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wayfarers_lodgeTen years ago
The storm that had battered the Wave's Strength for days continued to rage, as the children finally gave up doing what they were told, and snuck up onto the deck to see what was happening.
The ship bucked suddenly as they came up the last few steps from the hold, throwing them out the door and into a pile of crates, still reasonably secured. The group grumbled at their bad luck, but as they untangled themselves from each other, they realised how truly lucky they had been as a howling shriek filled the air.
They dared peer over the boxes, and saw a man- no, not a man, a creature- towering over the crew, pointing at their father, the ronin Shin, screaming out the sacred words of challenge in a twisted tongue. His skin pulsed with blackened veins, and his face and eyes were wrong, wrong, wrong. They involuntarily shuddered as one, as their father nodded, and bid one of the Mantis to go and fetch his weapon. He returned the their father's naginata, beautiful and deadly in the right hands.
Unfortunately, it seemed that both of them had the right hands, as their stances shifted and the duel began in earnest.
As they crashed together, the tainted one howling and foaming, their father calm as a mountain lake, each of the children moved. Arasora snarled, a remarkably savage sound for a four year old boy, and started standing. Hiroshi tensed a little, but his face was thoughtful. Kuro peered around the side of of the box, curious beyond caution. But Takeshi and his sister Kasumi moved to restrain them, with Takeshi wrapping his arms around Kuro's arms and eyes, and Kasumi grabbing both Arasora and Hiroshi by the ears. She knew that Hiroshi wouldn't do anything rash, not after the first few seconds, but she still didn't dare loosen her grip, even when Arasora shifted, moving to kneel down again.
Afterwards, she wondered how long the fight had actually taken. It couldn't have been more than a minute or two, but it had felt like forever, with heart in her mouth, shivering from the cold and the thought that her father might lose. Another part of her was filled with admiration for the strength and fury of both parties, and how easily it could happen. I will master this, she thought, I will master this, and I will control it. I will make it happen around me, make them fight for me. I will use this to rise up, and never have to bloody a blade to control my fate. I will study this, understand what it is, and why it is, and I will bend it to my will. It will make me powerful.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the challenger over-extended his reach, and that moment cost him his life. With a clean, curt swing, Shin cut off the creature's head. His shoulders rose and fell with the exertion as he ordered the men to throw the body overboard, and turned to go back inside.
The children followed at an awed distance. They knew that their father was strong and tough, but not that he was an actual hero. Before they could bring themselves to announce their presence, he spoke to them without turning around.
"I thought I told you to stay inside."
"We were safe, father," replied Kasumi, looking to her brothers for confirmation, "you were there."
Shin smiled and said nothing, wiping the worst of the blood from his blade.
"What was that?" Arasora demanded. "It wasn't right!"
Their father sighed. "That was a member of the Spider clan. He was tainted. Now he is not." He finally looked at them, and frowned.
"You're soaking. Go and get warmed up."
"But chichi-ue," Kasumi replied, using the most respectful address she knew, "You are wet, too. Let me bring you some tea."
He paused a moment, on the verge of saying no, and finally nodded. "Yes. That would be wonderful. Thank you."
One of the older women in the band stopped them on their way below, arms full of towels, clucking and fussing. She scooped each of them up with ease, drying them off briskly.
"Look at you, you're freezing! What do you think you were doing?"
She reached for Kasumi, and frowned when the little girl stepped back out of her reach.
"I need to fetch Father his tea."
Again, the moment's pause, then the samurai-ko looked at her strangely. "Yes. Yes, you do, don't you? Go on, then."
Kasumi nodded, and proceeded to her room to do her duty, a small, satisfied smile curling her lips.
The storm that had battered the Wave's Strength for days continued to rage, as the children finally gave up doing what they were told, and snuck up onto the deck to see what was happening.
The ship bucked suddenly as they came up the last few steps from the hold, throwing them out the door and into a pile of crates, still reasonably secured. The group grumbled at their bad luck, but as they untangled themselves from each other, they realised how truly lucky they had been as a howling shriek filled the air.
They dared peer over the boxes, and saw a man- no, not a man, a creature- towering over the crew, pointing at their father, the ronin Shin, screaming out the sacred words of challenge in a twisted tongue. His skin pulsed with blackened veins, and his face and eyes were wrong, wrong, wrong. They involuntarily shuddered as one, as their father nodded, and bid one of the Mantis to go and fetch his weapon. He returned the their father's naginata, beautiful and deadly in the right hands.
Unfortunately, it seemed that both of them had the right hands, as their stances shifted and the duel began in earnest.
As they crashed together, the tainted one howling and foaming, their father calm as a mountain lake, each of the children moved. Arasora snarled, a remarkably savage sound for a four year old boy, and started standing. Hiroshi tensed a little, but his face was thoughtful. Kuro peered around the side of of the box, curious beyond caution. But Takeshi and his sister Kasumi moved to restrain them, with Takeshi wrapping his arms around Kuro's arms and eyes, and Kasumi grabbing both Arasora and Hiroshi by the ears. She knew that Hiroshi wouldn't do anything rash, not after the first few seconds, but she still didn't dare loosen her grip, even when Arasora shifted, moving to kneel down again.
Afterwards, she wondered how long the fight had actually taken. It couldn't have been more than a minute or two, but it had felt like forever, with heart in her mouth, shivering from the cold and the thought that her father might lose. Another part of her was filled with admiration for the strength and fury of both parties, and how easily it could happen. I will master this, she thought, I will master this, and I will control it. I will make it happen around me, make them fight for me. I will use this to rise up, and never have to bloody a blade to control my fate. I will study this, understand what it is, and why it is, and I will bend it to my will. It will make me powerful.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the challenger over-extended his reach, and that moment cost him his life. With a clean, curt swing, Shin cut off the creature's head. His shoulders rose and fell with the exertion as he ordered the men to throw the body overboard, and turned to go back inside.
The children followed at an awed distance. They knew that their father was strong and tough, but not that he was an actual hero. Before they could bring themselves to announce their presence, he spoke to them without turning around.
"I thought I told you to stay inside."
"We were safe, father," replied Kasumi, looking to her brothers for confirmation, "you were there."
Shin smiled and said nothing, wiping the worst of the blood from his blade.
"What was that?" Arasora demanded. "It wasn't right!"
Their father sighed. "That was a member of the Spider clan. He was tainted. Now he is not." He finally looked at them, and frowned.
"You're soaking. Go and get warmed up."
"But chichi-ue," Kasumi replied, using the most respectful address she knew, "You are wet, too. Let me bring you some tea."
He paused a moment, on the verge of saying no, and finally nodded. "Yes. That would be wonderful. Thank you."
One of the older women in the band stopped them on their way below, arms full of towels, clucking and fussing. She scooped each of them up with ease, drying them off briskly.
"Look at you, you're freezing! What do you think you were doing?"
She reached for Kasumi, and frowned when the little girl stepped back out of her reach.
"I need to fetch Father his tea."
Again, the moment's pause, then the samurai-ko looked at her strangely. "Yes. Yes, you do, don't you? Go on, then."
Kasumi nodded, and proceeded to her room to do her duty, a small, satisfied smile curling her lips.
