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| An Unwelcome Arrival [P] FIN; Rin | |
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| Topic Started: Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:42 am (434 Views) | |
| Bear Cook | Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:42 am Post #1 |
 
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Banagher breathed in the fresh mountain air as he walked up the mountain, he had found several herbs that he could grind up to make some ingredients, plus a few berries that he had shared with his little friend, Rin, who he was taking to the mountains for the page he mentioned. He barely even noticed the fact that they were no deep in Were-beast territory, though he could feel something was wrong, where were the gatekeepers... they should have challenged them a while ago and either fought them to the death or until Banagher could bash their heads together. Though what was worst of all... was the fact that all of the traps were disarmed, the pit falls were already fallen in and they could easily walk around them, it was the oddest thing... as if someone else had been trying to break in before hand. He was interrupted from his daze as three creatures darted out from the bend farther ahead, a lion, a tiger, and a bear, oh my, it was his family. He smiled and waved to them, calling out, "Brothers! Father! It's me, Banagher!" They only seemed to speed up and shift into their hybrid forms, the were-bear hybrid, his father, stopped though as his two half brothers kept on charging, their claws extended, they meant to disembowel their exiled brother. Banagher stepped forward, shifting and thrusting out his palms, colliding with their throats, sending them to the ground gasping for air, he looked at his father who only put his stubby nose into the air and walked away, his brothers coughing and hacking as they stood up, the tiger brother speaking, "How dare you - hack - come back here Banagher, you're nothing but a blasted - cough - nuisance. You're just lucky you passed the first test, you and your little friend won't be so lucky at the second gate!" They shifted into their animal forms and ran off, most likely back to the monastery. Banagher looked to Rin for the first time in a while, "Sorry about that... what he meant to say was there were three tests, the test of courage, the test of strength, and the test of power. I just completed courage by meeting my foes on headlong, I'll rely on your help for the next fight. Last I heard the man who was guarding the second gate was a were-fang drake, big toothy guy. Though remember, don't kill him, just bash him around until he gives up, any questions Rin?" He felt it was best to get the questions over and done with now, there would be little chance to talk during the coming fight. Edited by Bear Cook, Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:47 am.
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| Rin | Wed Sep 28, 2011 2:47 am Post #2 |
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The girl looked around the towering peaks with an odd, almost wistful expression. She rarely traced back her tracks; as an artifical construct of the Grand Grimoire, she had an unprecedented ability to sense the last pages of the sentient tome and locate them across the realm of Imythess. However, according to her companion the girl had somehow missed one of the book's fragments in the endless peaks and valleys of the Gwilkith Mountain range. She looked at the man she was following up the steep trail, smiling faintly. Banagher was one of the more interesting beings she had encountered since her existence. The man was a were-bear, a hybrid individual that possessed the ability to shift between a human and animal form at will. Although the girl had heard of creatures such as lycanthropes before, but to her knowledge those beings were restrained to human-wolf hybrids. Traveling with the cook and exiled monk had been an interesting experience, and she had been taught all manner of things about their destination. There was apparently a temple hidden in the mountains that was a secret location only known by other were-creatures, and somewhere within the area Banagher had seen a page of the Grand Grimoire. She was dragged out of her thoughts when she heard the chef call out, looking up the side of the mountain. Above them three figures were approaching, but instead of responding to his friendly greeting two of the men shifted into a more ferocious form, bounding down the path towards the two of them. Rin took a step back, her eyes narrowing instantly and all traces of hesitation fading from her features. Banagher had already moved forward to meet them, but the girl did not plan on being caught defenseless. "Laevateinn." The air around the girl blurred as if she stood in the middle of a mirage, the very fabric of reality rippling in accordance with her command. In an instant she held a weapon that was almost comically large, the greatsword having a six foot long blade and a two foot long hilt. It was massive in every dimension, seemingly too large for such a miniscule girl to wield effectively, but she still hefted it readily. However, it seemed like Rin's intervention was not required. The chef turned back the duo with little trouble, sending them scurrying back up the trail. The girl frowned slightly. She had not expected such vicious assailants to be defeated so easily, but Banagher immediately revealed that there were a series of tests they must pass in order to access the temple. She followed the were-bear further up the mountain, grinning. "Ok! I can probably handle a Test of Strength!" Indeed the girl did not seem to be under strain from lugging around the massive blade. In fact, now that they seemed to be approaching their goal she seemed more upbeat and cheerful. "Lead the way, Banagher!" |
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| Bear Cook | Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:28 pm Post #3 |
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Banagher smiled at Rin, she was such a kind and... well the best word to describe her would be 'bouncy'. He smirked as he began walking, staying in his hybrid form to show at least one of them was a were-beast. As they walked up the path he would stop and pick some herbs, he would probably end up cooking for his mother and grandfather when they made it to the monastery, he wanted to be fully prepared. He looked back to Rin and smiled, "I think you'll like at least two of the people in the monastery, my mom and grandpa have probably heard the news from my brothers and father, they're probably cleaning the kitchen out right now and getting all of the supplies together so I can cook them all a feast fit for a king. Though of course you'll be more then welcome to join us in the feast Rin, since it's a day's walk from the monastery to the Exile House where I saw the page, so first thing tomorrow morning we can set out, snatch it up, and then I'll lead you out of the mountains." He loved to be around the curious girl, explaining his cooking, why he put some things in and why he didn't put other things in his food, explaining all there is to know about the dishes, it was like he was teaching an apprentice, but he doubted the girl would sit still for a few months and learn how to cook, after all, she was after these pages for something important and he would help her out as much as he could. He lead her up the path, past a man-made gate, it was old and worn, the door smashed off it's hinges, he scratched his head with a single claw, it was odd, nothing in the mountains would do this kind of damage normally, something unnatural must be happening in the mountains... but what? He shook his head, he would have to ask the head monk in the monastery, he doubted that the normal monks would bother telling him. He walked through the gap and saw the familiar sight of a large pond, he had spent his younger days catching fish and cooking them here for his brothers, when they were kids they appreciated his skill much more... but as adults he was a constant shame. He sighed and kept on walking, barely noticing the man walking out of the pond, he was in his hybrid form, two massive tusks on the side of his elongated mouth, dark blue scales covered his hide and his emerald eyes had an eerie glow to them, he spoke loudly and proudly, "I am Imahlza, Were-Fang Drake, guardian of the second trial, the trial of strength. Now come and face me challenger!" He reached down into the long grass around the pond, pulling out two hook swords which he brandished, his stance and blade positioning not leaving any openings. Banagher looked at Rin, "He's all yours... just don't kill him Rin, if you can disarm him or knock him out it would be appreciated." He took a step back, letting Rin handle the foe. |
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| Rin | Wed Sep 28, 2011 10:11 pm Post #4 |
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Rin followed the chef through a broken gate, nodding as she listened to Banagher prattle on about the monastery and his family. Even though she appeared to barely be paying attention to his words, the truth of the matter was that she was committing each and every syllable to memory. The artificial construct had the ability to instantly recall any information she had ever read or heard, a perfect eidetic memory. She found her mouth watering at the thought of the were-bear being given the facilities and ingredients to cook a proper feast. He had been kind enough to cook for her on their travel here from the Norwood Forest, and each night he demonstrated some new culinary skill that kept the dishes delicious and unexpected. Although Rin technically did not require sustenance, it was nice to finally be traveling with someone who was a proper cook. She usually sustained herself on berries and other fruits and vegetables she gathered during the course of her wanderings, but she was unsure if she could return to such a meager menu after being treated by Banagher. When the next guardian emerged from the depths of the lake the construct strode forward happily, her eyes alight with excitement. She had never experienced a Test of Strength before and could barely restrain herself. Her opponent was quite an interesting character; he was a were-creature as well, although he seemed to be part-drake. Huge fangs curled upwards from a mouth of sharp teeth, and honed muscles rippled under a layer of interlocking blue scales. His green eyes glowed with an eerie luminescence as he roared out a challenge, unsheathing dual blades with wicked hooks on the end meant for disarming and dismembering opponents. In ordinary circumstance, Rin would be worried about the size and strength of her opponent. However, knowing that this was merely a preplanned test she relaxed slightly, knowing that the were-fang drake would not be trying to actually kill her. "No worries, Banagher! I will play nice!" The girl skipped forward with a wide grin, humming dissonantly underneath her breath. She stopped just outside of the range of her massive sword, bowing her head to her opponent, the hulking hybrid easily three feet taller than the girl. The lengthy sword was dragging through the dirt behind her, the girl only holding the hilt loosely in one hand. "Greetings, Imahlza! My name is Rinrae, but you should call me Rin." The were-creature's only response was a harsh growl as he lumbered forwards, raising both blades. Rin's eyes narrowed and she jerked to the side, so quickly it was almost preternatural. By the time the hooked blades had struck the ground she was already several feet away, her free hand gripping the pommel of Laevateinn as she hurled it around. The were-fang drake lifted one of its hooked swords lazily to block, clearly expecting this waif of a human to not have the strength to budge it. Rin's grin faded and was replaced with a look of steely determination as the blades crashed together. The hybrid's eyes widened slightly as he was forced back a step from the strength behind the attack, a strength that was decidedly disproportionate to the construct's innocent appearance. Before he could snag the edge of the greatsword with the hook she had sprung away, lifting Laevateinn back and lowering its point like a lance. When she charged forward the drake was forced to jump out of the way to avoid being skewered. "Ha!" Rin cried out triumphantly as she drove one heel into the ground and pivoted, using both the momentum of her charge and the extra power of the spin to bring her sword to bear in a blurring horizontal slash. Her opponent crossed both of his blades in front of him in order to block the heavy strike, grunting with exertion and using his tail to stabilize himself. Before the echo of the clash had even faded the construct had jumped forward, dropping the hilt of the greatsword and lunging towards the were-fang drake. "Poseidon's Trident!" As she leapt into the air another weapon formed between her fingers. This time it was a three-pronged polearm crafted of pure gold, intricate patterns carved along its length and a pearl shimmering at the junction of the three spikes. She slammed the trident down, catching each of the swords between two prongs of the polearm and pinning them to the ground. The were-creature shouted in surprise, but Rin was not done yet. She slammed the heels of both feet into the hybrid's wrists with enough force that he was forced to release the hooked swords. As soon as he let go the girl yanked the trident out of the ground, raising it so that the spike on the butt end of the weapon hovered a mere hairsbreadth from Imahzla's jugular. It was one of the few locations on the being that appeared to have thinner scales, and he stilled instantly. Rin stared into his emerald eyes for a second, her blue pupils devoid of any emotion except for relentless determination, before glancing over her shoulder at Banagher. "Is that good enough? Or is it best two out of three?" The construct was not even winded from the combat. |
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| Bear Cook | Fri Sep 30, 2011 12:33 am Post #5 |
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Banagher smirked as he watched the were-fang drake get thoroughly trounced by the little girl, he could barely stop himself from laughing as the were-fang drake spoke, "N-no you're good, you pass... just please don't tell anyone it was this bad... I have a reputation to keep." Banagher walked up to Rin and looked down at her, "Come on, the last test is a few minutes away and we'll finally be at my old home." He turned and started to walk back down the path. He kept his eyes scanning and searching the area, he didn't think his brothers would try to sneak attack him, but it was a possibility. A few minutes later he was rewarded with the sight of an old worn down stone door, it was easily twenty feet tall and six feet wide. He looked at it and frowned, it was much... bigger then the last time he saw it, probably to help strength train younger monks. He placed his palms against the door, pushing with all of his might, the door barely opening up before he felt some odd pressure close it. He frowned as he remembered the door had some odd closing mechanism, if the door doesn't move for a certain amount of time it starts to slowly close it, his strength wasn't enough for this little venture. He turned to Rin, "We're both going to have to push the door open, I'll take the left side, you take the right, remember to push at the same time, we need to keep moving forward." He waited for Rin to get into position, he bunched his muscles together and readied himself, "Okay... we'll push in three... two... one... PUSH!" He felt the door slowly open, digging his feet into the ground as he pushed, creating deep scouring marks, he growled as it was finally open enough for them to slip through, he let Rin in first before diving in himself. He looked up from the ground as he shifted back into his humanoid form, he saw a rather old looking man, his face had few wrinkles but his hair was as white as snow, he kept a short beard on his face and his eyes were a dark brown, he smiled as he seemed to pick Banagher up as if he weighed nothing, "Welcome back Banagher! Your mother will be so happy to know you've finally come home. Now come to the house as soon as you can, we've got the monastery kitchen ready for you to use, we expect you to show us the fruits of your training!" He seemed to hop off, he was an old man, but his movements spoke of a confident fighter, a man who did not rely on muscle strength, but of leverage and speed. Banagher smiled as he looked to Rin, "Well Rin, welcome to the monastery." He let her look at the massive space that seemed to have been cut into the mountain side, small buildings scattered about as people dressed in robes and martial arts gi's walked down roads and bartered with farmers for food, it was like a small town specifically for were-creatures. He lead Rin through the streets for a bit before hitting market street, he spoke to her once more, "Well before we go lets have a look around, I'm sure you want to see what kind of goods we have all the way out here. I'll admit most people think it's foreign since our Head Monk is from a small country in the far east so they've influenced us quite a bit. Feel free to buy some clothes or trinkets, though I suggest a kimono, we'll be eating dinner with my family tonight and we'll all be putting on our best clothes." He didn't want to pressure the little girl, but having her be made fun of by his brothers or father was something he didn't want to happen even more, he would follow Rin for a while, let her see the market street before going to his home. |
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| Rin | Sat Oct 1, 2011 5:59 pm Post #6 |
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Rin nodded happily and lowered the trident, taking the spike away from the were-creatures throat and smiling up at the hulking being. "Thank you Imahlza! We should spar again sometime." The girl looked over her shoulder at the fallen greatsword, her eyes shifting between the massive weapon and the polearm in her hands. She shrugged and snapped her fingers and both weapons disappearing with a soft rushing noise as air filled the vacancy previously occupied by the weapons. She grabbed the two hook swords off the ground and spun them nimbly, offering the hilts to the were-fang drake. He took them quickly, eying the girl suspiciously as she waved at him and skipped away to rejoin Banagher. The chef told her they were close to third gate, and she clapped her hands together excitedly. The construct had been told a great deal about this monastery during their travels and was quite looking forward to finally laying eyes on the structure. The third trial appeared to be nothing more than a simple gate. Rin watched as Banagher pushed with all his might at the door, but the giant stone slab barely budged. She rubbed her hands together and advanced on the gateway, spreading her legs and placing both open palms on the rough surface. "We can do this!" After the were-bear counted off she pushed forward with all of her might, straining with her entire being. Although she did not appear to be overly muscular, Rin possessed a strength disproportional to her appearance. Together the two of them managed to push the doors open one step at a time, their feat leaving furrows in the earth as they strained with the great weight. When it had cracked open enough to allow the girl through she spun through, barely clearing the exit before Banagher dived in after her and the doors slammed shut. The construct stretched thankfully, feeling a twinge of soreness from her arms and legs due to the exertion. It was rare for her strength to get pushed to its boundaries, but the third test had managed to wind her slightly. She watched as Banagher was met by an older man who dashed off immediately after greeting them, moving with an unexpected burst of speed. She followed his path and saw the monastery for the first time. Rin gasped, staring at the buildings that were built in an indentation seemingly bored out of the side of the mountain. The denizens of the town were what surprised her the most, however. Everyone in the village except for her appeared to be a were-creature, and several of them were in their hybrid state or full-animal forms. The construct watched the crowd with wide eyes as she followed the chef up the street, trying to guess what combination of creatures the people they passed were. She sword that one of the men was half-elephant from his grayish akin and legs the size of tree-trunks, and another man had a neck so long it had to originate from a giraffe. The game kept the girl amused for several minutes as they threaded their way through the crows, approaching an area obviously designated as a market. Rin glanced up at Banagher, frowning slightly. "Um... Excuse me Banagher, but what is a kimono?" She could guess from the context that it was some manner of clothing, but except for her sundress and winter clothes the girl was blatantly oblivious to the fashions of Imythess. She heard the Grimoire chuckle at her lack of knowledge, but did not query the book for more information. She preferred to ask other beings instead of sentient tome, if at all possible. |
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| Bear Cook | Sun Oct 2, 2011 3:39 am Post #7 |
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Banagher scratched the back of his head, he was never very good at describing things that weren't food... it also didn't help he wasn't a seamstress. He looked around and saw a rather small house with a table in front of it, clothing stacked on top of the tables. He snapped his fingers as the thought of who lived in that house donned on him, he smiled at Rin, "Come on, I know someone who can help us out with that question." He quickly walked to the old house, his face all in smiles as a rather old and short woman wearing a bright blue kimono, which was decorated by pink flowers, walked out, she looked human at first glance, but when she smiled two fangs could be seen poking out, her eyes were slitted, and if you looked between the wrinkles you could see some scales. She gave a hissing laugh before speaking, "Well if it isn't little Ban-ban, you were so cute as a child... who's your new friend, never mind, I can taste her scent, she's not human, but not something I can strictly identify..." Her forked tongue darted in and out of her mouth, tasting the air around Banagher and Rin. Banagher chuckled, "Oh come on granny, don't go into stories about me when I was a kid, I was just a cub then. As for my friend, her name is Rin and she needs a kimono for tonight, think you can measure her quick and modify one for her, I'll make you something to eat to as repayment, I know when I was a kid you really like it when I made any kind of chicken, so I'll make you the biggest chicken dish I can, deal?" He looked at the woman as she rubbed her chin, nodding while speaking, "It is true nobody in town as had a meal as good as Ban-ban ever made... hmmm and your skills have probably improved... add in some onigiri and you've got a deal." Banagher nodded and shook her hand, the old woman looked back at Rin, her eyes glowing, "I see... so those are your measurements... well Rin, I'll have your dress brought to Ban-ban's house, I have a kimono to modify." She seemed to shift her lower half of her body to slither up the steps, back into her small house. Banagher looked back at Rin, "Alright, the kimono will be ready for you, you'll find it at my house after we do some sight seeing in the market. Come on, lets go get you a few souvenirs." He walked Rin back to the marketplace, letting her have free reign of where they'd go, after all, he didn't really remember everything that was there and more people could have easily made new wares, it'd be fun to let Rin lead for a while. |
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| Rin | Mon Oct 3, 2011 12:21 am Post #8 |
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For a moment it seemed as if the were-bear did not have an answer to her inquiry so she prepared to ask the Grand Grimoire instead. However, Banagher revealed that he knew someone else who could answer the question better than himself. The girl nodded and happily skipped along after him as the chef wormed his way through the crowd to a small, ancient-looking house that bordered the street. The woman who came out to greet them appeared normal at first, bu Rin quickly picked out a few subtle hints as to her hybrid form. She had long, curved fangs and reptilian eyes, as well as a faint pattern of scales on her wrinkled flesh. The wizened woman greeted Banagher like an old friend before looking directly at the construct, a forked tongue flitting out of her lips. Rin gasped in surprise, but did not back away. Instead she clapped her hands together loudly, beaming. She's a snake! Pay attention, Rinrae. She is speaking to you! The girl jerked to attention at the Grimoire's chastisement, sheepishly listening to Banagher and the elderly were-snake as they talked. The woman was clearly a seamstress, but instead of physically taking the girl's measurements like the tailor had in Axerise she simply peered at her for a moment, her eyes glowing mysteriously. Apparently, that was all that hybrid creatures needed to do in order to ascertain a person's dimensions. The crone promised to have the kimono finished and sent up to Banagher's house. Rin wasn't entirely sure what the garment would look like, but she had to assume that it would be similar to the clothes worn by the were-snake. After the visit to the tailor Banagher led the construct back to the marketplace, allowing her to choose their next destination. Rin beamed and immediately dashed into the crowd, talking almost constantly in a loud, clear voice as her eyes darted from stall to stall. The chatter did not seem to be directed at anyone, but instead merely a verbal stream-of-consciousness explanation. She danced over to one stall and flipped a silver coin to the merchant, picking up a ripe apple to munch on as they meandered through the marketplace. A display of short, three-pronged knives (called "sai" on the sign) caught her eye for a minute, but she soon lost interest and wandered to the next vendor. Three stalls down she spent several coins in order to buy a series of small silver chains, obviously meant to be used for bracelets or anklets. Rin smiled happily and slipped the items into her satchel before continuing through the market, cheeks flushed and eyes bright with interest. |
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| Bear Cook | Mon Oct 3, 2011 2:08 am Post #9 |
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Banagher followed behind Rin, he kept an eye out for food and sometimes walked off, buying a few things and telling them where to send it with an errand boy. A few times he lost her in the crowd, but quickly found her as the flash of blond hair came to sight or the incessant string of words came to ear guided him to her. He saw her looking at weapons, jewelry, and other odd wares, he chuckled at some of her expressions and all the noise from the market garbled up most of her words, but the occasional sentence popped out that he could hear. He watched as an odd sight started coming up... a were-rat, were-weasel, and a were-boar came walking down the street, the boar knocking people aside as the rat and weasel flanked him, they looked familiar but he couldn't place it... though when they made a beeline for Rin, he knew there would be trouble. He walked in between her and the were-boar, who simply snorted, his voice rough, as if he had been gargling sand an hour before, "Bear move, likkle girl is human, humans not allowed!" The were-rat and weasel nodded their heads, repeating what he said with their own high pitched voices. Banagher looked at him and shifted, Banagher now towered over the boar by nearly a foot, "I remember you now... you fought with my brothers a lot, beat me up when we were kids, who died and was stupid enough to make a bully one of the guardians... one that doesn't even know our laws. First of all humans are allowed if they are brought in by a were-creature, I brought her in so if you've got a problem with it I will gladly fight you, rip off your stubby tusks and jam them so far in your ears that the new holes might get some oxygen into your rock head!" Banagher roared in his face, cowing the rat and weasel hybrids but the boar stood strong, grunting as he turned aside, lumbering away. Banagher looked to Rin, a smile on his face, "I know you can handle yourself, but if anyone attacked him we would have been kicked out of the monastery. Though now we should get going to my old home, it's closest to the martial arts training areas, I'll show you the way." He lead the girl through the crowds again, making sure to take side streets if possible to allow them to move faster. Soon though they arrived at a large natural stone building that seemed to be poking out of the wall, it was easily the size of the sultan's palace in Istan City. He lead her along it, noises could be heard inside of people fighting, these were the practicing grounds, inside the natural stone building made by one of the first were-creatures to come here. It was even larger inside since it went underground, all of it dug by a few dozen were-moles, a dragon, and a few larger were-creatures to haul away stone for later use. He lead her to a, by comparison to the training areas, much smaller house, but it was still one of the largest in the monastery town. He looked to Rin once more, "I don't think anyone but Mom and Grandpa will be here to eat, so I doubt you'll see anymore were-creatures unless Father, and my brothers come in." He opened the sliding front door and walked into his old home, it was just as he remembered it, to fancy for his tastes, but his Grandpa loved this kind of stuff, red paint on the walls, wooden columns painted red with intricate twisting vines wrapping around them. The middle of the first room was a large table, plates and eating utensils already set out, he smiled, Mom was using the good plates, the ones made from clay painted white with flowers painted on them. Halfway through the room there were two doors going to either side, and even farther dow was another three doors, one straight ahead and another one either side. From the one in the back left wall a rather young looking woman came out, she rushed to Banagher and leaped up to hug him around the neck, the woman being only around Rin's height was hugging Banagher who had forgotten to shift from his hybrid form. He chuckled as he hugged his mother, shifting back to normal, "Hi Mom, I'm back home for today, I've missed you so much... where's Grandpa, he should have beaten me home by now." The woman let go of Banagher, looking up at him, "Oh Ban... your Grandfather is in the kitchen getting everything set out for you to use. Also Granny dropped by, putting a kimono on the table, but I moved it to a different room, I'm guessing it's to be used by your friend, hello there, I'm Ban's mother, please call me Teresa. Well Ban, introduce her to me and then get cooking, I'll show her how to put on the kimono once you're gone." Banagher nodded, "This is my friend, Rin, she's here because I saw something of hers in the mountains years ago at the old Exile's hut. We'll stay here tonight if you don't object." His mother nodded, "Yes, fine, you both can sleep here, now get cooking Ban, I'll show your friend how to put on the kimono... hmmm that sun dress is thin enough, we can put it on over that to save some time, now follow me." She walked to the middle right door, waving for her to come. Banagher walked around the opposite end of the table, heading to the back door and the kitchen. |
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| Rin | Tue Oct 4, 2011 11:35 pm Post #10 |
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Rin did not even notice the trio of unruly were-beasts until the largest and most intimidating of the bunch was directly in front of her, shoving a thick finger in her face and roaring that humans were not allowed in the monastery. The construct did not even bother to assess the accuracy of his statement or look to Banagher for help; she immediately realized that she was being threatened and responded accordingly. The girl reached behind her back to the satchel slung there, her thin fingers slipping underneath the leather flap to firmly grip the hilt of the longsword secreted away within. She had already half-drawn the blade before the chef interceded, stepping between Rin and the were-boar. The girl continued to watch the creature through narrowed eyes, her mouth a thin line. Only after the cook had scared off the trio of creatures did she relax again, pushing the sword back into its sheath, the steel whispering against the leather scabbard. "I'm glad you stopped them, then. I cannot be kicked out now. Not before I find the page." The girl nodded confidently, the smile returning to her face when Banagher said it was time to go back to his own home. She had been looking forward to seeing where the mysterious were-bear grew up. When they finally left the twisting streets of the village Rin was surprised by the size and scope of the training building. It was one of the largest structures she had seen in all of Imythess, only matched by the Tower of Cailan in Taras and the palace of the Sultan in Istan City. It had seemingly been carved out of the mountain itself, and the girl could hear the sounds of were-creatures training within. Her fingers itched with the desire to go and spar with some of the ferocious hybrid fighters, but her companion seemed to be in quite a rush to return to his home. Rin swallowed her question and continued to follow him as the were-bear led them to a house that seemed small compared to the training area, but was still quite a bit larger than most of the buildings in the village. Once inside she was introduced to Banagher's mother, a normal-looking woman who led the girl aside to show her how to properly don the kimono. The construct was glad she would not be forced to remove her sundress; she was quite fond of the garment and did not want to take it off. Banagher's motherly led her into an adjacent room and withdrew a green piece of clothing from a box, a cloud-motif sewn around the hems. Rin's eyes widened; she had no idea how the were-snake seamstress had managed to finish the outfit so quickly. The chef's mother laughed at her expression, quickly explaining that a kimono that matched her dimensions had simply been chosen instead of constructing a brand-new dress from scratch. The woman quickly instructed Rin on how to wear the silk garment, wrapping the sash around her waist and tying it tightly. She looked like she wanted to ask Rin to remove the ribbons from her shins and forearms, but something in the construct's expression must have warned her that suggestion would not be taken well. Rin ran her hands over the soft fabric, smiling broadly. She looked back up at Banagher's mother, eyes bright. "Do you think I can go watch the warriors train in the monastery later? I would love to spar with a were best!" She spun around gleefully, giggling at the sensation of the smooth dress on her skin. |
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| Bear Cook | Fri Oct 7, 2011 3:12 am Post #11 |
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At the thought of the little girl fighting the much larger were-beasts the woman laughed, "I am afraid not many were-creatures would fight you, they would probably try to break your bones. After all we teach several different martial arts here, only people that become Guardians learn a weapon style. Our Banagher and his brothers were chosen to be Guardians, my eldest, Shishio the were-lion, learned how to use a katana while my second son, Tenzho the were-tiger, learned to use a quarter staff, while Banagher learned to use a knife for kitchen work. Though I suppose Banagher could take you there after dinner, his father will be wanting him to show him the fruits of his training. Now deary please follow me, we can sit at the table and talk some more, feel free to ask me any questions." Banagher's mother quickly lead her out once the kimono was properly on her, sitting down and offering her a chair for her guest, she was ready to listen to the curious little girl. Banagher worked hard in the kitchen, asking his grandfather to get him certain items as he made the food. The three fires were roaring as he prepared three different courses at once. He let a light cream colored soup simmer as he added a few bits of cheese to give it some extra flavor. He turned to the thick black pot filled with beef, he took off the lid and let the scent waft out, it wouldn't be ready for a while. He started to mash some tomatoes into a fine paste, adding ingredients once the lumps started to disappear, he would have to let it cook for a while but until then it could sit there until he needed to heat it. His hand went to his knife, cutting up bits of onion to cook with the beef. Finally the third fire had his metal plate over it, allowing him to cook as he always did. He brought up eggs, rice, fish, chicken, and several vegetables, cutting up the veggies, fish, and chicken to cook. He cracked open the eggs and laid them down to cook over the low flame under the plate, he placed the rice on the plate and poured miso on it, letting it absorb the flavor as he cooked, today was going to be a good day for those who truly appreciated cooking. |
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| Rin | Fri Oct 7, 2011 4:27 pm Post #12 |
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Rin looked slightly dejected at the woman's words. It was a shame that the majority of the were-creatures in the monastery only learned hand-to-hand combat, an area of martial training that she was currently working on developing. The girl would be unable to fight at her full potential if restricted to unarmed combat, but the prospect of facing Banagher's siblings in battle perked her up again. The were-lion and -tiger had both seemed like strong opponents, even if their youngest brother had managed to defeat them with little difficulty. Perhaps with weapons in hand they would make for a more entertaining match. "I hope he takes me there! It would be very interesting!" The girl followed the chef's mother out of the changing room, taking small steps in order to get accustomed to how the kimono fit on her body. Please, Rinrae, do not forget your reason for being here. You must find the page. I know that! But I need Banagher to show me the way, and he is staying in the village tonight. The book was silent at that, and Rin knew that the tome was considering commanding her to proceed anyway. Truth be told, the were-bear's guidance was not completely necessary. She could sense the presence of the page from even this distance, the Grimoire's power beckoning to her from the depths of the mountain range. Now that she had gained access to the monastery the girl could easily slip out of the village and travel into the heights on her own. Still, she had enjoyed Banagher's company and did not want to abandon him in such a manner. Very well. She grinned triumphantly as they returned to the dining room, sitting on a low-seated chair and talking further with Banagher's mother. Rin rambled on, asking numerous questions but giving the woman almost no time to reply. "I was so surprised to see such a large village hidden in the mountains! How many people live here? Is it supposed to be a secret? Plus everyone is a were-creature, which is so interesting. What kind of animal are you? Was your husband that were-bear from earlier? He was so tall! I'm so glad Banagher is taking me to the Exile's Hut tomorrow... But who was the Exile? Is he still there? I imagine so, because otherwise it would be the Former Exile's Hut..." The continuous prattle continued for a while, the girl's eyes and tone bright as she looked around the house. |
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| Bear Cook | Sat Oct 8, 2011 5:34 am Post #13 |
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Teresa laughed at the flood of questions, saying the answers in turn, "Around three hundred people live within the walls while another two hundred live in the mountains or wander the world in their human forms as merchants to bring us what we need, if we ever got into a war we could bring up a force of five hundred warriors. It is somewhat of a secret since paladins would try to snoop around and kill the were-creatures for just existing, as for what I am, me and my father are two of the few humans who live here. Since there are only two were-bears in this place at the moment yes, you met my husband, he's quite tall, towering over even Ban, but he's still got some growing in him, were-creatures will keep on growing for a while, he won't be at his tallest for another three... maybe four years. As for the Exile's Hut the original Exile was a Were-bat, he was exiled for killing his siblings, he died many decades ago, so now it's simply used as a punishment for so-called 'unruly troublemakers.' They put my dear sweet Ban in there for a year as punishment for preferring to cook food over breaking bricks with his pinky finger." She stopped as the old man from before walked in, he stood tall and strode out, he wore a black martial artist gi and bowed to Rin, "Hello... Rin, yes? Ban told me about what you're going to be doing tomorrow and how you beat our Were-drake, I am very impressed, you should be able to do this, right?" He stood back up, taking a small rectangle of metal from the inside of his gi. Bringing his index finger up he simply stabbed it forward, ripping the metal through the center, he then simply snapped the metal into four different pieces, holding them out to Rin, "Check for yourself if you don't believe it's real iron." He had done this dozens of times in his life, it was his basic training nowadays, he was an old warrior monk with years of training under his belt, he was truly strong. In the kitchen Banagher worked furiously, his arms becoming blurs as he positions ingredients. He heard a door open and shut, he had just gotten done telling his grandfather about Rin, he was probably going to look over her, it was fine though, he didn't need his help at the moment. He heard another door slam, he knew from how loud it was at who had just entered, his brothers and father. Back in the main room the front door opened, letting the were-bear father and his were-being sons walk in, he seemed to ignore Rin as he sat down, crossing his arms. Shishio and Tenzho had bandages rapped around their chest, they looked down at the table as if shamed. The grandfather laughed as he smacked the boys on the shoulders, "It's fine you lost a charge to Banagher, from what I heard from your father Banagher simply used a counter attack, using your own charging forces against you, a perfect counter for two angry boys. Now look up and be proud, you are guardians and we shall eat delicious food tonight." He chuckled as he walked over to the were-bear father, he was a mountain of muscle as he sat down in his chair, though he only nodded and bowed to the old man, showing him the utmost respect, after all, he was his honorable father-in-law. |
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| Rin | Sun Oct 9, 2011 11:42 pm Post #14 |
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Rin listened to the woman with rapt attention, knowing that the knowledge she was sharing might be important for the completion of her task. The were-beings interested her, but not nearly so much as their destination. She had no idea why any being exiled from this village would possess one of the Grimoire's fabled pages. Usually the fragments of the sentient tome were found in the hands of normal individuals who were corrupted by its power. Storing such a potent and dangerous artifact in an abandoned house that was used to store malcontents seemed like a singularly bad idea to the construct, but perhaps the were-creatures were unaware of the power of the page. Before she could respond Banagher's grandfather came to the table. He was human as well, although much older than anyone she had seen in the village except for the serpent seamstress. The man showcased an unusal ability: he punched a finger straight through a sheet of metal, breaking the weakened substance into four pieces. The girl took one of the smaller pieces of iron and stuck the tip of her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, looking at the metal with a calculating expression. While it was true she was a competent martial artist, she did not have the training for such a task, and merely observing it being done once was not sufficient for her to mimic his technique. "I can't quite do that... But this..." She lapsed into silence, carefully balancing the small metal panel on the table in front of her. Rin raised one hand over her head, staring directly at the metal. With a soft exhalation and a blur of movement she slammed her palm into the metal, striking it directly on the top edge so that the metal sheet crumpled. The construct giggled and picked up the deformed piece of metal, tossing it between her hands. "Your technique is amazing! I do not possess that finesse..." Before the older man could respond the rest of the family traipsed into the room. Rin recognized all three of them from their encounter at the first gate. The were-tiger and the were-lion were Banagher's brothers, beings who had been trained to help defend the village. The girl waved to them merrily, although the two seemed ashamed at their loss to their younger sibling. She waited until everyone was seated before leaning forward eagerly, a wide smile plastered across her face. "After dinner, we should all train together! I would love to see how strong all of you are!" If all of the were-creatures were experts of hand-to-hand combat there was a large amount she could learn from these creatures. She had traveled with Banagher for a while, but the chef and the construct were nearly equal in strength and technique so there had been little point in them training together. |
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| Bear Cook | Tue Oct 11, 2011 2:57 pm Post #15 |
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The father simply let out a low growl before speaking, "I will not train with you little girl, even my two eldest sons would be to much for you, Banagher only won because these boys were angry and rash, they left their chests wide open. Any good martial artist can counter that with an open palm strike, cracking the sternum by using their own charge against them, the boys here are under medical care until they can breathe easily. Though I am sure Banagher won't mind going with you to the training grounds after dinner." He sat back, his presence seemed to generate an aura of power, his every word echoed around the room, he seemed to get taller as he looked down at the little girl. The were-lion Shishio spoke up, "I would show you around myself along with Banagher, I have... missed him, I am angry that he left this place so easily, he could have fought to stay here, that way, even if he lost... I could call him brother." He looked up, his eyes were a deep brown collar as he shifted out of his hybrid form, his hair was still like a lion's a wild golden brown mane, but now he was substantially shorter, seeming to be only around six feet tall now, he had a very rounded face, giving him a child-like face. Tenzho shifted back to his human form to, he shrank to the point where he was slightly shorter then Shishio, his hair was black as night, and his face was sharp and angular, making him look older then he was. The were-bear father simply shrugged, shifting into his human form, not losing a single inch of height, muscle girth, or anything really, he just lost the larger teeth, his nose was no longer stubby, and the brown hair covering his body reverted, showing him to have the same bright blonde hair as Banagher, but his was cut short to keep it from getting in the way of his fighting. In the kitchen Banagher was finishing up the food, all it needed was a few more seconds of cooking. He knew his brothers and father were probably talking bad about him, even though he had got out that clean counter attack, he was probably being mocked for poor footing or some other nonexistent flaw. His curious nature got the bettter of himself though, he put his ear to the door, listening in on his father and brothers, take Rin to the training area... that sounded dangerous... for the trainees, he had seen Rin fight and she was strong, if he fought her blade to fist she would easily win, but fist to fist, he didn't know. He stroked his chin, realizing that he could show his training through the training area, show them he wasn't weak, but that would wait, he coudl smell the soup was ready. Banagher grabbed a dry cloth and wrapped it around the handle of the pot, grabbing a ladle as he walked by, he came out from the kitchen, a smile on his face as he silently went to everyone else first, serving them the soup in the bowls on the table. Once everyone else was served he sat down next to Rin, serving himself before putting the pot in the middle of the table so others could help themselves. He did the same thing to the other dishes, He put the rice and chopped up eggs and veggies mixed in it on their plates, putting a few strips of beef on top of that to let the juices soak in while they ate their soup, Banagher smiled, "Please eat, I hope you all enjoy it." He would let his food talk for his culinary excellence, yes, he would never lose when it came to taste. He sat down, beginning to eat the dish himself. |
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