The Beast and the Sword Book 2: The Changes

Page 7 Epilogue: An Old Partner

(Opening Theme: Sunday's Without God OP-Birth Performed By Kitamura Eri)

-Later that Night; The Common Realm, Beneath Kikka (The Slum Town Ashtown)-

    Karasu immediately got to work on getting the information that was needed. The best place to start off was what he used to call his home for awhile before he took the entrance exams. That had been the town below the ring of Kikka, and a place that had been mostly overlooked .

    That had been the little ruined town... Ashtown.

    The little town had been runned down as most of the buildings looked to be half finished. Most of the houses looked to have been made of wood, and held together by mud, and rope. Cloths or old clothing had replaced most rooftops as the only thing a lit were one or two lanterns along the beaten path, which had been nothing more than dirt and broken stones.

    Many of the people looked to be hanging ruined and blood stained Magic Knight robes as it looked to be torn up, and some appeared to be burning them as they had been saying cruel and harsh words.

    Karasu had walked through the road, only wearing a dark gray cloak over his outfit instead of his Black Bulls robe, as he knew the locals around there didn't take kindly to Magic Knights, especially since most of the locals around there had been thieves and rejects from the Magic Knights in general.  Shiromori seemed to have poked his head out of his cloak as he looked around.

    "It's better if you stay hidden for now." He told him, "Don't want anyone around here to go and swipe you for your skin."

Shiromori gave a hiss, like he had been talking to him.

"I appreciate your concern—" Karasu said before gently pushing him back in the confines of his cloak, "—But I know what I'm doing."

    He was surprised that he had survived such a hellhole.

    Eventually he had approached a place that had been considered a restaurant. It had been the slums version of a beer garden. The tables had been ruined and not to his own surprise many people were picking a few fights not to mention what had been close to music had been playing the pianist himself. Even the way he sang had been eerily off.

I like my town, with a little drop of poison
Nobody knows they're lining up to go insane
I'm all alone, I smoke my friends down to the filter
But I feel much cleaner after it rains

    He soon approached the bar as a young girl who looked to be fifteen as she had what looked to be a short and choppy cut in the color that had been in the color of a black as her eyes had been in a shade of pink. She had been wearing a simple collared shirt with a dark red tattered vest and beaten dark brown pants and looked to be bare foot as a set of bandages had been wrapped around them, revealing her toes.

    She looked to have a grimoire, with the cover resembling that of fire, wind, water and earth circling around a three leaf clover on the cover, as it had been a lightish purple with vines decorating it.

    She had been arm wrestling a man that looked stronger then her, though she had practically thrown him off the table with ease. The whole crowd cheered as she held her hand in triumph after jumping on the table before cheering herself.

    "Your winner for tonight's match, Avalon Rhoderick!"

    "Thank you!" The girl--Avalon had said as she bowed her head, "Thank you ladies and gentlemen!"

    She soon hopped off the table as she went over to the man who had been recovering; all the while she had a smile on her face.

    "I'll take those yules now." She said as she held out her hand towards him.