Inner Fires Ch. 02

"Oh shit," Cinder mutters to herself, looking behind her to see that there are indeed four shady characters wandering down the path that the noble took, "I'll be back later, sorry for leaving like this!"

Chuckling again as the Magic-kin teen takes off after the group to follow them, the artist waits a few moments before she stands from her seat, a single fluffy tail sliding out from under her shirt.

"Good thing that guy came along, or I would have had to find an excuse to just give it to her. She's grown so much," she mutters, the leather hat atop her head wiggling a bit as she watches Cinder go, which is soon replaced with a kitsune's mask. Sliding it over her face, the artist sits back down, her fox ears seemingly invisible to everyone around her stall, 'Kitsune Creations' emblazoned on the sign above her, "Crimson is going to be so happy to hear that she accepted the comb, and that she is doing alright. That old lady really needs to relax..."

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"I can't believe someone is trying to mug such a nice guy," Cinder says quietly to herself, noting the outline of a dagger in one of the pursuer's cloaks, visible when the wind blows just right, "I'll make sure that I pay him back for what he did for me. The least I can do is make sure those thieves don't take his money, even if he has a lot of it."

Stalking along the street, and attempting to blend into the crowd by keeping her head lowered, Cinder manages to catch up to them and notices the four of them turning down a less used street. Hurrying to follow, she stops at the edge of the street and peeks around the corner, eyes widening as she spots the generous stranger, now surrounded by enemies and holding a sheathed wakizashi in his hand.

"What the...? That guy didn't seem like a warrior," she mutters to herself, squinting her eyes in an attempt to see better, "He didn't have that sword before. Guess he grabbed it from that weapon store nearby... Can he even use that thing?"

"King Dirk Silvervein, Traitor King of The Protectorate! Come with us, or we will take your head back with u-" one of the cloaked men starts to say, only for the generous stranger to interrupt him, slowly drawing the wakizashi as he speaks.

"The only traitor is the one who framed me for my father's death. If this is how you want to do this, then feel free to attack me. It's your heads that will roll," he threatens, a savage grin forming on his face, a stark contrast from his earlier demeanor, "I'll give you all a chance to leave before I kill each and every one of you who stays behind. You have until the count of ten. One. Two. Thr-"

"Just kill him!" one of the assassins shouts before he charges forwards, his hood slipping back and revealing his rat-like features as he swings a dagger towards Dirk's throat, the fox stepping to the side and avoiding the blow. Once out of the way, he draws his new sword back, grasping the handle with both hands and bringing the blade down on the attacker's arm, cleanly severing his hand from his wrist, "A-aaaagh! My hand! My fucking hand!"

Grabbing the maimed rat's cloak, he throws the smaller male towards another of the attackers, causing the two to crash and land on each other in a small pile. Sighing, the remaining two silently draw their weapons and flank Dirk, not seeming liable to panic as their companion did.

"What? No words? Ooh, I bet you four have a personal vendetta, don't you?" the manically grinning fox coos out as he reaches under his cloak with a free hand and draws a heavy-looking longsword, brandishing it with ease alongside the wakizashi, "What's your sob story, hm? Too much tax on daddy's castle? Maybe you're all just blind vermin who did this for gold."

Grinning wider as one of them flinches softly, Dirk tuts softly before leveling both blades towards his opponents, one sword pointed at each of them, "Nailed it, didn't I? Oh, speaking of nailing," he jokes with a chuckle before flinging the wakizashi at the uninjured assassin, earning a cry of pain from the newly standing rat as the blade sinks straight into his guts and leaves him pinned to the wall. Dirk's chuckle turns into a full-blown laugh as he uses the momentum to bring his longsword towards another attacker's chest, which is parried by the large dagger in his paws, the fox-man's arms thick arms now noticeable in the heat of combat.

"Wow...he's pretty good," Cinder mutters from her hiding place, watching as the two uninjured assassins attempt to find an opening in Dirk's defenses, exchanging blows and parries in beautiful showers of sparks. Raising a brow as she spots the one-handed killer doing something out of her sight, Cinder decides to focus on him as she steps out from her hiding place and begins to walk closer, "What is that guy doing? Is he bandaging himself? Ah, crap...guess I should get involved now."

Clangs and rings of steel echo in the air, the fox-man easily holding his ground against the remaining two assassins, despite the few shallow cuts visible on his body. Noticing that their friend is getting back up, the two panting aggressors stand side by side in an attempt to keep his vision on them as their injured companion lifts his dagger and quietly approaches Dirk, a tourniquet of ripped cloth tightly wrapped around his wounded wrist.

"Just going t-to stare all day? Come on, you flea-bitten mange bags. I'm j-just getting started," Dirk declares with a savage grin, panting softly and chuckling to himself as the hidden assassin grows closer, "Cute. You think I didn't notice him behind me?"

Turning his head, Dirk's eyes widen as he realizes that the assassin is right behind him, a stray dog pawing at the nearby gravel behind him giving the illusion of being farther away. As the dagger descends towards Dirk's back, he attempts to twist out of the way of the attack, grunting as the point of the blade sinks deep into his hand and continues pushing towards him, "Gah! Oh, you're going to suffer f-for tha-"

The assassin's head snaps to the side as a fist slams into his cheek, sending him stumbling a few steps away before landing atop an armor stand and knocking it on top of himself, the now unmoving assassin clearly knocked out, his savior's voice familiar to him, "Need some help? It's the least I can do after you bought me that nice comb."

Blinking in confusion, Dirk stares at Cinder for a moment before narrowing his eyes in annoyance, glancing back at the two nervous-looking assassins, "You take the ugly one, I'll get the slightly less ugly one."

"Which one is uglier?" Cinder sincerely asks, cracking her knuckles and taking a fighting stance, "They look the same to me."

"T-that's because we're twins!" one of them says with a growl, baring his teeth in annoyance, while the other just seems to be confused, "And we're not ugly! You're ugly!"

"For the love of Krin... Just come here, and we'll take care of you both! Besides...the one on the left is the uglier one," Dirk casually remarks with a shrug, then whimpers softly in pain as he remembers that there is a dagger embedded to the hilt in his hand, "Eh, I can still take them."

"You shut your mouth!...but we're out of here! Screw this!" the ugly one on the left declares as they turn tail to run, "We already achieved our goal, anyway! Sucks to be you, asshole!"

"How is...?" Dirk asks himself, watching the two run away from them, Cinder clearly confused about why he isn't giving chase. Looking down at his hand, his brows furrow before he mutters a curse under his breath and hurries over to the unconscious assassin, rifling through his clothing in search of something, "No! What kind of idiot uses Blightleaf poison without carrying an antidote!?"

"What's Blightleaf poison?" Cinder asks as she approaches him, wincing at the sight of his hand and reaching into her sleeve, "Take that dagger and give me your hand. I'll wrap your injury with my fighting clo-"

Ripping the dagger from his hand with a loud growl of pain, Dirk tosses the blade to the side and shoves his hand towards her, the fox-man clearly in pain and trying to keep himself together, "Cauterize it. Burn the wound before you wrap it, it will destroy any poison in the wound itself and slow the spread for now."

Seeing her hesitation, Dirk drops his longsword and grabs Cinder's kimono, pushing his face into her's and growling loudly before barking out, "Do it! If you don't, I will die in an hour! Burning it shut will buy me at least four more!"

"A-alright! I can't promise that I won't burn more than I intend to," Cinder mumbles under her breath, taking Dirk's hand between both of her's and taking a deep breath before allowing her latent magic to engulf the wound, singeing it shut and earning a pained growl from Dirk as the scent of burning flesh and fur fills the air, "S-sorry! It should only take another moment!"

"Stop trying to coddle me, and just focus on the injury," he growls out, turning his head away and baring his teeth in a display of pain, "Gods, this smarts. Not the worst injury I have sustained, though it is the most life-threatening at the moment."

"I'm not coddling you, I'm trying to warn you," she says in return, furrowing her brows and pulling her burning hands away from him, "There, it's burned shut. We need to find someone who can get that poison out of you, though."

"Of course...though I am searching for someone for unrelated reasons, the man in question should also have a means of getting an antidote. His name is Divine Fist Paul, and-"

"You know my Sensei?" Cinder interrupts, earning a wide eyes stare from Dirk as he processes what he just heard, his ears perked up, "What? He is!"

"You're...Divine Fist Paul's student? I could have..." he trails off with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle before gesturing back where they came from, "Lead the way, please. I would like to meet him before I drop dead from poison."

Nodding her head with a nervous smile, she begins to lead him back down the side road and towards the main pathway as Dirk collects his weapon, passing by another couple of businesses before a solid impact is heard behind the Magic-kin. Quickly turning around, Cinder's concern turns into a deadpan gaze as she spots Madakawa wrestling Dirk to the floor, attempting to pin him to the ground.

"Cinder, run! I have this foul kidnapper under contr-ugh!" the wanna-be hero exclaims with a grunt of pain as the lupine drives his uninjured fist into Madakawa's stomach.

Shoving Madakawa off of him, Dirk kicks him in the side before pointing his sword towards Madakawa's neck, the martial artist raising his hands in surrender at the turnabout, "I-if it weren't for the fact that you're clearly one of Cinder's friends, I would kill you for that."

"Knock that off, Madakawa! He's been injured, poisoned, and now beaten, and I'm just trying to get him to Sensei Paul!" Cinder calls out with frustration, gritting her teeth and gently tugging Dirk back from him, "You can follow if you want, but I'll be the one punching you next if you do that again to him."

"Got it...and sorry for attacking you," the teen says with an apologetic expression, carefully getting to his feet once the sword is no longer pointed at him, "I saw the blood on your cloak, and heard the growling, and...yeah."

Rolling his eyes, Dirk follows behind Cinder without a word, leading him onto the main road and towards the inn that they are staying at.

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"So...let me see if I understand you correctly, young one," Paul says with a neutral expression, sitting outside of the inn and under a trio of trees as he takes soft pulls from his wooden pipe, "You were the King of The Protectorate, ascending to the throne after your father was killed by an Orc in battle, and now seek my help in reclaiming your home? Am I summarizing well enough?"

"Y-yes...and I realize how selfish this sounds, especially after you were generous enough to provide an antidote for that poison," Dirk admits with flattened ears, sitting across from Paul and glancing towards Cinder and Madakawa to the side, "Even more so after considering Miss Cinder's saving me and bringing me here. I can promise more gold than you can carry if you assist me, and my eternal gratitude."

"I do not much care for gold or gratitude, I care for attitudes and ability," Paul calmly states, blowing out smoke and smiling softly at the pipe before continuing, "I know of your people. The Protectorate is an alliance of clans and nations that formed under one banner; the Great Wolf Prince and his clan. A wolf of low blood who fought against the greatest evil your nation has known, and the alliances he forged in those dark days have kept that evil from engulfing us all."

Taking another pull of his pipe, Paul lets the smoke hang in the air as he exhales again, tapping the ashes out of the pipe's bowl, "But my fighting days are largely over, and I am already under someone's employ."

"You are?" Cinder asks with a tilt of her head, not knowing of any particular job that Paul does as they travel from place to place.

"Of course, teaching you and Flint. Having apprentices is a full-time job, and it is never boring with you two in my life," Paul says with a chuckle, smiling at Cinder and giving her a playful wink, "Besides, I take on odd jobs here and there as we travel. Where else would the money I give you come from?"

"I guess," Cinder admits with a shrug, leaning back against a tree and letting her Sensei continue.

"Yes, I am much too busy to assist in dethroning a King...personally," Paul finishes with a smirk, glancing at Cinder again and gently tapping his pipe against his chin in thought, "Though this would be a good test of character for you, my young apprentice."

"What!?" the student in question shouts in surprise and outrage, her brows furrowing in annoyance, "Sensei, how the heck could I take down a King!? You know, someone surrounded by armed and armored guards that have trained for longer than I have been alive!?"

"Along with mages that can level a small village with ease," Dirk mutters, his comment only making Cinder gesture to him with both hands.

"See!? That's crazy! I can't take on that many people at once!" she says, jerking her arms towards him a few more times for emphasis, "That's just suicide with extra steps!"

Silencing Cinder with a hand, Paul waits until she seems calmer before continuing, the smile never leaving his face, "Your hair is glowing again, young one. You will not be going into this alone, nor any time soon. I will train you and King Dirk over the next two years, and this task will be your final trial."

"I-I...you really think I could do that, Sensei? You think I can topple a nation?" Cinder asks with a lowered head, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, "I couldn't even beat Madakawa. How am I supposed to do all of that with just Dirk and myself?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, young miss," Dirk comments with a roll of his eyes, a playful smile forming on his muzzle, "I won't say no to the training. It's not like the nation will crumble in two years without me, the Tribal Heads are smarter than that."

"Tribal...Heads?" Cinder asks with a tilt of her head, glancing up at Dirk with curiosity, "Are those like less important kings?"

"Don't ever say that to them, but yes. They govern their individual tribes, and I lead my own tribe along with taking on the overall leadership role," he explains with a smile, then lets his smile soften a moment later, "Or, I used to. I was only a Prince until a month ago. My father left some large shoes to fill, but I did my best."

"Well, regardless..." Paul trails off with a smirk, glancing between Cinder and Dirk with a raised brow, "You two are going to have some serious training in store. Let's stop by Yamatetsu's dojo to let him know that our visit will have to be put on hold."

"Aww, do we have to?" Cinder asks with a pout, folding her arms and looking away, "We can't just start next week and stick around here for the week, like we planned to? No fair..."

"Unfortunately, every second matters," Dirk comments with a sympathetic expression, his eyes looking into Paul's a moment later to address him, "Thank you for this, Divine Fist Paul. I hope to learn much from you."

"Who came up with that silly name, young fox? I have never once called myself a divine fist of any sort," Paul asks with a raised brow, chuckling in amusement, "I am nowhere near as powerful as the divine. Please call me Sensei, if you would."

"Of course...Sensei Paul," the fox-man relents with a chuckle of his own, though he pauses as Paul stands from his seat and begins to walk towards the door.

"No time to waste, then. Let's be off, and I will take you both to greater heights...and maybe Flint as well."

Following behind Sensei Paul, Cinder returns to Yamatetsu's dojo along with her teacher to explain the situation, Madakawa's disappointment palpable for the duration of their stay. Once their farewells are said, the group makes their way towards the city gates after making a quick trip to collect Flint as well.

On their way out, the sun setting in the sky ahead, Cinder hums softly to herself as she ponders something. Her gasp draws the attention of Dirk, who turns his head to look back at her with an expression of concern, "Is something wrong, Cinder?"

"No, just...I suddenly realized, how the hell did I not burn down the dojo?" Cinder asks, raising a brow at her Sensei as the four of them depart from the city gates, earning a concerned look from one of the guards.

"Magic. Welcome to boot camp."

"Well, shit..."