Rei Balor's Updates

Three days out, that had been the last tidbit of information she had managed to get from this small village. Rei Balor sat at an empty table in a crowded and boisterous bar, she was garbed in a large black hooded cloak so that no one could see her identity. Of course, her identity wasn't what she was concerned with. Even without the cloak, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to identify her. Beneath the cloak was a set of black accursed armor, and further beneath that armor was the sole survivor of the Dullahan clan. The blue skinned, white haired and golden eyed beauty.

Survivor was such a strong word though, especially with someone "gifted" with immortality. Even more so when you considered the fact that she had single-handedly slaughtered her entire clan of immortals and used their souls to fuel the very armor that she was now a prisoner within. Hey! If your gonna sit in my bar, then at least buy something to drink! A large man had appeared and slammed a mug on the table that Rei sat at. He had slammed the mug down hard, wondrously not breaking the glass. To a lesser person, they may have been startled by the sudden aggressive patronage of the barkeeper. Rei was not however, for she was not easily startled... and even more, she had been listening to everything going on in the bar. From the bartender approaching, to the new customers just arriving outside after a presumably long journey. The bartender was being aggressive, but Rei knew just from a glance of his aura that he was actually going out of his way to be hospitable. Not many strangers came through the small village he lived in, and especially not strangers who kept themselves hidden. It was an easy enough guess to know Rei was a shinobi: not many of the strongest men in the small town could contend with a shinobi. The bartender didn't want trouble, so he was playing as polite as possible.

What'sh thish? Pershonal shervice to a shtranger? What'sh with you Mr. barkeeper? A haggard and apparent drunk from across the bar yelled out likely far more loudly than he had intended. Most of the voices in the bar quietened down as many eyes turned in Rei's direction. She had purposefully chosen one of the tables along the back wall in the corner, to avoid unwanted attention. Now some drunk had caused her to lose anymore possible leads she may have gleamed from this innocent village. Alcohol was an unpleasant thing. Rei herself almost couldn't get drunk: her body would heal too quickly for the sedative to take effect on her mind. The price: she had to stand back and watch everyone else make a fool of themselves.

This is my bar, what I do in my bar is my own damned business you drunk. The last thing any of us want is another shinobi wrecking our village. I'm surprised you can still talk that loudly after that swordsman with the strange swords smacked you good the other day. the burly man said as a matter of fact and poured a tall glass of alcohol for Rei and then briskly made his way back to the bar. Rei could tell, he was good at these kinds of things. He diffused most of the sudden and tense situation. Most of it: while many of the customers went back to their own conversations and drinks, one table of onlookers didn't.

Of course, she saw then coming as soon as they had exchanged knowing glances. Their aura had given away their intent even before they had stood from their table. Four tough looking farmers had decided that they didn't like their barkeeper giving special favors to outsiders. A quick glance at their life numbers above their heads and Rei knew that they were in serious trouble. Just before standing, the men had many years left to live- but as soon as they stood with the intent of bringing her harm, their life numbers had dropped to less than a minute.

Two approached from the front and sat at the table with Rei, one stood on the right side of the table and the last stood behind her. You sure seem mighty suspicious, even for a stranger. Hey Mr. Why don't you tell me and my boys your name? Rei didn't respond, instead, she grabbed the tall mug of ale and brought it to her shrouded face and downed the whole glass in one gulp. She set the mug down hard on the table and exhaled heavily just once. Not getting the response he had hoped for, the man was angered and his buddies chuckled. I said... Tell us your name! he yelled suddenly, reaching forward and yanking the cloak away from Rei's face.

His expression froze as her armored face was exposed to the suddenly very interested tavern full of drunks. Was he surprised to find a black set of strange armor beneath? Was he surprised that Rei made no apparent reaction at being demasked so rudely? Who knew for sure, for he had died the instant his hand had pulled away her shroud. The handle of her scythe had suddenly broken from beneath the table and pierced the man through the heart. Dead where he sat, the last thing he had seen was the visage of her cursed armor, red eyes staring back at him in rage beneath the black helm.

The man behind her was next, a single move of her hand to the seat beside her as she grabbed the shaft of her scythe and jerked it upwards violently. Where the hilt of her scythe had killed the first, the sharp curved blade lay at the other end- the end which she jerked upwards behind her from the floor and sliced the drunk behind her clean in half. From groin to skull.

The man split in half had suddenly become two and fell separate ways on the floor as he spilled his guts all over some of the drunks behind him. Of the two still alive, the one standing beside Rei's table had witnessed the action. He was the next: too shocked and horrified to retaliate, run or scream, he just stood there. Up her armored hand went as her right hand found the back of the man's head and slammed his head down onto the table she sat at. She slammed his head onto the table with enough force to split his skull, but her aim had been different. Instead of busting his skull and the table, she had slammed his face down right onto the empty glass mug with enough force to break his skull and jam the glass into his head whole.

His body spasmed once as death took its effect and his body went limp as it fell to the floor. The last man, having enough time to see and react, screamed in horror as one after another, his childhood buddies became bloody gore messes on the floor. He had been one of the two whom had sat down at her table in an attempt to intimidate her: now he struggled to free himself from the seat to flee in terror. It was too late for him, his death had been decided the moment he had gotten up from his table to disturb her. Rei stood up even before he could and with one swift kick to his exposed shoulder from the side of the table, sent him flying violently through the wall and out into the pouring rain of the evening. Arm, shoulder, ribs, all crushed. His neck broken from the sudden jarring movement and his legs full of wood and nails from the wall, he lay out in the rain screaming in pain as he began to bleed out and go into shock.

Rei turned her devil eyes to anyone else in the bar, her crimson eyes flashing through the black helm. Everyone was too scared to react: the bloodlust and killing intent was heavy enough to pacify all of them. At most, the drunks who had been sitting behind her were freaking out from having the split man's innards all over them and their drinks. She turned to the barkeeper, You mentioned a swordsman carrying strange swords. Which way did he go? she asked, most intrigued at the tidbit of information she had acquired all thanks to the first of the rude drunks.

The barkeeper, still in shock, managed to find words from his dry lips as his arm pointed towards the mountains. T-to the mountains! Just two or three days ago. He mentioned there was something he needed to do there. Without another word, Rei stepped through the hole in the wall she had made. She stepped on the broken corpse she had left there, as she used him to step over a deep puddle of water. She continued walking through the rain and headed towards the mountains that loomed in the dark distance. She was almost caught up to the swordsman now. She had spent five years chasing him all over the country, now he was so close at hand, that she could feel her black blood boiling with excitement.