Previous post.
This post marks the beginning of my mission using these storyboard elements:
- Obtain Ore for your God Slaying Tool (False) (5)
- Fight an enemy much stronger than yourself (5)
- Experiment with incredibly advanced Kenjutsu (5)
The crisp, cool air filled Musashi's lungs as the full moon hung low in the sky, casting its light over the mountain peaks that broke up the horizon. The moon hung high in the sky, casting its light down over the land; the clouds moved around aimlessly occasionally obscuring it's path to the land.
Her wandering across the continent of Tobusekai had brought her here, guided by her whims. Something told Musashi that the peak of the mountain would have something for her, as its tip towered through the clouds, where it would receive light unobstructed yearlong.
With a huff and smile, Musashi started her trek up the mountain, her straw hat and cloak offering slight refuge from the bitter cold and snow. The trek up the mountain itself was uneventful, as the hike through the snow only momentarily slowed Musashi.
She was bewildered as, when she came close to the cloud-line there was an extreme amount of Wistera in bloom, its violet petals captivating in the moonlight, amplified by the snow beneath. She walked through the serene forest in utter awe, as seemed to put her very soul at ease, as if this area had been sanctified by the gods themselves.
But her hands immediately went to the hilt of her sword, as clearing what she now recognized as a barrier formed by the Wisteria, she sensed something she hadn't felt in several months. There was another soul on this mountain, one very similar to the creature she fought in the mines beneath the Land of Iron. Only, this time, Musashi was alone to contend with whatever the strange apparition was. She had done considerable training since then, but still....
She contemplated turning the other way; its possible that the creature was trapped up on this mountain by the Wisteria, and with as remote as it was, Musashi doubted anyone would unwillingly wander this direction. But, if she left this place without attempting to do something about the creature, would she not be responsible if someone lost their life to it down the line? She could not abide that.
Additionally, if the peak of the mountain could offer something to forge a blade by the Marzan, that was another reason to continue on.
Her sword that she procured from the Ronin at the Dark Tower glinted faintly in the moonlight, as she took a deep breath; the rumbling of the ground meant Musashi wouldn't have to keep herself hidden for long, as she made no effort to conceal herself to draw the creature towards her.
She continued to move upwards towards the summit of the mountain, both to make her way towards her goal and to find a more favorable fighting ground, something that would offer her cover if needed, but also not be too difficult a terrain to move about in.
Unfortunately, that might be easier said than done, when Musashi beheld the creature: a giant coiled mass that moved on six off-set legs, like a cage, wrapped in arms that grasped at its body in the air - too many for Musashi to count in a single instance.
“Ahhh, finally, some fresh meat! Ahhh, you look so skinny though, hardly anything on you. Ahhh, but that’s no worries - just climb into my mouth. Ahhh, it’s so much warmer in there than out here,” spoke the creature, every sentence punctuated with an exasperated sigh.
She steeled her breathing, preparing for a fight like she had before. It was hard to place exactly what the difference was, but it had the same sort of oddity in its soul as the creature in the mines despite its vast physical differences with it.
"Sorry, but I'm sure I'm too gamey for that - too much muscle," Musashi mused, as she adjusted her blade in her hand. She could feel the malice pouring off the creature. It turned slowly, its massive frame probably preventing it from any rapid movement...but it could still strike quickly.
Musashi watched as a flood of arms came from its body, stretching to unnatural lengths as they converged on Musashi's location. They were fast, but not so fast that she couldn't avoid them, much less follow their movement.
But she couldn't afford to be hit regardless. as she watched an explosion of snow and stone jettison up out of ground from where its blow landed, underneath a veritable hydra's worth of arms. Any blow from this creature would be devastating.
Musashi swung her blade, releasing a
( Suraisu Shinku no Nami ) - Slicing Crimson Wave and watching as it shattered harmlessly against the creature's skin. It seemed to incredibly durable, much like the previous creature that Musashi fought.
"What are you? What clan gives you power like this?" question Musashi, as she took up the Chudan-no-kamae stance to provide a fluid response to the creatures attacks.
"Aaah, so you do have that stink to you. Aaah, the stink of one who killed my bretheren. Aaah, I really cannot let you life now. Aaah, not when I'm so hungry, and when you have killed one of us already, and when you're so close to the sunlight stone which can truly kill us.
"Aaah, I do not know how you managed it, but you will make a sustaining meal, trapped in this Wisteria prison have I been."
Musashi reacted quickly, a start, as she noticed now that the creatures arms had never moved from the point of impact from its previous blow - it had used its incredible strength to burrow through the ground and attack from underneath her. She swung her sword, intercepting the fist, but the force of the blow launched her skyward, throwing her about the area.
She focused, and felt, as the energies surrounding her she attempted to channel across her blades. First introduced to her in those mines by the Samurai Captain, and further refined by her readings from the Ronin of the Dark Tower, Musashi attempted to reach out to the planet and focus its energies with her own, across her way, in a form of Kenjutsu known as Dokkodo.
She had managed to perform the principles before in her training, but this would be the first time using it in battle.
( Dokkōdō ) - The Alone Way
A powerful armor composed of Musashi's chakra and natural energy encased her, and an undulating flame like manifestation appeared on her blade, as she tapped into this energy; there was an audible hiss from the creature - the Oni - that Musashi heard.
These Oni were capable of incredible feats of Regeneration, and had frighting power to boot: durability, incredible strength, and it seemed, going from these two, that perhaps no two were unique. Even with their incredible regeneration, it seemed the only way to defeat them would be to stop or overcome the regeneration, and to decapitate them at the same time.
And, something to do with this sunlight stone? It was the dead of night now, and the previous one was in the mines, far beneath the surface.
Musashi rushed forward, her sword now cloaked in
( Dokkōdō: Kakusu Shinjitsu ) - The Alone Way: Hidden Truths. The teachings of Dokkodo were complex, and two fold, finding ways to free one's spirit and attune to nature. Those without the ability to manipulate the power of nature could be weakened in ways two fold from the complex Senkenjutsu techniques.
First, Senkenjutsu could use the all-permeating power of nature combined with one's own strength to wear down the incredible durability of foes; like a stone before a river or a mountain before the wind, its power to erode was inevitable.
Second, as she found out in the mines, the power to petrify. Overtime, all things would return to nature, losing their form, turning to dust, to begin anew.
When her first blow shattered effortlessly against the Oni's flesh, it confirmed her thoughts: she wasn't powerful enough to defeat these creatures in a single blow. But with the power she had learned, and with her other technique combined, she could wear them down and eventually defeat them.
She could not regenerate her wounds in a flash as the Oni could. She could not effortlessly shatter stone without a thought. She could not contort her body to move in unnatural ways. She could only persist and become stronger.
The Musashi struck the Oni's arms as it continued its barrage, matching it blow for blow with her
( Dokkōdō: Kakusu Shinjitsu ) - The Alone Way: Hidden Truths, she watched as every consecutive hit seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the creatures flesh, until finally, one time, she felt her blade actually pass into one of its many hands, severing it at the wrist.
Musashi was breathing labored, as she looked at the devistated landscape around her, shattered stones and trees abound.
"AAAAAAAH," roared the creature, "It burns just like sunlight, just like the stone! AAAAAH, YOUR SWORD CUTS LIKE SUNLIGHT." It stomped around, shattering the ground beneath it as it went into a frenzy. Musashi looked skyward, at the moon hanging in the air; daylight was a ways off; it seemed perhaps, then, that Sunlight was a weakness to the Oni? Did it negate their durability? Stifle their healing?
In a fury, the creature unleashed all of its arms, revealing its rather slender form as the cage of arms uncoiled from around it, and tried to overwhelm Musashi from all angles, with its many fists coming from the air, underground, and behind, trying to crush her with its incredible strength.
Musashi weaved between the constant assault (
( Chiratsuki Kaihi ) - Flicker Evasion ) using the creature's own arms as a spring-board to close the distance on its now exposed body. An undulating flame covered her blade (
( Dokkōdō: Kakusu Shinjitsu ) - The Alone Way: Hidden Truths ) as she closed in, swinging her blade as she struck across the creature's neck - with its incredible resiliance chipped away, Musashi now changed to the petrification effect of Dokkodo. Her blade struck true, and severed the Oni's head from its neck, and Musashi watched as the two parts of the wound began turning to stone.
"AAAAAH, noooo! AAAAAH, trapped on this mountain for so long to be defeated by one like you?! AAAAAH, we will never relent! AAAAH, humanity will be replaced, for our right to rule is mandated!"
The creature screamed, before both halves of its body scattered as dust, Musashi landing and sheathing her blade. A deep sigh escaped her, as her body ached. Dokkodo was a complex form of Kenjutsu that took more than just physical skill to use, and this was Musashi's first real foray with it in combat. Its power could not be neglected though, and she had mastered it, it seemed. However, she fell to her knees as the cloak dispersed from around her. It gave her incredible striking power, and amplified her speed in the same manner as her Unfettered Mind Technique, but not without substantial recoil. Musashi gasped a bit for air - it seemed like her natural aptitude (Nature's Warrior Spec) prevented what would have been a debilitating recoil.
She took a deep drink from her water-skin, before packing it with some undisturbed snow to melt and replenish it. Continuing her trek upwards, she marched undisturbed now through the cloud line, coming above it to the peak of the mountain. Here, far above, Musashi could see the sun sitting upon the horizon, after her long battle and the last hike up here. It seemed, almost, like the sun never truly never sat here, and the place was bound in eternal sunlight.
It was breathtaking.
Musashi found what her intuition seemed to be guiding her towards. Here, upon the peak of the mountain, was an exposed vein of what she presumed to be iron, but scarlet red in color. Bathed in sunlight, it seemed brilliant. Musashi took a small hammer and pick from her tools, and took only a small portion, what she thought would be appropriate to forge into a blade.
Moved to her soul, Musashi knelt and said a prayer of thanks, and appreciate for the blessings she had received and the protection afforded to her.
When the sun began to creep up a bit so that it would be accompanying her on her journey, she began moving downwards, to return to the master smith.
A newfound power, and perhaps a new tool soon at her disposal, Musashi felt that she had taken a great stride towards catching up to her father, and eventually, hopefully surpassing him.
Like the light hanging in the sky, Musashi felt a brightness in her soul.
There was darkness in the world, but she would dispel it.
Travel Itinerary: 238 -> 231 -> 229 -> 222 -> 217 ->212 -> 212A
Departing Mount Katsuryoku (238) at 2:21pm (2/26/2022)
231: 2:21pm - 3:21pm
229: 3:21pm - 4:21pm
222: 4:21pm - 5:21pm
217: 5:21pm - 6:21pm
212: 6:21pm - 7:21pm
212A: 7:21pm - 8:21pm
Arriving at Armory of Marzan (212A) at 8:21pm on February 26th, 2022.
Leaving Landmark.