Chapter 6: Encounter with the strange creatures
Kenshin looks out at what-ever it was that Yahiko spotted. Despite the golden colour of their skin and clothing, their stealth seems to rival that of the Oniwabanshuu masters. It took Kenshin several moments to notice the strange creature.
"Aa." the former battousai says softly. "Yatta, Yahiko-san." He elbows Sanosuke hard in the ribs, to get his attention away from the ladies.
"Oi! Kenshin! Not you, too."
"Iie, Sanosuke. There is something out there."
That caught everybody's attention, ending the fight immediately. "Something?" Kaoru repeats, curious.
"Aa. Yahiko-san noticed it."
"So." Yahiko asks. "What do we do, now that we know it is out there."
"What is 'it'?" Megumi asks, looking through the window of the carriage curiously.
"Ano......"
"You don't know?"
"Iie." Yahiko says. "It doesn't even look human."
"What!?" Sanosuke, Kaoru, and Megumi all say in unison.
Kenshin leans out the window opposite of the 'thing' Yahiko spotted, telling the driver to stop at the next creak to water the horses. The driver starts to protest, telling her passenger that they don't need it yet, but the look in his eyes stops her before she can start.
Reaching a small stream a short distance a way, the driver stops the horses, taking the horses to the water to drink. As the horses drink lightly, Kenshin steps out of the carriage, followed shortly by the others. Stepping to the back of the coach, he surveys the area, trying to once more find the creatures they had spotted while moving.
"Oi!" Sanosuke yells loud enough to momentarily startle the horses, who had barely drank anything at all. "We know you're there! Come out and face us like men!"
"Sanosuke.." Kenshin starts, before a light laughter carries over to him.
"Even if we are not men?" The voice is as musical as it is light, but there is a definite masculinity to it. From the woods less then fifty feet away, the strange creature steps out. It stands a little taller than Kenshin, but shorter than Sanosuke. It's long, golden hair is tied back and hangs to his waist. It's clothing, which looks like silk at this range, is heavily embroidered. A strange looking iron mallet is hanging from the sash at it's waist. It's long ears end high and pointed.
"Akuma!" Sanosuke yells. The thing looks at him odd, then looks like it is going to say something more. Sanosuke, though, doesn't give it a chance. With a roar born of his superstitions, he charges the creature, who quickly dodges out of the way, returning the attempted strike with a backhand that knocks Sano from his feet.
Sano rolls with the hit, coming to his feet several feet away. That's when he notices another pair of eyes in the woods.
"Kuso!" he yells. "There are two!"
As if acknowledging being seen, it, too, steps from it's hiding place, placing Sanosuke right between it and the first. It resembles the first, but this one wears a green cloak of coarse material, as well as strange looking daggers strapped to its belt. The second one adopts a combative posture, which put everybody on edge. Kaoru and Yahiko grab their bokkens, while Kenshin draws his reverse-blade sword.
Normally, I would try to settle this with-out combat, Kenshin thinks, but they seem highly trained and we can't afford to risk it right now.
Sanosuke levels the second creature with a swift punch to the face. As small as they are, this should be easy. he thinks.
Even as the though enters his mind, the iron mallet hits him from behind, dropping him instantly. Seeing the strange creature standing over his friend, Kenshin uses the speed at his disposal, connecting with a simple, yet powerful blow to the side of the creature.
Even as the first falls, the second stands. Eyeing his companions prone body with shock, it turns and runs three steps, then jumps. Yahiko laughs at first, then the creature seems to sprout large, white feathery wings from under it's course green cloak. It's new found wings carry it way quickly.
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The ride continues roughly, though they are not sure why. Late the night before, the dreams of the village had ceased, as had the feel of where it was. Still, they continue on, hoping to find something.
By the time the creature awakens, it has been bound tightly and sits inside the already cramped cabin. Despite its strange appearance, even Kenshin had to admit that there was a strange beauty to it, much like a pristine lake, unseen by mankind for centuries.
"What are you?" Kenshin asks, not even opening his eyes to see that the creature had woken up. Everyone else let out a slight gasp at realizing that the creature was awake. Sanosuke, who had refused to sit next to it, sat, instead, across from it, with Kenshin at its side.
"I believe your people would call us Seishin Minzoku." Its voice is like water playing through a gentle stream, yet it carries a distinct discourse to it. "What did you yarou do to my companion?" it asks scornfully. "I suppose you simply tossed his body in the creak."
Sanosuke looks like he is about to hit the creature again, when Kenshin speaks up. "Why would you think that?" Kenshin asks.
The creature snorts, an odd sound coming from the creature. "That is the way of your people, is it not? You attack with-out reason. You kill with-out reason."
"Not Kenshin!" Yahiko shouts at it.
"Aa." The creature looks over to the speak, Sanosuke, with disgust in its eyes. "It flew away like the demon it is."
"Demon?" it asks, incredulously, before mumbling something about a backwards race.
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As the sun sets, the second creature lands, firmly exhausted, at a cave entrance. Walking into the cave, he tries to find what he will say to his master. Folding his wings and slipping through the entrance, he works his way through the cave, passing a young woman of the same people as him. If the males of the race are beautiful, then the women are nearly perfect. Nodding to her as he passes, he quickly finds who he's looking for.
A large human stands before him, clad in the heavy armour of the Europeans from years past.
"Shireikan." he starts softly. The human turns to him. "The ones you had us observing attacked us."
"Nani!?" the commander shouts, his voice echoing from the walls strongly contrasting the soft, musical voice of his officer. "Are you alright?"
"Aa." he answers softly. "But I saw them fell Hokasekai."
Anger courses through the commanders body as he takes this in.
"Which one defeated Shudoshi?" The sudden voice caused the reporting officer to jump. The voice, musical and soft like his own, yet with a tone about it that scared even his allies, could only belong to one. Taiyoryu Senshiyi steps from the shadows in which he can hide so well that not even the Seishin Minzoku could find him. His dark gray leather cloak hiding his every feature, the only things that can be seen are his signature sword and his glowing red eyes. His sword holds a curve similar to a katana, but the curve is more defined, more obvious. He does carry more weapons on him, but they are all unseen, even the full length straight blade under his cloak.
"Red hair." the officer reports after getting over his initial shock. "Cross-shaped scar."
The human looks over to the cloaked figure, going through his knowledge in his mind of the warriors of this land. "You think it is the rurouni?"
"Aa." he says softly. "The one with the reverse-blade katana that refuses to kill."
The look of relief on the officers face is obvious.
"Taiyoryu, go retrieve Shudoshi. Take Yoake Noboru with you."
"Hai." the cloaked one says as he disappears into the shadows of the cave.
"Tengoku," the officer protests, "I should go as well."
"Iie, Tejina-shi." Tengoku answers softly. "You're exhausted. Get some rest.
Kenshin looks out at what-ever it was that Yahiko spotted. Despite the golden colour of their skin and clothing, their stealth seems to rival that of the Oniwabanshuu masters. It took Kenshin several moments to notice the strange creature.
"Aa." the former battousai says softly. "Yatta, Yahiko-san." He elbows Sanosuke hard in the ribs, to get his attention away from the ladies.
"Oi! Kenshin! Not you, too."
"Iie, Sanosuke. There is something out there."
That caught everybody's attention, ending the fight immediately. "Something?" Kaoru repeats, curious.
"Aa. Yahiko-san noticed it."
"So." Yahiko asks. "What do we do, now that we know it is out there."
"What is 'it'?" Megumi asks, looking through the window of the carriage curiously.
"Ano......"
"You don't know?"
"Iie." Yahiko says. "It doesn't even look human."
"What!?" Sanosuke, Kaoru, and Megumi all say in unison.
Kenshin leans out the window opposite of the 'thing' Yahiko spotted, telling the driver to stop at the next creak to water the horses. The driver starts to protest, telling her passenger that they don't need it yet, but the look in his eyes stops her before she can start.
Reaching a small stream a short distance a way, the driver stops the horses, taking the horses to the water to drink. As the horses drink lightly, Kenshin steps out of the carriage, followed shortly by the others. Stepping to the back of the coach, he surveys the area, trying to once more find the creatures they had spotted while moving.
"Oi!" Sanosuke yells loud enough to momentarily startle the horses, who had barely drank anything at all. "We know you're there! Come out and face us like men!"
"Sanosuke.." Kenshin starts, before a light laughter carries over to him.
"Even if we are not men?" The voice is as musical as it is light, but there is a definite masculinity to it. From the woods less then fifty feet away, the strange creature steps out. It stands a little taller than Kenshin, but shorter than Sanosuke. It's long, golden hair is tied back and hangs to his waist. It's clothing, which looks like silk at this range, is heavily embroidered. A strange looking iron mallet is hanging from the sash at it's waist. It's long ears end high and pointed.
"Akuma!" Sanosuke yells. The thing looks at him odd, then looks like it is going to say something more. Sanosuke, though, doesn't give it a chance. With a roar born of his superstitions, he charges the creature, who quickly dodges out of the way, returning the attempted strike with a backhand that knocks Sano from his feet.
Sano rolls with the hit, coming to his feet several feet away. That's when he notices another pair of eyes in the woods.
"Kuso!" he yells. "There are two!"
As if acknowledging being seen, it, too, steps from it's hiding place, placing Sanosuke right between it and the first. It resembles the first, but this one wears a green cloak of coarse material, as well as strange looking daggers strapped to its belt. The second one adopts a combative posture, which put everybody on edge. Kaoru and Yahiko grab their bokkens, while Kenshin draws his reverse-blade sword.
Normally, I would try to settle this with-out combat, Kenshin thinks, but they seem highly trained and we can't afford to risk it right now.
Sanosuke levels the second creature with a swift punch to the face. As small as they are, this should be easy. he thinks.
Even as the though enters his mind, the iron mallet hits him from behind, dropping him instantly. Seeing the strange creature standing over his friend, Kenshin uses the speed at his disposal, connecting with a simple, yet powerful blow to the side of the creature.
Even as the first falls, the second stands. Eyeing his companions prone body with shock, it turns and runs three steps, then jumps. Yahiko laughs at first, then the creature seems to sprout large, white feathery wings from under it's course green cloak. It's new found wings carry it way quickly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ride continues roughly, though they are not sure why. Late the night before, the dreams of the village had ceased, as had the feel of where it was. Still, they continue on, hoping to find something.
By the time the creature awakens, it has been bound tightly and sits inside the already cramped cabin. Despite its strange appearance, even Kenshin had to admit that there was a strange beauty to it, much like a pristine lake, unseen by mankind for centuries.
"What are you?" Kenshin asks, not even opening his eyes to see that the creature had woken up. Everyone else let out a slight gasp at realizing that the creature was awake. Sanosuke, who had refused to sit next to it, sat, instead, across from it, with Kenshin at its side.
"I believe your people would call us Seishin Minzoku." Its voice is like water playing through a gentle stream, yet it carries a distinct discourse to it. "What did you yarou do to my companion?" it asks scornfully. "I suppose you simply tossed his body in the creak."
Sanosuke looks like he is about to hit the creature again, when Kenshin speaks up. "Why would you think that?" Kenshin asks.
The creature snorts, an odd sound coming from the creature. "That is the way of your people, is it not? You attack with-out reason. You kill with-out reason."
"Not Kenshin!" Yahiko shouts at it.
"Aa." The creature looks over to the speak, Sanosuke, with disgust in its eyes. "It flew away like the demon it is."
"Demon?" it asks, incredulously, before mumbling something about a backwards race.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the sun sets, the second creature lands, firmly exhausted, at a cave entrance. Walking into the cave, he tries to find what he will say to his master. Folding his wings and slipping through the entrance, he works his way through the cave, passing a young woman of the same people as him. If the males of the race are beautiful, then the women are nearly perfect. Nodding to her as he passes, he quickly finds who he's looking for.
A large human stands before him, clad in the heavy armour of the Europeans from years past.
"Shireikan." he starts softly. The human turns to him. "The ones you had us observing attacked us."
"Nani!?" the commander shouts, his voice echoing from the walls strongly contrasting the soft, musical voice of his officer. "Are you alright?"
"Aa." he answers softly. "But I saw them fell Hokasekai."
Anger courses through the commanders body as he takes this in.
"Which one defeated Shudoshi?" The sudden voice caused the reporting officer to jump. The voice, musical and soft like his own, yet with a tone about it that scared even his allies, could only belong to one. Taiyoryu Senshiyi steps from the shadows in which he can hide so well that not even the Seishin Minzoku could find him. His dark gray leather cloak hiding his every feature, the only things that can be seen are his signature sword and his glowing red eyes. His sword holds a curve similar to a katana, but the curve is more defined, more obvious. He does carry more weapons on him, but they are all unseen, even the full length straight blade under his cloak.
"Red hair." the officer reports after getting over his initial shock. "Cross-shaped scar."
The human looks over to the cloaked figure, going through his knowledge in his mind of the warriors of this land. "You think it is the rurouni?"
"Aa." he says softly. "The one with the reverse-blade katana that refuses to kill."
The look of relief on the officers face is obvious.
"Taiyoryu, go retrieve Shudoshi. Take Yoake Noboru with you."
"Hai." the cloaked one says as he disappears into the shadows of the cave.
"Tengoku," the officer protests, "I should go as well."
"Iie, Tejina-shi." Tengoku answers softly. "You're exhausted. Get some rest.