( OOC : This is just the prelude before the RP starts NO replying to it yet as I'll post something new so it can be started properly. If you wish to make a comment on it, there is my Concerning my RP's thread in the OOC forum, just post it in there ^_^ )
(The plot has been redone a bit and hopefully a bit better thought out... anywho.. here we go! )
Prelude
- - - - - - -
The north was a frozen wasteland, where bitter hard winds blew away all but the hardest of life and the harsh climate made "boys" into "men" at a much earlier age.
Man had managed to grow and build even in this land, though the price of such recklessness was high as the towns and cities had a history of death behind them and the walls, if they told tales, would tell how many bones had broken in them being made.
It is these people who used to be the only ones who knew of
them. They are feared and respected, even by these hard people.
To the West, in a large collection of mountains, home to some of the most feared of monsters, is where they wonder. There way is that of survival and honour. Only the strongest live to a good age, only the lucky make it past that.
Living together with the Honourable Wolf-Pigs, the Barbarian Ninja's have had a hard simple life, were wars are pointless, but fighting is life.
No Barbarian Ninja has left the collection of mountains they call
Gre'Par'th 'The Spirit Hills'.
Not one? Well. . . perhaps one has.
Banished from the homeland for a crime against everything they believe in, Ark, a boy of 12, gifted, or cursed, with a strength inhuman, marked by the spirits with blue hair, is the only one of them to have left this land.
With him went the great leader Wind Fang, leader of the Wolf-Pigs who was once linked with the mighty Krone, the strongest and bravest of all the Barbarian Ninja's. Wind Fangs tale is a long one, filled with death and betrayal, life and death, but that is for another time. Now linked with the boy, his heart in turmoil over all he has lost yet his love for the child, wonders the unexplored world, Ark in tow.
- - - - -
Time passed, and the already long lived Wind Fang grew older and the boy grew up to the age of 17. Free from his home and his people, the boy grew into a free spirit, carefree and kind but his strength grew also and he left a trail of accidents and deaths. His curse could not be lifted.
The boy chose to rename himself, believing being bigger meant he should have a bigger name. He took on the name of
Choark .
The boy had long ago renamed Wind-Fang to Pig, who had taken the name without complaint. He held it like a badge of death. Wind-Fang was no more.
- - - - -
Through the mountains of Gre'Par'th a silent figure crept out of the town. Her sandals on her feet made no sound as they hit each rock. Her hair was tied into a long pony tail that flapped in the chilly breeze, the moonlight showed her hair was a strange pink colour, with yellow streaks in it.
The the figure tripped and fell, falling from rock to rock until she landed on iher head. The figure laid still for a few seconds before flipping back up. Rubbing her head she said,
"I have a owie. . ."
Carrying on with her important mission, the figure crept into the second temple of Apa'kee, holding a scroll.
- - - - - -
"This is impossible" Said the typically shadowed important figure, who's face could not be made out in the dimly lit room.
"Yet, it is so." Said the other shadow like figure.
The room was square and very boring in design. It had no pillars, it had no holy symbols and, most importantly, it had no where anyone could sneak into with without the people in the room knowing. It was a room in a temple where important discussions were made.
The figure that had brought the scroll sat in the light of the room, two candles at her feet, listening in on the masters talk.
At least 10 other people were in the room, yet none of there faces could be made out, and there voices had been trained so each one sounded exactly the same, barring a few differences to the trained ear.
"Such things, it is against the spirits!"
"That is not what is important. What is important is how we act!" Was that the first figure who spoke, or the second?
"To act? What can we do? The purpose of the Wolf-Pigs is to guard the humans. This is beyond human, this is beyond
our control." This was said after a series of weird sounds that was obviously the sound of a Wolf-Pig speaking. The man who spoke had learned there language, which was as complex as the humans. This was a very big feat to achieve, as most people who have ever spoke the language of the Wolf-Pigs had been joined to them.
"It is beyond all of us! We are but men and have the strength of men!"
The sitting figure with pink and yellow hair, felt the eyes of everyone turn to her. She looked up. Her age was 14. Small, some would decribe her as cute. Others would describe her a dangerously perky and interested in things that weren't hers, or more often, "thief!".
Her strength was well known as well. It was inhuman, more so then "his".
"She could fight such a menace!"
"On her own? Impossible!"
"I'm saying it is possible! Her strength is that of ten of our strongest!" Which figure was this again? It could be a new one or. . .
"Do not argue with me with blithering old Goat! Why my hands were snapping the necks of my enemies while yours were training to pick up a sword!"
The trouble with Barbarian Ninja's was that secret meetings were not common place and few knew how to hold there tongue and be, well, secret. They preferred the honouable fight. That of sneaking up on the enemy, clubbing a few in the back, then shouting charge and beating to death the rest. Other tactics were beyond them. Strength and skill was everything.
As the fight calmed, the remaining figures spoke.
"She could not do it on her own. For, she is an idiot!"
The girl sat there and nodded her head. It was true, she was an idiot, she never deigned it. Why bother?
"We need a powerful fighter! A warror!"
"None have been as great as Krone and Wind-Fang." This voice had a whimsical sound to its voice, like if it remembering something while saying it.
"But Wind-Fang is DEAD!!" It was snapped out and it was obvious that it was a lie. For one, everyone in the room knew he was alive, expect the girl, and two, he only pointed out the fact Wind-Fang was dead and made no mention of Krone, who
was dead and eaten.
"I
MEAN that none of our warriors, no matter how great, have been near the strength of those two. And I believe only those two ever had a chance against this."
The room fell silent.
- - - - - -
Time passed until the next day came and the girl was summoned again. She walked through the temple until she came to the front. It was a large open area where most of the Barbarian Ninja's trained in there more complex skills. At the front of the yard there was a small temple that was raised, looking over all of the yard.
Walking over to this temple, the girl walked inside and found the room she was summoned to. It was decorated in many statues of past warriors, both fiction and not. Bowing to the figures, who now hid themselves behind a paper wall so only there outline could be made out.
"You have a mission Cursed one. It will be long and tough and you will perhaps not survive. But you must, for it important to the safety of everything we know. . ."
The girl sat quietly but didn't bother listening, the introduction to these missions were always long and boring. Humming a tune in her head, she counted down until. . .
" . . . So here is your mission.
" You are to leave the land of the Spirit Hills and venture through the dark lands until you find a Wolf-Pig by the name of
Wind-Fang . You will give him the scroll in front of you." The girl looked down and sure enough a scroll that had previously not been there, was.
"eheheeh That's Coo!" The girl chirped.
"SILENCE!" The figures sighed and continued. "You will then return to the Spirit Hills and battle the enemy. That is your mission."
"Aye Aye your honourable Sir!" The girl said with a spin and a bow, as she whisked up the scroll and placed it in her pants pockets. She began to race off but a sudden "HALT!" stopped her in her tracks.
"S'up old man?" The girl asked.
"The prized sword of the spirits, the one that was said to have defeated the dark lords, the one that's shines darkness and the hilt is made from the frozen blood of the fallen . . ."
"I can
have it!?" The girl excitedly asked, wide eyed.
"No! I want you to return it to the statue from where you took it!" The voice of the old man had lost its secrecy.
The girl shrugged and place the sword in the statue.
". . . very good. Now, if you please, can you return the statue?"
- - - - - -
"Get to go outside! Get to go outside! Get to go outside!" The girl happily skipped through the town as she sang out the words. She was finally leaving this boring land and going out to see the "dark world", that place beyond the mountains!
Her heart was pounding with excitement. All her life she had wanted to see the world beyond this one, and now those silly old geezers were sending her off on a mission there. She chuckled at her luck. The spirits were smiling on her.
Her route took her away from the town and up a worn path, that climbed the mountain side to a small stone house that stood away from all the others.
She stopped at a small rock with a smiley face carved on it and bowed.
"Guess what Bro!? I'm finally getting to see the world outside! I know I promised to see it with ya and all, but with you being dead and all it won't be possible. So, like, I'll bring back a little something and put it on ya grave! I hope it'll make you happy and all. Well, see ya" The girl kneeled down and kissed the smiley face and skipped to the stone house.
"Gramps! I'm home!" She flung herself into the room, her face a picture of happiness.
A old man, with long silver hair growing out of his nose and ears, turned around and looked at his grand daughter. His face was hard and worn, but showed signs of a happy life, and a life with sorrow as well.
"Welcome Child!" He got up and hugged her, and she returned the favour. Gasping for air the old man had to hit her on the head several time until she let go.
"Sorry Gramps!" she said, sweat dropping. "I didn't mean to do that."
"It' okay Pia, just. . . be careful on these old bones." The old man sat down again. "So, what brings you here?"
"Well, I won't be getting to see ya for. . ." she had a quick think ". . . a couple of years or something."
The old man fell silent, suddenly deep in thought. When he spoke, he spoke carefully. "They have sent you on a mission?"
Pia nodded.
"To retrieve someone?" Pia nodded again, beaming a smile at him.
The old man fell silent again. He knew who it would be but he couldn't believe they would try this. For all they knew, he was dead. The Wolf-Pigs age had been nearly impossible when he left all those years ago. Now? now he would guess his heart would have given out.
However. He had linked with the boy and that had made him strong again.
"Gramps?" Pia was upset she wasn't getting all the attention from him.
"Sorry sorry... old man.. mind wondering." If she went then he would meet
him . Would either of them be ready for that? Would this old man?
"So, you're going off to find the great Wind-Fang then?"
The girl went wide eyed and stomped her foot, nearly cracking the tone beneath it. "That's not fair! I didn't get to say it! How DO you do that!?"
He chuckled. "This old man still has a good head! And age has its benefits."
The two went silent. Both knew what would happen now. She would go and it would be likely they would never see each other again. The old man might not even live past the next day and she was going into the unknown. Both had grown used to death, even in her young age. She had lost her parents when she was just a baby, and lost her older brother at the age of 9.
"so ummm. . I guess. . . that's that then Gramps. I gotta go and . . ." However, the two had a strong relationship and neither wanted to lose the other. They were all they had.
The two embraced in a hug and left it at that. Long good byes were pointless. Let the heart tell its love, not the words.
- - - - - -
Pia, the second cursed child. Her strength was even greater then that of her brothers and her ability for fun and trouble was even more. Though both had the same mother, the father had been different and as such she, unlike her brother, had not been linked with the Wold-Pigs.
A thief in her spare time, though she would hit anyone who called her that, she enjoys looking through other peoples items and belongings.
Anyone silly enough to leave there things around for them to be picked up had it coming to them. How this applies to things "dropped" in pockets is anyones guess.
Her life had been more controlled then her brothers, as once her brother had been banished they did not want a repeated mistake. Brought up away from most people, she had been trained from dust till dawn everyday of her life and left out of the hunts.
To her knowledge, her brother died 5 years ago, in the temple accident which had caused Wind-Fang so much inner pain he left this land.
Now she would go and find Wind-Fang and bring him back to her dead brother, and to the temples.
- - - - -
"So, like, why am I here?" Pia tapped her foot impatiently. The Wolf-Pig answered back in its own language, as that was all they could manage.
"Really? Well that's great. . . ." She turned to the man standing next to her. ". . what he'd say?"
"HE is a She, and she said they are locating
him for you so you don't have to wonder round aimlessly and get lost" The man eyed Pia who was scratching the back of her head and sniggering.
'Darn. There goes me losing my way and seeing all the world'
The sound of the howls lifted itself up through the cold air of the mountains. Long and soulful, the howl had a tint of sorrow edging into its tone.
Then the wind answered the call. A sudden burst of the powerful wind blew across the homes of the Gre'Par'th land, collecting the howls of all the Wolf-Pigs and carrying them across the world. . .
- - - - -
. . . and into the ears of Pig.
Sitting up, he twitched his nose, thinking he had been woken by the smell of prey nearby yet he could smell nothing. Looking around he saw Choark laying next to him, snoring, hugging his warhammer which sparked of with lighten magic, that fizzled out on his hair.
A peaceful smile was on the boys face. The land of Doma has been good to him and the boy was learning a lot and making new friends. Not all of them Pig approved of but it was better then the lonely existence he might of had.
Thinking maybe he had simply got far too old Pig went to rest again, until the wind blew anew. This time Pig shot straight up and his ears twitched.
He heard the calls of his people and smelt the magic in the wind. They needed him it seemed and they were waiting for him to answer back.
His people, his home. He had nearly forgotten about them, about his responsibilities, about his past. Was he to have no peace?
The boy twitched in his sleep and gave off a small cry for food. Grabbing out for some invisible animal, he caught it and chopped it down then returned to his still slumber.
The wind blew again, waiting and expecting an answer. It received none. Pig laid down and slept once more. It was no longer his concern.
- - - - -
The magic had been strong, so much so that it needed not the answer of Wind-fang. The wind carried the sent and the land and of Wind-Fang back to the land of Gre'Par'th.
"He is far to the South-East. In a land unlike our own, home to many beasts with unfamiliar scents. We can not give any more details, it seemed he answered our all not." The wolf-pigs looked at one another, worried. Wind-Fang has changed a lot in his last years before he left, what if he had changed too much?
"Well, least its vague enough to have some fun with!" Pia chirped out. She gave of a small giggle. Okay, so now she had to head in a direction, but at least she'll still get to look around somewhat.
Turning around she gave a wave to everyone there. "Well see ya then!"
She jumped and ran away. heading out of the mountains and into her first real adventure.
The Wolf-Pigs sighed and chanted out a new spell. Lifting her from where she was, the wind carried her over the mountains and past the land that surrounded them. The land around the mountains were home to the Sand Worms, giant killers that few have ever managed to kill.
Landing with a thud beyond the Sand Worms "home" she rubbed her backside and shouted out to the wind. "What was that for!?" The answer was a simple "Idiot!"
Shrugging, she turned and headed south-east, kind of, and started out on her first great adventure. . . again.
- - - - - -
End of prelude
Yeah.. so its long but now you know the back story of what's going on. All very mysterious and all eh? *laughs* Anywho, I hope ya enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Anywho.. again it was written in the morning.. so sentances might trail off.. if its really bad.. >> I'll edit this again with fixes.. eheheheeheh ^^;;
Edited by: [url=http://pub30.ezboard.com/uchoark.showPublicProfile?language=EN>Choark</A] at: 7/4/02 3:33:53 pm