Disgraceful Awakening

Tue Jul 19, 2022 11:07 pm

Over the past two hundred years, little was recovered other than the bare necessities on the whereabouts of the Land of Iron, an island east of the main continent the shinobi world resides in. Whether it be the passage of time, or the constant war that ravaged the landscape of the Earth, the samurai known to hail from the small mass of land kept to themselves after assisting in the Fourth Great Ninja War, and since then have undergone little to no advanced developments, parallel to their ninja and kunoichi adversaries. As far as any information that still circulates the world goes for the esteemed samurai, they’re still by far known to be the greatest manufacturers of weaponry in the history of mankind. Barely any exceptions exist to counter this point, and there’s a reason why the most common katanas utilized by the hidden villages to this day are modeled after the most popular, cheap yet effective making of a blade that was made by a smith who lived in that spec of an island. That did not mean that they never interfered with affairs in the lands of ninja, however; far from it. Occasionally, men and women alike seek a new life that’s filled with more promise by settling down on the continent to the west, and although rare, ronin have popped up from time to time. Not to mention, they always were the neutral grounds the Kage used for their summits when the time came for it. Then, there’s the specific subgroup of samurai that the focal point of this story comes from.

The Cult of the Phoenix.

Of course, this name holds no meaning in this land of shinobi. Only Chikari and her platoon truly cared about this so-called ‘cult’. Chikari, one of the organization’s newest warrior priestesses, was sent by her higher ups to go about her first mission as a divine warrior of the Phoenix; slay someone that goes by the name of ‘The Watcher’. Who they were is unclear to her as of now, and this name was only whispered in the winds of fate by the high priestess. They were told that they would end up finding answers in Wind Country, although this statement too was vague. Did it matter, so long as God’s wrath was satiated in the end, though? That was the dogma that kept them alive and fruitful, to get back up from failure over and over, reborn as someone better every single time. So like the rest, she set off to claim her honor as the chosen feathers of the Phoenix’s wings of fate.

Nothing special happened when trekking through the Land of Fire. Admittedly, despite the Missing Nin population in that area being frequent in some cases, they were lucking in ducking through its various natural traps, and made great progress without having to make many stops. Plus, its natural resources and abundance of smaller villages spread out in the country made for easy places to rest up and restock, meaning they had a blast of a time admiring the beauty of the pretty forests and the grassy plains. They decided not to visit Konohagakure, as it’d be a waste of time, and they’d rather not alarm them if they don’t need to. There’s also not much of a chance they knew anything about their target, anyway, so on they went through the border, and onto their next section of exploration, the Land of Rivers.

This too did not bring much hardship at all. Of course, this is the diving section between the Land of Fire and Land of Wind, so the closer they got to the Wind Country’s borders, the more bandit problems they’d eventually run into. Otherwise, they were very well off, and the Land of Rivers met their expectations in terms of seeing a lot of rivers. Not a lot of minor settlements dotted the landscape, so it led to little interaction with other people, and was honestly kind of boring in the grand scheme of things. Finally, they made it to their end of the borders, crossing into the Land of Wind. Her loyal squire, Yam, set the scene with an inquisitive tone.

“Lady Chikari, if we can establish a resting point in Sunagakure, will you teach me more about the make of your blade?” the young boy asked, a question of which he’s tried in varying ways ever since she took him as her pupil a few weeks back. Each and every time, her answer was the same… but given the circumstances, she was starting to wear down, and chose a different answer. “When we reach The Watcher’s location, you’ll learn then. It isn’t required for you to know yet.” The seventeen year old pouted again, but he lightened his mood when she smiled back at him warily, patting the pristine condition katana on her side. It was her pride and joy, and the secrets of its craftsmanship were kept in her family line for generations, holding a single purpose just like any other in her religion; the slaying of spirits in need of being brought back into the cycle of rebirth. Their heavy steps through the steep dunes of the Wind Country’s deserts bring them closer and closer to their desired destination, but as the sun sets on their carriage and men, they need to set camp for the night.

Tents surrounding a small, stoked fire are soon crafted, letting the five man squad and their mules take a rest for the night. Tonight’s dinner was a simple mix of reconstituted vegetables, some eggs and rice, made in a single pot on the top of the campfire. Their personal wooden bowls were filled to the brim, and throughout the night they shared warm drinks of sake with one another, threw around jokes, told stories, and talked about their problems. By the end of it, Chikari and Yam were sitting a bit away from the rest, with her sitting criss crossed, and playing an ambient tune on her self carved bamboo flute. All is well, and there’s nothing in their foreseeable future that’ll stop them from accomplishing their goals. What more could they ask for, other than good food, nice music and the merriment of friendship? Nothing, that’s what. It’s as the gods intended.

As Chikari plays her ‘ending the day off’ song, she reminisces on her journey up to this point. It was a long and grueling affair to get her position as a warrior priestess, as it was an esteemed job to apply for. Nothing about it generally required their members to be exceptionally strong, but it did need intellect and skill. Years of training with her father was the only way for her to meet that part of the criteria, but paltry training is not all you need. Devout worship of the Phoenix, their group’s major and arguably only true god, and the conviction to carry on the challenging task of sending forlorn spirits back to their rightful place in the cycle of rebirth were just as important as one’s competence. Chikari had that in spades, and not only that, but she craved to travel the world to meet fighters of equal caliber to her, or maybe even surpassing her. Having been sheltered from the real world, she had no reason to believe that many were as strong as her order, but the possibility still excited her. Such was the will of the Phoenix, and because of the potential seen in her, she was eventually granted the title of warrior priestess. What about Yam?

Yam was someone she met only a few weeks before her first real mission, and it was a fateful meeting. He was loitering around the main church grounds, and when she walked out in her ronin garbs, she was approached by them with a feverish enthusiasm. Practically begging her to become her apprentice, she only caved in when she was told as to why he even wanted to be a warrior priest in the first place. Her belief in hard work making miracles shone on the situation, and she emphasized with him wanting people to respect him for who he was, and much, much more. His success would also technically benefit her if she took him on, as it’d show she’s able to successfully lead the next generation to glory, and to be the best she had to not only work on herself, but others, as is the way of a samurai and a priestess. So, he was taking on, albeit begrudgingly at first, but he’d began to grow on her by the time they set out from the Land of Iron’s small island.

“Lady Chikari… do you think my family will accept me, once I become a warrior priest like you?” Yam asks at the end of her midnight song. Their men were setting up a barrier with invisibility talismans, to keep them safe through the night, and not have a need for a nightwatchman. Looking at her squire, she puts away her flute and stares in a stoic, as if she didn’t really know how to answer it. That was part of the reason she even took him with her, was to help that kid’s loved ones see his worth and potential. Sighing quietly, she beckons him over so he can hear her better. “I’m sure they will… but if they don’t, I’ll make sure you’ll still get some recognition. After all, being in the same rank as me is bound to get you respect, don’t you think?” The boy nodded happily at the answer, and he shot her a thumbs up before yawning to himself, and walking to his tent for the night. “Yeah… you’re right. The Phoenix will guide me with you on my side. Goodnight, sensei.” It was the best she could say, but she supposes it’ll do with his constant barrage of questions to her. She shakes her head with a wry smile, and only when everyone else has closed their eyes does she do so,

The next day goes by as though a blur. Almost unsatisfyingly so, it’s as if their precautions the night prior meant nothing, as the moment they set out on the endless roads of the desert again, when they reach a nearby oasis for a much welcomed supply of drinking water, they’re ambushed by a group of desert bandits. Unfortunately, they took them so much by surprise that they got to knock Chikari out with a sleeping dart before she could do anything, sending her tumbling onto the ground and unconscious. Only hours later does she wake up to the horrific sight of her entire party being dead in the sands, scattered on the ground, destroyed wagon pieces lying alongside their mangled corpses. Truthfully, these course of events were going way too fast for comfort, among other things, and she gawked in horror at the destruction at hand, left with only the faces of her fallen comrades… when she finally reaches Yam’s eternally slumbering form, she nearly breaks down crying. Sure, she hadn’t gotten to know him too well with the amount of time she had… but he was still a child, one year from adulthood or not. He was her responsibility, and she never got to teach him what it meant to be a samurai. Instead, he’s been sent to the cycle of rebirth too early in his life. His parents would never see him again, and she’d bare that on her shoulders in the coming years.

Then there’s the fact her sword is missing… and in fact, any other weapon that’d be useful. She’s unarmed, defenseless, bruised from what she assumes was a beating in her sleep, and mentally distraught. Today seriously couldn’t get any worse, but to her surprise it won’t. There’d be time to get revenge for her fallen troop later, but for now she needed to get to the nearby village… Perhaps her situation of dire straits would make it easier for them to let her in. She still had her papers and flute, fortunately, so she could make do with playing music for money if she needed to until she gets a sword, and she’ll have proper identification for Land of Iron affairs on her side. Donning the tattered cloak of her fallen squire, she hides her appearance, since decidedly she’s out of options and answers, and roams the dunes on her lonesome, her mission for her God put on hold until she has the means to carry it out. Hopefully, the world will take pity on her just this once.

Word Count Tracker:

Wed Jul 20, 2022 5:19 pm

[12 hour OOC requirement fulfilled. Exiting thread.]

Claims:

Thu Jul 21, 2022 1:13 am

Claims approved

Disgraceful Awakening

Disgraceful Awakening

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