Spawning Post
Musashi Miyamoto to be used in the Ninja World going forward.
This post marks the beginning of my mission using these storyboard elements:
- Fight an enemy much stronger than yourself (5)
- Save a large community from danger (5)
- Survive a near-death situation (5)
Musashi's breath coalesced in the air in front of her, as her mostly quiet footsteps were drowned out by the small company of armored Samurai who walked with her, their lanterns and torches casting light upon the cavern walls, revealing the strung up mining lights that were currently without power.
Musashi had been in Hachiman's Bulwark for sometime now, ever since she wandered through that strange rift on that mountaintop that one fateful day. Though the money she had on her person thankfully was accepted, she found herself quickly needing to make some Ryo - as goodwill alone often was not enough to keep one's belly full. Thus, she quickly found employment as a hired blade amongst the Samurai, especially during some recent troubles.
Underneath Hachiman's Bulwark was a complex tunnel network, where crops were grown, ore was excavated, and that even served as a transportation hub across the Land of Iron. But, recently, there were talks of workers and travelers being attacked by a strange creature, humanoid but with features like beasts; a few small company of guards - mostly low ranking Samurai - were found killed, brutally torn apart by what appeared to be massive claws, if the carvings into the tunnel walls was anything to be clued in to.
Musashi was brought along due to her unique skill set, and her demonstrable prowess with the sword, which even some of the Samurai have had to begrudgingly acknowledge, despite her technical classification as a Ronin, and not belonging to the Land of Iron. But, her ability to use the Ronin's unique brand of Kenjutsu, as well as her ability to sense the souls of all living things could potentially be useful; in fact, it was such that lead them into this darkened recess of the caverns, Musashi able to sense the rapidly moving soul of something, deep in the caverns and moving between the rocks. With Musashi were three Samurai; two in the normal armament, and one with horns on his helmet and a red color scheme, denoting his higher-rank.
The Captain-ranked Samurai had proven to be quite skilled in his swordsmanship, having wanted to test Musashi's abilities for himself before agreeing to bring her along; though she quickly defeated him in their spar with bokken, as they discussed their unique brands of Kenjutsu. Apparently the Captain was attempting to learn a unique form of Kenjutsu that Musashi had read about, that utilized Natural Energy in its execution. He seemed t o be struggling with it, though, and was using a strange oil that needed to be carefully handled to help accelerate the process; he mentioned that he had purchased it from some individuals from Konohagakure, and that he used it to polish his sword while practicing to help attune to the natural energies of the planet, motioning to a small clay jar at his hip. Likewise, Musashi spoke briefly about her ability to strike at one's soul with her sword, a step she found necessary as she strove to surpass her father's "blade at the pinnacle of heaven."
The time for conversation had long since passed, though, as in this darkened area of cavern the group remained on high alert, as Musashi's soul sensing indicated that whatever they were tracking was in the vicinity. Even in the cavern's chilled air, filled with minerals, one could make out the faint smell of blood; the area had obviously been altered as well: strange geometric shapes could be seen protruding from the walls at several points, some with deep gashes into them, in sets of three, or crosshatched into the stonework.
There was a faint bzzzt and the cascading of blue light as the two lower ranked samurai drew shortswords from their armor and cloaked them in an aura of chakra, forming shrouds shaped like katana as they took point in their expedition.
"Whatever it is, is nearby," said Musashi, as she placed a hand on one of the katana on her own hips. She could feel the presence moving towards them, but its elevation in relation to them seem to suggest it was further down in the mine? Or, no...it was moving through the stone itself.
No sooner did she say that then did a massive trio of bone-like protrusions come out out of the ground, nearly a meter long each, they ripped through one of the Samurai's armor like it was made of paper, as the scent of blood rapidly filled the cavern as it misted about from the blow.
Musashi could see the creature, cast in the lantern light held by the unfortunate grunt. It seemed to be human, or at least humanoid, perhaps a young adult man. Their face was white, but not pallid; more so like they had a thick caked on layer of make-up, and their hair fell behind them in four large dreadlocks; their garb was was simple, what looked to be the uniform of one of the miners who worked in the area, though ravaged and tattered, and caked with blood and dirt.
Their eyes were black, and beady, and there was a strange "X" shaped mark across their nose, meeting the corners of their mouth to the bottoms of their eyes; and of course, their hands, wielding only three fingers each that came to these incredibly large bone protrusions.
"Aaah, blood, fresh and right to my dwelling?
Lonely humans, dressed in their weakling stink,
Feast, for me, until my belly is swelling!
For I, from mother's waters, have had my drink."
The second lower-ranked samurai, then moved, in, swinging his shrouded blade and releasing a crescent of energy in the direction of the creature, and its torso, have emerged from the stone. The attack made purchase as it raced through the cavern, but one could hear the searing hiss of flesh, as they watched in the dancing lantern light as the creature's flesh melded itself back together, as if made of thick dark fibers, dancing between its muscles.
"Fall in!" barked the Captain, as they watched the creature retreat back into the stone, the cascading light of their chakra sabers dancing along the ground. "Musashi, let us know where this thing is coming from," he said, as they fell into a triangular formation, their lanterns now casting their light in frantic paths across the walls.
Musashi could sense the creature stalking them through the cavern's stone work; the sense of soul extinguished in the slain samurai, as he had been killed instantly. She was quiet for now, though, waiting to give direction as the creature drew closer.
"Cattle atop, safely in their pens,
Warriors below, unable to guard,
A hunger unyielding, strength unable to match
Ready for me, a fox to hens,
Their dogs drawn from out of their yard,
Your blades worthless, my head unable to detach."
"'Head unable to detach'?" thought Musashi, catching that strange bit of singsong in the creature's words, before crying out "From below!"
She stepped forward and spun around, drawing her blade, as it seems so too did the Samurai, following suit. The chakra clad blades of the Samurai were able to pierce the flesh, but Musashi watched as her blade collided with its skin, releasing sparks as she cut through its cloth, its body being cloaked in the
Earth Spear Doton technique, granting it incredible defenses; Musashi's call out seemed to have saved the lives of the Samurai, as the creatures bone protrusions had come form underground in an uppercut like formation where the other lower ranked Samurai had previously been standing. It seemed it was trying to pick them off one by one, though Musashi mused it would be more than capable of cleaving them all through with a single blow if it managed.
Musashi watched, as again, the figure's wounds rapidly healed, as it completely shrugged off the Samurai's blows. It seemed to have some sort of high, innate damage resistance, or she simply lacked the ability to cut it with her blade alone; and while the chakra enhanced blades of the Samurai were capable of wounding the creature it simply healed the wounds.
Finally drawing her own blade, a wispy shroud enveloped her katana as she used
( Rōnin Seishin Ken no Jutsu ) – Rōnin Spiritual Blade Technique, the technique being her answer to the Samurai's own Samurai Sabre Technique.
She waited patiently as the creature circled through the stone, beyond the reach of their blades, Musashi was waiting to see where it would again to try and pounce form next, like some sort of carnivorous mole...but watched as suddenly bone bullets, spears really, fired out from its position at high speed; Musashi could see it due her incredible senses, but the low ranking Samurai was not so lucky, as they struck him clearly, and pinned him to the wall opposite the cavern, in his face, throat, and heart, as he was left dangling from the wall. The Captain cursed loudly.
"Musashi, here," he said, handing the clay gourd on his hip to her, as he maneuver himself to be back to back with her. "If you coat your blade in this, it'll draw natural energies to whatever the oil splashes on to. If they can't mitigate natural energy, it'll slowly turn them into stone - so make sure not to get any on you, either. But if should help us stop this thing's healing ability, or at least make it a little bit easier to kill, to slow it down."
"From above!" said Musashi, as she took the gourd and stepped back. As the creature came from the ceiling she saw its outstretched bone protrusions, aiming to get the captain from above; its other hand, the one it had fired the bone spears from, seemed to be missing them, but as it exited the stone, it began to regrow them; it seemed it couldn't both manifest new bones and move through the earth at the same time?
The Captain moved out the way; though he was faster in moving than Musashi, he was much slower in reacting, and watched as one of the claws caught him across the side, effortlessly shredding through his armor, and shattering on of the horns on his helmet. He retaliated in kind, though, swinging his blade clad in energy, and sliced through the bone claws that had slashed him; the creature was agile, though, and pivoted, sending the Samurai flying into a cavern wall with a rotating kick, catching the man across the wound the monster had just inflicted.
Her own strike also struck true, the creature too preoccupied with the Samurai combatant; Musashi's spiritual shroud struck the creature across its left flank, the spiritual curse that came with Spiritual Kenjutsu techniques afflicting the creature. Though the wound rapidly closed, as its body seemed to stitch itself back together, there was the strange discoloration that came with having one's soul cut reflected on the creature's torso, and it seemed to hiss and gasp with the strike, unlike what it had done with the other chakra based attacks; it likely hadn't been hit in such a manner before.
Though the creature tried to meld into the ground again, it seemed that the spiritual disruption caused by Musashi's attack prevented it from utilizing whatever technique it was that allowed it to merge with the earth, and it instead jumped back, barring large jagged fangs at Musashi, as she held her blade in hand, popping the cork off of the gourd the Samurai had handed her; the oil slid down the edge of Musashi's blade, as she held it edge upward, as it coated in the slick substance.
Musashi could feel a flow of energy into the blade she could not quite describe as the oil coaxed natural energies into it, but ignored it as best she could for now. The effect of her spiritual strike was not permanent, and would fade soon. Cognicent of the effects of her blade now, she doubted the creature would allow itself to be caught off guard so easily again, and so she needed to act quickly.
Musashi took a deep breath, and rushed the creature - while the creature's speed seemed to be immense, at least while it was able to move freely through the stone, the incredible aura Musashi exuded seemed to slow the creature in its tracks as she approached, and she focused - her blade once again becoming cloaked in
( Rōnin Seishin Ken no Jutsu ) – Rōnin Spiritual Blade Technique, and its wispy aura. The creature went to regrow the bones on its hand, and attempt to skewer Musashi as she approached; but when rushing into close quarters combat, one had to be privy to these swords of attacks, and Musashi's eyes were honed; she swiped the spiritual shroud of her blade, severing the bone claws once again, as she crouched down, coiling her body as she did so to come from underneath; for surely whenever the creature was able to meld with the earth again, it would do so, and Musashi aimed to take advantage of this mole-like creature's hit and run battle tactic preference.
A wispy blade of multicolored energy would manifest in her free hand, at her hip, as she swung it with a blinding speed, a form of Iaido that the Samurai were famous for; only different, in its utilization of a spiritual blade, as she performed
( Seishin Iaidō ) – Art of the Spiritual Quick Draw , at S-Rank. The blade would cut across the creature's legs, as the severing ability of the blade came into play as she struck, the creature would find not only the suppression ability from the strike across its torso renewed, but now his legs would be subjected to the same effect, as well as the spiritual blade that manifested restricting the creature's access to its own techniques.
Following this, now using her bare blade, coated in the oil that attracted Natural Energy as given to her by the Samurai Captain, Musashi followed up with a barrage of rapid strikes with her blade (
( Ken Rendan no Jutsu ) - Sword Barrage Technique ), swinging her blade horizontally at the end, decapitating the creature; as its wounds tried to stitch themselves back together Musashi watched as the oil coating her blade did as the Samurai described - the flesh around its neck where her blade made contact slowly began to turn to stone and crumble with the rest of its body as it petrified, and the severed head did the same, the combination of Natural Energy and her spiritual Kenjutsu techniques seemingly overwhelming whatever ability this creature had to reconstitute itself.
As its head rolled across the ground, it spoke one final time, as if either to get in a last gloat, or warning.
"My brothers and sisters, their hunger they must sate,
Your kind, no longer will you thrive,
More children, from mother's water, more will we make,
Our time to rise, and your time to die."
The creatures head petrified as it spoke, before crumbling away, leaving only the eerie silence in the cavern. Musashi sighed a deep breath; she had gotten lucky. The creature was incredibly strong, seeing what it had done to the Samurai here, as well as the gashed stone surrounding the area; Musashi herself would have been completely unable to defeat the creature for good, she suspected, without that oil the Samurai Captain had brought with him. And given the creature's ability to effortlessly merge with stone and escape without trace, its incredible power, and its healing factor...it would have been a nearly untraceable menace to the people in Hachiman's Bulwark, and could have easily decimated the population before - or even if - the Samurai could devise a way to track the creature, much less determining how they needed to harm it.
And frighteningly enough, there were others like it? Musashi did not sense the souls of anything similar in the vicinity, at least, not traversing through stone or the like, but the thought was chilling. Her blade had found something that she could not cut; she needed more training, and time to think...but that would have to come later.
"Come on, don't give out on me now," said Musashi, as she ran over to the Samurai Captain, and opened his first aid kit that he had strapped to the back of his armor, and tried to administer some basic field aid to the wound. "We gotta get you out of here."
The Samurai gave a pained acknowledgement, as Musashi took a somber look at the corpses of the two Samurai slain here. Helping the Samurai stand, the two would then move to exit the mine to receive payment for her services, as well as report what had happened.
Musashi's travels were just beginning, and they looked to be eventful indeed.