Hey guys and Happy New Year! Sorry this took so long. End of semester projects, flying back overseas for the holidays, flying back, you get it. I'm slow, but steady. Hope you all enjoy!
"This means I am speaking"
'This mean I am thinking'
*This is a sound effect*
This means this is a flashback
This means it is a combat line from the game in the speaker's language
"{This means someone is speaking in their native language, latin, japanese, etc}"
For Balance, For Honor
The sun bore down on the sea, making its mirror surface glint in one's eye no matter where they turned their head. The air was wet, yet the salt made the skin feel dry and on the verge of peeling. The constant shifting, the push and pull on the small vessel made one's stomach roll, especially one in particular.
By the Great Heavenly Buddha, Shun hated sailing.
Blame it on his upbringing perhaps. How being raised and living in a monastery amidst a mountain range might make one more susceptible to sea sickness. Thus why the monk felt the need to make his perch the sail, leaning against the mast with his legs balanced along the length of the yard. He felt it made it easier to breathe.
Long ago Shun had been taught that suffering was merely an illusion, that it was a result of desire and ignorance. He briefly wondered if sea sickness could be added as a third aspect.
His tongue rolled dryly over his chapped lips. The irony of thirst when surrounded by water. It was almost comical. They had run out of fresh water a couple days ago, the food vanishing four days before that. While Shun was no stranger to fasting, his body's protests were getting harder to ignore.
'Then again, I can only imagine how the others are doing right now.' He glanced down to see his "companions" languishing below. Siv was hanging off of the rudder and for all of her boasts of being a seasoned voyager, was looking like she was nearing biting her own arm off.
Edric seemed like he could very well be cooking his metal shell, not unlike a crab being steamed in a pot. It was his sheer distrust in his fellow sailors that stopped him from stripping it off, Shun theorized. He hadn't moved from his spot, lying against the mast, suffering in silence like the rest of them.
Rin sat on the far end at the bow and didn't appear to be doing much better, having swallowed her disgust towards their meager rations before they disappeared. Out of all of them Shun was concerned for her the most. She had hardly spoken since that day two weeks ago.
The day they learned of the Myre and the rest of Heathmoor's demise.
Rin knelt stock still, the only movement she made was the trembling of her eyes as she stared off into space. The latter was Shun's only sign that she hadn't just died on the spot. He could only imagine what was going through her head right now.
He couldn't blame her for going catatonic. He had only heard of the Samurai capital of Kyo by reputation. A towering fortress of both strength and beauty, perched on the side of a mountain with a deep valley protecting it from invaders. Its only point of entry being Sanctuary Bridge, a raised platform made of walls and towers connecting the city's lofty plateau to the adjoining cliff.
And it was all beneath the waves.
"How… how is this possible?" Edric gaped. "Surely we are lost, set adrift by the storm!"
Siv scowled. "You calling me a liar?"
"I'm calling you a fool! It's that much easier to believe than for the seas to swallow the Myre in its entirety!"
"Why you-" The Viking growled and took a menacing step forward, just for Shen to jump in between the two warriors.
"Easy, easy… before we all jump at each other's throats, lets all take a moment to breathe and think things through." He told them softly, holding a placating hand up to both. "Mrs Siv-"
"Don't call me that."
"-can you explain what you meant?"
Edric scoffed, making Siv scowl before nodding. She moved to the middle of the deck and crouched down. Pulling a piece of coal from a pouch she began to trace shapes along the wood.
"Here is Heathmoor." She drew three rough half circles, their curves pointed towards each other in a familiar shape with space in between them. She tapped behind the line closest to her. "This is, well, was Valkenheim." It was promptly crossed out, then drew a line from it to the next shape on the right, to the apex of the curve. "And this is us and where I was leading to. Between these two points is a path we call Stigandr's Sword. Its a current Vikings have used to land on the Myre since the Great Raid."
Siv glanced at Rin, but saw no reaction from the Samurai, who was still staring in disbelief.
"Anyway, that is where we should have landed. But for some reason the current and the wind have both been pulling us further East, way further than it should be. I noticed it this morning."
Shun shared a brief look and a shrug with Edric. He chalked it up to Viking instincts.
"And so instead of here, we are here." Siv continued and struck a line from Valkenheim straight past the shore of the Myre beyond the border.
"So you are saying that somehow the very wind and seas are changing?"
"It's insane, yet it's the only thing that makes a lick of sense."
"To a godless fool perhaps." Edric muttered. Siv's lip curled.
"Oh, so you have a better idea? Well enlighten me, o'wise and all seeing one! The Samurai said it herself that this place is the Myre capital and we've already seen some impossible shit when Happvad sank. If you have any theories, I'm more than happy to hear it!"
Edric's face reddened and looked away, grumbling under his breath.
"That's what I thought."
Shun cleared his throat. "In anycase, what does this mean moving forward? Where are we going to go now? Ashfeld?"
Siv shook her head. "Even if we wanted to, I doubt we could get there easily. With the sea dragging us Eastward, it would be too difficult to do so. I doubt we'd find anything over there anyway."
Edric froze and slowly turned back. "What?"
"Think about it Tinhead." Siv tapped the side of her helm. "Valkenheim and the Myre are both gone. I don't see why Ashfeld would be any different."
The Knight paled, staring off in his best impression of Rin. "No… n-no, it can't be…"
Shun swallowed, the dread setting in. He hated to agree with not much proof, but in this case he thought it prudent to assume for the worst. He just wasn't quite ready to condemn his own home to the idea that it had been wiped away as well.
"Then our only hope is to let the tide carry us where it may?"
"I'm afraid so." Siv lamented, uncharacteristically mournful or lacking confidence in their survival he knew not.
Turning back to the bow he caught sight of Rin. She had managed to get to her feet, but still remained silent.
Feeling the urge to do something, Shun slowly made his way over. He frowned at the look of disbelief she had. He followed her eyes to the small island before them, on the lone tree amidst the rolling fog. He would have tried to comfort her with a hand on her shoulder if he didn't know she was very liable to slash his wrist.
"Do you need a little longer… you know… to make peace?" He asked softly.
Rin remained silent for a moment, only the sound of the waves breaking the quiet. Her lips parted.
"I…" She uttered, trailing off. Her gaze was still on the tree.
Suddenly she stiffened and choked out a startled gasp.
"Miss Rin?"
"We need to go!" She barked, whirling around and running back across the ship. Shun watched her, bewildered.
"Excuse me?"
"It's not safe here!" The Samurai threw over her shoulder while she approached Siv. "Sail us out of here Viking!"
Siv looked up from the chart she drew on the floor and sneered. "You don't tell me what to-"
In a flash and rasp of steel, Rin's blade was at her throat. "NOW!"
To her credit, Siv didn't immediately panic. Rather, she sat still while keeping a steady gaze on the blade hovered below her chin, a stoney expression on her face. Edric had a hand on his own sword behind her, eyes flicking from Rin and Shun in that order.
"Okay…" Shun said, slowly stepping around to Rin's side. "You heard her. Let us depart. Right?" He shot a look at Siv.
The Viking met his eyes. Her teeth grinded for a moment before giving him a slight nod.
Eventually, Rin withdrew her katana and returned it to her sheathe. She walked to the side of the ship without another word.
"Damned Samurai coward… just when I was starting to like you." Siv grumbled, rubbing at her throat as she begrudgingly made for the tiller. Edric stared at Rin's back for a second, then returned to his post.
Shun let out a relieved breath. That was too close. He hadn't been sure whether he would have been fast enough to knock Rin's sword away before she could have killed Siv. Thankfully it hadn't come to that.
He glanced at Rin, then to the tree behind them.
What had she seen that made her lash out like that? What could had inspired such fear?
Studying the lone tree, now half obscured in fog, he couldn't find an answer.
Nothing but a slight chill in the air.
He shook his head and turned away. To their backs, the sun set on the Myre for the last time.
Tensions had only risen since that day. Shun would often catch Siv throwing scornful glares at Rin's back, who refused to give any explanation for her actions beyond "It was not safe." Edric was constantly shifting, keeping his sword close and his head on a swivel.
The days dragged on and their supplies dwindled. Not a single sighting of land or food, aside from a few of Siv's futile attempts to catch some fish.
Not that he would eat anything she might've caught.
'So that is the principle you choose not to break then?' A sarcastic voice whispered in Shun's head. He ignored it like he always did, blaming it on his empty stomach.
Shun knew it was only a matter of time before the truce would fall apart. Out of desperation perhaps? Old hatreds boiling over? Or maybe they will all just go insane, driven mad from the heat, the rocking or hunger?
'Suppose there isn't any point in fretting. There's nothing I can do about it.' He sighed, the back of his head making a soft thunk as he leaned against the mast. He squinted up at the clear blue sky, the sun doing its damnedest to blind him no matter which way he looked.
All he could do now was prepare himself for the worst and pray the world would be so kind to alleviate their suffering, one way or another.
'What I wouldn't give to see the Qiang Mountains, one last time.' He wiped the sweat off his bald head. He could feel a few bristles sprouting, he would need to pluck them again.
He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to ignore the sun washing over him. He let out a low hum to lull himself into a trance.
A small flicker of shadow. He grimaced, then schooled his features, resuming his meditation.
Another flicker thwarted his efforts.
Opening his eyes, he looked up.
A small shape was passing overhead. White and black feathers and a yellow beak.
'A seabird. How rare.' Shun noted, bemused. It had been a few days since he had spotted the last one.
His eyes followed the waterfowl as it crossed the sky, slowly gliding with nary a care in the world.
'Wonder what it must be like, to fly.' He pondered.
Perhaps out of boredom, he continued to watch the bird soar past the ship. It flapped its wings to lift itself in the breeze as it resumed its journey to-
Shun stilled. Off in the distance at the very edge of the horizon where the sky touched the sea, he could see something.
Leaning forward, he raised his hand to shield his face, squinting.
Then his eyes widened, a crazed hope lifting his chest. Scrambling to his feet, he sought to prove it, standing as tall as he could and leaning out with a hand on the mast.
He grinned.
"LAND!" He cried.
A clamor below as Siv and Edric startled awake.
"Huh?! Land?!"
"What?! Where?!"
"There!" Shun pointed. The two rushed to the side and peered out, Rin silently joining them.
"He's right! I can see it!" Edric said, a smile on his and Siv's faces.
"Finally!" The Viking crowed, rushing and lifting up the boards to the cargo space. Reaching inside, she pulled out oars one by one until they had four. "Better get down here monk! Everybody is rowing and my patience ran out with the farnest!"
"Yes Ma'am!" Shun laughed jubilantly, swinging around and sliding down the mast.
The whole group were anxious to make it to shore, Shun could see it in their eyes. Even as they grunted and groaned and were exhausted from their journey, there was a gleam of spirit where once was wavering hope.
It helped fuel their aching, malnourished muscles as they pulled and pushed at their oars, fighting against the wind in their pursuit of land before them. Shun kept breathing in steady, full puffs as he and Edric sculled with their oars in unison, while Rin and Siv did the same on the other side.
A small part of him was in disbelief that despite him and Edric being on the same side, the ship constantly pointed starboard.
'Then again, I shouldn't be surprised.' He reasoned, taking a glance at Siv's biceps, bunching and flexing with power as she brought her oar up, back and around.
It was another hour of long, aching labor, but it was worth it to see the brown speck in the distance grow into a wide shoreline, covered in tall, dry grass and towering pine trees.
Shun's hopes rose even higher at the sight of the familiar foliage. Had they somehow sailed around and landed back in China? Had his homeland survived the cataclysm?
Questions he sought to answer as the waters started to lighten to cyan and he could glimpse the bottom over the side.
"Come on you weaklings! Put your backs into it! We're almost there!" Siv barked and the warriors redoubled their efforts for one last sprint, paddling furiously until-
The bow thumped and sand hissed along the keel. They pushed forward as far as they could until the ship eased to a stop.
"We… we made it! We finally made it!" Shun whooped, leaping from his seat and vaulting over the railing. He splashed into the water and sank to his hips, but he hardly cared as he raced towards the beach. It took only five long strides until his sandals left the sea, upon which he immediately fell to his knees.
Almost reverently, he grasped two fistfuls of sand and gazed upon them. He lifted his hands to the sky and let the grains rain down on him.
"Thank you Great and Merciful Buddha! Thank you!" He cried, trying not to break into tears.
Splashing and the thud of sabatons on his left as Edric climbed ashore, looking just as relieved.
"I never thought I'd see someone so glad to see sand. Then again, I can hardly blame you."
"For once, I agree." Siv moaned on Shun's right. "Any longer and I would had gone mad."
"Isn't sailing your people's gift Savage?" Edric raised his brow.
"Hey, we've all got limits." She shrugged him off, stomping past them and stopping to take a deep breath, as if savoring the scent of the trees in the air.
Shun sat back on his knees, discarding the sand still covering his palms. He smiled with relief. Already he could feel his motion sickness abating.
So relieved he almost didn't notice Edric, Siv's back to him as his hand slowly drifted to the sword on his hip.
Shun's eyes widened and he was about to shout out.
A slight creak and a whistle. His ear twitched.
He sprung to his feet, whirling around. His hand whipped out, snatching the arrow aimed at his face out of midair. He locked eyes with Rin perched on the prow, another arrow notched in her bow.
Flipping the arrow in his hand, Shun flicked his wrist and sent it right back. It lodged itself in the mouth of the ship's figurehead, making Rin duck. Her finger slipped and her second shot went wide, harmlessly sailing over Shun's head and flying into the trees.
There was a clang as steel met bronze and Shun glanced back in time to see Siv block Edric's longsword with the haft of her hammer. With a bellow and a wild swing, she bounced his following thrust away and forced the Knight back.
Shun turned back to Rin and reach around for his staff hanging on his belt loop. Or he would have, only grasping air.
He stiffened and bit back a curse. In his excitement, it appeared he left his staff back on the boat. A fact that Rin was obviously aware of as she leapt from the vessel and immediately drew her katana.
Shun let out a sigh.
"I suppose it was too naive of me to hope we could have forgotten, huh?"
Rin only nodded as she marched through the waves towards him.
Shun cooly met her gaze. He took a deep breath, lowering himself on one leg and raised his palms. He gave her a beckoning curl of his fingers.
Rin's first attack was swift and precise, water trailing off her sandals as she rushed Shun with an overhead slash to which he quickly sidestepped. She continued to press her advantage with two short flicks of the blade, forcing Shun on the backfoot across the sand. She made a small lunge, thrusting her sword at his chest.
The monk grunted as he dropped onto his back to avoid getting skewered, his one foot darting up to catch Rin's wrist, knocking back her sword arm. He quickly grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at her face.
Reacting fast, she managed to block the diversion with her free arm. Not fast enough as Shun lashed out with his feet, smacking her upside the chin and jumping to his feet in two movements.
Now on the offensive, he darted towards his stunned opponent, his fists a blur, punching Rin once, twice in the sides. He followed with a rising kick, but the Samurai managed to catch his leg between her arm and sword hilt and twisted.
Shun's world spun as he was thrown to the ground, but thankfully the sand cushioned the impact enough for him to lash out with his other foot and catch his opponent in the side of the head, stunning her enough to release him and stagger back.
Taking a split second to tilt his head back, Shun caught sight of Edric and Siv exchanging blows. The former holding his longsword sideways to hold back the hammer head hovering over his face, shaking violently.
"Is that all you got Bucket-head?! I've been waiting two weeks for this!" Siv hissed.
"Not even close!" He retorted, smacking her in the nose with his sword's crossguard, making her squawk and push him away.
'Figures.' Shun thought, then paused. In the forest behind the two warriors, there was a rustling coming from within the brush.
"Eh?" He blinked, then somersaulted backwards to dodge the descending katana.
Rolling back up, his eyes widened. As quick as he could muster, he raised his arms.
*Pang!* A metal dart ricocheted off his metal bracers, bouncing past his ear. He lowered his arms just in time to see Rin swing her blade in a downwards arc flashing in the sun.
Thinking fast, all Shun could do was cross his arms back over himself and catch the sword between his bracers, the only thing preventing him from being split in twain.
Rin pushed and Shun fell back on one knee, not able to gather much force from his position.
Gritting his teeth, he looked up into Rin's eyes from under her kabuto. "A-Are you certain we can't just go our separate ways?" He ground out, just for her to press harder to try and break his hold.
"I'm sorry." Rin muttered softly. "But an outsider like you wouldn't understand."
"Understand what?!"
"We've been betrayed before. All of us. We're just… set in our ways. You were kind, so I'll make it quick."
"Rather you didn't!" Shun coughed as his arms trembled.
His mind raced but he couldn't think of any options.
It looked like this was the end.
Or it would have been if not for the loud "BREEEE!"
Shun and Rin's heads swiveled to see Edric and Siv looking just as confused, weapons frozen midswing. They all turned their attention to the lumbering form pushing through the bushes at the edge of the forest.
"What the…" Edric gaped.
"...Hel?" Siv gasped.
Stepping onto the beach was an enormous boar, greater than any Shun had ever seen. It was as tall and broad as a bear with a dark brown hide to match. Two curved tusks the size of sickles jutted out the sides of its maw.
But what really gave Shun pause was the massive coat of long quills covering its back. Each one the length of a dagger and its point as sharp as a spear's.
"No… one… move…" Edric whispered, no one's eyes leaving the deadly looking beast. It was obviously incensed, judging by how it kept its head low with tusks angled at them and how it pawed at the sand with its hoof.
Shun's eyes trailed upward and he paled.
The boar's ears flapped and hung from its right like an earring…
An arrow with blue fletching.
The same held in the quiver on Rin's back, which the boar was staring at intensely.
"I think he's looking at you." Shun said softly.
The boar snorted as if in affirmation. With a mighty squeal, it charged!