Tailor and Thieves

"WOAHH! What's that thing?!" Crimson is dashing around the grassy path energetically.

"Oh, that? That's a cow." I tell her while walking beside Midnight, who looks slightly irritated.

"A cow?! Wow, I've never seen anything like it!" She exclaims.

"You've eaten one." Midnight says.

"Huh?!"

Midnight points at a meat skewer sticking out of her bag. Crimson's face goes instantly pale.

"W-What?! That's so cruel! I'm never eating meat again!" She yells.

"But they're so good aren't they? Pretty hard to give up if you ask me." I laugh.

"True... Okay, I change my mind!"

Crimson continues frantically inspecting everything she can find. Grass, trees, rocks, I even spot her chasing after a squirrel. 

It's great to see her this excited, but I get the feeling she's overcompensating. I don't blame her, after what happened last night the best option seems like it's just getting it out of our minds and enjoying ourselves before we reach the capital. I'm all for it.

"So what's the plan once we reach the capital?" I ask Midnight while Crimson is busy flipping over rocks to find new bugs.

His expression remains stoic.

"We need to find where they're keeping the Ember Blossoms. Once we do that, it's simple. We sneak in and attack. We also need to locate the castle dungeons and confirm if your friend is really down there." 

"Oh wow, you remembered about her? Thanks man." I say, surprised.

He nods.

"Tell me about her. You said you fought Klein together?" He asks me.

"Well, she's practically the reason I started fighting alongside the rebellion in the first place. My dad was good friends with Klein so I was sorta forced into his army, but Emerald really opened my eyes to how awful he was, so we defected." I explain.

"Even with my limited contact with the outside world, I've heard stories about his racism." He says.

"Yup. That man was a raging racist. Tried to have her killed for being a demi-human, can you believe it?" 

Midnight shakes his head.

"I need to make sure she's safe. Emerald doesn't talk much, and she can be a little bit rude at times,, but she's a really good person. Loyal to a fault too. Kamikaze said she was looking for me when she got captured. That technically makes it my fault..." I mutter.

"Don't think about it that way. She made her choice, and if what you told me is true, I'm sure she stands by it." He reassures me.

I look at the ground.

"Thanks Midnight... I've been meaning to ask, what the hell happened to me last night?"

"I don't really know. I've never met a half-blood other than you, but it seems you managed to tap into your oni blood." He answers.

"It was one of the most painful things I've ever felt. I could literally feel the horns splitting through my skull... I couldn't control myself either. I attacked Kamikaze even though I knew it was a horrible idea. Almost got me killed too."

"Oni are inherently rageful creatures. Full blooded oni have simply lived with it for long enough that it doesn't affect us as strongly as it would with someone like you, who hasn't experienced the full strength of an oni that much yet. Perhaps with continued use it will become easier." he explains.

"I don't even know how to activate it again... It just happened." I tell him.

"Did anything specific occur beforehand?" he asks me.

"Well... I saw my mom. She was reading me a story of some sort. After that, I just felt pain in my head."

Midnight pauses.

"Interesting. I've never heard of anything like that happening before..." 

Guess there's still quite a few questions I don't know the answers too. My mom, my past, where I've been these last 6 months... My dad... There's no way he didn't know about all this.

Eventually the three of us arrive at a small roadside town. It has small rows of shops and houses off to the side. It can't be bigger than a small football field.

Midnight turns to both me and Crimson and looks at us sternly.

"We need supplies and transportation. I tend to stop here whenever I do supply runs to the capital for food, and there's a merchant who frequently gives rides for some gold coins. Crimson, can I trust you with the gold pouch?"

Crimson nods enthusiastically. 

"Yup! Of course!" she says.

"Good. I need you to go to one of the vendors and purchase us some food to keep us going for the trip. Just a few loaves of bread will do." he says to her, dropping the pouch in her hand.

"And Link, I need you to-'

I notice a shop to the side and tune out his voice. The sign says 'Marley's Tailor Shop'. Marley? I remember that guy from back at that rebellion village me and Emerald visited a while back. He made my previous outfit. Did he move shops?

"Link? Are you listening?" Midnight asks me.

"Hey, uh, Midnight? Is it alright if I step into that shop over there? I kinda feel like I need a wardrobe upgrade. Y'know, something a little more combat ready?" I point at my hoodie to emphasise.

Midnight sighs, hesitates, but reluctantly nods.

"Very well. If it will help you in our future battles I suppose it can't hurt. I'll be looking for that merchant to arrange our ride to the capital." he says and begins walking off.

"Thanks, man!" I call after him before stepping towards the small wooden shop.

I walk inside and see different suits and combat armour laid out on tables. Standing at the desk is a man with curly black hair, glasses, and wearing a brown suit. It's definitely Marley.

"Why, hello customer! Welcome to Marley's Tailor Shop! I'm Marley! How can I be of service today?" he greets me enthusiastically.

"Yo man, you move shops? Gotta say, this place is way nicer." I wave while looking around.

He tilts his head, looking slightly confused. 

"Pardon? I've been set up here for years." he says.

"So you run multiple shops at the same time?" I ask.

"Ohhh! You must have visited my brothers shop! Our family owns a large chain of shops across the country." he explains.

"Your brother? So you aren't Marley?" This is confusing.

"No, I am Marley, and so is he. We're both Marley." he tells me.

The fuck? 

"But you look exactly how I remember you." 

"Yes, we get that often. We have a very strong family resemblance." he smiles at me.

You know what, I'm not even gonna bother.

"Well, uh, alright then. Your 'brother' made me my combat suit a while back and I really liked it. You think you could do something similar? With a few tweaks." I ask him.

Marley nods.

"Of course, sir! A custom request will cost slightly more, and it may take a little while. Is that okay with you?" he asks me.

Hmm, I hope Midnight isn't too pissed if I'm sitting here waiting for my outfit for too long. Oh well.

"Yup. No problem." I say.

"Perfect! Follow me to the back room and I'll take your request and measurements." he responds warmly.

---

I walk out of the shop after telling him what I want and letting him take my measurements. I scan around briefly, and spot Midnight standing by a nearby fence post. He seems to be waiting for me and Crimson.

"Yo! So I was wondering, how much gold do you have in that pouch exactly?" I ask him casually.

He looks towards me.

"Why do you ask?" he responds.

"Just wondering."

"Forty gold coins." he answers.

Great! Marley said my outfit will be fifteen! 

"Awesome. So, uh, you mind if I borrow like fifteen of those for my new outfit?" I ask, trying to sound as casual as possible.

His eyes widen slightly, but he quickly regains composure.

"Fifteen?! Do you know how much that is?" he sounds frustrated.

"Well, not too much, right?" Shit, I guess I had a different perspective on money due to living with my dad.

Midnight facepalms.

"Fine. When Crimson returns, you can take the fifteen, but never again." he agrees reluctantly.

"You're the best man! So anyways, you find that merchant? Got our ride sorted?" I ask him.

He sighs.

"We're gonna have to find a different way. He says some gang of bandits stole his wagon and all his supplies." he answers.

"Shit. Got any ideas?"

"Well, if we walk a few more miles up there's a carriage service that will give us a ride for ten gold coins. It's more than the merchant charges, but it will have to do." he explains.

"Yikes. That leaves us with less than fifteen left after Crimson returns with the bread..."

Midnight grimaces.

"Talking about me?!" 

Crimson suddenly appears behind us with a lollipop in her hand and a black knitted scarf around her neck. She has a large bag behind her with multiple trinkets sticking out of it.

Midnight stares at her in genuine disbelief,

"Crimson. W-What the hell is all of this...?"

"Oh! You'll love these! Here, look!" She starts fishing through the bag energetically.

She pulls out a crown that's clearly made out of cheap tin, a snow globe with the capital inside it, a flimsy foam sword, a collectors coin, three friendship bracelets, and she keep going.

"Here, I want each of you to take one of these bracelets! Oh, and look at this glass ball thing! It snows when I shake it see?!" She starts shaking the snow globe enthusiastically.

Uh oh.

"And the shop guy said this coin is over a thousand years old! Can you believe it?! He says it'll sell for way more if I take it to the capital! I got a deal! Does this crown look good on me?" She takes off her baseball cap and places the tin crown on her head, looking at us expectantly.

I quietly slip the bracelet on my wrist.

"Crimson... How much did all this cost...?" There are shadows over his eyes.

'Uh... well... I don't really remember. I'm not very good with keeping track of that sorta thing. Here!" She plops the pouch back in Midnight's hand.

Midnight begins shaking the pouch into his palm, and one singular coin falls out.

"I... I can't believe it... Do you know what you just did? It's gonna take us DAYS to get to the capital now, we can't afford a ride!" He yells.

And I can't afford my outfit. Shit, should I go tell him to stop working on it?

Crimson's eyes widen.

"I-I forgot about that... There were just so many cool things I couldn't help myself..." She lowers her head.

"And the bread?!" he asks.

She slowly pulls a half eaten loaf from behind her back.

Midnight immediately turns his back and starts pacing.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit. It's fine. It's fine. We'll figure something out." 

He looks like he's on the verge of losing his mind.

I look at Crimson's lollipop.

"That looks good, can I try?" I ask.

"Yeah! It's so good!" she quickly passes it to me.

---

"So, yeah, we'd like to help you retrieve your stolen wagon. For a ride and some coins of course." Midnight explains to the merchant, a man wearing a light grey tunic with a hood.

"Oh my, would you really be so kind? I'll pay you, say, thirty gold coins? My entire supply is in that wagon, they even stole my horses! And it goes without saying, the ride would be on me." The merchant smiles appreciatively.

Midnight nods in agreement.

"Any idea where those bandits could've gone?" I chip in.

The merchant pauses to think for a few moments.

"Well, it was stolen exactly north of the town. I've heard rumours that a group of bandits have set up camp in a forest near there, and I can only assume it's them. They took both horses, you should be able to follow their tracks." he explains to us.

"Got it! Leave it to us!" Crimson says excitedly.

The three of us begin heading north in search of the horse tracks and forest. I already see the forest in the distance.

"Hey, this wasn't too bad. We can get most of our money back AND we get to rough up some lowlifes. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me." I say.

"Yeah, c'mon Midnight, smile!" Crimson adds.

Midnight sighs.

"You're lucky. This could've been a lot worse." he says.

We step into the forest and begin following the dirt trail. 

"No tracks. Did they cut through the bushes or something?" I ask.

"They could've. Perhaps they're wary about being followed." Midnight responds.

Crimson points in the distance.

"Is that smoke? Looks like it's coming from a campfire!" she exclaims.

Midnight immediately cups a hand over her mouth.

"Maybe announce our arrival louder, I'm not sure they heard you." he says.

The three of us duck behind some bushes and slowly make our way closer. We hear laughter and drinks clinking. I guess they're celebrating after a job well done. Sorry to rain on their parade.

Midnight turns to the two of us.

"Okay, we'll go on three. One, two-"

Crimson suddenly dashes into the camp, leaving a blur of red electricity as she does.

"Wait!" he yells.

"What the-?!" Several bandits shout as Crimson flies towards the nearest one and kicks him into a nearby rock.

Well, guess we should help her then.

I run into the camp alongside Midnight and draw my sword while Midnight pulls out his club. I scan the crowd for the leader, and spot a buff man in the back lines wearing a brown vest over a white shirt, with a bandana on his head. He has an eye patch.

"You little shits! Who the hell do you think you are?!" he yells at us.

"Nothing personal, we just need the cash. I'm sure you understand." I say as I lunge toward him.

He doesn't make much of an effort to move, when suddenly-

"Ah- What the fuck is this?!"

I can't see shit. A cloud of dust completely swallows everything around me. This asshole has an arcana? Great.

I feel an impact on the right side of my ribs, and I'm knocked out of the cloud. The leader steps out of the dust cloud, metal knuckle dusters on each of his fists.

"I dunno who you think yer messin with but you're barkin up the wrong goddamn tree!" he runs toward me, only to be hit in the back by Midnight's club. 

He goes flying into a rock and struggles to get back up.

"You damn asshole!" he makes a throwing motion with his arm, and almost like he threw a bomb, the area Midnight was standing in is completely enveloped.

Another bandit attempts to stab me with a shiv, but I deflect it out of his hand and hit him hard on the head with the hilt of my sword, knocking him clean out. 

Meanwhile, Crimson is blitzing around the camp, taking on multiple bandits at once. She seems to be avoiding using her lethal chainsaw blades, but her innate oni strength more than makes up for it. She slams two of them together and trips a third one running towards her with a quick leg sweep.

The bandit leader dashes toward Midnight in the dust cloud, and I can't see exactly what's happening but I can hear a scuffle. Suddenly, the leader is blasted backwards after being slammed with a large black boulder. He lands in front of my feet.

"W-What the hell are you guys-?!"

Black rocks begin forming around his body, trapping him on the ground. Midnight does the same for the other bandits lying on the ground.

Crimson walks up.

"Already? I was expecting more..." she says, clearly disappointed.

"I know right, I got sorta excited when I saw their leader had an arcana, but he got totally wrecked in his own cloud." I agree.

"You shut the hell up! You dunno who yer messin with!" The leader shouts.

"You said that bro." I tell him.

Midnight walks over and begins untying the horses from their post and begins fastening them to the wagon.

"Enough banter. Let's get this back to the merchant and make our way to the capital." he says.

Crimson pets one of the horses, stroking its mane gently.

"There, there. You'll see your owner in no time!" she says to the horses.

The three of us hop on the wagon and Midnight begins leading the horses back to the town. They clearly seem to know where they're going already, so we find ourselves back at the town in no time.

"Clover! Coin!" the merchant exclaims as he sees us come into view.

The three of us hop off the wagon and approach him.

"Well, we held up our end of the deal." Midnight says.

"Yes, yes! Thank you so much, I don't know what i'd have done without your help." The merchant begins fidgeting with his gold pouch and drops thirty gold coins into Midnight's pouch, exactly as promised.

Midnight hesitates, then reluctantly drops fifteen of the coins in my hand.

"Hm? What's that for?" Crimson asks.

"C'mon, I'll show you." I gesture towards Marley's shop, and Crimson follows me.

The two of us step into the shop, and Marley is standing at the desk.

"Ah, you're back! I just added the finishing touches!" he tells me proudly.

"Awesome. Here's your fifteen gold coins." I place the coins on his desk.

"Much obliged. It's in the back, follow me." he says.

---

I step out of the changing room and examine myself in the mirror. I still have my black hoodie underneath, but Marley's put me in fitted combat pants with thick gloves and heavy lace up boots to match. Over everything is a long, charcoal duster. The black fur hood from my hoodie sticks out from underneath.

The whole thing is lighter than it looks, but the material feels tough enough to take a beating. There are straps on my back for my sword, and a holster on my hip for whenever I get my pistol back. 

Marley hands me the final piece: a smooth, black helmet shaped around my head, with a narrow faceplate and two horns curving upward. The horns are hollowed out so if I ever sprout my natural horns again, they'll naturally fill out the horns on my helmet. Thin openings cut across the eyes, just wide enough for my eyes to shine through.

I put it on and stare at my reflection.

"Now we're talking." I say.

"WOAH! You look like a supervillain!" Crimson shouts.

"Perfect. Can't have the bad guys thinking I'm a pushover can I?" 

I turn back to Marley and shake his hand.

"I love it. If any of my friends ever need a new outfit, you or one of your brothers will be my first recommendation." I tell him.

Marley smiles at me.

"I'm very glad you're satisfied. Do come again!" he says as me and Crimson leave the shop, making our way back toward Midnight and the merchant.

When we arrive, Midnight looks me up and down.

"Bit much, don't you think?" he says flatly.

"Aw c'mon. You know it's badass." I tell him.

"Yeah, it is!" Crimson chips in.

Midnight sighs and turns to the merchant. 

"We're ready. Do you have food?" he asks.

"Plenty." the merchant says as he climbs aboard his wagon. "Hop on."

The three of us climb on and the horses begin trotting along the grassy path we were originally walking on.

"So how long do you think it'll be?" I ask.

"Roughly two hours." he replies.

Might be enough time for me to get a quick nap in. 

I lie back in the wagon and pull my hood up over my face.

"Wake me up when we're there." I say to them before slowly drifting off for some much needed rest.

—-

CHARACTER PROFILES

NAME: Link

RACE: Half Human/Half Oni

AGE: 19

HAIR COLOUR: Dark brown, naturally blue

EYE COLOUR: Blue

ARCANA: Azure Flame-

Allows user to create and control a blue flame at will

WEAPON OF CHOICE: Katana gifted to him from his mom, and a pistol gifted from his dad. Currently lost.

ATTIRE: Charcoal colored duster jacket with a black hoodie underneath and a fur hood. Wears a black helmet with a thin opening for his eyes and hollowed out horns