South-West Kinai Island (146)

[Bellion]

Natsu jumped up cracking his knuckles together as Happy looked excited.

"Alright, lets head out!!!"

With that he ran off out of the room he was sleeping in.

LLM

Dabi would follow Natsu and Happy as they made their way out of the room.

---

Leaving Landmark

 

[Gutsy]

Arriving from: https://animebase.me/threads/eastwatch-029.755846/page-3#post-22153680

Chapter 4: The Search for Meaning​

Story Elements: Overall B-rank
- Explore the history of something (B-rank)

---

The mist hung low, clinging to the wooden planks of the ship. On the shore, the mist crawled, writhed and enveloped every rock, tree and shipwreck, until its milky white mist had consumed everything in sight. It was only the sound of scavengers and salvagers along the coast that was audible.

When the ship carrying Giyu anchored in the harbor of Chōryū, the lanterns of the towns gangplank, and the nearby taverns, were the only light that was visible through the mist. Giyu stepped off the ship, after he had travelled for several days, only having dried fish and soup as sustenance upon the ship. He had several long restless nights, thinking about the man’s words; "If you seek to better yourself, you need to come to terms with your pain... your suffering... your regret. When you can truly do this, head to the land of water. Even if you don't know it now, you will find what you seek there." He did not yet understand what the old man meant, yet he had done as he asked. Giyu had spent many days travelling across the sea, muttering these words to himself. What did the man want him to find.

As Giyu trudged through the cobblestone streets, between the wooden houses and under the lantern light, he walked past several people, drunkards stumbling through the streets, glass bottles dropping and shattering against stone, laughter and talking in the distance. He also walked past a few guards whom stood stalwart at the entrance to the townhall, their breath illuminated by lantern light.

He could smell the freshly caught fish from the fish markets and he could see the trickle of blood mixed in with water coming from the fish market district. Knowing he had killed the demon of his family, and knowing he had finally laid his pain to rest, he was searching for a place to remain for a while. Despite puting his pain to rest, it still lingered, but it was no longer dominating him.

Giyu soon found himself outside the Inn; The Cracked Cask. The sign hang crooked, weathered by the wind. The front looked welcoming, with candlelight emanating from within, and scent of aged mead and sake was flowing from within.

Giyu entered the Inn, finding rest near the bar, where he looked for a calm and relaxing evening, one with a cup of mead and some stew for a change. It did not take long after his arrival at the inn before what looked to be an individual in ragged clothing came up to him, clearly intoxicated and looked to be a fisherman.

”You new around here? haven’t seen ya face before.” He said, as he slumped down in front of Giyu.

”I travelled a long way to be here…. I’d like to rest for now… if you don’t mind.” Giyu said, looking at him curiously.

Giyu leaned back, and as he did so it seemed as if the fisherman caught a glance of Giyu’s old house crest. ”Ya know… I seen one of them symbols before. You be one of them demon killers eh?” The fisherman said as he leaned forward pulling out an old coin. ”You still in the business of making coin?”

Giyu glared at him for a moment, ”No… I’m not in the business of making coin, I’m in the business of find a purpose.”

The man looked somewhat perplexed. ”A purpose… ya won’t find a purpose here boy… the gods are gone and so is all their shrines and homes… erased I tell ya.”

Giyu’s eyes lit up slightly, ”How did that happen? Who did that?” He asked as he leaned in.

”I heard it was some ragtag group that demolished it all after the fall… but if you ask me… them be dangerous folk.” He put the coin away.

”Perhaps you could point me in the direction of where to find those people.” Giyu inquired.

”I don’t know who… or where they be… but I know the barkeep usually knows the news of the land.”

Giyu pulled out a single coin, placed it on the table, and stood up. He gave the fisherman a bow as he stepped away, walking straight to the bar to search for the barkeeper.

As he approached the bar, he could see multiple empty glasses and several patrons slurping from their half full cups. The candles on the bar dimly lighting everyones faces. He could smell the simmering broth from the kitchen. Giyu sat down at the counter, his fingers tapping a few times, while waiting for the barkeep. When the barkeep finally approached, he spoke quietly. ”I saw ruined shrines and heard they have been demolished.”

The barkeep paushed, shoulders stiffening. ”Aye. they have been falling one by one. Not by weather you see. If that’s what you’re thinking. Someone wanted them gone.”
“Why did they remove them,” Giyu asked.

”Some of the people here say the gods stopped listening to them. I think it’s because people wanted to be free of praying… perhaps they were tired of waiting for miracles…. perhaps they wanted people to stop praying.”
Giyu listened intently to the barkeeps words, the faint clinking of cups filling the gaps, as he let his hands rest on the counter. ”Do you know where I could find out more about these gods. Or someone who knows more about what happened?”

”There is a library in town, just past the fish market,” the barkeep responded. It is kept by an old woman named Sayu. She keeps what little history we have around here… If anyone knows anything going on around here it’s her.”

Giyu stood, placing yet another coin for the barkeeps troubles, as he stepped off and walked out through the door and into the mist, intent on going directly to the library.

Just as he left through the door, the barkeep came up and grabbed his arm. ”Be careful searching for answers,” he said. ”Others might be watching….”

Giyu nodded as he thanked the barkeep and disappeared into the mist and through the towns coiling streets.

Giyu did not wander the streets for long before he found the little library wedged between two houses leaning against one another, its wooden sign faded to the point where it was impossible to read the name. He walked up and gently pushed the door open, stepping inside, his nose was immediately met by thick dust, the scent of burning candles, aged parchment and old wood. He walked in, closing the door behind him, rinsing his shoes and giving a gentle bow in respect to the place. Then as he wandered the rows of books, he found no sign of Sayu, the supposed librarian. No sound of footsteps but his own, no rustling of papers around the corner, only the sound of creaking old floorboards settling under the weight of his own feet. Giyu stood still at the center of the library, as he called out her name once quietly, but there was no response. The silence around him was palpable and the rows of shelves stretched into dimness. However, many of the shelves surrounding him sat empty, their contents was gone.

Giyu decided to walk along the empty shelves, searching for anything related to the divine, the old gods, the shrines that no longer existed or anything about demons. It took him more than ten minutes to walk around the library before he found a shelf labeled “Lore of the Gods”. However, when he looked at the shelf it was empty, no sign of a single book, and there was no sign of dust. Giyu knew this shelf used to hold many books on the subject, yet it had been removed and scrubbed clean of its evidence. It seemed as if someone had removed them intentionally, only a few dust outlines remained. As he looked around the shelf he found a small broken reading stool, and beneath it a pile of discarded holy symbols, such as carved charms, prayer beads and talismans. All of them had been dumped together, and nearby he saw the fireplace, and the soot marks between the two places. The pile looked like it was something being prepared to be burned. As Giyu looked at the charms and prayer beads, he suddenly stood up, as he felt the hairs on his back raise, and the shadows around him felt darker than before. He felt as if something or someone was watching him.

Rather than waiting to find out who or what it was, Giyu immediately grabbed a hold of his katana as he stepped back towards the door, preparing to leave and continue his search elsewhere.

 

[The Pervy Sage]

Arriving from: https://animebase.me/threads/eastwatch-029.755846/page-3#post-22153680

Chapter 4: The Search for Meaning​

Story Elements: Overall B-rank
- Explore the history of something (B-rank)

---

The mist hung low, clinging to the wooden planks of the ship. On the shore, the mist crawled, writhed and enveloped every rock, tree and shipwreck, until its milky white mist had consumed everything in sight. It was only the sound of scavengers and salvagers along the coast that was audible.

When the ship carrying Giyu anchored in the harbor of Chōryū, the lanterns of the towns gangplank, and the nearby taverns, were the only light that was visible through the mist. Giyu stepped off the ship, after he had travelled for several days, only having dried fish and soup as sustenance upon the ship. He had several long restless nights, thinking about the man’s words; "If you seek to better yourself, you need to come to terms with your pain... your suffering... your regret. When you can truly do this, head to the land of water. Even if you don't know it now, you will find what you seek there." He did not yet understand what the old man meant, yet he had done as he asked. Giyu had spent many days travelling across the sea, muttering these words to himself. What did the man want him to find.

As Giyu trudged through the cobblestone streets, between the wooden houses and under the lantern light, he walked past several people, drunkards stumbling through the streets, glass bottles dropping and shattering against stone, laughter and talking in the distance. He also walked past a few guards whom stood stalwart at the entrance to the townhall, their breath illuminated by lantern light.

He could smell the freshly caught fish from the fish markets and he could see the trickle of blood mixed in with water coming from the fish market district. Knowing he had killed the demon of his family, and knowing he had finally laid his pain to rest, he was searching for a place to remain for a while. Despite puting his pain to rest, it still lingered, but it was no longer dominating him.

Giyu soon found himself outside the Inn; The Cracked Cask. The sign hang crooked, weathered by the wind. The front looked welcoming, with candlelight emanating from within, and scent of aged mead and sake was flowing from within.

Giyu entered the Inn, finding rest near the bar, where he looked for a calm and relaxing evening, one with a cup of mead and some stew for a change. It did not take long after his arrival at the inn before what looked to be an individual in ragged clothing came up to him, clearly intoxicated and looked to be a fisherman.

”You new around here? haven’t seen ya face before.” He said, as he slumped down in front of Giyu.

”I travelled a long way to be here…. I’d like to rest for now… if you don’t mind.” Giyu said, looking at him curiously.

Giyu leaned back, and as he did so it seemed as if the fisherman caught a glance of Giyu’s old house crest. ”Ya know… I seen one of them symbols before. You be one of them demon killers eh?” The fisherman said as he leaned forward pulling out an old coin. ”You still in the business of making coin?”

Giyu glared at him for a moment, ”No… I’m not in the business of making coin, I’m in the business of find a purpose.”

The man looked somewhat perplexed. ”A purpose… ya won’t find a purpose here boy… the gods are gone and so is all their shrines and homes… erased I tell ya.”

Giyu’s eyes lit up slightly, ”How did that happen? Who did that?” He asked as he leaned in.

”I heard it was some ragtag group that demolished it all after the fall… but if you ask me… them be dangerous folk.” He put the coin away.

”Perhaps you could point me in the direction of where to find those people.” Giyu inquired.

”I don’t know who… or where they be… but I know the barkeep usually knows the news of the land.”

Giyu pulled out a single coin, placed it on the table, and stood up. He gave the fisherman a bow as he stepped away, walking straight to the bar to search for the barkeeper.

As he approached the bar, he could see multiple empty glasses and several patrons slurping from their half full cups. The candles on the bar dimly lighting everyones faces. He could smell the simmering broth from the kitchen. Giyu sat down at the counter, his fingers tapping a few times, while waiting for the barkeep. When the barkeep finally approached, he spoke quietly. ”I saw ruined shrines and heard they have been demolished.”

The barkeep paushed, shoulders stiffening. ”Aye. they have been falling one by one. Not by weather you see. If that’s what you’re thinking. Someone wanted them gone.”
“Why did they remove them,” Giyu asked.

”Some of the people here say the gods stopped listening to them. I think it’s because people wanted to be free of praying… perhaps they were tired of waiting for miracles…. perhaps they wanted people to stop praying.”
Giyu listened intently to the barkeeps words, the faint clinking of cups filling the gaps, as he let his hands rest on the counter. ”Do you know where I could find out more about these gods. Or someone who knows more about what happened?”

”There is a library in town, just past the fish market,” the barkeep responded. It is kept by an old woman named Sayu. She keeps what little history we have around here… If anyone knows anything going on around here it’s her.”

Giyu stood, placing yet another coin for the barkeeps troubles, as he stepped off and walked out through the door and into the mist, intent on going directly to the library.

Just as he left through the door, the barkeep came up and grabbed his arm. ”Be careful searching for answers,” he said. ”Others might be watching….”

Giyu nodded as he thanked the barkeep and disappeared into the mist and through the towns coiling streets.

Giyu did not wander the streets for long before he found the little library wedged between two houses leaning against one another, its wooden sign faded to the point where it was impossible to read the name. He walked up and gently pushed the door open, stepping inside, his nose was immediately met by thick dust, the scent of burning candles, aged parchment and old wood. He walked in, closing the door behind him, rinsing his shoes and giving a gentle bow in respect to the place. Then as he wandered the rows of books, he found no sign of Sayu, the supposed librarian. No sound of footsteps but his own, no rustling of papers around the corner, only the sound of creaking old floorboards settling under the weight of his own feet. Giyu stood still at the center of the library, as he called out her name once quietly, but there was no response. The silence around him was palpable and the rows of shelves stretched into dimness. However, many of the shelves surrounding him sat empty, their contents was gone.

Giyu decided to walk along the empty shelves, searching for anything related to the divine, the old gods, the shrines that no longer existed or anything about demons. It took him more than ten minutes to walk around the library before he found a shelf labeled “Lore of the Gods”. However, when he looked at the shelf it was empty, no sign of a single book, and there was no sign of dust. Giyu knew this shelf used to hold many books on the subject, yet it had been removed and scrubbed clean of its evidence. It seemed as if someone had removed them intentionally, only a few dust outlines remained. As he looked around the shelf he found a small broken reading stool, and beneath it a pile of discarded holy symbols, such as carved charms, prayer beads and talismans. All of them had been dumped together, and nearby he saw the fireplace, and the soot marks between the two places. The pile looked like it was something being prepared to be burned. As Giyu looked at the charms and prayer beads, he suddenly stood up, as he felt the hairs on his back raise, and the shadows around him felt darker than before. He felt as if something or someone was watching him.

Rather than waiting to find out who or what it was, Giyu immediately grabbed a hold of his katana as he stepped back towards the door, preparing to leave and continue his search elsewhere.

?????? of the Order of the Golden Amputation

---

The salt air whipped around Giyu, chilling the boys's face as he walked the desolate cliff path overlooking the churning ocean. The setting sun cast long, unstable shadows across the rugged terrain.

Suddenly, a figure appeared, silhouetted against the fading light, standing impossibly close to the cliff edge. They were heavily cloaked, their face obscured by deep shadow and the hood of their garment. As Giyu drew near, the figure didn't move, yet a voice, dry and hollow as sea-worn stone, spoke.

"Under the sun of the living, your quest finds no light, For the answers you seek are cloaked in endless night. I hold the memories that mortal minds forget, A silent city where the sun has never set.

A ninja's path must lead below the earth, To where the river of the lost finds its rebirth. Tell me, traveler, to what desolate shore Must a Shinobi journey to learn what came before?"

The cloaked figure fell silent, before taking steps backwards to the cliff edge, disappearing into the ocean below.

 

[Gutsy]

?????? of the Order of the Golden Amputation

---

The salt air whipped around Giyu, chilling the boys's face as he walked the desolate cliff path overlooking the churning ocean. The setting sun cast long, unstable shadows across the rugged terrain.

Suddenly, a figure appeared, silhouetted against the fading light, standing impossibly close to the cliff edge. They were heavily cloaked, their face obscured by deep shadow and the hood of their garment. As Giyu drew near, the figure didn't move, yet a voice, dry and hollow as sea-worn stone, spoke.

"Under the sun of the living, your quest finds no light, For the answers you seek are cloaked in endless night. I hold the memories that mortal minds forget, A silent city where the sun has never set.

A ninja's path must lead below the earth, To where the river of the lost finds its rebirth. Tell me, traveler, to what desolate shore Must a Shinobi journey to learn what came before?"

The cloaked figure fell silent, before taking steps backwards to the cliff edge, disappearing into the ocean below.

As Giyu stood on the cliff, he saw the figure as it stepped over the edge and disappeared into the ocean, only leaving the sound of the crashing waves below and the echoing words of the cloaked figure in his mind. ”Under the sun of the living, your quest finds no light…” Giyu murmured under his breath, repeating the words as he stared out over the sea as the sun was beginning to set and the light on the horizon began to turn into hues of reds and oranges. Perhaps it talks about a place that is forgotten, or a place where sunlight means nothing to it. He began thinking about deep caverns, underground shrines, of places where sunlight did not reach. However that would not be fitting with the rest of what the figure had said. ”A silent city where the sun has never set.” Caves and places deep beneath the earth did not fit such a place. His thoughts drifted for a while as he pondered, his thoughts landing on ruins, lost temples, even some boundaries between life and death. The riddle seemed to point toward forgotten memory, to a place of potential rebirth, to a place that might no longer exist.

He shifted and began pacing for a moment, as the wind pulled at his cloak, the scent of salt brushing against his face. Below the earth, and where the river finds rebirth. He thought to himself. The river could both be literal or it could be meaning chakra, bloodlines, or history. Perhaps the figure spoke of a people who were nearly wiped out, a village lost to the world. Perhaps the figure spoke of the Uzumaki, the red whirlpool, the spiral of life, sealing, and rebirth. Their home had been destroyed, its people gone, and its home had been ruined and sunk, shattered and drowned, but it was not gone forever. ”A silent city where the sun never set. because sunlight never reached the ruins of the Uzushiogakure. Giyu thought perhaps this was the place, the place of rebirth a place of sealing masters and a world that had been forgotten to this day.

Giyu stood over the cliff looking in the direction of where the figure had stood, his breath shallow, as he spoke into the wind, as if he expected the figure to be able to hear him and perhaps even would respond even though it was gone. ”The desolate shore, the place of the lost and where you find rebirth…. it’s the ruins of Uzushiogakure.” Giyu stood for a while after saying it, as if expecting a response. His breathe was cold and his mind raced, why would he be sent to the land of water to only be told to find somewhere else once more.

- Leaving Landmark

 

[Python]

-Spawning here-
-Start of mission-
Story board element: Rank B investigate the conveyed rumours

Ermac would arrive and see a beautiful jagged sea stacks that was vertical and this would be covered with black water, the pillars look cloaked in a thick freezing mist that fills the air with brine and iron. The wind whistling through the hollows of the rocks sounds like human weeping, this wasn't just the sound the waves crashing makes vibrations echo's pf the land of water violent past.

Ermac would walk across the surface of the water channelling charka to his feet, the surface of the water choppy the darken sea had almost soul tinting that seemed to play tricks as it was all blinded and muted heavy fog, this would appear as nothing more then a flickering will0othe-wisp to most distant observers.

On the largest Pillar at the base Ermac would find non natural markings. These wasnt anything he knew that was of shinobi runes carvings designed to be felt by someone's spirit rather then keen eye. Ermac would hover before the stone. their hands passing over the carving without touching them.

This was another extrasensory means, the scratch's was mysterious and forced unity and a direction this lead further into the water archipelago. Something caught Ermac's eyes something was wedged into some of the rock crevices small abandoned ritual items are wedged charred driftwood, copper coins into circles and scraps of grey cloth that match the rumours of the cult's attire.

The area looked like a thin veil in which the physical and spiritual worlds such as the chaotic void, the internal legion become restless and the jagged architecture of the land of water. Ermac notices that the local wildlife deep with sea gulls flying around the bright blue sky, Then the red and maroon rock crabs, though an indigenous species. He felt an uneasing tension wash over him he felt best to avoid this landmark entirely but he must venture through.

This was very selective it was mere luck he stumbled on the various clues he has already encountered on his journey, Ermac decided to head towards one of the hollowed out cavern within one of the pillars. inside, they find evidence of a "waystation" their was still cold embers of a fire and a partial etched map into the sand being mostly washed away by the tide.

Ermac would cross references the physical evidence with the rumours they are gathered in Kinai. The "Secret Cult" isnt just a group people they are leave-behinds and followers of a philosophy that treats the soul as a commodity, everything being that of the void Ermac decided that was an affront to the void and his mistress so he decided to see what the group intention's was and if they was a capable threat to the cosmos.

Following the hollow pillar to its natural conclusion the natural light would flood in and a discarded item would be left in the mud, a waterlogged scroll Ermac would open it up and it would read a single phrase repeated in multiple handwritings "The tide returns all to the one" and right at the end it would stop and be something else entirely "The Heart of the Mist"

The tension in the air was filling and was getting palpable "things are getting curious" Ermac would stare at the waterlogged scroll, Even though he was most likely weeks if not months behind it shown the trail is still warm, Ermac not lingering, little subtle tells of their movement was present. Even know they done an expert job of covering their trails.

Ermac would turn to horizon where the mist was the thickest, Vanishing into the grey curtain, a red robe spectre chasing a shadow moving deeper into the land of water to see if he can uncover this "cult"

LLM
-Mission End-

 

[The Pervy Sage]

-Spawning here-
-Start of mission-
Story board element: Rank B investigate the conveyed rumours

Ermac would arrive and see a beautiful jagged sea stacks that was vertical and this would be covered with black water, the pillars look cloaked in a thick freezing mist that fills the air with brine and iron. The wind whistling through the hollows of the rocks sounds like human weeping, this wasn't just the sound the waves crashing makes vibrations echo's pf the land of water violent past.

Ermac would walk across the surface of the water channelling charka to his feet, the surface of the water choppy the darken sea had almost soul tinting that seemed to play tricks as it was all blinded and muted heavy fog, this would appear as nothing more then a flickering will0othe-wisp to most distant observers.

On the largest Pillar at the base Ermac would find non natural markings. These wasnt anything he knew that was of shinobi runes carvings designed to be felt by someone's spirit rather then keen eye. Ermac would hover before the stone. their hands passing over the carving without touching them.

This was another extrasensory means, the scratch's was mysterious and forced unity and a direction this lead further into the water archipelago. Something caught Ermac's eyes something was wedged into some of the rock crevices small abandoned ritual items are wedged charred driftwood, copper coins into circles and scraps of grey cloth that match the rumours of the cult's attire.

The area looked like a thin veil in which the physical and spiritual worlds such as the chaotic void, the internal legion become restless and the jagged architecture of the land of water. Ermac notices that the local wildlife deep with sea gulls flying around the bright blue sky, Then the red and maroon rock crabs, though an indigenous species. He felt an uneasing tension wash over him he felt best to avoid this landmark entirely but he must venture through.

This was very selective it was mere luck he stumbled on the various clues he has already encountered on his journey, Ermac decided to head towards one of the hollowed out cavern within one of the pillars. inside, they find evidence of a "waystation" their was still cold embers of a fire and a partial etched map into the sand being mostly washed away by the tide.

Ermac would cross references the physical evidence with the rumours they are gathered in Kinai. The "Secret Cult" isnt just a group people they are leave-behinds and followers of a philosophy that treats the soul as a commodity, everything being that of the void Ermac decided that was an affront to the void and his mistress so he decided to see what the group intention's was and if they was a capable threat to the cosmos.

Following the hollow pillar to its natural conclusion the natural light would flood in and a discarded item would be left in the mud, a waterlogged scroll Ermac would open it up and it would read a single phrase repeated in multiple handwritings "The tide returns all to the one" and right at the end it would stop and be something else entirely "The Heart of the Mist"

The tension in the air was filling and was getting palpable "things are getting curious" Ermac would stare at the waterlogged scroll, Even though he was most likely weeks if not months behind it shown the trail is still warm, Ermac not lingering, little subtle tells of their movement was present. Even know they done an expert job of covering their trails.

Ermac would turn to horizon where the mist was the thickest, Vanishing into the grey curtain, a red robe spectre chasing a shadow moving deeper into the land of water to see if he can uncover this "cult"

LLM
-Mission End-

?????? of the Order of the Golden Amputation

---

It would seem there was another wandering yet not lost. One seeking more than they could ever hope to find. Were they of the mindset of the Order? Or just another soul passing through without direction. It was time to test them.

A cloaked figured would step out from the shadows. Their features hidden. Their form giving no clues.

"What do you seek? True? Wealth? Death? Or something more?"

 

[Python]

Ermac as he was heading outwards of the county, felt a difference the air would shift and he felt a presence, Something called out to him a voice a woman's Ermac eyes would narrow as he turned around casually but on caution. This seemed like an emissary though the woman's face..

something felt deep down pented rage or unmatched ferocious this was the aura Ermac felt "What do you seek? Truth? Wealth? Death? or something more?" This was what was uttered Ermac deep in thought has never wished for any of this expect the wealth maybe in his youth, truth could be another thing he wanted. But what Ermac craved and desired was the latter.

"Knowledge is what i seek, im a vivid and expertise in the void and the many inner workings, though there is many discoverys and mysteries yet to uncover, i take it your this so called cult?"

 

[The Pervy Sage]

Ermac as he was heading outwards of the county, felt a difference the air would shift and he felt a presence, Something called out to him a voice a woman's Ermac eyes would narrow as he turned around casually but on caution. This seemed like an emissary though the woman's face..

something felt deep down pented rage or unmatched ferocious this was the aura Ermac felt "What do you seek? Truth? Wealth? Death? or something more?" This was what was uttered Ermac deep in thought has never wished for any of this expect the wealth maybe in his youth, truth could be another thing he wanted. But what Ermac craved and desired was the latter.

"Knowledge is what i seek, im a vivid and expertise in the void and the many inner workings, though there is many discoverys and mysteries yet to uncover, i take it your this so called cult?"

?????? of the Order of the Golden Amputation

---

This one was a curious one. They couldn't avert their eyes. Curious. Their words clear yet the truth was not fully within them.

"I'd mind your tongue boy. Accusations like that cause people to disappear in these lands," the voice almost a hiss. "The knowledge I'll impart on you is that with a tongue like that, your life will be forfeit in these waters. Leave before you say more that you regret."

 

[Python]

Ermac would hear the hooded figure utter a threat that his words should be heeded, though this was not what was intended Ermac was not one to be threatened lightly though this would be in vain of his goal almost his life's obsession at this point. his eyes would narrow and lock at the hooded figure, most of his own features hidden expect his eyes.

There was an aura about the hooded figure he hypothesis this person had a connection to what he sought at least the way they carried themselves and spoke coldly and with distain showed they would well aptitude to be wandering the lands alone " I meant no foul or ill intentions though just inquiring about certain rumours, though im not hear for confrontation just anwsers and if it can further my own means maybe employment.." Ermac would say with a light tone though a coldly edge awaiting the hooded figure response.

His own emotions wasnt affected after all he had seen into the void and knows many outcomes, if he activated his dojustu he would see how long the myserious person before him had. So The person's anwser made him chuckle inside slightly.