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 Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 7:32 pm
"Fair enough."
Reyin checked his gear, shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders forward in an effort to conserve some heat the moment they started trudging along the path. Without having to carry the crate Reyin really didn't have trouble with keeping pace, even if he did tend to get a little distracted and exhibit a tendency to wander off to get a better scenic view from time to time. An hour was a long time to walk, and far be it from Reyin to be bored while he was traveling.
When they stumbled upon the campsite Reyin pulled a hand out from his pocket and shaded his eyes in spite of the clouds hanging overhead. Despite the distance Reyin could still make out smoke, but he couldn't see any people.
"Think they're all taking a siesta at the same time? Seems kinda weird that nobody's out and about for such a big camp."
Reyin was hardly the kind of person that ignored the abnormal. In fact, he even looked to get a little giddy when the mystery of the mountain camp presented itself. Whatever the other two mercenaries were there for, Reyin wasn't in it for the money. He liked adventure, and he figured any job that paid well probably had the biggest potential for adventure.
Reyin followed Share to one of the tents, but as Share simply peeked his head inside, Reyin edged his way fully into the tent, both enjoying the warmth of the living quarters and taking in the crime scene.
"You don't think these people were after the same stuff we're after, do ya?"
Reyin spoke as he kicked at a shovel with his right foot, furrowing his brow as he tried to think of all the obvious reasons for a group of people to just up and abandon a camp.
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 8:44 pm
He had no way of telling how long the body had been there. Trapped as it was, it could have been hidden from the eyes of the world for days, years, perhaps even centuries beneath its prison of stone and wood. The rockslide that had trapped it hadn't been the thing to kill it however, that much he could tell immediately, the long shaft of one massive arrow seeming to be able to claim that honor. The shaft stuck out from the pale body 5 inches before revealing a broken end where some stray stone had broken it away, although with as thick around as the arrow was it must have been a massive stone.
The body in question was nothing so much as a pale skinned humanoid, much obscured by debris and dust but still very much a whole being. Two arms lay to either side in a relaxed position, shoulders slumped and palms up as if the creature had died in its sleep. The legs stuck out straight ahead of it half buried by smaller stones and covered in dark leather pants from some unknown creature, the markings swirling almost into stripes of brownish orange and a deeper brown of moist earth. Damion guessed when stood upright it would be near to his size, perhaps alittle smaller in bulk.
He couldn't tell what color its skin was, so obscured by the dirt and dust, but with a gentle hand he tried to clear away as much of it as he could on the beings hands. Where his black fingers touched, bone white skin was revealed to the twilight gaze of the sun and made it glimmer as if made of moonlight or silver. The elemental settled back on his heels slowly and rested his arms on his knees as he continued to gaze at the body. If not for the obvious remains of the slide, he may never have discovered the creature and it may have yet lain in its tomb.
Green eyes flicked away for amoment, rising to a portion of mountain higher up the slope in search of some cave or maybe a trail. All that greeted him was the sheer rock face of the cliff, leaving him very much in the dark as to where this creature had come from. Once again those bright lenses flicked along the body in a judging manner, focusing on the different parts that made up the whole. He had felt the hardened muscles of its body already, locked up in rigor mortis but still supple enough to flex abit beneath his strong grip. With gentle fingers he flipped hair away from the ears, running the tips along those pointed features for aminute.
It was one of the elven races apparently, but not of any kind he had ever encountered. Where other elves were slender, not given to muscularity, this creature was packed tight with corded muscles. Instead of soft hands it had callused fingers, long and graceful but seemingly more given to climbing or gripping harder surfaces than that of tree limbs. Even its face seemed harder, more thickly boned than that of its cousins.
" Where have you come from.....and where were you going?"
Damion mused softly to himself in the amber twilight, peeking over his shoulder at the sun for amoment as it slipped lower on the horizon. He had no concern for himself, the biting cold would not harm him and the lack of light would not hinder him should he decide to descend again. But his find....this he did not want to leave behind, and he needed light to investigate it completely. He moved to clear the legs, taking care when it was clear he had reached the unshod feet, long toes sticking into the air. Even it's toes and the pads of the feet were heavily callused and Damion was forced again to wonder aloud at the creatures heritage.
Once more he inspected the body, searching for breaks or damage he could not see with his own two eyes. Even with the slide that had trapped it the creature was undamaged but for minor knicks and cuts and the obvious arrow that extended from its chest. Damion discovered this extended completely through the body, a rough stone arrowhead protruding from beside a shoulderblade, the tip dark and gummy with blood.
Atleast now he knew the death had been a recent thing, Damion thought as he layed the body back against the stone wall. Once more he assumed a position of thought, leaning back on his heels to flatten his feet out in a crouched position. He knew what he wanted, knew it the longer the gazed on the mostly undamaged body. He could have been a statue, or a ghost, sitting silently infront of this dead body with eyes of glowing green. This body was perfect in its own way, but he knew nothing about it beyond what he could see.
The decision was all but made in his mind however, and at the very least he could move it for now and discover what he could later. Damion lifted the body as easily as he would lift a baby, cradling it for amoment awkwardly in his arms before slowly shifting it to his shoulder, the arrow making things infinitely more difficult than they needed to be. Damion felt the dull pressure on his left shoulder, and let the wave of despair that always came with the lack of true feeling wash over him. It surged down into his core and vanished slowly, like a raindrop in the ocean. He had become used to such feelings, the fleeting quality each one had come to possess. Anger, Happiness, sadness, each one fell down into the well of his being and was lost without the physical characteristics that they brought on.
Damion pushed such thoughts from his mind and instead chose to focus on making his way down the mountainside, setting one foot infront of the other towards what he felt as destiny and perhaps restitution.
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Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 11:18 pm
Adventure! There was nothing quite like it! Being on adventure made the air more refreshing, the food sweeter, and even the water absolutely energizing. Maximos had left Latent very early that morning after something very rare for him...a full nights sleep. He would have preferred to travel by night, but if he arrived in the village in the middle of the night the people he was coming to see might not have been very receptive. Regardless! He was enjoying a brisk walk through sparse tree cover and up and across the uneven ground that was a mountain slope. Maximos carried small black backpack which was slung over one shoulder, and as he walked he used a very sturdy and very well crafted cane to balance himself and simply aid in the journey. Maximos had no problems walking, but the cane lent a kindly aid none the less. The day was cool and comfortable, and Maximos had since removed his jacket and was wearing a very simple black vest, dark blue dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up to its elbows, and a black tie to match his black slacks and boots. A one foot long blade was sheathed at his back, even with his hips. He paused long enough to look up at the sun, smile, check his pocketwatch and then continue onwards whistling a upbeat tune to himself. By mentally plotting his walk from tree to tree Maximos kept from getting lost or losing his direction. Lament was somewhere ahead higher on the slope, Durem was behind. According to the map he should find his destination somewhere in the middle, and he hoped, soon!
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:04 pm
Maximos Adventure! There was nothing quite like it! Being on adventure made the air more refreshing, the food sweeter, and even the water absolutely energizing. Maximos had left Latent very early that morning after something very rare for him...a full nights sleep. He would have preferred to travel by night, but if he arrived in the village in the middle of the night the people he was coming to see might not have been very receptive. Regardless! He was enjoying a brisk walk through sparse tree cover and up and across the uneven ground that was a mountain slope. Maximos carried small black backpack which was slung over one shoulder, and as he walked he used a very sturdy and very well crafted cane to balance himself and simply aid in the journey. Maximos had no problems walking, but the cane lent a kindly aid none the less. The day was cool and comfortable, and Maximos had since removed his jacket and was wearing a very simple black vest, dark blue dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up to its elbows, and a black tie to match his black slacks and boots. A one foot long blade was sheathed at his back, even with his hips. He paused long enough to look up at the sun, smile, check his pocketwatch and then continue onwards whistling a upbeat tune to himself. By mentally plotting his walk from tree to tree Maximos kept from getting lost or losing his direction. Lament was somewhere ahead higher on the slope, Durem was behind. According to the map he should find his destination somewhere in the middle, and he hoped, soon! Luckily for Maximos, his destination would find him. "Filthy, disgusting monster!" Along the road, Maxi would hear the sound of an old man cursing to himself. If he looked in his direction, he'd see a short old man who had to be somewhere in his late sixties. He was dressed in clothes similar to the ones that the smith Hidemitsu wore, except in darker shades of gray and black. At first one would figure this man was a dwarf, but he was severely lacking in the beard department. Based on the sound of his voice and a glance at his appearance, Maximos would probably be able to figure that the man was Japanese. "I traveled this far to get away from those damned monsters!" he said as he shook his pint-sized fists in the air. "But now they've followed me here!" Maxi would also notice that the man wasn't alone. He was surrounded by a group of miners. He could figure their profession by the dirt and soot that covered their clothes and the variety of their builds. There had to have been around thirty or forty of them, mostly human with a third of them being dwarves. "Doon't be sillae, man," said a red-bearded dwarf, "Ye honestly think somthin' like tha' came all the wee down from yer homeland just ta vex ye'?" "It must be! I'm cursed! I just know it!" shouted the old man, "I bet that loathsome witch put some sort of curse on me! Why else would something like that be all the way out here?" "I've seen worse things in these mountains before," said one of the human workers, "We should feel lucky we got away." "Luck!? You call this luck!? This is my livelihood! Our livelihood! We only make so much of it each season, and now we can't even sell our best product! We can't sell anything!" The old man began to pace back and forth even faster, holding his head in frustration. "And now the fall season is starting," said another man who looked visibly disturbed, "We can't mine or smelt or do anything so long as that...that thing is holed up in there! I thought those things were just supposed to be nuisances!" "They are!" shouted the old man, who by now could be assumed to be the leader of this group of miners, "They're not supposed to be this big! The small ones are a pain in the a**, but this one is a big pain in the a**!" "We can't go back there!" whined a frightened miner, "It'll eat us all!" "I think it is your fault, Toshio!," shouted a gruff-looking dwarf with black hair, "My buddy Morrak was practically swallowed whole by that creature! The lad couldn't even scream! Dwarves have enough monsters te worry aboot! Ye shoulda never come here to these mountains!" "Now teak tha' bahck, Hargrim!" said the red-bearded dwarf from before. "Come now," said a much older white-bearded dwarf, patting the black bearded one on the shoulder, "The man's beaten himself up quite a bi', didhenot? He couldnae helped it anymore than anyofya." Meanwhile, the old man Toshio was on the ground, beating his fists against the earth. " Kuso, kuso, kuso, kuso, kuso!!!" (trans. s**t, s**t, s**t, s**t, s**t!!!)
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Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 12:02 am
Tenkai Matsumoto "Filthy, disgusting monster!" And just like that, someone had Maximos' attention. He didnt know who, but he sincerely hoped they werent talking about him. He may have been walking for a few hours, but he was far from disgusting. Maximos moved toward the voices, his right eye slowly illuminated with a gentle white glow. With Eagle Vision, Maximos could see a good 50 yards ahead through the underbrush. People were talking, it looked like humans, some dwarves and another of whatever nationality Mr. Hidemitsu hailed from. He slowed his pace and simply listened. Content to slip silently closer, and learn of this groups troubles. After a minute, Maximos could not help but smile a goofy almost childish grin from ear to ear. Here he was journeying across a mountain to a village to gather the pieces of a sword, when what should he stumble across but what could very well be villagers in need? This seemed reminiscent of something he might have read in a fantasy novel. And to be honest, he absolutely loved it. Of course, this mean the Shadow was due to give this chance encounter the dramatic flair it required. He waited until the moment calmed and the old man, Toshio if he caught that correctly, was pounding his fist into the dirt and crying out. " Kuso, kuso, kuso, kuso, kuso!!!" Maximos didnt know what that meant, by its context it was likely a bad thing. But then it was so close in sound to kuro, and black was certainly a good thing! Regardless, Maximos stepped approached and addressed the group. " Good afternoon." And he took a deep and formal bow, aided slightly by his gentlemanly cane. His free hand rose as if to tip a hat which he was not currently wearing. His mismatched eyes gleamed happily from behind his black framed glasses. " You all seem to be experiencing a bit of a problem. Something about witches and monsters? Perhaps, I can offer you some aid."
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Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 2:14 am
Maximos " You all seem to be experiencing a bit of a problem. Something about witches and monsters? Perhaps, I can offer you some aid." "Eh?" Toshio looked up from the ground to see the well-dressed gentleman with a cane looking down at him. Oh, s**t! Is he one of the buyers? Are they coming already? Fortunately, as Maximos explained, he was not one of the smiths who routinely checked in to purchase materials. He had overheard their woes concerning their current problem and offered his aid. He must have been one of those adventuring types. "What? Aid us? You lookin' for work, son? Can't you see we're in the middle of a crisis? I'm not hiring!" It seemed as if Toshio was a little too caught up in his grief to think about what the sudden arrival of an adventurer portended. Obviously he hadn't lived in the Mithral Mountains long enough. Thankfully, the red-haired dwarf was much more genre-savvy. "Easay naow, old man," said the dwarf, "I think the lad jus' wants te help us oot with our monster problem." "Bazric's right, Toshio," said the oldest dwarf. He pointed to his single right eye, his left eye being nothing but a vertical scar across his cheek. "This eye o' mine's seen many athing, and I tell ye that these adventurin' types always have some way o' dealin' with these types-o-things." "Huh? Wha...hm...well...alright," said the diminutive Japanese man. Hmf......this sounds like some children's manga already.Toshio cleared his throat. "My name is Kurogane Toshio. My men and I run a steel mill just down this path." The old man pointed towards a branching path that went off of the main road and into the mountains themselves. "We're supposed to be preparing for the new season so that we can supply smiths with new materials. But now we can't even get to the workshop all because of my damnable--!" "Calm doown, Calm doown!" said Bazric the red haired dwarf as he tried to snap Toshio out of it. "Wot he meant ta say is tha' we can't get back te the workshop 'cause we were attacked by a monster jus' a few dees ago." "b*****d ate a good plenty of our miners!" said Hargrim the black-haired dwarf. "We doon't even knoow wha' the damned theng is!" " Chikushou!" interjected Toshio, "I told you already what it is! It's a gaki! A gaki!" The dwarves were entirely lost on the word. In fact, most of the humans were as well. A few of the workers appeared to be Japanese, but none of them spoke up to explain. Perhaps they did not know what Toshio was talking about. "It's a type of preta! A hungry ghost! Some poor damned soul so greedy and gluttonous that it comes back with a hunger it can never satisfy!" "You mean loyke th' undead?" said one of the humans. "Yeah, one of those things!" replied Toshio. "I knew we needed a priest!" said another miner. "Never seen zombies that big before!" "Wazzat even a zombie?" "It's worse than a zombie!" "SHUT UP!" scolded Toshio. And then they were quiet. "Normally, gaki aren't much more than a nuisance," said one of the younger miners, a Japanese human who sounded like he knew what he was talking about. "They can't reach most of the cities, so they just stick to rural areas. A lot of them aren't any more dangerous than homeless people or bums." "Exactly," added Toshio, "Most of them hunger for something embarassing like dog s**t or what have you. You just get a monk to shoo 'em away!" "B-but this one eats flesh!" said another human miner, who was not Japanese, "And its huge!" "Musta been one greedy bahstard in life," said the eldest dwarf, looking at a bloody axe in his hand. "Thing's got some thick skin, tha's for sure." "For all I know the damn thing got bigger eating people on its way across the countryside," said Toshio. "Why one of them is here in the Mithral Mountains is beyond any possible explanation other than me being CURSED!" Toshio may have lacked in beard, but made up for it in 'stache. For an old man, he had a lot of pep. "Ge'tit tagether, man," said Bazric, "There een't no such carse upon ye! These lands are full o' monsters like tha'!" "As long as it's there, we cahn't do any work," said the eldest dwarf. "Damn thing'll eat whatever gets insoide the shop, and it's too clohse to the mine. We cahn't jus' start mining if we doon't have anywhere te store our stock." "Beast'll just start tryin' ta eat us as we pass the shop anyways," said Hargrim angrily. "So, why are you offering us aid, son?" asked Toshio, "Lookin' for work? Down on your luck? Got a price? Who sent you? I don't have that kind of money! Got men to pay and feed! Think if I was rich I'd be wearing this?" " Ojii-sama, please," said the Japanese human from before, placing a hand on Toshio's back to calm him down. "Please, forgive my grandfather. He's been very upset since the whole ordeal began. Can you really help us?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 1:14 am
Things like this just didnt happen nearly enough.
Maximos started off kind and studious, there was a warm smile on his face and a friendly air about his demeanor. But as the group continued, men and dwarf alike Maximos could not help but grin. That grin eventually grew into a chuckle, and finally a sort of beaming smile that showed he was perhaps gaining entirely too much enjoyment from the hard times that had befallen this group.
Could he really be blamed? Kurogane Toshio introduced himself and the grinning Maximos bowed his head very respectfully. He had no only stumbled directly upon steel workers who could possibly help him but, as the conversation continued he learned the monster that vexed them so was a menacing spirit! A creature of the otherworld, the afterworld. He could get the steel and do a little Reaper work on the side!
The Shadow did not interrupt a single soul, but his eyes and his attention bounced from speaker to speaker trying to catch all the details and information he could as quickly as it flew. Gaki. He nodded. Preta. He nodded. Chikushou? His head cocked slightly to the side and he made a mental note to ask about that, then straightened his head again and continued listening. From what he could gather it was some sort of unique brand of greedy spirit that had acquired a hunger for human flesh and tough skin. Max followed the oldest dwarfs eyes to his axe and back up to the short man, his eyes opened very wide. Very tough skin. Nothing out chopped a dwarf with an axe. This should have made a man wary, instead Maximos was almost bouncing with excitement, his formal training alone kept him from doing anything more than grinning ear to ear.
Now Toshio was very clearly energetically distraught. For a man nearing the end of his rope, he still had quite alot of life. Max felt distinctly sorry that he was putting so much blame on himself, and he was happy that the others in his group were so comforting especially Bazric...Because of that, he kept from mentioning that he personally had never seen or heard of a sort of creature in this mountain range...or anywhere. Secretly, he hoped the curse was true and he would have a chance to come back, this Gaki was beginning to sound like quite alot of fun.
"So, why are you offering us aid, son? Lookin' for work? Down on your luck? Got a price? Who sent you? I don't have that kind of money! Got men to pay and feed! Think if I was rich I'd be wearing this?" Maximos attention snapped to the old man and his eyes widened. He hadnt even listed a price yet! His hands rose up at either side in a gesture of surrender, letting his cane dangle off his thumb. He might have said something, but he doubted Toshio would let him get a word in. He even leaned back a bit as if expecting Toshio to grab the interrogation light and ask for his ID. Max didnt have an ID.
"Ojii-sama, please," Said another, calmer man, who came as something of a relief. Maximos' hands fell, and both came to rest relaxed on the cane in front of him. "Please, forgive my grandfather. He's been very upset since the whole ordeal began. Can you really help us?"
Max hand a dismissing wave of his hand and shook his head, smiling. "No apologies necessary good sir, your grandfather is actually quite astute. I was sent, and I am looking for a price. I was sent by swordsmith in a far away city to find a village between Durem and Lament and gather a certain type of steel for use in creating a sword. Attaining the steel was the set price for the commission."
His glance shifted to Toshio and back to the younger man and then he continued. "You see, it isnt my price or anything you have to pay, but a quest to attain an item to serve as a price to be paid to another."
He paused. That all made perfect sense to him.
"And yes." He bowed his head again rather formally. "I can help you, you might even say this sort of thing is my specialty."
His eye shift to Toshio, who while others were convinced this was a random wandering monster seemed equally convinced there was a curse, and had mentioned a witch. He was the perfect person to ask, "Why dont you tell me exactly how this all started."
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 4:26 pm
The old man Toshio seemed quite pleased with Maximos' respect for his elders. It was a kind of quality he wished some of his men had. Of course, a few of the men were probably his age or older, so perhaps seniority wasn't that big of a factor. But he was still the boss.
"I like your attitude, young man!" said the old smith, "Very well then. I'll tell you the story."
The past was as vivid to the old man as a well-painted picture...
"A year ago, I went with a few of the men on vacation back to Japan. I started at my home of Hiroshima in Chugoku, and gradually made our way east to Kyoto. One night I took the men out for a drink, when I found the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on!" Toshio gestured with his hands in order to emphasize his story, lost in the vision in his head. "Her skin was as white as snow, and her eyes the color of winter cherries! And what an awesome rack, too! We spent many nights drinking together, and she fell madly in love with me. She told me to stay with her, that she'd give me her heart, but I had to deny her. I couldn't forsake the life I had found here in Mithral. This made her so angry that she revealed her true form...a terrible, venom-spitting witch who curse me with--!!!"
"Oh for the lohv o' Magni, stop!" said the eldest dwarf, annoyed. "Tha's not what happened a'tall. Ye had a wee too many with a prostitute an' refused te pay her. We 'ad ta drag ye away from 'er b'fore she tore yer oyes out, ya sod."
"'Fraid ol' Ranulf is right, man," said Bazric, "She dinnae like tha' one bit. Think she gave ye some sort o' bug, too."
"Thar's yer soddin' curse," added Hargrim.
"She didn't look tha' pretty to me," said a random miner who must have been there.
"That bloodsucker was trying to con me, you bastards! I dare you to say that again!" shouted Toshio as his grandson held the angry old man back. The young man looked back at Maximos with a pleasing 'please forgive him' look on his face.
"I'm sorry. My grandfather has a bit of an overactive imagination," he said, muffling the old man's cantankerous comments with his free hand as he spoke, "To be honest, we really don't know why the gaki came here. It must have followed us back from Japan."
"Aye," said Ranulf, "One dey we came back from minin' ta hear the men in the workshop screamin' bloody merdur. The soddin' thing broke through the soide of th' building an jus' started eatin' them."
"It grabbed a few more of us as we came in," said Bazric, "Longes' bloody ahrms aye evar did see!"
Toshio grumbled. "We had to run for our lives, and now we can't even get back inside to get any of our supplies! Not like we can just up and move some of the stuff inside there anyway. If we can't get back to work, we're ruined!"
"...wait a minute."
It was as if the old man had overlooked what Maximos had proposed in the midst of his storytelling.
"If this thing is your specialty, you must be some sort of demon hunter like the ones I've heard about! Maybe you can take care of this damned thing so we can take back the workshop! Genius!"
"Aye, I think tha's wot 'e said, ol' man."
"I know that!" retorted the old man, rubbing his chin, "And your here looking for sword steel? If you're looking for special steel, you must be looking for our kurotamahagane. Tell me, young man...who sent you?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 1:07 am
It all started well enough, Toshio seemed pleased that Maximos had even asked and he began his mythic tale. It wasnt a very long story, but Maximos was a sucker for a good story and it wasnt hard to see that his attention entirely rapt. This was a good one, it had a far away land, it had a beautiful woman, drinks, and even love and then of course a wonderfully unexpected twist! Maximos lowered his head, and shook it woefully side to side.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman sco--" And then Ranulf cut in. Maximos cocked an eyebrow, the dwarf painted and entirely different picture. "--gypped?"
"Oh." And then Bazric chimed in, Maximos' smile turned upsidedown. "Oh my."
Next was Hargrim. The Shadow's brow twitched, his features contorted in a grimace. He found himself not sure who to feel sorry for, the woman or Toshio.
Finally a random villager with the killing blow, and Max's head just sunk all together defeated. If it were a cartoon, an over sized sweat drop would have formed beside his face. Maximos' hand weakly rose making a slight wave to dismiss the young man's apology. Maximos' face looked more apologetic than anything else, the lively although Toshio ranted, and Max found himself more than a bit sorry he had even asked.
Thankfully Toshio's grandson and Ranulf brought the story back on subject. Maximos' head began to slowly rise. It was clearly very interesting in something to have traveled so long. It had really long arms. It smashed through buildings. And wholesale ate people without any particular preference it seemed as to who. And then Toshio joined in...
...And then Toshio...restated...exactly what Maximos had just said. The Shadow's head sunk again. Part of him said this was the point where he was meant to just fall down, but he resisted. He just hunched forward, shoulder drooping and head shaking side to side, utterly defeated. His posture straightened when Toshio asked about his quest giver, his new swordsmith and said that long japanese word for the type of steel he required. It made him thing of his sword and the joy of adventuring and perked him right up.
"Yes!" The Shadow exclaimed. "Thats exactly it!"
He paused here though. Max carried a certain level of anonymity everywhere he went. And preferred to keep his dealings secret in case his enemies decided to attack his allies. And yet, after a moment of consideration...Toshio seemed harmless enough. "I was sent by a swordsmith of the Soshu School. A Mr. Hidemitsu far away in the City of Sigil. Do you know of him?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 3:00 am
Toshio's eyes opened wide suddenly, as if Maximos had just struck him in the back of his head.
What!?
"Hidemitsu? Soshu school?"
Indeed, the old man recognized the name. Both names in face.
"You mean Shintogo Hidemitsu?" he asked, "Descendant of Shintogo Kunimitsu? I had heard he moved to a far off city, but I never figured it'd be Sigil..."
Toshio's expression quickly changed to one of delight. It seemed as if his luck was turning around.
"Well now! I guess I haven't been cursed after all! Having my steel used by a swordsmith in the lineage of Masamune is an honor! My boy, if you slay this beast I'll give you as much kurotamahagane as you need!"
Now everything made sense to the old man. Maximos was a rather darkly dressed man, so it was no wonder why the swordsmith that sent him wished to use the black sword steel for his work. He was probably sending him on an errand to get materials. What other reason would a man like him come looking for this steel unless he was an actual swordsmith? He was obviously a swordsman, after all.
"Alright then!" he continued, looking back to his men. "I'll be leading our guest here over to the workshop to fight the gaki. Ranulf, you come along with me. Bazric, keep the men calm while we're gone."
"Wait, ojii-sama!" said Toshio's grandson. "You're not planning to fight the monster alongside him, are you?"
"What?" the old man replied, "Of course not, Toshihisa! But I'm not going to waste time waiting here, either! Need to make sure the shop is alright!" Not to mention, should he fail, I'd like to run for my life sooner than later! "Besides, the hunter needs someone who knows about what he's facing!"
"Aye 'ave no objections," said Ranulf, "I'm tired o' sittin' with me thumb up my arse like this."
"I'm goin' with ya!" said Hargrim as he pulled a hand cannon from his belt holster. "I've got a slug with the soddin' thing's name on it."
"No, lad," said Ranulf, placing his hand on the dwarf's gun in order to ease his trigger finger. "You stay with Bazric an' help 'im keep the men tagether. Not gonna let ye do what Morrak did an' get yerself kelled."
Hargrim begrudgingly obeyed, his face wrinkled in frustration. As much as he wanted to get revenge, he couldn't bring himself to disobey Ranulf. It seemed as if the old dwarf was well respected for his wisdom.
"He's right," said Toshio, "If you get angry again and try something foolish you'll only get in the hunter's way."
"Ojiisama, let me go in your place," he said, "If anything were to happen-"
"If anything were to happen, you'd be in charge, you fool!" the old man interrupted, "Which is exactly why you're staying with the men to help Hargrim and Bazric. The young don't throw away their lives for the old! Don't you know how this works?"
Normally, large groups of men would take all their young, able-bodied members and form a party in order to slay a monster. But in a case like this, they'd only be getting in Maximos' way. Hargrim's judgement was clouded by his anger, and in spite of his intelligence, Toshihisa was dead weight. Valuable dead weight at that, since he was Toshio's grandson.
Toshio, on the other hand, was still the boss, and knew just as much as his grandson about the monster they faced. Ranulf was a seasoned veteran, and much more strategic than the hot-headed Hargrim. They were the best choices to act as guides for Maximos.
"Are you ready, hunt--" said Toshio before cutting himself off, "Wait a moment...what's your name, sonny?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 2:13 am
Well that was certainly a much more spirited reaction than Maximos was expecting! Here he had thought he found a quite swordsmith in a large magical city with a very unique opinion on his craft. But the way Toshio reacted made him seem like something of a celebrity! And yet, as far as Maximos could remember in his small interaction with Hidemitsu the man had never acted like a celebrity. Even noting his apparently prestigious lineage he did so very non-chalantly.
"You mean Shintogo Hidemitsu?" Toshio asked, "Descendant of Shintogo Kunimitsu? I had heard he moved to a far off city, but I never figured it'd be Sigil..."
Maximos' reaction pretty happened on its own. There was just no other thing Maximos could think to do when it came to the subject of Hidemitsu. The Shadow smirked, he shrugged casually, and then he said, "Or...something like that."
And somewhere he imagined Hidemitsu was proud.
Toshio offered him his precious steel, but this was beyond that now. Now a scene was playing out. It dealt with sacrifice, courage, vengeance...and the desire to not sit around with ones thumb in uncomfortable places. To be honest, Maximos would have liked the dwarf company if only because he had always been impressed by dwarves and their famed stalwart nature and yet...the tone in which the name Morrak was brought up set Maximos against the entire idea.
Word by word, step by step, the Shadow was frowning and the frown was growing. All this talk of sacrifice and not coming back made him distinctly unhappy. It was noble, and foolish. And once Toshio finally spoke up and said...
"If anything were to happen, you'd be in charge, you fool!" the old man interrupted, "Which is exactly why you're staying with the men to help Hargrim and Bazric. The young don't throw away their lives for the old! Don't you know how this works?"
...Maximos was forced to speak up. He nodded his head to the old man, and then stepped forward raising up both hands even with his shoulders and spoke a single sentence in a rather determined voice. "Enough of that. No one else is sacrificing anything to this spirit."
Maximos' voice was not mean or demanding. It was just determined and confident. He had the tone of a man talking about the sun rising or falling, there was zero doubt just fact. He was about an inch away from the point where the hero puts his hands on his hips and lets his cloak and hair blow dramatically in the wind. He looked at Toshihisa and said, "Your grandfather is right. That is the natural order of things. But, I promise you he will return..."
And then he paused, his face quirked, he scratched the side of his head and then immediately editted his previous statement. "Unless we stumble across another courtesan and he refuses to pay. I promise nothing then."
At which point he promptly turned to Ranulf, nothing but respect in Maximos' mismatched eyes. "Sir Ranulf, I ask only that if it should get past me you keep a stern eye on Toshio."
And finally, he addressed Toshio smiling from ear to ear and nodded, then bowed as if before a King or Lord and said. "Maximos. Maximos Lucillien Dark, at your service. Please lead the way."
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Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 10:18 pm
Toshihisa smiled with relief at Maximos' words. He could tell that the hunter wouldn't let anything bad happen to his grandfather. Toshio was pleased not at the promise of protection, but his confidence and gumption. He hoped Toshihisa could develop the same spirit someday.
"Ye not be worryin' 'bout that, lad," replied Ranulf, looking at him with his good eye. "Aye'll keep the ol' beardless goat from interferin'."
"What was that!?" shouted the old man, "If that blasted thing gets anywhere near me, I'm runnin' for it! No way in hell am I interfering!"
Toshio quickly regained his composure, clearing his throat. It wasn't every day that a young man had the manners to bow to him like that.
"Well then, Mr. Maximos Dark...follow me," he said, gesturing down the path.
With that, Toshio started on his way up the hill towards the mountain pass. Ranulf put the smaller bearded axe back into his belt and hefted a large double-headed labrys onto his shoulder, following closely behind.
With Maximos following them, the two old men would lead the shadow through the pass, twisting and turning as they went between the mountains. It wad only about fifteen minutes of walking until they came upon a clearing in between the mountainsides. There Maximos would see a large warehouse-styled building of iron and wood nearby a large cave, its entrance held up by dwarven scaffolding. This must have been the mine that they used to harvest their materials.
Most noticeable, of course, was the giant hole in the broadside of the warehouse. Based on the direction of the broken pieces of the wall, the monster had broke in from the outside. They wouldn't be able to see inside the opening from the angle they were standing, but they wouldn't need to. They'd be able to hear and smell well enough to tell that something was inside.
Ghahlgghll...aahhghcrnchh-crrnchh-mnnchh..uuhi-...mmmhrrmghhhll...
Indeed, there was a revolting stench wafting in the breeze from the inside of the shop. It was a mix of rotten flesh and garbage, and unless Maximos had a sensitive nose it'd be hard to tell whether the odor came from the beast or its victims. He'd also hear horrible sounds...gut-wrenching gurgles and slurping noises that echoed busily from the inside of the workshop.
Whatever was inside that workshop, it was eating.
"It's right in there!" said Toshio in shouted whispers, pointing frantically at the hole in the wall. "Go ahead, son! Slay the damn thing!"
"Wei'll be right over there," said Ranulf, pointing over at an outcropping of rocks at the opposite side of the clearing. It would give them a good enough view inside the warehouse without being in plain sight. "Doon't worry. Aye'll watch yer back."
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Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:02 pm
And without another word, Maximos followed. The trip passed by in a blink. It wasnt very long to begin with, but the closer they got, the more excited Maximos became, the more he let his mind wander on sword techniques, styles, and defenses when dealing with large flesh eating beasts sporting natural armor. Letting his mind wander let the already short journey fly by. He might have been stuck in a self-styled reverie until Ranulf or Toshio called his attention, but before either man could speak Maximos was struck by that smell. Maximos did not have a sensitive nose per-say, he had no heightened olfactory ability but at the same time Maximos was not used to the raw smell of such pungent waste. The dead Maximos dealt with were usually fresh, or alternatively so dead they had nothing left to rot. This struck the Shadow like a physical blow, Toshio and Ranulf would be able to see him actually falter back a step and cover his nose with the back of his hand. Maximos felt his trail mix and roast rabbit from this morning burn its way back up his throat and to the back of his mouth before he forcibly swallowed it back down. Ghahlgghll...aahhghcrnchh-crrnchh-mnnchh..uuhi-...mmmhrrmghhhll...His brow furrowed, his eyes sharped and his hand lowered. Determination filled his face and posture as he stood upright and stepped forward in front of both men and toward the warehouse. He knew the smell of death, and the sound of flesh being torn and consumed. He eyed the gaping whole in the building with fierce eyes. "It's right in there!" said Toshio in shouted whispers, pointing frantically at the hole in the wall. "Go ahead, son! Slay the damn thing!" "Wei'll be right over there," said Ranulf, pointing over at an outcropping of rocks at the opposite side of the clearing. It would give them a good enough view inside the warehouse without being in plain sight. "Doon't worry. Aye'll watch yer back." Maximos nodded and took a firm and resolved step forward. He held his right hand out to his right side and dropped something from his palm. It was a black gem roughly an inch in diameter and flat and before it could reach the ground there was a loud snapping sound, like a bone popping.. Maximos' shadow curled beneath him, twisted and writhed and then shot forward a black shape, a rough elongated thing that swallowed the stone and flew right into his hand then stopped cold. With its sudden halt blackness flew from it like excess paint and what was left was a jet black sword, approximately four feet in length, shimmering like polished obsidian. The original black gem was visible at the center of its hilt. So armed, Maximos flipped his cane and slipped it behind his back and through a loop in his small backpack where it neatly rest. The Shadow did not say another word, he lift the sword so that it rest on his right shoulder and with a visible sense of purpose practically marched the rest of the way to the gaping whole in the warehouse wall. He wasnt sure what sights were going to befall him, or smells, or worse, but with absolutely no fear of any of these he took one solid step into building and called out to whatever monstrosity lie inside. " Lunch is over fiend, I'll give you one chance to seek your meal elsewhere or I promise you, your life is forfeit." He was, perhaps, having a bit too much fun playing the Hero.
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 12:09 am
Toshio and Ranulf watched as Maximos worked his strange arts to conjure his weapon. If there was any doubt about it before, it had all been washed away. Maximos was definitely one of those strange slayer-types who used odd magics to fight against monsters and other types of creatures. Perhaps he really was just the man for the job.
"Lunch is over fiend, I'll give you one chance to seek your meal elsewhere or I promise you, your life is forfeit."
Truly these were bold and heroic words. Words that the hungry ghost couldn't comprehend.
Within the workshop, Maximos would be able to see the source of the horrible stench and ghastly noises. The floor of the workshop was littered with dismembered corpses, the stinging copper odor of rotten blood hanging in the air with the scent of all the other metals. There, feasting on the remains of an unlucky human was a large mass of flesh, colored in a putrid purple hue reminiscent of livor mortis.
It was gigantic, sitting well over 20 feet tall. It barely fit inside the warehouse. With its back to Maxi, it was hard to tell what kind of form the monster had, but its muscular structure implied something humanoid. Its bony spine protruded from its skin as if it was going to burst out. A filthy, tattered loincloth barely covered the creature's waist area, but hid just enough to spare Maximos the displeasure of losing his lunch.
As Maximos called out, the gaki began to turn around, letting out a horrific moan.
"HHHaaaaraaaahheeetttt--aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh...!!!"
(I'm hungry!)
As it turned around, Maximos would get a good look at how truly horrific the gaki was.
Indeed it was of a humanoid shape, but its proportions were horribly off. Its torso was completely emaciated, far worse than any starving beggar that still drew breath. Its ribs were so visible through its skin that a few of them were actually sticking out, exposing the bone. This was entirely in contrast to the monster's gut. It was huge and swollen as if the monster was morbidly obese, weighing it down as if it were shackled. Its arms and legs were long and sinewy with giant hands and feet. Said hands still clutched the corpses of the miners it had been feasting on.
The most horrific sight of all was the gaki's head. It was slightly larger than it should have been for its torso, and even larger compared to its long, thin neck. It craned its neck out, its full length being three times as long as the normal proportion it would have been for a human body. At the end of that neck was a head that may as well have been a skull were it not for the skin covering it. It had a stubby nose and a massive, heavy-looking brow that nearly overshadowed its red eyes. Long white hair hung from the sides of its balding head and chin as if it were the hair of a corpse. Blood stained its emaciated jaws, lined with teeth with chunks of flesh stuck in them. Bony, horn-like protrusions stuck out of its brow, jawline, cheekbones, and other areas on its arms, legs and backs from under the skin.
Once again the gaki spoke, its neck convulsing as if it were trying to vomit the words out.
"Ch-ch...ch-choooocolaaaate...I can't find the chooocolaaate!"
Even after speaking, the hungry ghost didn't stop bobbing its head. It looked as if it really was sick...
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