Alright well it's been a while since I've been able to come out with a story, so this is pretty big. I thought the next chapter of Square Showdown would be my big comeback, but due to troubles at my mom's house, it didn't work out that way. I know this may not be as true to D D as some of us would have liked, but I tried to make it as close as possible. D D doesn't give us much to go on, so in some parts I kinda had to improvise. Yeah, I know, a samurai doesn't really have a place in the D D, but I'm doing my best!
Chapter 1: Ryoshu, Rogue SamuraiNik Wolfhelm sat at a pub after a long week of ranging. He pulled his hood over a scruffy head of thick black hair. He ranged for no particular reason, if there was a task he may complete he would do it, and help others or get paid if it was in the cards. He was a freelancer, an adventurer, and he had roamed the lands a good week with no excitement.
At the moment he sat with a long black cloak on top of casual, warrior, ranger-esque attire, with a longsword sheathed at his side, black boots, and leather fingerless gloves. He looked very masculine, though it is not to be assumed he was a mortal. He was a shaman, one who had adapted such powers as to turn into a wolf at will, hence the way he had acquired his name.
No one interesting at this bar, the usual drunks, a man with a crutch, one who had a cloak like his, a couple of blonde-headed brothers, no one of interest. He had ventured to this pub once or twice before, and had managed to befriend the bartender, who now walked over to him.
"Greetings." The bartender greeted him "What news from the lands you travel?"
"I travel from the north, the forest of Aelon." Answered Wolfhelm "And no news can I give you."
"An uneventful week?" asked the bartender.
Wolfhelm nodded "Like the rest, I fear my sword has begun to rust from so much time in it's sheath." He slapped a handful of coins on the counter "Tall ale please."
The bartender got him his drink, and he took in his surroundings, while remaining under his hood. He liked having his face hidden, it made him invulnerable, no one could see his face, he was safe.
A new person entered the pub, one that actually proved to be of some interest. A female, and from the looks of it an imperial samurai, and yet not. For certain she was attired such as a samurai, metal armor, katana, the works, but it was tattered armor, and the grunge of battle covered her face from her green eyes, up to her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. Most unfitting for a samurai.
This intrigued Wolfhelm, and he was compelled to eye her from under his hood. He couldn't help but wonder who she was, and what she would be doing on her own.
As he expected, some of the pub regulars came over to harass her. Such was popular among this kind of men to tease female warriors.
"Well hey there." One man commented "What's a girl like you doing all by your lonesome?"
"None of your goddamn business." Shot the girl.
"Oh my." Said the secod, and then he whispered in her ear "It's not your place to talk back woman."
The third also got close to whisper, but then made what was apparently a mistake and put a hand on her shoulder.
Before Wolfehlem could realize what had happened , the three men were on the floor with large slash marks across their chests, and the girl was sheathing her sword. At this point she had attracted quite a bit of attention from the entire room. By her next actions, Wolfhelm guessed that she was not one who liked to do such, for she walked out of the bar and over to the inn across the street. The bar resumed it's normal chatter.
Wolfhelm turned back to the bartender "Tell me what you know of that girl."
The bartender shook his head "Never seen her before."
At this, Wolfhelm was past intrigued, and now was simply teaming with curiosity. He decided to follow her to the inn. It is not to be said that he was necessarily one to stalk someone else, but when something intrigued him enough, and he had gone so long without work, he simply couldn't resist.
He had just seem the girl go upstairs, and asked the innkeeper what room she was staying in, and took the room right across the hall from her.
It was not until midnight that Wolfhelm heard finally her door creak open. Or rather it seemed like midnight, Wolfhelm finally gathered it to be around 3:00. The girl wound down around the stairs, through the main foyer, and out the door. Wolfhelm waited a moment, and then slowly opened the door.
It was a nearly vacant street, Wolfhelm guessed the town must have some kind of curfue. The girl looked to either side, and then began to sprint toward the border of the town, and into the wilderness. She turned a corner out of wolfhelm's view. Wolfhelm looked to either side, behind to make sure he himself wasn't being followed. Then he made it to the corner he had just seen her go behind.
He drew his sword, always cautious when turning corners, and fortunately so because when he turned the corner his blade crashed against the blade of a samurai, the blade of the girl he had been following.
"Please I-" Wolfhelm tried to explain, but she raised it for a vertical strike, and brought it down once again on his sword. He doged a jab from her, and just barely missed a blow to his right arm.
"Please, I just-" his words were once again drowned out by the wooshing of her blade that he doged again. She jabbed at him a couple more times.
"Would you stop!" Wolfhelm finally said.
The girl looked at him curiously "You are not with the Fudai imperials."
Wolfhelm rolled his eyes "Yes and if you had bothered to let me talk you would have known that!"
The girl was still skeptical "Then why are you following me?"
"I couldn't help noticing how you wiped the floor with those guys in the bar yesterday." Wofhelm explained "How's a girl like you manage to make it to a town like this? And why are you dressed like a samurai?"
"I came here to bring justice to a nearby crew of ruffians who have been causing a lot of trouble around here, they call themselves the torn outsiders." The girl explained "Not for myself, for a client."
"Oh, I see." Said Wolfhelm "You work freelance?"
The girl nodded "and as for the get-up, a long time ago I was part of the Fudai imperial army."
"And now you're not?"
Again the girl nodded "But my village was in danger, and they wouldn't let me go, so I took off. When they sent warriors to brinf me back, I took them out. You can imagine that didn't make the fudai empire too happy, they've been hunting me ever since."
Wolfhelm stood in awe "That was indeed a fair amount of information. So you are finding the hideout of the torn outsiders, and bring justice to them?"
She nodded.
"Alone?"
She nodded again, and began to keep walking "If you'll excuse me, I must go."
"No wait!" Wolfhelm ran up to her "Let me help you! I have been dying for work for so long!"
She shrugged "I'm taking the cash all for myself."
"Yes, I know, but I fear this may be the only opportunity for adventure for quite some time."
"Alright then." She agreed "You got a name?"
"Oh sorry." Said Wolfhelm, "Looks like I forgot to tell you in all the excitement. Wolfhelm, or Nik to my closer friends." She began to walk again, and then turned to Wolfhelm, following slightly behind "Sorry I tried to kill you."
Wolfhelm shrugged "No big."
Alright well, hope you liked it. Please review, and I'll get the second chapter typed ASAP.