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Post by Kuma on Jun 18, 2018 3:52:11 GMT
2 weeks ago…
SPLAT…
SPLAT…
SPLAT…
The quiet of a moonless night interrupted by loud noises coming from the beach. The sea, usually crashing into the coast is unusually calm this night. The noise, wet and heavy steps sinking the sand, echo across the whole bay, as a figure clad in rotten clothing and covered in coral and other oceanic flora and fauna, walks out of the sea with resolute steps. There is something otherworldly about this creature, cloaked by the shadows that not even the shining stars above seem to dispel. The being stops, his arms, crossed across his chest until now, start moving, opening up and stretching to the sides, as the popping of bones, from his tailbone to the tip of his fingers, like a pianist sliding his finger over the length of his instrument, chime with ascending notes. Some of the barnacles and algae covering it fall off as he moves, while quite a lot remains adhere to his body, almost as if they became part of it. The abomination slowly clenches his fist, closing one finger each time. He then proceeds to pop his neck, one to each side, with water rushing out of his decomposed head and rotting hair.
The horrible effigy of what once could’ve passed for a human kept advancing, walking at the same slow, yet determined pace, advancing over the sand and leaving a trail of footprints on the sand. But suddenly he stopped and without making a sound or displaying any kind of motion he unsheathed the blade he carried on his hip. A flash of rusted red came out from his scabbard and returned in the same blur of motion, so fast no mundane eye could perceive a blade among such movement. Just to the side of him a small crab was now split into 4 perfect quarters, prey to 2 slashes, faster than the eye could see. After a momentary respite the being kept advancing in a straight line, until reaching the shrubbery that hid this small sandy bay from the rest of the island he just arrived to. He repeated the process, this time cutting a 5 mts deep tunnel through the trees and moving forward, repeating the process each 5 mts. If something entered that area around him it got cut, birds, insects, even leafs. Anything inside his Maai, was slashed without mercy or any signs of compassion.
Cut down with a rusted blade.
1 week ago…
The half grunt, half scream voice of a young Kamaitachi cracks as he attempts to pull a loud scream, grabbing a microphone on his human form. Around him, a ratty stage in the middle of a boisterous and damaged karaoke bar, starts getting small cuts as he signs with all the passion he can muster, leaking his powers as he does, damaging his surroundings. The bar cheers at his pitiful attempts at screamo, laughing and whistling by drinking booze. Is the clear atmosphere of a dive bar, but is even darker than normal, as this room is underground, to be precise below the city of Sapporo, in the island of Hokkaido, the northernmost region in Japan. Seemingly somebody built this place in an old and abandoned underground shopping strip, that once was bustling with activity but after the economic bubble popped in the early 90’s it turned into a deserted ruin. Hibiki Monzaemon, an old hunter and former member of the JHWAB used his savings to build the place and get the permissions from the Bureau, serving as a nexus for the activities of mercenaries and hunters in Hokkaido. The area was once a very luxurious bar, but right now, after years of abandonment and the usually rowdy disposition of the current patrons, the place looked like the crappiest dive bar in all of Japan. Many foreign Hidden Worlders, specially Korean, Chinese and Russian tend to be patrons, taking jobs while hiding from stuff they did on their countries. 3 of them, curiously from those nationalities, were sitting in a shadowy corner, drinking their last salary away while chuckling and whispering about their next work.
While this scene of joyous bedlam continued, a man, dressed in a plain suit, wearing really cheap glasses and with a half-loosened tie hanging from his neck, walked into the building, avoiding drunkards and waiters to reach the bar’s counter. He exchanged some words with Hibiki Monzaemon, a very short man with elongated ears that matched his long white moustache, reaching the middle of his scrawny chest. The owner pointed at a door to the side, and the newcomer walked through it. Once the door was closed Monzaemon scanned his bar looking for somebody until he locked on the trio of previously mentioned foreigners hidden in the shadowy corner and after a loud whistle he shouted. -Crevil, Ginger, Paprika!- The trio turned towards him. Crevil was a large russian man, with blonde buzz cut hair, dressed in military gear. Ginger was a young chinese woman, dressed in comfortable sports clothing, with long and straight black hair, covering half her face, with yellow and purple highlights dyed. Paprika was an androgynous looking South Korean teenager, in black leathers and silks, with fiery red hair, the sides buzz cut and the top twisted into a wavy mohawk/braid that fell down to his lower back.
-You have a customer.- He pointed with his thumb, that a very long nail, towards the door. The trio nodded and moved into the backroom, to find about their next gig, they were specialist and when somebody looked for them it meant that something really bad was roaming around and causing major damage. At least in Japan, as other organizations had been stealing their thunder in China and the western hemisphere.
Now.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
The sound of somebody knocking on the door of the Musashi Castle echoed across the courtyard. A figure dressed in grey and red armor, with a mask covering his factions stood outside the complex of Clan, seemingly attempting to contact them. Somehow this individual managed to find their hidden city, walk past their defenses and reach the castle unimpeded. He lacked any kind of bloodlust or Ki, but there was something very curious about him, as if a chorus of voices followed him, ancestral voices talking about a glorious past and a shameful present. Warring voices discussing and arguing as he knocked the door again. The voices of course weren’t a real thing, but that was the impression he might give to particularly perceptive individuals. The Legendary Chambara was knocking on the door of the Musashi Clan. Something really bad must be happening to force this encounter.
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Post by othus on Jun 18, 2018 7:35:00 GMT
-MUSASHI CASTLE- ONE NIGHT BEFORE
It was 3 AM, Akane couldn't sleep yet again, ever since she was little recurring nightmares assailed her sleep, sometimes unintelligible voices crept down her head, flashbacks of a previous lifetime, the monks told her it was proof she nearly reached enlightenment. The elders did recognize Akane as the Incarnation of Musashi, but they always told her she was incarnated in a woman as karmic punishment, after all, a delicate body that cannot use KI would be the worst possible vessel for the once strongest man under the heavens, Akane herself couldn't agree more, she had always felt her existence was impure, after all, how was it possible for her to be one of the most talented sword masters of Japan and at the same time be unable to use even a shred of Ki? something was lacking, but she never realized what it was.
-NOW-
The Musashi faction had a force of over 2500 members and less than 20 were allowed inside the castle, the place was the final bastion against evil where the elite forces of the clan concentrated, trespassing the walls of the castle was punishable by death even if you were an associate, so to think someone outside of the clan would dare to venture here was a ridiculous idea. Until today.
A code red was signaled, someone knocked into the main door of the castle without triggering a single detector, all five rings were requested at the central hall, Akane initialized her Virtual Machine and a combat armor, all grey with Gunmetal colored Metallic plates materialized out of nowhere, her combat visor was open, so her face could still be seen. Akane would then rush to the hall.
As she arrived the rest of the five rings lied in wait, the sacred treasures of the Musashi were all at display, one for each member: Kaneshige, Kunitora, Yata no Kagami, Take-Mikazuchi, Jyuzumaru., its wielders all clad in Virtual Machine armors, they all knew the arrival of someone in that manner meant trouble.
"Let's go", Akane told them all as she equipped her Kaneshige blade.
The gates of the castle opened, a man in armor stood alone.
Akane realized this was not an ordinary man, but it was clear all the five rings noticed the same, she grabbed her blade ready to strike as she spoke to him
"You are trespassing Musashi territory, you have ten seconds to elaborate your intentions before we decide to eliminate you"
All five rings but Tenjin went for their weapons, the Castle defenses also activated, showing multiple plasma cannons large enough to blow up an armored tank in a single shot.
for the first time in 300 years, the Musashi clan was challenged at its doorstep.
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Post by Kuma on Jun 21, 2018 3:24:06 GMT
T̞̬̮̯̖͛ͣ̊ͧĥ͇̭͈̺͈̻̏̇̌͌̅͌ͅe͕̫̗̦̊ͦ͋̐ ͇̟̼̟̩̝ͩ̐ͧ͛̉͊̊ͭͅm͈̪̱̱̰ͦ̑̋ͯ̅͗̐̽́o͈̯ͣ̉̉ͥ̉͛̃̉ü̝̞r̟͈̙̗̜͍̉͐̄ͤͮ͒̽n̻͚̲͔͈̋ͯ̅ͨf̖̣͊ͣͧ͊̎̉̓ͅu̦͙͉̱̻̝̜ͮ̊l̰͇̑̎ͦ̄ͣ̈ ̖̺̗̙̖̯͐͐ͮͦ͒ͅc̗̎ͩ̉ͭr͉̞͎̦̮̤̝̠̦̿ͧ̈́͌̉̆̐y͕̯̮̼͊ͮ̂͂ ̱̮ͥͧͤo͈̮̍̆̉̎̾̐̑͂f͎͚͍͂͐ ͈̝̤̩̮͈̓ͅ ͖̦̖̖͆ͮͥ̓̚̚a̹̠̺͖̮̜͎͉͕ͯ̾̉̾̑ͦ̇ ̲̖͔̠͖̮̆͒ͣͪͣ͌̓s͓̣̺̲͎͚͖ͧ͛͐̓̚w͕̝̠͊͐o̦̮̩̞͋̌̉ͬr̻̳͈̪͙͐ͩ̅́̀̓d̰͇̫̑ͪ̔ͫ̏͆ͪ ̥̃ͮͣs͚̮̤̩̙̯͐̂u̳̤̾̌ͨ̾̏͛f̦͎̥̘̺̍ͨ̌͒̍̉ͅf̖͚̱͕̤̲͚̲ͬ̇̂ͦ͑̎ȇ̬̯̘̹͎̄ͧ̀̃̔͆̑̚ͅr͈͚̜̩̲̒͆̈́̉ͫi̯̙̹̥͐n͚̣͎̚ǵ̯͔͈̩͑͊̎̂̿̿ ͚̬̏g̞̜̩͙̩͑̉͊̈́̔̊̎ͥr̲̥͉̦͔̬̳̥ͪͪ͆ͣ͒̀̉̚ͅỉ̮̻̼͚̇̚e͍̥͛ͩͦ̿̇̚v̱̺̩̜̠̠ͭ̚ͅo͕̙̫̯̙ͪ̈̐̽û͖̮̦͚̗̳ͩͅs̭̜̘͕̃ͪͨͥͥ̀ ̝̎ͧ͂͗̇̂ͤ̑p̩̳̿ͣ̄ͤr̗͚͇͍̐̎̃̈́̽o̮̝̥͍̯͈̰̎ͦͅf͚̱͎̥̬̪̲̓̄͂ͮ̾ͬ͆a̠̩̥͇͙͇̪͆̏ͩ͂͑̆n̮̦̮̓́̇̂͋̎ȁ̰̰̿͒͊͂̍ț͍̗͕̥̝̣ͩ̆̈́͆i̻̜̲̫̤̬̥̜͍ͮ͛́̔̏ȯ̹̺̫̥͛͂̽̓̅n̝̩̝̤̘̒ͮ̎ͫ̋͌̄s̲͖̭͚̗̬ͦ̂͆̑ͥ ͖̬̙̱̗͙̆̓ḇ̪͔͖̗̳̥̗̊̚̚ͅr̹̣̠̯̟̖͍͉ͥͣͬ͐́̓ọ͇̩̰͂̿̂̾́͑̂͗ȗ̬̜̲͓ͬͮͬͧ̑g̹͖͔̼̹͖̠ͩͮͅh͓̪̱̰͕̠͎̐͛ͧͥ͐̅ͦͅt͕̞̒̈̆͂ ̩̦̎͋͆ͭ͋ͮt͍͍̼͙̓́ͪͣo͉̼̝̥͙ͬ͋̇ ̲̠͔̤̻͙̳͇̋̌̇̉̓̐͂̏̚t̰̼͚̞̮̑̇̌͒̐h͖ͩͣ̔e̙̔ͧ͂ ̪̬̳̬͕͚̬̳̗̏̒͊d̟̮̰͈̦ͭ̀̋͐̄o̪̪̗͍̥̣̦ͣ̍͂ͨ̆ͩͤͮo̳̦̟̝̘̺̪̥͇̔̿̅̄́ṛ̼͍͍́͆̓ͩ͆ͬ̓ ̺͍̹̂̓ͬo̭͖͔̗͊ͬͬ͆ͭ͌̏̉ͤf͕̻̘͌͗ͮ ̻̺̤̀͌̓̇t̜̲̳̣͕̳̳̋ͧ̆h̖͚͇̫̉ͨ̇ị̐͋ͬ̇͒ͯ̉̆̚s̼͙̦̟̺͇͍̖̬ͫͨ̒͗ͯ̃ ̗͉͉̱͙͉̳̞̈ͧ́͛c̖̗̣̄ͤ̂͒̊̀a̜̮̣ͭ̉̇̓͌̀s͚̘̱͖̿ͪ̃̂ͅṭ̫̤̦͉͕̼͍ͪͬͭ̈̾̓͊̀l͖̖͙̫̟̖̪̔͒̄e̲̬͒̾ͦ̒͑ͦ̄͆ ̜̹ͭͦ͆͗
The voice coming from behind the mask had a strange metallic undertone, like the sound of a blade being unsheathed. The tall figure bowed to the group and then proceeded to sit on the seiza position, kneeling formally in front of them. He released the straps holding his Taisho pair to his belt, putting both blades, Nameless and Giant Killer, in the floor in front of him. Every move he made was a bizarre mixture of fluidity and rigidness. He exuded a Martial Aura, but nothing positive or negative came out from it, like a naked blade, not tainted by the blood and grease of a body it just slashed down. There was a faint air of danger surrounding the armored individual, but no killer instinct at all. His armor was ancient, but so well kept it almost seemed fresh out of the forges, each piece seemed to have a plain gray hue, but upon closer inspection everything had the distinct finish of a japanese blade, as if the whole man was a walking sword. T̙͇͕͎ͮ͆̀̐̽̑ͬh̠̰̣̝̲̪͎̯̟̍ͣ̄̅e̲̦̥̝̬͛̿̃̑̈́ͪ͛͋ ̣̜̥̯͙̞ͭ̋̿͒̾ͣ̚h͔͙͈͋̎ͮͧͯ̋́̎a͇̰̤̤̬̪̮̰ͤ͗ͅn̙̘͓̫̥̦̭̘̭ͧ̐ͮd̤͖͎̀s̹̯̋̑ ̙͚̥̊̋ͨ̃̒ͫͤ̅o̘̼̬͖̱̤̖̒́̈́́ͬf̹͎͚͓͙̗̻̝̠̎̏̌ͪ ̪͕̣̱̫̏ͥ̔ͭ͋ͮͯo̼̼̮̝͍̬͚̓͋̃ͤ̈́̈́͂n̖̬̫̳̪̙̮̈͋e̺̲̮̳̫̗͂͆ͯ́̋ͯ ͕ͨ̋ͨͧ̃̔͆̚o̱͚̟͚̫̬ͫ̋̃ͣ͊̚f̰̬̼̱̜̉͂̔̉͒̊̍͗ ̻̟̄͆ͤ̓ͭ͂̆̿̇y̬̱̬̬̬̻̞̻ͦ͑ͅọ̝͔͓̈ͤū̬͚ͦͪ́ŕ̯͌ͨͯͪͮ̽ ͇͓̹̒̍̽̂͒̔̇̏̚l̼̖̜͈̑͌̈́̌ȏ̹̤̹̓ͤ̊͒̈̔́n͍̲̗͆͑͊̏ͩ͛͋g̱̳͔̩̳̠̣̑̈́̈ͣ̿ͯ ͙̘̯̺͙̘̺͐͆̽͐̇̃̊l̳͈̩̝̦̀͐õ̫̣ͩ̀̽̋s̙̣̪̓̂̒̉͂̄̈́t̻͈̻̮̹̖͉̥̬̋̒̈́̃ ̼ͩ̌͊̀ͮa̯̝ͦͫ̈͗̽͒̋n̞̞̰̬̿ͅc̮͎͚͎̠̮̣̀̈ͥ̌́̉ē̠s̳̱̮̲̰̩͚͐̏ͬ̽ͯ̌͊ͧ̃t̼̼͎̗̯͎͋ͨͣ̓ͯͮo̹̻̤̫̲̞̐̅ͨ̔̅͛̈ͅr̲̪͉̙̝͚̬̍̓̅ͬ͗s͓̻̉ͥ̂̌̅̋ͧ ̗̦̜̘̹͉̟̀͛͆ͧẘ̟͆̽̃a̠̥̙̭̜ͥͯͣs̤̃̆̏ͪͥ̌͒̒ ̠̮̱̳̮̇͑͆ẗ͖̙̭̱̥̙ͩ̓ͅă̝͉̜ͪͧ͗̚ī̲̝̫̯̰̉n͔̤̯͚̠̹͕̠̝͊͒̂̈́̋̆ͬ̾͛t̲̫̗ͣ͐͋̿e͍̻̦͓͋̍̽d̠͎͚ͧ̒ͩ͌ ̬̬͈͍̙͔̟ͩ̂w̤̯̻̪͈̭̬̄̒͑͆̒i̥̳͍̩͎̹͆ͨ̏t̝̺͐̑̑ͩh̞̫̦͕̒ ̺͚̮͇͓̺̋͐ͦͮͅt͍͈͖̤̀ͫ̈́̏h̼̣̦͓͈̩͇̻ͧͫ̓ͧ͑ê̮̳̫̤͆̆ͧ ̱̺͓̪̖̹͖̩̈́̎ͪ̉b̖̭̼̥͕͚͔̌͛ͣ͆͆ĺ̹̦̦͋̅o͕͔̬͎̳ͪŏ̩̤̮͚̗̂͗̽̍́ͨͭ̋ḏ̠̺͖͚̀ͤ̃̍̑̐͑ ͚̙̽̋̑ͩͣ͌o̺͍͙̲͙ͪ̑͂͊ͮf̣͍̟̤̝̍̍ͧ ̞̠̠͕̣̱̈́̈́̍i̪̩̖̥͎̪͂ͫ̒͆̍͗̒n̳̫͍̞̜̳͇̪̽ͨ̾͒̀ͦ͛ͬͅn̖̟͖̞͍͋̓͋ͣͫ̔́̚o̟̳̾̓c͔̮̩̝̫̹̖̈́̆̑ͦ̊͗ȇ͕͇ͫͮ͒͗ͤn̝̟͉̫̗͓̪͔͂͋ͬ͗ͤͯt̯̻͙̼̹̲͓̔ͅs̜͙̔ͦ̉̈ͪ͒ͪ͗
Chambara didn’t need words to explain what he was doing there, as among his abilities was to share the knowledge about swordsmanship. The people present would be able to see, inside their heads, images of unspeakable carnage, fishermen towns in peaceful islands torn asunder through blade and martial brutality. Everybody displaying two sets of cuts. To any mundane individual this would look like the work of a deranged serial killer, but to the trained eye of a sword master it was clear that this was the methodical work of a man well versed in the arts of Kenjutsu. And furthermore, the members of this clan would clearly notice the patterns in the cuts and the damage done to individuals and buildings, the tracks on the sand, imprints of flawlessly flowing footwork, executed with deadly precision, a veritable dance of death. Whoever did this was using Niten Ichi Ryu. T̩̯͗͑̇h͈͈͙̤̦͉̓ͫͣe̖ ͔̯̫̖̖̆ͥh͖̹̱ṳ̓b̜̜̆r̄i̮͕ͧͣ̂ͣ͐̅s̭͂̋ͣ̐͋ͅ ̥̻͕̱ͭͦ̃̓̆o̍͐̅̇f͍̮̃ͣ͒̃͂ ̥̣m̼̰͗͛ͦ̆ͥà̼͎̝̲̬͕̩n̠͎ͮ ̥͖̮̭̙̖̃ͥͩ̆̾͒ͩͅb̐̾̿͑͌ͅr̳̥̟̤̉o̺̭̞̟̐̋̃ǔ̓̓̃͒ğ̫̖̃ͦ̓ͫ͒͛h͉̠̭̥̙̙ͬ̐ͩ̓t̲͙̪̲̋ͬ̈͒͊̄ ̗͍ͭͦ̔ͭ̑̚ả̼̌̏̔̀ ̟̬͇̝̣̤͗͂ͪͅm͖͈̞̼̩͖̠ͫ̒o͉̗͚̗͕͛͊ͤn̼͕̊̈́͋š̝̬̗͖̗̳̱̒̃t̺̤͙̠̃ͪ͑͊͌e̟͍͉̰͋ͩͦ͛̒̌̑rͨͥ̄ͧ̔̅́,̹̙̣ͧ ͓͖͇̩̎̽̌ͩͭ̈́̃c̞̮͕̪ͫr̖̦̂̒͆̄ͦ͐̚e̹͂̆́̑̽ͅa̠͖͙͉̯̰̎̓̑̓̏̂t̫̠̰̹̼̽̇ͅẽ͚͍̤̐ͮͣͤ̂ď̙͉̭ ̪̘̑̿̉̾̅f̱̺͎̮̽͂ͣr̺̰̠̩̯͈̓̑ͅo͖̓̃̃̈́̂m̯͌ͯͥ͐͂ ̘̰͓̰̻ͣ͂ͨͭͪ̂ã̬̲̺̈́̿̀́̇ͫ ̗͍̼̪͎̲ͣ̊̋̐̂ͮHero of t͂h̪͔̹̥̓e̙͖̼̬̦̿ͥͦͤ ͕̬͈͈͕̲ͭͯp̘̯͕͎̥̼ͮ͊ͧ̒ͣ̋̉ͅa̠̜͎͚͑̋͆ͯ̆s̠̪ͪ̃̉t̝̙̞̬̽̏̈͌ͧ̈́̌ͅ.̌̈́͊̇ͭ ̹̺͉̅ͥ̑Ŷ̩͖͚̘͉o̙̱̜͉̲̗͇ͩͦ̆͆u͍̬ͅŕ̘̮̫̖̯͑ ̽͗b͇̟̈́̏ͯ̂͑̚ľ͍͖̞̝o̥̰̘̘̩̪̓o͇̙̙̮ͥ̃d͓̘̦͙̤͙͖͗̒ͪ͆͐ͥ ̦̤̲̱̏̎̉̄i̎ͮs̫̞̙̭̼̪͙ ̗̻̻̖͔̱̣̏ͫ͋̈́ͦͪ͋s͈̙͈ͦͣḣ̠̤̱͎̣̯͇ͮ̒̅̌ͯ͊a͇̬ͫ͗̉ͨ͐r͓̦͒̂̑̐̃̀̚e͙̱̺̳ͩͪ̑̈́d̼̑͛̑͂ͪ͐ ͙̯͒̍ͨͦw̮̮̩̫ͧ̆ͬͫi̺͇̭͚̥͓̪ͨͭt͔̳̯͕̥̱ͮͫ̇̇ͮ̓h ̠̻̠̰̼͙̋ͬ̏̾t͇̮̜̞̫h̫̥̫̟͉͎̯ͧ̓̄i̞͓̗̼͇̩̩̋̓s̤̜̅͗͌̉ͭ ͉̗̰̤ͭ͋̇a̯̝ͥb͖̪̜̒̿͌ͩ̃o̫̬̎̂m̋͂͑͑͐̽̑ḭ͎͎̯̭͈̽̉̾̒̿n͓a̞̗͇ͤt̲̗͕̥̪̆̽̽̋ͪ̓̉i̦̖̦͊̆̍ͥͭo̾nͤ̉̓̒͑͆̏.̯͚̞̭͎̺͑̆
His inhuman voice informed them about the presence of a monster, a man made creation that shared their bloodline and skills. With that said he only added one image, the shadowy silhouette of a Sword Master, that not everybody would recognize, but it might stir memories inside Akane’s mind.
Izu Archipiélago - Miyakejima - Miyakemura
-This place vexes me.- Crevil, tall as an oak tree and almost as wide, looked around, dripping with sweat, standing against the wooden pillar of a pier-side kiosk. He was using almost the same clothing as he did in Sapporo, a bit too warm when dealing with the heat in the southern islands. -Just relax big guy, our contact should be arriving in the ferry.- Ginger, who had climbed to the roof of the kiosk, her legs dangling, carefree, from the ledge, pointed towards the water. -There, that one.- Paprika, sitting on the floor, leaning against a low stone wall was too interested on the game console on hand to even bother looking. -I’m getting cooked alive here.- The Russian Hunter started disrobing, taking out his duster first, revealing a kevlar vest with a couple of guns on each side and several knives. Paprika coughed, pointing at Crevil’s chest without looking away from the device. The Russian Hunter quickly put his duster on. -I forget.- He sheepishly commented while chuckling. Trying to change the topic he looked up at Ginger, who was still looking at the incoming ferry, already about to dock. -So Ginger, why did we pick up gig? We do not work for Bureau, not usually.- She faced him as smiled. -We went over this in the journey here, we kinda need the money, plus they’re sending a BHA member who is starting to join up them, I bet he isn’t as boring and high-strung as those bureaucrats.- She heard the ramp hitting the pier. -I hope he is cute.- She commented, all excitement and smiles, getting a bit of blush in her cheeks as her imagination ran wild. -You want him to be cute as well, don’tcha Paprika?- The Korean teenager of unspecified gender just shrugged, without looking away from the console.
Ginger jumped off the roof, landing with closed legs and her arms up high, like a gymnast and focused her attention on the people coming out the boat. -Boring, boring, ugly and boring.- She commented as different people came out from the ferry, fishermen coming back from a larger dockyard in another island, tourists or just islanders who had travelled. -Why didn’t they gave us a photo of him?- Ginger protested turning to his comrades in arms and kicking the floor with childish anger. -At least we know he isn’t asian, I don’t remember his name, but it wasn’t from Japan.- She started pacing, losing any kind of focus on the boat as she thought about the name. -I know it started with C, but I don’t remember anything else, I was busy imagining what to do with all the cash.- She looked at Crevil. -Big guy, do you remember the name of the guy we’re supposed to meet?- The Russian Hunter scratched the back of his head, trying to gather his thoughts, but nothing but static came to his head. -I not know name Ginger, Paprika might.- He pointed at the Korean Teenager, that shrugged again, without replying.
-Why can’t I remember a dumb name!- With barely contained frustration Ginger kicked the small wall, letting out a wince and cry of pain as she jumped in her healthy foot while grabbing the other. -Ay-Ay-Ay!- She let out some pained cries before losing her footing on a loose tile on the unkempt sidewalk and falling backwards. Crevil attempted to reach for her, while Paprika just moved out of Ginger’s way. But instead of falling, the spunky Chinese Hunter was caught by somebody else. -You fine fellows must be the mercenaries hired by the JHWAB.- Ginger, still held by the man looked up, seeing his face upside down. “He is gorgeous, even if he is bald, wait, that’s his chin, Oh God he is really handsome.” She blushed and haphazardly managed to get out of his grip, standing up with a couple of staggering attempts before being successful. She turned around, grabbing his hands. -Yeah we are!- She pointed at Crevil and Paprika. -The big guy is Crevil, the computer geek is Paprika and I’m the beautiful, smart, charming, adorable Ginger, the leader of this humble group of mercenaries.- She winked, afterwards locking her sparkling green eyes on the newcomer's piercing blue eyes and asking. -What’s your name?-
For a moment he was silent. His pale skin, with a handful of scars crossing it, had turned bright red. Ginger, who was always quite observant noticed small details, like his longer and pointier ears, his elongated canines and the fierceness on his eyes. She couldn’t look away from his blue eyes, like twin sapphires moving up and down, up and down, looking at her face and then her hands clutching his gloved fingers. It took another moment of awkward silence and a cough from Paprika for Ginger to realize their new boss was clearly a bit uncomfortable about the situation. She released him and apologize. -Sorry, sorry, I got carried away, we’ve been out of gigs lately, so we wanted to make a good impression and you’re so handsome so I got distracted and…- She made a pause. -Did I say that out loud? Nevermind…- She turned around fidgeting with her fingers, unable to look the newcomer in the eye. Crevil, who was a bit slow on the uptake finally caught up. -So you new boss, I’m Crevil, I’m strong… Who’re you?- The man, dressed in a long red jacket, with messy, mane-like blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing black pants and brown leather boots took a deep bow. -My name is Callis Nomene, Former Knight of Via under the title Regulus Australis, currently serving as a Silver Star Bounty Hunter for the Yatagarasu Branch, Kyoto Office, of the Association of Bounty Hunters and recently accepted as a trainee agent to the Military Branch of the Japanese Bureau of Hidden World Affairs.- Sans the weird pronunciation of some of the organizations, more from his magical translation than actual mistakes, that was one very elegant presentation. Still there was a couple of moments he almost stuttered and red was still the tint of his cheeks.
-We have a very dangerous abomination to hunt, before it hurts more people.- He talked with a serious and responsible tone, one that got a small groan of tedium out of Paprika. -We better find a place to set up camp and prepare, as the creature, according to all readings, is coming towards us.-
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Post by othus on Jun 21, 2018 4:28:27 GMT
The sacred treasures howled before the voice of Chambara, a sound akin to the wind blowing through a fine glass, the rest of the Musashi stood down as images filled up their heads, some tried to resist it but to no avail, Hyo-soon, the esper of the clan suggested not to fight the mental images.
"Niten Ichi Ryu? that's preposterous!" Akane replied to Chambara, little did she know the last image would result all too familiar for her. It was Musashi, Akane perfectly understood that. A strong pain gripped her heart, it was as if someone tore a part of her and set it to drift on the endless sky. All members of the Five rings found themselves speechless for a while, then Tenjin walked up and spoke to the rest
"if what this man is saying is true, then I must go. Only I have the strength to prevail over Musashi" a lightning bolt reply from Akane awaited.
"No. it is my duty, my fate even, to stop this madness, you might be our guardian, but I am Musashi himself" Akane now knew the reason the Shinto Kami reincarnated her was so that the soul of Musashi could find proper rest, it was not natural for the blood of her line to still roam the earth as the soul entered Nirvana. Akane walked up to Chambara and gave a respectful bow.
"where do I find him?" she told him as she looked at the man, she gave one final look back towards her family, there was no sorrow, no sadness, only determination. words were not needed anymore. they knew she would come back a hero, or not come back at all.
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Post by Kuma on Jun 22, 2018 2:51:07 GMT
T̩͇͉̪̘̪̩h̒̓̀̍ͥē̪ ͬ̃ͤ̒m̥ö̝́̈́n͍̣͇ͬͮ͂̇s̲̹t͗ͮe̮̝͆ͥ̽͑̀r ̅͂l͍̠̰̱̅͑̏ͬ̈̎ĭ͕͎̱͖̩̳͌ͧ͒̎e̯̝̲͖ͅs̞͗̏ ͇̪̻̭͒̄͊͗ͩͮo̝ͭñ̰̻̪̥̺̬ ͇̺̥͚͖͈͚ͤ͆̏ͥț̣̠̤̭̹̩̃ͪ͒h̰̦̼̦ͨ̓̿e̮̺̻͇̞ͧͣͮ͐ ̙̮̭͓̾ͧ̅ͬ̂f͕̞͇̹͓͉́͆̍̓͑̇̔ͅlͤạ̺̩ͮ̂̿m̻̪͉͒͊̐̋̓ͭ̓e̮͓̙̭ͭ-͍̦̃s͚̄ͭ̄̋͗̇p̣̳̬͚͒ͨͦ͗e̖̣͚̟̼͎̊w͚̟̣̰̰̬ͩ̆̿ĭ̜̓́̇n̘̮ͮ̆ͬ̽͋ͪ̐g̫̦̥ͥ̅ ̖̰i̟͔͇ͯ̊̈ͩͮs͉ͧͭͮ̔̎̾l̖̘̣̖͊͋̚ā̲̎͑̅̊n̺d̝̥͕̩̻̯̄̋ͦs̖̱͖̫ ̣̱̮̋̋ͪͣ̃tͮ͛͊͐̒ͭ́o̹̹̫̫ͭͬ̐̃ ̜̬̝̼̙͎̙̐̏͛ͣt͉̤hḙ̝̤̰̥͉̠ ̣̻̞͉͉̉̽̚s͓̱̺͖͇̾o̿ú̖̞̫̖̺̭̌̈̌̇̄t͍͎̀̑͑h̯̲̯ͭͣ̎ͣ̔̉̂.̰̜͎̂ ͩ̏̓̄̚C̭̭͆̋a̮͉̜̞͐̿͒̍̔r͕̗ͥͯ̓͂͗ͦ͊v̲̣̩̑̍̎ǐ̥̣̼̞̠ͤͩ͌̓ͤn͎͓͖̪̼̮̻̏ͣ̊g͗ͦ́̄͊ͨ ̬̎̌̿̋̂̓a͓̭̼̚ ̪̂ͦ͛̏͒̚p̲̹͍̜͕ͩ̓̄ͤ̓a͇ͭ͂͑ͬͫt̝̪̘͙̗͗̈́̀ͩh̭͌ͪ̈ͯ̐ͥ ̀̑͋o͔̪͉̲̥̻̿͗̃̆ͅf͍̠̻̣͎̟ͧ̒͐̓ͮͅ ̣ͮ̿̇̑̾ͬc̞͍͇͔͗̏̓ͦ̚̚ḁ̞͙̟̳ͭͧ̂r̯̙͕͑͊͊͋n̯̦͔ͮ̓̎a̭̼͆͊́̇g͎̝̟̫ͅe ̱̬͎͕̟͕̹͐̾ͨ̊͋̀a̗̜̦͕̹̥͛͆̎ͣͅn̯̜̜̘̖̤̂d̪̼̳͍͋̊ͩͮ͐ͣ ͎̭̮̹̦̹ͪͣ̓bͭ̈́ͤ̏ͪͣͥl͈̟̜̂ͭ̑o͇͔̟ͫ͑o̩͓̼͉̭̳̍ͬd͙̔̽̔s̯̘ͨ̈͆̆h̓̉̓ͣͬ́ͤe̲͚̝̹̹ͯ̽ͥd͙͕̯̉̿͛ͨ̓
Chambara voice echoed, even without any walls nearby. More images flowed directly to Akane’s mind. His celebrated ancestor, no, a mockery of him, a being with the appearance and partial memories, but without any kind of morality or code, an unsheathed sword, thirsty for blood. A creature born from the obsession of mad men bent on conquering the world and destroying those who they deemed inferior to them. The ruins of some kind of underwater facility, a lab or something akin to it, flashed directly on her brain. The abomination, dressed with a raggedy hakama, walking on the depths of the sea, slashing against anything that entered it’s maai (Sword Range). The being carved a bloody path across the depths, reaching the Izo Archipielago furthest island from the Japanese Coast, Aogashima, and climbing to the surface, killing any human, animal or vegetal on his way as he crossed the islands from south to north. He did the same in Hachijo and currently was moving closer to Mikurajima, south of Miyakeshima. Ť͙̲͋ͅh͔̙̱̞̀ͤ̆̈́͊̽e̥͚͚͚͎ͯ͊̓ͪ̈́̂ͫ ͓͗̎ͧf͙͖̥̮̹̺ͦ̃̔o͓̘̲̪ͥg̬̞̼̟͓͒̌͛́ o̪͙̼͈̮̙̽̈͊f̲̮̠̭ ͙̝͔w̞̻̩̟̠ͣ̅̏̒ͮͅḁ̹̼r̂͌̈́͑ͮ͑s̳̻̹̲͙̦͇̋ͣ̌̎ ̠̆͂̓ͯ̽̌p̜̖̹̬͙ͤ̈́͆a͔̥͉̰̩̳ͬͪs̤̻͑̓̈́́̚t̲̭̞͉̘́̊̅̑ͪ̇ͅ ̼̠͍̳̺w̖̰̜̬̝̗̼̓i̹͔̰ͯ̅̚l̗̰͕̗͆͑̑ͅl̬ ̘͖̹̣̫̝̺g̉̓ͭ͑u͚̤̹̳̳̘͊ḯ̔ḍ̱̣̗͂ȅ̳̫̯̦͕ͮͨ͐ ̺̝̥̣̯͖̽̂͊ͪ͛o̰̞̺̭̱ͥͩͮ̌u͍̫͈̞̪̜̗͂ͯͤ́ͥ̚r̗̯̿ͣ̒͆ ̭̤͑ͧ̔́̐s̯͚̖̞͒̾̈́ͬ̅̚t̹̘̋̔̈̉ͭe͖̥̹̳̳̦͗̄ͨ̈́̈́̈͂p̭͚̭̜̤̥̏̏̔̀̀,̭͖̖̤̪̼̯̈́̋ͪͬ̊ f̹͕̬̤̱̥̅o͇ͫ͛̃ͭ̽l̪͓͎̖͉̺̠ͧ̅̌̆̀̅̚ḻ͊̎ͮ͆o̞̞̹͈̔ͭͨ̄͋̍̇w̖̦͑ ̘̀͂m͓̯̬͖̤͉̿ͦẹͅ ͚̊́̌̈i̯͉̯̘̍̏ͨ͆̈́nͥͬ̃̐̌̋t͈͙͎o̞̖̲̲̙͔͓͛́ͫ̎͑̓ ̖̖̰̍̾̾tͬ̊̂͛̏h͎͚̯̻ͥ̊̿͐́̓̋ͅe͉̹̻ ͍̏ͭ̔ͣ̏ͦm̻̠̜͙͛i̫̯̔s͛ͪ͗t̠̹̱̝̹̮̺͂ͫ͐̀ ̰͈̗̪̙͎͚̂ͯ̒͌y͔ͧ͐̏ͫoͬ̈̄̓̎u̝̻͊͋̈̇̆̔n͎͍̲̝̝͙͙̓ͦ̋ͫ̏ͫ̅g͉̞͐̏ͦ̄ ̗̻̳̙̯ͧ̽s͎̮͇͙̻̙̥̅w͎̝ͤ̿̄̓͑̒͋o͓̩͔̫̬̬͂͂̆ͦ̊r̟͕̱̜͙̍ͩ̐̆ͫd̻̝͙̯̣̜ͬ̅ͭͤͩ̚ͅ ̤̰ṃ̒͆̏ͤͦ̽a̫̩̠͍͉͍ͣ̔ͤͬ̾ͭs̼̘̤̙͇̥̄̿͐ͬͥ̍t̺͇̦̩̹̙̃͒̌̔ͅĕ̦̬̼̻̝͇͌ͤ̎̈́̔ͧͅr̂͒͛,̭̤̣̰͎̤ͨ̌̀̈́͛ͬ̃ ̪͎̫̟̫̥l̯͌ͫ̓̄̿̏ẽ̱̰̮̟͚̞͒̾͊t͊ͫ̿͐̅̌ͬ ͚̤ͧͦ͑̓́ͭ̃ü̮̠͍̝̜̘s̲̣̪̣̺̘̀̂ͣ͌̋ͦ ͕̣̝͇͍͖̩͌f͉̮͇̘̻̹̥̽̐̚a̺͇͍̗̝͉̓̓̑ͤ̚c͓͕̑e̓̓ͣ̒͆̽̈ ͖̦̲̅ȳ̭̠ͦo͛̇ű̬̱̯͉̟ͦͩ̿r̥̺̳̺̗̆ ͪͥd̼͕ͪ̎ͮ̔̌̾ẽ̱͙̤̤̲ͮ́ͣ̓͒̉s͗tî̝̣̮́̍ͤͤǹ̩̦̖̤yͬ̽̀͆͊ͬ ̭͔͖̗͖ͦ͋͛ͫ̊t̫̟̻͒̍o̺͌ͪ͊ͥͭͫ̀g̜͇̠̲̹̦̺ͯe͚͑t͚͇̫h̥̰e̺̅͑͗̀r͈̯̙̥̻̊̑̂͂͗.̗̺̿͌̑̐
As he spoke those words a thick mist started rolling in around the castle, reddish in color and charged with the scent of blood, the billowy clouds seemed to have a life of their own. From time to time shapes formed in the fog, silhouettes of warriors past engaged in duels that became legend. If the Musashi Castle had sufficiently advanced sensors or magically gifted individuals they would pick up very peculiar readings, with thousands upon thousands of life signs being read inside each point of the mist with a heavy magical aura being emitted by it. The Samurai pointed at Akane and then pointed at the mist, before walking towards it and vanishing into it. The swirling mass of fog awaited for her, remaining there until she entered into it. If she did, the sound of hundreds of battles, the clash of tamahagane against tamahagane, the scent of blood and the cries of warriors being slashed down would deafen her momentarily, before vanishing, leaving only the sound of the waves crashing against a peaceful beach.
T̃ͥ̿̑ĥ̖͚̫̼͚͖iͬͣ̾̍s̩͍̺ ͖̻͉i͇̫ͪs͈̺ͣ ̮̻̹̬̬ͬ̅̎ͦ̐̎a͈̺͚ͨŝ̝̮̝ ̆͗͛̿̚f͇̤̻̒̈́̏a͔̣̮͕͚̟̍rͧͧ͐̋̊ ͉̼͍̙̓͛ͬ͗͆ͅͅä̰͎̼̱̫́̾̃̅̋̃s̮̖͈͕̮̼̅̏̄̋ͤ ͒̏I͎͌̾͆ ̺͖́ͬͪͩc͚͓͒ͮa̭͕̠͕͍ͤͪ̉͛n̳̍̈͛ͮͥͧ ̜̦̝̜͖͐ͩ̊ṭ͒͗ͤͣ̂ͧã̟̗̪̓̉̍͗͋k̯͔ͬ̊̃̒e͖̞̜͈̖̩͙̿̓ͩͧ͋ͫ̚ ̺͚̜̾͒͊̇̅u̳̬̠̠̙̳͉͒͌͆̓́̿s̠ͧ̄̌,̦̩̳̭ ̣̼̳̲̣̰w̭͆͂͐e̩͉ͭ͗̑͌ͯ̊ͥ ̞̬͎̼̱͔ṁû̜͇͚̤̍ͤ̈́ͤ͂̏s͈̯̱̈́ͨ̔t̂͋ͣͥ͑ ͍̜̹̆̿̃p͖̫ͧ̑̓͂̏͒̇ŕ͉́ͣ̒͗̅ͬo͚͈͖̎̏ͮ̏̂͐ͤc͇̘̳̼̳̏̏̍̃ͩ̒ù̬̠̭̻̗̎̓r̟̺͚̝̆́̽́̿̆͗e̩͓̝̊͊ͦ̅ͭ̀ ̞͉̥͚̥̫a̯̞̻͍͐̓̃ ̼̑̐͗ͯ̊s̩̭͔̜̝͌̊̐̈́̿hi͌͑͂̃ͅp̠͇̘͙͍̫̓͋̈́͂ͫ ̜̬͚̤̫̼̏̓͌t̲̻ͥ͂̿̾o̟̥̫̣͗̐̆̅ ̣̲̱̠̻̥̭ͮͪͥͬ̈́̑r͓͉̘͔̝̱͖̔e͕̰̲͇͎̺a̻̝͍̺͈͇̦c̻̦̠̄̉͊h̪̣̼̎ͭ̈̆̒ͩ ̿͛̓̆ͮ̚ṭ̩̩h̞͈͂ͤ͗ë͉̮̳̦̺͓͚̔͋͗͋ ̑ͮn̝̤̹͎̱ͪ͆̎ͅẽ̙͙̲̿̂ͣ̈́̚ͅx͕͎͈̓̎t͉̬͇͚̲̹ͫ͑ͅ ̰̪̣̥̦̹̄͑ͣ̃͐̑̚i̭͂͂ͨs̗̭̪̙͉̤͋͌̍l̮̠ͤͫͣ̐͐ͤa̜̺̐́̌n̘͚̬̘̙͆d̲̗̝̞͙͇̹ͮ̅ ͈͎̠̳ͦ͂̀͛͌å̯̖̜̞̔ͧ͂͑̚n̥̭̞͇̗̔d̬̹ ̘̲̱̈́̒̏s̮͉̞̠ͫ̋̓ͅͅt͉͋̌op̖͍̝͖̞̱̠ ͕̖̲͉̰̫ͪͫ̃ͤt͉͖̖̝̻̫ͮ̍̎̎͌h̜̊̉̀ͪ̇͗̇e̥̗̦̱͌ͩͤ̔͗ ̗m̘͔̗̹ͬͅo̦̫͊̍n̪̩̪̘̐̑ͮ̎͋̊͌s̘̝͓̟̀̂͆̊̓ͦ̚ͅͅt͔̙͖̫͎̣̰ė̹̜̙̮̞̲̐ͫ͂̾́̉ř̍̐ ̤͆̏͛ͥ̊b͇͌è͉̭̻̩͕͓͖͂ͧfͥ͂̈͛o̲̩̥̠̤͎̬̓̌̅͂͐͌̚ř͖̜̜̜͇̯̉͑ͩe͔̪̙͔̠̯͓̐ͮ̿̈ ̩͓̜͚ͫ͆̓̚i̯̐͋̽ͦ̏t̺̱͇͒ͮͧ̏ͦ̓'͎̈sͦ͌ͯ̐̈́͗ͅ ĉ̝̘͍̬̠̗̘ͥͨ̈́ͥ̍̿a͔͆̚r͈̤͈ͩ͋ͣnͬ͐͂̒̚a̰̖̎͒ͥ͒ͬ̆̚ͅg͖̙̥̙̲ͥḙ͂̔ ̭̱͇̺̩̮ͤc̿͗ͤo̅̄͊̇ͦ̔͌n̝̬̭̱̯ͬͭͤ̇̇t͗i̘̟͊̎ͥͩn̈́͛͋͊u̱e̜͙ͭ͑̆s͍̗
Chambara’s tone more or less put the responsibility of finding transportation on Akane. While they were at the extreme South of the island, with views to Mikurajima, the group, lead by Callis, was making their way from the Eastern coast, walking down the road, as the island wasn’t big enough enough to require renting a vehicle.
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Post by othus on Jun 22, 2018 3:39:35 GMT
Akane saw further images on the creature she was bound to encounter, a beast that barely resembled his ancestor, it was hard for Akane to admit it but the skill of the monster was legitimate, she had to stop it now before more innocent people fell before its blade.
Akane walked into the red mist without hesitation, she experienced the sounds and scent of the field of battle, not unlike what her nightmares would often show, a brutal massacre like Sekigahara, or a life-threatening duel against Shishido Baiken, they all ended with blood on her hands.
she closed her eyes for a second, trying to focus on her task rather than on the carnage, from one second to another she found herself on a beach.
"Mikurajima" she uttered as she looked at the lone island, Akane knew Japan from head to toe, but it sure had been a while since she last visited areas outside the mainland.
"If possible, I would prefer not rowing all the way to Mikurajima, I need to save my strength, I reckon there are small embarkations that travel in between the islands, let's move towards the port, If we find a motorboat earlier we will take that, it is stealing, but we can pay for that later, time is of the essence.
Akane opened up her comms. she wanted to verify the current situation before moving in the open.
"Akane to HQ, check if a curfew has already been declared for Mikurajima and the neighboring islands, I'd rather not have the locals see us walking down the road."
Akane began moving east by the road, at that pace they would run into Callis and his group.
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Post by Kuma on Jun 23, 2018 2:37:55 GMT
-Sooo Callis, what do you do for fun?- Ginger, walking too close for the Beast Knight comforts, rubbing her shoulder against his while asking, tried to get Callis to loosen up. -I… I…- The New JHWAB Agent was clearly trying his best not to stutter, his face seven shades of red, trying to calm himself down. -I t-t-train.- The Chinese Huntress smiled one big radiant grin. -Training? You do crossfit? Because you look fin… I mean fit, you look fit.- The Beast Knight didn’t even catch that slip-up, trying to keep his eyes on the road. -I tr-tr-train sw-sw-swo-swordsmanship.- She kept smiling, this time grabbing his arm and walking besides him. -Like a hobby? Or do you compete in tournaments?- She asked, as he didn’t carry any weapons, something that struck her as odd, but considering her line of work it shouldn’t. While Callis tried to stutter a reply, the others were walking behind them.
Crevil took long, heavy and slow steps, as if he was carrying an invisible weight on his shoulders. -We there yet?- He asked to Paprika, walking besides him. The Korean Hunter shrugged, eyes glued to the console screen. Except for Crevil, both Paprika and Ginger seemed to be unarmed, at least that’s something Callis managed to pick-up before getting distracted by Ginger’s non-stop questions and clumsy attempts at flirting. He was trying his best to zone out the Chinese Huntress chatter, but as much as he tried her voice kept reaching him and her scent keep distracting him, to the point that he didn’t notice something really obvious, but Paprika, behind him, did. The Korean Gamer tugged from Callis jacket tail and pointed to the road forward. Akane and Chambara were walking towards them. She could pass for a regular human, but the billowy form of the Spirit of Japan was clearly supernatural.
The Beast Knight stopped dead on his tracks remembering his briefing in the BHA Office in Kyoto. “Your target is a supernatural being, an oddity, possibly a Yokai or a Myth, our best diviners put it around a Tengu-1 classification or highers. It uses swords, really nasty customer” Those were the words of Norio Bushitora, Inspector from the Intelligence Branch of the JHWAB, the man who gave Callis the briefing for the mission. He didn’t say anything about a collaborator, but Chambara fit the bill, as nobody should be on the island, at least not in the southernmost part, since the quarantine established by the Bureau alongside the government was in effect. They were also coming from the South, the same direction as the creature path. With all this in mind, the Beast Knight softly got away from Ginger’s grip and gave two intense stares to Crevil and Paprika, telling them without words to be ready.
Callis, with all the poise he could muster after being flustered for so long thanks to Ginger, walked forward, until reaching a distance of 10 mts with Akane and Chambara. -My name is Callis Nomene, Agent of the JHWAB Military Branch.- He didn’t even bother on using the cover given to him by Norio, it was clear that they were Hidden World Denizens. -What brings you to this island?- The Beast Knight barely contained righteous anger got the better of him, as his forced facade of protocol got shattered as a blade of white light popped up from thin air, forming on his hand. Ginger let out a small exclamation of surprise upon seeing the blade. -We need to ask you some questions about your actions in the islands to the South.- Callis piercing blue eyes were burning with determination as he talked to Chambara.
The Spirit of Japan didn’t answer, just turning his helmeted head and facing Akane, as if he was inviting her to solve the situation.
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Post by othus on Jun 23, 2018 3:40:14 GMT
"No need to draw your weapon, soldier," Akane replied at the man, her hand slowly went for the wakizashi on her waist as a precaution, to die without having used your weapons to the fullest was seen as something regrettable in the philosophy of Niten Ichi Ryu. Akane knew an introduction was in order, fighting with the JHWAB was nonsensical, as they were technically under the same side.
"I am Akane Musashi, Slayer of the Musashi clan, the man beside me is my companion, our faction hasn't been on any other island save for this one over the last couple of months."
she then walked up to Callis to show her credentials, Akane's armor plate on her shoulder opened up, revealing the crest of the Musashi engraved in gold, she showed it to Callis at a healthy distance, Akane set the badge back into the armor as she kept walking towards him.
"We are currently headed towards Mikurajima, and we are dire need of a means of transportation. Since I assume we both are hunting down the creature responsible for the attacks all over the Izu archipelago, perhaps we can cooperate to track it down?"
Akane wasn't really expecting cooperation on their part, but at least that should clarify most of his questions, her guard was never lowered nonetheless, she perfectly knew why the JHWAB suspected on them, as Chambara was too eye-catching even for a Yokai.
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Post by Kuma on Jun 26, 2018 4:35:29 GMT
The Hunter Trio were quiet, looking at the situation unfolding in front of him, even Paprika, who seemed like giving fucks would be too much effort, was looking intensely at the situation, console still in hand, blipping. Ginger was still as a calm lake, only her fingers moved, cracking and popping with each miniscule motion, but even with those movements, the thing that looked more alive were her eyes, slowly changing into more feline like slits, her hair was slowly spiking up and her stance got lower. Crevil was impasible, not moving an inch, but a very faint reddish dot of light appeared under his eyes, moving independently from his iris, following a square pattern. Callis listened to Akane’s explanation without losing sight of Chambara, the Beast Knight had ample experience facing undead creatures, that’s why he was chosen for the mission, as the JHWAB diviners from the Intelligence Branch uncovered that the creature wrecking havoc was undead in nature. The Spirit of Japan had a similar presence to undead beings, but unlike them, there wasn’t any smell, or at least no scent related to those creatures. That was the first piece of evidence that made Akane’s story slightly reasonable.
The second piece of proof she showcased, her emblem, was also known by Callis, he had been operating for 3 years as part of the BHA in Kyoto, hearing about the Musashi Clan, specially being a swordsman himself, one who used two blades, was unavoidable. He didn’t have a lot of information, just the basic role of the clan. The third and last piece of evidence was the lack of killing intent from her and the absolute void of it in Chambara, even his own killing intent, as he accidentally leaked it when summoning his blade, seemed to be consumed by the Spirit of Japan, drowned in a pool of martial perfection. With these elements in minds he dispersed the Gainen Energy forming his blade and lifted his hand behind him, lowering it, as a sign for his current subordinates to lower their weapons. He did this as slowly as he could, betting on Akane and Chambara not lying to him, as even after years in this world, Callis always tried to think the best of people, until proven otherwise. -I’ll need to obtain confirmation and permission from my supervisor, but I do not see any troubles with you joining or cause, Messa Musashi.- Callis did a deep bow, before turning his back to them, in a display of faith.
As he walked towards the others, The Beast Knight pressed the communication device on his ear. -Mes Bushitora, I need permission to include new members to the team, as you thought, other Hidden World Denizens have arrived to the scene, the leader identified as Akane Musashi.- He released the button, sending the voice mail. Ginger, still in high alert, didn’t even notice Callis, who for the first time looked at her directly. He noticed the signs on her body and feared what he saw, not for her, but as it reminded him a lot of the Saevus Ira, the bloody curse running through his veins, caused by his mixed heritage, as under great stress Callis’ beast-like side would run berserker, and Ginger had the same look on her eyes, but unlike his eyes, that according to others glowed with the embers of rage, her green eyes were sparkling with excitement, like some kind of grotesque glee for gore. Callis shuddered and finally decided to talk. -For the time being, I consider they are allies, do not engage unless I give you a direct order, understood?- Crevil slowly nodded, the red light on his eyes slowly dying out. Paprika also nodded, returning to lock eyes with the gaming device. Ginger wasn’t reacting, she was still glaring at Akane and Chambara, hair was appearing on her forearms, her canines were getting larger and so was her frame.
Callis, noticing this stepped in between. -Messa Ginger, I gave you a direct order as your superior.- He exclaimed, locking his eyes to hers. The Chinese Huntress growled for a second, until Crevil, who didn’t move since they stopped, extended his massive hand and placed it on her shoulder. Ginger shrugged off the hand, twisting her whole body and trying to maul her friend, but her sharpened fingernails turned into claws just drew sparks out of Crevil, leaving grey marks on his skin. The screeching sound echo around the surrounding trees. As if the sound was some kind of signal or alarm, Ginger shook her head and the changes on her body slowly reverted, the white and black fur turned back into skin and her height and weight returned to normal. She looked down, a bit embarrassed by the situation. -Sorry.- She mumbled, barely turning to face Crevil, who looked down on her with a gentle and childish smile. -Do not worry, I am here.- He replied to her. The Chinese Huntress then turned towards Callis. -I heard you, sorry for this, I kinda get hyped up when I fight, I’ll try to rein it in.- The Beast Knight nodded and before he could add anything else his communication device bipped, announcing the incoming response.
“We corroborated her story and checks out, Nomene-san, you’re granted permission to deputize her and her companions.” Norio’s tone of voice was clear evidence of him being nervous and in a rush. “Please thank her for her collaboration with the JHWAB and inform that if she requires any favors or compensation that the Bureau will pay them up as personal gratitude for her collaboration.” The message ended there, making Callis think that Akane might be more important than he originally thought, at least that was what Norio’s tone of voice implied. The Beast Knight walked towards Akane, bowing again, this time with a knee on the ground, Centris style. -Messa Musashi, it would be our honor and privilege if you would be so kind of helping us with our mission.- He talked following the protocol of his old world, trying to be as courtly and well-mannered as possible. -My superiors inform me that your collaboration is greatly appreciated and that it will not be forgotten and if you need any favors from them, they will accomodate your needs.- Once the message was completed he stood up, shifting from diplomat to military tone in the blink of an eye.
-We’re moving towards the south of the island, as there are several fishing piers that with the quarantine are currently abandoned.- He explained. -We’re planning to set up a operations camp there and use the boats, taken with permission from the Japanese and Local Government, to travel to the next target of the creature to set up a defensive line and stop it there.- Callis had been thinking of the plan for a while, during his travel here. He had experience dealing with hordes of monsters coming down a path of destruction, so he thought that maybe the strategies he used against the Unda Hordes in Centris might translate with dealing against the undead abomination causing such bloodshed in the Izu Archipelago. -Will you join us?- Callis extended his gloved hand, trying a less formal approach to seal the deal. As this happened Crevil was sadly scanning his hand, the grey lines were quite noticeable against his pale skin. Paprika returned to playing games and Ginger was looking at the interactions between Akane and Callis with a very bad idea taking root on her head, born of her current shame and other factors from her past.
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Post by othus on Jun 26, 2018 6:36:34 GMT
Akane responded to his bow in kind, it had been a while since she saw someone that gallant and formal, she was glad the man was reasonable enough and had respect for his superiors, willing to go as far as asking for permission earned him extra points on her book, she waited for the request to be approved and felt somewhat relieved that the encounter had come out so smoothly, or at least that's what she thought until she noticed one of Callis' subordinates wouldn´t stop looking at her directly, her bloodlust was palpable enough for Akane to ready her blade, the subtle transformations that began on the woman akin to those of a Lycan were not of her liking, she was ready to fight back until one of their own managed to stop her, Akane let out a sigh of relief as she saw Ginger could still be reasoned with.
The message from the JHWAB finally came back, Akane heard the message, but felt somewhat embarrassed from having a man like that bow before her to present it, having the JHWAB hold her in high esteem (despite making her blush) was also good news.
"Please, no need to bow in such a way" -she said as she nervously set her hands in front of her, on a fruitless effort to get him up,- "it will be my pleasure to cooperate with the Bureau on this matter, The Musashi have always had great respect for your organization, please tell Norio-san my father sends his best regards to Yasumori-Sama, and that I say hi to both Shin and Akane"
Akane let Callis stand up before speaking any further, his tone immediately changed as he began to talk about their strategy, she listened attentively with the intention of cooperating as much as she could, and she was fairly impressed on the fact they had intel on the creature including an expected trajectory, to have such information they would at least have to have tracked it for a considerable amount of time, or looked at patterns as it moved over the archipelago, either way, they knew how to deal with it.
"Thanks for sharing the intel, as I mentioned, it would be my pleasure to join your team", Akane shook Callis' hand and began to ask questions in order to dig further into the plan: "I would like to know if there are any ranged fighters within your squad, the target will be a lot more dangerous up close, I don't know if I should even say this, but there is a good chance the monster uses our clan's sword style."
Akane couldn't bring herself to say it was Chambara the one who actually gave her visions of the monster. If Callis tried to pry further on how she got that intel she would just respond by mentioning the esper of her clan provided her with it. Akane turned around from where she came and signaled Chambara they were going back.
"let's move down south, Callis-San, I should mention we just came from that direction and had no luck in catching up any sort of motorboats, hopefully, we will succeed this time in securing a couple."
The newly made squad parted down south again, and Akane had now even greater hopes in restoring the honor of her clan back.
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Post by Kuma on Jun 27, 2018 4:42:25 GMT
-Then it’s decided.- Callis kneeled again, his right fist over his heart, Centris style protocol. -In behalf of the JHWAB and the BHA I thank you for your collaboration Messa Musashi.- The Beast Knight stood up and added. -And please, call me Nomene-san, I feel like being on a first name basis would be rude from my part Messa Musashi, as I've not earned that honor.- He was being overly formal considering the importance of the Musashi Clan, according to Norio’s information. Callis turned around, to face the Hunters. -Akane Musashi and her companion will be joining us on this mission, they’re officially deputized by the JHWAB as temporary field agents.- He explained the situation. -They don’t have any direct authority over your orders or payment, but you must treat them with the same respect as you would treat any other JHWAB member.- He wanted to leave thing clear from the get-go, especially after seeing Ginger’s recent episode. The trio nodded, each on their own style. Crevil movement was almost mechanic, moving his head up and down. -Understood.- He said, with his deep voice and heavy russian accent. Paprika just nodded once without looking away from the console. Ginger, still feeling a strange mixture of emotions swirling inside of her lagged behind until Callis rose his eyebrows and she snapped back into reality, nodding without much conviction. -Yeah, they’re agents, we understand.-
-Let’s move then, we will do the introductions on the move.- Callis instructed as he started walking. The trio of Hunters followed his lead and as they got closer to Akane and Chambara, Ginger started introducing them. -Hello Miss Akane, we’re a trio of hunters, we usually work on Hokkaido.- She explained, while looking at Akane from up and down, trying to find some kind of defect on her. -I’m Ginger, I lead the group, the big guy is Crevil and the small one is Paprika.- Crevil smiled. -Pleased to meet you.- She said to the Heir of the Musashi and then he turned to Chambara, who was barely taller than the Russian Hunter. -And greetings to you, is weird seeing somebody taller than me.- Chambara didn’t reply, walking behind Callis. Paprika, didn’t even bother with pleasantries, walking at their pace but with eyes still glued to the screen. Ginger advanced more, grabbing Callis from the arm like before, something that once again got the Beast Knight blushing and she gave Akane a very aggressive and mocking glare over her shoulder. Callis, trying to avoiding getting dragged into another mind-numbing marathon of ramblings from Ginger also looked back, facing Akane and asked. -I know your name Messa Musashi, but what’s the name of your companion?- The Spirit of Japan stopped, looking first at Akane and then focusing on Callis, replying to his question with the same inhuman voice he used when talking to Akane. I̲̼̜̥̭̋ͨ̃ͧ’̥̗͇̟̖m̺̟̦͇̘̞̙̆ͩ̓ ͓͍̗C̣͇͓̣̙̰͓̓͆̓͊h̟͓͇̲͂̾̓͒̂͒̑ͅa͖̲̯͉͇̱ͦ̃̽m͈̩̟̜̼̤͖͌̒̾͆̿b͙̞̝̣a͇ͧr̺̹̼̫̞̊à͙̘̱͉̗͎ͬ̆͑͑,͛̐̊ ̯͍̫t̟͍̱̠̱̹̐́ͅȟ͎̠̺̻̯̰͇ͥ̏̚è̊̀̈́͊͌͂ ̣͔̜̩̟̮̮̽S̩͇̯̣͎̪ͅo̹̳͖̪̬̮̊̽ṵ̱͚̳̩͉l̪̙͓̯̗̱̎̓̇ͣ ̂̂͗ͬ̓o̬ͯͧͪ̈́ͫ̈́f͇ͩ͐ͩ̌̑̋ͭͅ ̭̳͕̙̣̿t̳̥ͨͮȟ̥͓ě͍͚̣̰ͦͯ̈̐ͫ͂ ͍̰͚̯͔̺̜̈́̽̂͒S̆ͯ̽ͬ͒̓̏w͎̰͇̞ͨ͋͊̋ͬ̿̿o̹̙͋͆ͤͥ͂̋̇r̜̱̝͙ͦͦ͂̍̌̈ͦd͚̱͉͂͂,͐͛͑ ͉̝̹̙̭͌͌tͧ͛̏̃̄̉h̾ͥ͒̚e͚͔̯͔͆̌ͅ ̞͍̯̐̆̇̔̒͆̚S͎͎̗̯ͨ͌p̰͚͓ͥ͗ͧͧi̼̮̹̩̿̂ͯͅr̝̹̰̺îͭ̇̽͑ͮ̚t̻̦̘̬͉͙̥ͯ̒̈̋͊ ̙̗̹̺̜ͥ̉̔ͦo̳̺̠̝̪̊̒̾f̳͛̃̔̋̅͐ ̣͔̝̗͍̏ͅN̺̤̟i͖̳̭̳̺̰ͣͦ͆̈̂̈́̌ĥ̯̥̥̌̀̏̒̏ͅoṅͩͨ̐̊́͑ ̺͚̝ͫà̳̮̣͓̗̎̓͛ͅn̤̬d̥̔̽́̌̂̉ ̥̤̠͖t͎͍͓̉h̲̻̰̺̬̐͊e̬͚̦̞͍ ̉̎̃̂̽̄Ḫ̻̹̈̆̿̓e̝̎̀͌ͮ̂͆̚a̖̝̪͑͋ṛͧ͐̄̊̊͐t̰͕͍ͧ ͋́͒͒̏̐oͥ̀͐͒͆ͪf̜̖̟ D͉͇̱̫͇̟͇̍̑̌̋ͨͮi͍̭̪̻͖͈͑ͭ̑ͅs͛̊̓c̥̪̭í̓̌̈́̈ͧp̖͇̍͑͒̾l̫͌̾̈́ͮi̼̫̘̖̹̳̯n͉̐e̖̖͓̺̙.̦͙̫͎͍ͦͪ͗ͯ̀͑͂ ̣̙̅ͨ̂ Callis stopped dead on his tracks and even Akane must’ve heard about him, since Chambara’s name was a well known legend among swordsmen all over Japan. Callis even heard a couple of BHA members talking about meeting the Spirit of Japan before. The trio of Mercenaries didn’t know about the legends, as it was rare to see Chambara outside the main island of Japan, but Paprika, suddenly interested, for a change, on the atmosphere around them, stopped playing and searched for the name on his device.
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Post by othus on Jun 28, 2018 6:13:14 GMT
Akane felt a mixture of embarrassment and discomfort when Callis requested her not to use first names, her time in the US had made her forgo the use of last names when addressing foreigners, and while Callis' petition demonstrated good education and etiquette, it made Akane come across as rude in the exchange. Akane had dropped the formality for his sake in the first place and expected him to go along with it, Callis might not have noticed that, as he wasn't Japanese, but if this exchange had been made in one of her social spheres he would have put her on a tight spot, especially considering she comes from a high traditionalist family. Akane reassured him using proper names wasn't something for him to be concerned with.
"You truly are a gentleman, had this been a formal event then I would agree with your request, but in this case, I will have to insist, no need to be so formal with me, please treat me as you would one of your men, for I will do the same." Akane then proceeded to meet Callis' team, she accepted the introduction and while she responded with a small bow, Akane noticed right away what was Ginger's deal. The way she looked at her and the tonality of her voice was something she had come to recognize all too well, in fact, most girls would often give her mean looks just for passing by, all the more whenever their boyfriends were nearby. Akane was a head turner everywhere she went, be it her above average height, her voluptuous body proportions, her beautiful facial structure, her social status, or all those things at the same time, Akane was often the center of attention, and thus, a threat for any woman. She raised a brow and rolled her eyes as Ginger gave her the mean look, she was hardly interested in competing with her for Callis, not because she thought the man wasn't interesting enough as he did leave the right impressions on her, but rather because she didn't even consider Ginger as competition, a dog woman named like a cooking spice wasn't something to lose sleep over in her book, and besides, Akane was used to getting chased, not the other way around, the heir of the Musashi wouldn't be caught dead begging a man for his attention.
As the group walked down south Callis made quite the important remark, who was her companion? things have gone so fast introductions were skipped back at the castle, Akane became shocked when she heard the name of Chambara, but she refrained from making any further questions, as she had already told Callis Chambara was her companion, any further enquiry would reveal she blindly put her trust in him, so Akane decided to confront Chambara over his claim later when time became more available.
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Post by Kuma on Jun 29, 2018 4:20:21 GMT
-I am sorry, but I do not feel comfortable using anything but formal speech to somebody held in such high regard by the Bureau, Messa Musashi.- Callis replied, trying to her previous request, trying to break the awkward silence created by Chambara’s introduction. -As an agent, I am representing the organization and as such, I cannot fail to follow the rules of etiquette and the proper protocol in relation to somebody in your station.- He stopped for a second as if he realized something. -In fact…- Callis left those words hanging on the air behind him as he walked back towards the Hunters, signaling Ginger to follow him. Once the trio was reunited the Beast Knight inquired. -Have you ever work escort duty?- Paprika and Crevil nodded while Ginger looked away, with bashful eyes and blushed cheeks. -That’s a bit forward, asking such a thing.- She said while waving her hand up and down as if she was trying to repel the question. Callis didn’t get it at first, his translation spell didn’t catch the subtleties of language, like multiple meanings. But soon, the context, added to Crevil and Paprika giving strange looks to their leader added up in Callis mind, whose cheeks went from 0 to volcanic red in less than half a second. He turned around flustered, while Paprika showed the screen of the device to Ginger
Escort Mission = Protecting People
Personal Escort = You know.
The Chinese Huntress realized her mistake, hitting the palm of her hand with the base of her fist and tried to apologize. -Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring shame to my crew, I misunderstood what you said.- Callis sighed, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, trying to dispel the color from his face. -Do not mind that, I suppose you have actually performed esc… protection missions, right?- He asked. She shyly nodded. -Well if that is the case consider Messa Musashi as the individual to be guarded and form a triangle around her, I will scout ahead to find a boat and ready it.- Ginger nodded and instructed the others, as they moved, with Crevil taking point, running with heavy and slow footsteps to the front of the pack, Paprika taking the back left and Ginger the back right. Callis walked past Akane. -Messa Musashi, I will scout ahead and procure a transport, my squad will cover the perimeter as you advance to meet me.- And with that said, his coat fluttering behind him, Callis rushed down the road towards the piers on the south. Ginger sighed with some frustration while seeing Callis leave, then shifted to, instead of watching the perimeter, shoot daggers from her eyes towards Akane. She saw Callis first, and she wouldn't allow a stuck up VIP Princess with a fancy armor sweep the rug from under her feet.
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Post by othus on Jun 29, 2018 6:06:27 GMT
Akane couldn't believe the words that came out of Callis' mouth, it was the first time she ever met a man that stubborn.
"Hmph! have it your way then," Akane said somewhat bummed as she tried not looking at him anymore,Akane noticed Callis going back to speak with his team, she stuck around in order to eavesdrop. The beast knight asked their team if they had ever worked in escort duty, and while Paprika and Crevil answered immediately, Ginger clearly misunderstood what he meant, Akane let out a small laugh as Ginger apologized, little did she know her amusement wouldn't last for long, as Callis then proceeded to tell their men to treat Akane much like a VIP, something that turned her smile into an emotionless semblance.
Akane stopped on her tracks for a moment as she realized that perhaps she was being underestimated, she wasnt quite sure, as no one before had ever dared to do so in her face,but the sole idea of it pissed her off to no end, Akane patiently waited for Callis to return and give the directions, and as he turned his back on her, Akane projected a killing intent strong enough to make lower yokai flee in terror, her eyes turned into a crimson red as she sliced Callis in half on her mind, the whole sequence lasting less than a second.
"I will stay with your team while you scout, do not worry about us and let us know if you find anything" a charming grin adorned her face as she innocently tilted her head. If the beast knight knew how to read between the lines, that was Akanes last warning to him when it came to giving her special treatment.
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Post by Kuma on Jul 1, 2018 4:00:12 GMT
Callis was a swordsman from a very, very early age. He had trained with bladed weapons for years, honing his skills and sharpening his instincts in the field of fencing. Unluckily, the same sharpness wasn’t present in other aspects of his life, as he was a dense and blunt as a Warhammer when it came to some things. He didn’t even realize Akane’s tone, the mixture of this and him being flustered by Ginger’s misunderstanding, plus he wasn’t actually looking down on Akane, the complete opposite was true. The Beast Knight came from a world in which people with authority were expected to have an escort, even when they usually were stronger than their escort, as nobility in Centris was determined by their magical potential, so usually, the higher the rank among the court the stronger was their magic. Callis didn’t feel like explaining this, because it was ingrained to him, even after living in this world for almost half a decade, he couldn’t shake off years of protocol training and discipline.
He moved forward, completely ignorant of Akane’s vexation or Ginger’s desires. Thankfully the road was deserted and well built, allowing the Beast Knight to really push himself. “Cement is a fascinatingly useful invention, if I ever return to Centris I’ll try to help make it.” He thought as he ran, faster than any human could ever move, at least mundane ones, thanks to the smooth yet slightly coarse asphalt under his boots. The island was quiet, most of the residents had been moved earlier today, either to the extreme north or off the island altogether. But even so, it was too quiet, not even the chirping of a bird, or the buzzing of insects, the only things Callis could hear were the wind shuffling the leaves around him, the waves crashing against a nearby cliffside and his own boots, tapping against the street as he ran. Even the animals on the island had moved away, knowing by instincts that things were getting dangerous.
As he rushed down south, the rest of the group was walking down the same street, at least 1 km away. Crevil walked with the same long and heavy steps, maybe it was just a feeling, but Akane might sense the ground shaking with each of the Russian Hunter’s steps. He kept a vigilant gaze, once again, the red dots, parallel to his iris, moved independently from his eyes, in perfect lines, as if they were scanning each inch of the surrounding area. Ginger wasn’t as focused as his comrade, sending waves of scorn towards Akane, glaring at the Heir of the Musashi’s left side with ridiculous lack of subtlety. The Chinese Huntress was still gradually losing the animal like traits she gained upon entering her battle stance, the white and black fur was slowly sinking into her skin, her claws returns to being fingernails and her canines also retracted into regular teeth.
Paprika, closing the march, was still looking at the gaming device screen, but upon seeing something on it, the Korean Gamer, for the first time talked, with a voice neither masculine or feminine. -We’ve inbound.- Pointing towards the coast to their left. The screen of the device had some sort of radar pinging several objects closing in. Chambara, who was just following Akane, stopped walking and looked towards their left, the area Ginger was supposed to be watching. Rustling coming from the tight treeline, making the Spirit of Japan take a defensive position, his armored hand placed over the hilt of his blade, ready to perform Iaijutsu. Crevil faced the noise and took off his heavy jacket, revealing a tactical kevlar vest with several throwing knives, grenades and side arms on each side. He pulled both handguns, that look comically small compared to him and waited. Ginger started transforming, this time around her body was covered in bluish scales, her hair slowly turning white and getting longer, flowing like water.
Paprika, being the one further away from the noise had the most time to prepare, pulling a sword from the screen of the device. It was a thin rapier-like weapon, but the blade was made of a cluster of red numbers floating into the shape of a sword. With everybody ready, the rumbling got stronger as a small horde of individuals rushed out the woods, crazed eyes, and distorted limbs. At first glance, they looked like regular people, but soon, once they burst out of the treetops shadow, it was clear that wasn’t the case. Every one of them had a large wound and said wound was the epicenter to what seemed some sort of bizarre infection, turning the skin into a scale like substance, each scale pointed outwards from the body and the wound, gleaming under the midday sun. The scales weren’t organic, they looked like the tip of a Katana, some were almost as long as a wakizashi. The infected people, were completely wet, from head to toes, their clothing sticking to their mutated flesh.
The torrent of monsters rushed at the group, at least 6 of them were directly aimed at Akane, swinging their half mutated limbs, filled with sharp edges, towards her. The others charged against the rest of the group, with similar numbers attempting to blitz the Mercenaries and Chambara.
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Post by othus on Jul 1, 2018 7:41:27 GMT
Akane was about to start trouble with Ginger, she had been bugging her with that glare for too long, perhaps letting her know what she actually thought would give her a break, however, the situation would change when Paprika mentioned the presence of enemies. Akane got skeptic at first when she heard her, she knew the target was on another island, so it made no sense for it to be here, her doubts, however, would soon be cleared as she witnessed the infected creatures.
"This is what happens when a monster is left to rampage at will, we have to put these people's souls to rest", she said without taking a stance in particular.
Half a dozen of the monsters began to go after her but she managed to keep her calm, if Miyamoto managed to survive Sekigahara, six foes would be nothing for her.
Akane began to analyze the way the creatures moved, and the way their wounds were originally inflicted, she decided to observe the attacking order, and meet first those who attacked first, she kept positioning herself in order to make the monsters obstruct each other, and when the creatures were at mid-distance, Akane opened up side plates within her gauntlets, revealing a set of throwing needles on each side.
while Akane was good with one blade and great with both, her strongest skill within Niten Ichi Ryu was weapon throwing, with pinpoint accuracy she simultaneously aimed at the knees of the monsters, as piercing those would unavoidably make them gimp whether they felt pain or not. Akane released the needles on her hands in a single go, two directed at her mob, two at Crevil's, two for Paprika's and none for Ginger's, all 6 were thrown in order to make contact with little time difference.
Akane then waited for the unharmed creatures to come, once the first was at sword range she sliced at it with her wakizashi in one movement, not particularly fast but rather incredibly precise, retracing the original wound of the monster to perfection, her blade had been blessed by Buddhist monks and thus, was especially effective against demons or undead, if the bladed bodies of the monsters interfered with her weapon's path, she then would keep retracing it until the blade came out on the other side.
Akane then retreated a couple of meters to see if the effects of her purifying blade had matched her expectation.
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Post by Kuma on Jul 2, 2018 3:00:36 GMT
The horde of infected people rushed in, their weaponized arms ready to attack. The first to get intercepted was Crevil, who didn’t seem to care about the incoming attacks, the bladed fingers crashing against him and from the impact the characteristic sound of metal against metal echoed around them, Akane would surely know the sound. The katana-tip like fingers couldn’t pierce the Russian’s skin, only scratch it, revealing that the “skin” was just a cover, thrown over a metallic surface. Two of the attackers suddenly fell down, as the Musashi Heir’s attacks reached them, downing them. Crevil nodded to Akane and then started shooting at close range. -Protocol: EXTERMINATION.- His voice, usually a bit slow and dumb, shifted for a metallic monotone as his hands and arms spun robotically around him, his joints being able to spin 360 degrees, allowing him to perform an almost mystifying display of gun-kata. His bullets kept hitting their targets as more and more of the horde scratched the paint off his body.
Ginger was next, as they horde was charging from her side. Her transformation was still happening as they closed in, swinging their arms like spiked clubs. The Chinese Huntress body was slowly getting bigger, her arms longer and sturdier, covered in shiny blue scales, her eyes burning with fire of the same color. As their attacks moved in, she weaved around them, floating off the ground, like a leaf carried in the wind. As she passed through them her newly clawed fingers drew blood from each of them, taking chunks of half mutated flesh off with each of her swipes. The momentum she carried allowed her to climb higher, standing above a tree, with her arms crossed and a smirk of superiority on her face. The trail left by her gleamed with bluish particles that burst into small detonations of Azure Flames when she snapped her fingers. The enemies caught in the explosion first were set ablaze, but then, those flames flash froze into crystals of ice, pinning them to the floor from the weight alone.
Wǔ Zhǒng Yěshòu Zíngtài: Cheongryong (5 Beasts Form: Azure Dragon) Tōng wǎng tiāntáng de lán sè lùjìng (Azure Path to Heaven)
The ones attacking Akane received her attackers, using her blessed blades to follow the same path as the wounds present on them. It was clear that whoever performed these attacks had a fundamental understanding of every technique of the original Niten Ichi Ryu, each of her attacks mirrored the injuries perfectly, but even like that a feeling could creep out to her, as the attacks performed were clearly done to inflict the most amount of suffering, the technique was there, but the moral core of the techniques were sorely lacking, instead of one-hit-kills most of the attacks targeted really sensitive areas, aiming to kill, but not from the attack, but from the overwhelming and punishing suffering the wounds would bring to the victim. It was sickening. Her strikes didn’t outright purify the infected individuals, but seemingly they were more than enough to stop them on their tracks. Unlike the ones she threw needles or the ones Crevil and Ginger killed, the ones hit by her blade just froze in place, their muscles tensing up and the propagation of the blade scales stopping.
Chambara, on his side of things, waited for the enemies to reach his Maai. The second each of them crossed the invisible boundary of the Spectral Samurai range, they were slashed in half as soon as they stepped inside, to the point that the bodies piling up around him clearly defined the circle of influence his sword could reach. Behind him, Paprika was dealing with the incoming horde. The Korean Gamer floated off the ground, leaving a trail of numbers and letters behind. Paprika swung the blade launching streams of visible data across the air, hitting the charging infected individuals. An icon, shaped like a letter, flashed above them as a floating text box manifested over Paprika
DDOS INITIATED
The infected started convulsing as if their bodies weren’t responding to their commands. Seemingly Paprika was able to translate hacking concepts into the field of biology, some kind of technomage. Floating above the battlefield, the Korean Bio-Hacker created several copies of himself, at ground level, as a new text appeared over him. Some of the enemies charged at them, hitting them only to find that the clones exploded upon being destroyed, with clusters of letters and numbers serving as fragmentation for the explosions.
PHISHING INITIATED
More enemies poured out of the forest, a second wave, and seemingly the last one, charging to bolster the ranks of his comrades, as some of the members of the first wave were still standing.
Meanwhile, Callis was leisurely looking for a boat in the docks, one big enough to carry the whole group and any survivors they could find. Usually, the Beast Knight would have caught on the fact that enemies were moving on the forest, but after spending what could’ve been days underwater, the smell of salt water blocked anything useful for Callis’ nose to pick up.
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Post by othus on Jul 2, 2018 7:04:28 GMT
Akane finished the monsters that had targetted her,she found the tracing disgusting, as no one should ever use niten Ichi Ryu on that manner, Akane began to feel some relief as she was done with it, only to find a second wave charging at them, she sheathed her wakizashi as she looked at the mob coming, Akane took a deep breath as she readied herself.
"The time for subtleties is over, i learned enough about the type of monster we are against, Kaneshige, heed my command!"
As soon as Akane had finished her sentence the lock on the scabbard holding her sacred treasure was released, a digital pattern on the sheath followed by a subtle green light indicated her blade had been successfully unlocked, the sacred treasure took a sigh of relief as if it had awoken after millennia, and proceeded to fly right into her master's right hand which was already expecting its arrival, Akane then took an elegant Ko-Gasumi stance truly worthy of her weapon.
With a single order from her, the blade began to exude a deep purple aura, which made the wind itself howl in a beautiful tone as it caressed the surface of the blade. Akane's order had been a simple and direct command on her katana: "Cut".
She then dashed forward, mustering speed and agility not displayed before, the movement was almost unnatural in manner, as it was actually a sword technique. Akane got close to as many enemies as she could and made multiple cuts far too swift for the eye to see.
Niten Ichi-Ryu: Raijin no ha 雷神の刃 (Blade of the thunder god)
she softly whispered as she walked away on the other side, Akane had used her blade many times in the past, but she would rarely cut using a named technique, only particularly powerful monsters had tasted the true iron of the Musashi before and they didnt live to tell the tale. what made this mission different, was the fact that her family honor was at stake, and she would spare no effort in redeeming it, even if she had to use her full potential for it.
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Post by Kuma on Jul 5, 2018 4:46:01 GMT
In a blinding flash of steel and grace, Akane danced through the battlefield cutting down the enemies on her proximity. The infected, horrible monsters called Tachijin, fell prey to her righteous fury and divine swordsmanship, being mowed down by her offensive. Behind her Chambara was in a different situation. The second horde didn’t charge right into the makeshift wall formed by the corpses of their companions, creating a ring of death around the Spirit of Japan. Chambara was still on an Iaijutsu stance, still like a mountain lake in the dead of a windless winter.
B̸̻̕e̶̯͋â̷̱s̶͎̾ẗ̴̻́s̸̜͝ ̷̣́o̷̟͘f̵̢̎ ̶͔͘t̵̥̀h̴͕̔e̵̩͌ ̸̰͛c̵̘̍u̸̻͗r̸̺͑s̶̖̐e̵̩̒d̸̼͋ ̷̼͂b̸͍̄l̶͈͂a̵̭̅d̴̬͋ë̷̢,̵̯̕ ̸̭͂T̸̯͐ã̸̪c̴̬̓h̸̜̕i̴̱̿j̵̠̀i̴͈͛n̶̝͘ ̵̥͌t̸̗̿h̶̥̕y̶͂ͅ ̵̝̀n̸͎̆ä̵̝m̸̢̎e̴͖͋ ̷̦̃ỉ̸̝s̸͉̈́!̶̠͂
The Spirit of Japan name-dropped the enemy, recognizing it, as creatures created by a cursed blade. As a manifestation of Martial History made flesh or at least given a body, Chambara was more than familiar with the lore of mystical weapons on Japan and thus he knew, upon gazing his fallen and standing foes, the origin of their curse.
K̵̠̍a̸̦͝ṉ̶̋a̸̞͆s̸͇͐ḧ̷̫i̵̗͠m̷̨̕i̷͚͠-̶͉̃n̶̲̅o̸͚͆-̴̹͂T̸͇͐ŝ̶̻ù̵̙r̸̤̀u̵͙̎ģ̴̈́ì̴̻,̸̻̈ ̴̘͛t̷̻͝ḧ̴͈́è̸̲ ̷̦̾Ḁ̵̔c̵͈̍ḉ̵ú̴̢r̵͎̊s̶̮͂e̷̯͐d̷̩̔ ̷̳̓B̶̬͝ḷ̷͝a̵̭̿ď̵͍é̷̡ ̵͉̊ǒ̵ͅf̵̮̔ ̶̡̚S̵͂͜ȯ̷̫r̴͕͝r̶̖̉o̴̯͛w̸̮͒s̵͎͋,̷̙͗ ̸̞̓b̸͉̅r̷͍͆į̸̊n̶͘ͅg̵̤̑ẽ̷̞r̶͖̀ ̸͙͗o̵̞̍f̷͐ͅ ̸̳̀b̵̳͘ã̷̢t̸̘͛t̶͕̉l̵͔̓e̸̟͑ ̸̜̏m̶̤̍a̵̔͜d̶͕̒n̸̨̄e̷͂ͅs̶͎̋s̶̻̈́
C̷̭͝ò̸̤m̶̧͂e̴̗͗ ̷͚̀a̷͉̕n̴̘̓d̸̥̆ ̸̥̈́f̷̐͜a̶͕̔c̶̘̄ẻ̷̟ ̷̥̿m̷̞͠y̸̝͑ ̶̧̓b̸̩̑l̴̮̓ả̵̪d̴̼́ȅ̶͍,̷̦͒ ̴̙̓s̶̩̒p̵̗͂a̵̾ͅŵ̴͇n̸͎̑ ̵̬̃o̵̧͂f̶̖̾ ̷̛͚t̶̼̆h̷͙͝ȇ̶̥ ̶̭̆Ṭ̵̓ä̶͍́c̵̨̓h̷̘͗i̴̳͝j̴̨̊i̸̕ͅn̵͍̓ ̶̗͒c̷̯̕û̸͜r̵̠̎s̷̢͂e̶̠͘
His challenge was ignored, as the creatures, at some instinctive level recognized the Spirit of Japan martial prowess and avoided him, choosing the others in the group as targets, leaving Chambara standing, surrounded by a field of death. As they dispersed the trio of Hunters handled the influx of incoming enemies. Paprika, still floating away from their reach, waved the sword once again, more like a magic wand than an actual weapon, launching darts of data that pierced the enemies, lodging themselves inside their chest. The Korean Gamer once again talked, summoning his bizarre digital powers into reality.
【TROJAN ENGAGE】
The small darts exploded into streams of data bursting out from the corrupted skins, sending pieces of sword scales all over the place, some of them hitting, with little to no effect, Crevil’s skin. The Russian Hunter was being mauled by an ever-increasing number of enemies, he attempted to dispatch with his inhuman flexibility gun-kata. Most of his skin, or the paint that looked like it was gone, revealing a fully metallic body, with bolted plates of some kind of titanium-like alloy, but with the peculiarity of having faint reddish coloration. Crevil, once his weapons were out of ammo, left them on the ground and started boxing and brawling his way through the enemies, performing moves impossible to regular men thanks to his bionic joints. He started tearing a bloody path followed by the sound of shattered scales and broken bones. The Russian Hunter flung enemies to the air, and Ginger, still flying, leaving a trail of blue flames, slashed them apart mid-air, passing at great speeds, her body still changing, gaining a tail and horns.
Soon the enemies were defeated and some of the remaining enemies standing returned from where they came, some even caught by more of Paprika’s attacks, before vanishing into the trees.
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Post by othus on Jul 5, 2018 18:43:03 GMT
Akane regrouped towards the hunters, looking at Chambara's kenjutsu made her certain he was the real spirit of Japan, however, some of his claims regarding the creatures concerned her, she walked towards him to discuss the matter
"Exquisite display of martial prowess as expected, I am honored to have fought at your side, however briefly"
Akane sheathed her blade and gave a respectful bow before asking him any further questions.
"Spirit of Japan, are you certain this was done by the blade of sorrow? we need to get that blade off his hands, as long as that creature has it the victim count will keep rising, most of the people on the Izu archipelago adore the Shinto Kami, if the creature keeps corrupting their followers the gods are bound to interfere, and the consequences will be catastrophic, we need to hurry." Akane then looked at the rest of the hunters, she had to commend them for their skill as well, as all 3 were more than capable of holding their own against the creatures.
"It would seem I am surrounded by capable people, however, there is one thing we still haven't done, which is to contact Nomene-san"
Akane looked at Paprika, she would surely have the means to contact Callis and report the incident, it was a miracle they did not do so earlier, perhaps they were still not used to work in groups larger than 3.
"We need to report the incident and give him a heads up, as he could also be in trouble, lets hurry and catch up with him"
Akane began to dash towards Callis' location, she esteemed his strength to be enough to fend off those creatures on his own, but she still upped her pace, if Musashi had made it to this island, not even Callis would come out unscathed from that encounter.
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