Bodies were laying everywhere. Torn and mangled. Well over a dozen highly trained soldiers. The finest the royal empire could aquire.

Now they were nothing more than corpses laying in a river of there own blood.

The man in the black cloak payed little attention to the carnage as he waded trough the ankle deep pools as he cleaned the blood off of his black bladed katana while humming a tune to himself. He opened the door of the once busy tavern and walked down the street as the blood came spilling down the doorsteps.

People in the streets ignored them. There was little point in allerting the authorities. They'd been trying to kill the man for longer than anyone could remember yet no mortal has so much as scratched him. Why risk there pathetic lives.

The man kept walking, oblivious to the stares of both fear and spite. He walked about a mile to the ghetto of the city where the black market was located. He turned down an alley and walked another half mile past the whore houses and the drug dealers lining the narrow alley till he came to an old tavern which he preceded to enter and take a seat near the back with a shady looking man.

"Hananji you old b*****d! Did you kill that old nobleman I sent you after?" the man asked.

"Yes. Know it's time for you to uphold your end of the deal."

"Yes yes, your god forsaken gauntlets. Those damned things are being guarded by the priest up at the old church. why the hell those deviled things are doin' in a holy place though. If need your help I'll just call right?"

"If I see you again I will not hesitate to kill you. You have served your purpose." Hananji warned as he left the tavern headed for the old church.

Later...

At the old church Father Mathis, now in his eighties, was cleaning the alter preparing for tomorrows service. He was sweeping the dust off the floor as he spotted the man in black sitting in the front row staring at him.

"I'm sorry sir, but the church is closed. It's nearly midnight." Father Mathis said.

"What a shame. I was hoping I could make it confession. I have a lot of sins that need to be forgiven." Hananji replied sarcastically as he began to approach the priest.

"Let's cut to the chase Father. Where are you hiding the Gauntlets of Blasphamy?"

"I don't know what you are talking about" he replied as he slowly slipped his hand into the back of his robes.

"Don't be foolish. You can't expect to kill me with that pathetic little dagger do you? You'd have to bless it for it to even draw blood from me." Hananji said as he moved faster than the priests eyes could follow behind him.

"What sort of demon are to be able to enter this holy place?" the priest stamered.

"Half right." he replied mockingly as he drew his black sort out of it's sheath and placed on Father Mathis' neck. "Now tell me where they are."

"Your one of the Damned! You've made a deal with the demon in that cursed sword of yours!"

"Why of course. Now tell me where the Gauntlets are."

"I would never tell a demon where they are! You might as well kill me now!"

"Now why would I do that? That would be a waste of a perfectly good priest. I have a better Idea." He replied as he placed three fingers on the priests forehead.

A cold chill washed down his spine as the priest slumped over. He could feel the man in black's soul shouded in a demonic shadow enter his mind. It was the most terrifing experience of his life, yet he felt at piece, like he knew this man would not hurt him. He could feel the presence going through his thoughts yet he couldn't stop him. The last thought he had before he faded into unconsiousness was that he had just been possesed.

Hananji stood over the Priest as he took in the humor of the situation.

"Lay your sins at the feet of Jesus." He mumbled to himself as he removed the hidden panel at the foot of the cross revealing the Gauntlets.

"Seven more to go till my deal is complete." He said as he placed them under his cloak.

"HURRY MORTAL. I GROW IMPATIENT.

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