The Laughing Swordsman

Hex was fast asleep, still on top of Blackie. He was still in a bad state from his last fight, aged horribly by overusing his powers. The only thing that indicated he was still alive was the weak breaths coming from his mouth every couple seconds.

The moment Talon realized that something was above him and Lena, he stood up. There was no hesitation when he took the giant scissors off of his back and opened them up, pointing the end towards the unknown object.

On the other hand, Lena had noticed the shadowy bird, but didn't take any action. Instead, she began kicking her legs about and humming a tune to herself. Her eyes were trained on the black veins lazily squirming about, as though that was more important.

As for Blackie, he took notice of the people below him, but didn't see any merit in talking to them. Thus he continued to fly, about to pass.

At that moment, Talon caught a glimpse of the person on the shadowy bird's back.

"You!..."

He distinctly remembered seeing someone slash through all the transformed people like a lawnmower. It made quite the impression because Talon doubted he could fight against that person. The powerlessness made it feel similar to a horror movie, where he just had to hope that the killer didn't come his way.

As for Blackie, the moment he heard Talon communicate, he stopped flying to turn and look. It was quite strange to see a bird stationary in the middle of the air without flapping its wings. However, when Lena turned to look at it, she didn't seem to mind.

"Ah, is that your friend?"

Talon frowned.

"No. He is a very dangerous person. We have to run now!"

Despite the extreme urgency in his voice and the fact he turned around to run away, Lena just stayed sitting on the log. She curiously looked at the shadowy bird in the sky and waved with a smile.

"Hello there!"

The shadowy bird landed next to Lena. Hex's body gently rested against the floor while Blackie transformed into his original form, a ghost with long arms, big claws, and a giant mouth.

Talon spun around and the moment he saw this scene cold sweat formed on his back. He lifted his scissors up and opened them up before charging in.

"I'll save you, Lena!"

As for Lena, she turned to Talon and raised an eyebrow.

"Please keep it down, brother. It is rude to be screaming randomly."

At the same time, Blackie had given Lena a friendly wave. Then, he turned to Talon with a curious expression before waving as well.

Talon's steps slowed until he froze in place, still holding up the scissors.

He was very confused, to say the least.

Lena waved back to Blackie before clearing her throat and shooting a look towards Talon.

"Brother. It is rude to not greet someone back when they have gone through the trouble of doing the same to you."

Talon blinked a few times before hurriedly putting away his scissors and waving.

"H-Hello?"

Blackie nodded enthusiastically with a wide smile across his face. Then, he pointed towards Hex and shook his arm around. It was as though he was a little kid saying, 'Look, look!'.

Lena slowly walked over and crouched down next to Hex, prompting Talon to open his mouth. He was about to say get away, but realized that Lena probably wasn't going to listen to him.

Talon felt his concerns were very reasonable, but maybe he was overreacting a little.

He walked over and inspected Hex's situation. The immediate reaction was shock.

Shock at the simple strangeness of the situation.

Talon furrowed his brows.

"He looks so much like a little boy, but also looks aged like an old man."

Lena let out a concerned sigh.

"Oh, dear. What is the problem with him?"

Blackie quickly opened his mouth, which made Talon extremely anxious. However, Blackie followed that up by pointing into his mouth repeatedly.

Lena tilted her head to the side.

"He needs something to eat because he's hungry?"

Blackie hurriedly nodded with a wide smile.

Talon rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. He still wasn't sure if helping out a violent killer was the best idea, but decided to give it a shot. Lena probably would force him anyway.

"Um, we have a bit of wolf meat leftover. It will be a bit tough to chew, but other than that, it should work as a food source."

Blackie tilted his head to the side, then began tapping onto his chin with the tip of his finger.

Then, he shook his head.

Talon raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

Lena looked up to Blackie.

"Is it because he requires a specific diet?"

In response to this, Blackie turned to her and hurriedly nodded.

Lena nodded.

"Alright. Is there any way you can describe such a food?"

Blackie seemed stumped. He tilted his head in certain directions before pausing. Then, began tapping onto his chin.

Suddenly, he raised one finger up and smiled. Blackie got an idea.

He proceeded to stick both hands into the sky, then slowly part them. It was almost like he was trying to make a rainbow.

Talon blinked a few times.

"Do you mean... a really long piece of bread?"

Blackie shook his head

Lena wrapped her thumb and index finger around the sides of her chin, hugging it gently.

"Is it some kind of animal?"

Blackie frustratedly scratched the side of his head. Then, he began to flail his arms around in the air, like they were jelly. Occasionally, he would add in shooting both hands to the side and add in a low hiss.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, his meaning wasn't properly conveyed.

A bitter smile formed on Talon's face.

"Gah... I can't tell at all."

Lena bowed slightly.

"I apologize as I do not understand. Perhaps you would like me to try to.... heal him?"