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Post by Orcleous on Jun 10, 2015 9:26:19 GMT -6
Orcleous watched as Mana began to make her way toward Jya. There was a seriousness in her eyes that told him that something was going to go down. Orcleous had already prepared a knife, but now was not the perfect time. If he moved to kill her now he would be assaulted by Kenshin and more than likely Jya would jump in as well. It would be a blood bath. Orcleous could not kill her now, it would cost him his own life. At the same time he could not risk her harming Jya. He had no idea about the skill level of the women standing before him. The Swordmasters of the plains were known to swing there blades faster than the eye can follow. For all he knew she could draw her sword and cut Jya's throat faster than he could see. Orcleous could not risk that. He was going to need to stop her. However he needed to stop her in a way that would not get him chopped to bits.
Orcleous extended his hand pulling on the string tied around his finger. The string pulled a lever on his gauntlet which released the throwing knife he had hidden in his secret pocket. With a flick of his hand Orcleous tossed the knife through the air. The projectile soared by Mana crossing her line of sight and then found its place in a nearby tree. "To close", spoke Orcleous as he grabbed the maiden's attention. He then moved his hand toward his side and grabbed his scabbard with his left hand. "Your eyes speak of purpose that I do not understand. What is your intent toward the Emer... I mean Jya", spoke Orcleous changing his tune as he remembered the maiden's request, "maiden of the sword", asked the assassin. Orcleous looked at the women's eyes and her body language. If she gave any hint of any thought toward attacking Jya he would move in to engage. He was not going to allow anything to happen to her on his watch. "If I find your intent to be ill I will not hesitate to cut you down. None will touch the maiden of... Jya", spoke Orcleous again correcting himself.
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Post by Jya on Jun 12, 2015 12:48:03 GMT -6
Jya looked about the camp nervously, trying to figure out the source of that voice. She denied it to be hers, she desperately needed it to not be hers. Looking over at Kenshin, she nodded her head. Why would her resolution ever change. Everything she had ever done and will ever do was nothing she'll regret. Even if beloved people's lives must be taken, so be it. As long as her friends were safe and she was alive, she would kill. Her actions were a necessity and the cruel thought of redemption at the cost of his life faded.
A shiver went down her spine as an all too familiar feeling crept up her spine. She turned to find Mana approaching her, wanting blood. Why her? Honestly she answered the question well enough by herself. Her actions one way or another had lead to this. Yet, Mana was a dear companion so Jya was far from willing to fight. Not that she'll be willing to give up her life though.
Orcleous responded first, releasing a throwing knife in front of the woman. Jya stood her ground though, looking Mana in the eyes and stating what she had concluded.
"I don't regret any of my actions, I'll kill or attack as many as it takes to protect my friends and I. I'll do it again even if the world hates me for it," she stated flatly, resolution in her eyes.
"I'm sorry if I hurt or killed one of those you cared for, but this is the only thing I've ever known to do."
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Post by Kenshin on Jul 6, 2015 5:13:07 GMT -6
Kenshin had hoped that he was the only target of the rogue spirit, but he was wrong. He was trying to make it seem as if things were normal by acting like he didn't hear a thing but it had seemed the others may have fallen victim of it's words. There were two people he knew personally, and he would do anything to ensure their safety. The other person he knew nothing about and he just attacked Mana, the successor of the Falcatta.
He dropped the tent as the knife made a clanging sound, and it had echoed in the mountains. His gaze turned upon Orc, his expression only showing anger. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he barked out. His right hand now on the handle of the handle, he gripped it tightly. He wasn't ignorant, he knew Mana had wanted to talk to Jya, but weapons wasn't drawn or even at the ready at that point. He placed his left hand on the scabbard with his thumb upon the guard, ready to draw the blade at a moment's notice. He began to walk towards Orc, with his first step it had seemed as if a wave of his fighting spirit had emitted from him causing those near him to feel dizzy. "I don't know if you're trying to prove yourself to Jya or not, but what you're really doing is signing your own death wish. Mana is the least of your worries." Kenshin's eyes were focused on Orcleous, and Orcleous only.
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Post by Orcleous on Jul 6, 2015 6:29:06 GMT -6
So the crimson demon stepped up. It was a weird sensation. Orcleous could tell the man lived up to his reputation. The way he touched his sword it was clear that he had blood on his mind. F@#%ing sacaens, thought Orcleous to himself as he reaffirmed his grip on fiery. This was a argument between him and Mana, but yet Kenshin had decided to throw himself in. It was to be expected. The two of them did not like each other since they first meet in the market place. There was tension growing ever since then. Now however he seemed murderous. What was that girl to him? Was this the result of the mountain or purely a product of orcleous' own actions. At the moment the assassin did not know, nor did her care. All he knew was that something was about to go down.
Orcleous was confident in his skill with his blade. For two years he had been swinging it around and been improving as he grew older. However to face against a legend of the plains, he was not skilled enough, at least not yet. Orcleous knew better than to bit off more than he could chew. The Assassin chose to retreat. There was no point in getting himself killed on top of this godforsaken mountain. Naturally the assassin took a step backwards to add more space between him and the swordmaster. He then began to move toward his left side away from both Kenshin and Jya. Quickly drawing his sword Orcelous created a wall of flames erupting from his blade and covering a line of earth between him and the crimson demon. Once behind the smoke and flames Orcleous retreated down a side path. He could only prey for the Emerald maiden's success. He doubted the crimson demon would let him get close again.
"The next time", spoke Orcleous to himself as he left the mountain. [Orcleous leaves Thread]
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Post by Mana on Jun 24, 2016 13:57:54 GMT -6
In this situation, where evil whispered creeping into her mind, Mana instinctively responded to Orcleous' knife-throwing by taking battle stance, hand on the hilt of her sword. Her eyes traced the trajectory of the knife back to the thrower, still with the same bloodlust. She didn't know if he had missed on purpose or that attack was simply a warning but if the man wanted to start a fight then she would gladly comply.
However, before the sword maiden could dash into Orcleous and put them into deadly battle, Kenshin stepped in and somehow threatened the other man enough to force him to flee. Which was a quite flashy escape...with wall of fire and smoke. Not sure if Kenshin held back or the fire trick actually managed to stop him somehow but Orcleous had escaped death today.
"Listen, you murderer..." Mana returned her attention to Jya after the assassin started talking. "I don't care if you think you are right or wrong. I still can't accept what you did. I know about your reputation...I wonder how you could walk in the city so loosely without anyone noticing you." Murderer...that was the word often associated with evil criminal or people who killed people for selfish reason or maybe for no reason at all. The girl hesitantly released her grip on the sword to point her finger at Jya. "And killing to protect friends? Don't make me laugh... If that's all you have done than I have no quarrel with you! But you kill for money! As simply a "job". Your reputation speak for itself, Emerald Wraith!" Mana had lost her mind. It seemed like her friendly greeting for Jya at the gate was a total lie. Well, since their meeting the swordswoman had been troubled with her disgust and hatred but that time she could suppress it. Without the evil whisper corrupting her, she would probably still maintain her friendly attitude and even become friends with the green assassin.
Not sure if this work of the evil spirit or simply her mind going crazy, the flashback of the time when her tribe had been raided and slaughtered was playing in her mind. This made her rage grow and Mana found that it was going harder to control herself.
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Post by Jya on Jun 24, 2016 18:40:06 GMT -6
Everything seemed to happen at once. Jya could barely follow as Orc moved to attack, Kenshin stepping and Mana's angry tirade. Why did things happen in such a way? She was a creature of instincts and she was a coward. The usual part told her to run and hide, but there was a side that was definitely unnerved by Shinta- no Kenshin's identity. Luckily for her sake, the identity of another hardly mattered, when she herself had hid so much. There was no way she can harm her savior. Even if she wished to be redeemed, there was no way killing the person she owes her life to will solve it.
"I stand by what I said, I never got paid for my deeds, do I look like someone with money?" she asked, perfectly rational, but keeping her feet light. She held out her hand, showing that she didn't mean to fight. Her infamy was over exaggerated, it didn't help that others were copycats. It kept the hunt off of her, but that was all she could say was going well for her. She showed her tattered clothing, her worn armor. The only thing that looked to be well kept were her blades and that was only because her life depending on them.
"Yes, I've killed, I-I don't even know most of the people I've tried and succeeded. There was a priest once, I was curious about some letter, my friend was there though and he was threatened so I killed that man. That time in the arena, I don't know this Clair so well, but I had to kill her or my friends would've been killed along with me. I'm not strong as the people who apparently hires me, I don't know much. I don't care if I'm right or wrong, I'll say it again. I'll kill, I'll keep on doing it, for survival, and for my friends," she replied, staring Mana firm in her eyes. None of this was a lie. This was all her deductions, it had always been others that forced her hands. Perhaps it was too easy to kill people and she was too comfortable with the action, but it was the few things she knew how to do.
"Though if there is one thing you should be angry about, I do survive mostly by stealing," she admitted, trying to lighten the tenseness. Her skills was probably very lacking.
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Post by Kenshin on Aug 13, 2016 23:07:46 GMT -6
Everyone was on edge, apparently Kenshin wasn't the only one to hear some kind of voice whisper something into his ear. The rumors of the mountain must have been true, he knew there was something dark deep inside of him but to him both Mana and Jya were good people. Mana had been chosen by the same spirits that had deemed him worthy to draw the Falcatta at one point, he strayed from that path and could now longer wield the blade. Jya was still the little girl he saw in Bulgar, the one that reintroduced him to the feeling of pity, the need to aid and support somebody less fortunate than himself.
The two girls that he held dear to him, for different reasons than his wife and daughter, had seemed to be hostile towards each other. They both had seemed to have the same goal of aiding him, but something had wedged it's between them and Kenshin had no clue how to solve this problem. For starters, he had removed his hands from his sword.
"By time I started to be referred to as the Crimson Demon, I had cast aside many of my humanity. I had only cares about myself and my sick desires of killing Hargus. There was no honor in that, I didn't want to stop him because it was the right thing to do, but to satisfy my blood lust of losing everything. Everyone else who joined me was doing it for the right things. I'm no hero, I'm just as bad as you claim Jya is Mana. It may be for the best if we all just calmed down and had something to eat, it has been a long day and we still have a long journey ahead of us."
He walked over to where he had set his bag down, watching both girls as he pulled a skinned rabbit from his pack. "It's not much, but I'm more than willing to share."
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Post by Mana on Aug 17, 2016 12:50:53 GMT -6
Although Mana disagreed with most of Jya's reasoning, she had to admit that choosing between a stranger's life and a friend's life wasn't easy. For some people, the right answer was obvious from the beginning, they didn't need to think too much or have dilemma over it. However, for people like Mana, who chose to live with upholding honor and righteousness, that kind of choice was something very difficult. Even a life of someone who totally stranger would be precious enough for them. The Sacaen girl's heart wavered for a moment, lightening the grasp of the evil spirit over her mind. What would she do if she hda to choose between Wyatt or a random stranger? What would she do if the murderer of her mother and her tribesmen was standing in front of her? Would she not seek vengeance?
Looking at the green assassin up and down, Mana could only see someone who lived a simple life. Those holes in Jya's cloak were telling that the assassin didn't have luxurious life. The maiden of the blade gritted her teeth as she felt confused. The inside of her mind was a mess now with the evil whisper and her sanity battling for control. "And that Clair is my friend..." That was all Mana could mutter, as if she was trying to counter Jya's argument by using the Emerald Wraith's own argument against her. "So will my action be justified if I stab someone from behind just like what you did? It was unfair and cowardly act." There was huge difference between warriors and assassins. While warriors might uphold honor in fair battle, assassins usually didn't feel bothered by honor and prioritized the result, whatever the cost or the method. Mana seemed to forget she couldn't force the value she believed in to others. Jya had different beliefs, very different from Mana, and there was nothing that could force them to see the same path. It was unlucky that both girl moral philosophies were in different edge.
Mana looked disappointed when kenshin finished speaking. Kenshin couldn't be what he himself had just claimed to be, It was a lie! Storytellers were at fault for inaccurate history of the Crimson Demon, they tended to sweeten or exaggerate most part into heroic story. While some tales about his bad deeds spread around as well, most people, like Mana, was blinded by their faith in the red-haired hero. Crimson Demon...the name itself should have made people aware that he wasn't a holy person...just a human with faults and heroic deeds. If he was all good, his title would have been Crimson Saint.
In dire need to channel her rage, Mana unheathed then swung Falcatta to nearby boulder. The blade went through it smoothly like slicing a butter as if boasting how sharp it was. The boulder upper half slide down and fell to the ground, raising dusts after the fall. Mana put up her other hand to cover her eyes as she trembled in confusion. The whisper went wilder and continued to corrupt the girl's mind, creeping into the deepest part of her heart where her hatred and desire for revenge hid. "That can't be Kenshin. All I see in you is a hero who ended the Bandit War and the protector of Sacae. Don't tell me that isn't you!" Mana was a naive girl who idolized Kenshin so this revelation had come as great shock for her. If the man looked into her eyes, he would see how anger, sadness, and disappointment were mixed there. Mana made a crude sheathing motion as she returned the sword into its sheath, proving that she was too agitated to do it smoothly. She then headed to nearby tree and sat down under its shade.
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Post by Jya on Aug 17, 2016 21:36:27 GMT -6
Jya was at an honest lost for words. How can she justify attacking another's friend? There really was no way, but it had to be done, for their sake.
There was even more shocking news, but not nearly as jarring as it was for Mana. The person who had reached out his hand to help her as a child was no better than she was? She shook her head, remembering another person she had idolized, Alcibie. When it came to people she looked up to, she didn't idolize like the people in the world. What mattered was the person behind it and for them to have faults as big as hers. She tended to avoid thinking so deeply at that. Her own faults were foreign to her, perhaps due to a lack of guidance.
"Even if you're not the hero that others believe, you're still my hero Shinta! Errr, I mean Kenshin. You reached out to help a sickly poor child that ran away from home to find a cure for an unknown illness. That person would be dead if you haven't..."
"Haha, some part of me wish I took a different choice," she began, looking down at her own hands. She shook her head before letting out a sigh.
"I'm not smart, I try not to think, I can barely read," she laughed, clenching her fists.
"I finally got rid of the illness, but all I do is wander around and try not to die, but that life is fine."
"But Kenshin, you're still important, you're a friend and a hero. I don't care if I'm not redeemed or whatever they offer, I won't hurt a friend," she said, standing by what she mean. She looked over at Mana, glad to not be on the receiving end of the strike. She didn't completely understand the frustration a warrior would have. Her life had always been following her instincts and to survive, by all costs. So something like honor was far above her.
"I don't think I ever had time to think about my actions... I've only ever reacted," she frowned, taking a step closer to the other girl. At the offer of the rabbit though, Jya smiled and nodded, reaching into the folds of her bag.
"Well I don't have much, I caught some rats, but I also have some dried bugs," she said, taking out the meat and placing them next to Kenshin. She beamed, a bit proud with her offering before turning back to Mana. Of course she only got as close as she needed to be.
"I'm sorry, I don't really understand your questions," Jya answered Mana's previous questions.
"All I know is dead is dead, if I didn't do as those people said, I'll be in jail and then I'll be dead. If I don't kill the threat before they get me, then I'll be dead. I've been running from death all my life and it's the only thing I know, so I can't answer really answer you. I'm sorry. The only time I keep myself from running are for my friends, but even then I'm dealing with death. All I know Mana, is that my friends are my heroes, and no matter what, I'll always believe them. So I don't understand what you or Kenshin mean about him not being a hero. I think he's plenty a hero and I don't think anything changes that," she proudly declared, puffing out her chest at her simple thoughts. It was nice to be simple minded like her at times, but what she said was her honest belief. Perhaps her definition of hero was very loose or she didn't really understand the word, but she stood by it.
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