Finding of Rare Life (Power Shot)

[nikuvillain]

The time night sky was blacker than the deepest depth of the ocean as it watched over the Awaken treading along the beaten path to other mystery. The city of Caldomas, Kaien knew this city name very well by now. It was known to be the city that never slept and it has the most death ever known to man. This place was clearly dangerous and a mystery laid within its grounds. It called to Kaien like a broken record; hunting him everywhere he went. Each step the lonely man walked the calling got stronger, louder, and he knew it wouldn’t stop until he understood the answer.

The smell of the busy city grew stronger as he was beginning to see the outlines of the city in the distant. Just by seeing the Silhouette outlines of the building he could tell the city was gigantic. The foul smell of the burning gases and coal rose up into Kaien noise; making his stomach feel as if it was turning inside out. Even with how bad the place smelled Kaien continued forward.

Hours of walking wasted, he thought as he finally reached the dump of a city. There was nothing, but trash all over the streets and sidewalks. The homeless slept in the trash and those with homes were no better. Kaien continued his walk through the **** filled town he found himself now wanting to leave.

“City that never slept. Yeah right, this place is the dirt under my foot,” he said walking pass a few run down stores. “Even the people here are trash.”

“What is that new comer?” a young man that was no more then 20 years old said, appearing out of the back alleyway in front of Kaien. The Awaken stopped; staring down the young man that begun to pull his beautiful long sword from behind him. The blade shined with such grace that you could tell it had never see blood.

“Are you their trashy street fighter kid? I’ve seen this place history and it has always been nothing. Leave if you want to make something of yourself.”

“Why you!”

“You heard me. There is nothing here. No one is skilled at doing anything, but dieing.”

The young man’s hand shook at what Kaien was telling him. His dirty brown hair fell into his eyes as a tear fell from them. “Don’t talk about my home like that!” he yelled out in anger dashing towards Kaien with the heavy blade following behind him.

“To easy,” Kaien said grabbing hold of his sliver chain around his neck. He jumped back to miss getting hit by the wild swing the boy made. The chain glowed brightly around his neck and begun to form into a beautiful katana with three pearl jewels shaped like diamonds that was embedded into the hilt. Kaien already knew he wasn’t as skilled, but he had his mind open watching how the young man held the sword and swung it.

When the blade finally formed completely it quickly begun to fall to the ground. Feeling the sword trying to fall Kaien changed his grip to match how the boy held his. Another dodge of the young man blade and the Awaken dashed forward and swung his blade up from the ground clearly showing no level of skill as it met the other blade. It was faint, but Kaien caught how he changed his swing so quick.

He was learning so much in this fight as he went on an held his ground. Then without warning the Awaken changed his hands in the same way letting his opponent’s blade crash into the ground as his blade met the boy’s neck. “At the end of life there is nothing for you. You have a choice now to live or die by my blade,” he calmly said with nothing, but a friendly smile on his face. Death was nothing new to him and killing meant even less to him if it came to saving his life.

The young man’s body shook all over in disbelief. He didn’t understand how could a sword come out of nowhere. How could a guy that didn’t seem to know how to fight with a sword beat him? “How skilled are you really?”

“That was my first time fighting with a sword,” he said pushing the sword harder to the man’s neck.

The sound of metal crashing onto the ground was a sound good one. Kaien didn’t even need to look over to know that he had given up on fighting him. His pride was crush with the thought that someone that never had fought with a sword just beat him. A shameful lost in his mind and one he would never let down. This lost that was handed to him didn’t feel good, but Kaien know that the young man learned something to day as he watch him run away. Kaien glanced back for only a second to make sure no one else wanted to fight.

“That over now. Time to leave this city,” he said reverting the sword back into the sliver chain again. He began his walk out of the city leaving the fight behind him, but taking what little he learned with him.

OoC: This will be interesting Power Shot. So, let it begin.

[Power Shot]

The scent of sewage clung to his nostrils as he wandered through the city. Everywhere he went, he sensed little bit the crumbling despair that seemed to stick to all the peoples of the dank city. To his left was a mound of garbage that had probably been waiting for several weeks for the collector that would never come. To his right was a man lying in a pile of clothing that was most likely all of his earthly possessions. From underneath his dark cloak, the avatar peered out into the night's sky, and he chuckled. "Humanity, such a fickle thing," he whispered. His boots waded through puddles as he made his way through the city. "Take a little poverty, and sprinkle in misfortune, and you're left with nothing but a vat of human misery that none will ever try to clean up." He coughed, the foul air had briefly choked his lungs. "I wonder where that little boy is..."

Caldomas was an odd place to hide away. The city crawled with criminals which is, of course, the last place anyone would want to be. Aside from the thousands of lawbreakers, bounty hunters could be found in any number of places, only distinguished from the rest of the population in that they could afford comfortable lodging. To the dark giant, it seemed as though the city itself was a home. He saw plenty sleeping on the streets. "Kaien had better have a good reason for being here," the man murmured beneath his breath. He turned a corner. "I need that little boy." He grabbed the edges of the Druid cloak he wore, and pulled the hood over his dark, fierce hair. The hood was soft, but durable enough to withstand the light drizzle that was beginning to pour from overhead. His mortal body was fragile, he did not want to catch a cold on such a night, and in such a place. He sneezed into the wet air, then rubbed his nose.

"It's cold," he stated simply. His body had been shivering for some time, but he hadn't really been all that focused on it. "A tavern stop might solve that." From underneath his hood, he quickly searched for the closest ale house he could find that looked remotely clean. This is, after all, my body. I don't want it going to waste, it's too much of a hassle to keep making new ones. After a moment or two, he spotted one that wasn't quite up to his standards, but still the best he would probably find in a town like Caldomas. He drew the Druid cloak closer to his body for warmth, and ventured into the grime-ridden hole that was the tavern, which was so filthy it was impossible to read the sign scrawled atop the door.

A hearty fire began warming his cold form the moment he walked in. The mystic, making sure to keep his body hidden from view, save for his chin, headed towards a chair located close to the fire. I have to be patient. Knowing this one, it could take anywhere between five minutes or five hours until he finally stumbles upon this little hole in the wall. He'll learn about it soon enough, I'll put it into the head of someone he passes. A waitress came by, but he held up one hand to signal he did not need anything. I might be a little hungry, but not hungry enough for this swill.

OoC: Meh, I have writer's laze. Give me a few posts to get back in form. Oh, and that little learning thing Kaien does...let's not try that with Kenjin. Might overload your character's brain.

[nikuvillain]

OoC: Kaien wouldn't be able to learn any of Kenjin's powers. But if given enough time he could learn how Kenjin fights. But first he would have to be able to see it.

BiC: The Awaken could see the road leading out of Caldomas. It was just a little farther ahead and he would be able to leave the sucking city and its low life people with it. The road was lighten up by the gentle light of the moon and he could see he wasn’t the only one to walk this road. No, a small girl that couldn’t be much older then five hopped her way back into the city. Kaien couldn’t understand why anyone would ever come back here, but he would know her reason.

She smiled happily, letting her brown hair dance along her back and the playful yellow dress float against her body. She carried nothing in her hands that would help answer Kaien question. He needed to know what was the reason for this girl to be so happy and why was she coming back here. She was getting closer and closer to him while he'd stopped moving. His mind was too busy trying to come up with an answer than to be walking away from the city.

“Hello, mister. Are you ok? You are just standing here,” she said, her voice was sweet and it sent chills down his back. He was shocked that he had lost focus so quickly over something so small.

I must be bored. Really, bored if I find a girl walking around interesting, he thought to himself, kneeling down to her eye level. Something was telling him to look and view her history. It told him, but he already had planned on it as he put his hand out. “Hello. I’m Kaien and I was just thinking about how peaceful the moon looked,” he lied, but it wasn’t sinful in his book. Lying was something people do all the time and it made no differences to him.

“I’m Rosy, nice to meet you,” she replied shaking his hand.

The awaken quickly dived in to see her past, everything went normal as the view from the town because what had happen just seconds ago. He begun digging deeper when everything went white and there was only himself and another figure standing only a few steps away from him. Then he saw what he remembered as being a building inside the town. He couldn’t make out the name of the dirt sign, but the building its self stood out enough. Then just has quickly he found himself back into the real world.

Hmm… something wants me and it is not normal, he thought as he looked back into the city. This could be interesting. Kaien didn’t care if it was a trap or not. Something wanted his attention or his powers and he was going to find out what and why.

“Mister Kaien, you’re hurting me,” Rosy said trying to get her hand out of his grip. Kaien glanced down noticing the girl he once been interested in. She wasn’t as interesting anymore to him as he let go of her hand.

“I’m sorry. I just remembered that I had something else to do. You run along now,” he said almost pushing her away with his light tap to the shoulder. He watched her disappear off into the city before making his way down the cold dim lighten streets of Caldomas. Every step he took his mind raced with question that needed to be answered.

Kaien walked down the streets like a mad man on a mission. You wouldn't be able to tell by look at him, but the hunger of wanting to know was eating why at him every moment. Unanswered question was like a drug for him and it made him feel more live than ever. He stopped, glancing up at the dirt sign he saw in his vision. This was the place, he was sure of it and he bent down to the ground to take a look.

“There you are,” he said, coming out of his vision haven’t see the man once again, but this time walking into the tavern. Kaien opened the door and walked into the old dirty building feeling the warm air of the fire as he entered. He’d been so lost in his thoughts he never notice that it was cold out. Now he had just needed to find the man that entered his vision.

“Hello sir, may I get you something?”

“No. I’m looking for someone that is looking for me,” he said uncaring to her as he continued making his way through the door.

[Power Shot]

The avatar grinned as he watched the youth enter the establishment. The scar around the eye was enough to confirm Kaien’s identity. But what to do? Kenjin continued to remain where he was, rather then introduce himself to his query. That would be boring, no, extremely dull, and that was simply not how the mystic conducted himself. He had eternity to himself, after all. If he began to get dull, the years were going to pass by very slowly. He watched the man scan the tavern, unable to locate the mystic. His grin widened slowly as a frustrated look came over the lad’s face. Disgruntled, the boy finally sat down on a barstool, and hailed a drink from the barkeep, content to wait until Kenjin made himself known.

At this, Kenjin’s smile faded. Kaien was being rather boring. After a few minutes of watching the boy, the mystic decided that it could not be helped. He would have to intervene just a tiny bit. The ancient man focused, and the door to the tavern flung open by a tiny girl, one Kenjin was certain that Kaien might remember. Rosy seemed flustered by the slight cold outside, so she headed to the fireplace. Kaien’s eyes followed her, especially when she took a seat next to the hooded avatar. Kaien glanced at Kenjin, as if uncertain as to whether he had noticed the mystic before. Kenjin grinned. “Thank you, Rosy,” he whispered to the girl. “You may go back now.” Rosy nodded and, as if she had never been there, simply faded into nothingness. No one in the tavern noticed, but the boy sure did.

Abandoning his drink, the young rouge boldly made his way through the crowded tavern towards the mysterious man by the fire. Without a word, he sat down in the empty seat that had only a few seconds ago been occupied by the girl Rosy. “Who are you?” Kaien asked, with a sudden focused look on his face.

Kenjin tilted his head in the boy’s direction. “What’s wrong, Kaien?” he answered, and his grin widened. “Can’t you just pick it out of my brain? I was told you could find out even the most insignificant things about a person just from a glance.” The mystic lifted his gloved hand and, ever so slightly, tapped his head. “But I don’t think you want to do that, Kaien. Do you?” He chuckled slightly.

Kaien, as if to prove the mystic wrong, began to strain his powers in an attempt to discover the secrets of the mystic’s life. After a minute of this, Kenjin waved his hand to break the boy’s concentration. “It looks like you have much to learn yet, Kaien.” He snickered at the irony of that statement, then held out his hand. “I am Kenjin,” he said in greeting. “Do you know that name, boy?”

Kaien’s eyes widened. “Y-yes,” he replied, and became coy. “You are the great mystic.”

Kenjin nodded. “I am glad you know of the name, Kaien. It is so boring when others don’t know it, and are thus unimpressed by the meaning of the name. Meaning is very important.” The avatar shifted itself in its seat, so that it would now face the boy, who’s eyes it could see were aglow with wonder. “I am wondering, Kaien, whether you would be interested in going on a little journey with me. It isn’t quite so far… Well, I should rephrase that. It is not so far to someone like me, but I measure journeys in their meaning, not their distance. This journey means little to me, but it is important that I go on it, so it shall be a long journey for us.” He smiled, and Kaien could just barely see the shiny teeth of the avatar. “We are going hunting.”

[nikuvillain]

Great mysteries surrounded the man that sat only a few inches away from Kaien. The greatest question on the awaken’s mind wasn’t what should be the first thing. Why would the mystic thing I would be interested in hunting. That has no mystery to it at all. Unless…

Kaien eyes opened wide as he thought about his question thinking about what Kenjin could be thinking. He had almost zoned out of the world completely when a light tap on his head snapped him back. “Pay attention Kaien and answer the question.

“You should know that-”

“You only do things that have history you don’t know or as a strange mystery to it.”

The awaken smiled, eyeing the mystic enjoying this little game he seem to be playing. “You know a lot about me it seems,” he said carefully not answering the question that been asked of him. It’s the only thing that was on his side as he fought to find out at least one thing about the mysterious man that he’d only heard stories about.

“Good then, shall we leave then?”

“Wait. I haven’t even answered the question of will I go,” Kaien protested keeping his eyes glued to Kenjin’s. It was clear that to him that he had the upper hand in everything and that only made things more interesting for him. “Tell me at least why me and what are we hunting for?”

“An extremely rare creature of the deepest depth of the sea. It has only be read about it books and told by the seamen. We are going to find a Sea Dragon Kaien,” he said to the awaken and watched as his pupil grew, covering almost his whole eye.

The thought of see a sea dragon was unheard of even if you knew where they live. Kaien knew this all too well, but here is a man that wants him to come along an do something unheard of. What are you? He thought to himself trying to stop his mind from thinking. “Yes. Yes. Yes, I’ll help you in hunting down this dragon, but where is it?” Kaien asked wanting to jump out of his seat and get moving.

[Power Shot]

“Why, young Kaien,” said the mystic, “where else would you go to find a Sea Dragon?”

Outside the city, the mystic and the scholar strolled calmly down the road, just admiring the countryside. For Kenjin this journey would be quite a short one, only a few days at most. But for Kaien, it would be much more. Why the mystic was doing this, he hadn’t the foggiest clue. Sometimes he liked to do things on a whim, but it was probably because Kenjin, being one of the many immortals in the world, needed to do things to assuage his boredom. And sometimes, that meant helping little ones like Kaien find their way in the world.

Though the southern sea was several hundred miles away, the smell of the salty air nestled itself deep in Kenjin’s senses. He could hear the waves crash against the coast, the people walking along the shore and, from far away, he heard the call of the Sea Dragon. In fact, he was so far away in his mind that he failed to notice that Kaien was trying to get his attention.

“The sea?” Kaien ventured, with the tone of someone who disliked being talked down to. Kenjin nodded absentmindedly, quite uninterested in what the youth was saying. “And we will get there by walking?”

Kenjin turned to the boy. “Does that displease you, Kaien?” the mystic inquired. The young were always so eager to get places quickly, something Kenjin didn’t particularly understand. “I’m certain that we will be able to locate a horse and cart if needed.”

“But-” Kaien seemed confused as to what he wanted to ask. “But don’t you have powers that can…speed things up? Like teleportation?”

“Oh,” said Kenjin. “You mean, like this?” The avatar vanished, emerging fifty feet away from where it had left Kaien, and waited for the youth to catch up. “Yes, I suppose I could do that, but I cannot. Life is a journey, not a destination. I am allowed to guide you on this journey, Kaien, but I cannot do it for you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, but may I ask why?”

The mystic nodded. “Of course you may,” murmured Kenjin. “I’m not allowed to interfere…too much, with the lives of people. I can mingle, I can protect, but I see everything, Kaien. Your life, while it means a great deal to you, is quite insignificant in the scope I see through.” He smiled, perhaps with a bit of sadness around his face. “But that is not to say I do not want you to succeed. I merely want you to succeed. This is not my life, after all.”

[nikuvillain]

“So, if you can see so much what will finding this dragon do for me?” Kaien asked wondering in the mind of his mind if this man was really so great. He hated the riddle talk, but it kept him interested. A task that not easy to do.

“If I gave you that answer than it would mean little.”

What do you mean it mean little? Kaien questioned himself in his thought. He stared at Kenjin in deep thought about what had been said trying to come up with an answer. As he looked on his thought begun to wander off into something more interesting for him. If only I could get a peek, he thought to himself still wanting to see the man’s past.

“So, if you can’t tell me what this journey is for and you can’t just pop us there. Than why is a ghost like yourself guiding me and what would happen if I chose to not go?”

“You won’t leave before we get there. How do I know this? Because you’re one that likes to find answers and learn about the past. Even without me telling you what you gain from it you want to go,” Kenjin said as if he knew the young awaken since he was a child.

Kaien could only smile to the answer that was given. It wasn’t everyday that he met a man that knew what he was thinking. Damn him, Kaien thought wondering how long it would be to the sea. A few days maybe, or weeks if they slept once in awhile.

At least I have sometime to learn more about the great mystic. I’ll also learn about sea dragons too, if I get close enough. Can’t be all that bad. Though, I wonder if there really are any or if he just testing him. Hmm… The young awaken thought losing himself into his own little world of ideas.

“Is this a test or are we really going to find a sea dragon?” Kaien asked haven’t to know the answer now. His thoughts where killing him filling his mind with unknown answers. If only he could get a little information from the mystic he’d be fine. That thought a lone almost made him laugh.