04-29-2018, 11:13 AM
All eyes shifted towards the entrance as the wounded Dave stepped inside. The atmosphere in the room changed, and not for the better. By now everyone had heard about his shameful crimes, and he was being publicly judged in silent because of it. Every pair of eyes on him stung deep, Dave didn’t know what was worse, the physical beating or the mental one. The presumably short walk felt like it was taking ages, almost as if with every step his feet became heavier and the door further away. Many thoughts haunted his mind, the encounter with Kanda left quite the impression, perhaps better described as quite the traumatic experience. Unsure how much more of this he could take he mustered whatever courage he had left and knocked on the door. His knocking fist was shaking with nerves. From behind the closed wooden door the words ,”Come in” sounded like a death sentence to Dave. He opened the door, the screeching sound of the hinges made the moment even more eery. With the door open he once again stood eye to eye with the torturer himself, on a simple chair Kanda was sitting upright across from an empty seat. “Close the door and take a seat.” Each cold word felt like a stab in Dave’s guts, he felt like he was going to throw up, his nerves couldn't take the insecurity anymore, he didn’t want to die, he didn't want to suffer. At a slow and careful pace the traitor moved to his designated chair and took a seat. The trained eyes of the exorcist were following his every move. Drops of sweat were starting to emerge on Dave’s forehead. “Let’s begin shall we?” Kanda articulated calmly. His ‘prisoner’ simply nodded.
“You were caught red handed attempting to assassinate the king. It was your blade pressing against the royal skin. Do you deny these charges?” This was it, the moment Dave was dreading so much, the end was near. He must've changed his mind about being merciful. In the end, it didn’t matter. No matter how much he wanted to just get up and run for it, his legs wouldn't let him. The intense aura coming off the guard captain had his legs shaking like noodles, his limbs were useless. Eventually he broke the silence, “N-no, i don't.” Kanda got up from his chair and placed his hand upon his sword ‘mugen’. Dave whimpered in response evading his gaze. “Then how about telling me who set you up to do it?” The traitor opened his eyes, surprised he looked at Kanda, “Set me up to do it?”
“I know a chump when i see one. You don’t have the brain capacity to be the mastermind behind this attempt, so spill it, who was behind the assassination attempt?” The shaking returned, it was clear he was not expecting these questions, and even better, he got nervous when they were asked. “i’m not sure what you mean? I acted alone. It was my idea, my plan, my revenge.”
“revenge for what?” Snapped the exorcist back at the nervous perp “The king had just returned, you had no reason to harm him. Things were turning out for the better, especially for an imperial guard like you. So don’t give me this bullshit and tell me who set this up.” The tone of voice clearly indicated Kanda was starting to lose his patience. Dave forcefully shook his head,” I-i can't, it was all me!” A loud smash followed, a fist was send passed his head against the wall. “You try to feed me that horsepiss fantasy one more time and i swear to the almighty one i will have you spend the remaining days of your life on that post outside eating nothing but fresh fertilizer.” The exorcist shouted directly in Dave’s face, who in turn couldn't hold back the tears. “Alright! Alright, just….calm down. I’ll talk just, i need to know it’s safe here.”
“This building was created all but twelve hours ago, by me. Pretty sure no one had time to plant bugs or anything. Now start talking before i lose my patience.” Dave nodded his head that was still shaking a bit. “They, they are going to kill her. If i didn't slay the king, they are going to execute my daughter.” Finally the secondary broke down in tears, fluids leaking from every available exit as he attempted to continue his story. “They came to me a few hours before it happened, showing me a video of my daughter being strapped to a chair, cut-” Dave sobbed before being able to continue “They cut off her finger!!” He shouted. “ T-they gave it to me, saying the rest of her came back in pieces if i did not murder king Gilgamesh. She is all i have left, there is no one else.”
In front of Kanda was a broken man, every inch of his heart was cracked open for the interrogator to see. He knew this man was telling the truth. And his hunch was right, there was more to this than just a simple guard being unpleased with the return lf the king. The captain stayed unaffected by the heartbreaking story and continued his line of questioning. “Who are ‘they’? Who forced you to attack the King?”
Dave started to calm down, he snorted once before answering,”They were the ones running this town from the shadows. It wasn’t the gangs, bandits or some warlord. They are a few clever individuals who never see the light of day and use people to do their dirty work. They hide behind the masks of civilians and keep their true identity safe. It could be the damn janitor for all i know. I don’t know what they call themselves or who they are. All i know is they have my Sofie and there is nothing i can do to stop them.” The emotional parade of tears continued. Kanda slammed the table, “Enough!! Tears won't help you. The new guards of Nippur will. If these men are as smart as you claim them to be, they will have eyes on you. That means we will have to continue this charade for a while longer. At Least until i know what we're up against. Do you think you can handle that...Dave?” He asked sternly. Dave wiped his face and nodded once. “Alright then, to continue this second chance thing and as of today you will be doing a public service. Meaning you are going to sit behind that front desk and register every single complaint the good folks of Nippur have. Once that is done, either myself or other guards will take care of it.”
“ what about Sofie?”
“I’ll take care of it. If they contact you again, you message me. Is that clear?” Dave nodded in agreement. “Yes, Sir.”
“Then go out there and do your job, I will do mine.” Dave nodded slightly, unsure of what was going to happen now that he exposed these men. Not sure whether to thank or curse Kanda for his determination he did as he was told and headed for the front desk. The swordsman followed him outside and took charge, looking at the woman behind the desk he gave clear instructions, “ As part of this man’s public service, and his past as a royal guard, he is to assist you in the duty of helping these people.” The brunette stood up, her tone of voice clearly indicated her displeasure of this order, “Sir, we can't just put a criminal like that here? What if he tries anything?” The captain gave a cold gaze, “If he tries anything, kill him. You only get one chance at redemption.” With those words the captain walked back inside his office and slammed the door shut, leaving Dave in the very awkward moment that was just created,”Well.. i..erh.I prefer not do die so..” He sat down next to the female guard. “How can i help?”
Staring outside Kanda was processing the information he just gathered. ‘As i thought there is more to it. But an organisation with no name and no face, even keeping the gangs and criminals in check was no small matter. If i have any chance of finding the root of this i will have to go out there myself.” His mind drifted as he continued to look out. There was but one more thing he would have to do before he was able to start his investigation.
It wasn't until moments later another knock was heard on his door. From the other side Kanda heard the voice of the exorcist scout he sent out earlier, “ Gene- erh Captain, all the guards have been rounded up, they are waiting for you outside on the square.” Finally it was time,”Thank you, i shall be there shortly.” The swordsman adjusted his new uniform, strapped his sword tight and made his way to the roof of the facility. As he stepped towards the edge of the roof he saw all the remaining nippur guards gathered some in classic golden plate armor, some still in their exorcist outfits, others simply wearing a badge while carrying weapons. Kanda hated this, being a public speaker, a person in the spotlight. He missed the days where he could simply swing his sword at whatever demon showed its ugly face and that's that. That time had passed. He placed his right foot on the ledge, everyone could clearly see the new and improved uniform. The classic exorcist black coat was lined with a gold stripe, upon his chest both the lion of Nippur and the exorcist logo were clearly visible. A sign that threats from outside as well as domestic would be taken care of, “Guards of Nippur!” The speech started with Kanda’s voice clearly heard throughout the square. “You’ve had a rough time here, without your king. But now that he has returned, so will your duties as guards. No longer shall the city remain lawless, no longer will you have to fear the overwhelming numbers of the criminals that were ransacking this town. I ask of you, should you choose to continue protecting this city, even at the cost of your life, you all take the oath of protection. I will warn you, dishonoring this oath will be considered a crime against the crown. For those who will take it, i salute your bravery and it will be rewarded. I will not force anyone to continue their path as protectors of this city, however you lose the privilege of this uniform.” The captain observed the crowd some were unsure how to react. It wasn’t until the first warrior raised his weapon until a loud roar of warriors echoed through Nippur, a warcry for all to hear. It send a shiver down Kanda’s spine, the impressive spectacle was quite overwhelming. He stepped down from the ledge and made his way back inside.
The next hour or so he observed how guards were sworn in to serve and protect, how the new uniforms were distributed, and new weapons being explained. The weapons that the guards received weren’t your standard shields and swords. Every single one of them was able to be activated, a gold layer of energy then coated the tools of destruction. The new guards of nippur have arrived. Now the next phase begins.
“You were caught red handed attempting to assassinate the king. It was your blade pressing against the royal skin. Do you deny these charges?” This was it, the moment Dave was dreading so much, the end was near. He must've changed his mind about being merciful. In the end, it didn’t matter. No matter how much he wanted to just get up and run for it, his legs wouldn't let him. The intense aura coming off the guard captain had his legs shaking like noodles, his limbs were useless. Eventually he broke the silence, “N-no, i don't.” Kanda got up from his chair and placed his hand upon his sword ‘mugen’. Dave whimpered in response evading his gaze. “Then how about telling me who set you up to do it?” The traitor opened his eyes, surprised he looked at Kanda, “Set me up to do it?”
“I know a chump when i see one. You don’t have the brain capacity to be the mastermind behind this attempt, so spill it, who was behind the assassination attempt?” The shaking returned, it was clear he was not expecting these questions, and even better, he got nervous when they were asked. “i’m not sure what you mean? I acted alone. It was my idea, my plan, my revenge.”
“revenge for what?” Snapped the exorcist back at the nervous perp “The king had just returned, you had no reason to harm him. Things were turning out for the better, especially for an imperial guard like you. So don’t give me this bullshit and tell me who set this up.” The tone of voice clearly indicated Kanda was starting to lose his patience. Dave forcefully shook his head,” I-i can't, it was all me!” A loud smash followed, a fist was send passed his head against the wall. “You try to feed me that horsepiss fantasy one more time and i swear to the almighty one i will have you spend the remaining days of your life on that post outside eating nothing but fresh fertilizer.” The exorcist shouted directly in Dave’s face, who in turn couldn't hold back the tears. “Alright! Alright, just….calm down. I’ll talk just, i need to know it’s safe here.”
“This building was created all but twelve hours ago, by me. Pretty sure no one had time to plant bugs or anything. Now start talking before i lose my patience.” Dave nodded his head that was still shaking a bit. “They, they are going to kill her. If i didn't slay the king, they are going to execute my daughter.” Finally the secondary broke down in tears, fluids leaking from every available exit as he attempted to continue his story. “They came to me a few hours before it happened, showing me a video of my daughter being strapped to a chair, cut-” Dave sobbed before being able to continue “They cut off her finger!!” He shouted. “ T-they gave it to me, saying the rest of her came back in pieces if i did not murder king Gilgamesh. She is all i have left, there is no one else.”
In front of Kanda was a broken man, every inch of his heart was cracked open for the interrogator to see. He knew this man was telling the truth. And his hunch was right, there was more to this than just a simple guard being unpleased with the return lf the king. The captain stayed unaffected by the heartbreaking story and continued his line of questioning. “Who are ‘they’? Who forced you to attack the King?”
Dave started to calm down, he snorted once before answering,”They were the ones running this town from the shadows. It wasn’t the gangs, bandits or some warlord. They are a few clever individuals who never see the light of day and use people to do their dirty work. They hide behind the masks of civilians and keep their true identity safe. It could be the damn janitor for all i know. I don’t know what they call themselves or who they are. All i know is they have my Sofie and there is nothing i can do to stop them.” The emotional parade of tears continued. Kanda slammed the table, “Enough!! Tears won't help you. The new guards of Nippur will. If these men are as smart as you claim them to be, they will have eyes on you. That means we will have to continue this charade for a while longer. At Least until i know what we're up against. Do you think you can handle that...Dave?” He asked sternly. Dave wiped his face and nodded once. “Alright then, to continue this second chance thing and as of today you will be doing a public service. Meaning you are going to sit behind that front desk and register every single complaint the good folks of Nippur have. Once that is done, either myself or other guards will take care of it.”
“ what about Sofie?”
“I’ll take care of it. If they contact you again, you message me. Is that clear?” Dave nodded in agreement. “Yes, Sir.”
“Then go out there and do your job, I will do mine.” Dave nodded slightly, unsure of what was going to happen now that he exposed these men. Not sure whether to thank or curse Kanda for his determination he did as he was told and headed for the front desk. The swordsman followed him outside and took charge, looking at the woman behind the desk he gave clear instructions, “ As part of this man’s public service, and his past as a royal guard, he is to assist you in the duty of helping these people.” The brunette stood up, her tone of voice clearly indicated her displeasure of this order, “Sir, we can't just put a criminal like that here? What if he tries anything?” The captain gave a cold gaze, “If he tries anything, kill him. You only get one chance at redemption.” With those words the captain walked back inside his office and slammed the door shut, leaving Dave in the very awkward moment that was just created,”Well.. i..erh.I prefer not do die so..” He sat down next to the female guard. “How can i help?”
Staring outside Kanda was processing the information he just gathered. ‘As i thought there is more to it. But an organisation with no name and no face, even keeping the gangs and criminals in check was no small matter. If i have any chance of finding the root of this i will have to go out there myself.” His mind drifted as he continued to look out. There was but one more thing he would have to do before he was able to start his investigation.
It wasn't until moments later another knock was heard on his door. From the other side Kanda heard the voice of the exorcist scout he sent out earlier, “ Gene- erh Captain, all the guards have been rounded up, they are waiting for you outside on the square.” Finally it was time,”Thank you, i shall be there shortly.” The swordsman adjusted his new uniform, strapped his sword tight and made his way to the roof of the facility. As he stepped towards the edge of the roof he saw all the remaining nippur guards gathered some in classic golden plate armor, some still in their exorcist outfits, others simply wearing a badge while carrying weapons. Kanda hated this, being a public speaker, a person in the spotlight. He missed the days where he could simply swing his sword at whatever demon showed its ugly face and that's that. That time had passed. He placed his right foot on the ledge, everyone could clearly see the new and improved uniform. The classic exorcist black coat was lined with a gold stripe, upon his chest both the lion of Nippur and the exorcist logo were clearly visible. A sign that threats from outside as well as domestic would be taken care of, “Guards of Nippur!” The speech started with Kanda’s voice clearly heard throughout the square. “You’ve had a rough time here, without your king. But now that he has returned, so will your duties as guards. No longer shall the city remain lawless, no longer will you have to fear the overwhelming numbers of the criminals that were ransacking this town. I ask of you, should you choose to continue protecting this city, even at the cost of your life, you all take the oath of protection. I will warn you, dishonoring this oath will be considered a crime against the crown. For those who will take it, i salute your bravery and it will be rewarded. I will not force anyone to continue their path as protectors of this city, however you lose the privilege of this uniform.” The captain observed the crowd some were unsure how to react. It wasn’t until the first warrior raised his weapon until a loud roar of warriors echoed through Nippur, a warcry for all to hear. It send a shiver down Kanda’s spine, the impressive spectacle was quite overwhelming. He stepped down from the ledge and made his way back inside.
The next hour or so he observed how guards were sworn in to serve and protect, how the new uniforms were distributed, and new weapons being explained. The weapons that the guards received weren’t your standard shields and swords. Every single one of them was able to be activated, a gold layer of energy then coated the tools of destruction. The new guards of nippur have arrived. Now the next phase begins.
![[Image: giphy.gif]](https://media.giphy.com/media/xT0BKIP8jikNrRqjdK/giphy.gif)
You're naive. We're destroyers, not saviors. - Yu Kanda