Monster In The Mountains

Mugen and Fuu get a bit side tracked (as usual) and head deep into a dormant and creepy mountain range. Mugen spooks her little mind with stories about the giant salamanders and their frightening attacks on villagers who come to the water and trade caravans passing through. However; there are other and more terrifying threats that reside in the shadows of these mountains.

It was noon time and the sun was casting it's infinitely life giving rays onto the luxuriant earth. The birds sang blissfully and the smooth and high pitch tones of their melodic chirps coalesced and harmonized with the insects and the placid zephyrs that swept across the forest and passed through the thick canopy. Everything was moving in an austere conduct that nature had intended since the dawn of advance life forms on the planet. All was moving with the mighty sinuous order, with exception of two individuals that were soaring down a small serene river in the middle of this harmonious forest.

It had been almost two days since they had left Oge-Omati and were continuing their quest towards the southern islands of greater Japan. Fuu sat tranquilly in the middle of the exquisite and hardy canoe while Mugen continued to steer and occasionally paddle at the very end of the river vessel. She was doing her nails like the way a resolute artists devotes himself to an imperative project. Mugen had been rowing for hours and the job was starting to be getting old. It seemed like neither the river or the dense forest had some sort of ending. Nevertheless, he did often enjoy being far from civilization; partly because he loved solitude and that he felt that he had never fit within it all that well. Glancing down at the water he saw a pair of gold fish swim by. There glimmering orange, black, and white bodies shimmered under the skin of the water like a cluster of exclusive gem stones. Their tails moved competently and easily with the meek flow of the water. Flow he thought; that word sparked a thought in his once idling mind. He remembered a few nights ago about how he had totally defeated Sabukai by not using his blade or collage of combat techniques. While he was also fortunate that the crowd bought into his act he loved what he did. It didn't really matter to him what people thought about the way he pursued his life and how he existed, so he didn't care if his on the spot poem came out strange to them or not if the audience did react negatively to it. It had stolen the moment, and that's what he had been aiming for. Flow, harmony, compatibility these words emerged in his mind and continued to spark more thoughts, thoughts he had never really taken into any real consideration. Poetry, he had never conveyed his feelings for the art form not to anyone, not even Fuu. When he was born on that prison camp, and when he escaped to join that squad of pirates he was barely ever in the position to reveal his zeal and his enthusiasm for the art and since many would not appreciate it or would have the time on their hands. It was an extreme rarity that he had ever had time to work on this form of self expression and within time it almost utterly emaciated from his mind all together. His thoughts were turned to the trees and their high looming branches that hung over head. The singing of the birds and all the simple beauty of nature was starting to arouse an emotion that gave him a strong and almost overwhelming sensation. Placing his oar back in the water to give them a bit more speed his mind began to drift.

"Again we stand to fight, I don't care if its wrong or if its right. I don't care about anyone's damn idea, because I'm somethin they should fear! Do you hear, its all around us, within us, its something I don't know, I've never questioned it, I only went with the flow. So beautiful, so hot, so strong, could I for once not be wrong, my blood starts to pump like I got bitten by a nasty bug, tell me is this love." For the first time in almost a decade he had actually composed something that had meant something to him. Through out the days of his travels he always came up with words for it, and blended them with his emotions day in and day out. At finally he felt partly at peace with himself, he had accomplished something that truly had a vast and deep meaning.

"Th-that was amazing, so so beautiful," Fuu spoke from the front of the boat. Mugen's eyes popped back into place as he was sharply dragged back to reality. He was so blissfully at ease for once and he didn't even realize that he was speaking his thoughts out loud. "I never knew you had such a talent," Fuu said looking over her shoulder with a sexy and witty smile. Mugen's instinctive reaction was to instantly throw up a mental barrier and encircle all emotion that existed within him. Divulging some facets of who he was always made him feel extra defensive, there was nothing he despised and rejected more.

"Yeah," he responded in a low voice looking down at the river dipping his oar back into its docile current. Fuu turned her gaze towards the front of the canoe again and her head fell from her shoulders slightly. Biting her lip in irritation she started to have notions about Mugen bounce off the walls of her head.

"Why do you do that?" she asked in soft voice.

"Do what," Mugen questioned looking up from the water.

"Build a barricade around yourself." Mugen was quiet and continued to reinforce the silence that accompanied them and his fortress around his heart. "That, or the way you disparage yourself, your really gifted." She continued to speak in a very truthful and serene tone of voice. "I don't know if anyone has ever told you that, but I tell you it's true," she spoke looking over her left shoulder half turning in her seat. This time honesty and earnestness was written all over her face.

"Thank you." Fuu's heart almost came to a halt; she had never heard him say those two words together, especially in that tenor.

"You know if there is anything you want to tell me, it's alright." Mugen sighed deeply. There were times when she thought that he didn't have any fears in the world, but then there were also instances when he seemed like a man plagued by uneasiness and pandemonium, encircled by a vast universe of perplexity. They were quiet for a little bit as they continued to slowly drift down the placid river. Gazing back up at the sky she started to give some more thought about Mugen's poem. She had never heard him produce something so articulate, cynical, and even somewhat witty. And then there were the words that had composed it so beautifully. Love. That was a word she had always gave much thought, maybe even to much on some occurrences.

"That was really deep you know, on so many levels," She spoke leaning back in her seat and placing both hands beside her. "Love is an amazing thing. Few of us really understand its importance and have to opportunity to experience it; and even fewer get to keep it," she spoke in a tone softer than satin letting the sun beam and brighten her face.

"Tch, its do damn expensive that's why!" And once again Mugen's inevitable vulgar comeback and his amazing ability to brake the moment shattered Fuu's current and staid mood. However, it was always his humor that she loved the most about him sometimes, and that is what made him who he was. "What do chicks think we are made out of freakin money?!" Fuu just rolled her eyes at him and flipped through their map.

--

About a half hour later they docked on a small beach and had lunch. Isaac was nice enough to give them some really delicious rice balls served in romaine lettuce. They also got some really good fish and pork sautéed in a very sweet and savory tamari and wasabi sauce.

"Damn I can't remember the last time we had food like this," Mugen commented slicing another piece of pork with his knife. He was really growing accustom to these Western eating utensils. They were very easy to use and were precise.

"These instruments from the West that Isaac gave us are awesome," Fuu mentioned scooping a clump of rice into her metallic spoon. "Though," she murmured chewing partly with her mouth open. "I still love chopsticks, I mean they really help you develop hand and eye coordination."

"Forget that, that's the last stuff I need to be working on when I'm eating. I get enough of that the rest of the 24 hours of the day," he snarled chomping on a piece of fish.

When they finished eating they jumped back in their exquisite river craft and floated on down towards their next destination. They had been blessed with such a nice day for riding down the river. Lots of sunshine gleaming across the water rendering its appearance like a billion sapphires floating on a gigantic wavy blanket. Another thing Mugen loved about the day's climate was the lack of strong winds blowing at his vessel. Instead gentle cool breezes were all that brushed across his face and his stone features.

"Hey, how far does this Ushimaka river go for," Mugen asked vigilantly placing his oar in the water keeping their vessel on course.

"Actually, we've been off it for a while now," she responded holding up the map.

"Or you yankin me or are you for real, for how many miles?"

"I'll say about, maybe like six or seven miles," she answered. Mugen again snarled and rolled his eyes filling with agitation.

"And when were you planning to tell me?"

"Take it easy. While that river may have ended were less than a days away from the next river we have to take."

"What river are we on now?" Mugen asked feeling his patience strain thin.

"Were on, well, why can't I make this out?" Mugen started to wonder if she was even paying attention to the map at all, or was she just reading it incorrectly again. "Now this is really weird, I can't find a name."

"Toss that back here!" he growled. Fuu threw the map backwards over her head. Mugen caught it in mid air and spread it open. Half steering the boat with one hand he was also shocked at what he saw too, there was river that had branched off the Ushimaka and didn't have a name. He saw that it did connect to the Otto River but he was shocked that it didn't have a name as well. Now this is fishier than that chick I picked up a couple of months ago. Rolling it back up and tossing it away the ex-bucceener started to wonder what river they were really on and what it was going to have in store for them.

"At least we do know were headed in the right direction," Fuu said grinning back at Mugen.

"Uh huh," he responded unenthusiastically. At this point it wouldn't be shocking news if we weren't he thought pessimistically.

--

After a few hours of going down the unknown river the scenery started to alter drastically. Many of the trees that grew on the side of the river bank were leafless and there were more snags perched on the grimy grounds. The beautiful river they were on was starting to resemble a dark and murky swamp they had heard about in majestic tall tales. Fuu was not very found of this new atmosphere; in fact it chilled her to the pit of her very soul. Mugen on the other hand was starting to realize that the river was matching the descriptions of an uncharted territory he remember hearing old ghost stories about.

"I think I know where we are," Mugen said looking around the dim and mysterious landscape.

"If it has anything to deal with demons, ghosts, or even nasty bugs I don't wanna buy into it," Fuu growled trying not to shiver too much.

"Well I've heard all those guys have a place around here," Mugen snickered happily watching Fuu Clutch the edges of her kimono trying not to shiver. "If you look straight ahead and upwards you can also spot the Kimdojo mountain range." Fuu looked ahead and through the insipid and haunting fog she could see the large mountains.

"Its getting really dark, and. I think we should find a place to set up camp for the night," Fuu insisted urgently. These were the times she wished Mugen had even the slightest bit of sympathy for her feelings of caution and sometimes fear. The nothings seemed to really give the ex-buccaneer a startle or a run for his money, so traveling into a dark and uninhabited, unknown area was just something that was fun to do. Fuu started to notice that her companion was looking over each shoulder from time to time and was paying more attention to the atmosphere around them. Could it be that this area actually has him on his toes, no there is nothing that freaks this guy out, or maybe nothing I have seen yet Fuu thought vigilantly.

"But one thing I do know about this area is that a lot of those things I mentioned are just thrown out there to distract so many of the foolish suckers from the water dragons."

"Water what?" Fuu asked, she could feel the sense of fear and uncertainty rise and wash over her.

"That's right, sometimes I call'em river beasts or pond fiends," He said probing the water with his oar hoping to uncover something.

"Oh really, how much do you know about them?" she asked trying to fortify her confidence level.

"Well for starters I know they hunt at night, and that's because there eye sight isn't all that great. Though they freak me out because they always know if someone is around them because of the water that surrounds them, their tough bastards that's for sure," Mugen explained. Fuu didn't like these descriptions of these creatures because they seemed to have the highest chance of actually existing because of the level of detail Mugen was getting into them.

"Whoa," Mugen snapped looking at the whirling waves crash at the side of their canoe.

"Whoa what?" Fuu asked in a voice riddled with trepidation. She had a sixth sense for when he was being serious and when he was joking, he was obviously not joking at the moment. He placed his oar on the floor of the canoe and picked up a stick that he had been sharpening earlier. Mugen what are you up too? Gradually he started to lean over one of the edges of the canoe with cat-like caution and respect for whatever had stolen his attention.

"Hey there," he whispered under his breath, with that he jolted forward and impaled something beneath the skin of the black waters. As the water ripped in half from Mugens sadistic and swift attack Fuu almost feel backwards squealing. Looking up from the floor of their mighty water craft she saw him hoist something large and dripping onboard. Sitting upright she looked at it carefully and noticed that it was some kind of large reptilian like creature.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Like I said I call these tough punks pond fiends or water dragons, I know westerners call'em salamanders," explained with a grin. "These things are awesome if you cook them right."

"Don't tell me you expect me to eat that thing!" Fuu groaned holding her stomach, though is much as she didn't want to admit it her stomach was starting to growl a bit, and she knew all to well that hunger was always the greatest spice.

A few hours later they pulled over by the river bank and set up camp. Mugen cooked the giant salamander over an open fire, and as much as Fuu turned her nose up at the idea of eating it, she enjoyed the rich meat from the creature very much. She thought it tasted similar to chicken. Since the river current was fairly strong they couldn't have slept in the canoe and dragged it up on the shore and slept on some blankets as usual. Mugen didn't mind it at all he was exhausted and it felt better than anything in the world to rest.

The following day when they awoke it didn't seem like the same place. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the wind reminded them that they were alive. Nonetheless, the landscape was still as creepy and bizarre as ever, but this nice alteration in the whether eased the feelings of darkness and being alone in forest hungry for their fears. The fog had also faded from last night and they could make out the Kimdojo mountain range much better. It was a beautiful feet of natural architecture, it awed and amazed Fuu. She thought the mountains looked larger than the great Mt. Fuji.

"What the hell!" Mugen snapped in an astounding voice. Fuu looked over her shoulder at him; his attention seemed to be fixated on the floor boards of the great canoe.

"What's wrong?"

"Alright if we weren't crashing in this thing last night, then who the hell was?" Fuu crept closer to where he sat at the end of the water craft and noticed there was a fragment of dark cloth on the floor.

"Sure it wasn't there before?"

"Come on, you know if I flip my freakin lid I'm pissed and serious," Mugen exclaimed angrily. Fuu took a deep breath and turned away from him, she didn't like the notion either. What Mugen didn't tell her was all the scratch marks he also found on the bottom of the canoe and around its edges. Was someone tryin to mess up my shit, or what? For once in his existence he had a very had time trying to make a deduction from what he had found. Though he also knew if this became something he would dwell on it would be that much harder for him to sail through his day. He knew the river that passed through the Kimdojo mountain range was fairly short and it wasn't going to take them very long to reach their next destination. I know for a freakin fact that it wasn't anyone I had crossed paths with recently; they would never find us all the way out here. Though Mugen knew it was always good to expect the unexpected. What troubled him the most about those mysterious scratch marks was what had caused them? It certainly wasn't from a knife or sword, they looked closest to that of cat or bear claws.

--

Night had fallen again and this time there was a full moon accompanied by thousands of gleaming stars. The radiant and pale moonlight lit up the long river. Mugen noticed that the river was starting to broaden and take more of a form of a lake. The current was starting to become weaker and Mugen found himself doing a lot more paddling. One thing that he found spooky was that there was little in the way of noises from the creatures of the night. Usually he would have heard the crickets chirping and an owl or two hooting from time to time.

Its quiet, to damn quiet for my liking he thought uneasily. It was always the ex-buccaneer's instinct to find the dangerous and prepare for the worse elements whenever he was traveling some place different. Looking around the lake he also didn't see any sign of animal life. No fireflies cavorting in the air above the water, and no birds of prey silently perched in the darkness of the trees. "Hey, why don't we crash here for the night," Mugen called over to Fuu. Carving a piece of wood she nodded quietly. Damn, I hope she isn't tweeking out too. In actuality that wasn't the case at all, she actually liked the quiet. Fuu never told him but ever since she was a little girl animal sounds at night always spooked her somewhat. They docked their canoe by the river side and set up where they were going to be resting for the night.

"Dammitt!" Mugen snarled.

"What's barking up your tree this time?" Fuu asked rolling her chocolate eyes pulling their blankets out from the canoe.

"Why is it whenever I need something I never have it in my hands, we need more fire wood."

"Well can't you go find some; I mean it would be much easier to find some tonight because of all the moon and star light when compared to last nights fog."

Damn broad has a point Mugen thought agitatedly. He figured if they couldn't build a fire they would have to wait to tomorrow to go fishing or something for food. He wasn't in the mood for hunting for fire wood or assembling a fire. "Alright I'll be back in a little while," he said slinging his long sword over his shoulder.

"Don't get lost now," Fuu called out to him sardonically laying out their blankets. Fuu didn't notice it but he flipped her off as he left their campsite and into the infinite darkness of the forest.

--

As Mugen got deeper into the woods he noticed the light from the azure sky was getting dimmer and dimmer. The forest canopy was much thicker and thicker than it was along the river bank. It almost appeared that this segment of the woods was still flourishing with life. This was the time when Mugen still felt like he was a boy, sure he was young but being alone in this dark forest rekindled memories of his childhood when he escaped from that prison in the Ryu Kyus. Bein out here sure brings back the good old days he thought crouching down to pick up some fire wood. Snitck! The sharp resonance of a branch snapping under foot ripped through the tranquil and quiet air. Mugen started pivoting in all directions with a firm hand on his long sword hilt. Beast, or bastard in the night come out and show me what you got! Several heated minutes passed and nothing happened. Gradually he started to lower his guard and realized he was being over analytic and aggressive, just like the way he always acted when he was young. He sighed calmly and recollected his firewood and continued through the dark forest.

--

Back at the campsite Fuu looked around the river bank for some medicinal herbs. She knew that they would come in handy any day of the week and she loved working in the art too. When she was very young her mother had a garden full of all different variations of herbal plants and how they can help heal an injured body or go great with food. In some ways she missed those days, even though it was only a decade ago roughly it felt more like several centuries ago. Still, it felt great to be on her own quest once again making the choices her and her companion found to be right. Behind her she heard some rustling in the bushes. Oh god, not this stupid trick again. Mugen had a thing for freaking her out when she was alone. "Gee I wonder who that is; I sure hope its not any monsters, because I'm so afraid of those things," she said in a taunting voice layered thick with sarcasm. Suddenly three dark figures leapt from the bushes behind where she was kneeling down and tackled her. Initially she froze with fear then started to squirm and thrash around. What's going on! Her hands were tied behind her back and a piece of cloth gagged her and tightened behind her small head. Still squirming and occasionally releasing muffled squeals she was carried off into the shadows of the woods. Who were these mystic figures and what on Earth did they want with her.

--

Mugen had finished collecting his firewood and decided it was time to head on out. He had used a small piece of rope to fasten the sticks together and threw them over his back.

"This way I'll have enough firewood for tonight and tomorrow so I don't need to waste any time stumbling around out here." Not far from where he stood he saw a small pond. Beneath the surface of the water he saw some kind of movement. "Well, maybe I'll grab dinner to go while I'm out here." Cautiously he approached the water and unsheathed his sword. As he got closer to the pond he noticed the object beneath skin of the dark placid waters was much larger than he had initially noticed. "What the hell is it?" Within a few seconds after his query remark he was answered in the bluntest of all ways.

Brrraaaaaahhh! An enormous reptilian like creature lunged out of the water at him. This creature was like no giant salamander Mugen had ever encountered. It had huge rows and rows of dagger like teeth and talon like claws on its webbed feet. Its eyes were a ghostly pale green.

"Shit!" yelled Mugen as he staggered backwards trying to keep his stance strong and consistent. The beast roared again and lashed out with its right clawed foot. Like a sickle through a field of wheat the creatures bladed like toes slashed across Mugen's left calf and across his shin. The pain was sharp and searing, but he had to keep his mind on whatever it was he was now fighting. Falling backwards and to the ground he heard the beast bellow deafeningly. Pushing off the ground with its powerful hind legs it lunged at Mugen. Fortunatley his brain and feet could still work as one and he jumped up from the ground and cart-wheeled away from the monstrosity. Keeping his feet part and his blade drawn he already knew this wasn't going to be a simple confrontation. Dammitt! This is really going to mess up my mobility. I've just gotta keep a cool head and not let this thing get in my fucking head. The dark reptilian creature did remind Mugen of one of the salamanders he had hunted it moved and even looked very much like them. Though, he never came across one that was twice his size and with so much claws and teeth, and ghoulish appearing eyes. Growling deeply the creature lashed out again this time Mugen had an answer for his freakish opponent. Mugen brought his sword down vertically but as his blade met with the creatures claws he finished his blow with a diagonal swipe. This attack cut off a couple of its clawed finger-like appendages and chipped its claws. Despite the damage he did, his strong retaliation didn't eve seem to faze it. With a deep roar the creature pivoted on its front two feet and swung his immense tail at Mugen's feet. Mugen jumped over it as the creatures tail smashed through several small saplings and across the side of a tree. As Mugen's feet returned to the earth he saw that the creature already was making a counter offensive. Pushing off from the ground the reptilian beast lunged at Mugen this time with its massive jaws open wide and saturated with saliva. Leaning backwards on his right leg Mugen snapped his left leg forward and landed a powerful frontal kick to the roof of the creatures mouth.

Grrrrraaaaaahhhhhh! It snarled and hissed in a damp raspy tone. Mugen was starting to realize it was going to take a lot more than just clever tricks and swings from his sword to kill this monstrous opponent.

Damn your unrelenting and have an attitude, we have a lot in common Mugen thought. Hissing the creature lashed out again with a clawed and webbed foot, Mugen blocked it. Bellowing with rage the creature swung its immense tail for Mugen's head, it missed by a few mere inches. The rough dandy fell backwards and tumbled across the ground. He used this to his advantage and rolled across the ground and snuck behind a broad oak tree surrounded by ferns. I need a real plan on my hands now, no more fucking around. It was hard for the usually unmatched combatant to admit to himself that he had come across one hell of an opponent. Looking at the cluster of ferns he saw them sway, but it wasn't from the winds gentle caressing force. That salamander beast was closing in on Mugen's location fast. It's shocking that it hasn't just come flying in my direction by now.Just with that thought he realized the creature's innate strategy, and possibly now a weakness for Mugen to make use of. Just like the salamanders I used to hunt back in the day this thing doesn't have the best eye-sight in the world. The enormous beast did have very poor eyesight, and that's why it roared each time before attacking so it could bounce its lengthy sound waves off something. Mugen watched as the huge ferns parted and fell over as the huge reptilian creature crawled right passed him. I've dealt with your kind before, and I'm not just talking about huge lizard things. What he meant was that this beast wasn't the only blind and dangerous opponent he had fought. He remembered Sarah's weakness and threw off both of his padded moccasins and carefully stepped across the damp ground towards the unaware monstrosity. Each time he took a step closer he remained on the balls of his feet and on his toes and tried to keep all of his weight from crashing at once. He was going to get close to it but only close enough so he could jump on it and drive his blade downwards on the creature. The only downfall of this tactic was that it brought back pleasant but melancholy memories of one of the few girls he ever loved. He took a very quiet breath then leapt through the air with all the ferocity of one of the creatures of the night. With a thud he landed on the beasts back and fell to one knee while driving his sword downwards. Sharp and agonizing growls bellowed from the monsters strong lungs as it thrashed around and kicked up debris. Indeed, it looks like the tables have turned Mugen thought with a devilish grin. Abruptly his concrete confidence was shattered into a million pieces when he realized his sword wasn't impaled in the back of the creature's neck but its back. The monster roared again fearsomely and threw itself forwards. Mugen wasn't expecting it to put up so much of a fight and he went flying off its back and crashed against a dark tree trunk.

"I hate complaining about fighting, but this bout has me sweating blades," he said rubbing his side. It felt like all of the world's weight and its burdens were on his hide when he tried to stand up. The pain was coming from the right side of his ribcage; it felt like they could have been broken or wrecked really bad. His leg injury was also starting to take effect, he had lost a lot more blood than he had planned. Raaaahh! He hadn't won the battle yet. Gazing over at the creature he was brutally reminded that his fight needed to be ended soon. The beast was also losing a lot of blood but it wasn't going to give up on taking down Mugen as it crawled towards him bellowing deeply. "You certainly are in the top ten most stubborn bastards I've ever faced," Mugen admitted trying to stay positive. The creature was now a few inches from Mugen, and he didn't have his long sword ready; though the ex-buccaneer had another plan for taking this thing down. As its huge jaws parted Mugen shoved his scabbard in the monsters mouth. This kept it from biting his head off, but it would only hold for a few seconds. That was more than enough time for Mugen as he grabbed a thick and grimy rock off the ground and smashed the beast right in the center of its skull. With a gurgling growl it slowly crawled backwards. A few more gruff hisses escaped from the dying beast's jaws as it made the murky forest floor its death bed. "That's how it's done ladies and gentlemen," Mugen grinned resting his head on a firm log padded with moss. Even though he had been victorious he had sustained great damage. His leg that had been slashed by its claws had started to feel numb as, he tightened the muscle in his calf so he would keep what blood was left in that part of his leg from dripping into the ground. Snap!

"What the hell was that?!" he said under his breath. Looking over at the dead salamander creature his eyes found no trace of movement. Something else was out here with him. In his right hand he clutched the dagger he drew from the tip of his scabbard. He heard the snapping sound rip through the ground again, now he knew that these were human footsteps. Lying on his back he would surely be killed if this stranger was any kind of threat, rolling over on one knee he prepared himself for whatever was going to fly his way. Whatever you may be, just jump on out, I want to make this quick.

The end; for now at least!

That battle Mugen was locked in looked pretty grim didn't it? One thing I didn't really like in the series was how almost all of his opponents with a few exceptions he brushes aside and defeats them with ease; I found that to get a little boring.

What do ya think will happen next? Fuu is kidnapped by some mystic and unknown characters, and Mugen has sustained some very nasty injuries! Hope you loved it almost as much as I did.