The man leading the group was talking to the air, laughing at jokes only he and his friends could hear from his chat. "Heh, did you see how he begged for it? What a pathetic wannabe." He held a jagged blade over his shoulder. Tall and lanky, his skin glowed with a sickly, pale light—the blessing of his God. It wasn't bright enough to light the way, just enough to make him look "special" in the dark.
Suddenly, his eyes reached Guy. "Look at this, guys. We found a rare specimen in the wild: a 'Zero-Viewer Ghost' in its natural habitat. Should we see if it can speak, or is it just a piece of the scenery?"
"Hey, Ghost. I'm talking to you," he said, his voice loud for the benefit of the invisible eyes hovering around him. He stepped into the light of Guy's small fire, his shadow stretching long and jagged over the log.
Hobs trembled beside Guy, his head bowed low. "Please, sir... we're just resting."
Guy didn't look up. He took a slow, deliberate bite of the cold gruel. The iron bar leaned against his thigh, cold and unmoving.
"Sir? Don't you know who I am? I am the king of this area; you address me by my name." He made a small hand gesture toward Hobs.
"Rook," Hobs said, his voice low.
Out of nowhere, Rook kicked the bowl of grub out of Hobs' hands. "That's KING Rook to you, disgusting ghost!"
[Donation: 5 Deity Points from The Patron of Petty Cruelty]
"Hah! You're going to be fine entertainment," Rook said, laughing. "What about you?"
With a swift movement, Rook pulled out a dagger and aimed it at Guy's face, pushing aside his long hair with the tip of the blade. "Would you look at that? And here I thought it would be some kind of monstrosity."
Suddenly, Rook looked toward the sky and a smile formed. "My viewers think you're a little too handsome for a ghost. They demand a 'makeover.'"
As soon as Rook lunged to cut, Guy's hand shot up, his fingers clenching the bare steel of the dagger. Rook tried to rip the weapon free, but it didn't budge it was as if the dagger had been driven into bedrock.
"What the—" Rook mumbled, his smug expression finally crumbling.
Desperate, Rook swung a heavy kick, but Guy blocked it with his forearm. The impact sounded like wood hitting stone; Guy didn't even flinch. With a single, explosive shove, Guy sent the "King" reeling. Rook stumbled back, tripping directly over the fire pit and sending a thick, choking cloud of black smoke and hot ash into the air.
In the commotion, Guy shoved Hobs toward the tree line. "Run, old man. I'll take care of this."
Pain flashed across Hobs' face at the thought of leaving his friend, but he knew the severity of the situation. He scrambled to his feet and quickly made his escape into the shadows.
As the smoke settled, Rook let out a feral cry. "That bastard!" he yelled, climbing to his feet. Not much physical damage had been done, but his pride was in tatters. He glared at Guy with murderous intent. "You're going to pay for this humiliation, you bastard." Rook looked up at the sky, his expression darkening with every comment he read from his invisible audience.
Rook's crew began to circle Guy like wolves. "You should have just stayed quiet, ghost," one of them sneered.
"Leave him to me," Rook commanded, waving his men back. He drew a jagged sword from his hip; its serrated teeth still held bits of dried flesh from previous victims. "See this?" He held the blade across his face, his eyes manic. "I'm going to tear into you, one cut at a time. You'll endure a slow, agonizing death until my viewers are satisfied."
Guy, iron "sword" in hand, met Rook's eyes with a stony gaze. He readied his weapon in the only stance he knew, a squared, forward-facing posture, his blade leveled directly at his opponent.
Rook's crew burst out laughing. "Look at this clown! He's like a statue!"
Rook smirked as he glanced up at the numbers: [312], [320], [325]. "At least you'll serve your purpose," he said with his usual smugness.
A strange blue aura swirled around Rook.
[Points Spent: Agility UP Lv. 3]
In an instant, the man who had been standing right in front of Guy was nowhere to be seen.
Guy felt a sharp pain flare in his abdomen. He didn't even see the strike, but a strip of his flesh had been torn away.