Division 4: Yamihara vs. Spirit Hunters

[Ther]

This match-up will last until 8 P.M. E.S.T. on 2/23/07. Remember, if you finish your battle early, I can score you early - and finishing early is a good, good thing always.

Best of luck!

[Spirit Hunters]

In a country currently plagued by war, death, and corruption, the one thing that frightened Pourquoi in the entire wilderness of Raiaera, was bears.

"It's true! They can grow upwards of eight feet! Claws approximately an inch and one third long. Probably close to two ton..." the young elven girl was starting to sound frantic and as true of a friend as Qu'est-ce was, he couldn't contain his laughter. Even when fightened, the elven Spirit Hunter still sounded so scientific and rational.

"Listen," Qu'est-ce interrupted, hoping to put the whole ordeal to rest. "I've lived in Raiaera for almost five years now. I've seen dragonkin, i've seen rohbohts -strange creatures by all rights- and all sorts of other beasties, all of which could tear the platemail off a man. But I have NEVER, seen a bear in these forests," Qu'est-ce finished on the powerful point to make sure that Pourquoi was paying attention, watching the young girl out of the corner of his eye.

"And two-and-a-quarter inch hide, so thick that a normal spear can't even pierce through it! And even after they've been mortally wounded, they will berserk until the life has physically been drained from them and they die."

She wasn't paying attention, Qu'est noted, as his chin fell low and he gave up all hope.

The pair had just finished a recent assignment along the outskirts of Raiaera. There were reports of a large creature stalking the borders of a small town named Pahrm, but the rumors proved to be false, and the hunters spent most of their time in the local tavern, which is where a rather misguided pair of trappers had instilled their knowledge of bears into Pourquoi, laughing as she sunk further into her chair until it looked like she would become one with it.

They were about an hour out from Pahrm now, and Qu'est was still hardly making any progress with the fear besieged elf. There was only one solution that Qu'est could think of, but he was sure going to hear about it later.

"Okay, lady elf..." Qu'est-ce said evenly, stopping in his tracks.

"...mouths full of bacteri... huh? Why are we stopping Qu'est?" Pourquoi asked, coming back to reality for the first time in over an hour. "Hey! What are you..."

The elven girl couldn't get the words out in time as Qu'est-ce hoisted her off the path and clear over his head onto a high branch of a might oak tree, depositing her there for safe keeping.

"Alright, I forgot to restock our supplies in town. Don't worry, I can do it on my own, you just rest here," he called up to her, barely able to contain his smile. He had never seen the usually gentle elf so angry, her soft face now a fuming mask as she struggled to keep her balance on the branch. This area is untouched by the war, he figured. And their scoutings around the town had yeilded nothing save the odd goblin or badger. Nothing the elven sorceress couldn't handle. Two hours alone would be enough for the girl to calm down.

"Don't worry, no intelligent creatures eat elves anyway. It's bad luck!" He called trying to keep the mood light as he left. Pourquoi, however, was not amused. It did not matter though. Qu'est-ce had serious reasons behind his actions. Fear had no place within the Spirit Hunters, and although Pourquoi was still relatively new to the organization, he knew that she would one day encounter far worse things than furry forest creatures. It would do the girl well to make peace with her own irationality.

As her bodyguard walked away, Pourquoi only narrowed her eyes. Elves had very long memories, and she would see that in due time, she had her revenge. He would see...

What was that!?

The fortune-tellers froze on her branch, as the bushes off to the side of the path rustled. Or perhaps it was just her imagination.

[Yamihara]

((Takes place after Enemies in the Gates. No carry-over of special skills or items.))

Tell me where the wind goes, to the mountains or the dales;
Tell me why the Stars shine, e'er brightly in the sky;

Where does my Destiny lies, or whether there are none;
Tell me what needs be done, for me to be whole again...

Melodies drifted through the silence of the wind, lightly washing over the beaten path in the sunlit woods outside of Eluriand. Mighty oaks and sturdy cedars weaved their canopies above the trail, the blazing sun overhead becoming mere speckles of light on the lush green carpet below.

Raiaera. Land of the High Elves. Of musical lores and elegant culture.

Asuka found herself questioning the reason she decided to travel to this place, a land with barely any resemblance or connection to her own home in Akashima. The copper-hair maiden found the Raiaeran population to mostly be snobbish and overly lax, especially with time.

"Tell me again why we are here, Tokita?"

Asuka sighed and sat down on the side of the road, finding much respite for her legs from the cool, velvety grass. Her older traveling companion gave the lass a dejected sigh and joined her under the shade, remaining on his feet.

"Well, ya remember that note in your father's desk?" The errand boy of House Yamihara ran a tired hand through his shaggy dark-brown hair, throwing sweat from his hair as he scanned the area. "I think he was tryin' to contact someone here in Raiaera. We need ta know who, because they might know the reason yur father was killed."

Yeah, that was it.

The assassination of Duke Yamihara had remained a mystery to the Akashiman Highcourt members for many months now, partly alleviated by the maiden's own return to the Yamihara House. Still, the investigation remained in secret and with little clues to go by, any lead is as good as the other.

One of such led the two Akashiman to Raiaera, looking for the sender of this mysterious letter. Heavily riddled with rhymes, metaphors and strange symbolism, their search had yet to produce any result. As far as they had managed to crack the code, one name stood out - Carnelost.

"C'mon, Asuka. We're almost there. The town is only a bit o' ways off an' we can rest there for the night." Tokita smirked and leaned down to give her a hand, intent on making it to town. He may be a rough-and-tumble kind of person, but he was not sure his charge would be so resilient. Besides, they still had a ways to go before they would make it to Carnelost anytime soon.

"Hey, hey. S'OK, Tokita." Asuka returned his a confident smile, relaxing against the oak tree. "I've had my fair share of traveling and fighting, don't you forget that! I can very well take care of myself, mister. Besides, I'd rather sleep out here than having to pay an arm and a leg for the Elven beds. Too... Too."

"Fine, Asuka. If that's how you want it."

Taking a breather from the long journey, Tokita shook his head in disdain.

"Well, I guess I can't make you go." He sighed, feeling the small bag of coins at his belt. "I'll just head to town and buy some supplies. You stay put, alright? I won't take long."

Asuka watched as her muscle-bound friend headed off towards the elven village, more likely to haggle quite a bit over a loaf of bread and the price he would pay in Akashima. The maiden grinned absent-mindedly, wondering how many times she had to tell him that thigs are sold differently in different regions and how he always have to ask the shop keeper before he buys anything.

Tell me why the Birds sing, and where they get their songs;
From land far beyond in the sky far above...

-Snap-

Revelry suddenly faded with the broken twigs and shaking leaves, its ominous rustling echoes through the undergrowth. Asuka froze against the tree, ears seeking to find the source around her.

...That wasn't the wind...

The greenery around her shook lightly, huffing noises blowing through the small, spade-shaped foliage just a few feet off to her left.

Low, tired growls murmured through the thicket of leaves.

...That was definitely not the wind...

Low growling sounds shook through her frail limbs as she stood up, her gloved hands rubbing against the coarse barks. Silently, she edged her way towards the moving bush with light brown eyes fixated upon the vague shadow behind the leaves.

A voice inside warned her, urging the lass to just run away while she still had a chance against whatever creature lurked beyond. She was clad in only her normal traveling gears, her cracked katars at her hips and simple punching gauntlets in her hand. If the "thing" was a hungry Drave, the gigantic wolf was sure to finish her off in an instant.

Another voice urged her to look closer, to find out what it was behind the leaves. The noises it was making resembled nothing of a threat - In fact, the longer she listened in on it, she realized it sounded more like a dying beast.

As the old saying goes... Curiosity killed the wildcat.

But curiosity bested her.

...What... Is it...? Asuka wondered, moving a hand across the top of the bush and pulled the branches away, bringing the creature into view.

[Max Dirks]

Yamihara advances to round two!