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| - [Part 1] [Follows on from] Several nights ago in Sen'jin Village - Drums beat out a tribal rhythm, shattering the silence of the night. Exultant voices could be heard almost all the way to the Valley of Trials, as the Trolls celebrated the coming of age of Kan'jin's daughter Jak'li. Everyone was drunk, including the guards who were supposed to be keeping an eye out for Centuar. It was allowed in this instance, though, due to the nature of the celebration. The Troll himself, Kan'jin, was sat watching as his daughter stood on a hastily erected platform and danced for, essentially, all the males of the village. Her snakelike hips swayed back and forth as she swept her gaze across those gathered. Two Trolls laughed and made more obscene comments each time as they passed a large jug between each other, clearly containing some kind of alcohol or drug. Another much older Troll stared lustily at the young girl's enticing movements, even as his mate glared a hole in his back, sharpening her spear with a whetstone. Jak'li wore hardly a stitch of clothing, a long grass skirt which barely tickled half way down her thigh and a simple woven garment restrained her modest bosom. Somewhere on the edge of the Village, just outside of the flickering lights of the many bonfires, a chained up riding-raptor screeched as spears were thrust into its sides. The beast was then wrestled to the floor by two Trolls, as a third skewered it straight through the eye, ending the struggle. A fourth Troll stepped forward, walking at a steady pace towards the source of the dancing light. The drum beat began to intensify, Jak'li swinging her body now, faster and faster. A collective hoot went up from the males of the Village as her skirt rode higher and higher up her legs with each tantalising movement. The drums met at a crescendo, crashing down into frantic beating for a few moments and then ceasing with a curt gesture from the girl, now woman, of the evening. She bared her tusks and growled for the crowd, causing another stir amongst those gathered and yet another frown from her father, who knew what had to take place, but felt he must still play the part of the overprotective father for at least one more night. She was beautiful, his daughter, with a full set of brilliant white teeth, skin as smooth as a raptor's and well shaped curves where it mattered. Where he not his own daughter, he'd be in throes of lust himself, as all the men were held in thrall. After the brief interlude, the drums began to play once more, met also by the hypnotic trill of a pungi flute. A hissing sound escaped the lips of the Priest as he slipped between the buildings. He could hear the hollering and cat-calls as the music began to play again. The Troll licked his lips and let his tongue loll at his tusk for a moment, clearly deep in concentration. As he began to whisper the darkness seemed to close in on his form, obscuring the light as it bent away from the shadows. A slight whispering sound filled the night from all around the Village, but none noticed due to the festivities. Dancing her little heart out, Jak'li was the happiest Troll alive at this moment. She could see the effect she was having and she knew that it would be her pick of the men-folk to her bed tonight. All of a sudden, she seemingly changed from what was traditionally performed as a dance and began to make her way into the crowd. Smiling sweetly, even as a couple of the more drunken Trolls groped at her rear, Jak'li sauntered up to one of the Troll hunters watching from the edges of the firelight. The Troll gulped audibly as Jak'li pressed herself near to him, placing one hand on his stomach and one hand on his shoulder, peering into his eyes with intent. Kan'kin stood up, to show his displeasure at such a bold act, but instead of doing something immoral with this hunter she instead merely withdrew his skinning knife from its sheath with a surprisingly savage motion, cutting the Troll's arm enough to draw blood to the blade. He growled in pain, but smiled at Jak'li. Perhaps she had chosen him? Sauntering back to the makeshift stage, Jak'li showed the bleeding blade to all those gathered. An awed response was what her actions received, even the horniest of Trolls now settling down to watch the action unfolding. Lifting the blade to her mouth, Jak'li licked along the razor edge of the implement, consuming the hunter's blood. Many Trolls cheered and slapped the dumbstruck hunter on the shoulders to congratulate him, but Jak'li cleared her throat so that attention was firmly back on her. As the Trolls turned to face her, panic registered on her face for the briefest of moments. Confusion was rife then, but it lasted only a moment. Jak'li lowered the blade a moment before plunging it deep into her jaw, through the roof of her mouth and into her skull. She was dead in an instant, eyes rolling back in her head and blood cascading out of her nose and mouth in a crimson torrent. All hell broke loose. Flung spears landed between the Trolls, catching one in the thigh. With a terrible roar, the Trolls began snatching up their arms, charging into the darkness like mad dogs chasing a hare. The only one to remain was Kan'jin. Walking once more, the Troll stepped into the light. It regarded the sobbing Troll with amusement. Kan'jin knelt by his dead daughter weeping openly, clutching at his chest as if a mortal wound had been dealt to him. The white garment of the Troll swayed lightly in the night breeze as he stepped behind the grieving father. Kan'jin turned just in time to see a monster of terrible blackness approach, reaching out with tendrils of absolute darkness to claim his soul. A piercing scream ripped through his mind, and it would have caused him to flee under normal circumstances, but instead the rage rose in his blood as Kan'jin instinctively knew that this foul beast was responsible for his daughter's death! As he surged forward, raising his hands up to grab at the stranger's throat, a powerful blast of darkness hit him directly in the face, splintering pain through his mind. Both of his tear filled eyes lost vision a moment as Kan'jin staggered into the side of a nearby building for support. He watched through the blur as this strange Troll loomed over his daughter. First it retrieved the blade from her jaw, and then it began its gruesome task. By the time the warriors came back, triumphantly dragging the corpse of another of the White Troll's followers, they found Kan'jin the Elder bleeding profusely through his eyes, nose and ears. Choked sobs escaped his broken form, fixated on the desecrated corpse of his beloved daughter. The world lay at her feet no more than ten minutes before, and now the earth would take her. Kan'jin continued to cry like a child, even as the other villagers silently helped him to his room. This beast would pay, even if the whole of Sen'jin would have to ride out on the morrow and abandon their beloved Village. It would be worth it, to repay the debt of Jak'li's life. A debt that must be repaid in blood. [Leads to]
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