was stopped by Mikio.

"I aint never seen ya around here before." he said.
"Trader or vagrant?" he continued.

"Wanderer." Kitchwa replied.

"Ah wanderer, vagrant, same difference." interrupted Mikio.

"Umm..."

"Mikio" he interrupted again.

"yeah could you point me towards the inn?"

"aint got one; don’t get enough traders or vagrants or whatever around here to have need for one."

"Oh" Replied Kitchwa.

"We got plenty of empty beds here at the clinic right now though. so you're welcome to stay here with me, my wife, and son, and my little sister." said Mikio as he gestured his right hand towards the door.

"sure I think I'll take ya up on that offer."
"Aright then follow me, oh... what did you say your name was?" asked Mikio leading him in to the clinic.

"I didn't" answered Kitchwa. ya sure ya aint got a problem with pets being here?" he continued.

"No, not really; we got 3 dogs of our own, plus if I know Tatsuki she'll love that little monkey.-so I'd keep an eye on it if I were you" answered Mikio.

They stopped when they got to a room at the bottom of the stairs.

"Here we are" said Mikio as he unlocked and opened the door. "there's a restroom in there and we usually eat in the dining room which is just down the hall and to the right, and feel free to come and go as you please."

"Yeah, thanks." said Kitchwa as he went in to the room and slid the door shut. He crossed the room and stopped in front of the little white bed mat. Garth jumped off of his shoulder and onto the clean white pillow as Kitchwa undid the quiver of arrows from his belt and removed the bow from his back. He set them down under the window, then took the sheathed sword off of his belt and set it up against the wall next to the bed. He took the bracelet from it's hiding place in the quiver, flopped down on the bed and just stared at it.

"Hey Tatsuki" said a girl with short red hair as Tatsuki entered the village again.

"Oh hey there Luna" she answered. She held a small black flute case in her right hand and a blue travel bag on her back over her emerald green snow poncho.

"I see you didn't make the cut." she said snobbishly.

"I see you did" answered Tatsuki looking her over.

"yeah I'm meeting a hover transport at the end of the pass that’s going to Port Kino."

"Yeah well good for you Luna" answered Tatsuki some what excited.

"Well gotta fly" Luna continued in the same snobbish tone as she walked away.

"Well Luna's gone at least so I won't have to deal with her crap any more." thought Tatsuki as she walked in the opposite direction towards the clinic.

Tatsuki kept walking till she got to the clinic, then she slid the door open and walked inside.
"Either way she's their problem now" she thought as she walked up the stairs, KLAKKETA, KLACK. she opened her bedroom door when she got up the stairs, went in and closed it again. It was a fairly small room, a little white mat with heavy blue blankets on it in the corner, a desk with a mirror on another wall directly across from the bed and only a few feet from the window.
Next to the bed mat was a square tile made up of 3 wooden planks, which held some candles and an incense burner. Between the desk and the window, there was a black metal music stand that held a red folder full of sheet music. There was also an envelope on the music stand that had had the green wax seal broken open.

"The Academy of the Songsress and the Black mage" she thought as she crossed the room and picked up the envelope. "Every year they send Agents to every corner of the West Lands, and all over the continent even Kura. Most years the Agents even make it here to Copri" she said to herself as she pulled a letter out of the envelop.

"Every year, every girl in Copri has auditioned for them and every year only the rich over achieving snobs like Luna get in and out of here. Whereas poor story tellers get letters of rejection" Tatsuki continues as she crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it behind a large pile of books and scrolls that lined the wall next to the door. she looked over at the little black flute case that sat in the window sill then over at the mountain of books and scrolls.

She walked over to it and picked up a black leather bound book entitled "Legends of the West Lands." then she went over laid on her bed and began to read.
Kitchwa had just woken up from a nap some hours later when he heard a knock at the door.

"Who goes!?" he said defensively as he shoved the bracelet under his pillow.

KLAKKETA KLACK. Mikio slid the door open enough to stick his head in.
"Mina's almost done with dinner if you're hungry." he said.

"Alright then" answered Kitchwa as Mikio closed the door again. Kitchwa got up and went to leave but stopped in front of the door and looked back over at the bed. Garth was on top of the pillow scratching one of his ears in the waning sunlight.

"Yeah you guard that with your life" Kitchwa said to his monkey companion. "I'll bring ya back something to eat" he continued as he turned and went out the door.

There was a short skinny woman with long blond hair she wore tied up in a pony tail kneeling in front of an open fire prodding the wood and coals with metal tongs, and a baby on her back. Her back was turned to the table where her husband and Kitchwa sat.

"Hey Mikio, did you call Tatsuki down already?" Mina asked as she sat a pot of soup on the table in front of them.

"Yeah I..." before Mikio could finish, Tatsuki came walking in reading her book. She reached over to a corner of the room with her right hand and grabbed one of the four cushions that lay piled up on the floor. She then threw it in front of the table and knelt down on it without looking up from her book.

"That’s the girl from the pass!" thought Kitchwa as he watched Tatsuki do this.

"What did I do this time" asked Mina as she set four bowls and wooden spoons in front of her.
"Damn it Tatsuki you've read legends of the West Lands 30 bazillion freaking times" snapped Mikio in an agitated tone.

Tatsuki placed a bowl in front of Kitchwa, Mikio, and Mina's cushion still without looking up from her book or speaking. FEEERSH! Mikio reached across the table and violently snatched the book out of Tatsuki's grip.

"HEY!" shouted Tatsuki "I was in the middle of my favorite..."
"Yeah, Yeah, the faceless maiden!" Mikio interrupted in an agitated tone as he slammed the book closed and set it next to his cushion.

"Besides we have a guest." he continued gesturing towards Kitchwa.

"YOU! your that impatient guy with the cute little monkey I saw back in the pass." shouted Tatsuki in shock when she finally acknowledged him.

"and it would be a safe assumption that you're Tatsuki?" he answered sarcastically resting his head on his left hand.

WAAAA, WAAA. just then the baby on Mina's back started crying.

"Tatsuki be a dear and... oh never mind I'll just go tuck him in." said Mina as she took her baby son off of her back and started rocking him in her arms and left the room.

Kitchwa looked curiously at the fork and spoon that sat next to his plate. Then he picked them both up and tried to hold them like chop sticks. CLUNK! His wooden spoon fell from his hand on to the table.

"So uhh... you from the continent?" asked Tatsuki looking at the look of frustration on his face.

"Yes" he answered.

"what part are you from originally?" asked Mikio setting the rest of the food on the table.

"The Southern Provinces, the West Lands, the East Territories..." he continued.

"#3 the East, Territories" answered Kitchwa again.

Tatsuki was reaching over with her fork for a piece of the deer meat that Mikio had set on the table while they said this.

TWAP! Mikio whacked Tatsuki's hand hard with his spoon just before her fork reached the meat.
"OW!, by the gods what was that for!?" screamed Tatsuki.

"We don't eat until everyone is at the table!" replied Mikio.

There was a long pause that lasted for what felt like hours, but it was broken when Mina came back and knelt down on her cushion.

"Now you can have some..." Mikio stopped when noticed that Tatsuki was already in the middle of making her plate.

It was dark out now; Kitchwa sat in front of the fire with his legs and arms crossed, just staring at the flames.

"A demonic aura." Kitchwa thought to himself. "I broke into the sacred Shrine of the Phantom Medjai at the burial grounds, only to be met by those demons; The filthy winged spawn of Yu herself." he continued. "I came here in attempt to loose them, but it seems they've run out of places to look."

CREEK! Kitchwa heard a creaking in the floor boards and looked up from the fire. He looked all over the room but saw nothing. Nothing but darkness any way.

"Damn it, don't tell me they're already here!" he thought desperately. He reached for his sword that had been re-strapped to his belt. CREEK! He drew his sword and turned around in one motion.

"Uh...H...Hi there." said Tatsuki in a meek startled voice, Kitchwa's sword pressed against her throat.

"What in the seven hells are you doing!? ya trying to get yourself killed or something!?"

"I'm the one who should be asking you that!" snapped Tatsuki in a whisper.

Kitchwa put the sword back in it's sheath and said sarcastically "Yeah, Yeah. Isn't it past your bed time or something?" as he sat back down.

Then Tatsuki took a step closer and knelt down next to him.

"What exactly are you any way?" she asked looking from his hazel cats eyes to his long pointy ears.

"I'm an Elf, don't ya see the pointy ears?"

Tatsuki shook her head and said. "I see em, but I know damn good'n well that you aint no Elf."

Kitchwa went to say something but was interrupted by Tatsuki before he could ever get the words out.

"First off Elves don't have fangs, or creepy eyes."

As she said this Kitchwa rolled his eyes and touched his fangs with the tip of his tongue.

" and besides that" she continued. "you're too heavy to be an Elf."

An annoyed look came over Kitchwa's face when she said this.

"Well your not exactly a twig your..." he broke off looking at the scronney green eyed girl with long black hair that sat next to him.

"Ok so maybe you are but where do you get off..."

"Chill, you sound like my sister in law." Interrupted Tatsuki.

"I mean that Elves are weightless and don't leave tracks in the snow where as you did."

That same annoyed look stayed on his face.

"What business is it of yours any way?!" he asked in that same annoyed tone he'd had all night.

"I see. Then what manor of demon are you?"

He grew even more annoyed as he said. "who ever said I was a demon?!"

"C'mon, The eyes teeth and ears are a dead giveaway!" she replied.

"I'm not a demon!" he snapped.

"Then what the hell..."

CRASSSHH! next thing they knew something had crashed through the wall behind them. Kitchwa had shoved the rubble off from on top of him self then he got up and bolted for his room leaving Tatsuki behind.
Garth had jumped up on his shoulder when he got in there. He grabbed the bracelet, shoved it in the quiver, strapped the it to the other side of his belt and grabbed the bow.
Meanwhile Tatsuki had been knocked flat on her back by whatever had crashed through the wall. When the dust and dirt and debris had settled she saw what looked like a large black bird with glowing red eyes and large skeletal like wings. Rather than feathery, it's tail was long and bony with spines on the end of it.

"By the gods!" she said looking at it in shock "A demon." She scooted away from it stopping only because she had run into the wall next to the stairs where she then found herself cornered.

"What the hell!" shouted Mikio running down the stairs with a wooden towel bar in his right hand. he swung at it with the towel bar missing it's beak by about a foot.

"What the hell is this thing!?" he shouted as continued to swing at it.

"Dream you that a mere mortal could stop a Medjai's demonic guard." said the demon as it lunged at Mikio and closed it's enormous beak around him devouring him alive.

"MIKIO!" shouted Tatsuki in horror as the towel bar fell in front of her along with Mikio's right arm. The demon lowered it's head and looked at Tatsuki and said calmly and coolly "Had he stayed where he was the poor bastard might have lived, but I kill when provoked, and he was actually quite tasty if I do say so my self."

"EAT THIS THEN!" Next thing Tatsuki knew the demon had been stabbed in the back of the head, with the tip of the blade sticking out of it's mouth. It fell forward barely missing her. BLURGH! She looked up when she heard this odd squishy sound, and saw Kitchwa standing on top of the conquered demon.

"Ya alright?" he asked looking over at a large splinter of wood that had lodged it's self in her left leg.

"Yeah" she replied as she pulled it out. RAHHH! FERRSHI! there was a terrible blood curdling sound followed by a crash and a sudden flash of bright light.

"We should keep moving!" said Kitchwa as Tatsuki pulled herself up. SHERING! Tatsuki stumbled over towards Kitchwa as he pulled his sword out of the demons head.

They went out through the hole in the wall to see that most if not all of the village had gone up in flames. "That explains the light." thought Tatsuki. FERUSHH!

"Get down!" shouted Kitchwa pushing Tatsuki to the ground out of the way of a heap of flaming debris. She looked up around Kitchwa's neck and shoulders to see that the smoldering splinters had just missed them.

"Run!" he said as he pushed himself off of Tatsuki. Then without another word he jumped up into the air and slashed one of the demons in half.

Tatsuki complied as she limped toward the pass as fast as her wounded leg would carry her. She got to the Chao pass and saw two of the demons blocking it off by means of an avalanche and some strategically placed boulders.

"Heh, That half blood thief will not escape." she heard one of them say.

"We will catch him, and we even get an entire village to snack on in the process." said the other one. Her fear was increased after she heard this; she turned around and ran back to the village to find Kitchwa.

"I hope that dude ain't dead yet" she said to her self as she ran.

Kitchwa landed in a back flip on the roof of one of the blazing houses as another demon that was identical to all the others came charging full force at him. Kitchwa thrust his sword out in front of himself waiting for the demon to attack, but then it stopped and dived downwards just before it was within reach of the sword.

Tatsuki was running through the village trying to find survivors and another way out. KERAW! she heard another loud, shrill, blood curdling howl. Next thing she knew one of the demons had grabbed her by the shoulders. It's razor-sharp talons digging in and drawing blood through her blue Kimono as it carried her up beyond the roves of the inferno.

"And I thought Haokai, and Gorack had already devoured all the young maidens in this village." said the demon looking down at Tatsuki with it's glowing red eyes.

BWONG! Kitchwa fired an arrow through the demons neck, then another one through it's chest. Its head had was severed by the time the second arrow hit; it let go of Tatsuki its talons tearing through Tatsuki's light and dark blue kimono as she fell into a snow drift about 15 feet below closely followed by the demonic corpse.

Kitchwa jumped down next to her and said "I thought I told you to escape!"

"you did." she answered as she tore two strips from the bottom of her kimono.

"Then why are you still here?"

she finished bandaging the gashes on her left shoulder with one of the strips then said "I tried to get out but they sealed off the pass." she paused a for a bit as she bandaged up the gashes on her other shoulder then added "Chao pass is the only way in or outta here."

GRAAAWW! More appeared over head and started saying stuff about the bracelet.

"Give us the bracelet and you may live." one said.

"we'll spare the little peasant girl if you surrender the bracelet now!" said another.

"Bracelet? what are they talking about."

Kitchwa said nothing as Garth ducked for cover in the quiver. Kitchwa looked over at the bow in his hand, then back over to Tatsuki.

"You know how to shoot one of these things? "he asked thrusting the black long bow towards Tatsuki.

"Sure...i guess if the occasion calls for it." she answered.

"Oh it does." Kitchwa finished as he un-strapped the quiver from his belt.

Tatsuki took the bow and examined the smooth black surface that was laden with marks of Elvin craftsmanship.

"Have you even caught a word I've said?!" Kitchwa snapped impatiently.

"What?" she replied in a confused manor.

Kitchwa said an annoyed sigh and said "I said you cover me while I go up there and fight them.

She paused a moment while she ties the string of the quiver to the sash of her kimono then said "I don't like this plan."

"I don't either; your liable to hit me."

An annoyed look came over her face as Kitchwa said this. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." she said sarcastically as she knocked an arrow.
Kitchwa had already leaped in to the air and had begun slashing at one of the demons. "This is getting me no where." he thought as the demon dodged and blocked every one of his attacks.

BWONG! Tatsuki had fired the arrow she had knocked. Surprisingly enough the arrow had it the left eye of the demon that had tried to sneak up behind Kitchwa. Then the demon he was fighting whipped him with its tail throwing him into a burning building; he wasn't down for very long though because as Tatsuki was reaching for another arrow Kitchwa burst out of the burning building an sliced both of the demons in half.

"Some help she is." he thought as he landed on one of the burning houses.

"Look out!" shouted Tatsuki. There was another demon coming strait at Kitchwa mouth open ready to eat him alive. CLANG! He put his sword up just in time to stop it's mouth before it's razor sharp teeth got to him.

"Don't just stand there." he said turning his head towards Tatsuki, "Shoot it."

Tatsuki didn't look away from Kitchwa and the demon when she reached into the quiver. her hand had just missed the arrows, but it had stumbled upon something else. Something smooth and metallic. She closed her fingers around it thinking that it could be an arrow head. It suddenly felt cold yet in that same instant it started to burn. Tatsuki tried to withdraw her hand but it wouldn’t move. It was as though her fingers had been super-glued to whatever it was that felt like it was burning the flesh from her very bones. SHIUU! Then there was a shrill whistling sound followed by a burst of white light.

"What the hell." said Kitchwa in shock as he observed what was going on.

The burning had moved up to her wrist, then a blue light came out of the quiver and said the words, " The power of the phantom is now yours to command." Then about as quick as the blue bulb had said this the burning stopped, and the white light dissipated. The blue light was still there though as she pulled her hand from the quiver then it said, "With gift comes power that can bring salvation or destruction at the whim of the one who possesses it." Then it went towards her sleeve and through it into her wrist.

She pulled back the sleeve that covered her right wrist and saw a huge black bracelet with a silver ghost carved on it between the red beads that graced it.

"It can't be." mumbled Kitchwa.

GRAAAWW! Just then Tatsuki had fired an arrow at the demon; the arrow hit the demons belly not 30 seconds later.

"Curse you!" shouted the demon coolly as it looked around to see who had shot the arrow. It saw Tatsuki holding the bow in her left hand and fumbling an arrow out of the quiver with her right. she bent over to pick it up off of the muddy ground as the demon went in to a dive strait for her.

"Watch it!" yelled Kitchwa. Tatsuki got up just in time to see the demon coming right at her as it said, "Die you wretch."

There was no time to duck or jump out of the way so she flung her arms out in front of her and crossed then in front of her face. Just as the demon was about to hit her the bracelet began glowing with a strange blue aura, then when it was right on top of her the aura spread out covering Tatsuki's entire body and the demon passed right through her as she fell to the ground unconscious not leaving so much as a scratch.

"Impossible!" grunted the demon. "this girl, she can not be!" it finished as it and the remaining demons flew away from ruined village into the orange blare of the rising sun.

Kitchwa jumped off of the roof and went over to Tatsuki. crouched down next to her, pulled back the right sleeve of her kimono and looked at the bracelet. "This is gonna complicate things." he thought as he put Tatsuki and the bow on his back and started jumping the barricaded pass.