Chapter 18 – The Song of Blades and Beasts
The morning sun spilled gently through the gaps in the trees, washing the camp in a soft golden light.
The soldiers had already eaten their breakfast, simple bread and boiled roots with a thin stew, when Ashton called Syph, Dino, and Kyen-Seen into his office.
The faint chatter of training soldiers echoed outside as Ashton leaned back in his chair and let out a quiet sigh.
"So," he began, voice steady but thoughtful, "how do we even start?"
Kyen-Seen, who was lounging with his feet half across the table, tilted his head and spoke in his usual odd manner.
"Oi oi, Majesty-man, ye drag me here, eh? For what reason, ah? My belly full, my mood good, yet here I sit. Why me?"
Ashton gave him a flat look. "Because you know this forest more than we do."
Dino and Syph both nodded in agreement, their expressions calm and serious.
Ashton turned to Syph. "Tell me, what do you think?"
Syph placed a finger to her chin, thinking for a moment before speaking.
"I think we should start with the small beasts that loom not far from here.
The weaker ones, easy to handle."
Dino crossed his arms and nodded.
"I agree. It's our first time heading deeper into the forest. Best to start with something manageable."
Ashton nodded slowly, though his face carried a trace of bitterness.
He turned his gaze to Kyen-Seen, who was sitting cross-legged beside him, eyes half-shut as if bored.
"And what about you, Kyen-Seen? What do you think?"
Kyen-Seen opened one eye lazily.
"Ahh, what do I think? Hah, same same, Majesty-man. Weak beasties first, else your poor lads get eaten whole.
And cleaning the corpses, aye, I know that art. I'll show them how not to ruin the skin.
Trust me, eh?"
His tone shifted from lazy to serious at the end, his strange speech underlined by a sharp glint in his eyes.
"Then," Ashton said firmly, "you'll be in charge of teaching some of the soldiers. Can I trust you with that?"
Kyen-Seen sat upright, placing a hand dramatically over his chest.
"Trust me, Majesty-man! My knife knows the beast's body better than its own mother, ahaha!"
Satisfied, Ashton turned to Syph. "You'll lead the soldiers. Understood?"
Syph stood, bowed slightly, and answered with calm pride.
"Yes, Your Majesty." She walked out to give orders, her steps precise and composed.
Ashton looked to Dino.
"You'll assist her."
Dino nodded.
"Of course." He followed after Syph, leaving only Ashton and Kyen-Seen in the room.
The silence lingered for a moment before Kyen-Seen spoke.
"They seem to respect ye, Majesty-man," he said, grinning with his sharp teeth slightly visible.
Ashton exhaled, eyes softening. "Yeah, they sure do."
"Then leave the messy business of beast-skinning to me. Count on ol' Kyen-Seen, aye?"
Ashton gave a small smile. "I'll hold you to that."
Far away, deep within a demi-human village hidden by thick mist, five figures sat around a round table.
The air in the room was heavy, the pressure they exuded enough to crush a normal person flat.
One of them, a young girl with sharp cat ears and a long tail, slammed her hand on the table.
"My men were killed, and you want me to sit here and wait?" she spat, eyes burning with fury.
"Quiet, Kitsu," said a man with the same cat ears and tail. His voice was firm, his presence commanding.
"You're weaker than us. If you charge out, you'll only get yourself killed."
"But brother—!"
Her protest was cut short as her brother's gaze bore into her.
The sharpness in his eyes made her words wither in her throat. She lowered her ears and fell silent, though her tail lashed in frustration.
Another demi-human, broad-shouldered and scarred, leaned back in his chair.
"We shouldn't act recklessly.
The humans brought someone unusual this time."
Their leader, Jack—a towering demigod with silver hair and glowing eyes—spoke at last, his voice like distant thunder.
"Not yet," he said simply. "We wait. Our time will come."
The others bowed their heads in agreement, though Kitsu bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
Back at the camp, Kyen-Seen stood before three nervous soldiers.
In his hand was a short hunting knife, glinting faintly in the sunlight.
On the ground lay the carcass of a freshly killed horned hare.
"Listen well, eh!" he barked, wagging the knife like a teacher's stick.
"Skinning be not hack and slash like madman! Nay, nay, ye must be gentle, like wooing a lady! If ye cut too deep, boom! Hole in the fur, worthless hide, Majesty-man angry, eh?"
The soldiers stiffened and nodded, hanging on his every word.
One of them raised a hand timidly.
"S-Sir, what if the beast is… bigger than a hare?"
Kyen-Seen's eyes widened dramatically.
"Bigger, eh? Then bigger knife, ye dolt! But same rule! Gentle hand, aye! Knife should kiss the skin, not stab it!"
The soldiers exchanged glances, half-confused, half-amused by his strange manner of speaking.
He crouched beside the hare and demonstrated with surprising grace.
The knife slid under the skin, separating flesh with swift, clean strokes.
"See, see? Like undressing a maiden, hah! Smooth, careful, no rush. Else ye tear the dress and she slaps ye!"
The soldiers burst out laughing despite themselves, though they quickly stifled it when Kyen-Seen shot them a mock glare.
"Oi, oi! Ye laugh at my wisdom, eh? Then try it yerselves!"
One soldier stepped forward nervously and began copying the motions.
His hands shook, but Kyen-Seen hovered behind him, correcting his grip.
"Knife straight, lad! Not sideways like ye stir porridge! Ahh, aye, better now!"
By midday, the three soldiers were sweating but had managed to skin two hares with minimal damage.
Kyen-Seen clapped them on the back with such force they nearly toppled over.
"Good lads! Ye learn fast, eh? Keep this up, and Majesty-man will call ye his skinners of glory, hahaha!"
Ashton, Dino, and Syph returned later with more small beasts, their arms full of meat and hides.
Evening settled, and soon the campfire burned bright. Potatoes roasted in the embers while meat sizzled on skewers.
The soldiers ate heartily, the exhaustion of the day softened by the warmth of food and fire.
Around the flames, Kyen-Seen became the center of attention.
The soldiers asked him about his travels, about the beasts he'd fought, about his odd manner of speaking.
He answered with wild stories, half of which seemed exaggerated, though none dared call him a liar.
At one point, a soldier grinned and said, "Sir Kyen-Seen, do you sing as well as you fight?"
"Eh? Sing, ye say? Hah, ye poor fools, ye ask for doom with yer own mouths!"
And so, he sang.
The song was old, strange, filled with rhythms that sounded more like chants of a wandering bard than music.
"Ohhh, the beast it roared,
but Kyen-Seen swung his sword,
cut the belly wide,
made stew from the inside!
Drink, lads, drink,
till yer bellies sink,
sing with me loud,
or I'll skin ye proud!"
His voice was horrendous.
It was as if someone had taken a rusted blade and dragged it across stone. Each note stabbed into the ears of the listeners like daggers.
The soldiers tried to endure, some covering their ears discreetly.
But by the end of the second verse, one by one, they collapsed around the fire.
Even Ashton, Dino, and Syph were not spared, their heads slumping forward as if struck unconscious.
Kyen-Seen looked around proudly, puffing his chest.
"Hoho! Did they like my music so much, eh? Fell asleep at once! Touching, truly touching. Next night, I sing again, aye!"
The crackling fire was his only answer.
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