Geneo Taku (OC)

"The fall winds are getting colder," Geneo Taku said. He picked up a piece of drywood and tossed it into the cackling flames.

"Looks like winter is approaching," Peko zipped up his pants after releasing a steady stream against a tree. "It's going to be such a bitch to be traveling this season,"

"For heaven's sake Peko! You haven't stopped touching your dick since we left that dinkwood of a village," Arvent said.

"What can I say. I still feel being inside that girl. Can't wait to visit her again if ya know what I mean," Peko laughed at himself.

Geneo sighed. Regardless of the privileges he enjoyed being a tithe collector. He still didn't like collecting during winter months. The feeling of icicles prickling his skin was damn unbearable. The only time he could get warm was either hunched up around these fires, or when he was inside a woman.

This new one, Castor's wife, he had to admit he's taken a liking to. The next time he visits, he should off the little rodent, so she'd have nobody left to think about during their lay time. Every time he's been with her, she would always look away. He could tell that her mind would escape elsewhere, and that would kind of piss him off. There was only one place her thoughts would have the audacity to escape to. How disrespectful of her to think of another man while being with him.

"Hey boss," Peko said.

Geneo snapped out of his own thoughts and turned towards him. "I thought I told you to refer to me as Captain Taku?"

Peko scratched the back of his head. "Oh, sorry bout that. So we're going to hit the next village like that. I want to see what kind of woman I can taste from larger settlements,"

"No you idiot. We don't treat the larger settlements like that. Only the ones cutoff from the world and can't do anything," He said.

"Why not? What are they going to do? Fly up to the Skylands and tell on us? They're not much more worth than the village we just left," Arvent said.

"They're not, but our reputations are. They probably can't make it topside, but rumors sure as shit can. I have a reputation to uphold amongst The Order, and the Skylands. I don't want your personal toilets to spoil that, so I suggest you keep your junk hidden in the larger villages.

Indeed, if there was one thing Geneo cared about, it was his reputation. Everything else down here was easy enough to maintain and didn't pose so much as a challenge, but keeping his reputation, to him, that was everything. More like, it was the only thing.

"Pshh, I bet the only reason you want to keep your reputation clean was because of that woman… what was her name? Shoko?" Peko said.

Geneo thought about Shoko Irgo. That woman's body looked incredible. You'd never thought she was the mother of a teenager. Indeed, he thought about all types of ways he could paint himself all over her. Sadly, she was a resident of the Skylands and couldn't be treated the same way as the pheasants down here. He tried everything to get in her good graces, even being nice to that self-righteous brat of a son of hers. Sure he was all goody-goody now, but once he realizes the power he holds as a priest, he'd be just like the rest of them.

His original plan was to wait for the kid to graduate, and hopefully get him assigned to his unit. Frame the kid for extortion purposes so he could play with Shoko however much he wanted, but the kid was too skilled for that. He'd skip the tithe collector's unit all together.

His only hope is to gain her favor the normal way, but the woman was just too guarded. Like she knew what his nature was. At least her kid was none the warry.

"About that… I been meaning to tell you," Arvent reached into his back pocket and pulled out what looked to be a bounty paper and gave it to him.

Geneo rolled it open. His eyes widened when he saw one-hundred thousand gold teal bounty with a picture of Ryuma on the cover.

"When… How… What happened!?" Geneo didn't have a clue what to make of it. Sure it's been awhile since he's gone back up into the Skylands, but for Ryuma to accrue a bounty of this size, he must've done something big.

"No way, he didn't…" Geneo thought. The kid was always headstrong when it came to doing what's right. Was it possible that in the presence of an edict, he may have attacked one out of his self-righteousness? No that couldn't be the case. There wouldn't be a bounty for him, he'd be dead on spot. Plus… even attacking an edict wouldn't yield a bounty this high. This was on the level of a calamity. They're not playing around or leaving anything up to chance. Everyone will be after him.

He began to have a lecherous grin on his face. "This is it! The kid's father has been missing for five years, and he himself has been turned into a fugitive of the highest nature!"

The wife of a possible deserter, and the mother of a wanted criminal. Shoko Irgo was likely to be a shamed woman, a pariah all by herself. Whatever he does to her, who would believe her. He could have her all to himself. If she dared to fight back, he'd share her with his men.

"Kid… I knew there was a reason I'd like you," Geneo smirked at the photo. "I'll be sure to do you a solid and savor the taste of Shoko Irgo. Your mother deserves the respect of such a cuisine, only I could appreciate,"

"Huhh??? You can roll that woman's ass all you want captain, but that's not what I was getting at. Look at the bounty on him," Arvent said.

Geneo looked back at the paper and thought about it. Arvent was right, he almost glossed over it. That bounty was insane enough for them to have to never work a day in their life ever again. Normally, because they worked as Priest in The Order, assuming if they were to capture him, they would only get a fifth of what the original bounty was. That split into three, was roughly over six thousand gold coins.

That was still enough to live good or upgrade their status and wealth.

This time, Geneo gave off an evil dastardly smirk. "You know what, that's not a bad idea Arvent. Bag the kid, have my way with his mother. What more of a turn on could that be?"

"I have to admit captain, you have a one-track mind," Arvent said.

"Screw everything else. I'm more interested in where we're going to find this kid! Not to mention if we do find him, I heard he's a skilled fighter having graduated at the top of his class. Think we could take him?" Peko said.

"No worries there Peko. I've known the kid since he was a young thing. If anything, he trusts me like he would his own father. We could lull him into a false sense of security and kill him at any point in time. The poster does say 'Dead.' I see no risk in trying to haul in a live struggling target when you could kill him for the same amount,"

"Wow. What a loving father figure you are. Sure the kid will trust us that easy considering he's wanted?" Arvent asked.

"Even so. Skilled fighter or not. He's only the best in his class. That's still a small pond when he's just entered the ocean. He might be good enough to join the ranks of the demon slayers, but he still lacks real world experience. There should be no way he could manage the three of us,"

"Alright… I like those odds already! Let's just hope we run into him before any of the other tithe collectors do so. I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of all that gold just walking around unsupervised. Someone could snatch it up if we're not quick," Peko said.

"Right… about that… where do we start? All we got is the poster. I can't imagine him having taken the transportation portal from the Skylands if he was being hunted down. He must still be up there hiding," Arvent said.

"If that was the case, then they'd already would've caught him by the time we got ahold of these posters. Nahh… he somehow made it down here in the lower worlds. Whether he's alive or dead is what remains to be seen," Geneo concluded.

"Damn… The lower worlds are so vast, he could be anywhere by now. Got any idea where we should start looking?" Peko said.

Geneo sighed again. Both Peko and Arvent were in deep thought. The fools… it's obvious that if Ryuma fell off the island, then not only would he be in Rebble territory, but he should be somewhere in the vicinity of the island itself.

Geneo was about to stand up, but before he could do so, a katana pierced through his chest from right behind him.

His eyes widened, all strength in his body left him. What was with this black katana sticking out of him.

"Damn! It looked like you had quite the plans for me… Mr. Taku," Ryuma said so mockingly.

His eyes… his cold eyes were the clearest thing that stood out to him before he fell.