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Sobbing silently, uncontrollably, it probably would have surprised those that had known Kistre in the village that she had ever known how to cry. She had always been so happy and so cheery around everyone else. She was too proud to let others see her eyes when they were like this.

She remembered, back ever since she was little, the Elders asking her that same, trick question: "Kistre, what do you want out of life?"

Even when she was very little, she had known that this question wasn't all that it seemed. In truth, what she wanted out of her life was to live beyond the walls of Iselia, and to be free from her position in life. But, as a little three year old, she had responded: "Elders, I wish to be the salvation of Sylvarant."

Over the years, she had repeated this statement over and over again till it had become something more or less like a truth. She knew that although she gave her answer to please them, that they could see through her eyes, still young and inadept at the art of concealing. But they could say nothing. After all, what was there to be said?

If the departure from Iselia seemed highly impersonal and cold, Kistre hadn't meant it. She meant it to be wordless, so that there would be less awkwardness and hesitation. So that when she left them, things would be easier.

Evidence of her close bonds with the Elders was found in the pack beside her in the carriage seat, of which she rummaged through in hopes of something to dry her eyes with. Despite her tears, she couldn't help but to smile at the contents there. An abundance of tissues/handkerchieves, a stone from one of the temple gardens, a little vial in which a single cherry blossom was contained, and numerous sesame buns that Kistre was extremely fond of, wrapped in a little leaf package.

Dabbing away at her tears, it all seemed a blur to her as the carriage already seemed to be coming to a halt. Surely the trip to Martel Temple couldn't be over already? It had hardly started! Was she already so far away from home?

Stuffing the tissues and buns into the pack, she pocketed the cherry blossom in a pocket of her jacket and the stone by her breast, Kistre paused, for just a moment, to collect herself. She would let no one know that she had been crying, she would owe up to this task with all the strength that there could possibly ever be. Clenching her hands into fists and then releasing them, she then stepped out of the carriage and thus began her journey.

((Aww! I loved the last couple posts. By the way, the pronounciation for Kaemon is "Kay-mun", not like Digimon. And the the only other name with a hard pronounciation is "Ta-ma-seen-ay".))

Tetsu turned and followed her Summon Spirit after Daisuke had left, pausing as she reached the door of her abode. It was actually a fairly large house, with an emerald colour scheme and two stories. Putting one hand flat on the door, she took in a deep breath and slid it open, finding it eerily silent on the inside. She took one step inside, then another--then...

"Tetsu! Watch out--!"

At the voice of her Spirit, Tetsu wheeled just in time to be tackled from her side. She landed hard on her back, but used the momentum to flip her assailant onto the floor. Up on her feet in the blink of an eye, two of her sais drawn and in the reverse position--blades against her forearms, held like tonfas--she tensed... then hesitated. Lowering her weapons, she took a few steps until she stared down directly into the face of her little brother.

"Toshi." She sighed and put her sais back, not bothering to help him. He groaned and sat up, one hand on his back. The kid was about twelve years old, with short, thick hair, dressed in loose blue pants and a white shirt. "Tamasine! You come out too."

Where Toshi was, Tamasine was soon to follow. He -- the other boy's fraternal twin and near mirror image -- stepped out from around a corner, holding an indignant Kaemon. The serpent squirmed loose and leapt in the air towards Tetsu with a single beat of his eight wings, coiling himself once more around her shoulders with a light "hmph".

"We thought we had you that time," said Tamasine sheepishly.

"Yeah," agreed Toshi, rolling up to his feet. Tetsu rolled her eyes and took off her sandals, setting them neatly next to the door with three other pairs.

"Where's father?"

"Dad's upstairs. Mom's out shopping, so we've just been here playing--" Tamasine replied, but he stopped talking when he realised that Tetsu was already on her way up to the second floor. The two boys followed her as she went, chattering incessantly.

"The chief wanted you!"
"Why?"
"Are you in trouble?"
"Did you get an award?"
"Are you gonna go to Meltokio?"
"Oh, that'd be so cool!"
"I wanna see you and dad in the Coliseum again! Those hoods were awesome!"
"I'm gonna be just as good by the time /I'm/ fourteen!"
"I'll be better!"
"Nu-uh.
"Uh-huh.
"Nu-uh!"
"Uh-huh!"

"Then you had better get training," Tetsu interrupted just as the quarrel escalated to face-making. She remained surprisingly calm as she turned and watched the twins thunder back down the stairs, pushing each other as they went. Sighing heavily, she turned to Kaemon, who was still draped over her shoulders. He was giving her a strange sort of grin, oddly soft for that of a snake.

"What?"

"... Nothing."

Silently, Tetsu slid open the door in front of her and stepped into the dim room. It smelled of insence and sweetgrass, a comforting, calming aroma that she was very used to. Her father, Yukio, sat crosslegged in the room's center, next to a low double-bed.

"Father."

"Tetsu." He stood and faced her, a hard-faced man with his hair up in a tight ponytail. "How did it go?"

"I'm leaving," Tetsu said. She was stiff, her sentences staccato. "I've been assigned to a mission with Daisuke. We're going soon."

Her father knew the importance of secrecy, so he simply nodded and didn't ask any questions. "I'll prepare for you and get Kaemon to bring the bag."

"What? Why?"

"You go and find your mother. She'll want to see you off."

"Father..."

"Go and find her." Yukio stepped towards his only daughter, and, almost unsure of what he was doing, wrapped his thick arms around her in a hug. Tetsu was kept silent, but a small smile found its way across her lips. He squeezed her tighter, and, as the man was built somewhat like a bear, lifted her off the ground and laughed. "My girl," he said. "Make me proud. The boys miss you, I'm sure... I'll tell them."

"I'll do you well."

"I know you will."

Tetsu found her way out of the room after a prolonged embrace, feeling slightly numb. She had to steel herself against her emotions as the reality of leaving hit her, and she had almost made it to the market before she clued in to her position. Her mother, who was on her way home, brought her back to to the dusty street.

"Tetsu! I've heard from the Chief," she exclaimed, hugging her daughter. She laughed a little as she stepped back. "Ah--you've forgotten your sandals."

"I... Oh! I didn't..." Tetsu fumbled for words, it was an unfamiliar feeling. She had, in fact, managed to leave and walk quite a good distance without any shoes.

"You're nervous, aren't you? Ah, dear... don't be. You'll be a great tribute to our family name--oh! I bought you some food, for the trip... to Sybak? Remember, we Mizuho may not be well received everywhere," her mother mentioned. "Do you need your things?"

"Kaemon's going to bring them."

"Oh..." the woman seemed disappointed; her eyes were misting up. "You... you be good. Fight well, keep your head up. And.. let your hair down every once and a while. All work and no play... I know your father insisted, but--but--"

With that, she burst into tears and clung to Tetsu. Kaemon flew in labourously from above, weighted down with one large bag and one smaller one, dropping them on the ground. He was silent, solemn, coiled up and watching.

"I have to go," Tetsu said. She pulled away gently and grabbed the bags from the ground, swinging the large one over her shoulder and snapping the second -- which was meant for carrying a variety of weapons, around her waist. Her sandals were there as well, she slipped them on before receiving yet another small satchel from her mother. She hooked it around the belt of the smaller bag, getting yet another hug -- a new record -- and turning just in time to see Sunaskei bounding towards her.

She received his instructions and followed him silently to the edge of the woods, Kaemon following behinf and her mother watching her as she went.

((OH. EM. GEE.

I hate long posts, but I wanted to get her family in.

Sorry about this one.

Maybe I can cut something.

>.<))

"Interesting."

The words escaped his lips without much emotion at all, as he watched, atop a nearby hill, a group of ten or so Desians march up the stairs to the Martel Temple, where the light of the Oracle was coming from.

It was interesting, really, to watch the Desians easily slay the priests of Martel that were supposed to accompany the Chosen through the monster-infested temple, and he noted that they were led by a man with brown, spiky hair, and whom one of the Desians addressed as 'Lord Botta,' or something like that, if his senses did not decieve him.

The platinum-haired elf sat, exposing his grey leggings, on the hill, one knee raised and the other leg flat against the ground, curving into the triangle his raised leg made with the ground. His left hand grasped the grass on the ground, and the other held his simple, ebony cane, topped with a silver ball. He did not shift as of yet, until the Desians formed a strategic semi-circle in front of the Martel Temple. They were obviously awaiting the Chosen, presumeably to kill her.

The elf smirked, brushing his hand to hide his pointed ears behind a shimmering wave of hair. He had the majority of his hair tucked into his black, hooded cloak, and pulled up the hood again, exposing only his brilliant blue eyes, and began to descend, using his cane as it was intended. He looked over and saw what he figured was the Chosen's vehicle, probably manned by priests similar to the ones the Desians had slain so easily. He figured she'd need some help, and he wanted to get a better look inside that temple anyways...

So, he stopped at the base of the stairs to the temple, and awaited the arrival of the Chosen, just as eagerly, he figured, as the Desians that longed to kill her.

Tetsu steeled herself as she passed the threshhold of the forests' magical wards, feeling the tiniest of tingling sensations as she did so. It was her elven blood: like many so-called humans, she had it far down in her ancestry, just enough to allow her to control summon spirits, but not enough to make her anything other than human.

She was uneasy, following behind Daisuke, too busy paying attention to the sounds around her to know where his attention lay. Her footsteps were light, her eyes shifted and swept the area. Something was off.

"Daisuke!"

Her voice was urgent. She dropped her bag and ran around to his side, drawing a single sai from her belt and flinging it at a zombie-like creature--it had been about to leap from its place in the shadows. The weapon thudded sickeningly into its forehead and knocked it backwards a few feet, but it took a few arrhythmical steps towards Tetsu as it steadied.

She charged at silently, one of her two remaining sais drawn. The ghoul swung down clumsily, but Tetsu was already in the air -- in the midst of actually flipping over the six-foot zombie, she her empty hand wrapped around the weapon in its forehead and the other dealing a swift blow to its neck, thin enough that it could be caught between two of the sai's tines. She landed behind it, crouched.

Its head was still attatched to the sai.

The body fell behind her, the eyes on the severed head lost their eerie blue glow. She took the skull off the smooth blade by bracing it with her foot and pulling hard; suction nearly kept it there, but she managed to get her weapon back. There wasn't any blood, but it was still quite the sight, quite the feeling--the rush was incredible. She had to resist the urge to give a smug "let's-see-you-do-that" look to Daisuke, however, because there were more where that came from.

A boxer iris emerged from the side of the path, blocking progress. It was a flower blue roughly the size and shape of a human, with one huge eye, surrounded by petals, where a head should have been. It was slow, considering that it had to drag itself around on a body made of thin vines, but with with large, club-like appendages at the end of its "arms," that thing could do some serious damage.

Two of them could do even more damage.

Especially if there was another ghoul waiting in the wings.

With at least three new enemies blocking the way, Tetsu saw no choice but to fight through the line. She stood quickly and returned to Daisuke's side, taking on the Toku-Mochi position--she was on her toes, one sai over her head and outward for stabbing, the other held near her waist with the shaft against her forearm for defense and crushing motions.

Kaemon, sho had been following them closely, waited near her feet. He knew what to do.

Upon hearing Tetsu's cry, he dropped his pack as well as she did, and took his nunchaku from around his neck. While he knew she would dispatch the ghoul that was attacking him, he decided to wait until the boxer iris decided to do something. He didn't have to wait long.

The plant lunged forward clumsily, a tactic they often used, and it often failed, due to the fact that Daisuke was nimble, much like Tetsu. He sidestepped the mannish flower, ducking towards his right, leaving his left leg out to trip up the boxer iris' leg vines, causing it to tumble forward. Well, it would have, had Daisuke not had his nunchaku in his left hand as well, which went upwards in a swing, catching the boxer iris right between the petals, so to speak, and causing the eye within the folds of the petals to rupture and burst. Thankfully, the fluids that came forth didn't get on Daisuke. He didn't want that mess on his hands.

Breathing heavily, Daisuke took a moment to survey his surroundings. Tetsu was in a fighting stance just moments earlier, and Sunatskei... where the hell was that good-for-nothing ferret?! He had probably run off somewhere...

No time to think-- another zombie, similiar to the one Tetsu had beheaded, was crashing through the dense foliage surrounding the forest path, along with three others, dispersed out between them. "No wonder they put up barriers near the village..." Daisuke mumbled to himself, wondering how the hell he had been talked into this.

He recalled begrudgingly, of course.

Falling back beside Tetsu, Daisuke assumed a simple fighting stance, hunched down slightly low to the ground.

"I think we can survive this." Daisuke assured her with a smirk. These things were easy. Zombies didn't really think. That made it simple.

The one that was shambling towards him was now within Daisuke's strike range, even though it was out of nunchaku range. Stepping forward on the foot away from the zombie, Daisuke brought the leg he left behind up and into the air in a jump, whipping it around and catching the zombie in the head, off-balancing it and knocking it to the ground, and Daisuke followed through neatly to arrive on the other side of the downed creature. Its neck was broken, and it was no longer a threat.

Sigma, presumably looking at Arkin, didn't really know how to respond. Currently standing at about 5'11 in height, lei wasn't sure whether to be insulted by the fact that this Arkin seemed to think that lei didn't know anything about lui current mission, or is lei should be flattered that Arkin seemed to hold lui in such high regard.

At the moment dressed in a none-too high class cloak of mud brown, the purpose of such wasn't so much for fashion as it was camoflage. Some how, it seemed to be the exact colour of dirt, in all it's various colours, and the wooden browns of forest and bracken lands. A large hood, covering Sigma's face completely and casting the chest in shadow, black gloves and the garment worn unisex in nature and trailing on the ground so that shoes were invisible, one would only have to assume that Sigma carried a gender at all. Sure, there were fan girls that imagined Sigma as an amazingly sexy male, where as there were also fan boys, willing to bet their balls that Sigma was an amazingly seductive female. Either way, lei didn't respond to any of it. That was not lui concern.

Giving a slight nod, there was the general feel of neutrality towards Arkin. What Sigma thought, lei kept to luiself. If lei so deigned to make lui feelings and thoughts know, lei had lui ways. It just depended whether or not lei cared about whether or not others knew. The vast majority of the time? Lei didn't bother using the some what uncanny ability to communicate lui ideas and emotions without doing a single thing. It was just another mystery of lui.

Sigma's attention was soon returned to the Desians infront of them, and it was sort of implied as such that Arkin should concern himself with the same matter that Sigma was. Lei didn't really want to die, after all.

Pausing for just afew more seconds before taking a step forward, lei hoped that the Chosen within the carriage would be able to collect her wits before emerging, as far as Sigma had been made aware of, defenseless. Lei wasn't under the impression that the Chosen had had much training with that whole part of being important.

Still, Sigma said nothing. Didn't particularily do anything either. But, a slight shift of weight from one leg to another and Sigma was satisfied that lei had expressed well enough that it was now time for battle. If no one else got the signal, well...

It would be like a hot knife through butter.

((So what are we at now? A boxer iris and four Ghouls? xD

... Which is good. I'm really in the mood to RP killing stuff. >3

By the way, in case someone doesn't know. An axe kick is a karate kick in which the attacker must be higher than the opponant. The attacker brings up his or her foot and then smashes straight down with the heel, execution-style. It requires flexibility and precision.))

Tetsu awaited the only remaining Boxer Iris' attack in her seemingly-open position until it swung down hard. She stepped back once, catching the club with the points of her two sais; they sunk into the plant's flesh easily. She continued the downward motion for it and, with the added momentum of its own swing used against it, threw the iris to the ground.

She stabbed one of her weapons breifly into the back of the iris' "head," and didn't look down to see the thing quiver a moment, then lie still. The damp soil around it became darkened with a clear, sticky fluid.

One, two, three.. four. Four ghouls left.

Once more, she tossed her sai towards a zombie, the leftmost one. It thunked harmlessly into a tree. Her silence was eerie as she ran towards it once more.

It lunged.

She dodged.

It was ineffective. Another ghoul had its bony, grey arms wrapped around her neck before she could turn around, and it lifted her off the ground with surprising strength. Tetsu wheezed and winced. Its grip was cutting off her air. She kicked desparately at the zombie in front of her, nailing it in the chest with the ball of her foot, making it stumble backwards. She fumbled with the sai in her hand, having to use the free one to keep the attacker from completely crushing her windpipe instead of drawing her third, spare weapon.

Kaemon sprung into action. The serpent emerged from the shadows and wound himself with surprsing speed around the ghoul's feet, pulling himself tight. The zombie fell backwards, Tetsu on top of it. There was a dry crack as they landed and she rolled off of the body and leapt to her feet, taking the opportunity to land an axe kick on its neck. Payback.

One down.

Her neck hurt, but the adrenelaine that pushed the blood through her body kept the pain from registering more than a dull ache. She sensed Kaemon dart past her waist with his wings as she drew her third and final sai, and saw him moments later with his fangs in the shoulder of a zombie. The venom would be ineffective on the undead, but the ghoul was too occupied in getting the large snake off of itself to see Tetsu coming. Having spun her sais into reverse position, she smashed the pommels into the zombie's ribs, each blow bringing a crack with it as it shattered a weak bone.

The ghoul fell over after she landed a final punch to its jaw, effectively beaten to death.

She spun, ready to face the remaining zombies, but found them instead after Daisuke. He could take care of himself for a moment, she figured, and she took the opportunity to wrench her thrown sai from the tree and replace it in her belt.

By the time Tetsu turned back around from removing her sai, a thing easier said than done, Daisuke's Summon Spirit was on the face of his one remaining attacker. And by the time Tetsu returned to Daisuke, breathing hard, nothing was left of the onslaught but corpses. Not that it was much different, but this time they were unanimated corpses.

The rush was dying down and Tetsu's throat really began to hurt. She coughed a few times, turning away from Daisuke, wincing with each one. It stung enough that tears of pain began to form in eyes, but she wiped them away with the back of her hands and faced him once more.

"I..." she began, but cut herself off. It hurt to talk, her voice was little more than a whisper. Instead of finishing, she walked past Daisuke, back to her bag, and spent about thirty seconds fishing out a small, red gel. It resembled a droplet of liquid, with a thicker consistancy than gelatin and a smell that reminded her of apples. Knowing that she'd be unable to swallow it, she crushed it in her hand and rubbed in on her bruised neck until it was no longer visible.

The effects were nearly immediate. The pain dulled, and it brought forth a soothing, cooling sensation.

"Let's keep going, if you're not hurt." Her voice was still a little hoarse, but it was clearly much better. She grabbed her bag and looked at Daisuke. "We could stop within Ozette's wards to rest a moment, but I don't think we should go right to the town."

Kaemon once more took his place around Tetsu's shoulders, his head resting next to her ear. "You did well," he whispered. Tetsu simply nodded to assure that she had heard. She didn't agree... without Kaemon's help, she would have been dead, and she didn't consider that as "doing well."