Obviously, a lot will have changed in two years, but before the long hiatus, there were a few guys in Yamato that you should have heard about. Or not, but still important in their own right. Here we go:
Emperor Takeshi Ofuchi: Evil motherfucking emperor of Yamato, as well as clan leader of the Ofuchi. Regarded as a true bastard and a powerful sorceror that you did not want the attention of. Had the talent of summoning a sickening battle axe, that only supplemented in lethal magical abilities. Killed by another bastard, and possibly a worse one, Hyuga Masamori.
Hyuga Masamori: Leader of the Hyuga clan and the Yamatian Shogun. In a coup, overthrew the emperor and took his mantle of power, if not title. Known for his particularly unique magical talent of chakra, an ability that gave the energy to improve his fighting talents and provide deadly skills. His eyes are pure white, and some say he can see into your soul, possibly devouring it.
Lord Takene: Actually, someone of little note two years ago. We don't know what clan he belongs to, and we don't know his first name. We do know he resides in Oreinashi, and successfully predicted the need of the tools of war, making a killing in the market (ha ha!).
Distreyd Thanadar XII: Yamato seems to be chock full of villains, and Distreyd doesn't let you down. He comes from a long line of Distreyd's, all of which carry on the tradition of killing their fathers to take their position as the Wolf of Mardük. He bears the dark sword Dokubaraken, and is proficient in its use. He also holds the powers of a High Cleric, drawing on his god's power, in addition to his own ability to control dreams. Distreyd lives in Vulpengaard, with an army of Chaos Dwarves. Last news of him told of a compact with Hyuga Masamori.
Varalia Earthhaven: An elven officer of Hyuga Masamori. A gaijin by birth, she suffered a cruel upbringing when her village was slaughter and she was sold into slavery, ending up in Yamato. There, she was the toy of an unscrupulous and lustful lord whom eventually had a half-breed (ainoko) child with her. She named the girl Unithien, whom she was allowed to keep. To keep this short, she killed the rapist lord, took her kid and a magic sword, lost her kid, got trained in the art of war by clerics of Nergal, and took up life as a mercenary. Yeah. She isn't truly "bad", but she isn't a saint. Oh, and I mention she has the ability to stun people with her gaze.
Seishuu Kazejin: Shuu for short. This man isn't a man at all; he's a Kitsune. A fox, and a young one at that. Taking upon the guise of a human, he wanted to see more of his world, and got into a lot of trouble for it. From stealing chickens to being shot in the leg, to setting fire to a city and then being captured by pirates, Shuu has landed himself into a lot of trouble for his curiousity. At least he has the aid of his natural magic to help him out, and man, he'll probably need a lot of it, considering his last known host was the pirate, Kaizoku Yousei.
Kaizoku Yousei: Elven pirate extrodinaire. Well, not really. His past is pretty much a mystery, but out of the ranks of swashbucklers, he rose to be one of the most trusted captains of the Pirate King, Kuro Tori. A swordsman of no small water, Kaizoku increases as a threat in combat with his ability to cause an anti-magic field around him, a field that makes casting magic (abilities included) impossible. Last heard of when he lost his ship, the Aozora, and took on an expedition which gained him Seishuu Kazejin.
Anyone else I missed?
This is the story of Seishuu Kazejin and some of Kaizoku Yousei up until two years ago, when we left off, for those interested in the read or just confused by my character. Hopefully it wasn't lost to the abyss when the previous tGA went kaput, but I saved it all just in case. Enjoy.
Seishuu Kazejin, his real name unpronounceable by the human tongue, strode with a dance in his gait despite the events of the previous night. No matter how shaken and bewildered his mind would get, he always conjures up one of his favourite songs in his head and let the wonderful tune return him to mental health.
But his usual contented grin was not there. He was still perturbed. His people had studied the language of the stars for centuries, and the stars, crystal clear in the evening sky, tell him that this month, no bad dreams should be coming to him. It was the third time in recent memory that nature was sending him false signals. This didn't happen back in the forest. As much as he loved his wandering lifestyle, the Outside's oddities often made him miss the warmth and comfort of his mother's den.
He shoved the thoughts aside, far too dreary for his taste, rested his hands behind his head and whistled a catchy ditty he learned from a bard he met back in Bilthama. He reaches the top of a hill, is met by the intense red of the autumn Yamato sunset, and is once again happy. He takes out his getsukin and begins to play, and soon after the sweet notes are accompanied by Shuu's contented singing.
The dreams may be unpleasant again tonight, but they are just that - dreams. And perhaps the other recent, odd events won't amount to much either. More likely they will. The stars almost never lie. It may be subtle now, but something is wrong, and it will only get worse. Something will happen. Maybe not today, nor even this year, but whatever it is, it will be big. Perhaps a war... Shuu did not know.
His inner curiosity drove him to get involved. The dreams had something do do with it.
"I suppose, then, I should ask the Sandman," he said to himself, in between verses. Where he would find the Sandman - the source for the nightmare anomalies - he wasn't sure, but knowing too little about the situation bothered him too much. Perhaps his nosiness would kill him one day. But not this day. This day he'll sing, watch the parting sun, and sleep.
As the sun fades behind the horizon, the song joins the night in its silence.
----
"Hey, you! What the hell are you doing?! Hey, asshole!"
Shuu awoke with a start and oriented himself, his eyes adjusting to the morning sun. He looked down to see an angry man holding a wooden sword ascending the slope towards him. Farther down in the nearby valley stood a well-built farmhouse, and farther back a township. Both had been previously invisible in the evening's darkness. Looking back on it, it would explain the chickens he found for dinner.
Then the seriousness of the situation dawned on his waking mind as he remembered the two dead chickens he laid beside. All that was left of them was a pile of feathers and gnawed bones. He wiped the blood off his face before the man got too close.
"You've got some goddamned nerve, trespassing on my property and feeding my chickens to your dog! Where is that filthy mutt?! I'll make sure those were the last chickens he ever ravages, and I'll teach you a lesson while I'm at it!"
Shuu scrambled to his feet, quarterstaff in hand. "I, uh, well, that is, er, uh, you see..." he stammered dazedly. His disoriented expression contorted into that of surprise as the man ran at him, sword in hand.
Shuu left his second self under the man's cutting swing and circled around him. Sure his blow had hit, the man was surprised to find his sword pass directly through the young trespasser. Now behind him, Shuu hit him directly on the head with his quarterstaff, let himself go light, and jumped (some skilled swordsmen, even after the blow to the head, had turned around and counterattacked quickly, so he had learned to jump before that happens). The man did not, and Shuu landed on his head, stomped downward twice, leaped off, and ran into the nearby woods.
Dazed, the swordsman followed. He found the trespasser a ways in, standing by a tree and grinning widely, not noticing the swordsman's approach. He snuck up on the young hooligan, and with an enraged cry, he swung hard at his head. It once again passed through the young man's head and hit the tree behind. The man cursed loudly as the image faded.
Metres away, in an abandoned badger's burrow, lay a fox, panting loudly. There was some semblance of a grin on its vulpine face.
----
The road wound through the hills - always a slope leading up from one side, always a stream or rice field or meadow on the other. Recent rains had brought many earthworms, and with the many earthworms came many fat, dull-witted birds. Those, in turn, lead to a sated appetite, and a full stomach on a sunny day was always welcome to Shuu.
He missed his two long legs and clever, music-conjuring hands, but after his recent blunder, he decided to wait until he was through the township. News had probably spread amongst the townsfolk about the chicken thief. Besides, his family wouldn't approve of all this walking and singing - human business - anyway.
Shuu noted a caravan of peasants on the main trail. Many carried chickens or ducks tied by the feet and hung from sticks across their necks. Some led oxen or goats. One small man carrying a stick as tall as he was had a dog at the end of a plaited straw rope.
Shuu watched him from the heart of a rotted log. The dog was about his size, his age, short coarse gold hair, tail curled tight over his back. He shifted restlessly, sniffing the air. If he’d been moving, or if Shuu had, he might have ignored him; but idle and bored, the dog smelled him.
"Fox!" He threw all his weight against the rope, and it gave. "Fox!" he barked as he ran up the hill towards Shuu. "Fox, I will kill you, and rip out your hot heart and eat it, fox; I will tear out your throat--"
With no time to run and no place to hide, Shuu backed into the log and bared his teeth, hackles tingling. The dog slammed against the opening, barking.
"I will pull your intestines from your body; I will rip your skull free and eat your brains--"
"Leave me alone," Shuu said. "Go back to your rope and your master, you belly-up cringing licker of hands. Or I will kill you, you not-fox, you cur--"
The dog dived at him, jaw snapping wildly. "You are not fit to be tamed! They cannot eat you, you are no companion--"
Shuu did not care who killed whom. He knew in his bones he needed to destroy the mutt. The thought of the dog's blood in his mouth made him slightly crazy. He bore his teeth and lunged.
The log boomed around him. "Dog!" a human voice shouted over the barking. Another boom, and a thumping noise; stick against flesh. The dog yelped and backed. Shuu saw him grovel in front of the man who had hit him, quivering still with his hatred. The man grabbed his rope and headed back to the trail.
"A marten," he told the other humans.
---
Just when he thought he was getting used to cities - towering places utterly saturated with their obscenely loud, bare-skinned occupants - Bilthama intimidated Shuu more than he would have openly admitted. He had drunk with people before; socialized; shared songs, stories and poetry with them many a time. No less, he's made many lasting friendships. But there was something about the crowds - huge, amorphous packs of them - that irked him to no end. Like lanky, pink schools of fish with patches of hair in all the wrong places.
Of course, there were many things that interested him as well.
The marketplaces were the most notable, full of delectable smells and colourful creations that excited the brain and quickened the blood. In the last town, he had seen monks with baskets over their heads playing their shakuhachi (bamboo flutes), while people dropped alms at their feet. Shuu prided himself in his ability to play the flute, and after silently stealing a similar-shaped basket from a nearby shop, he followed suit.
To his surprise, within an hour he made more than enough money to buy a roast rabbit from one of the venders; the intoxicating smell of which had haunted him all throughout his small concert.
"And your change, sir!" The vendor called over the sizzling and shouts of the crowd, handing a stunned Shuu two bronze coins back.
---
Saori Watanabe, the basket and furniture weaver of Bilthama's marketplace, sat in the heat, cursing the fortunes for another day of bad business. Even despite making no sales, the shop seemed emptier. At that moment, she found out why.
A young man with tousled hair, a getsukin strapped to his back, and the strangest yellow eyes approached her. He had one of her baskets under his arm.
"Good day to you ma'am," he announced with a wide grin on his face. Before she could respond, he continued. "I stole this basket from you earlier today, and I'd like to pay you now."
The grin didn't falter as he took her hand and dropped two bronze coins into it. Again, he didn't allow her a response as he turned and left the store.
"Keep the change," he called back.
---
His belly full, Shuu returned to the outskirts of the city and laid down in the tall grass, panting to keep from getting overheated by the merciless sun. Nipping at an insect bite on his back paw, he decided it best to rest now. He might want to steal some more food under cover of darkness later in the night.
Before he could close his eyes, though, he heard barking, then the bang of a door closing. He saw a man and his dog leaving a house a ways down the hill. In one hand the man held the dog's rope; in the other, a rifle. Shuu slowly stood up. The dog was staring in his direction the entire time, restrained - with great effort - by his owner's grip on the leash; he must have noticed him from the inside of the house.
The man followed the dog's lead up the hill towards the fox, who was now backing up slowly. Perhaps if Shuu made it over the hill crest, out of the man's sight, it would be safe to run. The man had better eyes than Shuu gave him credit for, though; he dropped the leash and fired.
Dirt was kicked up two feet to Shuu's right. Now was the time to run. The dog followed the fox over the hill to a nearby valley, where a large river roared angrily. Both descended the steep, rocky cliff down to the river, and when the fox disappeared around a corner, the dog followed.
Instead of finding a fox, though, the dog found a human, baring his teeth and holding a large stick over his head, the way his master does sometimes, when he is about to chastise him.
"Master," the dog whimpered.
"Die," Shuu said through his teeth, and savagely beat the dog unconscious with his quarterstaff, with an almost giddy delight. He hated dogs.
Rocks falling behind him. Shuu looked up.
---
The man spotted the fox down the ravine, standing by the bloody body of his dog. He cocked his gun and fired.
---
A loud noise. Pain. Warm blood oozed down the side of Shuu's leg. A large chunk of thigh muscle was missing, now only burning redness. He snapped out of the shock and doubled back up the ravine where he came.
---
The man cursed as he hurriedly reloaded the old rifle, pursuing the cursed fox that took his dog. The filthy, godless animal would pay.
Back up over the hill he followed the fox, in the direction from where they came. He reached the top of the hill and ran down a ways before stopping dead in his tracks, his mouth agape. The man's legs became weak, and he fell to his knees.
Half of his house was on fire. It was spreading quickly, not only the fire consuming his house, but the surrounding grassfire, which approached his neighbours' homes.
Away from it all limped a young man with a torch in his hand and a bloodied leg.
In a short amount of time, the South-western Island would have to deal with one of the worst Yamatian fires in recorded history.
---
Kaizoku Yousei realized something as his crew lowered the longboats down into the water, preparing to leave the ship and make way to Bilthama. Death Reaver Boranoi, his beloved tree hamster, was dead. The trek would be a lonely one for the pirate captain, despite the men accompanying him.
---
Bilthama behind him to the east, and the ocean ahead of him to the West, Shuu sat and tended to his leg. The Easterlies smelled of smoke and the Westerlies of salt, but there was something else in the air as well.
Something fruity was headed this way, from the ocean. Something really fruity.
And not in the food kind of way.
---
The longboats had been buried on the beach, just above the tide line and stone marker had been set, denoting their position. Kaizoku had left Hideo, Mamori, and Ukio, figuring if the Shogun's navy found his ship, he could afford at least their lost. Leaving his ship unguarded to be stolen, however, was not an option; flight might be necessary, and a ship is always a good way off an island.
However, the pirate and his crew's concern was focused elsewhere: inland. As they traversed into the increasingly lust grasslands, black smoke billowed up from the horizon, a sign of a fire was burning somewhere.
A rather large fire too, by the looks of it, thought Yousei. Too large for anything but a town or army. Did the Shogun bring his main forces here? He barked an order at Guu, a large, sturdy man with the ability to roll like a ball. "Guu, act as a scout and go to that crest ahead, and come back with a report."
Guu nodded once, dropping his weapons and took off running, surprising for his girth, and then threw himself forward, tucking in and hitting the ground, bouncing and rolling through the grass and towards the hill rather quickly. The rest of the crew moved along with their captain, marching quickly, not pleased at all to be on land and in hostile territory.
"You know, sir--" Wilheim Maddingway, one of the few gaijin in his crew, started up as they travled.
"What?" Kaizoku cut him off.
"Falgorn is a really bad place to be."
"Tell me something I didn't know, Maddi." Kaizoku hated long names.
It appeared Guu made it up the small hill with relative ease as he unfolded and took survey of what he saw. Kaizoku stared hard, squinting his eyes, because it seemed Guu saw something he clearly did not like. He spun around and threw himself off the top of the hill, gravity taking care of the rest as he careened downhill as a ball.
Maddingway felt to educate his captain. "Well, sir, we know about the Shogun. That's one bad stroke. Then there's the clergy of Marduk, with their High Cleric here, another bad stroke. Plus, sir, you said we were going to Vulpengaard, which is a quadruply bad stroke. I think his lordship Kuro Tori would understand if we retreated back home with warnings of the Shogun."
"Yes, he'd understand that we haven't the balls to find out just what a threat might be. The Shogun is always coming; that's nothing new. So he's close; his Lordship probably already knows. What he might not know is numbers and if ~you~ can't provide some right now, then ~I'm~ taking ~my~ crew to find out." Kaizoku's reasonable tone deteriorated into a snarl. He drew a throwing knife from the brace across his chest and pointed it at Maddingway. "This isn't a democracy, and this isn't a council; it's what I tell you to. And if you don't like it, you ca--"
He stopped suddenly as his party made it to the foot of the hill, where Guu had unrolled in a flop and jogged up to report.
"The land's ablaze, Captain!" Guu gestured up and past the hill. "Wildfire, spreading across the grasslands. It's not coming this way just yet, but we better go."
Kaizoku sheathed his knife and adjusted his sash, nodding at Guu. "Alright, obviously we can't go to Bilthama just yet." He shot a look at Maddingway. "It looks like you have your way for now, Mister Maddingway." His gaze shifted back to his huffing bosun. "Anything else?"
"Um, not really, sir."
"Not really?"
"Well, there's a fox on the other side of the hill, looking pretty bad. Well, there was." Guu's gaze kept on shifting away from his captain's, up toward the hill. Probably the fire, Kaizoku thought.
"...Guu, you find any of this important to mention because...?"
"Because, Captain, it isn't there anymore. Suddenly, there was this kid there, young guy, limping up towards me, asking for help. In fact, there he is right now." He pointed up to where his gaze had kept on moving. A young man stood at the top of the hill and then started staggering down, yelling for help. He seemed to have a leg wound, and a terrible one at that.
---
With a spreading fire behind him, the ocean in front of him and a near useless lame leg, Shuu very nearly got discouraged. Typical of the dire situations he got himself into, though, things still managed to work themselves out.
His dumb luck very nearly failed him, though. Sick and delirious from the very likely infected wound, he "flickered:" lacking mental control, he shifted between his guises uncontrollably. This wouldn't have been so bad, except he thought the huge man at the top of the hill might have seen him. He didn't show it, though, and Shuu decided to be happy about his good fortune than to dwell on negative possibilities.
He focused on his disguise as he reached the top of the hill. Having one injured leg wounded is worse when you only use two for walking, rather than four, but Shuu bore it.
The two men the massive one approached were no less odd-looking. One, whom the others seemed to answer to, had fine features, distinctly light skin and odd, pointy ears. From his mental archives of stories and songs, Shuu guessed he was an elf. It was still a shot in the dark... just that knowledge of lore gave him a dim flashlight. The other had unusually light-colored, curly hair, the likes of which Shuu had never seen. Indeed his would-be rescuers were an odd lot, though he wasn't altogether unhappy about this.
"Frie-" he croaked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Friends!" He limped down the hill, using his quarterstaff as a third leg. "Friends! Saviours! Angels!" He called with increasing strength. His hysterical grin made the crewmen shift uncomfortably.
Kaizoku Yousei studied him as he limped towards them. He was obviously delusional. The sun seemed to have fried his brain, and his leg didn't seem to be in superfluous shape either. Young and wiry, though (Kaizoku thought him to be about nineteen), the man could have been a lot worse, given his circumstances.
"Please," Shuu started, searching around in the murkiness of his sun-drunk brain for proper etiquette, "your assistance... would be... wonderful. I have music. And stories. And," lifting his hand in front of him, "magic."
A ball of flames danced in his palm, but not for long. The sulfurous odour of the flame, combined with the rank stench of the crewmen only aggravated his sick stomach. He vomited on the ground in front of the trio.
"Er. Charmed, I'm sure." Kaizoku muttered.
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