The Oni of Waukasha

[Revenant]

At first glance, the fishing village of Waukasha appeared to be a pleasant, off the path community. Like many Akashiman fishing villages, the simple wooden buildings clustered together, huddled around the bobbing piers that extended from the shore like greedy fingers reaching to claim the sea’s bountiful harvest. A gentle breeze flowed away from Waukasha, bringing the scent of rotting seaweed and old fish along with it. Closer inspection revealed that there was something off about Waukasha however. Despite the hour, the village’s numerous fishing vessels remained lashed to their berths, and there were no signs of motion through the barren, windswept streets. Though this was William Arcus’ first trek into Akashima, his burning eyes took in Waukasha’s visage with the experienced eyes of one who has seen much in his life and travelled far, leaving only one thought in his mind.

Seen one fishing village, seen them all.

Six warriors accompanied the Revenant, dragging along a steel-laden wagon filled with thick boar spears and heavy crossbows. Each of the six, as was William, were members of Sei Orlouge’s Ixian Knights, and each was well versed in the specialized field of combating monstrous creatures. They had drilled, and fought, and bled together on numerous occasions, a close-knit team forged into a single cohesive unit in order to bring down the mightiest terrors that Althanas could breed.

“Heigei, to me,” William called, never taking his eyes from Waukasha. The lone Akashiman from the squad bounded up the trail to attend his Captain, his sheer black hair swaying lightly in the salty morning breeze. Heigei had spent the better part of the squad’s two day run from Radasanth to Waukasha filling his comrades in on the particulars of Akashima’s history, culture, and lore.

“Heigei?” William questioned, making sure he had the Akashiman’s attention.

“Yes, Captian?” Heigei replied, scanning the village himself.

A moment of silence passed as William finished his study before finally turning to his subordinate. “Well?”

“There appears to be no sign of the creature aside from the charred buildings on Waukasha’s south end.” Heigei paused for a moment, but seeing the questioning look in William’s gaze continued, “That alone is no indication that the creature isn’t still around though. If the report given to Sei-sama was correct, then this creature is likely to be a bound oni.”

“Which means what?” asked Jerrick, former mercenary and current second-in-command of the squad.

William inclined his head briefly in Jerrick’s direction, acknowledging the mercenary’s arrival, while Heigei bowed his head low in respect. Jerrick grimaced, waving off the formality and gesturing for Heigei to continue.

“As I have mentioned, Akashima is called the Land of a Thousand Spirits for a reason. Oni are the malevolent, chaotic spirits which infest the land, though they normally have little more influence than to whisper their corruption in one’s ear. All that changes when a summoner manages to connect one of the oni with a powerful soul however, at which point the oni is given a physical form.”

William grimaced at Heigei’s description. The entire process sounded far too similar to the soul-binding process that had been used to turn him from a human to the creature that he now was and the thought of another Kal’Necroth rising to power was something he could not abide.

“So where is this oni now?” William asked, his voice gritty and on-edge.

“Since oni are just spirits, their physical forms can be banished back to the spirit world by their summoner and then called back as needed,” Heigei paused for a moment before adding, “though doing so repeatedly would put much strain on the soul that the oni is bound to.”

“So we’ve got a giant monster lurking in the shadows, waiting to be sprung on us like a trap,” Jerrick grimaced. The day was not turning out well for the Ixian Knights’ monster hunters.

“Well then,” William waved for the rest of the squad to start driving the wagon towards Waukasha, “let’s not keep it waiting.”

[Hysteria]

The salty smell of fish and seaweed greeted Talen as he rocked side to side in the weapon filled wagon towards the small fishing town of Waukasha. The village was not the youth's ideal place to visit, but he was there for business, not pleasure. Talen was not your normal 13 year old. The small boy, who until a few months ago made his money as a travelling puppeteer, was now one of the Ixian Knights. All the knights had been assigned to an area of work and for Talen that was information gathering.

There were two reasons that led to Talen to be sitting in the wagon heading towards the small town. The first being that if the reports of this giant Oni were true, it was a power worth studying and depending on the circumstance either destroyed or harnessed. The second was that Talen was small enough to not raise objections of the other men who were forced to pull the weapon.

Despite his size, the youth was not what he seemed. Behind the average and slightly greying black pants and shirt was a being of magic. Talen controlled the shadows, using them in a variety of ways to further whatever nefarious motives he had. His arsenal was not limited to the dark arts either, at his waist he carried two sword he could wield with deadly proficiency and on his body were a few other various useful items.

Talen didn't bother to get out of the cart as William surveyed the town. The youth continued to recline against the side of the cart and his blue eyes stared up into the sky.

Waiting in the shadows? What a nice idea.

“Marching straight in huh? Looks like the Oni thing to do.” shouted Talen with a smug grin of self-satisfaction.

[black knight]

Stepping off of the wagon with a thud, Issac just let out a heavy sigh. His red eyes looking all over the place. Spotting a tavern where people were walking in and out, he just smirked behind his armored helmet. His black armor shinning in the sunlight as the wind blows from behind him. Reaching back on the wagon to grab his dual-bladed axe.

Grabbing his axe from the wagon with a deep inhale, he just grips it tight in his right hand and walked off with a heavy footstep as he just brushes past people. His armor gleaming in the light as he just stops a few paces from the wagon as people just start walking off into town.. Looking around him, he let out a heavy breath as he just looked around as people walked around all over. Young kids playing together, men and women walking around doing what they need to do. The local blacksmith in his shop talking to a young man about something.

Then further up the road, he just shivered as he felt something tugging at him. Like calling to him. Fighting the urge, he just stands there and listens to the people around him speaking.

Hearing the man who employed him for this speak, he caught wind of something about an Oni. Issac just turned his head to the man who called himself William.

"Well what are we gonna do? Just stand here and let it come to us? If it was up to me, I'd find a way to set a trap or something for it when it comes, but that is just my opinion." says the man clad in black armor. His red eyes looking into the distance as he just exhales a deep sigh as he turns back to the boat, a shiver down his spine as he just stands there, waiting to know how things are to go down.

[Nightstalker]

He was sent to the small village of Waukasha for one reason, nobody had yet defeated the oni ravaging the village. Nightstalker waited in the shadows in his black stealth suit, hunting his prey. When conventional soldiers failed, the safety of Akashima went to those who were trained to be naught but whispers on the wind.

Yet, it seemed the young ninja wasn't the only one hunting this oni. A group of foreign soldiers had come to town, possibly seeking glory for their own. Nightstalker scowled from his hiding place, Akashima did not need foreign heroes. Yet, he had to admit that he might need help in dispatching this creature. Setting aside his feelings, he decided he would introduce himself to this group.

So it was that one of the lesser soldiers first spotted the black clad figure coming towards the group. Aside from his eyes, nothing else could be seen of the ninja, so greatly did his suit cover him. They prepared to draw swords on him, and Nightstalker put his hands up to show he had no ill intent towards the group.

“Welcome my friends to Akashima, where a spirit lurks around every corner. Unless my guess is mistaken, your here looking for the same thing I am, a bug that needs to be stepped on. I'm glad you arrived, I was set to tackle it all on my own. Call me Nightstalker, and if my guess is correct and we're all here to save this town, then I'd like to work with you to increase our mutual chances of success.” he said, introducing himself to the group.

He had no doubts they'd accept him, he was a local, and they were not. He knew the area better than they did, was friendlier with the locals, and even if none of that was true, for a creature like an Oni one more friendly blade was always welcome.

[Revenant]

At William’s command the procession started forward again, the ox-drawn wagon creaking slightly as is shifted back into motion. Talen’s shouted pun roused a chuckle from a few of William’s men, but brought only a scowl to the Revenant’s face. And then, as if completely oblivious to the unpleasant demeanor that William was giving off, the mercenary Issac came forward to offer his less-than-wanted opinion on the matter before them.

A low growl escaped William’s throat before he could stop it. He hadn’t wanted to bring either of the two men along, not wanting to throw an element of the unknown into the workings of his smoothly drilled squad. But, as so frequently happened, the Revenant’s plans had been upset at the last moment by an order from Sei. William had acquiesced to the mute’s demands that he bring his fellow Ixian Captain along, but had fought hard against adding the mercenary dark night to his cadre. Sei, however, was always on the lookout for new talent and had insisted that Issac be brought along.

Sei always got what he wanted.

“Oh we’re not going to just walk in unprepared,” Lorelai, the sole woman in William’s squad, replied. “Captain is going to take two of us in to rout the bastard right out of there and the rest of us will be waiting for it on the outskirts with these babies.” Lorelai pulled back the tarp in the center of the wagon to reveal the heavy crossbows and thick boar spears beneath. “The tips on these are special forged back in the Tomb and are heavy enough to punch through most of these bastards’ hides.”

William walked on quietly, preferring to leave the friendly banter up to his subordinates rather than waste his own time on it. His burning eyes scanned Waukasha’s streets diligently, taking in everything. Darting motions from the streets around the wharf told him that Waukasha was not quite as abandoned as he first believed. Perhaps the arrival of his forces had roused the town’s occupants to some semblance of life? He could see even more of the residents hiding behind their curtains, peering at him with furtive glances that seemed to either warn him to flee as quickly as he could or otherwise urge him onwards.

It was at that moment, while he was studying Waukasha’s layout, that a flurry of spewed curses and quick motions drew the Revenant’s attention back to his squad. Another figure, clad entirely in swaths of night, had appeared out of nowhere and was approaching his wagon with hands upraised.

Not another one, William mentally groaned and rolled his eyes but waved for his men to stand down. Heigei, he noted, maintained an alert stance, muttering something about ‘ninjas.’ William wasn’t familiar with the term, assuming it was Akashiman in origin, and made a note to ask Heigei what it meant when he had a free moment.

Once again the Revenant’s first impulse was to deny Nightstalker’s request. But Nightstalker was a local and Sei was always going on about the importance of creating and maintaining good relations with the locals wherever the Ixian Knights went. It wasn’t enough to motivate William to accept the man, but the further knowledge that the man’s local status meant that he wasn’t likely to sit the fight out if he was denied made up William’s mind for him. He just couldn’t afford to have Nightstalker running around as a rogue agent in the middle of their fight.

“The Ixian Knights welcome your assistance Nightstalker,” William offered, noting the warning glance that Heigei gave him. He would really have to speak to Heigei and figure out what made the Akashiman so wary towards Nightstalker.

At that moment, as if to ensure that William was not given a moment of free time to think, let alone act, a cold wind rose behind him. It was no common wind, driven off the waters by the early morning shift of the breeze, but a foul, fetid wind that threatened to rob William of his breath.

“So,” a sinister, raspy voice filled William’s mind, riding on the foul, mounting wind. “I finally receive some new visitors.” William whipped around, his eyes instinctively seeking out the source of the sinister voice. “My town offers me little in the way of a challenge since I slaughtered its guards and I was beginning to get bored.”

The voice belonged to the first of the two lone figures that strode down Waukasha’s main thoroughfare. He was a tall, thin man, though his stopped posture camouflaged his true height. Threadbare robes of a sickly green color draped over his hunched shoulders, and he supported himself with a staff that appeared to be fashioned out of a single piece of polished obsidian. His face was hidden behind a similarly fashioned horned skull mask, though William could see the sallow, bloodshot eyes behind it.

Behind him, attached by a thin length of chain and bound in manacles, stumbled a bone-thin, wasted looking man. Like his captor, the bound man’s face was hidden by a mask, though his was a blank façade of pure white porcelain. This, William surmised, must be the soul focus for the summoner’s power.

But though the wicked man fairly pulsed with the power of the dark magic available to him, William main concern wasn’t focused on him. Rather, it was focused on the gathering cloud of glowing mist behind him, the source of the summoner’s fetid wind. Odd shapes twisted within the mist, defying human logic and forcing William to look away lest his mind be drawn to places where it shouldn’t go. But the forming shapes didn’t last long, and quicker than the eye could follow they resolved into a house sized creature. It looked nothing so much as a cross between a centipede and a spider, with acidic slather dripping from its segmented jaws and an armored hide that looked like it would deter even the Ixian Knights’ heavy weapons.

“Go Oni no Kosaku,” the summoner shrieked in delight at the stunned look coming from the would-be slayers. “Crush everyone who would stand against me.”

[Hysteria]

Talen's pale blue eyes reflected the sparse clouds hanging in the morning sky. The youth inhaled as the ninja introduced himself to the rest of the crew. Talen exhaled and focused on the sensation of the quiet release of air.

This day is going to be long.

The thoughts drifted through the pale boy's mind like the salt upon the sea air. Talen pushed himself up to a sitting position and glanced towards the city as the unnaturally loud voice of the summoner carried to the group. Talen's relaxed eyes narrowed at the challenge and his peaceful and open face steeled. The youth recognised the sudden rise in threat. The summoner was arrogant, but few men in his profession were without reason.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Mumbled Talen as he pushed himself off the wagon and landed on the ground with a thud and a puff of dirt.

The youth placed his hand on his sword hilt and walked towards William. Talen only came up to the demonic man's chin, and he raised his head when he was next to him.

“I'll flank him and try and get behind to take out the summoner. I'll be no good against that beast head on.” Said Talen calmly.

The youth didn't wait for an answer from his equal. Instead he walked away from the group and the creature with a sway in his step. His actions were simple and calm, so that he didn't gain the attention of the giant creature. Once he had moved far enough away from the group he planned to double around to take the advantage.

[Nightstalker]

“A weakness, I need a weakness. I've faced tougher situations than this, such as that giant roach-like monster in Koriko's domain with its hundreds of eyes looking at me and filling me with fear. But this creature appears to have no visible flaws in its creation, yet I wonder what would happen if that prisoner attached to it were to die. I'd hate to kill an innocent man without cause, but if it means saving the village, I'll do it. First though, I'm going to try saving him.” Nightstalker thought after the oni appeared.

“I'm going to save that prisoner. It'll do something, I'm certain, hopefully expose a weakness.

Nightstalker drew his Wakizashi, and charged the unnatural creature. His blade, shining black in the light, had a secret few other weapons possessed. That very same creature's blood that Nightstalker had faced in the afterlife was now imbued in his blade, giving it the power of acid. This made it a very damaging weapon, for the blood was acidic in nature.

Mandibles clacked together as they missed the charging ninja, and the shadowy warrior narrowly avoided being stepped on as he wound around to the prisoner. With a slash he began attacking the chain, but it would take several blows to completely sever it. Even still, a shallow score could be seen in the chain.

Nightstalker spotted a leg coming for him, and narrowly flipped out of the way in time. However, his form was off and he fell flat on his face anyway. It was obvious to the Ninja, that despite his recent training with a new master, he was still not any better than he was before. Hokkaido would probably punish him for his failure to pull off a successful back-flip. Nightstalker began getting back up, but the Oni was turning on him, to finish him off.

[Revenant]

The Ixian monster hunters sprang into action, needing no prompting from their leader. Two of the hunters trailed Talen, focusing fire on the summoner in an effort to draw the man’s attention away from the shadowmancer. The rest bolted in the opposite direction, firing at Oni no Kosaku. William grabbed one of the heavy spears and charged forward with the Dark Knight Issac, freeing his molten power as he went and undergoing the transformation into his demonic form.

“Move you bastard,” William yelled out as his supernaturally enhanced speed easily outpaced the Knight. Noting their approach with one of its massive, rolling eyes, the Oni lashed out with a massive, armored claw. The speed of the attack was nearly unbelievable given the creature’s size, but William was practiced in fighting creatures of this magnitude and ducked under the lashing claw, barely breaking stride. Issac didn’t fare quite as well however, and the claw caught his right in the chest, snapping the Knight’s body through the air with a horrendously inhuman crack. William cursed as the man’s body disappeared into the sandy brush. That’s why I don’t want tagalongs, Sei.

But William had more pressing concerns as the moment than the fate of a mercenary. Now inside the Oni’s stance, William was in an excellent position to do extensive harm to the creature. Roaring a battle cry, the Revenant thrust his heavy tipped spear into Oni no Kosaku’s underbelly, but his cry was cut short and replaced with a curse as his weapon made little more impact than to leave a heavy scratch on the Oni’s armored underside.

The creature’s hind end slammed down as the Oni dropped, no longer paying attention to the ninja and instead seeking to crush the insect who dared to attack it. Acting purely on instinct, William dropped his spear and dove out from under the descending abdomen. A cloud of dust kicked up as the creature’s hindquarters slammed into the ground and the ground rumbled from the force, but once again William’s superhuman speed saved him.

The dust cloud filled William’s lungs as he pushed himself back to his feet. Coughing, he backed away from the creature and surveyed the battle. The shots from his squad’s heavy crossbows seemed to have little more effect than his spear had, though one of them appeared to have scored a lucky shot and stuck in between the segmented joints of the Oni’s body. It didn’t look to be doing much to slow the creature down, but it was something. He wondered if he could exploit it somehow.

Fire from the other two hunters was equally ineffective as the summoner brought his staff up and deflected them with a shield of dark energy. There was no sign of Talen yet, but the focused fire had allowed the ninja to score a hit on the chain that bound the summoner’s prisoner to him. But even as William noticed this, the summoner jerked his prisoner away and spun his shield of dark energy towards the ninja, letting the magic pulse outwards to drive the shadowy figure back. He then stomped his foot and reached out with his free hand, grasping at the air. Under the ninja, the dirt of Waukasha flowed like a living creature, mimicking the summoner’s grasping features.

“You dare try to take my things, my land from me?” he snarled, a shimmering aura of power enveloping him.

[Hysteria]

Slow easy steps guided Talen around the few buildings on the outside of town. The youth was in no rush, but the men with him were just about to jump out of their skin. The youth’s eyes glanced back at them as he walked. He knew they were going to stuff up a silent approach; they were too loyal to their comrades to stand idle why they fought.

The youth stopped between two buildings and glanced between them. He was just past the Oni, but not behind the summoner yet. Talen lifted his hand and pointed at the summoner and the two men moved down the narrow gap and then rushed to engage the masked man. The youth didn’t move from his spot. His hand lifted in the air and a spiral of darkness formed above it. The darkness solidified into a large black rose that hung in the air with purposeful malice. The flower slowly started to bloom as Talen jogged once again away from the action and further around the creature.

The little shadow warrior edged along the side of a building and glanced around the corner. The two men he had sent to attack the summoner had been pushed back easily but didn’t seem too badly hurt. Talen’s eyes shifted to the ninja and he inwardly sighed.

A ninja with a sense of right and wrong and no sense of concealment. Fantastic.

The cynical thoughts moved through Talen’s mind as he slowly drew his Katana. With once last deep breath and flash of regret, he ran out from the corner towards the summoner.

The salty air rushed past Talen’s ears and stung his eyes slightly, but he focused on the summoner. The youth held himself low to the ground and kept his sword lower. He felt like he was skimming the road quickly, although he knew his little legs weren’t fast enough to reach the summoner before he was detected.

In a flash the masked menace had turned and the wall of dark energy pushed towards the youth. Talen shifted his feet and changed direction so he was running parallel to the summoner. The wall of energy brushed past him and the pale boy grinned.

From between the buildings the shadow flower puffed out of existence with a little cloud of darkness. From within its shadowy folds two palm size petals shot towards the back summoner with razor sharp intent. The attack would have worked on lesser foes, but not this one. With a slight hand movement the summoner moved the wall of energy in front of the projectiles and they bounced harmlessly off.

Talen drove his foot into the ground and changed his direction back towards the summoner. His sword lifted and his grin broke into a full smile as he brought his sword down in a spray of ruby red blood. Talen’s blue eyes looked up at the eyes of the masked man and through the slits he could see them wide with fear. The youth didn’t hesitate and slashed upwards in another spray of blood. The chained prisoner managed a gargled cry as he fell to the ground. His white mask fell off and cracked as it hit the ground amid a growing pool of blood.

Talen didn’t have time to turn as he was hit by the wall of energy from the enraged summoner. The youth was flung through the air and skidded along the ground in a flail of arms and legs and he hit the side of a house with a thud. Slowly Talen’s mind caught up with his body and he focused on the Summoner looking down at the dead prisoner.

“Much quicker than cutting the chain.” Mumbled Talen as he pushed himself back to his feet.

[Nightstalker]

Nightstalker got up only to realize the man he was trying to save was now dead. His only regret was that he had failed his self-assigned mission. He looked to the oni to see if there was any change. Yes, the Oni had begun to slow down! Nightstalker swung for its side, and succeeded in scoring a deep gash in its side bringing a bellow of pain to the creature's maw. The wound Nightstalker had made was visible to all, and infuriated the summoner.

“My pet! I shall not let you harm my servant!” The Summoner screamed.

Nightstalker saw the wave of dark energy coming for him, and dived under the beast between the legs. The wave of energy hit the beast instead and brought more harm to the creature. The ninja barely crawled out to the other side in time to avoid being trampled on. Nightstalker changed his target, keeping the creature between himself and the summoner for protection. Now he began attacking the legs, seeking to hamper the thing's movement even further.

[Revenant]

William had to admit that the fight with the Oni was going uncommonly well. He wanted to put the credit for it squarely on his squad’s shoulders but knew that they had only been able to get this far because of the efforts of his fellow Captain and their ninja ally. It mattered little to the Monster Hunter that an innocent man had to die to get them to this point. He was far more pragmatic than to mourn the loss of one life when weighed against the potential destruction that leaving him alive could bring. Besides, how many other innocent people had died because the man had become the enemy’s pawn? In the Revenant’s unforgiving mind, the man’s life had been forfeit the moment he succumbed to the summoner’s power.

Rearing up, the Oni roared ahead of William, wildly thrashing about as the magical forces within it ran amok. It attacked almost blindly, swiping at the Nighstalker, the monster hunters, and William himself with broad, sluggish strokes. Talen had done them all a great service by killing the chained man, and as hesitant as William had been to allow the ninja to join with them, he had to admit that the Nightstalker had proven his usefulness by distracting the summoner and keeping the man from bolstering his flailing creature. Ducking under a slashing swipe from Oni no Kosaku’s hind leg, William thrust the summoner completely out of his mind, trusting Talen and the Nightstalker to deal with the errant mage. Now that the others had done their business, it was time for William and his team to do theirs.

All of his squad had turned their fire to focus on the floundering Oni, sensing the creature’s momentary weakness and pressing on it. Another round of fire concentrated fire from the hunter’s heavy crossbows slammed into the beast, and this time each bolt found purchase in the creature’s armored carapace and drove home with force. William snarled, rolled out of the path of another of the Oni’s strikes, and then charged back into the fray.

While the others saw the Oni’s sluggishness and brittle carapace as the extent of the creature’s weakness, William saw all of the intricate details that went with the severing of the creature’s magical tether. After completing the test of the Icehenge in the frozen wasteland of Berevar, William’s sight had been blessed by the Thayne Goddess Jomil. Everything that he looked at decayed in front of him, but in doing so it showed William the inherently weak points that could be exploited for greater destruction. His gift was usually limited against living things as their shifting natures made their weaknesses fluctuate too much to be of any real use to the Revenant. But despite his normal deficiencies regarding living creatures, the sudden shift in power away from the Oni manifested very visibly in William’s sight as a series of cracks woven throughout the Oni’s carapace. All he would need to do would be to strike at one of those cracks to open it wide and do massive damage to the creature.

It was a simple matter for William to time his blow to strike one of the cracks in the Oni’s leg carapace as the creature recovered from its wild swing. Steel hard bone bit deeply into the creature’s armor, driven by all of the weight of the Revenant’s supernatural strength. A wet, snapping sound echoed through the street, followed by a hideous, bellowing wail from Oni no Kosaku. The creature stumbled backwards as its leg gave way beneath it and crashed into one of the nearby wooden dwellings that were so favored by the Akashiman people. William was instantly on the move again, dodging kicked up waves of grit and flying splinters as he moved in for the kill. Oni no Kosaku glared at the approaching Revenant with hate-filled eyes and William barely had time to react as the wounded creature opened its jaws and loosed a gigantic spray of bubbling webbed strands that reached over the entire square.

[Hysteria]

Talen propped himself up with his blade as he stood up. His body ached, but the youth didn’t let the discomfort slow him down. The little warrior turned his blue eyes to the giant creature and smiled as the groups weapons found purchase in its hide. The youth turned his attention to the summoner. The masked man was not happy as he watched the fight unfold. The man reached into his cloak and pulled out a dark dagger. With a quick movement he cut across his arm.

The youth didn’t know what to think about the self-harming summoner, but decided he should press the advantage. Pulling his sword up, Talen charged towards the summoner again. The adversary lifted his staff and pointed it towards Talen. There was a sudden burst of energy directly in front of the staff. The swirling vortex exploded towards Talen. The youth’s face froze in shock at the sudden increase of power the summoner displayed. Talen’s reflexes acted with thought and the youth dived to the side. The vortex shot past Talen and stuck the building just behind him. There was a tremendous crack of energy as the buildings walls were ripped aside. The youth glanced back at the building, now just two walls with a mess of wood and debris.

“Huh..”

Talen pushed himself to his feet and ran forwards once more. His left hand went to his waist and he drew his wakizashi. With a sword in both his hands he jumped into the air and came down on the summoner. The swords clashed against the man’s staff with a spray of sparks. Talen slid his shorter wakizashi off the staff and caught the summoner’s dagger as it was thrust forwards.

The youth had earned his place as a Captain for good reason. He was ruthless when he needed to be, he was small and unassuming and could get placed where others couldn’t, but most importantly, he always had a trick up his sleeve. Talen opened his mouth and shadows streamed to a point just in front of it. The darkness solidified and shot outwards in a stream of dark liquid. The black oil sprayed into the summoner’s mask and the man stumbled backwards. Talen continued the attack and lifted his right arm towards the jet. With a quick flick of his wrist the device located upon it activated. A single bright spark shot out from under his palm and touched the liquid. Instantly the liquid caught fire. The flames shot down the jet and onto the summoner, igniting what had already sprayed across him.

Talen ceased the jet of liquid and stood backwards as the flames licked across the man. The summoner screamed in pain and dropped his staff and dagger as he batted the flames. The youth walked forwards and kicked away the dagger and staff. Talen slid his wakizashi back into its sheath and lifted his hand towards the sky. Darkness began to gather once again. This time the streaming shadows grew bigger and ended out into cage. Talen brought his hand down towards the summoner and the caged dropped around him.

With a final few swipes of his hand the summoner put out the last of the flames. Talen cursed the weak nature of the attack and the relative ineffectiveness. The summoner was burnt, but nothing that was going to kill him.

“You think you’ve won? You think this cage can hold me?” Asked the man. “I am not a trickster like you. I control real power.”

The summoner was on his feet quickly and pointed his burnt hands towards Talen. There was a sudden shaking as the Oni twisted on the spot and faced the youth and summoner. It reared back and released a spray of acid into the air. At the same time the dagger and staff of the summoner shot towards the caged man and he grasp them out of the air through the bars of the cage.

The acid hit the cage and started to quickly erode the metal as Talen turned and ran. Splashes of acid quickly dissolved the road and cage as the summoner started to laugh. The acid that made its way through the bars of the cage stuck a force field and dripped down it leaving the summoner unhurt.

In a few seconds the cage was mostly gone and the summoner free. The man pushed his staff into the ground and shot into the air and onto the top of his giant creation. Perched on the creature he twisted it around again towards the hunters.

[Nightstalker]

Nightstalker pulled himself to his feet in time to realize the battle had raged on without him. The summoner was now atop the Oni, riding it like a steed. The knights had managed to inflict some minor wounds on the creature, and this brought a feeling of relief to the ninja. Suddenly, the summoner wheeled the Oni about and began heading into town. As the back end of the oni whipped around it knocked two of the knights into a nearby building, collapsing it and trapping them beneath the rubble.

Nightstalker acted quickly and grabbed onto the end of the Oni, holding his sword in his teeth. Slowly he began climbing up to the back, his plan being to make his way up to the summoner. The summoner noticed Nightstalker though, and sent the Oni careening through several nearby houses trying to knock the ninja off. He held on for all he was worth, and managed through some miracle to hold on. The Oni barrled through the pub, and as the building fell, it trapped a third knight beneath its rubble.

As Nightstalker reached the top, he had to throw himself back down the side again to avoid a wave of dark energy from the summoner. Crawling back up, he stayed down close to the creature's body to make a more difficult target for the summoner. The Oni made a lap around the town square, and knocked over the magistrate's office, trapping the remaining three knights. All that was left to face the Oni were Nightstalker, and the Ixian Knight's two generals.

Nightstalker pulled a steel shuriken (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=19069) out of a secret fold in his outfit, and threw it at the summoner, who looked back just in time to get the projectile in the face, protected only by his mask. He roared out in pain and anger as the point barely penetrated the surface of his nose, and was accompanied by his pet.

[Revenant]

“Ugh, damn it,” William grumbled, pushing the dissolving remnants of the collapsed building off himself. Rubble shifted and fell away as the demonic man shoved his way clear from the wreckage that Oni no Kosaku had brought down on him as he sheltered away from the creature’s acidic spray. A quick survey of Waukasha showed William that his squad had been unsuccessful in limiting damage to the town from the creature.

Though both had been wounded, Oni no Kosaku and its summoner had proven to be too powerful to stop its destructive ramage. Several groans from within the rubble told William that both his squad and numerous civilians remained trapped. He wasn’t sure of the extent to which any of them had been wounded, and he didn’t have the time to investigate right now. Strain showed on the summoner’s face as he fought to maintain full control over the wounded, rampaging beast, and the Nightstalker’s continuing assault wasn’t giving him any time to recover.

“Alright then,” William growled picking up a shattered piece of the building’s frame and holding it like a makeshift club. The beam was larger than William, and easily heavy enough that it would take several fully grown men to lift. The Revenant, however, handled it with an ease that displayed the supernatural power flowing through him. Testing the beam’s integrity with a few heavy jostles, William ran down the street towards where the Nightstalker was currently keeping the summoner’s attention otherwise engaged. He had broken one of the damned Oni’s legs but it hadn’t been enough to slow the creature down. Perhaps a larger effect was needed.

Though the creature’s attention was focused on the dodgy ninja, it caught William’s approach from the corner of its segmented eye. Casually, almost dismissively, the creature’s maw came around and disgorged another burst of acidic filth at William before returning to the Nightstalker. But upon seeing the creature’s caustic attack William lowered his head and barreled forward, using the massive building-beam as a shield rather than dodge out of the way. The enormous hunk of wood did its job well, breaking most of the acid stream, allowing William to grit his teeth away from the numerous areas of dotting that splashed over him rather than dissolving him away outright.

With a roar to shake the sky, William brought the sizzling beam around behind him like a locked catapult and hurtled across the last bit of intervening terrain. Noticing that its attack had been ineffective Oni no Kosaku jerked its focus back to the charred man, resisting the compulsive urge the summoner was forcing into it to direct its attention at the ninja in favor of self preservation. It needn’t have bothered in this case, as there was nothing the massive creature could do to get out of the path of the swing that William took with his makeshift weapon. The resulting crack from the acid coated beam striking Oni no Kosaku’s head was almost deafening but it was enough. With a groan, the beast slumped backwards and drooled a stream of thick blood and shattered carapace. It wasn’t finished by any means, but William’s attack had put his team back on the offensive.

[Hysteria]

Talen weaved his way through the gaps in the buildings and skidded to a halt with his back against a wall. The youth had only just managed to take cover between the buildings as the acid stuck the road. The youth could hear the Oni start its rampage down the street and slowly emerged from between the buildings. His face twisted into a frown as he caught the shape of William charging down the road with a giant piece of wood.

I need to get up high.

Talen sheathed his sword as he ran towards one of the half-collapsed buildings and scrambled up on the debris and remaining roof. At the top he was high enough to jump to the next build, and after a deep breath to muster the courage he did so.

The youth landed and rolled on the next building’s flat roof but was up again quickly and running towards the next building. With his eyes fixated on the city centre and the rampaging Oni, Talen jumped onto the closest building and skidded to a halt. The youth ducked down low and watched as Nightstalker and William attacked. With a crack of thunderous force William scored hit on the beast and it slumped below the building Talen was standing on. The youth drew his sword and jumped onto the stunned beast.

Talen clasp the sword with both hands and drove it down into the carapace of the Oni as he landed. The blade slid into the beast, but Talen was not trying to hurt it, instead he placed his foot against the flat of the exposed blade and his hand on the hilt to steady himself.

At the Oni’s neck the summoner was working magic feverously to strengthen the creature. Streams of energy flowed between the man and the bug and Talen saw an opportunity. The youth lifted his hand and a black flower formed on his palm. The flower lasted a second and then puffed out of existence and sent two spinning black petals towards the summoner’s back. The man screamed with rage as he was caught unaware and the petals embedded themselves in his back.

[Nightstalker]

“Time to finish this.” Nightstalker thought grimly.

He exchanged a quick glance with his two remaining companions, his plan evident by the look in his eyes. He was going to separate the summoner from his creature, and kill him personally, allowing the other two free reign to finish off the giant monster the summoner had called forth. He only hoped that the other two would cooperate.

“Seems your pet isn't doing so well. Why don't you surrender, before I have to kill you?” Nightstalker asked.

“You? Kill me? Bragging Upstart, take this!” The Summoner yelled, and shot another energy wave at Nightstalker.

“Another energy wave, yawn.” Nightstalker said after he had dodged the wave, making the summoner angry.

“What makes you so sure of yourself?” The summoner asked, sliding off the unconscious monster.

“I'm apprenticed to one of The Demons of Akashima.” Nightstalker said, which was only partially true.

Words were weapons too. That's what Master Hokkaido had taught him. It might seem odd to some to strike up a conversation in battle, but as his opponent visible shied away in momentary fear, it was clear to the ninja his weapon had hit home. Unfortunately, it backfired.

Urban legend to some, ugly truth to others, The Demons were the six most powerful ninja in Akashima, and they served its throne exclusivly. Master Hokkaido had been in their ranks at one time, until age caught up to him. The summoner grinned at the chance to make his name even more renowned, by taking down a demon's apprentice.

The summoner ran at Nightstalker with an almost malevolent enthusiasm, and the ninja knew he had only encouraged his foe, instead of intimidating him. A ball of dark energy shot out from the summoner's fists, and circled around him, drawing in energy from the air around them. Nightstalker got in close, but the moment he did, the sphere exploded, sending the ninja backwards.

He hit the ground behind him and rolled with the blast of the energy. Once he stopped he wasted no time in getting back up, and winced at the new bruises he felt. He found his opponent in time to discover this summoner could summon more than one thing at once, as a duplicate of the summoner appeared out of the original, this one radiating dark energy.

The two summoners circled the lone ninja, even as the Oni hauled itself back to its feet to resume its own onslaught. Nightstalker charged the original, but the duplicate closed in and struck him in the back, causing a surge of energy throughout the ninja's body. As he fell, a wild swing of the sword drew the summoner's blood from his arm.

Nightstalker rolled over slowly, his body aching from the attack. He kicked the clone, and it dissipated into a cloud of energy, even as another surge went through his body. The original hadn't been waisting his time however, as another spell finished, wrapping black chains about Nightstalker's legs. He cut through the chains in a single desperate stroke only to find another chain about his neck. This too was cut, and the spell faded. He had been aged ten years by the attack, without the benefit of the equal amount of knowledge and experience such a time span would have earned him.

The summoner took a familiar stance, and Nightstalker realized he had copied his knowledge of fighting. Sheathing his sword as the pain subsided to a dull ache, he decided to see who could use his knowledge better.

Getting to his feet quickly, he went for a light jab to the chest, but this was blocked by the summoner with his right arm. Nightstalker went for a strong blow to the chest, and as the the summoner blocked, he quickly changed his plan and grabbed the summoner's arm instead, and turned around for an over the shoulder throw.

The Summoner landed with a thud, and shot a ball of dark energy at Nightstalker. This was not dodged instead it caught him in the side and spun him away throwing him down. The pair reached their feat at the same moment, and a motion caused punching daggers of pure dark energy to appear in the summoner's hands. The pair traded blows for several blows, Nightstalker dodging whenever he could, but the blood and torn clothes said much. This appeared to be the end of the ninja.

[Revenant]

The sizzling remains of William’s makeshift club crashed into a nearby refuse pile as the Revenant tossed it aside. Oni no Kosaku’s acid had already eaten away most of the support beam, rendering it more of less useless for further attacks against the creature, but the slavering mixture of acidic drool and brackish blood that oozed from the Oni’s shattered mandibles told William that it had been effective enough. But even though the wound looked crippling, Oni no Kosaku was already shaking the blow off and recovering.

“Resilient bastard, aren’t you,” William panted, forcing air into his burning lungs while the house sized demon got its feet back under it. The Oni wobbled forward in reply, careful to keep weight off its wounded legs, and lowered its head to hiss at the charred figure that had hurt it. William caught of a glimpse of the Nightstalker on the creature’s broad back as it approached, the ninja sorely pressed by the Oni’s master. He pondered assisting the dark clad fighter for an instant, not wanting to leave an ally at the hands of a dark sorcerer, but shook the thought from his mind. He hadn’t asked the Nightstalker or assistance, and even in death the ninja would prove useful by distracting the summoner.

“I guess it’s just you and me then,” he snarled at the hissing Oni. The rolling cloud of hot breath emanating from the creature reignited the spotted pits that the creature’s acid had burned in his thick, charred skin, but William was too focused to let such a minor annoyance bother him. William’s claws flexed reflexively, eager to dig into the prey in front of him and bathe in its tainted blood.

And then Oni no Kosaku reared its head back again and screamed in pain. William risked a quick glance around to see where this new assault had come from and spotted one of his hunters, Segei, dropping his empty crossbow and reaching for his spear. And Sergei wasn’t the only one of his hunters who had survived, seeing the remaining members, battered and bloody, struggling to free themselves.

“Bad luck Kosaku,” William said, sneering as he turned his attention back to the creature just in time to dodge out of the way of a snapping strike from the Oni’s mangled jaws. The Revenant bolted towards the Oni’s center, but was forced to roll out of the way again as the creature’s front claw slashed at him, followed by another savage bite. The two continued their deadly dance for nearly half a minute before Oni no Kosaku’s whipping strikes were halted as its attacking limb was pierced by Jerrick’s spear.

William wasted no time thanking his second in command, and Jerrick asked for none as the muscular solider directed the rest of his squad in a new attack. Instead, the Revenant took the opportunity to seize the opening his hunters had opened for him, rolling under Oni no Kosaku’s last attack and latching onto the creature’s armored neck.

“My turn,” he snarled, digging into the Oni’s carapace for purchase before hammering into the beast’s neck with his free hand.

[Hysteria]

Talen looked with annoyance as the Summoner jumped off the Oni to engage Nightstalker. The youth was left holding on to his sword for balance as the bug started moving again and William engaged it. Talen could do little but wait for the creature to slow down.

The chance came with William grabbing the creature by the throat. The bumpy ride had given Talen a chance to decide his next action. He wanted to kill the Summoner. The youth pulled his sword from the bug’s hide and let himself slide down its abdomen and jumped and rolled against the ground. The little warrior was quickly back on his feet and circling the beast to reach the summoner.

Talen’s blue eyes focused on his goal. The summoner and Nightstalker traded blows as Talen ran towards them with his cloths flapping in the air. The youth lifted his blade and came at the Summoner with all the speed he could muster. There was a flash of steel and Talen blade struck the Summoner’s dark blade in a parry. Talen smiled at the move. The summoner had outstretched his arm to cut off the attack and Talen knew just what to do. He let the tip of his blade drop and his opponent’s blade slid down his. The youth continued forwards and across the back of the Summoner. His blade bent upwards and flicked off the summoners. In a spray of blood the sword bit into the back of the Summoner’s neck and the man screamed.

Talen continued his momentum forwards as the Summoner fell to the ground twitching. The youth flicked his blade at the ground and the Summoner’s blood splattered off.

“Looks like he’s still twitching.” Said Talen as the masked man convulsed on the ground “musta nicked his spine.”

The boy lifted his sword and moved further away from the Oni. He knew he wouldn’t be much help while William’s men continued to fill it with holes.

[Nightstalker]

Nightstalker crawled over and stradled the slowly dying summoner. He'd heard stories that they could save their lives in such a situation somehow if given enough time. He wasn't about to let the man who had stolen part of his life have such time. He took out his dagger from his belt, and plunged it into the summoner's chest. Black energy erupted all around him, cutting off all sight.

As his strength flowed back into him, he felt his years return. He rose, shaky and uncertain to his feet, still unable to see in the black cloud of energy that had surrounded him. He couldn't tell, but others could, the summoner's energies had latched onto Nightstalker, hanging onto him like a parasite. As he moved away from the summoner's body, the black cloud followed Nightstalker, and so did the Oni's gaze. It was confused. It saw its master dead, yet felt his powers and spirit alive still.

Nightstalker felt it finally, the presence in the cloud. The summoner could escape, by taking over his body. The ninja sat down, closed his eyes, and concentrated on himself.

“My spirit is my own. No other may have my body. My will is my own, no other may control me.” Nightstalker said in his own mind, a simple mantra to reinforce his self-control.

Slowly, the black cloud drifted away from Nightstalker, and was gone. Oni no Kosaku felt the enslavement binding it disappear. A vicious roar of victory escaped the beast, a sound familiar to anyone regardless of species, for it was the sound of freedom. Oni no Kosaku was a prisoner no more, free to follow his own plan, and not protect some summoner. Despite its injuries, its newfound status made it a much more dangerous foe than when the summoner was still alive.

Thus the creature followed its first instince, self-preservation, and ran for its life, not caring about what it crashed into, so long as it could escape this wretched place alive. Nightstalker grabbed his nearby sword and charged Oni no Kosaku, blade leveled at the beasts chest. It was like watching a child take on a fully-grown charging dragon. The Oni trampled over the ninja, but the last laugh belonged to Nightstalker, as his blade scored a wound along the length of the creature's underside. The trampled ninja lay where he had fallen, near the point of death.

[Revenant]

Splinters from Waukasha’s numerous ruined buildings rustled beneath William as he clung precariously to the frantic Oni. The world around him shook violently and he lost all sense of direction as the creature made its mad dash through the city. He was momentarily aware of the Nightstalker standing in the creature’s path, but the ninja may as well have been a mouse staring down a charging war stallion for as much as he could stop the nightmarish beast. One moment he was standing there and the next moment he was gone, threshed under by a stampeding beast. The black clad Akashiman certainly had bravery, but William wasn’t sure if trading his life for so little was the wisest thing the ninja could have done.

But the problem of the Nightstalker was one that William, clinging to the Oni’s armored carapace by nothing more than his claws and inhuman strength, didn’t have time to worry about. Though he had not seen the act, there was no doubt in William’s mind that the summoner had been slain. First, there was the Nightstalker’s sudden appearance when William knew that he had only moments before been at the verge of death’s door. And second, there was the ripple of weakness that flowed over the Oni’s body like a spider’s web of blackened veins, a sight only visible to William’s enhanced vision.

Oni no Kosaku scuttled over the broken remains of its rampage far faster than anything its size had any right to be. Even with three severely wounded legs, the beast managed to rush through the lines of warding spears that the remaining crew of monster hunters had put up. Thick, sap-like blood oozed from the various rents and bolt holes that had been meticulously carved into the creature’s shell, slowly bleeding away Oni no Kosaku’s life force. Aside from William, who only clung to the beast by the thinnest of threads, there was nothing to stop the creature from escaping into the Akashiman wastes to nurse its wounds. The weakness that it exhibited from the death of its namesake and its summoner would fade in time, leaving the creature with terrifying power and resilience. William knew that the creature needed to be brought down here and now if they were to spare countless lives. And he knew how he could accomplish such a feat.

William closed his eyes and felt the rage boiling in his breast. The searing fury of his demonic power pulsed in his veins, a liquid magma presence that fueled him and allowed him to take the form of the living weapon that he had been created to be. Deliberately, yet with certainness and force, William seized his rage and drew it forth, focusing it tightly into his hands as he had been instructed during his training. Oni no Kasaku screamed in agony as the Revenant’s furious power manifested as a searing blast of power inside its shell. It skidded to a halt at the edge of Waukasha, realizing that the creature clinging to its throat was more dangerous than it had given it credit for. It thrashed its head from side to side and brought its claws up in a frantic slashing motion, attempting to dislodge William from his perch. But all of the Oni’s motions were for nothing as William poured all of his power into the burst of fire and released it inside the handholds he had hammered in Oni no Kosaku’s chitin with his claws.

The thunderous explosion that tore Oni no Kosaku’s head from the rest of the beast’s body blocked out all other sounds to William as he fell, in human form once again, to the blood-soaked mud 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!