An Honor in Passing

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Uncle Pervy
 

An Honor in Passing

Unread postby Uncle Pervy » Sat May 31, 2003 4:40 am

(See how long it take you to guess whom he is speaking to)

You are a curious soul, aren't you? I've never had one who possessed me try to delve so far into my consciousness as you have. No, I am mistaken. There was one other, but he did not do so for the same reasons that you have, General.

...I prefer not to speak of that experience.

Yes, you are curious one indeed, General. So you desire to know how I became sentient, do you? Will it ease your curiosity, and get you to stop prodding at me with those probing spells? They are annoying.

So be it, General.

You know that my name is Maru. I don't know where I got this name. Nor do I know who forged me. You wish to know my earliest memories? That is...difficult to say. I remember the heat of my wielder's fingers first, then the blood. I am not sure what followed, but I became more aware of who my wielder was, and of my sister blade.

Yes, there is another sword that was forged with me, my sister blade, Reki. We were forged to be mirror images of each other. Yes, I know a Katana is usually matched with a shorter blade. I don't know why we were forged as we are. Why should I; do you remember your own birth? I though not, General. Reki? I shall explain why we were seperated when I get there.

As I was say, He is the first master that I recall, the one whose fingers I felt. There might have been more before him. You wish to know his name? Hanagota Tamoko. Nekonian? I wouldn't know if his name sounded like it was from that language. What did he do? No, he was not a sorcerer. He was an assassin.

Tamoko posed as a wandering swordsman, while recieving orders from his superiors. Neither my sister nor I are the traditional blades that his kind used. We are not easy to conceal; our purpose is battle, not slaying people in their sleep. But, Tamoko preferred to use us over any other blade. He had faith in us, and used my sister and I no matter the cicrumstances.

You ask about that faith? I did not understand it, but I responded to it. I was able to guide his hand as we fought together to make his strikes more sure. That, I believe, is how I came to be what I am now. Tamoko's faith sustained me and nutured me, and we slew dozens of opponents together.

It is lamentable that my wielder's cousin, Iori, slit Tamoko's throat as Tamoko slept and claimed my sister and I for his own. What did Iori do with us? Nothing. He intended to use us as a status symbol, and as tools of assassination. I did not allow this. His mind was not strong like Tamoko's; he had no faith in us. It was easy to force my will over his.

I made Iori to give Reki and I to the leader of his organization. This man too was unworthy of us. Reki and I dominated him, and forced him to pass us to a samurai by the name of Date Ichiro. Ichiro wielded us with honor, but his faith in us was not strong, and he was struck down by another samurai by the name of Toyomi Musui. Musui was our master until his death, using us in contests of honor. Then he tried to cheat his opponent; I stayed his hand at a critical moment for misusing us.

We were then passed to his son. I do not recall the son's name; he was poisoned by a treacherous friend who desired to possess us. This friend did not have a chance to wield us; he died his sleep during an attack, and we changed hands once more. Fujiwara Mifune was our next master, a soldier of no real worth. We compelled him to give us to his commander, Echisada Yasunori.

I believe you see the pattern now. Once in a great while, a worthy soul held us. But for the most part, we were in the hands of the unfaithful or the dishonorable. When Reki or I could find a worthy soul, we would manipulate our current master into giving us to him. Otherwise, we simply prevented or punished dishonor. But, never were our masters defeated when they had faith in us.

Then the metal ships came, bringing foreigners and change. Reki and I fell to the wayside, as the nation worked to modernize itself to match the foreigners. Valthi? I believe these foreigners were not unlike your Valthi. We were placed to rest in a museum that was once a daimyo's palace. The family managed to maintain its prosperity despite the changes that followed the coming of those ships.

For generations we rested there, untouched except for cleaning. We became antiques that were never used. The society that supported honorable swordsmen died away, and we were only remnants on it. There was no point in dominating our caretakers; what honor was to be found in a society that no longer fought?

Then the family that ran the Museum fell into ruin, and we were auctioned away. By this point, my sister sword and I were seldom awake anymore. Our time had passed, and we were about to pass with it. Then we fell into the hands of a woman by the name of Tiffany Kinezono Jr, and we found a place again.

Tiffany; she demanded that we call her Tiff; used us once more. Swordsmanship had become all but a dead art by that time, but she devoted herself to it. It felt good to be used again. She sought out tourmanents to test her skill, others who preserved the art. She used us in the defense of her mother's corporation. She reminded me of Tamoko in some ways; clinging to a warrior's honor despite her station

She then met an opponent that she was barely able to endure, a sorcerer by the name of Aliester Purvis. Yes, I know there is a guard captain by that name at your castle, General. The relation between the two is difficult to explain. Accept that they are the same soul born in seperate dimensions. The Aliester I speak of is a human who has become immortal through his own magicks.

Tiff was able to beat him with my sister blade, but he gave her a challange that no one else had. Sorcery in that world is as rare as swordplay has become. I had only faced one mage in the past, and he was a puddle before Aliester's sea. In the events that followed, Aliester asked her to be allowed to use one of us, finding his own sword insufficient. Tiff agreed, trusting Aliester, and gave me to him.

Why would such a powerful sorcerer need me? Because he didn't want to use that power. Would you cast your most powerful spells in the middle of Doma City? I thought not.

Aliester. Of all the wielders I have had, he unsettles me the most. He was...powerful, immensely strong. He walked the razor's edge of control with that power, it was a constant struggle of temptation for him. He had also encountered a sentient blade before; he first words to me were that if I tried to dominate his will, he would place me in the lunar core.

It would have been futile for me to try. His will was far too strong for me to bend. It was maddening; I was helpless in Aliester's grasp. Alone? No, that did not matter. With or without Reki, so long as I am used properly... That is all I care for. Did Aliester use me properly? He did, but...

You are aware of his madness, correct? Soon after obtaining me, he went insane with his power, when he was forced to draw too deeply on it to survive an encounter with the assassins of a god whom he had crossed.

I am not one to feel fear, I am rarely at true risk and I know my end shall come in combat someday. But I felt fear then. He tried to become a god, General. I was there as he created the angel and as he used me to fight against the friends that wanted to save him. I was helpless to do anything.

You say you've never seen an angsting blade, General? That is correct, I feel nothing like angst. It is simple truth, there was nothing I could do against him. But Aliester's faith was in himself, not in me. I did not aid him either, and in the end he fell before the ones who opposed him.

They then saved his life, as he returned to his senses. After that, Aliester and I had a talk. He desired solace to think upon his mistakes, and he knew that I was not comfortable around him any longer. Thus, he passed me down the the angel he created, my current mistress, Enlil.

You laugh, General: why? Because a weapon such as I has fallen into the hands of a pacifist? You are correct in one sense; I have not taken the life of a foe since she has wielded me.

Am I unhappy? No. Mistress Enlil does not draw me without a reason. She does not use me for her own advancement. If I am drawn, I know that she is doing it to serve the ideals that she has devoted her life to. Until I was passed to her, I had never experienced such. Tamoko fought with honor, but his fights served no purpose. Tiff protected her company, but little else. Aliester may have, but he and I parted before it could be so.

It is strange, to have a purpose. I have taken the lives of hundreds since Tamoko first wielded me. Yet now, I have a Mistress who desires to ensure that such will never happen again. And she has faith in me when she wields me, she has total confidence that I will help her persevere.

So I serve her proudly. Mistress has given me an honor that I have lacked until now. I am used to achieve something, rather than simple survival, or honor for its own sake. I have meaning now.

You? How do I rank you as a Master, General? I don't consider you one. Mistress offered me to you in order to help you to focus your will when destroying the artifacts of Nimuku. That is why I am with you now. Afterwards, you shall return me to Mistress.

I tire now. This world is so distant from my own; I cannot manifest my will for long without draining myself. So, I shalll rest now, and wait until it is time to destroy the artifacts. Until I am needed, General.


<p><div style="text-align:center">Image Image Image Image Image ImageImage</div></p>Edited by: Uncle Pervy&nbsp; Image at: 5/31/03 7:26:16 pm

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pd Rydia
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Posts: 5269
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2002 4:12 pm
Location: Temple of Fiends

Re: An Honor in Passing

Unread postby pd Rydia » Sat May 31, 2003 6:05 pm

- "We became antiques were never used." -- that were never...

Otherwise...spiffy. o_o Totally. I haven't seen such a short piece from you before, it's a nice change in pace. <p>
<span style="font-size:xx-small;">-=- "YOU SEE THE MIGHTY DAMARAMU'S BRAIN IS VERY COMPACT!" -- Damaramu
-=- "Don't worry Mink, I'll be good excess baggage!" -- Pia
-=- "But I'm a slime half!" -- Princess Vena
-=- "OH BY THE SEVEN GODS IT'S A MECHANICAL BIRD! But it's so...small..." -- announcer guy
-=- "Demons don't care about story continuity!" -- Doug Finn</span></p>

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Jak Snide
 
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Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2002 7:14 am
Location: London

Re: An Honor in Passing

Unread postby Jak Snide » Sat May 31, 2003 7:51 pm

Realised who the sword was speaking to about 1/2 way through. All the same, solid stuff, mate!



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