Post by Shoju on Aug 14, 2012 10:02:52 GMT -5
And this is how it ends.
As the words ran through Shoju's mind for the last time, he realized they were meant to be said at a distinctly different place and time. As he lay beaten and broken, he closed his eyes, and imagined himself standing above the murderer. Those words were supposed to be the last words that Bayushi Senshi ever heard, as Shoju's No-Dachi came to bear against his flesh, finally rendering the cycle complete. He had rehearsed it, the line flowing from his toungue with equal parts bravado, and seething hatred.
Instead, Shoju lay here, in Saisei, physically broken. He could hear his horde outside the spire. They too, beaten, bloodied, and running. His Akunin, Dead. The being that had given him this new form and purpose had seemingly abandoned him. He would never live long enough to hear the tale of how Mai and the Ikazuchi bested the Oni Lord, celebrating their victory by seizing the only thing that could finally end the madman's assault on the empire.
Shoju's eyes struggled to focus as he took stock of the room. Crimson Blood and gore in every direction, yet his ability to use the blood, gone. He laid on the floor, utterly alone, His mind reeling from pain unlike any he had ever endured. He lifted his head, and saw that blasted blade of hers buried into his chest. Right where his heart should have been.
He could make out Mai's shape huddled next to a man who looked like an aging shugenja a few feet away. He tried to speak, but the movement of his chest only agitated the blade, and sent him into a spasm.
The new pain from the blade brought memories of his horde's first assault against the Empire. With Shoju and his Akunin at the helm, they decimated towns in the Northwest Crab lands along the Shinomen as they worked towards Scorpion Lands. He knew that the destruction of his former clan would be a great show of force. Had the... Ikazuchi not arrived when they had, Ryoko Owari, Kuyden Bayushi, and the Murderer would all be his.
His eyes shot open at the sound of Mai's temper flaring as the old man tried in vain to open the box. He didn't know its secrets, and Mai didn't care. She just wanted the contents. Shoju chuckled involuntarily at their attempts, which only sent him into another spasm.
His mind reeled again, and he remembered his final visit to the City of the Lost. He reached the city with a large portion of his horde. He was granted an audience with the Obsidian Champion of the Spider, who refused to ally. The Spider didn't need his Horde, he was told. In the end, they had both failed to take the Empire. As the battle at Saisei had raged for the past few days, Shoju was certain he had seen that damned Dark Moto fighting... with The Ikazuchi.
The battle had been costly to both sides. Few would live to tell the tales of the final battle at Saisei. As the Empire fought deeper into the keep, Shoju unleashed a new horror. Lesser Akunin. They lacked the intelligence and wisdom of those who had taken to the ritual willingly, but they were ravenous. Their killing was indiscriminate. Bakemono, Ogre, Troll, Samurai, Shugenja. It mattered not.
But the Empire had eventually beat them back as well. While the armies of the empire fought against The Horde outside, the remaining Ikazuchi had breached the Iron citadel, and began stalking their prey. Several more had fallen along the way, others injured. Only Mai and the old Shugenja had made it to Shoju's chamber at the top of the Spire.
The battle had been intense. In the end, Mai caught Shoju off balance and buried the enchanted blade in his chest.
Shoju was startled back to the here and now by a boot in his ribs. The pain was blinding, and he couldn't hear what Mai was saying over the screams in his mind. As his mind howled in pain, his eyes rolled back into his head, and closed again.
This time, all he saw, was her. His Beloved. His Tenshi. She showed no signs of the pregnancy. He was sure he had gone mad. Her face held a terrible, tragic sadness, and she only looked down, No matter how many times Shoju called to her, or tried to run, she stayed the same distance away, her face down. Shoju stopped running, and fell to his knees. He could feel the grass under his legs. It felt so real. He pleaded with her to just look at him one more time.
She finally acknowledged his existence, shaking her head no. No. Not like that.
Shoju's face bore recognition of what she meant. He sobbed, nodded, and opened his eyes. Mai was still over him, screaming.
He raised his arm as much as he could, and pointed at the box the shugenja held. bring.... it... It was all that he could say, as his arm fell back to the floor with a thud.
Mai nodded at the shugenja, who brought her the box. Shoju couldn't make out who the old looking shugenja was, but he had a familiarity to him. He bowed as he gave the box to Mai.
Shoju lifted his arm, and pawed at the blood pooling on the floor next to his body, and then placed his clawed hand on the box. For the first time since they had retrieved the box, it betrayed motion. The top of the box slid open, split perfectly in the middle. Inside the Iron Box, lay a beating heart. It pumped, as if it had never been removed from a body. It pumped as though it were always meant to. Each beat was mesmerizing, and resounded in Shoju's head.
He closed his eyes, and listened to it for a moment, before pawing at his No-Dachi on the floor. He was able to get a grip on the blade, and he could hear it scream in his mind. It had drank the blood of many since its creation. He tightened his grip on it. He was ready. He opened his eyes, and looked into Mai's.
"You are my Shi" he whispered, as his eyes closed for the final time, tears welling up. He could feel the burden Mai now held. The heart must be destroyed, Shoju must be put to rest.
As the blade pierced his heart, Shoju gasped, and died. In death, he had failed. He had been the furious sound of a storm on the horizon, but the Empire had held him at bay. The Scorpion Champion, his wife and child, lived. The Empire, though scarred, still stood. His love, his Tenshi, still dead. As the blade pierced his heart, the beating ceased, and his form lay still.
It was over.
As the words ran through Shoju's mind for the last time, he realized they were meant to be said at a distinctly different place and time. As he lay beaten and broken, he closed his eyes, and imagined himself standing above the murderer. Those words were supposed to be the last words that Bayushi Senshi ever heard, as Shoju's No-Dachi came to bear against his flesh, finally rendering the cycle complete. He had rehearsed it, the line flowing from his toungue with equal parts bravado, and seething hatred.
Instead, Shoju lay here, in Saisei, physically broken. He could hear his horde outside the spire. They too, beaten, bloodied, and running. His Akunin, Dead. The being that had given him this new form and purpose had seemingly abandoned him. He would never live long enough to hear the tale of how Mai and the Ikazuchi bested the Oni Lord, celebrating their victory by seizing the only thing that could finally end the madman's assault on the empire.
Shoju's eyes struggled to focus as he took stock of the room. Crimson Blood and gore in every direction, yet his ability to use the blood, gone. He laid on the floor, utterly alone, His mind reeling from pain unlike any he had ever endured. He lifted his head, and saw that blasted blade of hers buried into his chest. Right where his heart should have been.
He could make out Mai's shape huddled next to a man who looked like an aging shugenja a few feet away. He tried to speak, but the movement of his chest only agitated the blade, and sent him into a spasm.
The new pain from the blade brought memories of his horde's first assault against the Empire. With Shoju and his Akunin at the helm, they decimated towns in the Northwest Crab lands along the Shinomen as they worked towards Scorpion Lands. He knew that the destruction of his former clan would be a great show of force. Had the... Ikazuchi not arrived when they had, Ryoko Owari, Kuyden Bayushi, and the Murderer would all be his.
His eyes shot open at the sound of Mai's temper flaring as the old man tried in vain to open the box. He didn't know its secrets, and Mai didn't care. She just wanted the contents. Shoju chuckled involuntarily at their attempts, which only sent him into another spasm.
His mind reeled again, and he remembered his final visit to the City of the Lost. He reached the city with a large portion of his horde. He was granted an audience with the Obsidian Champion of the Spider, who refused to ally. The Spider didn't need his Horde, he was told. In the end, they had both failed to take the Empire. As the battle at Saisei had raged for the past few days, Shoju was certain he had seen that damned Dark Moto fighting... with The Ikazuchi.
The battle had been costly to both sides. Few would live to tell the tales of the final battle at Saisei. As the Empire fought deeper into the keep, Shoju unleashed a new horror. Lesser Akunin. They lacked the intelligence and wisdom of those who had taken to the ritual willingly, but they were ravenous. Their killing was indiscriminate. Bakemono, Ogre, Troll, Samurai, Shugenja. It mattered not.
But the Empire had eventually beat them back as well. While the armies of the empire fought against The Horde outside, the remaining Ikazuchi had breached the Iron citadel, and began stalking their prey. Several more had fallen along the way, others injured. Only Mai and the old Shugenja had made it to Shoju's chamber at the top of the Spire.
The battle had been intense. In the end, Mai caught Shoju off balance and buried the enchanted blade in his chest.
Shoju was startled back to the here and now by a boot in his ribs. The pain was blinding, and he couldn't hear what Mai was saying over the screams in his mind. As his mind howled in pain, his eyes rolled back into his head, and closed again.
This time, all he saw, was her. His Beloved. His Tenshi. She showed no signs of the pregnancy. He was sure he had gone mad. Her face held a terrible, tragic sadness, and she only looked down, No matter how many times Shoju called to her, or tried to run, she stayed the same distance away, her face down. Shoju stopped running, and fell to his knees. He could feel the grass under his legs. It felt so real. He pleaded with her to just look at him one more time.
She finally acknowledged his existence, shaking her head no. No. Not like that.
Shoju's face bore recognition of what she meant. He sobbed, nodded, and opened his eyes. Mai was still over him, screaming.
He raised his arm as much as he could, and pointed at the box the shugenja held. bring.... it... It was all that he could say, as his arm fell back to the floor with a thud.
Mai nodded at the shugenja, who brought her the box. Shoju couldn't make out who the old looking shugenja was, but he had a familiarity to him. He bowed as he gave the box to Mai.
Shoju lifted his arm, and pawed at the blood pooling on the floor next to his body, and then placed his clawed hand on the box. For the first time since they had retrieved the box, it betrayed motion. The top of the box slid open, split perfectly in the middle. Inside the Iron Box, lay a beating heart. It pumped, as if it had never been removed from a body. It pumped as though it were always meant to. Each beat was mesmerizing, and resounded in Shoju's head.
He closed his eyes, and listened to it for a moment, before pawing at his No-Dachi on the floor. He was able to get a grip on the blade, and he could hear it scream in his mind. It had drank the blood of many since its creation. He tightened his grip on it. He was ready. He opened his eyes, and looked into Mai's.
"You are my Shi" he whispered, as his eyes closed for the final time, tears welling up. He could feel the burden Mai now held. The heart must be destroyed, Shoju must be put to rest.
As the blade pierced his heart, Shoju gasped, and died. In death, he had failed. He had been the furious sound of a storm on the horizon, but the Empire had held him at bay. The Scorpion Champion, his wife and child, lived. The Empire, though scarred, still stood. His love, his Tenshi, still dead. As the blade pierced his heart, the beating ceased, and his form lay still.
It was over.