Sachihiro van Damage

Strangely there is little difference between my movement and level of unease in this place now compared to when I had a pursuer trying to kill me; pursed or not this place is still creepy. I stop abruptly the tumbling of a pebbled echoing loudly through the darkness covering all others sounds with the volume of its passage. I am still uncomfortable in this place, I still have a naked blade in my hand, I still see nothing but different shades of black with my vision.

The sound of the passage of the stone fades but I stay standing still lest something new is stalking me or waiting to prepare an ambush under the cover of the sounds of the disturbance.

I checked out that starting chamber as I best I could considering its dimensions and my visual handicap. I did confirm that I was in a large hall by walking along the wall and finding all the closest sources of flowing water I could hear and reach. The water in this place comes from several cracks in the walls and ceiling but nothing large enough for me to crawl through to the surface.

This whole place is big, bigger than I initially imagined it might be when I imagined the hall I was in large enough to accommodate a titan. The distance from where I had killed the creature to the other side of the all took me nearly 4 hours to transverse. How on Gaia do people build a domed structure that big without any pillar supports at every few metres? The only reason I know there is a ceiling at all is from the water drops that drip straight downwards and the broken off pieces of ceiling I something found obstructing my way.

Nothing comes attacking after a while of standing still waiting for whatever disturbed the rock to come find me and I relax slightly. I’m cold, my hands are cold and I really don’t like this place and the way sounds carry everywhere. The darkness is complete and though I’ve been here well over 30 hours now its not getting any easier for me to bare. With the runestone in my ring I could start a fire and at least get some light but that would waste it without firewood to use as fuel.

Shaking my head and unease away I keep moving forward at a sedate walking pace as the floor in this area doesn’t seem as solid to my senses as the one in the great hall did.

The hours pass slowly as I make my way through the vast darkness and though I can’t see anything I swear its getting darker with the darkness getting colder and more oppressive. I remove my heavy parka coat jacket and fingerless gloves from my ring, the parka will keep me warm but its also heavy and impedes movement some. Still, at this point I think its necessary.I put in on quickly grining as my over 4 foot long blade goes through the arm without damaging the material. Flexing my arms in different positions I notice where my movement are impeded and it isn’t as bad as I thought.

I keep moving at a walk passing through some unseen barrier into an area where not everything echoes so loudly from so far away.

It’s been over 50 hours since I’ve been in here now and I'm still cold, still not calming down, still no fucking idea where I’m going. Maybe I shouldn’t have killed that thing so quickly, maybe I could have extracted answers - I skiddle and skip over another crevice in the floor.

I think I’m lonely a little, I haven’t been alone for this long in a very long time. I stop, sit and rest my back against a bolder. I don’t remember the last time I spent this much time alone but I am now not use to it. ‘’Ohh Hanna, I failed you. I was supposed to take you home before the world went to shit, I was suppose to take you home. I’m supposed to take everyone home but I myself am lost.’’ words whispered quietly to myself.

I'm tired, my chest hurts, I've failed everyone. Honestly I don't know why I keep moving towards them at all, i'm a failure as a father and a husband, a brother and a friend. With a thought and a miniscule amount of mana directed to the ring I have a water skin in hand and I take a large mouthful that goes well down my throat. Ahhh.. That was nice. I take out a piece of smoked hog and bite into it whilst feeling sorry for myself.

I really can't rest though. I stand and stretch myself again to get the cold out of my muscles before vaulting over the bolder but skiddle angain trying to stop my momentun from hauling into the abyss. Tip toesing and waving my hands francticly I manage to pull myself back. Spirits beyond I nearly fell into that darkness! I reverse quickly stopping only when I feel the bolder on my back then take a breath to calm myself. Okay Sachi take it slow, you don't know how deep these holes go.

After calming down a bit I walk along the edge until I find a place where my awareness shows me that this is just another crevice cracked into the ground and not the end of the road I've been following. I jump over to the other side of it and keep moving, I have no options but to keep moving, Honour in my hands the entire time.

* *

Luthando

Its dark and raining hard with a chilly gale cutting through the meadows like a vengeful ghost determined to make me as miserable as possible whilst the others have their fun. The villages we have been slaughtering and burning through one at a time for hours now and I have had my fill of the scent of smoke, blood and guts still heavy with shit in their passages. It was interesting and novel enough an experience at first being sent out as conquering explorers but now even Luvuyo floats besides me watching whilst the Faceless do the dirty work.

The rain changes direction at the howling wind’s hand the showers soaking everything in cold drops miserable even to me though I’m insulated from the worst of it. I’m probably the worst affected by all this unpleasant weather and I’m not about to cast a shielding whilst my cousins take it without complaint.

‘’It gets rather boring rather quickly doesn’t it?’’

‘’And what’s that cousin?’’ Noluvuyo asks.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

‘’Killing helpless people, I had fun I won’t deny that but since I got here only that lizard gave me any sort of challenge,’’ Luvuyo says like us carefully looking down at the work of our warriors.

Pshffh, ‘’of course its no challenge killing them, they’re mortals.’’ Noluntu says with a wave of her hand

‘’Still cousin; they are much more skilled than any mortals I've ever come across. Did you notice the rips in your clothes?’’ Luyolo says with a boyish sparkle in his eyes as he looks down on the 20 Faceless down bellow making quick gruesome work of the 2000 or so local warriors they are barehandedly fighting as their little village burns around them.

Luvuyo grin, ‘’I will have the ones that survive brought back to Dale to become slave soldiers and eventually they too will join the ranks of the Faceless under my sponsership.’’

‘’It will be a great honour for them i'm sure,’’ Noluntu says sarcasticly then flies down and starts rummaging through the burning village.

I’ve already collected 40 crates of weapons for myself and now find myself the 'official' loot collector for all 5 of my cousins whilst they have their fun testing themselves and watching the Faceless fight.

‘’It would be easier if you’d take the children, much easier to train slave soldiers from childhood cousin.’’ Noluvuyo says with a smirk, ‘’this is known even to you yes?’’

‘’Still, it would be a shame to completely eradicate such a feisty group of mortals don’t you thing? I mean just look at them!’’ Luvuyo says extending his hand with a pleased smile on his face.

The locals are fighting hard, harder than I would have thought possible for any mortals against cultivators of any stage but they are dying none the less. The locals encircle the Faceless, they have formations they enact and occasionally they push one back or smash it down into the ground. Their skills with their many bladed weapons and synchronicity in movement is astounding to behold even as they die in their dozens for their valiant efforts.

The shouts, battle cries and cries of anguish reach my ears even with the winds taking them away. In every village we burn there is a group of warriors ready to make a stand, ready to die pointlessly blunting their swords against tempered bodies. Not a single Faceless has fallen to their many sharpened blades and judging by how things are progressing none will.

Still, I can't help but admire their tenacity.

* *

Hito Scout Hinata

The scout runs past the lines of wild-eyed civilians desperately making their way through the meadow and down to the tunnels. The line of them is long and ragged, some clutching children like lifelines others helplessly looking back at the line of smoke rising from what used to be their homes. The scout pays these people no mind as she runs through the trees, amongst the rocks shaking off any hands that try to slow her 'til she makes her way down a crevice in the rock barely large enough to fit a child.

She crawls further in and once against the wall activates the ward curved into the stone. Vibrating and rumbling then a spear point bares her way further, ‘’the go-between wears out a thousand sandals.’’ She says and is pulled in, quickly she stands and is escorted further down. It isn’t long before she stands before the soul samurai veterans left amongst the villages.

‘’Well?’’ The soul samurai asks expected at the only one to return alive from a mission to scout the enemy’s strength.

‘’There are about 25 of them that I noticed, 6 or 7 seem to be the leade--‘’

‘’Impossible, we sent thousands of samurai to contest every single village to cover the evacuations. You mean to tell us that all those samurai, men and women that have earned their 2nd blades have all been killed by 25 warriors? Impossible,’’ elder Orochi says already turning away from the untrustworthy scout,

‘’Kenzo Suzuki, what say you we unleash the Brave Blossoms this night to rid ourselves of these invaders?’’

Kenzo bows respectfully then looks directly at the elder, ‘’begging your pardon but scout Hinata is known for her superior skill at sneaking past most people undetected and the sharpness of her senses. I advise we take her report with the outmost seriousness.’’

‘’I agree, speak scout Hinata. Tell us of these invaders and what they seem to be doing, give facts only, there will be enough time to speculate.’’ Masashi Odate the head of clan Omura says.

‘’Currently there are approximately 20 of them facing off against the 2000 samurai that were residents of Ha Village and we are loosing badly. They seem to be moving from village to village in from this direction leaving nothing standing in their wake,’’ the scout says pointing at the map on the table.

‘’How are they armed, what skills have they shown, what level of power are they, what species are they?’’ someone asks tired of hearing about doom and gloom.

‘’Their power I was unable to determine, most of them wear black breastplates over their silver hides that reflect no light and stop all blades from penetrating.’’

‘’They have silver bodies?’’

‘’Yes elder. Their faces are covered in a silver mesh with no eyes no nose and no mouth evident on their visages. The armour looks light but not a single enemy had yet fallen last I saw though many a samurai sacrificed their lives for a decisive blow,'' the scout speaks quickly. ''Those I suspect to be leaders wear no armour at all. All of them but one are giant men over 2m tall.’’

‘’What weapons-‘’

‘’They use no weapons as far as I could tell nor any magic or psi in their fighting, all of them fight hand to hand.’’

‘’Impossible, our samurai are well armoured wielding spirit-bound weapons and trained from childhood to hold a blade. What you say is impossible, I will hear no more from you girl! Kenzo, the Blossoms, how many do you have here?’’

‘’22 Brave Blossoms are at the surface helping evacuate the children and smiths honoured elder ready to go forth and fight.’’

‘’As soon as they are done evacuating the smiths you will send every available Blossom to the invaders to scout their positions and strength. Once that is determined we send every single soul-samurai we have out to reap their souls for this disrespect regardless of where they come from. How long before the messengers reach our people in the Underworld?’’

‘’It will be just over a ten-day before a message reaches the first Hito outpost honoured Elder.’’

‘’Then we will just have to endure till then,’’ he turns looking at the fierce-eyed men and women around him. ‘’in the meantime Elder Xui, you and your clan warriors will prepare an ambush here at the Peaks when they move to the Han Village you shall be ready and use the terrain to confuse them.’’

‘’Pardon for again speaking Honoured Elders,’’ scout Hinata says bowing at the waist.

Elder Odate grits his teeth but he is afraid and not a complete fools so he indicates for her to speak. ‘’I’m afraid it will be impossible to ambush the invaders from the ground lord, they do not walk between each village they fly.’’

‘’Then why in all the gods do they keep meeting our warriors in the field of combat at all if they could fly over us?’’

‘’Why indeed.''

....

....

‘’Lets just keep evacuating all the remaining villages, there are almost 300 soul samurai ready to unleash themselves at these invaders. Almost half of whom having achieved Shikai and 20 of us have mastered our Arts, we will see how well these invaders fair against true soul samurai.’’ Master Sensei Sanada says before leaving to prepare his men.

Elder Odate sighs as he slumps against the wall, ‘’I pray it isn’t Ascendants that we face/’’ he says to none in particular.

Everyone silently worries the same because it is known that all there is to the North of the Hito is the Ascension Gate. The Ascension Gates they send some of their best warriors through once they become Awakened Imperiums, beings powerful enough to destroy whole cities by themselves.

‘’If that is what we face then the Hito will be no more,’’ Elder Xui says with an absent look in her eyes.

‘’Yes, the Hito will be no more,’’ someone says quietly.