Akiba. A city unknown to many, forgotten - it seemed - by the world of Lore as a whole. Although the Yokai Isle appeared on many maps, it was not as common a destination as, say, Greenguard province or the Citadel. The little island empire was not hidden, certainly not forbidden, just ... left alone.
Alone at the prow of the ferry to Yokai, Mathayus Rivenden mused upon the rigidity of fate. A cold wind ruffled his spiked black hair, singing to him of Akiba. Unfortunately, the song in the breeze was the best source of information he had found thus far. Historians, geographers, even many linguists ... all left the Yokai Isle alone in their works. It was maddening.
Mathayus had been in Lolosia, the seaside port town only miles behind him but seemingly an eternity past, when it happened. He'd been there on a mission, of course; rarely did he have the time or the inclination to be a tourist. But this mission had been different from the others. It wasn't assigned by the king; it had been set him by Sensei as a test of his skills.
At first, it had seemed simple enough. Travel to Lolosia, lie in wait for the well-known pirates' barge Cortico's Pride, penetrate its defences and kill the crew. Mathayus was a spy in training, a seventh-rank mage trained in elemental magick, a black belt in aikido and kendo, and a soon-to-be member of the Ninja Order of the Silver Star; needless to say, a formidable combination making him invaluable to King Alteon and his spymasters. The king wouldn't approve of Mathayus' quest, if only for the attention it was bound to draw, but with such a skillset, Mathayus could afford to ignore his liegelord's wishes once in a while.
He'd arrived in Lolosia four sunsets ago, riding in late at night on a tired horse. The city guards, two beefy men in identical worn armor holding identical pitted spears, were just smart enough to allow him entry without searching his saddlebags. Had they found his cache of concealed weaponry - throwing stars, daggers, elemental orbs, hand-rolled balls of explosive rokador - there would have been awkwardness.
Mathayus rented a room above the town's sole tavern with a handful of silver coins that proved hypnotic to the innkeeper - so much so, in fact, that the old man was able to ignore the twin katanas sheathed across his black-robed guest's back. And silently, in the dirty, rat-infested room, Mathayus transformed.
When he emerged the next morning, Mathayus looked just the same as any other road-weary traveller or trader passing through Lolosia each day. His conspicuous black robes were gone, to be replaced by leather travelling clothes and light armor; his face was unmasked but nevertheless unrecognizable. His katanas and most of his concealed weaponry were stored in pounches slung on his horse, guarded by a minor demon that he'd spent the previous evening invoking. His pale skin had been darkly tanned by careful application of dye.
Mathayus wandered the town, occasionally eating fruit and watching the ships sail ponderously past at the harbour. He spoke barely a word; not one soul cast him a second glance.
On his third day, Cortico's Pride arrived. It docked early in the morning to unload its cargo. As Mathayus prepared to complete his journey, there was a knock on the door.
Instantly, the ninja was on alert. He slipped off his shoes and padded silently across the room, picking up two wicked-looking daggers and sliding them into his pockets. The knock came again, more urgently. Gripping his hidden weapons, Mathayus walked to the door.
"Come in."
After a moment, the door swung back, revealing a slight old man with his bald head bowed as though in prayer. Mathayus, ever vigilant, did not relax; he knew from experience that the angel of death came in many forms.
"Speak, old man, or face death today," he growled.
The man tilted his head to look up at Mathayus, grinning toothlessly. His brown eyes looked wise but puzzled; clearly he hadn't understood. Mathayus decided he was probably some local lout, an old drunk maybe, gotten lost looking for his room. In any case, there was work to be done. He made to close the door.
"Anata Mathayus-san ka?" the man asked in the singsong tongue of the Yokai Isle.
Mathayus nearly did a double take. He had of course been trained well in almost every popular language of the world, but Akibese ... it was almost never spoken outside their isolated island world. He wasn't prepared for this, and struggled momentarily for words lost in the deep recesses of his brain.
"Ah ... hai, yuisho aru ryoko sha, watashi no namae wa Mathayus-san," he replied, all too aware of how stiff and unpracticed his own speech sounded as compared to his Akiban visitor's. "Tte watashi to issho ni shi tai desu ka? Yes, venerable traveler, my name is Mathayus; what do you want with me?"
"Ochitsui te kudasai, watashi no yujin," came the easy reply. "Watashi wa watashi no joo kara no messeji wo chukei suru ... purinsesu fujo akiha kora."
Peace, friend. I want nothing but to relay a message from my liege, the Princess Miko of Akiba.
Still grinning, the man held out his callused palm. On it was a paper soldier complete with swordstaff, folded neatly and expertly. Silently, he took it, unfolding the message quickly with little respect for its artistic design.
In Akiba deep
Greatet warriors meet to duel
For glorious title
Bewildered, Mathayus looked up. "What does this mean? Kore wa doyuu imi desu ka?"
But his visitor had gone.
Closing the door, Mathayus sat down heavily, turning the creased paper over and over in his hands. From what he could make out, it seemed to be an invitation to a contest of some kind. No, not just some contest ... the Dragon Koi Tournament, most prestigious of all Akiban contests. This at least was one fact he had unconvered that his few sources all agreed upon.
All thought of Cortico's Pride forgotten, Mathayus stood and began to gather up his few possessions. There seemed only one thing to do now. Although he knew Sensei would be furious, he was on the ferry to Akiba within the hour.