The Edge of the Blade
 

INTRODUCTION:

I don't know if this is where this post belongs, but tilted roleplaying is gone, so I thought this would be the second best place. Besides, I'm basing it off a story I'm writing anyway. This post will be dedicated to a "game" I am going to try to run on the forum here. The true point is to tell a cool story, not to win. The story will take place in feudal Japan just after the invention of the gun. Actual history is unimportant, this is a fantasy. The characters will have some special skills and stuff, but no intense magic like "Hadoken" (8-bit theatre style). All the players will write whenever they want, as much as they want, about whatever they want, but always from the point of view of their character. Please don't decide the responses of the other characters. By now, if you're interested you're probably wondering what the characters are. Well, here are the BIO's.

Amarth Eldaire:
Weapon: Katana
Class: Samurai
Strength: Offense
Power: Swordsman's Spirit
Personaity: calm, wise, direct, calculating, does not kill
Backstory: He was once the greatest general in his clan, but ran away from his noble life after suffering a great loss at a battle. He spent many years on a journey for redemption, training under a great master and perfecting his already incredible swordsmanship. Eventually, he found peace with himself and began to lead the life of a hermit with the woman he loved.
TAKEN

Shoan Usaku:
Weapon: don't know the name, like the thing krim uses in .hack//sign (if someone could tell me the name of this thing I would appreciate it).
Class: Bandit
Strength: defense
Power: Swordsman's Spirit
Personality: arrogant, loud mouth, womanizing
Backstory: Amarth's younger brother. Ran away from home before being forced to join the military. Taken into a gang of bandits who found him starving in the desert. Rose to position of leader after his incredible combat abilities were discovered. Now, the bandits only kill when they need to, and a large portion of their "earnings" goes to the poor (though they still keep plenty for themselves).

Enzeru Amatsu:
Weapon: The only six shooter that exists. (invented it himself)
Class: Gunman
Strength: Accuracy
Power: Big gun... big bullets... does he need more?
Personality: kind, idealistic, somewhat naive
Backstory: Main character. Emperor's top guard. Is responsible for enforcing law across the empire.
TAKEN

Xyven ninjaface: (last name still open)
Weapon: throwing knives and one magic knife
Class: Ninja
Strength: Stealth and Speed
Power: Powers of Darkness
Personality: cold, calculating, emotionless
Backstory: The Emperor's top assassain. He is one of the few remaining true ninja in the world. Invisible and deadly when he needs to be.

"Pesho" Peter Stoyanov
Weapon: Bow, backed up with shortsword
Class: Ranger
Strength: Survival Abilities and Agility
Power: Beast Control
Personality: short tempered, hardened
Backstory: The Emperor's scout. He's a ranger who knows how to stay alive in nature.

Draconis Hanoni:
Weapon: Claws (his own)
Class: Demon
Strength: Regeneration
Power: Fear Induction/Illusion
Personality: evil, murderous, insane
Backstory: A half demon who joins because he admires Enzeru's determined spirit.
TAKEN

Abanaku Bakemono
I haven't written much about the bad guy. He will definately have 6 generals who are the antithesis to the six main characters. If anyone wants to write for the bad guy, they'll probably end up writing for the six generals as well.

Order of entry:
Enzeru, Shoan, Xyven, Pesho, Draconis, Amarth, Abanaku

This is mostly going to be going on between my friends and I. They will be the ones playing the characters who say TAKEN underneath. We would love to have other people join us and write for the untaken characters, but please only join if you are going to be checking and writing preferrably everyday, but at least every other day. Either post here, PM me, or IM/E-Mail me at AmarthEldaire@aol.com. I will tell you more about whatever character you are interested in. I hope there are some people who wanna play with us! ^_^ The story will start in a couple of days, after we give people some time to join.

just have to make a few changes to the ol' profile

Enzeru Amatsu
Weapon: The only six-shooter in existence (invented himself, crafted w/ the help of his father)
Class: Gunman
Strength: Accuracy + Quickness
Power: Big gun, special bullets, and knowledge of alchemy
Personality: Kind, idealistic, a bit naive
Backstory: Main character. Emporers top guard. Is responsible for enforcing law across the empire.

And that's me in a nutshell, lets get this thing going.

Enzeru stood at the top of the hill looking down its slope to a beaten path that led into a dense forest. As he stood there, the first light of dawn began to pull away the blanket of black that night had pulled over the land. When the light hit the slope he was looking down at, Enzeru smiled.

Gotcha.

Enzeru had followed this trail for three days and nights, and now with the help of the evidence of a newly made path cutting through the dew laiden grass down the slope, he knew where to find his query.

Looking at this man, one wouldn't know him to be the Emperor's top guard, or even an imposing figure at all. The man stood only 5' 8'' bearing a trim but athletic build and shaggy cloud-white hair that lay wildly on his head and over his face covering his ice-blue eyes. Not even his clothes showed him as a fighter. He wore a simple grey cloak over a black prefect's shirt and pants, and a pair of wrapped leather boots.

The only indications of this man being a fighter at all were the black fingerless leather glove he wore on his right hand, the black head band he wore bearing the emperor's seal, and the odd contraption he wore in a cross-draw leather holster on a belt dangling at his left hip accompanied by a leather pouch, nearly out of view under his cloak.

After standing on the top of the hill for a bit longer taking in the beautiful scene he was a part of, Enzeru mounted his horse and began making his way to the dense forest at the bottom of the hill.

Well, here we go.

Chapter 1: The Duel
 

Shoan rode feverishly through the forest. The branches tore at his face as he rode through the untamed wilderness. As he rode he wore the same cocky smile he always wore. His persona exuded smugness. He knew something his persuer did not, and he relished the feeling of superiority.

Finally Shoan made it to his destination. He stopped, dismounted, and waited for his foe to arrive. All of his men had disappeared from behind him, but he knew where each one of them was. This wasn't the first time they did this. After all, they were the great Tamashii Hito clan, loved by the people and feared by the nobility. His grin grew just a little as he praised himself in his head.

Shoan stood a full six feet tall in the midst of this dense brush. He wore various mismatched pieces of armor and fighting gear, obviously all stolen and selected for style as much as practicality. In his hand, he held a beautiful Zambatou with two gold dragons spinning around the end just before the blade.

His ears perked as the sound of horses galloping grew closer. -=Alright, time for the climax=- he thought to himself as he prepared his mind and body for the fight ahead.

Chapter One: The Duel
 

Enzeru's horse raced forward, perhaps out of desperation, through the twisted underbrush of the untamed woods. All the while, Enzeru's eyes didn't leave the many horsetracks he was following on the ground.

Damn, sure are a lot of them. But all I need is him

Taking his eyes off the horsetracks in response to an increase in his horse's speed, Enzeru saw glimpses of light breaking through the tangled forest in front of him. In a few seconds, he was greeted and blinded by a mass amount of sunshine pouring into the clearing he had just entered.

Raising his hand to his eyebrow, so that he could see in front of him, Enzeru got a glimpse, for the first time, of his query. The bandit sat lazily with his back to a huge cherry blossom tree on the other side of the clearing, wearing a very smug grin.

Enzeru dismounted his horse, taking care not to let the left side of his cloak reveal the contraption he carried at his side. After setting foot on the ground, Enzeru took two steps towards the bandit, who didn't move and continued smiling.

"Shoan Usaku of the Tamashii Hito clan, you are wanted by the Emperor for the countless thefts of goods from nobles, numerous deaths of noblemen, and for not paying homages to the Emperor in the past decade. My name is Enzeru Amatsu, head of the Imperial Guard, and I am here to take you in."

"Heh. You're going to just take me in? I have a better idea. Why don't I just ride away with my huge stock of treasure, find several gorgeous women to keep me company, and leave you here. I mean, come on. Did you really think you were going to bring me in all by yourself?"

As Shoan said this, he brought his spear around and pointed it imposingly towards Shoan, as if to say, Don't even think about it little man.

"Well, actually, no." Enzeru replied with a warm smile "I actually have my batallion of Imperial Guards with me waiting outside the forest, as well as the Emperor's personal troop of Elite Guards."

"All I need to do is fire one shot and they will be here almost instantly. However, I thought we could settle this one on one. I win, you come with me. You win, and I leave, never to come after you again. That is...unless you kill me." At this, Enzeru again bore a warm smile on his face.

But you couldn't do that now could you?

"So what do you say thief?"

Shoan let out a loud confident laugh. "You're on Enzeru. But I warn you, you aren't the first guy with a gun I've faced. That's right, I saw you're gun. You better hit me with that shot, or the duel will be over long before you reload." Shoan gave a graceful bow and crouched into a defensive fighting stance, Zambatou held close in preparation for Enzeru's assault.

"Heh, I figured you saw it." Enzeru said as he lifted the left side of his cloak and drew his pistol " But trust me...I wont miss."

Enzeru about twenty yards from Shoan, his pistol pointed at the ground at his side. As he stood, Enzeru looked Shoan's stance up and down. He then raised his pistol to eye level and fired at the bandit.

A O-ring of smoke bellowed out of Enzeru's pistol as the crack of the shot echoed through the forest.

Even before the trigger was completely pulled, Shoan's movement had begun. He had done this sort of thing many times before, but it still made him nervous every time. One false move and... no, he didn't have room to think about that. He required absolute focus. The world around him slowed to a halt, but the bullet still appeared to be careening towards him, and fast even for a bullet. That was some gun this shrimp was packing. Just as the bullet was about to reach Shoan's... shoulder? Why was he aiming for the shoulder? No matter, it never reached its target anyway. A loud but brief clang was heard as the bullet ricocheted into a tree at the edge of a clearing. "Ha!" yelled Shoan with a big smile on his face. He brought his spear into attack position and in an instant was flying towards the far too calm gunman.

Enzeru watched as Shoan dodged his first bullet with ease, and smiled as he saw the warrior charging toward him through the still lingering smoke.

Ready for this?

As Shoan advanced to a mere ten feet away from him, Enzeru cocked his gun a second time and again pulled the trigger. This time, however, Shoan was not able to dodge, he was far too close.

The bandit was stopped dead in his advance, and as he fell to his knees, a few drops of crimson blood fell to the ground behind him, landing at the same instance his knees touched the Earth.

Enzeru holstered his pistol as quickly as he had drawn mere moments before, and then looked at Shoan. "See, told you I wouldn't miss."

"Heh." Shoan sputtered. "You cheater." The Zambatou fell from Shaon's now injured arm. He went to pick it up with his other hand but found another bullet in that shoulder as well. He fell to his back, feet sliding out in front of him. "What kind of gun is that?" Well, I'm far to injured to try to resist now. I'll figure out a way out of this situation later. I might be able to take him like this, but it's not worth it. Besides, food was pretty good last time I was in that cell. As Enzeru advanced on his prey and arrow came soaring past his face, the wind blowing his hair around just a bit. He turned and pointed his gun. "No! Run away from here! He won fair and square. I'll meet up with you later." A small shuffling in the woods around them, followed by the faint sound of hooves on the forest floor were, well, other than the arrow sticking out of the ground, the only signs that Shoan's men had ever been there. Shoan managed to make himself sit up. "Y'know, I gotta hand it to you. It's been a long time time since I've actually been caught."

"Well, we'll treat you good." Enzeru said as he placed restraints on Shoan's hands and bandages on his wounds, by this time the Imperial Guards had entered the clearing and were covering Shoan so that he wouldn't try anything. "This time, you even get your own horse. You had to walk last time didn't you?"


The journey back to the Emperor's palace took about five days, though Enzeru had made it in three. Upon, entering the palace's towering doors, Enzeru looked around at the splendid place. The rock gardens, monasteries, guards quarters, fish ponds, and of course the Emperor's main hall. The whole scene always entranced Enzeru, he was completely awestruck.

Enzeru and his batallion dismounted and led the infamous bandit to the deepest reaches of the palace, the dungeon. After Shoan was securely locked in his cell, and ten armed guards had been posted around the cell, as well as one guard at every exit, Enzeru made his way to the Emperor's main hall.

The doors flew open as he approached and he was greeted by the sight of nearly ten thousand lit candles around the hall and all of the Emperor's advisors standing to the side of each gigantic door. Keeping his eyes to the floor, Enzeru advanced to with in one hundred paces of the Emperor and knelt.

"You called for me, your majesty?"

Draconis Hanoni:
Weapon: Claws
Class: Half-demon
Strength: Regeneration
Power: Fear Induction/Illusion/Demon Form
Personality: Psychopath, Morbidly Charismatic, Amoral, Malevolent
Backstory: The bastard son of a peasant woman and the general of Hell's armies, Draconis spent a care-free childhood in his village with his mother and 3 younger siblings. Shortly after his 19th birthday, his village was razed by mercenaries and his entire village was lost in the carnage. It was then, as he watched his family's bodies burning, that something deep inside of his snapped. He was unaware of his father or the demon blood that coursed through his veins until then. By the time Draconis stopped, only one mercenary was alive. Draconis told him that he let him live so that he could tell everyone he meets what had happened there that day and who had done it. Ever since, Draconis has wandered the earth in search of a chance for a righteous murder to avenge his family's death, but anyone will do in most cases.

I'm going to be writing for the Emperor here. Just keep in mind that, A) The Emperor is not Draconis and B) I may not be doing this all the freaking time

The Emperor sat upon his throne, encrusted with gold and jewels, the royal insignia proudly displayed above his head and at each arm. As but a chosen few were allowed to hear the voice of the emperor, he whispered to his Premier, who in turn spoke to Enzeru.

"Enzeru. You have done well to capture the bandit Shoan."

Enzeru, with his head still bowed, replied, "What shall you have me do, your highness?"

The Emperor whispered to the Premier, then sat glowing with a subdued elation.

"There is dissent within our country. There are some that would gladly be rid of our glorious way of life, of our honor. I ask this of you. Gather a band of warriors. You will be given the list."

An emperial servant hands a scroll to Enzeru. It has two names in addition to his own: NONAME and Xyven.

"Take these men with you," continued the premier, "and rid our country of those who plot against me."

"If I may, there are a few names I would like to add. First, Draconis Hanoni. He would be very useful to me, were I to run into anything close to as bad as him. Second is Shoan Usaku.."

The Emperor blurts out, "That man is condemned to die. He has committed horrible crimes against our country."

"I apologize for being brash, but I think he would better serve your cause were he to live fighting your enemies than die for being one."

"Very well," said the Premier, as the Emperor had regained his composure.

"Third, I would like to add Amarth Eldaire."

"Amarth Eldaire has been missing for five years. Noone can find him."

"I would rather try to find him than give up without a second thought."

"I accept your addendums. Leave and may the gods be carry you."

With this, Enzeru stood, bowed low to his Emperor, turned, and left out the emperial hall's enormous doors. Once outside, Enzeru unrolled the scroll and, using a piece of characol from the pouch at his hip, added the names of Draconis, Shoan, and Amarth.

So this is the group of heroes assigned to defend this land. Wow

Enzeru tucked the scroll in the back of his belt and began to make his way to the palace's dungeon. Upon arriving at the building, Enzeru made his way down nearly ten stories of winding stairs, till he reached the lower-most region of the dungeon. Enzeru reached out his hand to open the door, but stopped abruptly before entering.

Quiet, too quiet

Enzeru took a step back and then kicked open the door. The scene that lay on the other side of the door made a smirk appear on Enzeru's face.

Shoan was half way out his cell door as Enzeru walked in, closing the door behind him with one hand and putting his lock picking equipment back in his pocket with the other. Five of the six guards had left and the one that was stubborn enough to stay behind sat unconscious leaning against the cell wall. Shoan looked like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. After only a second he regained his composure and a sheepish grin spread across his face.

"Heh. This was a new speed record for me. Unfortunate that you came back here. Why return so soon? I'm sure the Emperor would have scheduled my execution for at least the next day."

He leaned against the cell wall as he spoke, like he was talking to an old friend. His arms were folded confidently across his chest, but he made sure he had placed himself within reaching distance of his weapon.

Enzeru wasn't the least bit surprised that Shoan had escpaed his cell, but the ease and speed he had done it with was a bit unnerving. Enzeru made sure that his hand casually made its way down to his side, and then took one step towards the escaped theif.

"You seem to be healing well, seems the two shots I put in you weren't enough" Enzeru said smiling. "But, just for the hell of it, would if I offered you a chance to expel all the crimes from your record and for you to walk out of here a free person?"

"Well that's quite an intriguing offer. Don't mind me if I get my weapon... but you're armed and I wouldn't mind negotiating on fair grounds."

Shoan kicked the rack his weapon was on and knocked his spear into the air, grabbed it and brought it to his side.

"Now, I'm afraid I'm gonna need to hear some details. The most pressing question appears to be... why would you want a thief like me whom the emperor despises to help you out? And then, why should I help you anyway? This cell's like a second home to me as it is. I don't need your help to leave it."

"Well, the fact is that there are a hundred armed guards at every possible exit out of the palace, including the secret ones you used befoe and yes, even the ones your men secretly built when they infiltrated the palace last spring. So, essentially, if you try to escape your execution will simply be moved up a day."

"That's your first option. The second, and might I say much better, option is to join four other men and myself in group, whose goal is to seek out the evil causing dissent in His Majesty's kingdom, and destroy it."

"To answer your question pertaing to 'why you?', one needs to simply look at your resume. A theif who has travelled all over the country has great knowledge of the land and of the evils it carries, and the fact that you have gotten away from the Imperial Guard for the last decade proves your worth as a fighter. In short, we need your skills. So what do you say, do you promise to help the Emperor and your country?"

With this, Enzeru took his hand from his side and stepped towards Shoan, still carrying the smirk on his face.

"Abunaku..." Shoan spoke softly to himself. In his mind's eye, he saw desolate villages with people starving and destitute fighting amongst themselves for the meager scraps of food they had left. He saw children left homeless, wandering the lands with empty stomaches and souls. He shuddered briefly and looked up at Enzeru.

"I'll help you, but it's got nothing to do with loving Emperor or country. I'm just siding with the lesser of two evils, but I have a condition. I want the sentence removed from the heads of all of my men as well."

Without hesitation, Enzeru answered "Done, but in return, I have my own condition for you. Once you depart from here with the group, you do not leave the group. The only way out is through your death, which I am pretty sure you aren't too fond of. My reasoning behind this condition is simply that some of the characters in this group are less than trustworthy and I need someone to rely on. I've chosen you. So do you agree to these terms?"

"Done. You have my word of honor that I shall not leave our group until our mission is completed. Though I may be a bandit, I suggest you do not question this word. I find such behavior insulting."

Shoan gave a deep bow.

"Shoan Usaku at your service."

Once again, I have to write for someone else. Goddamnit, I'm neither of these people and I'm probably going to have to write for Pesho the Ruski asshole tracker too. Fucking sack up bitches and take on one of these roles.

"Well then, I think it's time you met me," said a deep voice in the shadows, from which came an upside down face, veiled in black as to only show the man's eyes. The face quickly turned right side up, as if upon a pivot, and a black cloaked ninja emerged from the shadows. Standing 6' 3", he was unnaturally tall for a ninja but had managed to confine himself to a shadowed corner of the room about 3 square feet total.

"I am called Xyven, ninja of the shadow and servant of the Emperor."

"I was wondering when you were gonna show your face Xyven. I believe that Petra is waiting for us upstairs. Let's not keep her or our departure waiting." Enzeru said before he turned and made his way out the door.

Shoan and Xyven followed, Shoan throwing his spear over his shoulder and Xyven bending down to make his way through the low door of the dungeon. Upon exiting the dungeon, the group was immediately met by another figure.

This woman had all the characterisitcs of a woman who spent all her time with her face two inches from the ground or ten feet up a tree. Unkept long brown hair worn in braids, dirt smudges all over her face and shabby clothes, and a tattered backpack which carried supplies and sheathed her bow and arrows, a short broadsword relatively foreign to the eastern region they lived in accompanied her hip.

"Enzeru," the woman said looking towards Enzeru, who was leading the group. "The horses and supplies are ready, all we need is your word to depart."

"Gentlemen, this single-minded, focused woman is Petra, the Emperor's scout. She will be taking care of our journey's path." Enzeru said stepping aside to let the party's other members get a look at the scout.

Petra simply bowed slightly acknowledging the other members. "Are you ready, Enzeru?"

"Yeah," Enzeru said with a slight laugh. " We'll head out now towards Mount Sendo, where we'll search for the next member of our party, Draconis. Anyone have any problems with that?"

Shoan's ears perked up when he heard the name Draconis.

"Draconis?! Draconis Hanoni?! The murderous half demon that terrorizes this country?! You must be completely out of your mind! That man, or demon, will kill you as soon as not look at you. What's more, he's absolutely impossible to find. After one of his rampages, he seems to disappear from the face of the earth until the next. I'm telling you, we've got to forget that name right now. The thought of being in the same group as him is sending chills down my spine."

"I understand your fear of Draconis, Shoan, but at the same time I can't forget the old saying 'fight fire with fire'. So since we're going to being combatting evil, Draconis will be an important part of our team. As for finding him, I'll worry about that.
Anyone else have a problem with Draconis?" Enzeru finished, turning towards Petra and Xyven.

"No problems here" said Petra, "I'm just leading this party."

"Humph," Shoan sputtered at the mention of fear. "I'm not afraid of some stupid killing psycho... *grumble* *grumble*"

He walked over to the door and stood beside it, now impatient to begin their journey and prove that he wasn't afraid of anyone or anything.

"It is a fine line between fear, respect, and trust. I say that one we fear may become one we respect and perhaps trust," said Xyven, "There is no reason to hastily cast aside a possible ally. All I ask is that in approaching Draconis, we try not to get ourselves killed before we even say anything."

"Now that that's settled, lets head out " Enzeru said as he walked out the door and over to his horse, which was laiden down with full saddlebags. "Mount Sendo is a four days ride from here, if we ride hard we can make it in two. Let's go"

Enzeru spurred his horse, which bucked in response, sending Enzeru back to the ground flat on his ass with a resounding thumph.

Getting up from the ground, rubbing his ass, Enzeru remounted his horse, and this time coaxed it gently to a walk at first and then a run.

Petra, laughing internally, mounted her horse and followed suit.

Chapter 2: Mount Sendo
 

After three days hard ride, the party finally arrived at Mount Sendo. It was a frightening visage that lay in front of them, a craggy slope of obsidian that looked like broken black glass. The mountain glowed an eery shade somewhere between fresh blood and a dark reddish-purple, growing to a bright shine at the cracks where the magma lay just below the surface. A high arc jutted out at the end of the path, with dagger-like extensions that pointed ominously at the travelers.

"Bit scary isn't it guys?" Enzeru said lifting his head to get a full view look at the mountain. "I said that I'd take care of finding the demon, so you all stay here, but it's not like I'm gonna get any objections."

Enzeru laughed nervously at himself as he dismounted his horse. Upon hitting the ground, Enzeru drew his pistol, cracked it open to be sure that he had reloaded. This was an unnessecary measure, though since he knew he had reloaded right after his battle with Shoan.

Why'd I volunteer myself? Why? Damn good heart

Enzeru began to scale the treacherous mountain side, slipping here and there on the loose rock, and cutting his hands and knees on the sharp obsidian. After a few hours of climbing, Enzeru stopped at a relatively level outcropping to regain his breath. Looking up the side of the mountain, he then realized he was only halfway there.

Shit this mountain's high. Of course a demon would choose this place, it SO freaking fitting

Enzeru continued his treck up the mountain, and came to the crest of it's peak at dusk.

Finally

As Enzeru pulled himself up over the crest, a strange sight introduced itself to his eyes. At the top of the mountain was a crater which contained what appeared to a carved out ampitheatre, almost like a colliseum of sorts. Sitting cross-legged in the middle of this structure, outlined by shadows, was what appeared to be a man.

Enzeru had almost hoped he wouldn't find what he was looking for at the mountain's peak, but fate seemed to have different plans for him, and he had to accept that, whether he liked it or not.

Casting off his initial fear, Enzeru stood and began to make his way down the ampitheatre's steep wall. Approaching to within about twenty yards of the dark figure, Enzeru cleared his throat and spoke.

"Are you the half-demon known as Draconis Hanoni?"

The man in the center rose to his feet. He had medium length black hair, stood around 6' tall, and wore a duster, pants, and buckled boots, all made from the same blackened, blood red leather. Without turning, he said;

"Why did you come here?"

"My name is Enzeru Amatsu, the Imperial Angel, personal guard to our Emperor, who has sent me to enlist your services on our quest to seek out the evil causing dissent in our nation. Why'll I know you are a part of this dissent, there are greater forces at work, and your services are need to defeat them. Will you come with us?" Enzeru said as he took one more step towards Draconis.

"Stay BACK!"

Black smoke began to pour from Draconis and engulf everything around the two of them. He turned towards Enzeru, bearing his face for the first time, a contorted caricatured mask of something that was once human but had been altered by untold pain and hatred. Set staring at Enzeru were Draconis's glowing red eyes, blood colored smoke pouring from them.

"You dare to ask for MY HELP? I help NO ONE."

Draconis's voice ripped through the air, sounding more like thunder than a voice to the party at the base of Mount Sendo. Enzeru felt unquenchable fear as he saw Draconis lift from the ground and hover about a foot from the floor of the ampitheater.

"You have NO RIGHT TO DISTURB ME."

The ground tore asunder below Draconis and iron chains rose from the magma. They wrapped around the body of a man that was forming from the black smoke. He was badly beaten, bleeding rather badly, and wore a blacksmith's apron.

Shoan kicked the rocks at his feet and fidgeted impatiently.

"Hey guys. Do you think we should help him?" He cast a glance up the mountain and a darkness seemed to swirl over it. Just gazing upon it filled his heart with the unwanted emotion of fear. "Nah. He's probably fine." Shoan's voice wavered a bit as he spoke, confidence sapped by the nagging fear in his heart and the effort of lying. He looked away and kicked a few more rocks.

Enzeru looked upon the face of the man that appeared out of the ground in front of him.

I know this man...I know him...he's my...my...father

"Father," Enzeru shouted as he rounded the corner to his father's shop carrying a plate of rice cakes and a glass of water "I've brought you some..."

clang

The boy dropped what he was carrying as he was met with the sight of his father dangling from metal hooks shoved through his sides three feet off the ground. A pool of blood had formed at the blacksmith's feet. Enzeru backed up a few feet, his face locked in a look of disbelief.

The man dangling from the chains looked up with swollen and bloodied eyes, he was severley beaten, and tried to shout the words "Run, Enzeru!" which came out as a muffled groan.

Hearing this, the five bandits responsible for the beating looked up from their looting to see the boy. They all smiled murderously and drew their weapons as they advanced towards the doorway. Enzeru simply stood there, paralyzed with fear.

As the bandits made there way towards the boy, they were surprised when the boy pulled a contraption from the back of his belt and a shot rang out from it, dropping the bandit to the far left. Four more shorts rang out in succession, causing the bandits to fall into lifeless heaps on the ground.

Enzeru shook violently as he looked on what he had just done, he was quickly snapped out of his trance though when his eyes met with those of his beaten father's. Enzeru ran to his father, gun in hand, and hugged his dangling leg tightly.

"Enzeru...I'm not going to make it.."

"Yes you will father, I'll run and get help, I'll..."

"Enzeru, you have one bullet left...use it on me...

"No...I can't..."

"Please...Enzeru...shoot me..."

"I CAN'T"

But you can...you have once before...and you're alive now...open your eyes you fool...WALK! a voice in Enzeru's head spoke, and it spoke truthfully.


When Enzeru opened his eyes, he was on his knees twenty yards from Draconis, sweat pouring down his forehead. He began to stand, and walk heavily towards the half-demon, taking a few steps, resting, then continuing on.

"Dra..con..is...pl..ease..jo..in..us" Enzeru begged as he crawled towards the shadowed man.

As Enzeru clawed his way towards the fiend, images of his dead father continued to resonate through his sub-concious. Finally, when Enzeru had crawled to within ten yards of the demon, he couldn't take it anymore and collapsed face-first into the black floor of the ampitheatre

Draconis stood stunned for a second. The smoke drew back under his duster. Draconis's eyes lost their hellish glow, hair fell flat where it had been on end, and his face turned to that of a normal man of about 24 years of age. Cocking his head to one side, Draconis approached Enzeru's collapsed body and dropped to one knee.

"Nobody's ever gotten that close to me during a vision. You've got some spirit, kid."

He extended his hand and helped Enzeru to his feet.

"I'll join this group of yours. If you put half as much effort into defeating your enemies, you'll be very amusing to watch."

Enzeru staggered a few steps and leaned heavily on the newest member of the party.

"Please don't dispel to anyone what went on and what you saw here and now, Draconis." Enzeru said as he wobbled, standing on his own for the first time "That's something that I wish to keep to myself."

Looking down the mountain, Enzeru turned back to Draconis and said, "Thanks for joining us, your skills will only strengthen our party. Let's get going down the mountain and join the rest of the group."

"You mean you walked all the way? Good for you, it'll help your endurance later on, that is once you rest up. I always like using the lift."

Draconis walks over to a wooden lift and onto the platform.

"Well, come on. You would rather take this than walk down, wouldn't you?"

Draconis untied a knot on the lift and the two descended right in the middle of the party.

"So, this is it. Well, let's do the meet and greet, shall we? Draconis Hanoni, murderous madman, malevolent psychopath, and stylish man about town. How do you do?"

Looking over the stunned group, Enzeru could only chuckle.

"See...I told you I'd take care of it. Heh. Introduce yourselves guys."

Petra sighed deeply, then cleared her throat before taking a step forward to introduce herself. Her hands never left the reigns of her horse, which she gripped tightly, and did not dare make eye contact with the demon, as she spoke.

"My name is Petra. I am the Emperor's scout and I will be leading our party through the lands ahead. I offer my thanks for lending your services to our group."

With this, Pesho returned to her previous silence and to the side of her horse, using it as sort of a shield if the demon decided to attack.

The ninja balled his fist and through clenched teeth uttered, "I am Xyven, Imperial assasin. I have heard many stories about you."

"Oh please. You're making me blush. But don't listen to those stories that you hear. I'm not nearly as bad as they say I am. Otherwise, there'd be no one left to tell the story and no one left to hear it," gleaned Draconis, "Now then, since this other one appears to be a mute that doesn't know to not address someone with their mouth gaping wide open, would you mind telling me his name, Xyven?"

At the sight of Draconis, Shoan's mouth fell open. He couldn't believe the unimposing little man before him was the psychotic murderer he had heard so much about. This man looked like he could barely harm an old lady. His manner and demeanor was polite and calm, though in a somewhat disturbing way. As Draconis looked over at him though, Shoan looked directly in his eyes for the first time, and the stories he had heard became much more believable. He could see the soul of a man that relishes in the suffering of the innocent. It felt as though the screams of hell were penatrating his very soul. As Draconis spoke, Shoan was snapped from this spell and closed his mouth, returning to his usual cocky grin.

"I am not mute small fry. My name is Shoan Usaku, leader of the Tamashii Hito clan. I'm here to get my prison sentence revoked. Now, if nobody has any objections, let's move on to the next recruit. Who was it?"

"Small fry, huh? Well, that's just not very cordial of you now is it?" Draconis growled as he flashed a glint of red across his right eye, a wisp of blood red smoke rising slowly towards the cloudy sky, "Didn't your mother tell you it's not polite to call people names?"

At the word mother, a flash of light came across Shoan's eyes. When it was gone, a figure of his mother stood before him. There was nothing but darkness all around the two of them, but neither seemed to notice it.

Mother - "How could you just leave like that? Didn't you love us?"
Shoan - "Of course I do. I just..."

The figure of Shoan's father faded in next to her.

Father - "You're such a disappointment. You've brought nothing but shame to us. Why couldn't you have been more like your brother?"
Shoan - "But..."

Next, his brother faded in on the other side of his mother.

Brother - "You're so weak Shoan. You're far too week to ever be an Eldaire."
Shoan - "Amarth, I..."
Father - "Quiet. Your voice sickens me."
Mother - "You're no longer our son."
Amarth - "You're too weak to be my brother."
Shoan - "No..."
Father - "Disappointment."
Mother - "Hethen."
Amarth - "Weakling."
Shoan - "NO!"

In a flash, the vision was gone, and Shoan stood petrified with fear before the group. They all looked curiously at him, having yelled that last part out loud. Sweat covered his brow and his heart beat furiously. His blood was rushing through his veins, and he could hear the adrenaline flowing through his body. After a moment, he calmed down and could slowly move again. He regained his composure and replaced that cocky smile that was so familiar to him.

"Well, that's an interesting technique. Being an imp has a few perks huh?"

"You'd do well not to insult me, boy," snapped Draconis, "That is if you want to live to see morning."

shhht

It was then that Shoan noticed the claws receding into Draconis's fingertips.

"There's no sense in killing you. It'd only be a waste of my time. Now, did you say there was someone else we needed to get, Enzeru?"

Shoan chuckled to himself at the thought of this creature attempting to kill him. Though Shoan may be a human, he was, in his own opinion, the toughest human in the world. There were few people in the world that could even challenge him in a one on one fight, much less defeat him. His posture and expression let Draconis know that though the vision he had experienced was terrifying, Shoan had no problem with a duel.

Uh, Enzeru, I think this is the time where you put a stop to the internal quarrels and move the story along.

"Amarth Eldaire," Enzeru said ",former General of the Northern armies. The man is a legend in the Imperial Guard, and theres never been a finer swordsman in the land."

"Where do we find this man?" Petra spoke up

Enzeru walked a few paces to his horse and began rummaging through his saddlebag, looking for nothing really, just trying to waste time.

Then turning around, running his hand through his hair and laughing nervously, Enzeru said "Heh heh heh...noone knows. He dissapeared five years ago, and hasn't been seen since. That's our dilemna."

Alright, kids. I'll be Pesho or Pehso or whatever his fucking name is, but he's gonna be a she and not "a ruski asshole."

Petra ( as close as i could get)
Weapon: Bow, backed up with shortsword
Class: Ranger
Strength: Survival Abilities and Agility
Power: Beast Control (?!) is this like "pest control?" what am i, the terminix guy?
Personality: short tempered, hardened
Backstory: The Emperor's scout. She's a ranger who knows how to stay alive in nature. She also has a very cool history which I'll make up later.

"Well. That's just famous, Enzeru." Petra said, leaning her sun-tanned face into the pulsing neck of her horse. Her long, straight brown hair fell across the horse's shoulder and down into her sharp, green eyes.

How did I get involved with such a rag-tag bunch of misfits?

"Yeah...I probrably should have thought things through a bit more before asking the Emperor to let me add Amarth to our party." said Enzeru, continuing to wear a nervous smile on his face and run his hands through his hair.

"I wouldn't suppose any of you know where he is, since you all travel more than I do?" Enzeru questioned, turning towards the party's other three members, "Cause that sure would be swell."

A soft mutter came from Shoan.
"He's my brother."

Shoan let loose a deep sigh and divulged what he had kept secret for 10 years.

"My real name is Shoan Eldaire. I ran away from home because I hated the way my parents forced me into my brother's shadow. I hated the military and I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I left because I couldn't take my parents, but Amarth and I were always close. I don't know why, because deep down I knew that it was him I was always being compared to. Amarth lives in the woods, about a half day's ride from here, but if I take you there, you must never speak of it to anyone. I'll lead the way."

Shoan was torn between seeking his brother's help to get rid of an unspeakable evil and keeping his solemn oath of silence about his location. The others could see his heart ripping in two every step his horse took.

Well, that was unexpected...kinda..

The sun shined extra brightly as the group made its way across a steep ridge, leaving the dark horizon of Mount Sendo behind them. The path the group travelled on led to a valley deep in the mountains, which was extremely hard to get to due to the jagged outcroppings of huge boulders and the long drops that accompanied each side of the tall ridge. After a few hours of continuing on this trail, the party was forced to abandon their horses, tying them a sturdy oak, and continue the rest of the way on foot.

"Is it me, or does this valley, never seem to be getting closer, even though we've already been travelling for half a days time." Enzeru said, baring a slightly dimmed smile in comparison to the one the group was accustomed to. "Shoan, how much farther?"

Petra glanced distractedly at Shoan, waiting for a reply. She had been on edge ever since they had been forced to leave their horses behind. Without her faithful stud she felt more vulnerable to the whims and caprices of a vengeful and often cruel Nature. Hopping agilely ahead of the group, she crouched and dropped her ear to the ground, listening. After a few moments, she rose back up and lifted her nose to the air.

Hmm, a fire and... rabbit? Not 5 miles from here...

Petra could sense the turmoil in Shoan's heart and felt something kin to sympathy for the bandit, but before even a flame of compassion could spark within her, she stifled it. She had not allowed herself to feel anything but distrust and cold composure since that day so many years ago...
Turning her thoughts back to the task at hand, Petra spoke up gruffly, interjecting.

"Whether it is this Amarth you speak of or not, we'll be meeting someone within two hours."

Draconis's ears perked at this.

"That should liven things up a bit. I spend a lot of time around the dead and I have to say the lot of you are far less interesting than a cooling corpse. Besides, aside from my time on Sendo, I'm not used to going this long without blood on my hands."

It also occurred to him that it'd been nearly 4 months since he'd been on top of Mount Sendo and just as long since he'd had a drink.

"Since that god forsaken valley doesn't seem to be getting any closer, I'm going to use my power of time travel."

Looking around, he saw everyone looking at him in amazement and wonder.

"Well, it does only work for the person taking the potion, but....[pulling a jug from his jacket] this grain alcohol should be enough for me to time travel at least 2 hours into the future. Provided I don't pass out on the side of the road, I may even manage to teleport."

After letting the joke sink in for a second or two, Draconis let out a hearty laugh and started chugging out of the jug.

"What? No one else wants a pull?"

Draconis put the jug back under his duster, fully content with the burning sensation in his throat and the fire slowly building in his stomach.

With a very dissapointed look on his face and empty outstretched hands, Enzeru said in a low mumble, " I wanted some of the magic potion..."

He then turned back towards the valley, and began to walk again, face down, back hunched, kicking small stones and twigs off the path.

Something flies and hits Enzeru in the side of the head, falling into his hands. It's the jug.

"You should've spoken up sooner. Be careful with that. I've got a couple centuries drinking experience under my belt. I lost my taste for the weaker, sweeter stuff a long time ago," boasts Draconis, "Hell, while it's out, I'll take another pull. The rest of you are more than welcome to it. [taking the bottle and lifting it to his lips] You know what they say; what doesn't kill you..."

glug

Draconis lets out a harsh hissing laugh and tosses the jug to Petra.

Beast control... as in the power to control and communicate with animals. Sheesh...

Shoan greedily chased the bottle as it was tossed around the group. "Don't forget me!" he begged, "I want to teleport. Maybe even fly!" At last he managed to get the bottle from Petra and took in three large gulps. It was strong... very strong. But, that was just the way he liked it. He could feel it going to work immediately, numbing his body and relaxing his muscles. He put the cap back on the bottle and handed it back to Draconis. "Now that's some good drink!" In his inebriated state, he carelessly threw one arm around the murderous entity and pointed the other triumphantly ahead. "To AmaRtH'sh HeWShe!" The liquor was quickly taking effect. A big stupid smile spread across his face and he begand walking merrily, almost dancing, towards the valley. "TaNKs dRatHonIs! i oH yAH One buHD!"

"You're goddamn right. That's the kind of drinking I'm used to. Three throws on this shit ain't bad. I'm willing to bet that the rest of you would be reminded of what you had for lunch if you drank that much," shouted Draconis, "I thought you'd be a light weight, Shoan. Good show. Xyven, you're the only one sober, bud. You in?"

Draconis tauntingly shook the bottle at Xyven, sloshing around what was left.

"I'll drink when we get there. You're all too concerned with getting drunk when you should be concerned with ambushes. Someone has to be on their guard," snapped Xyven. There was contempt in his voice.

Enzeru waited till the jug was being held loosely in Draconis' hand before he grabbed it. Taking the bottle in both hand and lifting it up to his nose, Enzeru breathed deeply.

Doesn't seem THAT strong

Enzeru next lifted the jug to his lips and took a long swig. As soon as the jugs contents hit his lips, he knew that his previous thoughts were wrong.

"Gyyaaahhhh!" Enzeru yelled, rearing back his head and sending the jug flying from his hands in an attempt to get the hell water away from his mouth.

Draconis caught the bottle with ease before it hit the ground and placed it back behind his cape, all the while watching as Enzeru ran around in circles fanning his mouth yelling "HOT HOT HOT HOT!"

Enzeru glanced frantically around at his fellow party members looking for something that could put a stop to the inferno that had started in his mouth. Finally, Enzeru saw a canteen at Petra's hip and dove for it, falling to his knees and pulling the fair scout to a halt.

The gunman downed the water in one gulp and threw his head back in relief, letting out an expasperated sigh. It was then that he realized the party had come to a stop and were staring dumbfounded at the little man sitting on his knees at the scouts side. It was then that Enzeru also realized he hadn't removed his other hand from Petra's belt, which rode low on her hips, and the scout was looking down at him with a muderous rage in her eyes.

Enzeru jumped back about ten feet , landing hard on his ass. As he lay there, wiith a drunken smile on his face and a glaze over his ice-blue eyes, he spoke "Sorry about that everyone....I guess it's been a whiile since I drank.....sorry Petra."

Enzeru stumbled his way back up to his feet and looked back at his party members, running his hand through his hair and laughing lightly as he was accustomed to when he was caught in an akward moment. "What say we continue on?"

"Hahahaaa, I gave you fair warning. Most people can get a buzz off of smelling the stuff. Let's get going before I start sobering up. [aside to Shoan] I don't know if your fighting ability is enough for you to act as cocky as you do, but your drinking ability definitely is. Well done, well fucking done," said Draconis, slapping Shoan on the back.

A huge grin spread across Shoan's face. "My fightering abilithy is waaayyyyyyy more than your stupehd abilidy." His drunk eyes wandered their way over to Petra, who looked as though she was boiling with rage. Shoan laughed a merry drunken laugh at the sight of rage in Petra's eyes. He did his best to assume his cocky stature and said, "DoN't be sHO angRY hunNEH. BeAUUtiful mAYdeNs SUSh aZ yoURselph shouLDN't bE ANgry." Shoan knew this wasn't what she wanted to hear, but he was drunk enough to act like a fool anyway.

For plot convenience, Shoan has sobered up already after their two hour walk. Also, Petra, I'm moving on with the story, but if you want to post something as a reply to this, don't let me stop you. Just put it in later.

After walking for a while, the group finally realized that they were very close to the valley, and could plainly see the house in the middle of it. The beauty of the scene struck awe into all of them (except maybe Draconis). It was surrounded by beautiful and delicate plants that were obviously very well cared for. As they stood at the edge of the valley, taking in the beautiful seen, a ripple of wind traveled amazingly fast across the blades of grass and beautiful flowers that were planted in the valley. It was imperceptible except for the way the plants parted beneath it. Shoan raised his spear and swung at it lightning fast, and a metal clang was heard, much to the befuddlement of the rest of the party.

"Aww c'mon bro. Don't be that way. They're here for a reason I promise."

A voice called faintly from the house, but the words were clearly audible, "What part of NO VISITORS did you not understand? Act like an adult Shoan."

"But this is really important! And not in the way I say most things are important. We need your help!"

The door on the cottage opened and a figure stepped out. The man was about six feet tall with tanned skin and blonding hair, which was strange on his very Japanese body. His hair was the same length all over, coming just below his eyes in the front. He had his bangs parted so that his sharp hazil eyes shown through, yet another defiance of his Japanese heritage. He looked like a slightly taller version of Shoan, except covered in battle scars and much more serious. Even from the distance of the edge of the valley, his eyes pierced the hearts of the party. It was as though he could see right through all of them to what motivated them and what lay in their souls, good and bad. He wore a blue silken shirt and loose grey pants. On his feet were simple sandals, and at his side was a beautiful sword with some characters that couldn't be made out by the party, but spelled the word "Shinjitsu".

"Go away." he spoke simply, and turned to walk back in the house. A loud *SMACK* was heard and Amarth's body tensed up half way back in the door. He grabbed his head and backed up, revealing one of the most beautiful women any of the party had ever seen. Even though her face was contorted into anger, it seemed clear that it was forced, concealing the happiness that never faded from her eyes. Even though the words she spoke were those of anger and authority, her voice was like the serenade of a siren, dripping with a serene beauty. "What do you think you're doing sending your own brother away like that when he obviously needs your help. Now invite these nice people in for dinner. We have plenty of food for all of them and they know where we are now anyway so there's no sense in sending them away." She turned and walked back in the house, singing softly to herself.

Amarth turned to the party and in a tone that seemed as though to rebel and comply at the same time said, "On second thought, why don't you all come in for dinner?" He calmly turned and walked back into his cottage.

A huge smile covered Shoan's face. He turned to the party and said, "You guys are in for a treat. Tenshoujo's cooking is the best." He giddily jogged up to the cottage.

Just for the sake of character development, Petra doesn't drink, nor is she enraged by stupid boy things. She's not a nazi feminist. These types of things only amuse her.

Petra was struck in a curious way by the man they were now in the company of. He seemed so solid, so ready. She envied and admired him and his lovely mistress for their happiness and apparent stability, so far from her own world.
Remaining constantly aware of the scene unfolding about her, Petra followed the group into the cottage, where the delicious smells nearly knocked her off her feet. The beautiful woman turned from preparing the meal and smiled at Petra as if they two shared a secret unknown by the rest of the company. Petra looked away, detesting the delirious contentedness of this woman and her perfect little abode.

The taste of the liquor Enzeru had consumed ealier,still burned deeply in his mouth, but as the gunman sat cross-legged next to the fireplace in Amarth's quaint cottage, heavenly aromas began to tickle his nose and the burning sensation in his mouth began to linger.

As Enzeru sat there, he cast glances towards Amarth, who was seated in the kitchen and began to think of ways of approahcing to subject of him joining the party and thwarting the evil that threatened their mother nation. But the gunman was nervous. Here he sat in the house of his boyhood hero. The great General of the Northern armies, whose victories still amazed the nations modern generations.

Damn...I didn't think it'd be this hard to ask the guy to join us....I mean..

GRUMBLE! A large groan was released from Enzeru's empty stomach. Enzeru grabbed his stomach and bowed his head.

All this worrying is making me hungry...I'll think of a way later...after we eat...damn that food smells good...I hope dinner is ready soon

Tenshoujo appeared before the group with a helping that seemed a feast fit for an army. Two huge trays piled with what seemed to be at least ten pounds of food on each. Everyone in the party drooled with anticipation, only to be disappointed when she gave one to Amarth, and the other to Shoan. She bowed to the rest of the group and said, "I'll be right back with your food." She came back with one more tray for the rest of the party. She had lived secluded from society for a long time, but not long enought to think that everyone eats like Amarth and Shoan. She gave herself a small helping and sat on the ground next to Amarth. The sight of her eating so politely and delicately was quite amusing as she sat next to Amarth and Shoan, who were ravenously devouring the huge helpings at an unbelievable rate.

"Pardon me, but your manners are deplorable," exclaimed Draconis, who sat with a look of disgust at the two Eldaire's eating habits.

Enzeru leaned forward and removed his serving from the tray in front of him. At first, Enzeru tried not to wolf down his food and show some decorum in front of the two ladies that accompanied the party, but quickly adandoned that plan after seeing Amarth and Shoan's eating habits.

The food Tenshoujo had prepared was unbelievable, the tastes that filled the gunman's mouth seemed almost heavenly. After finishing his meal, and loosening his gun belt one notch, Enzeru stood and thanked Tenshoujo.

" That meal was incredible, Tenshoujo, but I am afraid I may sullen this merry mood we are all in by asking what I must. I apologize in advance."

Then, turning to Amarth, who had just finished his meal, Enzeru cleared his throat and began, "Amarth Eldaire, former General of the Northern Armies and legendary swordsman. My name is Enzeru Amatsu, the Imperial Angel, personal gaurd to the Emperor. His Majesty has sent me to ask for services once again. A great evil has arisen from the ashes of our countries wars, and is now ausing dissent in our peaceful land. Will you travel with our assembled party and thwart this evil?"

Enzeru let out a great sigh of relief after saying what he must, and awaited Amarth's answer.

Petra sat back and watched detachedly as Enzeru implored Amarth to join them. She had little interest in who went along and who didn't as long as she was paid and, besides, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Amarth would accept, however hesistantly, the request of the Emperor and his "Angel."

Can't we all just get along?

Enzeru held his breath as he awaited Amarths reply, all the while scanning him up and down for tells of what he might say.

Nothing...damn this guys tough

Then, after a few more seconds, Enzeru couldn't take it anymore...he had to breath, his face was turning blue. Opening his mouth wide, releasing the breath he was holding, Enzeru gulped air down the way he had snarfed his food down.

A bit embarassed at what had just happened, Enzeru ran his hand through his hair and laughed softly, daring a glance back up at Amarth.

Would you answer already?

Dang. I take one day off and everyone's at war. Petra, Draconis is right, let's not bicker. Draconis, Petra is right. We're not here to be hardasses. Enzeru, Sack up bitch!

Amarth stood looking Enzeru in the face. He had to think about this decision carefully. Though he knew he owed the emperor much, he also knew he owed his wife even more. "I'm sorry, but I can't go with you. I've paid my debt to the emperor. I stood alone against Abanaku's forces on countless occasions, and now I'm done. I deserve to have my time of peace as much as anyone else. Feel free to stay the night tonight, but tomorrow we must part ways. I am sorry, but good luck on your journey." With that, Amarth bowed to the group and headed to his sleeping quarters. His wife bowed and followed.

Shoan let out a deep sigh. "Forget it guys," he solemnly spoke. "He's stubborn as a pig. Once he's made up his mind about something like this, it's made up. We might as well just grab some nice shuteye before we head out in the morning." With that, Shoan pulled some sheets out of a closet and curled up in front of the fireplace, routinely, as though he had done it several times before.

Grumble grumble. Whatever.

Petra pulled a bed roll out of her pack and unrolled it in a corner of the cottage. She was surprised by Amarth's response, but it truly made no difference whether he stayed or went. With her belly full of good food, she drifted off to sleep.

A very dissapointed, accepted his defeat for the time being and walked over to the corner of the room and sat on the floor. There, he removed his pistol from his holster and the pouch from his side, laying each on the floor quietly.

Using the dimmed light from the fire, the gunman began to disassemble his gun, wiping each piece down with an cloth. Once he had completed this task, he ran a swab down the barrel and each chamber of the cylinder. Enzeru worked at these tasks for a good hour before reassembling his gun and putting it back in his holster.

Leaning back against the wall, Enzeru began to drift off to sleep, but was awakened seconds later by some unknown force. The gunman stood and walked over to the window, looking over the valley in front of him that was bathed in shadow.

Nothing....

Enzeru walked back to his corner and sat down, but this time did not lean back to go to sleep. He lay awake, with gun in hand, thumbing the trigger, as the feeling that something was closing in on them grew.

Xyven propped himself up in the corner of the main room, the one out of the light of the dying fire, a dark shadow cast upon it from the chest of drawers. He looked forward to this, his first peaceful night's sleep in so long, for he knew that with Amarth in the house, no harm would come to his party.

Draconis had already left shortly after dinner, taking solice deep in the woods and meditating. The booming chants could be heard for miles, the black smoke creeping along the forest floor.

Petra awoke with a start in the depth of the night. The dying embers from the evening's fire cast a hauting glow across the room, leaving the corners black and untouched by the soft orange light. The air felt thick with some all-pervading energy and she knew that few in her party were sleeping peacefully.

Clasping a small pouch in her palm, she wrapped her cloak around her shoulders and slipped silently out of the cottage. Outside, the moon was larger and fuller than she could remember seeing it for a very long time. Small bats flitted about and were caught briefly in its light before disappearing again into the safety of the night. A slight breeze disturbed the trees and made them moan softly to eachother in a steady incantation.
She sniffed the air and, satisfied with her present safety, pulled open the pouch and emptied its contents into her hand. She thumbed through these, removed a thin square of paper and a small case of herbs and spices, replaced the other items, and tied the pouch to her belt. Then, sitting on a large stump a few yards out from the cottage, near the tree line, she rolled the herbs in the paper, licked the edge, and secured it to itself. Replacing the case of herbs, she withdrew a small box of wooden matches and commenced smoking the blend. The smoke had a spicy, sweet flavor that calmed her and she sat back, listening to the sounds of the night around her.
Just to stop you guys from saying anything silly, she's not smoking pot.

Amarth hadn't even started to sleep yet. He stood, dressed, and grabbed his sword, calmly as he would do any day. He left the bedroom and passed by the kitchen to get a riceball on his way outside. Once outside, he saw Shoan and the rest of the party already waiting and anxious. Shoan looked hungrily at Amarth which caused Amarth to grunt, look away, and then grudgingly share his riceball. Between bites, he spoke quietly and concisely.

Amarth - "They are called the Yowai. They are stronger than most human opponents, but still the weakest of the Abanaku Demons. Judging by the sound of things, there should be about 54 headed this way. That's quite a challenging number, even though they are only Yowai. I think it's best to fight them 9 to 1. That should pose no real challenge to any of us here."

Shoan buried his forehead in his hand. He hated it when Amarth talked all serious like this. Besides, what makes him know how strong they all are? Bah, not worth the mental anguish. Shoan knew that if he had confronted him on the issue, Amarth would have proven to be right. He let out a little sight and agreed.

Shoan - "Alright, I can take nine no problem, but are they attacking from the front, the back, or surrounding us?"

Amarth - "Use your senses brother. There are, conveniently, eighteen coming from the southwest, eighteen from the southeast, eighteen from the northwest, and eighteen from here, the northeast. So, to answer your question more concisely, they're surrounding us."

Shoan - "Alright then. I'll go with Petra!"

Amarth brought his hand upside the back of Shoan's head.

Amarth - "We're going together."

Shoan - "Don't hit me!"

Shoan brought a similar attack back up Amarth's head. The two of them then began engaging in a form of non-harmful combat, the soul objective of which was to demoralize and humiliate your enemy. As they continued this way, Petra began to chuckle.

Xyven to Petra - "I understand your laughter. Up till now, I would have never thought Amarth to be the type of guy to allow himself to fight his brother right before combat."

Petra to Xyven - "Heh. We should have expected as much. No matter how the years have changed them, they're still brothers."

Sorry Petra, but I thought the female of the group would be best suited for that quote. Hope ya don't mind ^_^.

Amarth - "I'm not letting you go till you give up."

Shoan - "You know I'm not gonna do that."

Amarth appeared to had taken advantage, but it didn't look like Shoan would budge until both Amarth and Shoan at the same time perked their ears and looked up. Amarth released him and spoke.

Amarth - "They'll be here soon. Take your positions."

I'm leaving what they look like to the next person to post. I was kinda thinking like monsters or something that look like they were maybe once human, that are physically strong, but somewhat stupid.

No, she's smoking crack.

Draconis sneared, "Are you telling me that's all we're dealing with? Yowai? They're hardly worth fighting."

Suddenly, a tall, black creature sprung from the treeline, its lanky legs crouched in tightly and enlongated arms outstrecthed, silouhetted against the full moon. It came hurdling down towards Draconis, letting out a piercing scream from its split jaw.

"Hello to you too," quipped Draconis as he started shifting to his demon form. Forcing his claws from his fingertips, he extended his arm, thrusting it through the creature's sternum and heart, grabbing the spine. Then, placing his foot on the creature's collar bone, Draconis ripped the vertebrae from the hole in its chest.

"And that's how you deal with Yowai," said Draconis as he tossed the bloody spine to Enzeru, licking the blood from his hand.

"Yipes!" Enzeru yelled as he the sidestepped the approaching vertebrate. "What the Hell Draconis?"

Then, looking down the other side of the valley and drawing his pistol, Enzeru said, "Petra and I will take the Yowai to the southeast and meet back up here after, if thats ok with her."

"Go!" yelled Amarth. After everyone had split up Shoan spoke up.

Shoan - "Why wouldn't you let me go with Petra?"

Amarth - "I didn't trust the rest of them not to get in my way."

Shoan smiled a little at this. He enjoyed the brief feeling that he was special to his big brother. He had fought together with him many times, and they were both very good, and so they were able to bond with fighting in a way that normal brothers may have never found possible.

Soon their eighteen came charging in unison from the woods.

Amarth - "A dual maboroshi then?"

Shoan - "Sure."

Wind came rushing from their two bodies and energy poured from within them with an awesome intensity. Soon, multiple figures of their bodies came flying out with blurring speed. Hundreds of Shoans and Amarths poured through the confused enemy force, glints of a blade and a spray of blood was all that let the Yowai know they had been touched at all. The two brothers moved with amazing grace and fluid motion, and when they were done, they stood behind the force, every member of which had both arms sliced to the bone. Amarth and Shoan turned and faced them, blue energy still pouring from their eyes after that last attack. "Run," Shoan spoke simply. The Yowai ran howling in pain and fear back into the woods, arms dangling at their side.

Shoan grunted and started his walk back to the house. Amarth sighed at him and followed. Shoan hated letting those demons live, but he knew it would upset Amarth to kill them and so he put up with it.

Meanwhile, Xyven and Draconis headed northwest, cloaked in the black smoke from Draconis's demon form. Then, they saw them, just up ahead. The Yowai were darting tree to tree.

Draconis - "Hold your place for a second. I'll take care of giving you some suitable working conditions...[chanting] Seum nadrovsgen telaiu nadraesov."

With that, the black smoke reached out like arms and enveloped the Yowai. They were frozen with fear. Without a sound, Xyven leapt through the trees, ripping 10 of the Yowai's throats assunder, slicing back until the white of their backbone showed in the center of the gaping slash.

Draconis - "Very nice, but leave a few for me."

Jumping high into the air, Draconis drew all of the darkness into the palm of his hand. He crashed down upon one of the Yowai's heads, his arm locked straight out, forcing its head into its body and splitting the torso half way down through the middle. Turning to the closest three of the remaining six, he leapt from the dead Yowai's shoulders, sinking his teeth into first one's throat and, using the force from the jump, flipped himself over the Yowai. Flying through the air, Draconis landed his foot into the gut of the second Yowai, driving it to the ground and forcing its abdomen to rupture. Pivoting in the pool of organs, Draconis landed a roundhouse kick solidly on the third's head, rendering it from his body. Two of the remaining three charged, the other fleeing to the east.
Where do you think you're going?
Draconis rushed through the two charging Yowai, toward the fleeing one. Just as the pair turned to chase, their torsos slowly slid from the lower half of their bodies. Through the woods, Xyven and Draconis chased the lone fleeing Yowai towards the northeastern corner.

Enzeru sprinted down the southeast side of the hill to the approaching Yowai, Petra a few steps behind him. The forest cloaked in the shadows of the night except for where the moon lay its lighting touch. Upon entering a slight clearing, Enzeru came to an adrupt stop.

They'll be here

Next, Enzeru unloaded one of the black cased bullets from his revolver and replaced it with a red cased shell.

This should help us out

As Enzeru finished loading the shell into his gun and bringing it around so it was next in line to fire, a rustle of leaves in the tree in front of him caught his attention. Without delay, Enzeru cocked his pistol and fired. A bright flash of red illuminated the night sky and the clearing, revealing the faces of the monstrous Yowai.

Click, click, click, click

Enzeru had fired four times, dropping the closest monsters, before the light has dissapeared and the forest was once again tucked underthe blanket of night. The gunman retreated a few steps back to reload, allowing Petra to try her hand at the Yowai.

As Enzeru cracked open his revolver, letting the empty casings fall with a slight thump to the ground, he replaced the fallen casings with five black cased shells and spoke, "Petra hold them off here while I circle around to the other side of the clearing."

As soon as Petra nodded her acknowledgment, Enzeru took off into the darkness.

Impressed by Enzeru's expert command of the strange weapon she was not familiar with, Petra hesitated a moment in admiration before turning to the approaching demons.

Her bow already in hand, she drew 3 arrows from her quiver and laid them against it. Then, raising the straining bow to eye level, she let lose the 3 arrows and they sank with a satisfying thud into the thick, heaving chest of an approaching Yowai. Four more clambered toward her, close on the heels of the first. Drawing her sword from its place at her hip, she faced the monstrosities and growled deep in her throat. Then, with a terrifying battle cry, she lunged forward, using the rocks and trees around her as springboards for her agile energy.

Feeling the gentle weight of the sword and aligning herself perfectly with it, she spun quickly and the disembodied head of the first Yowai dropped to the ground with a crack. Dropping quickly to avoid a blow from the next demon, she regripped her blade and brought it up forcefully into the ribs of the threatening beast. It stumbled and fell against her and she removed her sword from its flesh and let it fall forward in a heap.

The remaining two Yowai were running off in the direction from which they had come and were now barely visible through the trees. Petra pulled an arrow from her quiver, placed it to her bow, took aim, and watched the demon closest to her drop. She watched for any signs of the other, but it had gone. She stood motionless for a long time, listening to the woods around her, before hurrying off in the direction Enzeru had gone.

click

The crack of a single shot from Enzeru's revolver echoed through the valley, as the last escaping Yowai drop dead at Enzeru's feet.

Well, that was easy enough. Good job Petra.

Petra quickly found Enzeru as he was making his back to Amarth's cottage and the rest of the party. The smell of demon blood was present on the scout's broadsword, meaning she had taken care of the remaining Yowai.

Upon returning to the cottage, Enzeru was greeted with the sight of the rest of the party sitting on the front porch.

"Southeastern Yowai group taken care of...but I guess we took last huh?" said Enzeru, running his hand through his hair. "Sorry to keep you all waiting."

The gunman walked to the porch and took a seat on its edge. A moment of akward silence followed, and noone was about to break it. Enzeru had a serious look on his face for the first time during the party's journey.

Then, turning to look at Amarth, Enzeru spoke. "You see the evil we are going to be facing, Amarth, and you know better than anyone the depths of their evil. As we venture on, Abanaku's forces will only grow stronger. We need your help. So I'm pleading, please join our ranks and share your wisdom and strength."