Of Monsters and Men (private with guardianjohran)

[MissMonster]

Ah, evening. It served as a signal for the inhabitants of the Celestial Village to remain within the safety of their homes as the setting sun became a reminder of the foreboding darkness to come. Golden eyes could be discerned from the forest, slightly sheathed by the approaching night as it blanketed the sky. A smirk found it's way onto the impish woman's face as she emerged clumsily from the shrubbery. Oh how she loved night time at the lovely Celestial Village! You see, Jura had been terrorizing the small territory for a bit now. She almost always appeared at night, eating livestock, stealing sake, and generally causing quite the ruckus...especially when the red oni was intoxicated! Despite her petite build, the oni was nothing but pure, unadulterated trouble. And why had the young demoness taken such an interest in this village? Well...one couldn't be sure. The young oni was a traveler, a drifter who just so happened to stumble upon the barely protected village not too long ago. After realizing how easy it was to eat and drink there, she made Celestial Village her home in a way. Though...much to the chagrin of the villagers! Jura would sleep throughout most of the day, emerging at night to cause her usual stir. It was so much fun! Maybe even too much fun.

Upon first glance, Jura didn't seem like much. Her skin was a brownish red complexion, and her eyes were bright and yellow. Her hair was a misty grey, short and shaggy against her head. Of course her pointed ears and horns may seem off, but she truly didn't seem all that dangerous when the twenty year old oni was standing at a mere 5'2! Jura's body was lithe and curvy, the only protection she wore was the tribal cloth that covered her private assets. Her toned tummy and legs remained bare. Unfortunately, she was still a demon, and Jura's strengths could easily overpower the usual villager. Not to mention, the red oni carried a rather large steel club that she picked up with relative ease! When most saw her coming, they did their best to avoid the daft oni, who, despite being in her twenties, acted much like an immature child.

The red oni crept up towards the village gates, carrying her rather large steel club as if it were nothing more but a twig. With one mighty swoop, she had mounted a burly tree branch with ease. From her position there, she scanned the quieting village with inquisitive golden eyes until she found exactly what she were looking for. "Ah-ha!" Jura spoke jovially to herself, hoisting herself onto Celestial Village soil. Giggling in childish glee, the red oni began to walk through the silent village until she eventually came to the village tavern. It was locked for the evening, but the naughty oni could easily smash her way through.

With a wave of her hand, the large spiked club smashed into the door of the tavern, leaving an undesirable hole. The lithe oni stepped inside, bounding emphatically towards the bar.

"Uwaa~! Sake!" She breathed happily, dropping her weapon and opening up the alcoholic beverages! Mortals could be so annoying--but they invented sake.

And that was deeelish.

The red oni was quite the light weight, so it wouldn't take too long before she was properly drunk. However, as she were gulping sake after sake, an infuriated villager appeared through the doorway. His face was red with rage.

"M-my....my shop!" He stammered, clutching a farming scythe as a weapon. "You disgusting beast! Get out! NOW!"

The oni blinked, clearly insulted. "D-Disgusting? You big meanie! I'll show you disgusting!" With a pout, she stood, irately grabbing her club. Obviously fearing his life, the cowardly man ran back to the safety of his home, unable to defend his poor shop from Jura's behavior.

"Juju is not disgusting! Juju is not disgusting..!" She yelled, speaking in the third person as she referred to herself as "Juju". It was a petname she was given as a small child growing up within her clan. It was a miracle most red oni could form sentences t all, but Jura had been lucky enough to learn through her excursions. Still, her sentences could often sound strange of fragmented. In any case, Jura didn't miss a beat as she clutched her rod and smashing it against tables and chairs. By time she was finished, the shop was in utter shambles. Satisfied, the red oni skipped outside, continuing her nightly adventures.

The woman was a terror, and the villagers were growing more and more perturbed. How on Earth would they be able to stop this little beast?

[guardianjohran]

The wheels of the carriage rattled and thumped as the vehicle rolled on down the road. It had been the last wagon of the day that Nikolas had found to take him to the Celestial Village. He'd heard rumours of the village having some problems, but it wasn't until his last night in the old inn at his last stop over that he'd really gotten any kind of confirmation on the matter. A traveler like himself, who had tried to stay in the village for a time, but hadn't even been able to make it a week, before being run off by a vicious monster. An oni, the traveler had said. There was an oni that had taken to tormenting the people. Killing and eating their livestock, destroying homes and property, robbing and hurting people, and just generally being a menace. A place like the Celestial Village would certainly be able to reward him well for his services as a monster hunter. Not that he actually was a monster hunter. Though he'd done that work on many occasions before. No, Nikolas was just a man chasing whatever sounded like an adventure. Especially if said adventure paid well. He smiled, picturing the rewards he'd be able to reap at a place like the Celestial Village. He rolled his spear in his hands, anticipating the fight. Not that he wouldn't take their coin, but the fight would also be it's own reward.

An oni though. That was really strange. Typically the oni stayed in the forests and caves. They terrorized the roads and trails. Killed and presumably ate travelers and pilgrims who strayed too far off the roads. It would have to take a very unusual kind of oni to make their way into a village like that. Such creatures usually had too much contempt for mankind to get so near the villages and towns. That could mean this oni was particularly vicious. Also particularly powerful. Which was saying something. He'd fought oni a few times in the past, and while he found them rather stupid, and often easy to out think, he also regarded them among the strongest beings he'd ever fought. Often strong enough that their stupidity didn't matter, because they were strong enough to force their way through any trap or trick they might fall for. Yes, this was going to be a good fight. He never shied away from a challenge after all, and less than half of any fight was ever physical. Their power just made them fun, challenging, opponents. It didn't make them impossible to defeat.

And defeat it he would.

His fist tightened around his weapon as his armor shone in the moonlight. The smile of a man entering a great adventure was suddenly gone from his face, replaced by a scowl. For, Nikolas was kidding himself if he believed he was only going to the Celestial Village for a good fight and a pocket full of coin. The truth was something a little darker. There was a certain disdain in him for any being that would victimize others just for pleasure. Bandits, thieves, monsters, whatever they called themselves, Nikolas longed desperately to put them all to the point of his spear. Call it adventuring, call it being a hero, or call it what it was; fighting. Nikolas was waging a one man war, on the thing he so despised. A war that he told himself would end, when he'd tracked down the bandit troupe that burned his home and killed his family. But he was probably just kidding himself again. For the man who fights monsters has to be careful not to become a monster themselves, and Nikolas, on his noble quest, had somewhere along the line, learned to like violence very much.

"We're here. Celestial Village." The wagon's driver called out as he popped the reins, bringing the horses to a stop. "That'll be 25 coins."

Nikolas was shaken out of his thinking by the man's words, and took a moment to clear his head, before nodding, and dropping a handful of money into the man's palm. He hopped out of the back of the wagon, and stretched his arms and legs, as well as he could in the armor he was already wearing. He didn't generally travel in it, but knowing he would arrive by night, he hdan't wanted to take the risk of encountering his enemy unprotected. It had left him feeling a little stiff and achy though. He tried to roll his shoulders, and bend at the knees a few times, as the wagon driver popped the reins again and was off on his way back home.

Nikolas looked around. Here it was. The Celestial Village. He'd never been here before. There was so much to see, and do here. But he had business to attend to first. He looked around, up and down the main street. Let's see. If he were an oni, where would he be?

A scream echoed down the street.

Well, that was as good of a place to start as any. Gripping his spear firmly he set off in the direction of the sound.

[MissMonster]

Celestial Village had received it's name many centuries ago when a traveling monk noticed how alluring the night sky became. Every evening, the purple skies would be littered with bright stars, shining over the village and illuminating their soft glow onto the ground. The monk would say it was the gods from above watching over them, and the "Celestial Temple" was built in their honor. Many years later, the temple remained home to various priests, and priestesses, all of whom did their best to not only assist their village, but protect it from harm. Many charms were placed onto it, deflecting oni passage.

Jura hated the temple most of all.

After the ruckus she caused at the sake shop, the slightly drunken and oafish oni was now standing face to face with the Celestial Temple, clutching her steel rod with a look of contempt and a hiccup. If anyone followed her, they would have found where she had ended up.

"Stupid temple! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She yelled, frustrated by the lack of passage. At that time, a priestess had slowly come out, nervous but unperturbed.

"Leave, young oni." She spoke firmly. "You have no place here."

"And why is that? Why don't you come down here and say that to Juju's face?" Jura growled, her golden eyes flickering something vicious. While she had never killed, she certainly held no qualms injuring a mortal if need be. Especially when intoxicated!

The priestess sighed, though her eyes started to look toward the distance. "It seems you have bigger things to concern yourself over."

"What?"

The priestess pointed in a far off direction, and Jura slowly turned around to see a hunter coming their way! He was adorned in armor, and carrying a spear. The oni seemed surprise for a minute, before breaking out into a bout of laughter. "This mortal is looking to fight?"

The priestess twitched. "I would prefer no fighting on the temple grounds--"

"Oh shut up! Enjoy the show priestess!" Jura bowed sarcastically before sauntering towards her new prey. "Well, well, well...what do we have here? Humans sure are bold, aren't they?" She licked her lips.

"Most mortals that play with big bad red oni like Juju end up completely flat." She twirled her large rod. "But you're not going to be that boring, are you Mr. Hunter?"

The red oni giggled, golden eyes filled with excitement.

"Hit me with your best shot!" She exclaimed, running forward clumsily and attempting to deliver a crushing blow with her rod.

[guardianjohran]

It hadn't been hard to track the oni. Like most of it's kind, this one wasn't subtle. From the destroyed sake vendor's shop, where he could only assume the scream had issued based on the devastation, he had only to follow the trail of splintered wood, and the scars etched into the ground from where it had drug and swung something. Something quite large. Oni were generally known for carrying ridiculously large weapons. It fit with their style of substituting brute force for any sense of situational awareness in combat. If it moves hit it. If it screams when you hit it, hit it again. Nikolas shook his head. Rounding the corner he followed the trail of havoc all the way to the grounds in front of the temple.

This was where the Celestial Village had gotten it's name. Quite a nice temple it was, much fancier than those in the smaller villages he usually frequented. And out in front of that nice temple, is where he encountered the source of all the trouble. A red oni. Small by the race's standards. A female, and presumably a young one at that. It -no, she- swung the club she carried around wildly as she raised some sort of distubance. The beast was harrassing a rather defensive looking -though he knew looks could be decieving, especially when dealing with those in the favor of the heavens- priestess, until something seemed to call the on's attention to his approach. He heard her scream at him, and laughed aloud.

"Big? Bad? Why you're smaller than-" And then he froze. Holy. Shit. The oni had just spoken to him. In his own language. He'd never encountered such a thing before. Having hunted a few oni in the past, and encountering several others, he'd never had one speak his own language to him. Granted, she had all the enunciative proficiency of a child. But still. That was leaps and bounds above any other he'd ever heard. Especially a red. He wasn't even certain if they could- OH NO!

As he had been lost in the shock of this oni speaking to him, he'd completely spaced out on the fact that she was charging right at him with that foolishly large weapon of hers. He barely snapped back to attention in time to react. And while his dodge managed to keep him out of harm's way, his nice new armor did not fare so well, the pauldron on his right shoulder being shorn off with the force of her clubbing blow, and flattened into the ground at her feet.

"You wretched... I just got that repaired!" He raised his spear into a fighting stance and circled, keeping his now unarmored side away from her. He glowered, and twisted the weapon in his hands. Still, he was as curious as he was angry. She had still spoken to him...

"Oni. I've never heard one of your ilk address me in my own language. Are you alone in this talent? Almost a shame to put you to the blade if so. None the less, you've wronged this village. Wronged it's people. And I have come to hand down your punishment."

[MissMonster]

The Priestess stood atop the temple step's, eyes watching intently at the small battle about to unfold. She detested fights so close to her temple, but for some reason, she did not attempt to halt it. Instead, she watched as the bold hunter addressed the wayward oni. He had laughed at the petite yokai, which if the Priestess knew any better, surely hadn't sit well. 'He's going to realize soon that she is communicating with him in his tongue-ah, and there it is.'

Various priestesses throughout the years had sought after equality at some point. After all, oni children shouldn't be blamed for the sins of the fathers. Jura was no different, and the priestess recalled the little oni being quite the curious child. Yes, they would travel throughout the forests, teaching language and art to as many oni as they possibly could. Until, however, the elder demons grew weary of their presence. A disagreement was met with a battle, thus the magical barrier that protected the temple was of vital importance. The priestess knew Jura wouldn't remember, but it did make her smile to know that the young demoness still retained a lot of what she was taught without realizing. Her pondering was interrupted by the pair before the temple, a fight brewing in their mists.

"Aaugh, Juju isn't that small! There are way smaller demons than Juju!" The red oni glowered. She was a little too self absorbed to realize how shocked the mortal was. No, her mind was set on flattening him like a rice patty!

The man had narrowly dodged, though her massive steel club bit into a good piece of his shiny armor. The 'crack' sound it made brought a nefarious little grin on her face. A piece had fell in front of her bare feet, and Jura cheered as if it made a huge different in their altercation.

"You wretched... I just got that repaired!"

"That is not Juju's problem!" She giggled, twirling her rod with ease. "Only stupid mortals show up to fights with fancy, shmancy shiny metal clothes! Why don't you fight like Juju?" She pointed to herself, wearing nothing but the tribal loins that covered her modesty. All the while she spoke, she watched the human circle her with inquisitive, blood thirsty eyes. "Take your best shot--"

"Oni. I've never heard one of your ilk address me in my own language. Are you alone in this talent?"

"Eh?" Jura had hardly noticed her profound gift, the gift of communication. She had had the ability for years, and although many elder demons found it annoying, she never truly thought about it. The young demon shrugged. "Who cares? Shut up and fight Juju!" His next words made her glare, stomping her small feet into the ground.

"Almost a shame to put you to the blade if so. None the less, you've wronged this village. Wronged it's people. And I have come to hand down your punishment."

"How dare you address Juju that waaaay!? Gonna clobber you into a million pieces you stupid fleshy--"

"Enough!" The priestess had finally spoken again, slowly descending the steps with her robes brushing against her ankles. "Hunter, while you are correct in wanting to punish this young oni, killing her will hardly do. She is amongst a dying breed who can communicate, a result of the temple's priests and priestesses many years ago."

Juju blinked at this, opening her mouth to speak, but was swiftly cut off with a hand wave. The priestess continued.

"She is impish, mischievous, and downright incorrigible. But she is still young and shows potential to use her abilities for good. You are correct in punishing her...but like an errant child, who can we blame for her behavior? She has only learned to adapt. It is your final decision of course...but whatever decision you make, please know it can dramatically alter our future." Humans and demons were always in constant struggle, and despite what many people knew of the temple, there were many within that longed for peace.

The priestess suddenly and swiftly placed a seal onto the young oni's head. It radiated a luminescent blue light, before dissipating into her skull. Jura screamed, frightened and enraged as she fell to her knees! A fleeting feeling washed over her body--she felt...weaker.

"What have you done!? What did you do to Juju!" She all but cried, attempting to stand and swing at the holy woman with her club, but only succeeding in barely budging it. "W-What...!?"

The priestess ignored the screaming oni, her eyes now on the hunter. "The seal has stripped away her powers, making her like you and I. Now tell me, hunter, what choice will you make? Is money that important to you?"

[guardianjohran]

He froze in his circling as the priestess cast her spell, watching the holy woman with no small degree of curiosity.

"Well if you could have done that anytime you wanted, why have you let the oni girl terrorize the village for so long?" He asked, no small degree of bewilderment in his tone, as he watched the demon girl try and drag her club around. To know she could have solved this problem, but chose not to, he understood why more and more people were feeling more and more disconnected from the church. But he chuckled at the priestess' words.

"I don't hunt for the money priestess. Not primarily. I mean don't get me wrong. Being able to put a roof over my head is nice, but I fight to undo the scourge that troubles innocent people. Though, without her power to make her a threat, perhaps there is another way to accomplish that." He twirled the spear and then drove it, point down, into the ground at his feet.

"I believe you were most correct when you called her an errant child." He said, as he stepped out and around his weapon, putting himself between it and the oni. "But, a child, can be taught. Please do not interfere any further priestess. And you have my word that no real harm will come to the oni girl." And with that, he turned his attention back to Jura. He watched for a time as she wailed and struggled with the large weapon. Something she had once been so able to wield with ease, that now she could barely even drag along the ground.

"Oni. You asked me why I don't fight like you. And while I'd have to say it's because you are borderline indecent, I'll make you a concession." He unlocked his gauntlets and dropped them from off his hands. It would not do to wear them now, for what he had in mind. He loosened the straps on the plates covering his shoulders and chest, and allowed those to fall away as well. He still wore his boots and his belt, but his chest and arms were now covered only by a rather plain tunic.

"Your powers have given you the ability to impose your will on others. To harm and destroy. And you do not understand your victims, because you've always had such strength, that they have seemed inconsequential to you. However. That power gone, you have an opportunity. You have the chance to see things from a new way. A new perspective. So, Oni. No - Juju, you call yourself. Well then, Juju, if a fight is what you want, I'm here. You can't lift your weapon. I have dropped mine. You can no longer pierce my armor. I no longer wear it. If violence is the way of your heart Juju, here I stand. Fight as my equal, if that is what you desire."

His stance changed as he spoke. He did expect her to attack him still. Even without her power, he knew she probably only understood one way to think, one way to act. She was still an oni. But like the priestess had said, she was a very special one, if she could communicate with humans. If she could learn to speak, then maybe she could learn to feel as well. Though he was going to have to teach her a very hard lesson. The priestess had described her as a child. Impish, mischievious, and incorrigable. But she'd also said the oni had potential to grow into something better. And he saw that as well. In many ways, despite her development, this oni was much like a human child. And when a human child misbehaved, they would be taught a lesson. The same kind of lesson he planned to teach the oni girl here this evening.

"Let's play your game then Juju. But we're playing by my rules." He laughed, and assumed a defensive posture.

[MissMonster]

The priestess held no other facial expression other than one of pure apathy. A lady of the church must be so, in order to pass proper judgement. Her emotions were not to be directly connected to the scenario which unfolded, lest she makes a bias decision. “While I can understand your confusion, you must bear in mind just what us miko stand for. While we wish for peace, we are not the ones who must fight for it. We have been chosen as a child to be this way. Just as He who is above us cannot tamper with the natural order of things. The power bestowed upon us is limited, and there are no ‘do overs’. That seal is about the extent of my ability…and I have chosen you, hunter, to be the one to advise.” The mystical woman gave her explanation without so much as a blink. It almost sounded like it had been recited many a time, to many a person.

The Celestial Temple, and the holy men and women that reside within it, held many secrets.
Either people praised them for their closeness to the gods, or others truly believed they were some sort of Celestial being, sent to Earth to aid the villages with their teachings. Some even claimed they held unspeakable magical prowess, such as clairvoyance, but others certainly found their presence baffling or even unconventional.

The priestess listened to the hunter’s words, and a ghost of a smile appeared on her face for a brief period. “He who wonders, will eventually find why.” Was all she said, turning on her heel and back up temple steps. “And they who are lonely, will find amenity.” There would be no more interference from her, instead, she was going to allow what she had hoped to unravel. “Take care hunter. She is your obstacle now. If you’re ever around the village, or if you need guidance on your sacred journey, feel free to find me at the temple grounds. Look for Aya.” The priestess had seen this all in her vision before, and although she could’ve stopped Jura long ago with her seal…she knew she couldn’t be the one to care for her. She couldn’t be the one to teach her to cease her chaos behavior, and control her emotions. She had seen the hunter arrive in her dreams, and realized, he may be the only one to take up the task. Not to mention, he could use his own form of intimacy.

The path for the two would be a hard one, but she trusted in her visions. She was never wrong.

“What are you saying?! Juju doesn’t understand—eh, where are you going you witch!” While the hunter and the priestess spoke to one another, Jura was preoccupied in trying to punch trees, stomp the ground, or even attempt to lift her rod. None of which worked (punching the tree surely hurt too), and the prospect of being powerless frightened her. “Bring them back!”

The exiting priestess glanced at the girl wearily. “They will return to you in time. Depending on how you grow.”

“Grow? But Juju is already grow..’d?”

“That man will see to your new growth, young oni. And you, will to see his.” The priestess took her leave, a dumbfounded oni in her wake.

“Oni.”

Juju near jumped, golden eyes wide as she took a step back. “Y-You wouldn’t hit a girl while she was down right? Eheheh…” She sheepishly laughed, watching nervously as the human began to disrobe his armor and gear. “Right? You did say no harm would come to Juju—“

Her voice trailed off at his next words, almost as prophetic and confusing as the damn priestess herself! She stood there, arms to her side as she glared at the man before her. He was right, all she did know was one way to convey her emotions, and that was through her mischief and mayhem.

“Hmph. And here Juju thought you were going to do some weird magic trick like the damned priestess! If a fight ya want, a fight you’ll get!” She snapped, cracking her knuckles.

"Let's play your game then Juju. But we're playing by my rules."

“You talk just as much as she does!” She sneered. Without even a passing thought in her mind, Juju came charging at her foe, fist raised and aimed for the human’s face.

[guardianjohran]

He only shook his head. Her answer didn't provide any actual answer. The priestess was but a servant of the temple. And she made it obvious she was no servant of the people. Regardless of her willingness to care for the oni or not, she could have sealed away her power at any time. How many people wouldn't have been hurt, how many homes wouldn't have been destroyed, if she'd done so earlier. He actually laughed a little.

"He who wonders... Well I suppose she who answers questions with other questions doesn't have any more to say on the topic. That's fine. I'll take it from here. I'll handle the issue, one way or another, as I would have before your odd little puzzle was presented to me." He watched the oni struggle with her new found weakness as he spoke. The creature seemed to be bewildered by all the things she could no longer do. How much strength she no longer possessed. She couldn't lift her weapon, and as he watched her try to punch through a tree, something she would have no doubt been able to do without much effort before, he couldn't help but wince sympathetically as she wounded herself against its newfound resiliance.

"If I ever need new riddles to solve, I'll return to the temple to be told to figure it out on my own, yes." At this point, his own quickness to fight had perhaps gotten the best of him, as he was just being hostile in general. The priestesses words, explanations without any explanations, seemed frustratingly pointless. He'd deal with the issue of the oni girl -or former oni girl?- as he always had dealt with everthing else in his path. With his own hands, and his own mind.

"You may be grown, oni girl, but you aren't mature. There is a difference. To grow the body and to grow the mind are not the same thing." He watched her huff and rage some more, as the priestess vanished back into her temple, and shook his head again slightly. The oni girl's tone had changed as he removed his armor. Though, he didn't understand why, until he heard her explain.

"I wouldn't torment one weaker than myself just for my own amusement, no." He paraphrased her comment about hitting a girl when she was down. "But you have. And actions must have consequences. Don't worry though. No magic from me. I'm more direct than that. I don't even know any card tricks to show you. Much less any kind of spells." He laughed. She probably wouldn't get it. Oh well.

"But, growing up so strong, so used to getting your way by hurting other people, it's going to seem like magic to you, how well I'm able to withstand and defeat you."

"You talk just as much as she does!" The oni screamed at him, and rushed in head on. He sighed a little inside. This would almost be too easy. Of course, the priestess had already taken the fun out of the fight, when she made them equals. He couldn't really give it his all now, or he'd just be beating up a girl. But still he could have hoped for some kind of tactical challenge. But alas, no. The club weapon the oni carried was actually a very good representation of the way they behaved and thought. A blunt instrument. No finesse to it. Strong enough in a very straightforward way that it did not need any planning to use it. He laughed, aloud, at his oncoming attacker. Right in her face. Right before her punch connected. A blow that would normally have torn off his head, were she fighting at her normal level of strength. It was still a well thrown punch, but it lacked that demonic power now, and as such, it knocked him backward only a step, his head snapping around sideways, as he absorbed the blow.

He'd done that for two reasons. Firstly, to prove a point to her about how strong she wasn't anymore, and secondly, he'd made a smaller sacrifice to gain a larger advantage. Being ready to take the punch, he allowed himself to be spun a little bit by it, and let her overextend herself in the follow-through. Twisting himself sideways, grabbed at her arm in an attempt to subdue her by pinning her arm against the small of her back, even as he stepped around and behind her, to get inside her reach.