A warrior's spirit lost stories
Colbert Sensei: I have a request Demigod kun.
Me: what will it be?
Colbert sensei: can you turn this chapter into a journal entry or something?
Me: We could do that.
Colbert sensei: thank you Demigod kun.
Me: ok but it'll be in your POV
Colbert sensei: Alright fine by me! took you a while to post this after your 11th chapter of the original story.
Me: sorry.
Colbert sensei's journal: Colbert's POV
Day 1 – this is the journal of Jean Colbert, this journal will be about an excavation and archeological journey towards a lost ancient civilization of legend, the kingdoms of the rising sun. our journey begins as we have everyone accounted for. My main financier and former students, first up is Kirche, she's a very out going girl and for some reason she has taken a Liking towards me, I have a feeling that I'm her next conquest. Louise is the court mage, she was a trouble youth but she had allot of potential. Quiche, Malincorne, Gimli and Reynald of the Ondine Knights, another group of my students, The order was formed by her majesty herself. Guiches girlfriend Momorency, these two have been in a relationship for a very long time despite Guiche's playboy tendencies. Sometimes I even wonder if they are doing that on purpose just to test each other. Of course there is Tabitha or Charlotte if you prefer, she's in a self-induced exile due to her uncle taking over the throne of Gallia. She's planning to take the throne back but she needed time and support so she's staying with us for the time being. Everyone call her Tabitha because of how we met her. Her familiar and sister like companion Sylphid or Illococoo in depending on what you call her is a Rhyme dragon who can turn into a human. And then there is Agnes if the Royal musketeers, she's been assigned to us for protection and as a Tudor for the ondine knights. Agnes and I go way back but I'm the cause of her suffering. I attacked her village and burned it to the ground because of some ruse that a plaque has been spreading in that village. I was the one who commenced the attack but when I found out that it was all a lie, the damage has been done. Agness was the sole survivor of that fire and I managed to rescue her, she may not forgive me burning her village but at least she was thankful that I spared her. I couldn't forgive myself for that sin so I made a vow where I won't fight anymore and live a life of pacifism. But now's not the time to mope because our journey for a lost civilization commends right here and right now. Everyone is here and we are on our way for the journey that may change mankind.
Day 2 – Today we are staying at an inn and we've learned something interesting our destination was considered Samurai territory, and from what we've been told was that the samurai apparently protect the mountains as if they were their borders. There was a survivor from a massacre and he was a former bandit who has just started. Lucky for him that he survived and decided to clean up his act But what surprises me was that a noble just recently as three years ago decided to do the foolish thing and attack them. Not only that I realized that there was a connection between the Samurai and the Civilization.
Day 3 – we started to go on foot and we won't see anything but we are on guard. I should have mentioned this in the first entry. I've learned about this civilization as I was studying the archives at the academy. There have been mentions of a civilization in the archives but when I did further Research I realized that there used to be a kingdom across the mountains. Legend goes that the country was created by the blood of the gods that fell to the earth itself creating land, and then from that land life was born and the gods created the humans there. And the one who ruled them were the children and the descendants of the sun goddess, and the ones who protected them were a class of warriors who became demons in battle. Their culture and technology advanced to a golden age where it was highly prosperous. After years to millennia of peace and prosperity the civilization suddenly vanished and destroyed by war. According to the records there were survivors and I suspected that siesta was a descendant of those people. As soon as I investigate it I realized that there probably were and commissioned this journey. Now we are walking through the woods trying to find and entrance but the legends once said that the only way into the country was through a ravine pass. Hopefully we will find it.
Day 4 – the forest is very eerie and the town's folk were right about to be on our guard. I could swear the forest itself has eyes. If what they say was true then the Samurai are keeping an eye on us from the shadows. It's really terrifying to think that these, demon like beings could jump out at any moment. I just hope that they wouldn't get us.
Day 5 – It's been three days since we've left the village and a full day since I've recorded anything. I could see the ravine pass nearby, the entrance is near and hopefully we'll get at least a good map reading for us to get there before winter comes. And hopefully we can use an airship to make the journey. The reason why I decided to go on foot was to get a more accurate location of the Ravine so when I found it I can see what's there and probably get an airship to continue the journey. However I have a feeling that we are not alone, something tells me that not only we are being watched but also followed. Whatever it was I hope that I was just hallucinating. Any way tomorrow we will go through the ravine and hopefully we will find what we are looking for and hopefully return back for the winter so that we can truly begin in the spring.
Day 7 – We were careless and unprepared however we were lucky to be alive. We didn't know at the time but a group of bandits numbering in the dozens probably a hundred or so came to our camp and raided it along with capturing us and hold us for ransom. Agness took the worst of it taking a poisoned crossbow bolt to the hand, the wound itself wasn't lethal but the poison was really deadly even though it was a slow acting version. However lucky for us the Samurai came to our rescue and to my surprise they are not demons but humans, and apparently they were descendants of the civilization, right now we were headed for their main headquarters known as shiroyama castle so that we could have Agness recover and rest throughout the winter.
Day 8 – yesterday was very interesting, and we have learned a lot about the samurai, as it turns out that they are an ancient class of warriors whose duty is to protect their families and country from any form of threat from outside of their country. Their leader known as Hiraga Saito is a young man who is probably the same age as my students possibly even a year older. He's a kind young man who has given us shelter and has Agness under care and cured her of the poison. The food was delicious yet different. Never in my life have I seen a spread like that. Fresh to pickled vegetables served with a grilled fish and cup of soup to go with it. It's similar to a five course meal but very diferent in terms of dishes and how they present it. I soon have come to learn that there are 3 different types of warriors among the Samurai. First we have the Samurai themselves, they are quite similar to our knights but their culture and code is where they difrentiate, also they are not afraid to die in battle because when you fight there is a good chance that you will die and they accepted that and fought like they were already dead. Next are the Ashigaru, common foot soldiers armed with guns, pole arms, a katana which is considered a self-defense sword. And last but not least are the Shinobi, these are often samurai, ashigaru or a clan of individuals who specializes in the art of espionages, assassination and irregular warfare. Saito often volunteer himself to do some of these missions himself. Apparently he's not afraid to get dirt on his enemies.
Day 24 – it's over two weeks since I've updated on my journal and many things have happened and I was unable to do a proper journal entrée. From what I have learned so far was as fulfilling yet unexpected. What started as a journey of archeological expedition turned out to be a form of first contact. The kingdoms of the rising sun turned out to be a bustling and thriving culture that apparently survived the great calamity that fell upon them. From a waring set of states turned to a technological and cultural wonder. Apparently the war which actually nearly destroyed them was a series of civil wars with clans and kingdoms fighting and Allying with each other. However according to Saito the current leader and Daimio candidate of the local Samurai told me that it was thanks to the emperor that they have survived and thrived. According to history the Emperor ended the war by joining in using the latest in warfare technology, also he utilizes the art of war to its fullest. making others surrender without a fight and Allying with those who were defeated and integrated them into his army. Of course not all joined willingly so he had to show his true power. After years of fighting and conquest the Emperor wishes to abolish the Aristocracy and create a new form of government where the people rule. At first they were against it but after telling and showing them the weakness of aristocracy, they immediately accepted. It took many years and decades but now here they are transformed into a beautiful country of peace and prosperity. And not only that, the technology from what I have seen and experienced with these people so far pales in comparison to their capitol Neo edo which is the technological center of the country. Many things have happened during our time here. It turns out that Louise and Saito have a history with each other and were wearing some eclair d'amour flower pendants which meant that they were meant to be married. However I found that surprising since her family have a few suitors in mind. The Ondine knights are now training under the Samurais supervision and are now becoming better and better in their training. Now here I am in the archives of the castle learning everything about this country itself.
Day 26 – the culture of the Samurai is a really beautiful yet tragic one. While it's an ancient warrior culture it's deeply rooted in the teachings and philosophies of their belief systems dating back thousands of years. while they seem exotic but their culture seems to be rooted in the land scape itself. They have a deep respect for nature. A great example was how they take care of bonsai trees. A type of tree that is so small yet looks really beautiful yet natural at the same time, but the number one beautiful plant in the eyes of the Rising sun was the cherry tree or Sakura blossom as they called it. It blooms in the spring and it's the symbol of life it-self, telling us how beautiful, short, and fragile life can be. This has been very intriguing indeed.
Day 51 – it has been nearly two months since we've started the expedition and a blizzard has just begun, from what I have been told is that this one will a bad one, but not as bad as the previous blizzards. Many of the inhabitants are already preparing for the upcoming freeze, And just at noon it began. The blizzard started slow but then it became a raging storm. I haven't been able to update my journal in almost a month was mainly because I've been writing a letter to her Majesty. It was difficult to write with a brush and from what Saito told me was that everyone in this area preferred to write with a brush compared to the modern pens used by everyone around the country. He did give me a small enough brush but the end result was quite something. I hoped that this hawk mail that they have been using works the same as pigeon carriers. However there has been progress in Agness recovery. She's now up and walking. She's still a bit week however she's now strong enough to walk on her own. I hope that as soon as this winter is over we can return home. But there is one thing that surprised me. Agness is now being followed by a little child, I never knew that Agness has a soft side.
Day 53 – The worst of the blizzard has come and my mail has been sent. Everyone has been keeping themselves warm via conventional means. The heaters and the lights were off due to a blackout caused by the freezing of these generators I've heard about. However I am glad to see that even in the coldest days my students are getting along with Saito quite well. As we were getting warm on a soup which they called tonjiru, we are now warming ourselves up.
Day 61 – the blizzard is finally over and the sun shone through the thick clouds which covered its briliance. Everything was decked in the thickest layer of snow I have seen in my entire life. I now understand these people have high respect for nature. Nature is harsh yet nurturing, also it's kind and cruel at the same time. Everyone who were stuck in their homes are finally out and are cleaning the snow off of their roofs and paths. I even saw a few Samurai trying to warm up the generators so it would start working again. It took a while but the power was back on just a few minutes ago, there are still a few flickering's here and there but we've managed to made it through.
Day 63 – everyone are happy t know that spring will be coming. Today we were eating a fresh batch of grilled mocha. It turns out that mochi is a dough made from pounded steamed rice which they pound it in a wooded mortar with a long wooden mallet. When I bit into it kind of reacted like cheese that has been partially melted on the inside. But the texture is very different from cheese. Honestly these people are sure creative with their foods.
Day 67 – Today I've walked around the area for a while now and I've come across their places of worship. They called these sacred areas shrines, shrines are like temples to certain spirits or gods to their religion. Some of them are meant for a type of spirit that may be the reasons for the bad luck, and some are meant for protection against many different bad luck. Some of these spirits included kitsunes which are a fox based spirt, then we've got nekomata which are basically cats, next we've got the notorious Kapa which looked like some demon turtle and finaly we have the most neutral of the all, the bird like tengu. I've talked with Saito about these spirits and he told me that each of them are very important in their religion and culture. From what he told me the Kitsunes have two types, one of them being associated with one of their gods while the other are in for mischief. The Nekomata are actually cat who have resurrected. Kappa are both mischievous and polite, but you have be carefull around them. Then we have the Tengu who I am more interested about. While highly territorial in their homes they can be friendly if you give them their space. Not only are they masters of mystic arts but they are also fine swordsman and sword smiths. According to legend one of the famous swordsman to have ever lived was trained by them. This is gonna take me two weeks to get it all written down.
Day 82 – spring is near and first signs of spring are about to show. I'm happy that spring is coming and we can go home somewhere before, during or after the first thaw.
Day 83 – I came to the dojo to see how the Samurai practice. I've visited the Dojo multiple times but I have never recorded them in my journal entries so I'm going to do them now. It seems that the Samurai used a number of weapons. They swords of course, each of them are of the same design but each have a different artistic style in the disk guards and the color of their handles, and of course the vary in lengths in both blade and hilt. Their stances and movements were similar to that used by the knights of Germania and Tristian as well, however there were some differences to. Also what surprised me was that the prized weapon of the Samurai was their bows. And according to Oda the eldest Samurai in the castle told me that Samurai started as archers. They used other weapons such as a spear and a naginata which is a spear with a curved blade used for cutting. They told me that many women used this and even some of their wives are proficient in these polearms, so proficient that if you have ever try to wrong their husbands, children or any other Family member, they would pull these things out of nowhere and lay waste to the offender. Of course that was all just gossip but remind me to never piss off their wives. When I saw the kabuto I realized that it was a two handed studded club, if you're ever went up against someone with that it's not going to end well for you. I also noticed that they even used sickles and chains for self-defense but they went a step further by combining them. When I noticed their guns I realized how advanced they were compared to our muskets. Self-loading and rifled makes them more accurate compared to the carbine Agnes used. They made our muskets practically obsolete compared to those rifles. There were many more but they have such a unique set of arms as well but most of them were used by shinobi and other groups of people. When I see these Samurai practice I realized how dedicated they are to their craft. It made me want to be better myself.
Day 88 – spring was just coming. The sun has cleared the skies and the clouds were barely visible. And the warmth of the sun was piercing through the ground. The leaves were starting to bud and there were multiple signs of the thaw that is yet to come. Many of the people are clearing the snow off their roofs and are getting ready for the thaw. The closer the thaw get the more I realized that it's nearly time for us to get home. Don't get me wrong, I love this country very much but Tristian is my home, and home is where I belong.
Day 91 – the day is coming soon. It'll probably a little more than a week before we were able to return. However we are preparing for the day to come. Our cloths were clean and ready for us to return. For all the time we've been here we wore nothing but kimonos, gi, hakamas, and yukatas. Not that I was complaining or anything but it'll be nice to wear the style clothes I'm used to wearing all my life. As I was preparing for the day to leave I looked out of the window looking over the horizon away from the mountains. I started to wonder what their capitol would look like, and what are the technological advancements are there. As I was walking through a book store I noticed a two books, one was about the air ships they used and the source of their power. With this I've gained a new ambition, one that would probably change the 4 kingdoms. If I were to create something groundbreaking for the kingdoms then the technology of all the kingdoms would be at least one step closer to that of the empire of the rising sun. they may have already invented it but I would make my own version of this .
Day 98 – the thaw had just arrived, it was a slow progress but at least the snow is starting to melt. I decided to walk around just to admire the scenery for thaw. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the town itself. I was walking past a set of stair till I heard some voices. They sounded allot like Saito and Louise, I didn't want to bother them but curiosity got the better of me and I went up the stairs and saw the two talking about some local legend. I was happy that these two are getting along just fine. They had their quarrels from time to time but I'm happy that these two are just happy to be together. As I was about to leave I hear Saito mention a war of sort. He explained everything to Louise and that got me curios. I decided to leave the two be and I would ask Saito about the details later. That night I went to his room to talk, we were having tea when I mentioned everything to him. I apologized for eavesdropping but I he forgave me for it. It took a while but he explained everything to me. Now the new he told me was most shocking, Saito foresaw a war that would not only be a threat to our lives but to the world and the balance of it. He showed me the symbols he saw from his vision, but what he showed me that the symbol primary aggressor was vaguely similar to the church of Romalia. This got me very surprised, Romalia kept the peace between the other nation but if what Saito said was true then the church may have a hidden agenda. If what was said was true then not only are the sovereignty of our nations are at stake, but to that of others outside the kingdoms, Races and civilizations yet to be discovered. My only hope is that this war would never come to pass, however the chances of these could happen. That Night I was left with full of thought. Kirche noticed it and I tried to brush it off but she wouldn't let me so I explained to her in a nutshell, Kirche was surprised by that and hoped that it was all just a ruse, I told her that I hope so too. Then Kirche stayed by my side comforting me, I hoped that what Saito had told me was just some dream he had, but something in my gut tells me that it's highly unlikely.
Day 104. – Today is the day we are heading home. A horse cart was already prepared for us. We told the samurai and the locals and our goodbyes. I hope to see them again, and we owe them a lot for saving our lives. Saito gave me a few books that I will study on a later date, they were about the culture and the history of their country, he even slipped me a book on the oldest piece of mechanical technology they've got. With this I will begin the process of uplifting our technology to a new level. It will not be on the level of the rising sun but it will make us a step closer. We said our good byes and on our way we went. I was said to see a thriving civilization which had been isolated under our nose hidden away from us and they did so for a good reason. But now there is one thing on our minds, no place is better than home. As we went through the ravine I could clearly see the fields and wood of Tristian itself as we return. This adventure was both enlightening and unexpected, what was meant to be an archeological expedition became a first contact situation. We have learned more than what we set out to do, I hope that the rising sun and our kingdom will have a good relation, but now all I want was go home to my books and arm chair.
Conclusion, last entry – it's been five days since we've left the people of the rising sun. we were welcomed home and Queen Henrietta was happy to see us safe and sound. I was happy to be home but after what I've been told by Saito, I'm starting to see the tall tale signs that we've been infiltrated by Albion agents. If the war that Saito spoke is coming then I can only hope that he was wrong. But something in my gut is telling me that the papacy has a hand in this. I'm starting to loose trust in the cardinals and got suspicious of their movements. I hope that it wouldn't go to war, but if it does then I hope that the Samurai will help us.
Me: well Colbert what do you think?
Colbert sensei: It took you a while but I like it!
Me: good, but I'll be focusing on the main story for now for the up coming days.
Colbert sensei: fine by me.
Malincorne: so is it my turn next?
Me: it sure is Malincorne. But please wait for a while ok.
Malincorne: sure!
