Fantasy Lofi-Champloo

[Mx.Trinity]

Spoiler: Body

Our story takes place in the early Sengoku Jidai era of Japan (1467- 1603) when the lands of the rising sun were washed crimson with the blood of its own people. The era of the warring states. Daimyos were plentiful and clans were constantly battling for power. Many bore the title of honorable samurai during this time and thus many lives were lost when two daimyos went to war. Both during the battle and after when one of the Daimyos were defeated.

Now, something rather strange has happened in the past year of fighting. It seems like all of the honorless rats that make it out of the battles have seem to been finding a place of sanctuary somewhere in Japan. A group of sellswords. A small clan of vagrants, dishonored samurai, thieves, and other scum of the Earth. No one knows exactly how it came to be but it is said that the two men who lead the sellsword, A vagrant by the name of Muhan and a foreign ronin known as Havel Maewha found themselves at opposite ends of the blade. Neither one could kill the other no matter how long they battled. No matter how much blood they spilled, the other would not fall. It ended with them forgoing the duel and instead, roaming the lands Amaterasu blesses with her light.

A shame rotten insects like these two walk her blessed lands. Not only is it bad enough that they draw breath, but they have been attracting others like them to their cause. Their cause being a simple one. Money and blood for freedom. This is, of course, only if you believe the rumors. I, personally find it highly unlikely that dishonorable fools such as them could gather any kind of force that would be recognized by the Daimyos. Surely, this is a ruse by one of the great Daimyos to stir the anger in the hearts of the enemy. After all, it is known that this group of supposed mercenaries works for whoever pays them enough. Whether that be assassinations, escorts, demon slaying, or even open war.

The only thing that is known for certain is that Havel Maewha and Muhan lead these bandits. Their goals are about as known as their ambitions in life. No one knows.

IC / OOC / Rules / CS / Dojo​

​

 

[Mx.Trinity]

Drip... Drip... Drip...

The air lingered with a chilled freshness. It was a downpour shortly before this moment. However in almost perfect time... the rain had ceased and the clouds overhead scattered to reveal a brilliant sun, setting behind the mountains far off in the distance. Cascaded by bright shades of orange and red. It was a sunset to admire. Despite all of this beauty there was an unpleasant noise... deep in the woods and in the middle of a clearing is where our story opens.

"OUUU HOU HOU! OU HOU OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU HOU HOU"

The obnoxious sound of forced coughing rang out loudly through the trees causing nearby birds to leave their resting spots and take to the air to get away from the awful commotion. But who or what was making this dreadful sound?

The coughing had subsided, sitting in squat position balancing his weight atop a pair of wooden clogs was a slim man. Whose appearance was rough and dirty to say the least. His clothes tattered and worn by weather, bits of the black cloth on his shorts a light shade of gray against black splotches from all of the sun bleaching. His once vibrant red shirt now a darker almost maroon shade. His hair ill-groomed and ill-maintained looked matted and wiry. But almost unmatching to this the guy had slung over his back a beautifully crafted sword perfectly maintained which shone bright in the sun.

This man was named Muhen. A wandering Vagrant in the company of another. What is he staring at?

Muhen squinted, a rather dry and unamused expression on his face as he looked at a small creature on the ground it resembled a shelled creature but moved like a caterpillar. It's unimportant existence seeming to attract one of the only humans in the woods. He stared at it intently for a long while before speaking up.

"Hey! The hell do you think this thing is... it's a butterfly, right?"

He was of course talking to another person closely by him, the only other in the clearing with him at the moment.

"It kinda moves like all those mercenaries that were supposed to be here, fast as hell."

He stuck his pinky finger in his ear and itched the inside of it before examining under the nail and flicking the bit of ear wax almost onto the creature.

shadowz1995

 

[shadowz1995]

Many years had passed since that fateful, rainy, blood-soaked night. Many had become victim to the blade of The Gaijin during his lord's rule and even more after he was slain. The foreigner had spent many years just wandering the lands, searching for a sanctuary that he knew didnt exist for people like him. The masterless samurai. The ronin. The ultimate dishonor.

Havel had long since given up on such things and instead, wished for the day that he would be defeated in combat.

He didn't expect the first person to match him in skill would a bloody fucking idiot.

Or that these two would have created that supposed sanctuary themselves.

Havel looked over from the shadow of the tree, piercing blue eyes scan for whatever Muhen was talking about until they came across the.....

'Ugh.....'

"Muhen that is a slug you utter buffoon. Have you completely picked your brain out of your ears already?" The words were completely fluent and spoken with confidence but there was still an accemt, as there always was and will be. His full English blood would not allow it.

"As for the mercenaries, Im sure they will be arriving shortly."

 

[Mx.Trinity]

Muhen lazily turned his head to give the smug ronin a quick glare before his eyes sliced back to the slug. He stood up yawning and stretching his back before bending forward to look at the slug one last time before he kicked a rock, the slug had made it's way onto, into some nearby bushes. He stood up a bit hunched over walking over and into the shade of the same tree. He reached up and grabbed a small twig, snapping it off the branch and placing it in his mouth to chew on, both arms wrapping behind his head as he slumped against the tree.

"Yeah sure hope so... it's gonna be dark soon, can't set up camp so close to the village we just left. Damned pests probably still looking for us."

After a few long moments of silence...

"Never liked butterflies anyway..."

He said staring at the bush he kicked the slug into, he twirled the twig around in his mouth before finally spitting it out.

shadowz1995

 

[Pumpkid]

A beautiful, brunette wanders through the first listening and feeling the vibrations. The clinging of her chains allowing her to see a little to where she was walking. Her ears perked listening to movement or sound to guide her. She notices some voices getting closer the more she walks forth. Male by the sound of it.

'I think I'm getting close to them." The further she walks the closer their movements and clear their speech. Topic was hesitant before approaching carefully as not to alert them thinking she was the enemy. Twigs breaking underneath her boots to get them to notice her.

shadowz1995 Mx.Trinity

 

[Mx.Trinity]

"this shit blows... I'm hungry..."

The nonchalant chatter was more or less a ruse. Before whoever it was had made their presence known Muhen had already caught the unnatural sound of chains clanging, it was soft but noticeable in the midst of the quiet woods. Afterall Muhen had scared away any birds making a ruckus earlier. His hand was lightly wrapped around the handle of his sword when the snap of the twigs occurred.

His eyes shifted over to where the sound had come from. That's when he noticed the smokin' hot babe wielding double katanas. He remembered her from much earlier in the day, having run into her on the way here. Even so he nudged Havel with his elbow and leaned in to whisper to him.

"yo... get a load of the chick, I think we hit the jackpot~"

He put his arm on Havel's shoulder and turned to face her.

"Took you long enough... ya get lost or what?"

Pumpkid shadowz1995

 

[Pumpkid]

Topic sighs in relief realizing it was the two men she was suppose to meet up with. The man she bumped into earlier, had no manners what so ever. She clearly didn't like his tone. She gives the fool talking to her a glare.

"It's not exactly easy to get by when you're blind. Luckily the woods is a place I can be familiar with." She huffs and places one hand on her hips standing up straight with a fixed composure.

Mx.Trinity shadowz1995

 

[shadowz1995]

Muhen was not alone in his predatory preparation. The demon swordsman had also felt the presence of an unknown nearby, though Maewha was much more subtle about it. A hand fluttering to the hilt of his katana in a very relaxed fashion, as most samurai tend to do. His blue hues remained focused on the earth beneath his feet until the twig snapped. Was that on purpose? The stranger had approached in relative silence other than the strange jangling of chains. Though when she finally appeared he could see why.

"Honestly Muhen, you are an inspiration to us all." The ronin said sarcastically under his breath. Though now that Havel was looking, he was certainly not wrong. The maiden was incredibly easy on the eyes and despite being blind, she carried herself as if she knew she was physically attractive. That was an interesting quality to have to say the very least.

The former samurai stepped out of his partner's sloppy embrace to give the lady a small bow of respect, "Hello madam." His gravelly voice rung out in the silence of the clearing, accent audible to normal ears though plain as sunlight to this woman no doubt. "Impressive that you made it all this way without the sense of sight. Where Muhen found you and how he convinced you to find us here is beyond me, as I'm sure it wasn't his charm because he sure isn't pretty." Blue hues studied the woman's reaction to his words before he turned back to his partner with a roll of his eyes. Muhen was a good man but merciful gods above was he an idiot. How are you just going to tell a blind woman to find a clearing in the woods?

Pumpkid Mx.Trinity

 

[Mx.Trinity]

Muhen slumped for a moment after his partner moved out of his way only to then bow to the lady. Muhen was watching Havel intently... he knew she was fine as hell. Muhen gave a single moment of laughter to the two of them before leaning back on the tree again eyes fixated on his company.

"Ah yeah... this is gonna be a fun time. I can already feel it."

A brief pause before he continued on with a response to Havel's clearly accusatory statement. Muhen shrugged an uninterested expression rest upon his face before explaining.

"Look at her... you mean to tell me, some chick whose badass enough to carry two katana's while being blind can't even manage to find a clearing, carefully described to her?"

He knelt down balancing on his clogs again grabbing a rock, standing up, and tossing it clear up into the air. Intentionally curved just right so it would come back down and hit the woman in the head if she didn't move or react.

"Or are you sayin' women aren't capable of protecting themselves, ay Havel?"

Pumpkid shadowz1995

 

[Pumpkid]

Rioko bows a little in response to the man named, 'Havel'. 'At least this man's company carried some manners when it came to a lady. She became amused at the two arguing to one another mostly talking about her.

"Well I can't really see how your friend looks like but, judging by his personality so far he seems to be a funny guy." She chuckles. As she was distracted by their bickering, she notices a rock being thrown toward her listening to the sound effects and the sound of the wind oddly getting closer realizing something was heading her way. She dodges it with a swift lean to the opposite side of where the rock had been chucked. She didn't know what it was until it landed realizing it was a rock. She wasn't use to catching things and it was best not to for she could not tell what it could be. It could have been a spear or something sharp so it was best not to. Again the woman leans on her hips with arms crossed.

"Was that really necessary?" A brow cocked up to her rhetorical question. "You two bicker as if you've never seen a woman who can fight before." She smirks.

shadowz1995 Mx.Trinity

 

[shadowz1995]

Havel watched amicably as the lady sidestepped the stone, a small smirk appearing on his face as she successfully avoided it. Though both the lady in question and Muhen touched a certain subject that was a bit of an issue for the ronin. A flash of swords and blood rang through his head, rain and blood pouring down their bodies. Those last 3 cursed words she uttered. Havel's eyes glazed over for a moment as he went silent and just a quickly he drew a breath and let it ease out slowly. He felt the tension build in his wrist and with a practiced flick, the joint cracked like a whip.

Havel let out a small chuckle, his tone an octave deeper than before, "No, I'm well aware of how good women can be at fighting. I was almost killed by one a few times."

'In a number of ways.'

"I'm well aware of your skill, ma'am. If you were able to make it here while being blind and with Muhen's 'detailed' descriptions. Tell me, was it something among the lines of

'Take a right after the big green tree and another after the bigger one that's brown until you don't see trees no more?' ".

Mx.Trinity Pumpkid

 

[Pumpkid]

Rioko listens intently noticing the silence and hearing one of the men's heartbeat beating a bit faster than usual as if anger flowed through the man's veins. A feeling of guilt and caution engulfing the woman.

"Glad to see you managed to escape their charms." Another question laid upon her only this time it sounded ridiculous yet about right. Rioko could not help but cover her mouth and stifle a giggle.

"Haha, I couldn't tell you. It was more amongst the lines of:

'Meet in the woods over there'

And points somewhere thinking I can see" She informs.

shadowz1995 Mx.Trinity

 

[Mx.Trinity]

"Yeah well... both of my points were made. She's a badass, and she can find her way around. That's good enough for me."

Muhen's head turned a bit sharply as he noticed Havel's voice deepen. That usually wasn't a good sign.

"Hey don't be gettin' all serious on me now."

He sighed reluctantly allowing his eyes to wander around the woods the fresh downpour had left everything wet and sparkling. Beautiful rainbows cast on every leaf and stone. He cracked his knuckles before turning to look at the sun setting.

"It's probably going to get dark soon. If no one else shows... we should get a move on."

shadowz1995 Pumpkid

 

[Elekta Kount]

"Are you certain it is this way?" The bushes of the forest rustled as what looked like a man wearing red light armor carrying a polearm stepped carefully through the foliage.

He was following the footsteps of another man, a bit more heavily armored but still clad in red. The man in front of him had his left hand on below the hilt of his katana, as he used his other hand to fan through the foliage and push forward.

"Truth be told, I am very uncertain about this." The lead man said, taking another step forward. "The instructions were vague at best...didn't exactly provide any indication of where in the forest we were suppose to meet."

"You think, uh, he put the bounty on us?" The second man ask as he swatted a nearby bush to the side with his polearm.

"Perhaps, but I'd be surprised if that the brat would waste time putting a bounty on a single, unremarkable, former, samurai such as myself, if he knows I exist." The first man snorted to himself. "Ha! I wager he couldn't tell the difference between me or any of the others!"

"Oh, I don't think your unremarkable, you've saved my behind more than once." The man behind him said. "If anyone's unremarkable it's me."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but being unremarkable is the least of our worries right now." The leading man said as he turned about to look at the man behind him. "We've been driven out of our homes and now we have a bounty on our heads for who knows what. Supposedly, we are suppose to meet some strangers in these woods that we have no idea where to find..." the lead man stepped into the small clearing of the forest where the group of "strangers" were standing, his head still turned, talking to the man behind him.

 

[Pumpkid]

Rioko continues to listen to the men before her until she notices two more voices approaching from afar talking casually. 'Passerbys? No, I hear clinging. Armor. A soldier or... ' her thoughts cut off as the two strangers approach. Their voice sounding muscular. Men.

"Seems we have company at six o'clock. Twenty feet away. Nineteen, twelve feet." She turns around gripping the handle of her sword as caution.

Mx.Trinity shadowz1995 Elekta Kount

 

[dr xenon]

Rain panged gently on his jingasa as Fiddler made his way through the forest to the meeting place. His left hand gripped his unstrung dai-kyu to keep it from getting tangled in the undergrowth. His bare-feet, worn to a rough callous from years moving over island rocks and ship decks alike, made little noise on the forest floor, but he wasn't trying for stealth.

Hearing the sound of voices ahead and somewhere to his left, he calls out through the gathering dark, "Ous! Friend approaching."

Today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow, he thinks. Let us see what tomorrow may bring.

Mx.Trinity , shadowz1995 , Elekta Kount , Pumpkid

 

[shadowz1995]

"Hmm... Yes, somehow or another." The ronin replied to the woman but Havel couldn't resist turning around and giving Muhen a look with a raised eyebrow. Dont be gettin all serious? Havel was serious practically all the time. Though, Havel's attention was recaptured by the woman when she tried to stifle a laugh. A small breath left his lips, a sign of amusement which turned into a smile when she revealed what Muhen had actually said.

Havel's hand flew to his handle carelessly once again, when he heard the approaching foot soldiers. To that, the roning stepped forward, passing the blind woman and putting a hand on her shoulder to stand down. He gave a gesture of respectful greeting. "Good evening. Can I help you gentlemen with anything or are you here because 'He' called you out here?"

Mx.Trinity Pumpkid Elekta Kount dr xenon

 

[dr xenon]

Fiddler bows politely to the assemblage.

"I was answering 'His' call, as you say," he says with a smile, and takes a step further into the clearing. His glance around those in the clearing is quick and professional. His accent is ... not local. "I am called 'Fiddler'."

Mx.Trinity Pumpkid Elekta Kount shadowz1995

 

[Elekta Kount]

"...them." The lead man trailed off as he turned his head around to see who stood in front of him, his grip on his sword tightened.

"Itsuki? Everything all right?" Came a voice from behind, as the lighter armed man came forth clutching his polearms with both his hands. The man was looking at "Itsuki"'s face, before following his eyes to the small group. He recoiled slightly in surprise, the man's face quickly brightened up with a smile. "Well I'll be! Finally we found you lot! I was beginning to wonder- THe man was cut off mid sentence by another newcomer he had not seen, as both Itsuki and the man looked over at the new guy.

"Well, I suppose you could say we are also here because of this "he"." Itsuki said as he turned his head away from Fiddler, bringing his feet together and his right hand straight to his side, but his left hand still griped the hilt of his katana. He then giving a deep bow and said "Itsuki Hirotsune."

Meanwhile the man next to him also turned his head to the group, the smile still on his face. He placed the butt of his yari onto the ground holding it with his right hand, then adopted a similar stance as the man next to him and bowed, but his bow did not arc as much as the man next to him. "Ochi Iekuni." THe man said as he rose back to a straighter posture along with his companion, smile still present. "A pleasure to meet you all."


Mx.Trinity Pumpkid Elekta Kount dr xenon shadowz1995

 

[Mx.Trinity]

Muhen pulled his gaze from the mountains and turned when he heard the sound of more people arriving. His hand twitched noticeably when the two in red armor pushed into the clearing, it grasped firmly around the hilt. His clogs dug into the ground. He would have went tearing off towards them if it wasn't for the fact that they had stopped and bowed. HIs posture relaxed and the hand came off his hilt.

Muhen made his way over to the smaller group, brushing past them and stopping between Fiddler and the rest. His steely gray eyes fixated on Fiddler. He spoke loudly enough so everyone could hear.

"Alright all you sons-a' bitches. I don't give a rats ass what any of your names are... all that matters is we help one another stay alive. If you can't do that you mind as well get the hell out. Heh."

A smirk made it onto his lips as his eyes remained still.

"So here's the plan... there's a village nearby... we need to get there before the sun sets. Me and Havel are used to traveling together and haven't come across anything we can't handle. So with all of us in a group.... this should be easy."

He stopped looking Fiddler dead in the eye and turned to meet Havel with a gaze of his own.

"You ready to get goin... old man?"

With that Muhen started walking towards the bushes nearest to the road that would lead them along the path towards the village.

"What the hell are you all waiting for.... let's go!"

Mx.Trinity Pumpkid Elekta Kount dr xenon shadowz1995 (copy pasted tag list from Elekta's post haha) Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[dr xenon]

Ugh, thought Fiddler. Another boy playing at Samurai. Probably never had to take care of anyone's life but his own.

He holds Muhen's gaze, keeps his own eyes friendly while sizing up the man in front of him. Noting his attempt at swagger, and the way he holds himself. He tries to assess what kind of training Muhen may have received, but there's not enough information yet. He waits for Muhen to finish his opening remarks, then answers.

"If you don't have the common courtesy to introduce yourself," Fiddler says in an even tone, the way one might address a stranger met in a tea house, not in the damp woods near nightfall. An errant rain drop panging off his helmet as if to make the the point to him that this was not a tea house, and this was not a simple stranger. "Then you might have the sense to at least share your name so we can call to you if needed. You might also give us more information about this village so we know what to expect, or do, or array ourselves if this is a hostile action. While I have no reason to doubt that you and friend can handle most anything thrown to you -- here we stand -- which makes me think that you expect more than the usual threat."

Fiddler then waits for the answer. His hand doesn't stray near his kali stick. His breath comes evenly - six beats on the inhale, held three beats, six beats on the exhale, and held again for three beats before beginning again.

Mx.Trinity Pumpkid Elekta Kount shadowz1995 Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[Mx.Trinity]

Muhen stops dead in his track listening to the man he was more or less staring through, rather than at. He turns half way, allowing him to rotate his head enough to see out of his peripheral.

"Huh....? You still yackin' back there? Oh yeah... it should be known... My name is Muhen. Now let's go unless you want to deal with the Daimyo on your own. Heh."

He clearly didn't care about rank or honor, the only thing on his mind was a hot meal. He'd likely leave them all behind if it meant he'd get to eat sooner. Regardless he made his way through the brush and stepped onto the dirt road.

"Hm... now where the hell was it again....?"

He tilted his head with an annoyed expression on his face, staring up into the trees.

"Ah... shit... ... Oh well..."

He shrugged and began walking down the road one way; not stopping to see if the others had followed.

Mx.Trinity Pumpkid Elekta Kount shadowz1995 Wandering Grim Hollow dr xenon

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

"Hmhmhmmm~ Oh dear, I'm late.... Eh. Doesn't matter." Menma hummed as he lazily strolled down the forest path. A small sack hanging from his trademark bamboo pole bounced alone with each step he took. His foot falls were quiet and made only the softest of taps on the dirt. His expression was serene as he took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air of the forest.

"The weather.... So calm, today might be a good day." Menma happily thought to himself as he continued walking ahead. The instruction was to meet at a clearing in the forest but so far, all the clearings he had been through was empty. Not that he cared as he could take his sweet time now. Still, he did feel gui- Noises?

Menma's steps stopped as he heard a noise somewhere behind him. His free hand moved towards his katana but faltered as he heard a familiar voice. A rather dopey one at that.

"Muhen-san...? Is that you?" Menma cautiously called out, turning around to see the man coming down the path.


Mx.Trinity Pumpkid Elekta Kount shadowz1995 dr xenon

 

[Pumpkid]

Rioko was finally able to hear the two strangers a bit louder and audible. Right as she was waiting for the men behind her to make a move, a sudden hand held her shoulder tight telling her to stand down. She jumped a little from the sudden touch. Never in her life has she came across someone who was able to sneak behind and touch her. It was always about distance with her even if her swords were to clash with another, she would never let a hand grab her. The brunette was impressed with his silence but perhaps she was just merely distracted by the approach of two, armored men who had introduced themselves as:

'Itsuki Hirotsune' and the other a much more friendlier aura coming from them named, 'Ochi Iekuni'.

Rioko relaxes her posture and stands down awaiting for something to happen. As the ronin questions the two soldiers, another new comer approaches. She supposed she was not the only one. What a relief. She didn't want to be the only invite. Coming back to from her thoughts, her attention turns to the new comer who also introduced themselves as the, 'Fiddler'. What an odd name just for a single person. It sounded more like a nickname rather than a birth name. Nonetheless it is what it is. She would not dare judge why the sudden name. A ghost of a smile crept on the woman's face listening that is until the man known as 'Muhen' steps in with instructions to everyone. Harsh wording put into them.

"Partner up?" She asks herself a little confused. The only choice she had was the Fiddler. All the boys were already partnered up from the beginning. "This might be interesting."

After the lecture, Rioko follows behind the ronin and Muhen listening to the footsteps and counting the number of steps to remember this place and the whereabouts of where she will be going. It was such a hassle before but now it simply became a habit.

Mx.Trinity shadowz1995 Elekta Kount dr xenon Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[Elekta Kount]

Ituski and Ochi just glanced at each other when the little interaction between Muhen and this Fiddler occurred, before their gaze returned to the group.

"Our leader ladies and gentlemen" Ituski mumbled, mainly towards his companion. "Ain't he just the charmer."

"Oh, maybe he just can't help it." Whispered Ochi, slightly cupping his hand between him and Ituski's ear, as to create a wall between him and his companion. "Maybe something terrible happened in his life that, you know, might...er, make him like that."

"Or maybe it's because a lack of substance, lot's of bark, no bite." Ituski snorted as he slightly leaned back, now looking at Muhen with a grin, whispering back to Ochi. "After all, this guy couldn't give simple directions..."

"I beg of you! Don't go starting a needless fight! You're the one who's always saying "Don't underestimate." Ochi whispered harshly, now grabbing the former samurai's arm with his spare hand. "He might just kick both of our asses."

"Don't worry, I have no intentions of doing any such thing. But uh..." Itsuki whispered back, now turning his head back at Ochi. "Still a bit...skeptical, that's all."

"Oh, we just need to see him in combat once, and I'm sure all our doubts will be put to rest. Maybe he isn't that bad." Ochi said, patting Itsuki on the shoulder before indicating at the group with his polearm, who were now moving. "C'mon, we'll being left behind."

The two armored characters then bounded out of the foliage and onto the dirt path, walking side by side as they followed the group.

Mx.Trinity Pumpkid dr xenon shadowz1995