The Chained Tome

Itsuki rose to his feet, his eyes focused on the Dragon of Wisdom. 

"You've survived and plotted a path for yourself," Bahamut mused. "It seems perhaps I didn't make a foolish choice in bringing you here."

"Is this another 'shut up and listen' interaction like last time?"

"I haven't decided," the dragon's expression twisted into what Itsuki interpreted as amusement. "I'm curious about why you chose to spare that village..."

"You mean Brightmoor? What do you mean by 'spare them'? I couldn't have fought and killed all of them!"

"You can hide nothing from me, boy. You harbor much hatred and malice for that place and its people. Yet, when you had your triumph and the civilians cowered, you restrained yourself. Was that subconscious? Or perhaps, there's something else that led to that decision..."

Itsuki pondered for a moment. While vague, he understood what he was being asked. Even if he had the power to act on his anger, he knew he wouldn't have done so. 

"They are cruel and despicable, don't get me wrong," Itsuki admitted. "That being said, I know almost nothing about them or this world I've been dragged into. How can I act on so little information? My first impulse might want me to kill them all, if I could, but that would make me no better than they are! If I am to judge anyone, then I must act rationally instead of emotionally."

Itsuki could feel Bahamut digesting each word as he spoke, a very strange and ominous sensation. The dragon's eyes closed after Itsuki finished, seemingly content with his answer. 

Bahamut tapped a single claw against the ground beneath the water - a tap that seemed to echo unnaturally in this dimension. A bright flash overtook Itsuki's vision a moment later. When it subsided, a large black tome floated in front of him. It bore no title and was wrapped in thick iron chains. 

"Your duty begins in earnest now," Bahamut spoke. "When the time comes for you to judge, give your verdict to the tome. The rest will be sorted from there."

Itsuki took the tome. Despite it's size, it was incredibly light. Once he did, however, his consciousness began to fade.

"The Fallen Lands are a dangerous place, boy," Bahamut warned. "Keep your guard up, and your Hope close..."

***

"Wake up, Itsuki!"

Itsuki stirred slowly, finding himself clutching Bahamut's tome against his chest. He was a bit startled at first, and was sure Yuna would question where he got it from. When he turned his attention to Yuna's voice, however, he found he had other things to worry about.

Yuna's bow was drawn and aimed at the cave entrance, where three robed men had entered and cut off their escape. Two of them had hoods up and blades drawn. The central figure was unarmed, but had his hood back. His hair was jet-black and his skin was an ashen white. 

Most piercingly, however, were his blood-red irises.  

"Are those...vampires?"

"Yes," Yuna confirmed, keeping her bow tightly drawn. "Creatures of the shadows that thieve and prey on the weak. We must've been passing through one of their hunting grounds..."

Itsuki stood slowly, not wanting to cause an escalation. He left the book on the ground and monitored their actions. He was ready to reach for his spear, but he was curious about why they weren't choosing to advance. 

The central figure, monitoring him as he stood, had a flash of surprise cross his eyes. 

"You are God-marked..."

Itsuki glanced down. He had slept without his shirt, so his Bahamut marking was clear as day. The troupe of vampires didn't seem to act on this revelation. They weren't really choosing to act at all. 

"Itsuki," he introduced as he grabbed his shift from a nearby rock. "What about you?"

"Alarak," the central vampire responded, with a subtle head-tilt to show respect. 

Yuna's eyes darted back and forth between the group of adversaries and Itsuki, who was currently taking his time putting on his shirt. 

"What are you doing, Itsuki? We're in danger!"

"That depends, Yuna," Itsuki replied, pulling his shirt taut and turning his attention to Alarak. "What business do you have with us?"

"We saw smoke leaving the cave from the campfire," Alarak explained. "We came to investigate."

"Showing up in the dark of the morning just to 'investigate'?" Yuna questioned. 

Itsuki glanced behind the vampires and saw that it was still quite dark out. He had likely only slept for a few hours before Yuna had noticed their approach. 

"What if we're just passing through?" Itsuki asked. 

"Not much of a problem, then," Alarak admitted. "You're very close to our settlement, and most foreigners are quite hostile when they stumble upon us. As such, we make a point to see what intentions our visitors have. Might I ask where you're going?"

"Evermere."

"Impressive; that's quite a journey. Admittedly, most would die trying to make that voyage. If it were under different circumstances, I'd collect you to bring home. Why let good livestock go to waste on a suicide mission?"

Yuna's body stiffened, moments away from loosing her arrow. Itsuki held up a hand to calm her. 

"But you're feeling gracious today, I take it?"

"Hardly," Alarak sighed. "Alas, we cannot eat a God-marked. They are potently poisonous to our systems."

Alarak raised his hand, and his two comrades sheathed their swords. As they turned to walk out, Yuna's eyes quickly turned and locked on to Itsuki's.

Just say the word. I can let loose and we can save ourselves!

That was most likely what she was thinking. He looked to her, looked to the vampires, and then looked to his tome. Perhaps it was too subtle for others to notice, but it pulsated a faint golden light. One that had matched his God-mark just before he set Damon ablaze in the combat trial. 

"Now that you mention it, your town sounds lovely," Itsuki called out. "You mind if we pop in for supplies before heading on our 'suicide mission'?"

The trio stopped and Alarak turned, his expression one of clear surprise. Yuna's expression was even more dramatic; her jaw could've almost hit the floor.

"You can't be serious, right?!" Yuna called out. "These savages would bleed us dry if given the chance, but you want to walk into a whole village of them?"

"Careful, girl," Alarak growled. "Savages is a bit much. That being said, her point otherwise is valid. I can't really recommend you take a stroll though town. No more than you would recommend a cow wander through the streets of one of your human towns."

Itsuki was aware that he was taking a bit of a gamble here. Still, he couldn't ignore his hunch. 

"Even where I'm from, vampires are typically painted as evil creatures who prey on humans," Itsuki admitted. "Having said that, it's dangerous to judge a book by its cover. The Dragon of Wisdom put me on this path for some reason, even if just for his own amusement. If you believe that your town has supplies that could help us in surviving the trek to Evermere, then that's as good a reason as any."

Alarak seemed shocked for a long moment, then chuckled once he regained his composure. 

"If that's what you wish, you may follow us back to town," he noted. "While I can't speak for the friendliness of the civilians, I can at least assure you that you are safe as a God-marked."

"Glad to hear it," Itsuki acknowledged. "I have one important warning, though..."

Alarak met Itsuki's gaze. Itsuki, in return, made his way over to Yuna. Yuna lowered her bow, confused as to what was happening. 

As soon as Itsuki got close, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in tight. Such a sudden gesture made Yuna blush a bright red. 

"Yuna is mine," Itsuki growled, allowing his malice to come to the forefront. "If your people can't show control, and she is harmed in any way, I will not hesitate to see your entire people carved off the face of the Fallen Lands. Are we clear?"

As if resonating with Itsuki's will, the chained tome on the ground began to illuminate the cavern with a dull golden hue. It wasn't overwhelming, but it served to amplify the threat that had just been made. 

Hostility began to creep into Alarak's expression, but he didn't act on it. 

His two comrades, however, did not react with that restraint. 

They both dashed towards Itsuki and Yuna, swords drawn and ready to strike. Yuna quickly pushed off of Itsuki and readied several arrows to began firing off in their direction. 

Just like that, negotiations had broken down and hell had broken loose.