The Oni of Waukasha

[Hysteria]

Talen silently swore as the Oni ran off. He didn’t want to run after the giant bug, he was tired enough already. The youth was about to move but cringed as Nightstalker jumped in front of the beast and was mown down. The youth could only shake his head at the stupidity of the action.

Even if you had killed it…

Past the fallen Ninja the Oni found its demise and relief swept through the little warrior. He slowly walked back to the summoner and looked at lifeless body. The youth bent down and pulled off the white mask to see the man's face. The youth was surprised by what he saw, the man was remarkably average. The youth shook his head and cleared away the thought. He reminded himself that he was here to learn about the summoner and beast. He flicked open the dead man’s coat and pulled out the obsidian dagger.

The sound of shouting turned Talen’s attention to the Monster Hunters. They were scrambling towards the Oni’s corpse. The youth sighed and walked over to the fallen Nightstalker. The ninja was a mess lying amid the debris of the Oni’s rampage. Talen was surprised to see him still alive.

“Oi!” Shouted Talen towards the Monster Hunters, “We need some help over here!”

Talen crouched down beside him. Talen’s didn’t offer any words of support or wellbeing; he stayed close more out of convention than concern.

[Nightstalker]

Nightstalker lay there, struggling for every breath, his ribs crushed, his lungs punctured. Blood was all he was coughing up. Slowly, an elderly woman made her way over and kneeled by the fallen ninja, and lay her hands on him. She looked over at Talen, as green energy spiraled down from her shoulders, and into the man. A gentle smile spoke of the benevolent intent she had in mind.

“Be at peace young man. I can't completely heal you, I was never that skilled. I can however promise that you'll be able to limp home and recover to see another day.” She said, her voice as frail as her form.

Her magic faded, and slowly Nightstalker sat up. He felt himself, wincing a few times as he felt his chest. He looked for his sword, and recovered it from where it lay next to him. He looked deeply into the eyes of the old healer, and she in turn looked deeply back into his. With a silent nod of his head, he thanked her for her gift.

“May I ask you a question? I have seen many tactics in my time, and come to understand the reason behind each one. But I do not understand why you faced down the oni as you did. What was your intent?” she asked.

“Well, my thought was that I would slice its underbelly completely open from front to back, and thus cause all its guts to spill out. I would've gone for its heart, but I don't think it has one. So, that healing, what's been done?” Nightstalker asked.

“Oh, I think I felt some broken bones. Their mended, but weak, and something was wrong with your lungs, but their back to normal. Your still weak, and your bones can easily snap if you don't give them time to recover. You've lost blood you need to get back, your muscles are injured. Honestly, your lucky I was hear. If I had to put it all in numbers, your about 50%. As for your tactics, it was an interesting thought, but, well I'm no warrior, so I'll let your companions discuss that with you. I was merely curious.”

“It had a number of flaws. Hey, I found a heart!” A nearby member of william's team said.

“I can see that now. May I have its heart, as proof it has been slain? I must return to my master, he has been watching in a magical crystal orb he procured from a wizard in his younger years. I'm certain he'll have a number of points to go over.” the shinobi said after getting to his feet.

Wordlessly, the heart was handed over, and Nightstalker turned to leave. He walked away towards the comb mountains, but stopped before he had gone even ten feet. Turning, he looked first at Talen, then at William, burning the images in his mind.

“It was a pleasure working with you. Perhaps someday, after my skill improves, we can do so again. If you, or any of the knights need a ninja, well, here's my signature, don't hesitate to look me up.” Nightstalker said.

So saying, he grabbed a black lotus from a nearby flower shop, and laid it on the Oni's dead body, then he walked out of town and into the trees, then vanished into the undergrowth. As for the elderly healer, she struggled to her feet and looked around.

“So, anyone else require some healing? My lovely young apprentice can help if there is a great deal of need.” she said.

[Revenant]

It’s over, William’s human form lay panting, too exhausted to speak. Motionless, the Revenant’s body laid contorted in a pile of clotted dirt and other unmentionables, though at that moment it felt as comfortable as a feather filled mattress. Orange eyes made lazy circles as the limp warrior watched birds circling high overhead, their primitive avian brains too stupid to be frightened away by the oni’s rampage for more than a minute or two. Once the beast had been brought down, the dumb animals came running right back for a piece of the carcass.

Speaking of which, William thought as Waukasha’s elderly healer came rushing over to him. Annoyed at the interruption to his rest, William angrily raised an arm to shoo the woman away and to let everyone else know that his motionlessness wasn’t because he was wounded. Using his magma shot always took a lot out of him but in this case the benefits far outweighed the rewards.

Annoyance successfully driven away, William laid back and closed his eyes, willing the easy darkness of sleep to overtake him. Unfortunately a new voice forced itself into his mind as he laid there, a voice that was unavoidable.

“Start cutting it up Jerrick,” William growled, lifting himself from the dust. “I’ll do the rounds.” Jerrick nodded and returned to where the remaining hunters had gathered around Oni no Kosaku’s ragged corpse. There were enough bolts in the thing’s armored carapace to drop a dragon, and yet it was only the combined efforts of William, Talen, and the Nightstalker that had taken the summoned creature down.

Speaking of which, William mumbled, remembering the mercenary that had been hired to accompany them. Grumbling that what he felt to be a very deserved rest was denied to him, William shuffled across the ruined town, ignoring the departing Akashiman ninja and his oni-heart prize, and over the low rolling sandy hill. Issac, the Black Knight, lay motionless, his body shattered and contorted by the Oni. But despite the heavy injuries the man’s body bore, William was surprised to see that the Knight still lived. His hold on this world was precariously tenuous, but he somehow managed to maintain it. William pondered how Sei would react in this situation, wondering just what lengths the mute would go to to ensure that the man lived. Shrugging, William turned and left Issac’s broken form in the dirt. He was no Sei Orlouge and it certainly wasn’t his concern if the man lived or died.

“Alright,” William called out across the ruins of Waukasha, his returning strength evident in his voice, “let’s finish this and get home. “

[Hysteria]

Talen moved away from the ninja as the old woman tended him. The youth lent against one of the still standing buildings and waited for the healers to do their work for William but was surprised to see that the fellow Captian push himself to his feet.

Guy’s tough, I’ll give him that.

The youth watched as the Reverant slowly walked through the town and back the way the group had come. At first Talen had thought he was going back to the wagon and followed him. Soon they came to the scene of their first fight and where Talen thought their Black Knight companion lay dead. The little warrior was surprise to find the man still alive but cared little. The youth glanced around cautiously and then bent down. He reached to the knight’s waist and pulled free the man’s purse. Talen stood up and slipped the purse into a pocket and started walking back to the wagon.

The others can do their jobs, I’ve done mine.

Talen lent against the wagon with his arms crossed in front of his chest and waited for the others to be done.

Requests:

For Talen:

Mask of the Oni:
The Mask of the Oni is a simple white mask that was created to empower a summoned demon. When Talen wears the mask it allows him to strengthen his bond to the real world in a similar way, allowing him to move with less effort. The effect causes Talen to move with increased speed of another person.

If also possible

Dagger of Life:
The Dagger of Life is an obsidian dagger with a special magical property. When the holder of the dagger slashes his or herself (doing a decent amount of superficial damage) he can 'super charge' the next magical attack, increasing its effects by 50%.

For The Nine:

2x Oni Acid Sacs:
The two acid sacs from the Oni of Waukasha. The sacs contain a very potent acid and can be used in crafting.

[Silence Sei]

• STORY ~ 15/30



CHARACTER ~ 15/30

WRITING STYLE ~ 10/30

Wild Card (7/10)

Total: 47/100


The main problem was this thread was that Rev started us out great, good backstory and everything. Hysteria even did a good juob keeping up the pace set, but Nightstalker was just a wildcard who seemingly had no place there. He just happened upon the village where the oni was? The soldiers only drew swords at a NINJA approaching them? And one of the worst lines I have ever seen “It had a number of flaws. Hey, I found a heart!” Was what killed you here. Hysteria had a few spelling and grammatical errors, and there were even a few from Rev, but Nightstalker really needs to work on improving the character, dialogue, and mechanics of his lil ninja if he wants higher scores.

Hysteria gets 905 Exp, 50 GP and his spoils approved.

Rev gets 1400 exp, 50 GP and spoil, The Slave Chain, approved.

Revenant requests Slave Chain - This thin golden chain looks thin enough to be broken easily but is deceptively strong. The chain has two ends, one for a master and one for a slave. Anyone shackled to the slave end of the chain is rendered completely subservient to the person shackled into the master's side.

Nightstalker gets 700 exp, 25 GP , and the heart of the Oni, though it doesn’t do anything special.

Black Knight gets 120 EXP, no GP, and no spoils.

[Silence Sei]

Exp-GP added.

Hysteria and Revenant Leveled up! Joining the IK is fun!