Categories > Original > Fantasy > Ryumake-Tetsu
Sho wanted to keep to the treetops as much as possible, but knew it was going to much more difficult once the Oni started the storm gatherings. The Oni would call upon the crash of thunder and lightning to ward off the invading Mok troops. The Oni did not refuse, nor accept the offer made by the Mok, they simply didn't like invaders trying to occupy their territory, let alone give them altimatums!
Sho cursed under his breath as he came to an adbrupt hault on a tree branch, noticing the faint glint of a thin object standing erect amongst the treetops.
"Curse you Mok and your deviant traps!" Sho said to himself as he leapt off of his post and down into the branches of the forest.
They had set up "Cloud Pikes", thin needle like rods that had sat almost invisible on tree lines as booby traps for those who would traverse by heights. They had thin wispy lines of "Usagi Wire" or "Rabbit Wire" for it's use amongst trappers to catch prey. These lines were as light and thin as a spiders web, but razor sharp. Once the prey was caught, the lines would stick to the victim, and as they tried to free themselves, be cut to pieces by their every movement and struggle.
But now, below the treetops, Sho found even more cloud pikes. The enemy were crafty, anticipating shinobi and kunoichi to be about. Sho could always slice his way through, but doing so would cause a sharp sticky mess that was too risky to move through. His only real option was to take it slow and steady through this forest of traps.
Sho reached into his side pouch and produced a vial of fine red dust. He unplugged it, and poured a generous amount into the palm of his hand. He then blew on it, sending the red particles and dust into the air, the wind quickly picking it up and carrying it amongst the trees and branches. Pretty soon, the tree lines were glimmering with dull red lines of exposed usagi wire. This made his journey a little easier and managable. He only hoped he didn't run into any Oni on the way. They were particulary harsh on shinobi, them being considered lower than low. The Oni affectionately referred to shinobi as "Agents of dirt".
Sho continued on his way, dodging and dipping through the spaces of usagi wire, bending and twisting every which way to move untouched and unharmed.
He was making good progress when it started to rain.
Sho knew this was not good, rain would wash away his red dust trap markings, making the wire hard to see, and with the rain, it would make the usagi wire even stickier and deadly.
Sho stopped, resting on a solitary tree branch, he knew this rain wasn't just bad luck or karma. Oni did this.
No sooner had Sho stopped, a loud crash came from behind him. He leapt off of the branch and let himself fall a few feet, at the last second, releasing a grappling hook.
It buried it's barbed head in a tree trunk, stopping Sho's descent. He hung there, silently observing his surroundings. Again another loud crash, this time from his right side.
He swung his body hard to the left like a pendulum, letting his feet touch a nearby tree, then kicking off of it, using his momentum to pilot himself to another tree. He gave his grappling hook a hard upward and then downward yank, releasing and retracting the barbed anchor, then whipping it out infront of him to catch another tree. He did this over and over, dodging and escaping the crashing going on all around him, while watching out for usagi wire.
The crashing stopped, and the forest was silent again, save the heavy downpour of rain amongst the branches. Sho kept still, closing his eyes and focusing on sound.
He waited patiently, then heard it, the softest exhale, barely audible to untrained ears.
He immediately threw three shuriken at the direction of the noise, the cold steel weapons imbedding themselves deep into a tree trunk, one on top of the other.
"A very nice grouping I must say! A Hattori method I have not seen in years!" cried a deep booming voice amongst the trees and rain.
Sho looked around himself frantically, how could his attack miss?
The stranger continued, "What place do you have here in Uzumaki Woods(The wood of spirals)? This is out of your jurisdiction ninja! You are far from friend!"
Sho narrowed his eyes, "So you are foe?"
The stranger laughed, it sounding like thunder, "Ha! What if I was? Would you launch an attack on me ninja? Or perhaps you would flee and try to evade me?"
Sho did not like the disrespect in the strangers tone, "Show yourself! Face me!"
The laughter returned, "You are challenging me? You of all people to enter these woods?! You, a ninja of shadow and deciet? You think you can best me? Kanjishima, the undying?!"
Sho knew that name, and it made him nervous. He slowly moved his hand to the handle of his sword, while keeping his other hand on the grapple.
"You wish to strike me down do you? Like you would a sick dog, or ill disciplined slave?!"
Sho moved his hand away, Kanjishima knew his every move.
"Show yourself Oni, and we shall settle this peacefully like warriors!" Sho called out, his voice echoing over the miles and miles of forest.
"Only on one condition ninja," came the reply.
"Name your price!"
Sho was nervous now, he knew how Oni worked. They would set up one sided bargains, gambles, contests, even riddles. No matter what form of sport or amusement an Oni presented, the victim was always the loser.
Sho grit his teeth when he heard the Oni's response.
"I demand an offering, a sacrafice if you will."
Sho nodded reluctantly, "What do you wish to make a transaction of?"
Sho hated being in this sort of position, but he knew he stood very little chance against and Oni, especially one of the Shima clan.
Sho heard the Oni snicker his response, "I demand an offering of a finger, eye, or ear from you O' Shinobie of the Arashi-No-Tachi!"
Sho cursed under his breath as he came to an adbrupt hault on a tree branch, noticing the faint glint of a thin object standing erect amongst the treetops.
"Curse you Mok and your deviant traps!" Sho said to himself as he leapt off of his post and down into the branches of the forest.
They had set up "Cloud Pikes", thin needle like rods that had sat almost invisible on tree lines as booby traps for those who would traverse by heights. They had thin wispy lines of "Usagi Wire" or "Rabbit Wire" for it's use amongst trappers to catch prey. These lines were as light and thin as a spiders web, but razor sharp. Once the prey was caught, the lines would stick to the victim, and as they tried to free themselves, be cut to pieces by their every movement and struggle.
But now, below the treetops, Sho found even more cloud pikes. The enemy were crafty, anticipating shinobi and kunoichi to be about. Sho could always slice his way through, but doing so would cause a sharp sticky mess that was too risky to move through. His only real option was to take it slow and steady through this forest of traps.
Sho reached into his side pouch and produced a vial of fine red dust. He unplugged it, and poured a generous amount into the palm of his hand. He then blew on it, sending the red particles and dust into the air, the wind quickly picking it up and carrying it amongst the trees and branches. Pretty soon, the tree lines were glimmering with dull red lines of exposed usagi wire. This made his journey a little easier and managable. He only hoped he didn't run into any Oni on the way. They were particulary harsh on shinobi, them being considered lower than low. The Oni affectionately referred to shinobi as "Agents of dirt".
Sho continued on his way, dodging and dipping through the spaces of usagi wire, bending and twisting every which way to move untouched and unharmed.
He was making good progress when it started to rain.
Sho knew this was not good, rain would wash away his red dust trap markings, making the wire hard to see, and with the rain, it would make the usagi wire even stickier and deadly.
Sho stopped, resting on a solitary tree branch, he knew this rain wasn't just bad luck or karma. Oni did this.
No sooner had Sho stopped, a loud crash came from behind him. He leapt off of the branch and let himself fall a few feet, at the last second, releasing a grappling hook.
It buried it's barbed head in a tree trunk, stopping Sho's descent. He hung there, silently observing his surroundings. Again another loud crash, this time from his right side.
He swung his body hard to the left like a pendulum, letting his feet touch a nearby tree, then kicking off of it, using his momentum to pilot himself to another tree. He gave his grappling hook a hard upward and then downward yank, releasing and retracting the barbed anchor, then whipping it out infront of him to catch another tree. He did this over and over, dodging and escaping the crashing going on all around him, while watching out for usagi wire.
The crashing stopped, and the forest was silent again, save the heavy downpour of rain amongst the branches. Sho kept still, closing his eyes and focusing on sound.
He waited patiently, then heard it, the softest exhale, barely audible to untrained ears.
He immediately threw three shuriken at the direction of the noise, the cold steel weapons imbedding themselves deep into a tree trunk, one on top of the other.
"A very nice grouping I must say! A Hattori method I have not seen in years!" cried a deep booming voice amongst the trees and rain.
Sho looked around himself frantically, how could his attack miss?
The stranger continued, "What place do you have here in Uzumaki Woods(The wood of spirals)? This is out of your jurisdiction ninja! You are far from friend!"
Sho narrowed his eyes, "So you are foe?"
The stranger laughed, it sounding like thunder, "Ha! What if I was? Would you launch an attack on me ninja? Or perhaps you would flee and try to evade me?"
Sho did not like the disrespect in the strangers tone, "Show yourself! Face me!"
The laughter returned, "You are challenging me? You of all people to enter these woods?! You, a ninja of shadow and deciet? You think you can best me? Kanjishima, the undying?!"
Sho knew that name, and it made him nervous. He slowly moved his hand to the handle of his sword, while keeping his other hand on the grapple.
"You wish to strike me down do you? Like you would a sick dog, or ill disciplined slave?!"
Sho moved his hand away, Kanjishima knew his every move.
"Show yourself Oni, and we shall settle this peacefully like warriors!" Sho called out, his voice echoing over the miles and miles of forest.
"Only on one condition ninja," came the reply.
"Name your price!"
Sho was nervous now, he knew how Oni worked. They would set up one sided bargains, gambles, contests, even riddles. No matter what form of sport or amusement an Oni presented, the victim was always the loser.
Sho grit his teeth when he heard the Oni's response.
"I demand an offering, a sacrafice if you will."
Sho nodded reluctantly, "What do you wish to make a transaction of?"
Sho hated being in this sort of position, but he knew he stood very little chance against and Oni, especially one of the Shima clan.
Sho heard the Oni snicker his response, "I demand an offering of a finger, eye, or ear from you O' Shinobie of the Arashi-No-Tachi!"
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