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originally posted in:The New Dojo
Edited by Levning:
10/23/2016 9:46:26 PM
106
[b]Kakusa Grove | Around midday[/b]
The sun shined brightly through the canopy of trees, warming and brightening the entire forest up with a soft, golden light. A feminine figure dressed in a long, dark green cloak that ended around her ankles took a step into a small clearing in the woods, before pulling her dark green hood off, letting her pale blond hair fall around her shoulders. Her blue eyes darted around the woods, before her eyelids shut as she basked in the sunlight.
Just then, a quiet rustling was heard from the bushes behind the young-looking female. Her eyes open as she quickly turned; either it was game, or it would try to eat her. Her arms instinctively go to her back, grabbing hold of a large, yew longbow while the other hand nocked an arrow. Another slight rustle in the bushes, and the girl caught a glimpse of an eye. She let the arrow loose, and it buried itself into the eye of whatever animal was there. She slowly walked up, parting the undergrowth, reaching towards the recently ended animal.
It was a rabbit. A smile appeared on the woman's face as she grabbed it up, pulling the arrow from its eye and, with a quick wipe on the cloak, she returned the arrow to its quiver. Silently, the girl thanked Mother Nature for the food, before turning to head back towards the log cabin. Looking around, a sigh escaped her lips. Nineteen winters, and it was still the same thing again and again; hunting, eating, and sleeping.[spoiler]Open!
Also, testing please![/spoiler]
English
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"Probably because most predators can't climb trees," The girl muttered under her breath as she continued looking around cautiously; of course, her first assumption for strange things like this was indeed that there was a new carnivore in the woods, as she'd never talked to another human being aside from her father. She spoke as though she was stuck in the nineteenth century, speaking such proper English with a slight English accent, no less. A sudden rush of annoyance gripped the girl; what was one to gain from acting all mysterious and frightening a person? She quickly pushed the feeling away, telling herself that it was rather rude and improper, but after thinking of something once, it was always hard to forget about it.
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Edited by Will: 10/23/2016 5:54:52 PM"This one can." [i] She hears the voice say, again, swirling around her all at once before the shadows a few feet from her on the branch begin to coalesce and pool together in an almost liquid/misty form, thickening and stretching upwards like it was trying to take a shape. Indeed, that's exactly what it was doing. The darkness molded and shaped itself into the outline of a human being, before being blown away by an invisible wind. Who, or what was left standing there, was quite the sight. The man stood at an above average height, somewhere near 6'2", and clad in a form fitting, pitch black glossy armor. On the breastplate, a yin-yang symbol over crossed was emblazoned. On the shoulder, a blood red coiled cobra, no bigger than the size of a half dollar, was painted and ready to strike. On the man's face, well, where his face would be, an Oni demon mask made of a twisted and contorted black metal with sprouting horns. Where his eyes would be, two coal black abysses gazed at her. Even such a blank stare made her uncomfortable, like she was being dissected and having her thoughts and secrets put on a table to be examined. At the man's hip, three Japanese Katanas were wrapped in a black silk bundle, crossed over one another. The first was a big contrast to the man's shadowy attire, a brilliant white and gold that seemed to gleam even in the perpetual darkness the man had created. The second was more at home, a complete and utter black from the hilt to sheathe. No..black would imply color. This was the very epitome of shadow. The third and final katana was rather drab compared to its brothers, an olive green with an oriental Dragon head for a pommel. The most unnerving thing about this new arrival, while his appearance was threatening and the weapons were exotic, it was his very being. The way he carried himself, like every movement maximized efficiency, and his body was merely a vessel for untold power. If death could be elegant..this man was the living incarnate. His form practically oozed capability, power, and dominion. He spoke again, that same cold and hard voice that came out metallic sounding through the mask. [/i] "No predators worth living can climb trees, anyway."
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She jumped up, hurling herself backwards to grip a higher branch on a tree a yard away from where she was originally. From that position, hanging onto the branch with just her right arm, she swung herself around the branch and landed softly on top, crouching on the tips of her toes. The girl didn't move a muscle, calmly gazing back at the man from underneath her hood. She was almost like a jungle predator herself; silent, inconspicuous, and deadly still. The hood stayed over her head, enveloping her face with a shadow. The eyes underneath the hood stayed locked onto the man, ever watchful; even the slightly movement could be caught by the huntress's eyes, and she would spring, not unlike a cobra. The cloak hid even her body language; it was impossible to tell if she was scared, confident, worried, or anticipation---perhaps she was all three. After a while, she finally spoke, her voice always proper and strictly correct, yet showing no signs of being conceited, stuck-up, or the like. "An orca cannot climb a tree, however they are extraordinarily deadly and are certainly 'worth living'," She said quietly, thinking back on her knowledge of apex predators around the world.
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"Orcas also don't live in forests." [i] The man says with a chuckle to his tone. He seemed friendly..for the most part. Looking up at the girl, he speaks once again.[/i] "You're a decent shot, I'll give you that. A shame arrows are sorely inadequate in a place like this." [i] Or against a person like him. That armor he was wearing looked pretty strong and viable against any light fire like an arrow. Plus those katanas looked like blades that needed to be sheathed so they didn't cut the air..[/i]
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"A tiger, then," The girl said with a sigh, relaxing as she sat down on the branch of the tree. "And arrows do perfectly fine in a place like this, however using a bow is rather different from an open area." She looked around as she hoisted her yew longbow once more, nocking one of the many arrows in her quiver. Her eyes narrowed underneath her hood, as she looked down and left. Lifting the bow, she waited. After a few seconds, she seemed to have spotted something in between the trees, and let the arrow fly, as it quietly whistled from her branch, between the tree trunks, and sink into the eye of a squirrel, fifteen yards away from her. The squirrel fell from the tree, landing on the ground with a thud. The girl sudden jumped up back into a crouch on the branch, and launched herself off, swinging from branch to branch and landing softly besides the recently felled game. She picked the squirrel up, before walking back to the tree at which she had sat before, laying the squirrel down beside the rabbit while she thanked Mother Nature, once more, for the food. Looking back at the man, she spoke. "It all depends on how you use the bow."
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[i] It was clear the man hadn't meant the forest, but he let it go. She was either really naive or just plain clueless, he thought to himself. He still mentally commends her for the shot, shooting a small target from that far away was impressive. While she was staring at the man, his form seemed to grow translucent, and once a particular ray of sunlight hit it, he melted into a pool of shadows and liquid darkness on the ground. He reappeared right next to the girl, darkness dripping from his armor, sitting down beside her with his elbows on his knees and a hand out to shake. [/i] "Ronin." [i] He offers an introduction, but clearly not his actual name. Unless his parents had a twisted sense of humor, or he just took a big advantage of a name like that. [/i]
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"Pardon?" Said the girl, blinking in confusion. Of course, she wasn't used to introductions; she'd never done an introduction in her entire life, and neither knew what "ronin" meant, nor did she know that it was what the man went by. Some part of her told herself that the man was mad, spouting gibberish. Another part told her that he was perfectly sane. A third part told her that she herself was an ignorant idiot.
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"Ronin, is what I go by." [i] He states, withdrawing his hand and placing his arms on his knees. He figured she was oblivious to most things, the way she carried herself was rather unknowing.[/i] "And you?" [i] He questions, glancing sideways at her through the mask. Those black abysses where his eyes should be..they were unnerving. The way he seemed to stare straight through her.[/i]
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"Oh! My name's Sophie," She said. It was the first time she'd ever told anybody her name; there seemed to be many firsts this day. She seemed completely oblivious to the unnerving, black eyes; how would she know that it was unusual? How would she know that it was rather unique, if she'd never before seen another being that spoke English? She seemed unable to think of what else to say besides telling Ronin her name. "Nice to meet you" and such were foreign concepts for her, things she was never taught. Yes, in fact, she was unknowing and clueless, however who to blame for that was another story.
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[i] Maybe the mask is a little too much.. he thought to himself. A clicking noise could be heard, and his Oni mask folded back almost like liquid metal, until there was no trace it had even been there. What remained, was a face that was overall good looking and handsome, around his mid-twenties. Medium length, chocolate brown hair topped his head, a lone lick of it falling over his face between his eyes. His face was all sharp angles and sharp features, especially his eyes. A steel, cold blue that told of many stories and tragedies. They were frozen with sorrow and loss, but blazed with anger and rage. Then again..they were just eyes.[/i] "You don't meet many people, do you?" [i] He speaks, his voice the same without the mask, minus the metallic coating. https://imgur.com/a/fZl5P[/i]
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Sophie forced a laugh, and as Ronin took off the mask, she pulled down her own hood. Her thin, pale blond hair fell around her shoulders, which she hastily brushed back with the back of her right hand. The golden light of the noonday soon turned her pale blond hair golden, and illuminated her features; high, yet shallow cheekbones, a pointed chin with a moderate jaw; in between a triangular shape and a square shape. Sophie's eyes were a sky blue, and contrasted greatly with Ronin's—her own eyes were full of happiness, and a kind of beautiful innocence that easily conveyed her ignorance to the world. "No, I most certainly have not," She answered, a smile playing at her thin lips. "I've lived here with Father all my life. Not a single soul asides from us resides here—speaking of which, if I may inquire of what it is you're doing here, Mr. Ronin?"
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[i] Only people residing here? She really is oblivious. He gives her a half smile, gesturing to the woods around them. [/i] "Wandering. It's what Ronin do. The name means "Wandering Swordsman." [i] He says with another smile, glancing her up and down, observing quickly and efficiently. He was nothing if not calculating.[/i] "You don't realize that there's a massive complex near here with hundreds of people, do you?" [i] Of course she didn't realize that, but he was being polite. [/i]
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Edited by Levning: 10/23/2016 10:26:13 PM"Huh? There is?" Sophie blinked, trying to recall ever seeing something of the sort; she'd wandered quite far away from home multiple times, and had never came across a single sign of civilization.
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"Mmhm." [i] He nods, pointing to the south-east, looking back at her. Damn those eyes were intense.[/i] "It's called the Dojo. A place where people fight for glory, while some simply live there. It's open anyone."
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[spoiler]The map puts Kakusa Grove and the dojo on complete opposite sides of the world....[/spoiler]"The dojo? I've heard Father talking about that place. He said that it would be good for me to visit, but he hasn't yet found a way off this continent...." Sophie sighed, looking southeast towards where Ronin pointed, straining her eyes to see the dojo.
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[spoiler]That would be my fault for not looking at the map. XD[/spoiler] [i] Ronin chuckles and shakes his head.[/i] "Oh, you won't be able to see it from here. It's a ways away. A long, ways away." [i] He says, looking back to her.[/i] "Where is this Father you keep talking about?" [i] He questions.[/i]
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"He's in the cabin, moving furniture around." She said it as though her father did it all the time, moving furniture back and forth, back and forth. Sophie pointed north, towards a log cabin hidden by the trees in front of it. The door was shut, and smoke billowed from its chimney.
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"Hmm.." [i] He says quietly, pondering something, a little furrow in his eyebrows giving it away.[/i] "If you want to go to the Dojo, I can take you. It'd be no trouble at all." [i] Something told Sophia he could do a lot more than vanish from branch to branch.[/i]
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"Oh... I'd best tell Father first. If you coild please wait here," With a smile at Ronin, she hoisted the game she had killed, and began a hasty speedwalk back to the cabin. After entering, it was a full thirty seconds before she came back out. She soon arrived back at Ronin, her facial expression a serious one. "How will we get there?"
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"You let me worry about that." [i] Ronin says with a grin, holding out an armored open hand towards her, gesturing for her to put hers in his.[/i]
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Sophia nodded, extended her own hand, which was wearing a black, leather glove. She grasped Ronin's hand, and silently waited for whatever it was that was about to take place.
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[i] Sophia's vision went dark, and a strange feeling overcame her body. Like her very being was being split apart atom by atom. It wasn't necessarily painful..but certainly uncomfortable. A tugging sensation starts in her gut, and no sooner than it had started, it ended. They were in a new location, one with mountains in the distance, and the two were staring at two massive gates flanked by stone columns. [/i] "That's how." [i] Ronin says, releasing her hand while grinning.[/i] "The Dojo. Or the gates anyway."
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Sophia stumbled leftwards, leaning against a tree as she gasped for breath. Shaking herself, trying to get her body to forget the sensation, she stood, and let out a low whistle. "Well... how do I get in?" She asked, hugging her cloak around herself. In there would be hundreds if not thousands of new people to meet....
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[i] Ronin gestured to the gates, that had begun to slowly open inwards, showing a massive courtyard.[/i] "Like that."
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"Well, that's rather simple," Sophia observed, before entering the dojo. She looked around, awe clear on her face.
