-Joket, Ganondorf-

Another former-Qin had disappeared. Not just one this time, but a whole group of them.

Ganon looked out to see the state of the city, and he did not like what he saw. The situation was becoming steadily worse. The former-Qin were now moving only in groups and were going so far as to keep a wide distance from any and all Majora. Where every Majora walked, the former-Qin would flee to the other side of the street, put their hands on their weapons, and watch them warily. It made Ganon desire to consficate their weapons.

The disappearances were always silent and hidden, the bodies were never found.

Until now. A body was found. Sort of...

"Surely it is not as bad as he said." The former-Qin governor argued. "For a Qin to have done this?! There is no proof! It is a ridicules claim!"

"If our man is right, we need to look into this. This may be the proof you want." Nabooru Majora argued. "Whether the murderer is a Majoran or Qin.

"I understand that, Lady Nabooru. But you must understand, I find it difficult to believe a claim of... what was it again?"

"Artistic murder." Ganondorf imputed.

"Yes, just who in their right mind would do such a thing?! Murder is motivated by greed or desperation! Not... whatever this is!"

"Then you are right to say 'who in their right mind' because this person may not be of the right mind." Nabooru said.

The governor sighed in frustration. He ran his hands through his hair. He muttered something about fate frowning on him.

Ganondorf said, "You don't have to go see for yourself if you find such things outside of your tastes, but it should be investigated. Speak nothing of this. I personally will go and see if the claim is true. If it is, then we have a problem and the last thing we need is the people knowing until we have the situation under control and we can spin it in a way that will keep a riot off everyone's hands. Because trust me when I say if there is a riot and if my people are hurt... I will be short on mercy."

The governor gulped fearfully and nodded stiffly.

"I'll go with you." Nabooru stood from her seat.

"If you insist." Ganon replied. He didn't care one way or another. If she felt this was the best use for her time, then that was up to her. He looked to his twin-mothers. "Mothers, if you will join me. Your eyes could prove useful."

"Oh goody!" "Artistic murder!" The two cackled. They rubbed their old hands. The former-Qin governor eyed them.

Outside the Majoran guard to have reported the finding escorted them out of the mansion and to the place in question.

It was a run-down shack in the older, torn down parts of the city. Immediately Ganon sensed something was wrong.

"Where are all the people?" Nabooru wondered. Ganon hummed in agreement.

Kagami growled and flattened his ears as they neared a hut the guide pointed out. At a point the large wolf simply refused to take a step further. The house was barely a house. It would be more accurately described as a pile of wood on four sticks.

"This place looks like wolf feces." Ganon complained. "Are you sure this is the place?"

The guard confirmed it.

"No surprise there... Good place to hide a body. No one would look here." Nabooru whispered.

The twin mothers, being witches, flew over their heads high above. As they only had one large broom to share at the moment, they mostly bickered and argued over who was controlling it. Kagami barked from a distance.

Nabooru snuck up to the edge of the hut quietly and peered in the window. She whispered, "There is one person inside standing in the middle of the room. We should-"

Ganon kicked the door open and walked in.

"-be... careful." Nabooru finished. She mentally sighed. "Right..." She vaulted into the window and pulling out a scimitar pointed it at the man in the shadows. Not like they truly had the element of stealth anyway. Kagami was barking furiously at the door and the witches were bickering over where to land.

The person hadn't moved. He hadn't moved when Ganon barged in or drew his two blades, and he hadn't moved when Nabooru snuck in from behind.

The person was completely still... and there was something... off... about his frame. Frowning, Ganon flared fire along his blades and waved one forward. What they saw made Nabooru scream for half a beat and cause Ganon to drop his sword in shock.

The person before them was a conglomeration of body parts from different people. The face alone had five separate people's faces sown together. The eyes were large and bulging. The hair was part long, part curly, part bloody and all matted together messy fur. The nose had two different size nostrils. The ears were much too large for the face, even looking feminine.

Ganon didn't care to look at any other part of it below the face. The face was bad enough.

Nabooru turned around, leaned out the window, and threw up. He was tempted to vomit as well. The smell was ten realms past horrid and decayed. No wonder Kagami refused to come near.

"Ohhh! I like!" One of his mother's exclaimed from the door.

The two witches entered in and examined the corpse eagerly. Their hands twitched like kids tempted to touch, yet knowing better lest they be chastised. Ganondorf eyed them, worried for their sanity.

"Disgusting..." Ganondorf grunted.

"No, amazing!" One mother said.

"Such talent!" The other said.

"Notice how the metal rod pierces its ankle-"

"-all the way up to the waist-"

"just to keep it stable! And in place like a statue!"

"I wanted to say that part!"

"Sorry, but it's so-"

"I know!" The other squealed.

"So..." Nabooru interrupted. "Can we confirm this is a... the missing people stitched together... thing?" She kept her distance from the body and her feet were directed at the door.

"Most likely. Is there a way to track who did it?" Ganondorf asked openly.

"We will need a sample of blood." The twin mothers said.

Ganondorf stared at them a moment, aghast. He motioned to the body. "Then take some blood! It is a corpse!"

"But we don't want-"

"-to ruin it!"

"If you can do it. Just do it!" Ganondorf insisted.

The witches muttered in disagreement, but did as they were told. They stood on either side of the body, drew knives, quickly pierced the body and pulled the knife out in one motion.

"The blood weeps for vengeance..." They chanted. "Bloods stains the killer." They pointed the knives downward so that the blood dripped down its sharp edge, then they started to draw on the ground with the blood. "The blood of innocence cries out." "The Divine demand sacrifice." "For they do not bleed."

With their design finished, they gently placed the four knives on the ground in the midst of the design. Twilight came from Koume's hands, touched the blood, and quickly infested it like a hungry worm. Once all of the blood was infested with Twilight, it started to shimmer. The design unraveled itself to form a snake. The snake turned to each one of them, hissed, and disappeared out the door.

"Follow it!" Koume exclaimed. She pointed at it as it slithered quickly into the street.

Ganondorf dashed after it. Their technique was surprisingly effective if this worked out. Kagami was immediately on Ganondorf's side and understood what it was they were following. Good thing too, as Ganondorf lost sight of the small creature many times but Kagami's sharp nose led him without fail.

The Twilight snake sped through the old town until at least it reached a hut and slithered beneath the door. Ganondorf, Kagami, and Rabooru stopped near to look around and listen. They heard men scuffle inside and panic at the sight of an aggressive black snake.

"Think we found them." Ganondorf whispered. He drew his blades. Rabooru did the same. Kagami bared his fangs. "Rabooru go to the main street and call for the guards. I'll take him prisoner."

Rabooru nodded, jumped off a sack onto the edge of a roof, climbed up, and disappeared.

Ganondorf walked up to the front door and listened. There were men inside and a fowl stench lingered in the air. A smell he knew well.

He opened the door gently and entered in. The men inside did not notice him immediately, allowing him long enough to have a look, but when they did those in the immediate vicinity drew their weapons and stood against him. Kagami lowered himself, ready to lunge.

"Surrender your weapons." Ganondorf proposed. He imbued Divine Fire and Twilight across the surface of his blades and allowed the power of the mark to flow. His red eyes and fiery hair glowed in the shadow. "Or don't. Makes little difference to me." The men fell back in fear.

One man entered from a room further in. He wore armor as an elite and a fur cloak over his shoulders. He had a curved blade on his side and a beautiful countenance. With a single motion he beheaded one of his own men as they retreated.

"Cowards!" He barked. "He is not here as our enemy and yet you quiver as rabbits! Everyone who dared take a step back in fear, impale yourself! Do it now or I will do it myself!"

Looking between each other in fear, it dawned on Ganon that these men were more afraid of their leader than they were of him. The ones to flee drew their blades and pierced their own stomachs and fell to die in their own blood. Thankfully they were but a scant few, as most in the building further in had not fled from him. Now that Ganon's eyes were adjusting to the shadows, he could see there were many in the connected rooms.

Kei Ki the Beheader, new hundred-man commander of the army of Qin, stepped forward and extended a hand.

"Lord Dragmire. It is a pleasure to see you."

Ganondorf was stunned. Not to the extent of being speechless, but the last thing he had been expecting when he entered the room was a Qin army officer, least of all one he had fought beside only a little while ago. But at the same time he felt he shouldn't be surprised. From what he heard of Kei Ki... He was a man who's evil rivaled Ganon's own evil in the darkest moments of his past. Ganondorf lowered his blades slowly, and just as slowly pulled the power of his mark back to where it rested on his hand, and put the anger, bloodlust, and darkness to sleep. Not completely, as Ganon was wary of The Beheader.

Ganondorf demanded, "What are you doing here?"

"Why, building an army, of course." Kei Ki shrugged. "I promised my niece I would make her an army from the expansive, rebellious branches of the Ki family. So I am hunting them and forcing them to acknowledge me as a primary head of the Ki family. One of the heads of the Ki family is here."

"In my city?"

Kei Ki's eyes flashed knowingly. He smirked. "Does this trouble you?"

"The fact that a mafia leader is here or your murder? Yes. Your actions are causing great unrest, and I would rather not have a riot on my hands."

"Ah." Kei Ki nodded. "If it helps to appease you, then know that I have only threatened the innocents. I have only killed informants and trusted men to the Ki family head and those of them who have stood with them."

Ganondorf motioned back to where he came. "You mean that conflagration of corpses is them?"

Kei Ki's eyes widened ever so slightly. He smiled proudly and asked, "You saw?"

"I did. Wish I had not."

Kei Ki did not hide his disappointment. He lowered his shoulders and sighed. He mumbled something in a language Ganon did not understand and then said, "Alas, you do not understand!"

The sound of boots outside cut them off. Kei Ki's casual demeaner darkened dangerously. He tightened the grip on his sword.

"What did you do?" Kei Ki asked.

"On behalf of the Majora, I must insist that you leave. Your actions threaten not only my city, but the relations between our nations." Ganondorf said.

"And walk away with the job half-finished? I think not." Kei Ki hissed. His narrowed his eyes at him. The door opened and the guards entered lead by Nabooru. Ganon put his hand up to stop them from going further.

Ganon did not like the look in Kei Ki's eyes. It reminded him greatly of Zelda when she declared her intent to conquer Hyrule, it bore the same resolve, same intent to win. Ruthless resolve seemed to run in the family. With Zelda it was something he found fascinated him, but with her uncle it could prove dangerous.

"I wouldn't do this if I were you." Kei smiled like a predator. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to that pretty little red-head of yours, would we? You know the one at the inn? I hear she has quite a past."

Kagami took a paw step forward and picked up pitch in growling. Ganon's blood flooded with burning ice. He grit his teeth and glared at him. He had only been to the inn twice, the second time just yesterday.

Kei Ki continued, eyeing Kagami, "That pup there has proven an annoyance. He has been at the inn since the day I laid eyes on her."

So that was why they said he was always there.

"So how fortunate that you are here..." Kei Ki bared his teeth. "And not there."

"No!" Ganon exclaimed instinctively.

Kei Ki was truly dangerous. He had a far reach, many eyes and ears, and if the corpse proved anything... intent and ability. For a brief moment Ganon saw the young girl's head on the abomination. The image sent bile into his throat.

Kei Ki paused, seeing the chink in the powerful man's armor. "No?"

"Don't touch them." Ganon could not let them be hurt, he could not let his hope die. He had promised. He was not an innocent man nor intended to be but they...

Kei Ki said, "Then may I propose an accord? I will spare them and leave your lands peacefully... if you help me cut the head off the head of the local snake."

Ganon took a breath. "And just who would that be?"

"Why, the gov'ner, of course! Who do you think it was orchestrating the whispering against you? Who do you think was in Chancellor Ketsu's pocket? Who else has so much to lose, and yet the power to stir up strife? I fully admit to making his lieutenants disappear, but are a dozen rebels, bandits, and the like enough to incur this much response without someone pushing it?"

Ganon considered this. He felt he was at an impasse between a number of very bad situations. If he trusted Kei Ki at his word and handed over the Qin governor, then the situation between Majora and Qin in this city would reach its final stages. Either he would be feared, or he would not be feared. Either way he would be hated, and whether the fear won out over the hate would decide whether he would have an active rebellion on his hands.

But then who was to say Kei Ki was speaking truth? And what if Ganon refused him? Kei Ki clearly knew of his fondness for his clan... and would not be above sending his clan into extinction. And while Kei Ki had made no threat to the Majora themselves, Ganon could not afford to underestimate the lengths this man would sink to. The Beheader had already proven himself more sick than anything Ganon had imagined.

Ganon had used corpses for his own end before. Placing heads on spears were effective warning signs. But that was with a higher purpose, a purpose of security, of warning punishment... this man surpassed him and all for his amusement. There was no higher purpose than his 'art'.

"Allow me a moment and I will have your answer." Ganon asked. "I want to be sure my clan is safe."

Kei Ki nodded. He sheathed his blade. "Best you do not tarry... my time to act is soon."