Rondo of Blood

Altera: Of the Destitute and the Destined

---

With the sacrifice accepted and the ritual concluded, Siwon stood up once more as he continued to set up his own small camp. As usual, he had planned to sleep for a whole six hours with the intention of waking up early in the morning for both keeping watch for his group. Unlike before, Siwon did not have a visual reaction to his demon's smug comments, instead keeping that grim expression that he always had since he started the ritual.

"My allies think me weak. They wish not to listen to my warnings, and instead choose the path that would lead them to pleasure instead. This will change soon... With every sacrifice I make, I will get stronger."

Invigorated once more with resolve and contempt for his own weakness, Siwon once more set off, lighting a torch for himself as he looked near the campsite for any small animal to serve as a sacrifice for tomorrow morning. The first step of becoming stronger would be to obtain the good graces of the Jaws once more... otherwise, he'd be forced to fight with a fighting style that encouraged his usual opportunistic behavior. He did make sure to stay within a certain perimeter near the camp, in case he was ambushed by gods-know-what.

Altera: Of the Destitute and the Destined

---

Of course they would run into him. With Siwon's luck, an encounter like that was bound to happen. At the very least, the Orc Champion did not wish to fight with the party for now. Despite this, the Fiend Knight had a gut feeling he should avoid the Orc. As much as he does it anyway, Siwon is well aware that his ramblings would get himself killed from those less patient than his allies are. Even if it meant sacrificing a nice and relaxing bath, Siwon would resolve himself to sore legs if it meant his survival would be more assured. His small encampment was already set up, which only left one more thing for the Fiend Knight to do...

"... And alright, circle's fine." The Fiend Knight wrapped his hand with some spare cloth, having cut himself by the palm in order to produce enough blood to make a circle of offering on the ground before him. The circle itself appeared to be the maw of a wolf's, and one that looked quite well done from one hand-drawn with blood. Taking the small piece of flesh procured from the Abom he had totally slain single-handedly, Siwon placed it within the center of the circle before kneeling in front of it.

"A sacrifice in the morning I have failed to procure, but I hope this death I have dedicated to you shall bring me back into your good graces, O Jaws of Death..."

And so the Fiend Knight began to offer a prayer to Kur-Inuus.

Altera: Of the Destitute and the Destined

---

Siwon looked to the mists, hoping that they'd find a sign that only proves his suspicions. He didn't want to take any drastic actions, being about as tired as everyone else. He also knew he couldn't take everyone on, and his chance of survival will likely lessen without their help. As soon as Ettamri gave the all-clear, Siwon knew he had to at least try to reason with the rest.

"Don't be foolish, this is clearly a trap! The Jaws have forewarned me of this... Whoever or whatever is in that mist may seem like he means us no harm, but something tells me we'll end up like that wreck we ran into if we stay. Let's just make camp further down the road."

Crossing his arms, Siwon hoped that his allies would listen to reason. If they still wished to stay, then Siwon would make it clear from his actions that he won't follow them to their doom. Rather than helping the rest pack up, the Fiend Knight would work on taking his own supplies as well as any spare camping gear.

The thought of just taking the wagon and leaving while everyone else met their inevitable doom tempted Siwon, but for now all he could do was find his own place to rest away from everyone else. It was also unfortunate that he didn't bring his own map along, either. That meant if he wished to abscond, he'd have to retrace his footsteps back to Andeave. He'd have to steal a horse at the very least.

For now, Siwon kept his thoughts of running away to himself as he resolved to distance himself from whatever dangers lurked in their supposed sanctuary all while refusing to help his traveling companions prepare for their doom. He remained cautious, not letting his sword arm wander too far off from his blade...

Altera: Of the Destitute and the Destined

---

Another day, another pair of sore legs. Traveling through the snow was both cold and tiring. Despite this, Siwon tried looking at it in a more optimistic matter. They only had the rest of the day and all of tomorrow left to deliver the goods, already. After that, the stronghold may be a suitable place to rest up... that is, before they have to spend another three days returning back to Andeave. Such thoughts reminded Siwon of why he stopped looking on the bright side of things.

Soon, Siwon found himself much warmer than he was just moments ago. The smell of brimstone filled his nostrils, bringing thoughts of rest and relaxation to the Fiend Knight's mind. The gods have decided to award the party for their efforts, it seems. Some were more enthusiastic about this well-deserved rest than the others. Siwon, on the other hand, almost smirked at their chance of reprieve.

Almost.

The sudden splash of water caused Siwon's hand to quickly jerk towards the handle of his newly looted longsword. What followed, however, wiped whatever sense of relief Siwon had away. A mix of annoyance, fear, and a bit of disappointment washed over the Fiend Knight's face as he slowly clutched the handle of his sword, watching the mists- and whatever lies beneath it- with caution. At least his allies seemed to be keeping their guard up, even going so far as to retrieve their overly eager priestess from rushing into doom. Still, something else had to be done...

"... We're leaving. Whatever's in that mist isn't worth it, and I'm not arguing with anyone about it." Siwon stated as a matter of fact before making his way to the front of the wagon. Whatever was within that mist was of no concern to the Fiend Knight, no matter if it was bloodthirsty or open to reason. To Siwon, the correct choice was simple: to continue their quest to the fort. If his allies disagreed with him, then so be it. But Siwon knows their job wasn't to poke around hot springs. If they decided to stay despite knowing this, then they're the fools. They were too far from Andeave for Siwon to safely make his way back home, which meant he'd have to take drastic measures...

Siwon eyed the driver's seat of the wagon with a hint of desperation.

Altera: Of the Destitute and the Destined

---

Like his giant companion, Siwon also didn't hesitate to approach the wreckage despite the bodies hewn about. Instead, Siwon instinctively gathered the tags of the fallen, the bodies of his former party flashing before his own two eyes. The handling of bodies was a chore Siwon was all too familiar with, doubly so given his status as a Fiend Knight.

Hoohoohoo! Looks like someone really doesn't want those supplies delivered, huh? Looks too organized for a standard group of monsters... Maybe it's bandits? Or worse?

"No doubt about it, whoever attacked these unfortunate souls knew what they were doing... and to think they have a mage with them, too? This is starting to get too troublesome for a simple delivery."

Shaking his head as he collected the last tag, Siwon stood up once more. Two things caught his eye during his inspection, and they were both swords: a longsword, and a much longer sword. As much as the Fiend Knight thought of equipping himself with a bladed weapon however, he moved away from the bodies with a sense of urgency.

"I'll go on ahead and retrieve the brat. I'm more than capable of getting there fast, hopefully before these bodies are claimed by the dead. Stay and watch, or come with me if you wish. It matters not to me, though I'd stay wary if you choose to wait here..."

Siwon knew he didn't have to worry about Ettamri, but telling her to be careful sounded pretty cool in his head. Even then, the Fiend Knight knew well not to overestimate the strength of his most powerful ally either, for the Jaws do not discriminate on who they take...

Right as he turned around however, he saw the rest of the group catching up to the wreckage.

"... Aha, it seems my job at catching the others up was a success! Such is the speed of a Fiend Knight, after all!"

Altera: Of the Destitute and the Destined

---

After a moment, Siwon stormed back towards the corpse of the rock throwing Abom, avoiding to make eye contact with his other allies. Silently, he drew his ritual dagger, kneeling towards the corpse and slicing off one of its ears. He had almost forgotten to take a trophy of his kill in order to appease Kur-Inuus, though he made sure to take his piece this time around. Hopefully performing this offering will raise his standing with his dark god once again.

"I'd like to take a look at that caravan as well. For no real reason, but it'd be nice to see if we can up our reward if we deliver their share along with ours. Having more bodies on the field would be nice, as well..." Siwon added, slinging his spear onto his shoulder and wrapping the bloody piece he retrieved up in canvas paper to be used later as an offering. Siwon's demon sat on his shoulder, chuckling to itself before smacking the Fiend knight right behind the head.

Maybe you shouldn't waste your time looking through garbage and actually start hunting today, idiot. Heehee...

Altera: Of the Destitute and the Destined

---

Siwon was almost stunned in surprise as his shot made purchase, what with the terrible luck he'd assume to have obtained from failing to perform his daily ritual. It was good that so many attacks were made at once against the Abom, though. If not, he wouldn't have likely landed the risky shot that he did. At the same time, he wouldn't make such a risky attack either. In any case, what's done is done, and all Siwon needed to do was retrieve his spear.

Being careful on his approach and prepared to leap away in case the Abom were to make any death throes, Siwon slowly approached its body, grabbing the haft of his spear and pushing it deeper into the Abom's skull in order to finish it off. He kept a foot pressed against its shoulder joint tightly, both for support and in case it tried to move its arm up. Pulling his spear out, the Fiend Knight delivered one more heavy stab into its other eye, for good measure. Twice.

As soon as the kill was confirmed, Siwon walked off towards the cart, paying no heed to the rest of his allies. In spite of that...

"The offering to the Jaws is my share of the loot, in case we were doing any of that. I'll make sure the rest are dead too, then take a look at just how banged up our wagon was after the attack...

"Good work, by the way."

Siwon marched off towards the other bodies, once again returning to his cold and uncaring demeanor.

Altera: Of the Destitute and the Destined

---

Damn, it broke free... and it's charging the mage now. By the Jaws, I had one job and I couldn't do just that. I'm better off just running. Just a night's away from civilization, too. All I need is to get my stuff from the wagon and...

... Wait. That sungazing rodent plans to do something after all? Ugh, she's just going to get herself killed swinging that stick around like an idiot. Urgh, can't have two more dead allies on my conscience. Might have it worse than Argen at this rate.

They need my help, and the ape's probably riled up enough for me to go for a killing blow. Just need to be accurate and-

Kur-Inuus' teeth, is that a log?!

Jaws damn it all, the knightess is having a field day, isn't she?! And the Bladedacer's coming to help us, too. I know we look like the softest members of the party, but we sure as hell aren't desperate for help! This was supposed to be my sacrifice, too! If I let them take this kill, I'll just be outed as the most useless fighter we have...

Damn them, damn it all.

Fine! I won't run away anymore!

---

"Finish off the rest, this one is ours!"

With a burst of speed, the Fiend Knight sprinted towards the Ferocious Fecal Flinger ('FFF'), lunging a quick stab to one of its knees before leaping backwards whether or not his jab landed, spinning his spear in order to hold it in a reverse grip before kneeling down and taking aim.

"By my bloodied hands, you will be delivered unto the Jaws of Death!"

Siwon was not one for such spontaneous heroics. There's a large chance his attack would miss. There's an even greater chance that the Fiend Knight would trip and fall in his footwork.

Even then, if Siwon's attack were to hit its mark, if he was able to land a killing blow on the abom, it was guaranteed that 'Master' would beat his ass with his own spear if she ever found out he even attempted to throw his weapon...

And throw his weapon, he did, aimed right at the beast's head.

Altera: Of the Destitute and the Destined

---

An absolutely disgusting smell assailed Siwon's nostrils as his attack was easily deflected. If not for the Fiend Knight inured to rotting smells (though the smell of ape shit is a different sort of horror from that of a rotting corpse), he would surely be disgusted enough to throw up right on the spot. Instead, Siwon quickly let go of his spear with the hand opposite to the direction it was knocked, holding it as tightly as he could with his other hand while he brought his newly free arm to his nose. The Fiend Knight then did his best to leap away from the ape's flying fecal matter, using the momentum of the ape's attack to throw his own body out of the way and far from its reach.

"You dare... cough, cough "... throw your filth at me?!" Siwon exclaimed in anger as he did his best to regain his footing before the ape could break away from the ice and charge him. As soon as his bearing was somewhat restored, Siwon quickly spun over to face the ape, bracing himself to receive any sort of charge from the ape... or to avoid more incoming projectiles. At this moment, Siwon also contemplated the mistakes he made in his last attack, the hounding words (and smacks) of his Master coming slowly to mind...

"... The arms! Stop them from using their arms!" Siwon shouted, hoping his party would hear somewhat clearly. It was his mistake to go for such an ambitious attack earlier, especially with its swift limbs. If Siwon wanted any chance to strike at any vitals, he needed to make those arms a non-factor. No matter how long his reach may be with his spear, it would mean little against the sheet length of the beast's appendages.

Altera: Of the Destitute and the Destined

---

Siwon grunted in annoyance as the ape blocked his spear blow, jerking it back at once. The Fiend Knight then quickly pulled away from the ape's crushing blow, leaping diagonally backward and to the side of its attacking arm, leaping away from its range. If the ape was attempting to crush him, then it would have likely put much of its weight bringing its arm down, leaving an opening Siwon would be able to take advantage of...

... And with the mage freezing the ape in place, it gave Siwon more than enough of an advantage to capitalize on.

Sliding his hands down his spear's haft, the Fiend Knight stepped forward and lunged his spear towards the side of the ape's head. While the ape's arms were indeed long and lanky, Siwon had the benefit of a long-reaching weapon. And with his now superior mobility, Siwon was able to make up the difference in range. While the Fiend Knight's original intention was to distract the ape so that his allies wouldn't need to deal with a ranged threat any longer, Siwon knew he had to take advantage of an opening this large if it ever presented itself...

An offering to the Jaws of Death.