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[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken laid on the deck of the Namor, enjoying a well-deserved rest in the bright sun of a new day. After a day since the little escapade on Animatros Island, the Crimson Chest had been stowed safely stowed away below decks. Ken had sternly told no one to open it, and hoped that the others would follow his word.

Sailing had been smooth, and the ship's movement swift--no doubt they would reach the mainland very soon.

(OOC: This can pretty much lead to anything, whither it's the first bits to Teeny's sought after Search for Atlantis thread, or just anything else. Go wild.)

[~Light Goddess~]

Lena had finally woke up, realizing she was wearing another pair of clothes. She got up silently, brushing off the sheets, to see her old clothes, dried and bloody in a heap on the ground. That's right...she thought. I got myself quite beat up back there...but that won't happen again. As she walked over to put on her sandals, she thought again. Then who dressed me? After she brushed out her hair she climbed up the stairs, realizing that she hadn't healed fully yet, and noticed that Ken was looking off into the sunrise. She looked over to where he was looking, and saw the mainland about a few hours away.

"It's already been that fast since we left the island Ken?" She surprised Ken, who turned around and greeted her. She then walked over to him as she rested her arms on the edge of the ship.
"Either that or I've been asleep for quite some time,"she gave him a small grin.
"I can't let that happen to me again, you know. Who knows what could have happened if Perseus didn't save me."

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken smiled back at Lena. He had been plotting the course to the mainland before the venture even started, wanting to make sure things went as fast as possible. He wished he could the same efforts on the fly, but he wasn't that kind of a sailor yet.

"I can't let that happen to me again, you know. Who knows what could have happened if Perseus didn't save me."

Ken looked back to the sunrise again.

"I guess know what you mean..." he spoke, "Sometimes I wish... I wish..."

The boy's thoughts drifted to that of years behind him, to the years when he was still in Taiyo and would put up with bullying from other kids.

I wish I strong... Strong enough to defend myself, and my family's honor, without anyone else's help... he thought to himself.

He paused for awhile before turning back to Lena.

"Eh, never mind that. In any case, this has been a very eventful past few days. I'm glad I managed to finally catch some sleep. I'm sure Kitsune will be glad to be back on the mainland..." he spoke with a chuckle.

[Ransom]

Perseus glided down to the deck, landing right behind the two companions.

“Morning: Ken, Lena.” He said smiling, “I caught some fish if anyone’s up for breakfast… though I don’t know how we’re going to cook it.”

Perseus was holding a fishing net attached to a long pole, with about ten fish piled inside.

“There’s flying fish everywhere in these waters. All I need to do is predict where they are going to jump next, and glide over the opposite direction and let them jump into the net.”

Perseus left the net, and walked over next to lena, leaning his hands on the edge of the ship.

“Feeling any better?”

[Mystic Kitsune]

Its about time... Kitsune thought to himself as they were heading back to the mainland.

I chose to come back, when I was already at the mountain peeks...on the mainland. It was after a fight with him...

He made a slight frown as he thought about the events in the past few hours. His kaze-dao had become even stronger, and had more powers now. He had also been completley purified, meaning he emits an aura of light.

Its all vague...but I remember...I won that fight...but just barely. Who was that guy anyway? Its like Ive seen him before...

Kitsune tried to think. He couldnt remember anything from his days of corruption, mostly now that his corruption had been completley purified after the fight with Steel.

A faint image came back to his head, but the group had distracted him. He decided to go and sit amongst them.

"Hey. I kind of left randomly, and things got out of hand. What perfect timing." Kitsune said sarcastically turning his head away.

"You should be glad I came back. I wasnt planning to...but Im sorry for leaving, I had some unfinished buisness to tend to."

[~Light Goddess~]

Perseus was the next one to come and join them, right about the same time as Kitsune did.

“I caught some fish if anyone’s up for breakfast… though I don’t know how we’re going to cook it.”

"I could probably cook them if you'd want me to." Lena chirped in. Perseus then walked up beside her and looked onward.

“Feeling any better?” He asked her. Lena turned around to look at him, putting the long fish line around her arms, and then answered him.

"I am now...I think all that I needed was just a bit of sleep. And not to mention that I do still owe you one." She then looked back at the sea.

"I could probably cook these fish with a little hint of herbs, would you mind going to get me some? I'll start filleting them here."

(OC: I think that's how you would write filleting... XP)

[Steel Samurai]

Steel stood on the very top of the middle mast of the ship, the wind blowing his black hair around his face. He inhaled the scent of the sea and exhaled slowly, looking in the direction of the red sunrise with his sightless, bandaged eyes. With a sigh, he tipped backwards off of the mast, twisting in midair to land silently on the deck, one hand on the wooden planks beneath his feet to steady himself. He rose, and spoke to the black man beside him.
"Slim. Can you see the ship yet? I sense several powerful auras within a few miles of us . . . including one very dark one."
Slim Draco raised a spyglass to his eye and squinted through it.
"Yes sir. I can see a sail around 5 miles from here. We should have caught up by mid-afternoon."
"Good."
Steel walked across the bridge and sat on top of the demonic statue which made up the figurehead of Dark Juno's fastest ship, the Wrarft. The loss of his sight had forced him to completely change his way of life. Without the ability to sense light and shadow he was useless for the stealth which had defined him up until now. From now on he would have to rely upon his skill with a blade alone, something which had increased slightly rather than decreased since the battle with demon-kitsune. Long dark flowing robes had replaced the skintight leather apparel with which he had formerly been clad. His long Dai-Katana hung on his back, a braided yak-hair cord running through the loops on the scabbard and over his shoulder. The wind picked up. Good. They should catch up quicker. Steel mused over the events of the past few days.

/flashback
Steel walked slowly into the bagel pub and sat down at a table in the corner. Vazor, sensing the mood he was in, brought him a jug of chu-juice. and returned to the bar. A hooded figure limped slowly into the pub and sat down across from Steel. Steel didn't look up from his mug.
"What do you want."
"A listening ear for a dying man." The stranger's voice was soft, and would've been inaudible to any normal ears.
"Speak then."
The man coughed, and took a vial from his jacket and drained a the liquid inside it.
"That was my last vial. I have half an hour, maybe less, and then my spirit will depart this world."
Steel's expresion did not change.
"I have come to you, warrior, because of all those I have observed, you seemed the most apt for the task I am about to entrust to you."

Edited by Steel Samurai, 07 October 2006 - 10:29 AM.

[Ransom]

Perseus looked up at the sky, watching to gulls gliding with the wind.

“I going to the mainland to get some herbs. I’ll be back within the hour…”

He backed up preparing to launch, then remembered something.

“You haven’t opened the Crimson Chest yet have you Ken? I’m curious as to its contents.”

Ken gave a satisfactory answer. (I’m not sure what he would say), so Perseus bent his knees and sprung up into the air. He dived a short distance to gain speed, then glided away, heading in the direction of the mainland.

[Gabe Puratekuta]

Gabriel had awakened, fully refreshed, in the same bed she had slept in once before. On the Namur.
Back here again.... she thought as she sat up and crawled out of bed.
She noticed that Motoko was asleep in the chair next to her and smiled. "(Motoko, my child....)"

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

"No," Ken said, replying to Perseus, "I don't think it's quite safe to open. I'm going to wait awhile before doing that."

Perseus took off, leaving Ken to watch as he went. The boy was curious as well about the contents.

He gazed out over the water before turning and walking to one of the doors.

"I'm going below decks for a little while, I'll be right back."

Ken walked along the insides of the ship, finding the spot where he hid the chest. He opened up a secret compartment he discovered while finding a place to put it earlier, and pulled away the rags he used to cover the chest.

The boy looked at it, wondering if he should go against his own personal advice and just open it. His hand went to reach for the first latch when he remembered part of his orders.

"Under no circumstances shall you open the chest - merely return it to me here."

The boy retracted his hand, but his fingers still twitched with curiosity.

He would never know, I could just close it back up after looking at it, and he would never know... he began thinking to himself.

So he reached out again, and was very close to opening it when another person's words came to mind.

“Have the first part, and you will become obsessed.
Know the second part, and paranoia will set in.
Know three parts, and you will go insane!
Realize the final part, the part that brings it all together,
Then only gods could comprehend what would happen to you!”

Ken slapped his hand away and pushed aside the dark thoughts, glaring at the chest.

"There's something more than just treasure in this chest..." he thought aloud to himself, "Whatever it is, it's dangerous."

His eyes scanned the suspicious receptacle, then he covered up the chest again, closing the compartment. He walked back on deck, taking a look over the sea.

Does the Admiral know what is in it? It seems like something that was never supposed to be found... Should I just throw it overboard...? ... I don't suppose that would do much good either though--an undersea race could find it... I guess I'll just go on with my orders.

[Gabe Puratekuta]

She placed Motoko's snoozing body onto the bed and slid the covers over her before she went above deck. There, she saw Lena and a ner of fish.
"Ohayo gozaimasu, Lena-san." she sald as she walked toward the woman




[TRANSLATION: "Good morning"]

[~Light Goddess~]

As she started to take out the guts of the different types of fish Perseus had caught, she started to sort them out, by the scales and such. She was just about to start cutting off the heads until she heard a faint voice behind her.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Lena-san."

Lena turned around to Gabriel walking towards her. Thank the gods that everyone turned out to be alright, she thought.

"And good morning to you too, Gabriel," Lena then continued to fillet the fish as Gabriel came to sit by her.

"I'm hoping that you and Motoko had a good and refreshing sleep? We'll be reaching the mainland soon, probably in two hours."

She then continued to think about what the crew would prefer to eat...smoked fish with herbs...or sashimi...she then continued to think, the fish fillets in front of her.

(OC: I tried to learn Japanese once off one of those audio cd's, I only know most of the greetings Gabe, lol )

[Gabe Puratekuta]

[Heh. I've got only a collection of papers to learn off from]


"That's good. I'm itching to go back to my village." she said




[Sorry that it's so short, but I've got to leave in like 2 minutes ago]

[Steel Samurai]

"Me? Apt?" Steel replied to the hooded, dying stranger. "I'm just a helpless blind man, who can't even sense whether it's dark or light."
"Don't be absurd. Your blindness didn't stop you from finishing the fight with the demon-Kitsune, even though he had put out your eyes not seconds earlier. People need your help."
"And what makes you think I want to help these people. I'm not in the habit of being charitable. That was a thing for long ago."
"You may think soul has been forever blackened, that you've managed to defeat darkness thus far with greater darkness, but I still sense within you a light. A light of justice. It will take more than being slain and resurrected to put out that light." The stranger coughed. "Dim though it may be, it only waits for the chance to become strong again."
Steel looked down into his mug, then raised his head towards the sound of the man's voice for the first time.
"What is it you want of me?"
"Laz . . . the organization which killed your parents and has destroyed countless other lives has finally begun its preparations for its bid for complete domination of the known world. Hundreds from different towns and cities, have gone missing. I have dedicated my life to bringing this organization down, yet it seems that my time on earth has run out." The stranger coughed again. "Steel, they must be stopped. Otherwise the world shall into darkness, and I fear that if that happens, it will never rise again. Up till now, for the millenia that it has been in existence, Laz has always worked behind the scenes, assassinating rulers, putting new ones in their place. But then, 30 years ago, a new figure rose to the top of the hierarchy in the Society."
"Laz is ruled by the council, their is no one single man who controls it."
"So you were taught, but the truth is quite different. The only one who ever even sees this man are the council, to whom he dictates his will, and his own personal spies and assassins. Incidentally, the night you found the documents regarding your parent's death was the night you were to be inducted into the ranks of his personal assassins. But such did not take place. He now has dreams of world domination." The stranger coughed violently, and brought a handkerchief to his mouth. When he drew it away, Steel could smell the blood upon it. "I haven't got much time. They will take over the lives of all living upon this world, if someone does not stop them. Please, will you lend your strength to this cause?"

Edited by Steel Samurai, 08 October 2006 - 08:51 AM.

[Ransom]

Perseus saw the mainland come over the horizon as he stabbed through the sky, skirting in and out of the wind like a hawk.

He saw a bustling port approaching, so he instantly banked far to the right, wanting to resist civilization at all costs. He scanned the ground for some sort fo small wood or forest so he could search for herbs.

He noticed a large mass of woodland approaching straight ahead of him, so he flew straight.

Suddenly an arrow flew upwards straight in front of Perseus' face. More arrows followed leaving him diving ducking and twirling around in the air just to dodge them.
the arrows stopped briefly, and Perseus took his chance to glance downwards.

Hunters! but what are they doing here? usually such folk reside in the more woody areas because of the game...

The hunters were swiftly reloaded and ready to fire in a matter of seconds. But He was to quick. before the hunters could look up again, Perseus had vanished into the clouds.

Edited by Ransom, 08 October 2006 - 08:30 AM.

[Steel Samurai]

"Please, will you lend your strength to this cause?"
Steel turned his sightless gaze to his mug of chu juice and sighed. A sense of justice? He had never had such a thing. Laz had truly and completely eradicated it from his soul. He had been trained to have no emotions, to have as his only goal the completion of the mission, one of the qualities which had made him so useful to Dark Juno. Yet . . . something within him told him that there was such a thing as right and wrong, that justice did exist in the world, and that the evil eventually received their punishment. Somehow Steel felt that if it were not so, then the world would be unbalanced, a notion which was incomprehensible to him. Sensing his hesitancy, the stranger spoke again.
"Steel . . . I was there when they signed the papers which sent her on a suicide mission . . . when they sent her on another when she somehow survived that one . . . and when they laughed at her death, knowing it would make a better warrior out of you."
Her . . . There she was again, haunting his thoughts and memories as she had since he lost his sight . . . the only person he had been able to truly call his friend. They had done that to her. They had killed her. And he was to blame.
"If they are not destroyed then there will be hundreds, nay, thousands more like her."
More . . . No, there would only ever be one of her. She . . . She would want him to do this . . . to make sure that there were no others who suffered as she had.
Steel suddenly made up his mind. He lifted his face from his mug and looked directly at the stranger.
"How do I take Laz down?"
The stranger looked straight at Steel's bandaged face.
"One agent at a time. One agent at a time."

[end flashback]

Steel sensed Slim behind him.
"We're coming up on them quickly sir. In five minutes we should be alongside them."
"Good . . . Thank you Draco."
Steel got down back onto the deck from the figurehead of the ship and thought again over the events that had transpired over the last few days.

[/flashback]
"You will need allies." The stranger said. His cough was getting worse. "Those whom you know you can trust, those whom you could give your life to, and know they would return it unharmed."
"I don't trust anyone that much."
"Then your task may be difficult. But gain the aid of those you trust the most." The stranger coughed violently, and then his voice dropped below a whisper.
"I'm out of time. Seek . . . out the sensei . . . in the Taj Nar mountains . . . He will tell you . . . what you must do . . ." With his last strength, the stranger witdrew a rolled up parchment and shoved it towards Steel. A violent fit of coughing wracked his body, and then he lay still, slumped back in the chair.

[end flashback]

The wooden gangplank made a hollow thump as it hit the other ship's deck and Steel strode across it, his clothes blowing loosely in the salty air.
"I have come. To gain your aid."

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken had just noticed the ship when it almost caught up with them. He would have prepared for the worst, but saw Steel and realized (or hoped) he would not have to worry that much.

The boy watched with some amazment as the blind pirate crossed between the ships. He had heard of blind warriors, but Steel coming across in his new condition struck a chord in Ken.

"I have come. To gain your aid."

Ken came forward.

"What is it that you need, Steel?"

[SL the Pyro]

Z docked his lifeboat at the port of Roslen; he had used his Spike Chain as a propeller. He got out and immediately sensed that something was wrong. All of the sudden, three Laz ninjas jumped out at him. Z effortlessly caught them in his Spike Chain and caused their bodies to explode, causing many onlookers to run off in horror. Z noticed something about the ninjas; the swords they were using... had traces of light energy on them.

"More ninjas... and their swords were powered up... now I'm certain that he is behind this." Z thought. He remembered his last encounter with him perfectly. "I thought I killed him... he should've been buried in the ruins of his village... but no matter. I will deal with him when the time is right."

Z walked off as if nothing had happened...

Edited by Dark Link, 09 October 2006 - 11:59 AM.

[Ransom]

ooc: shouldnt you have said: "Z walked off, as if he was God himself..."

[Mystic Kitsune]

"Hey Steel. Long time no see."

Realizing that the word, "see" wasnt really the right thing to say to a blind man, who had got his eyes sliced by an alternate form of Kitsune, he decided to drop the whole greeting.

"Where ever youre going, I might as well come. Just so long its not back in that direction." He said pointing off into the sea in the direction of the fortress.

He smiled, "How fast can your ship get to the mainland, Steel?"

Edited by Mystic Kitsune, 09 October 2006 - 09:05 AM.

[Chukchi Husky]

The sounds of the two ships woke Husky. The young female wolf sneaked aboard the Wrarft back in the Forsaken Fortress. Life in the Fortress coundn't fulfill all of her instinctive urges, longing for the wilderness again. She simply went onto the first available ship without knowing it's destination, as long as it got her outside. No one knew she boarded, but someone would eventually find out back at the Fortress.

Her instinctive curiosity wanted to know what was happening above on deck, so she climbed up onto the deck. Fearing what could happen if caught, she treid to make sure no one noticed.

[Steel Samurai]

Steel smiled.
"I fear I won't be 'seeing' anything for a long time Kitsune."
"What is it that you need, Steel?" Ken said.
Steel's face lost its smile. He tilted his head downwards for a second, sighed, and then raised it again.
"I have been entrusted with a dying man's last request . . . for all I know, it may be a wild goose chase, but, if what he said was true, I cannot risk ignoring it." Steel tilted his head downwards again, then raised it. "I cannot do this alone. I have come to ask those who would to come with me to the Taj Nar mountains . . . to meet the one who can tell whether this information I have is real or no. Which of you will come with me?"

[Mystic Kitsune]

Kitsune detected the slight smell of a wolf...or simillar to a wolf. A bit different, but the scent was a bit like that back in the woods.

But, seeing as the salt in the air from the salt water was confusing his senses already, he paid it no mind.

"Ill be going with you, Steel...again, as long as it doesnt involve the sea."

[Chukchi Husky]

From a distance, Husky watched and listened to the conversation. She knew Steel and Ken from the Fortress, but the other one had an unfamiliar scent. The unfamiliar one had a strange appearance, appearing to have what looked like canine ears.

She continued listening. Hearing about mountains interested her. The name mentioned wasn't the mountains she knew. Maybe travelling to these mountains with them could help her instinctive desire for the wilderness?

[Gabe Puratekuta]

Gabriel stepped closer to Steel. "Despite our history, I will also aid you."

[SL the Pyro]

Z was walking aimlessly towards the outskirts of Glenien, bored with having nothing to do. As he neared the city, a man neared him. He was walking towards Z, so he scanned him closely. The man wore a cloak similar to Z's, but of a different style; it certainly wasn't one of his friends. He was also carrying a large briefcase. The man got to Z and began to speak. "You are the bounty hunter Z, correct?" he asked; judging from his voice, he was in his mid-thrities.

"Yes... what does it mean to you?" Z replied.

"I have an assignment for you. It involves a sword master in the Taj Nar Mountains. He has vital information that must not be leaked out." the stranger explained.

"Hmph... and why should I help you after you sent those three ninjas after me?" Z asked; the man was surprised. "Your disguise is pathetic. Try hiding your Laz symbol next time." It was true; the symbol of the Laz organization was on his cloak in plain sight.

"I sent those ninjas as a test; the sword master is not a weak foe."

"Hmm... alright, assume I accept your task. I will be far from my home in Glenien, and I will be serving the wretched organization that I swore to take down years ago. You had better be able to give me a very large sum for this job."

The man smiled and set his briefcase on the ground. He opened it, and turned it around to Z. His eyes widened; there had to be at least $250,000 (currency?) in the briefcase. "This is half of the payment for accepting the task. The remaining payment will be given to you upon completing the task."

Z thought this over for a moment before answering. "Very well, I accept."

The man chuckled. "Good. In the briefcase is also a little guideline for you about what will be provided."

"Fine. Just one more thing... I want all unecessary Laz operatives away from the mountains. I don't want any traitors giving me grief. Believe me, I don't trust Laz at all... especially after the Sinios incident..."

The man nodded and closed the briefcase. Z picked it up and walked to his house. "A sword master... well, at least it will be a challenge."

Edited by Dark Link, 09 October 2006 - 12:17 PM.

[Gabe Puratekuta]

Gabriel picked up the sound of footsteps from the shadows of Steel's ship and saw a vague figure trying to keep out of sight.
So, old friend, you've decided to stow away she thought with a smile

[~Light Goddess~]

Lena looked over to find everyone by someone named Steel talking about some kind of quest. She then heard something around the lines of the Taj Nar mountains. She then got up and walked over to them.

"I...I used to live near the Taj Nar Mountains," She said, looking at the samurai. "I could help along the way"

She then brought up what she was holding in her hands. "Sashimi, anyone?"

[Gabe Puratekuta]

Gabriel happily took a few pieces and bowed her head. "Arigatou gozaimasu"

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken smiled, feeling good that the others wanted to go with the same decision he had made up.

"Everyone here is ready and willing."