journal ⚔️ a warning

[discourtesies]

Sender: Barok van Zieks

[The writing is hurried, a cursive that just manages to be legible. In his rush, his usual formalities are cut short. The message is more important than the form it takes.]

There is a demon in the wilderness — a bestial man. Powerful and violent, able to heal itself in an instant. Anyone unable to defend themselves should avoid the woods until [until what? It's killed? If there's any shred of the man still in there, he can't condone that.] further notice.

[Is that a drop of blood on the page? Eh, it's fine.]

It was Kazuma Asogi. I don't understand it, but I wasn't able to reason with him and he became this thing before my eyes.

[After a moment, he adds:]

He cannot be left like this.

Comments

Sender: 76

[steadypulse]

Got an exact location?

[That was quick and, well, mostly because of who it was.

He's got his reasons.]

[discourtesies]

[He isn't about to complain.]

South near the lake. It's left behind a trail that burned or twisted most of what was near us.

[Probably not hard to spot, especially now that the fog that allowed Barok to escape has likely all disappeared at this point.]

[steadypulse]

So, easy enough to spot and track.

I'd ask what happened, but that can wait until after. You good?

[discourtesies]

Well enough for now.

[And just because he has to know:]

Do you know how to subdue that thing without killing him?

Sender: Susato Mikotoba

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato's spent enough time with the book that she more or less figured out how it works. After scrolling through so many names she didn't know, though, she didn't think she'd find out she... did. ]

He became a what??

[discourtesies]

[It's almost hard to tell her, having seen her close connection with the man, but he's still trying to move out of the forest himself and can only afford so much time to write.]

I have no other words to describe it. He was no longer himself.

[judicialassistant]

Is he hurt?? Are you hurt

[ Oh, freakin' nuts to this. She's not gonna wait around for answers in this thing. ]

I'll come. Maybe I can get through to him.

Sender: Diluc

[disdelusioned]

[That's... concerning.......]

I can assist. Where can I find him?

[discourtesies]

South, near the lake.

[He doesn't really want to send this man into a threat neither of them understands, though.]

Have you any idea what this is?

[disdelusioned]

I don't, but it needs to be cut down regardless.

[He can figure out the details once he gets there.]

Sender: Daley Vigil

[buriedvigil]

[For a second, he thought about writing his name as Hugh Boone, but.]

Mr. Asogi? ... I've briefly met him not too long ago, I didn't think of him as the violent type.

[Granted, he did try to cut the taffy off them when they were really stuck together, but, this seems entirely different. Most worryingly, is the drop of blood that's splattered on the page, at least, that's what he thinks it is.]

How badly are you injured, sir?

[discourtesies]

That thing is not Asogi.

[So your impressions aren't really relevant at this point, Vigil. As far as his injuries... he definitely got off easy, in part thanks to his early retreat. It stings to have done so when he's been able to defend himself well enough for the past ten years, but this nightmare creature... wasn't about to be incapacitated with his sword alone. And he really would rather remain alive.

Apparently he was careless in his movements when writing, but when the wound was so close to his hand, it couldn't be helped.]

Hardly more than scratches.

[buriedvigil]

[Well, now. Vigil isn't about to go and volunteer himself to try and stop this... demon version of Asogi. That sounds like an incredibly bad idea and he has a pretty solid view of his own limitations. If the regular Asogi was pretty intimidating, then... nope.]

You should probably get those injuries cleaned soon. [There's a little pause before Vigil's next message comes up.]

You're not lying about the severity of your wounds, are you?

Sender: Yujin Mikotoba

[professorbestie]

[Yujin wasn't even aware of Lord Van Zieks's presence in this place until he saw this message, but that notion pales in comparison to the actual contents. Kazuma... And the droplet of blood... His reply comes in handwriting that is not as neat as it usually would be.]

Lord van Zieks, where are you right now?

[discourtesies]

[Doctor Mikotoba is here as well? This dream... is truly full of surprises.]

I've almost reached the southern end of town.

[professorbestie]

Will you permit me to meet with you? We have quite a bit to discuss, it seems. I can bring medical supplies if you have need for them.

[He doesn't want to assume, but that blood came from someone.]

Sender: Roxas

[twilightskey]

[Roxas has a very strange relationship with Kazuma. Roxas didn't remember the man, but Kazuma knew about him from a world that Roxas couldn't remember. It hurt, not having the same memories, but Roxas wanted to see if that connection with the other man could be reformed in some capacity. They'd spoken of that other world, and the struggles Kazuma faced.]

[So hearing this? Roxas is on alert.]

What happened? Where is he?

[discourtesies]

It seems he's lost himself to anger. Physically as much as mentally.

[He threatened Barok beforehand, but that's a more personal aspect that he's not sure is entirely relevant. He's more fixated on how Asogi changed than being attacked... though he of course would rather not get torn to shreds.]

South of the village, though I fear he may still be following me. [But:] Can you make any sense of it?

[twilightskey]

[Roxas's stomach drops. He remembers talking to Kazuma, hearing about the darkness that he fought with before. Had it returned somehow?]

I'm on my way. Maybe I can help.

[He briefly pauses. Can he make sense of it? Not entirely, not in the way Kazuma says he once did. How could he, when he doesn't have those memories anymore? But... well, in a way, he can do his best to explain what he knows.]

He told me that before coming here, that he had a darkness within him. Something he struggled dealing with. This might be that darkness again.

Sender: Rokurou

[rokubro]

I know he told me he could fight, but he turned into a demon?

So how many have gone after him so far? Wouldn't mind having a go at him if he hasn't been taken care of yet.

SUS!!!

[discourtesies]

It appeared so. He twisted the beasts and burned the plants around us without moving.

[Pretty demonlike, if you ask him. ... he doesn't like that wording, though. "Wouldn't mind having a go"?]

What are your intentions?

[rokubro]

That guy's been really holding back, huh...

[Barok may or may not be able to guess that Rokurou is actually grinning a bit behind the journal.]

My intentions are pretty simple. I don't mind helping, but I'm more interested in the fight. [AT LEAST HE'S HONEST??] Plus I'm a daemon. If he's really a demon or as strong as you say, I'm more likely to keep up with him than the average human.

Sender: Naminé

[lethechained]

[ Not overly familiar with cursive, it takes Naminé a few extra moments to make sense of it. Even at a glance, though, the contents of the message seem concerning, and grow twice as much so when she recognizes a familiar name amongst the frightening description. Bristling with worry, Naminé puts pen to paper before she's really had time to think about it, only... when she tries to find the right words for what she means to write, there aren't any.

No, no one could be left like that, but the implications are too ugly to consider. As much as she wants to inquire about what happened, that seems like it'd be more a hindrance to whatever needs to be done in the present time than anything else; information for outside parties like herself isn't the highest priority. Frowning, she hesitates.

Well, at least there's one thing she can help with. ]

Are you hurt?

[discourtesies]

[By this time, van Zieks has had the chance to approach the town properly, and without said demon on his trail. As such, when he answers her question, his writing isn't as rushed as it was initially. He feels slightly more secure, enough to take a little more time.]

It's nothing of immediate concern.

[He could go a few hours without attending to them, if it came down to it.]

[lethechained]

[ She's on tenterhooks to a certain degree as she awaits a response, so it's something of a relief in and of itself that there is one, and that it's slightly more legible. (Maybe. She's not actually strictly sure how the letters are usually supposed to look; still, she can make them out with some effort.) This fellow might be a stranger, but that's never stopped her from caring before.

Anyway, that sounded like a 'yes'. It might not be the ideal answer, but... ]

I see. In that case, I'm glad.

[ Sort of. Mostly she's just a different kind of worried, and if she can see that drop of blood, she's definitely eyeing it with suspicion. His idea of what can wait and hers might not be the same thing. ]

Even if you're alright for now, do you think you're bleeding anywhere?