Ninja Scroll: Gemma's quest
Chapter 2: The dark sorcerer
It was good. The meeting with Shogun of the dark went as well as Gemma could have hoped for. After reassuring the old man that Yamashiro's gold would go strictly to the Shogun, and not the Tokugawa government, Gemma could have asked for anything. His request for half a year to assemble seven warriors must have seemed a trivial matter to the Shogun.
It doesn't matter, Gemma decided. All his thoughts were aimed towards the invincible
team of ninja. He had thought long and hard about it, and finally decided that he would
recruit about six or seven ninja. Any more and it would be unweildy. Any less, and it
certainly wouldn't have the power to instill terror into the hearts of any foe who would
cross them.
The dark Shogun was actually a little surprised at Gemmas's request. It seemed to be
an awful waste to spend half a year of your life assembling a few men. But Gemma had all
the time he needed. Now that he had pleged his allegiance to the Shogun, there was little
for him to do, but go back to Yamashiro and wait for the Shogun to call on him for his
assistance. And god only knew how long that would take. No, spending half a year searching
for the perfect team of ninja would be far more constructive.
With the promise of a new gold mine, Gemma pleased the Shogun so greatly, that he
could also ask for the one, truly priceless gift. The services of Kimone, the greatest
sorcerer in all of Japan.
Kimone, one of the Shogun's top agents, was one of the very few people who had an
understanding of magic. He was brought into the service of the Shogun when he was only a
child, and showed talent in sorcery. He was promptly sent to China, which not only had the
greatest population anywhere, but also housed almost all of the truly gifted magic users
in the world. Kimone spent 30 years of his life in various parts of the country, learning
the ancient secrets that much of the modern world had forgotten. And now, he was back. The
Shogun of the dark's most valuable man.
And Gemma controlled him.
***
Nagoya, one of the larger cities in Japan was secretly controlled by the Shogun of
the dark, along with other cities in the surrounding area. This was where the Shogun
generally stayed, and this was also where Gemma met with him. Kimone, however, was not in
Nagoya at the moment.
As it turned out, Kimone was dispatched to deal with some buisness matters several weeks ago by the Shogun, and was expected back in Osaka in two days. This gave Gemma the opportunity to gather horses, weapons, money, and several things that he may need to travel. It wouldn't be much. He was sure he could get by in any given situation. He was a man of few scruples.
Gemma finished all the preperations on the first day, and was anxious to get a move
on. By the second day, he was restless, and to occupy himself, he wandered the streets of
Osaka, thinking, taking in the sights, and employing a highly priced escort for the night.
It was worth it, he thought to himself in the morning. She certainly knew how to please a
man in bed. And Gemma could easily afford it, now that he had the Shogun eating out of
his hand.
By the third day, around noon, while in his quarters, Gemma found himself loosing his patience. One would think that the most prized sorcerer in the realm would be punctual! As if answering his thoughts, two samurai knock on Gemma's door. He opened it.
"Gemma-sama. Lord Kimone has arrived, and wishes to meet you."
"About time." Gemma said, and followed the two guards down the hall and through the
large palace. It took ten minutes, with the constant stops to check and bow, but at length,
Gemma and the two escourts walked outside on the sunny patio. They bowed, and left Gemma alone. He walked several paces forward before looking around and seeing nothing. He grunted in annoyance. He had no time to loose! Where was this guy?
"Himuro Gemma." a cryptic voice came from a secluded spot in the garden. It sounded
far away. Gemma squinted his eyes and slowly approached. The garden was a beutiful thing.
So silent and peacefull. An old man - probably a gardener - was toiling away. Gemma didn't
look at him, he just walked into the garden. It took almost a minute before he could find
the source of the voice.
Walking into a clear part of the lavishly decorated garden, Gemma saw a dark old
figure standing by some flowers, either in deep thought, or waiting. He had his back turned. Gemma approached him.
"You must be Kimone. My name is Gemma, and I was the one who asked for your services." Gemma said, introducing himself. The dark figure turned around, greeting him cordially. He bowed slightly.
The sorcerer picked a pink flower from the garden and sniffed it thoughtfully. Gemma noticed that it wilted slightly. "Yes, I am Kimone. And I know who you are. The Shogun of the dark told me that you had specific plans for me?"
Gemma now had a good front view of the dark sorcerer. He was no younger than 60 years for sure. His face was looked wrinkled, like a mask. It almost looked dead, only the two beady eyes were always scanning the area, displaying a wisdom of many ages. Physically, Kimone was very bent, and weak looking. But with the magics he wielded, chances were that he was stronger than he looked. It was probably just himself, but it seemed that the sun never touched the man. It gave Gemma an eerie feeling.
"Yes, I did." Gemma went on. "I plan to leave to Hamamatsu as soon as is convinient with you."
The flower he held in his fingers was dead now, and turning black at an alarming rate. "I am ready when you are. I could leave right now, if you wished."
"Excellent." Gemma said. His preperations were all ready. "We shall leave in two hours."
Gemma smiled wickedly. All his plans were coming true. Oh, how beutifull it was! Soon his invincible team of ninja would be ready to serve him, and with their strength, no one in Japan would be able to stand up to him! His dreams were so close to becoming reality that he could almost reach them. It was good.
Chapter 2: The dark sorcerer
It was good. The meeting with Shogun of the dark went as well as Gemma could have hoped for. After reassuring the old man that Yamashiro's gold would go strictly to the Shogun, and not the Tokugawa government, Gemma could have asked for anything. His request for half a year to assemble seven warriors must have seemed a trivial matter to the Shogun.
It doesn't matter, Gemma decided. All his thoughts were aimed towards the invincible
team of ninja. He had thought long and hard about it, and finally decided that he would
recruit about six or seven ninja. Any more and it would be unweildy. Any less, and it
certainly wouldn't have the power to instill terror into the hearts of any foe who would
cross them.
The dark Shogun was actually a little surprised at Gemmas's request. It seemed to be
an awful waste to spend half a year of your life assembling a few men. But Gemma had all
the time he needed. Now that he had pleged his allegiance to the Shogun, there was little
for him to do, but go back to Yamashiro and wait for the Shogun to call on him for his
assistance. And god only knew how long that would take. No, spending half a year searching
for the perfect team of ninja would be far more constructive.
With the promise of a new gold mine, Gemma pleased the Shogun so greatly, that he
could also ask for the one, truly priceless gift. The services of Kimone, the greatest
sorcerer in all of Japan.
Kimone, one of the Shogun's top agents, was one of the very few people who had an
understanding of magic. He was brought into the service of the Shogun when he was only a
child, and showed talent in sorcery. He was promptly sent to China, which not only had the
greatest population anywhere, but also housed almost all of the truly gifted magic users
in the world. Kimone spent 30 years of his life in various parts of the country, learning
the ancient secrets that much of the modern world had forgotten. And now, he was back. The
Shogun of the dark's most valuable man.
And Gemma controlled him.
***
Nagoya, one of the larger cities in Japan was secretly controlled by the Shogun of
the dark, along with other cities in the surrounding area. This was where the Shogun
generally stayed, and this was also where Gemma met with him. Kimone, however, was not in
Nagoya at the moment.
As it turned out, Kimone was dispatched to deal with some buisness matters several weeks ago by the Shogun, and was expected back in Osaka in two days. This gave Gemma the opportunity to gather horses, weapons, money, and several things that he may need to travel. It wouldn't be much. He was sure he could get by in any given situation. He was a man of few scruples.
Gemma finished all the preperations on the first day, and was anxious to get a move
on. By the second day, he was restless, and to occupy himself, he wandered the streets of
Osaka, thinking, taking in the sights, and employing a highly priced escort for the night.
It was worth it, he thought to himself in the morning. She certainly knew how to please a
man in bed. And Gemma could easily afford it, now that he had the Shogun eating out of
his hand.
By the third day, around noon, while in his quarters, Gemma found himself loosing his patience. One would think that the most prized sorcerer in the realm would be punctual! As if answering his thoughts, two samurai knock on Gemma's door. He opened it.
"Gemma-sama. Lord Kimone has arrived, and wishes to meet you."
"About time." Gemma said, and followed the two guards down the hall and through the
large palace. It took ten minutes, with the constant stops to check and bow, but at length,
Gemma and the two escourts walked outside on the sunny patio. They bowed, and left Gemma alone. He walked several paces forward before looking around and seeing nothing. He grunted in annoyance. He had no time to loose! Where was this guy?
"Himuro Gemma." a cryptic voice came from a secluded spot in the garden. It sounded
far away. Gemma squinted his eyes and slowly approached. The garden was a beutiful thing.
So silent and peacefull. An old man - probably a gardener - was toiling away. Gemma didn't
look at him, he just walked into the garden. It took almost a minute before he could find
the source of the voice.
Walking into a clear part of the lavishly decorated garden, Gemma saw a dark old
figure standing by some flowers, either in deep thought, or waiting. He had his back turned. Gemma approached him.
"You must be Kimone. My name is Gemma, and I was the one who asked for your services." Gemma said, introducing himself. The dark figure turned around, greeting him cordially. He bowed slightly.
The sorcerer picked a pink flower from the garden and sniffed it thoughtfully. Gemma noticed that it wilted slightly. "Yes, I am Kimone. And I know who you are. The Shogun of the dark told me that you had specific plans for me?"
Gemma now had a good front view of the dark sorcerer. He was no younger than 60 years for sure. His face was looked wrinkled, like a mask. It almost looked dead, only the two beady eyes were always scanning the area, displaying a wisdom of many ages. Physically, Kimone was very bent, and weak looking. But with the magics he wielded, chances were that he was stronger than he looked. It was probably just himself, but it seemed that the sun never touched the man. It gave Gemma an eerie feeling.
"Yes, I did." Gemma went on. "I plan to leave to Hamamatsu as soon as is convinient with you."
The flower he held in his fingers was dead now, and turning black at an alarming rate. "I am ready when you are. I could leave right now, if you wished."
"Excellent." Gemma said. His preperations were all ready. "We shall leave in two hours."
Gemma smiled wickedly. All his plans were coming true. Oh, how beutifull it was! Soon his invincible team of ninja would be ready to serve him, and with their strength, no one in Japan would be able to stand up to him! His dreams were so close to becoming reality that he could almost reach them. It was good.