[center][b][u][i]Kotaro Kuzunoha[/i][/u][/b]

[@Gerlando][@Iamme][@Urizen]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyaR0u6yozI[/youtube][/center]

Ever got into a situation so bizarre or dangerous or just plain different from the norm, that you have to sit down and ask "How the hell did I get here?"

Well, for the little 10-year old samurai vagabond Kotaro, this was one of those situations. His journey from the island nation of Hizuru to Avalon was evidently not off to a good start; bonded to anti-magic cuffs, his sword far away from him, and currently in a room surrounded by weird-but-powerful wizards who apparently are indecisive what to do with him, and the guy who came to rescue him only to get his insides turned to iron-flavored popsicles.

[hr]

Looking back, the boy was naive in thinking he could travel from Hizuru all the way to Avalon by his lonesome without any trouble. He suspected common thieves or kidnappers on the road, maybe even a rogue wizard or two wanting to grab him for profit of any kind. But he figured he could handle whatever came his way. He was after all the Fox Sage's pupil, and learned how to be decent with his wind raigetsu and swordplay; anybody who'd stand in the boy's way would have a lot more than they bargained for. In a way, the fact that he's a wandering kid on the younger side of the spectrum is something he could use to his advantage; people of a child-harming profession tend to underestimate their prey and master Tai always taught him not to waste an opponent's underestimation in battle. How did he put it again? "Hunters who chase a little black fox into a corner, will find themselves led there and becoming the prey." ...Something like that anyways.

But never did he expect the opponent blocking his path be some clown freak apparently made of crows. Something about this..."thing" freaked the boy out more than any thief or hooligan ever could. That gaudy ridiculous attire, the crows that seemed to be around him, those big black eyes that were as if the boy would be sucked into the Void just for looking at him, and this feeling, this darkness he could sense... Screw "butterflies", there were outright [i]moths[/i] in his stomach as this guy chatted about him being perfect for... well, Kotaro wasn't really paying much attention to whatever he was saying. This guy was a particular brand of bad news he wasn't prepared for, instinctively going into his Kitsune form, The boy and Brandon the Jester fought off the trail...well, it's more accurate it turned into a fight as Kotaro tried to run off the path to get away and the clown followed suit.

Kotaro tried to fought him off, and to his credit, the boy seemed to be doing well at it, giving the clown a hard time. But, there was a moment of weakness, his mind starting to go dark, his body getting enervated and sleepy... was it the clown's magic, or was it something that hit his head during the battle and giving him a concussion? His mind was too scattered to focus on that or the fight for much longer until eventually...he just blacked out.

Next thing he knew, he was in a dungeon, his weapon taken from him, his hands cuffed to keep from using any magic, and surrounded by other kids roughly around the same age as him.

For a little while now, Kotaro was in his cell with the others, sat down near the middle, trying to keep himself calm and figure out how to get out of this situation - hopefully without any random blackouts this time - and free the rest of these children with him. The fact that they were kids and so not the least bit quiet about their situation did not help matters at all, some of them even tried to pick a fight with him as the weird new fresh meat. This was far from the kind of thing master Tai trained him for, and the cherry on top is that while he tried his damnedest to hide it, he was just as terrified of this situation as the rest of them.

[hr]

Which brings us to the present. Kotaro and the other kids are lined up in what seemed to be a giant throne room, a giant heart-shaped Lacrima - the likes of which Kotaro has never seen before - chained up in the back behind the throne. That clown from before is there suggesting the many things they could do to him including - oh, how cute - feeding the "fox" to a bunch of hounds outside, said iron-popsicle guy the clown was kicking, and sitting on the throne was the one whom the clown was talking to, a woman that looked almost like royalty, her eyes as blue as the giant lacrima on behind, and a look in them that was just as cold and stone-like. He didn't know what the clown who was still chatting it up was talking about, but while he never heard of the name 'Rajabel' before, something about it irked him in a way he couldn't explain...A demon perhaps? Could it have been the same one that attacked the forest that day? ...No, it sounds like whoever this Rajabel is, he isn't materially present in the world yet...and these kids - himself included - are the ones that are going to be that material to bring him into the world.

Just looking at this "Setsuka-sama" on the throne, Kotaro doesn't know why but he can tell, ...this lady is gonna sacrifice him and the rest of these kids for this Rajabel demon if nothing was done. Moreover, by the sound of things, that's the "lucky" way out of this. One's gonna be a lot worse off as a vessel if nothing is done.

The guy coming to rescue the kids is incapacitated from the ice, but judging by what the clown was saying, this guy's a fire wizard. While it's true that ice magic might beat out fire magic, ice itself might be able to melt off from the fire magic; he won't be able to focus on that with that clown kicking him though. Considering that Setsuka lady over there, never mind the other mages in the room, he didn't like this guy's chances in a fight. But with his own hands tied and his weapon out of reach, he was the best chance they had at getting out of this.

And so, Kotaro took a deep breath...

"[b]If you care so much for those hounds' stomachs, how about feeding them some of those birds of yours instead!? In the meantime, how about [i]not[/i] threatening to kill off kids you need so badly for this ritual or whatever? Seems a bit stupid and short-sighted to think about how to kill us [i]'vessels'[/i] you spent a lot of time gathering for such an event. What if you end up killing the one kid that's perfect for hosting this Raja-whatever, and you end up with a failed ritual for it? Did it occur to you how her royal highness over there will react if that happens, or do you happen to have a crow's brain to go with that bird-magic of yours?[/b]" He yelled to Brandon, a smirk on his face. Chances are the other kids were trying to calm Kotaro down or shut him up for his own sake, but if the clown got pissed at his taunts, then his job was done.

He just needs to keep him and everyone else distracted while the fire-guy melts off his ice and fights back.