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Sword & Sorcery (Applepoisoneer x DaveTheHuman)

Applepoisoneer

Applepoisoneer

Supernova
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Location
In the deep, dark woods. Where no one can hear you
Her broad-sword was heavy, and getting heavier with each swing. Why-oh-why did she pick the heavier sword? Because it was embossed with thistles and shamrocks. Because Bea had too much pride in her heritage to make the smart choice. Well, hindsight is 20/20, and she supposed it was just wide enough to serve as a decent shield too.

The savage screeching and grinding of metal parts rang all around her, coming from front and behind. She stepped back, trying to make a triangle between her, the giant lion and the... thing that kind of looked like a bear, but might be a fat puma? She wasn't sure, and with the way it was swiping at her, she didn't think there was time to puzzle it over. Bea swung at the bear-thingy, just as it brought it's paw down for another swipe at her. It split between the toes and the lower section of the arm blew apart. It reared back and bellowed, preparing to charge her. The lion raked it's paws against the hard dirt and did the same.

Bea stood perfectly stiff just long enough for them to get close. Then, she flung herself sword and all, backward, letting them knock into each other. A little dazed, they shook it off and turned their heads to glare at her with burning red LED eyes. They were coming for her again.
 
Walking through the forest, Jack could see the trees beginning to thin as if there was an opening ahead. The samurai took it as a good sign. He had been following this trail through the forest for a few days and was sometimes wondering if the trail led anywhere. But from all of his travels and adventures, he knew every trail led somewhere.

Coming closer, he was now certain there was an opening but he heard a sound coming from the opening which was all too familiar. He scanned his area briefly and then took off in a sprint. Nearing the edge of the forest, he lunged high up into a pine tree and perched on a branch. Down in the opening he could see two mechanical animals coming toward an armed woman. There was still distance between the machines and their prey, but it was closing.

Drawing his razor-edged katana, the warrior sprung from the pine tree and landed between the woman and the mechanical beasts. The sun reflected off of his sword, his only possession. As the beasts charged, dust flew up from the ground but Jack stood firm with his sword ready.

The lion reached him first, but was met with an attack it didn't expect. The samurai's sword came down hard and sliced through it's metal head with a clean ringing sound. The beast exploded black smoke that quickly engulfed him, but he was not surprised when the next creature came barreling through the smoke.

The darker metal beast lunged at him with much more ferocity. Jack did not repeat his first attack and instead jumped high into the air, leaving the beast alone in the dark smoke. Though the enemy was not visible, Jack had no question as to where it was. When gravity pulled him back to the dark smoke, the tip of his katana was pointing downward and glinting from it's sharp polish.

Another explosion erupted in the dark smoke, sending fragments of the dark beast everywhere. When the smoke cleared, the samurai's sword was sheathed and he was walked toward the armed woman.
 
Bea swung her sword over her head and sheathed it behind her shoulders. She breathed a sigh of relief and brushed the dirt from her calf-length green dress. Her long, blonde hair had come loose from it's pins and hung around her face and shoulders.

"Thank you." She bowed slightly. "Alas, I am... not well matched against inorganic opponents."

She took the opportunity to look him over; a simple white kimono with grey lining, flowing over wooden sandals. She wondered if wooden shoes would hurt to walk around in, especially with a strap running through his toes like that. It looked terribly painful. She thought herself lucky to have one of the last pairs of leather boots in the surrounding land. Thankfully, she had unusually tiny feet. So no one bothered to swoop them away.
 
The sun had just touched the horizon opposite the forest when the battle was finished. Walking toward the woman, Jack gave a slightly confused look when she mentioned 'inorganic opponents.' But his eyes went to her sword, and then to his which was sheathed.

Returning his gaze to the woman he said "These machines consume metal. Perhaps your sword gave them a scent to track." The samurai remembered when the machines had so desperately wanted to eat his valued possession. Judging by the size of her sword, they probably smelled it from miles away if they had that capability.

The sky was changing through shades of colors, but also getting darker. The samurai had hoped to reach a city before nightfall but there was nothing but forest, field, and more forest. He would have to make camp.

Going over to one of the wrecked beasts, he grabbed a piece that was on fire at one end and took it toward the forest. He broke the smaller dead branches off the bottoms of pine trees and made a large pile of them before dropping the flaming remnant on top of it. The fire grew and, after adding more dried sticks, became sustainable.
 
"Hmm, it is entirely possible. I can't see much of a reason why they would attack me out here." She swept her hand along the horizon, indicating the forest. At that, she remembered which tree she'd thrown her pack behind when the fight started. She could only hope the cloth she'd wrapped her breakable items in had withstood the impact. But it was far more likely they would hold up to a quick toss than a giant lion attack.

She watched him whip a fire together, as though it were nothing. She really had to admire his resourcefulness, but then again, if he'd been traveling for long enough, he'd probaly picked up a lot. Then it clicked! She approached the fire and stood in its glow.

"Pardon me, but would you happen to be the wandering Samurai, Jack?" She felt a little stupid for asking, even sounding a little hesitant, but that was her nature. She was a knowledge seeker.
 
He sat near the fire, carefully placing larger sticks into it. Hot coals began forming at the bottom which would have been perfect if he had time to hunt or trap, but there would be no meat tonight. He had relied too heavily on reaching a city by nightfall. Cities were the only place his coins could become food.

When the woman approached him, he did not mind. Nothing about her seemed like she was an enemy and it had been days since he saw another person. He then heard her question. He nodded "I am. What is your name?"

He held onto a fat stick and then casually drew his sword. He used the blade to carve one end of the stick so it looked as if the wood was being peeled from itself, despite none of the shavings coming loose. The wanderer then set that end of the stick in the fire for a short while. Drawing it out, it was now a torch. It wasn't as bright as a cloth-tipped one soaked in oil, but it would work well for foraging. The samurai remembered seeing some elderberry trees around which were ripe with the small dark berries. Those would suffice for a meal.
 
Bea took the question as a que to sit, which she did after pulling the sword, sheath and all, off her back and laying it at her side. She positioned herself up-wind of the smoke rising from the fire, and set her pack on her lap.

"My name is Bea. Bea O'Shae. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm sure." She meant to offer up what was in her pack, but couldn't remember what she'd eaten yesterday.

She unconfined the buckles at the top and rifled through it; books, jars, crystals, a morter and pestle, as well as a little bundle of dried meat and herbs. She had eaten the rest of her bread, but there appeared to be a little ale left in her canteen. And, an apple that had sunk to the very bottom.

"I have some dried meat and herbs here, if you're hungry." She held out the cloth-wrapped meat. It smelt heavily of garlic salt and olives. "And I have an apple. If you'd like it?" She took it out and set it on her knee next to the leather bag.
 
(Being offered an apple from Applepoisoneer haha)

The samurai put the makeshift torch back in the fire to let it burn longer. "It's a pleasure to meet you Bea. What brings you to this area of the woods?" She didn't look like a hunter, plus this was a strange forest, one with few animals in it.

As she looked through her backpack, he pulled out the torch and saw it was burning more freely now. It would do well for foraging now. But he was happy to hear she offered food. He smiled and said "Thank you, but I will only take what you can spare."

As his eyes did their usual scanning of his surroundings, he saw a small shrub that looked like it had an elderberry shape to it. He stood up and walked over to it since it was relatively close to the fire. Jack would still be able to converse with Bea, but his stomach was beginning to get the best of him. He stuck the unlit end of the torch in the ground near the shrub and saw it was indeed elderberry. It had small fruits hanging from it which resembled small blueberries. But next to it was a plant with slightly larger berries. He was sure not to touch that elderberry-look-alike because it was water hemlock and very poisonous. So he made sure to pick only from the bark-covered plant. Soon enough had filled a pulled-out section of his kimono with the sweet berries.
 
(Hahaha, be glad Jack's not a princess. It could be trouble.)

"Please, take all that you-" He stood and walked toward a bush in the distance. Perhaps it was something she'd overlooked while being attacked. "What have you found? Berries of some kind?"

She watched him use his kimono as a basket. Resourceful, yet again. Bea waited for a reply and for him to return before answering his first question.

"I suppose you could say, I'm on a journey of my own." She took her canteen of ale from her pack and sipped at it, and set it aside. "I'm kind of a knowledge-hunter, of sorts. I collect arcane and strange magic no one wants... or that people want very much and shouldn't have. Whatever the case may be."

The last part was, perhaps, a little more telling than she'd meant it to be. She wondered what he would think of her if she'd told him she'd stolen a sword and magical artifacts from her own village. But it was out of... Curiosity? Necessity? Overwhelming ambition? All of those seemed to fit as an explanation. Perhaps none would sound satisfying to one with a quest as noble as his, but then again, he hadn't asked.
 
(Haha he is a prince so it's a close call.)

Jack put the torch back into the fire and said "Elderberries. They're good." He ate a few and put the rest on a large fallen leaf between them. Jack motioned for her to enjoy them.

He listened closely to her journey. It was beginning to make her comment on 'inorganic' enemies make sense. He used to be leery of those who followed the magical arts, but he has since learned it is just like martial arts; there are those who use it for good and those who use it for evil. Hopefully she was one who used it for good.

"Interesting. Have you discovered any magic which can alter time?"

He took a piece of the dried meat and smelled it before taking a bite. He smiled, thankful for the meal. But he was also thankful to have ran into someone. Even for a man who many considered a mute, there were times when solitude weighed heavy on his shoulders.
 
"Unfortunately, the closest I can come to altering time is suspending someone in it. I know of an amulet that will make it's wearer sleep until it is removed. But during that time, they will not change" She took a pinch of elder berries and ate them. It gave her an idea.

She stood and took a little trip over to the bush herself, examining it for straggling bbuds. There were more than she thought there would be. She plucked a few and cupped them in her hand. Although there was no time to dry them, but she could still make an infusion.

"Do you like tea?" She asked, as she sat back on her patch of grass. "Elder flower makes a wonderful tea."
 
He listened closely to her response. It was an answer he heard many times before. The magic wielders only knew of one sorcerer who had such power, and Jack knew him as well. It seemed there would be no short-cut to his quest, but he did not lose hope.

Seeing her return with the small white flowers, he was glad to see they weren't the umbrella-patterned white flowers of the water hemlock nearby. Jack nodded and said "I do."

The wanderer would sometimes spend weeks wandering the wild so he opted for pine-needle tea to prevent scurvy. The trade-off was that it had no flavor at all. But he welcomed the chance at the seasonal tea.

Jack cut a piece of the apple and bit into it as she prepared the tea. "Is your journey to retrieve the magical amulet?" He asked mostly to make conversation. It's powers didn't have much use to him.
 
"No, but it was an important stepping stone." She took a jar of distilled water (normally reserved for spell-crafting) and her morter and pestle and ground the elderflower into a moist dust. She put the jar very near to the heat and wished again that the'd had a kettle.

"Rather than take magical items others have made, I try to find ways to make them myself." She explained. "But it's not always possible. Sometimes the knowledge is so ancient, it becomes lost or confused in translation, or whatever it was that makes the magic work doesn't exist anymore."

There were a few instances she'd encountered where that had been the case. It was usually to do with diefic magic she couldn't find sources for.
 
The samurai watched as she ground up the flowers and prepared the tea. Although his eyes were on how she used her supplies, he was still listening closely to her.

Once the jar was near the fire, he snapped a few dead branches and put them into the fire. The night air was cool and moist, so the fire helped balance it perfectly.

As he heard about her problem with lost magic, it was a thought he feared greatly. Aku was his greatest enemy and the samurai wished he could be erased from existence. But if he truly was the only sorcerer who could re-open the portal to the past, he was now invaluable.

"How did you discover you could summon magic?" He asked not knowing much about it other than magic enemies were notoriously difficult.
 
"As a young girl, I pestered the greatest alchemist in our village until he agreed to train me." She chuckled a little. "I told him he would never know peace until he took me as an apprentice. And I kept my promise. I did everything I could to draw his attention; throwing pebbles at his window when he slept, secretly moving things in his laboritory, childish things llike that. Eventually, he agreed to train me."

The water in the glass jar became cloudy with heat. Bea added the ground leafy mixture, and crushed the juice of a few berries into it as well to sweeten it.

"I trained with him for many years, but it was not enough for me to simply know the alchemical basics. He had books full of ancient deific magic that he regarded as nonsense. There were scrolls of it, which he kept for the novelty of having them around. Like a joke. Thankfully, I was not so easily fooled." Her face grew a little darker in the firelight. "He told me I was wating my time. He called me a fool. I can guarantee, only one of us walks the earth to laugh about it now."

She took a metal tool from her pack and stirred the mixture in the jar until it began to turn an amber color.
 
Jack listened to the alchemist describe her past. It was part of his culture as well to prove to masters that you were worthy of being an apprentice. But being a prince of Japan, many masters would have killed for the opportunity to train royalty. Regardless, Jack had to prove to each of those who trained him that he was worthy of being their student. However, he never pestered them as Bea described.

When she alluded that she was alive now while her master was not troubled him. There was a small pestering in the back of his head that Bea may not be as trustworthy as he initially assumed. But there wasn't enough base to his feelings, so he brushed them aside for now.

His eyes followed down to the tea when she stirred it to aid the steeping. "It always a strange time when the student is ready to leave the master's nest." And that was all he could add. He had very limited knowledge of alchemy or magic. He was from a time where it was unanimously feared.

While she worked on the tea, he gathered a large supply of firewood for them to drop in the fire throughout the night. Being sleepy and searching for dry wood wasn't something the samurai enjoyed. He returned to sit with her and took his first sip of the tea. It was an earthy flavor hinted with sweetness, a flavor he really enjoyed.
 
She separated the tea into two jars and passed him a jar. Watching him take the first sip, she asked. "How is it?"

She took a sip of her own tea and thought it had come out well. Despite not having a kettle, it turned out well. The air was still and quiet with the falling night. The dull hum of insects sang in the night. She watched the fire dance for a moment before tilting her eyes to watch the samurai drink from the jar.

"How have you come to be so skilled with the sword?" She asked, avoiding the subject of her master now that the basics were out in the open.
 
Jack nodded with a smile "It is very good, thank you." He took another sip of the tea before hearing her question.

He briefly wondered how to answer her question. "Long ago, I was a prince and heir to my father's rule. He, like my ancestors, thought it best to train me in the fighting styles of my people. Ever since I was young. I was taught by many masters, some trained me in swordsmanship."

The prince, who long ago stopped identifying as one, looked down at his sword. It was created by deities who entrusted him with this great task. Every time he looked at the weapon it reminded him both of Aku and his home which was separated by centuries and countless miles.
 
"And the other masters?" She inquired. "What did they train you in? Surely you must know a thing or two about sorcery after all your travels?"

Her professional curiosity was getting the better of her. She wanted to ask about the kind of magic that brought him here in the first place, but she could only assume that was a topic to avoid, since it involved Aku and being torn from his home and family. Bea decided it would be best to limit her questioning, or at least staggar it down.
 
Jack didn't want to brag, but she asked. He replied "Some things my masters taught me were Shaolin martial arts, Ninjutsu, Greek wrestling and African stick fighting. But no sorcery. I come from a time when sorcery was not... acceptable."

With that, he finished his tea and set the glass on the ground near Bea. He put a few thick sticks into the fire and said "I am going to rest. Good night Bea."

The samurai got into a comfortable position on the leafy forest floor and closed his eyes. Tomorrow he would continue searching for a city. He hoped it wouldn't take him much longer to arrive, his time in the woods was growing far too long.
 
Bea's face reddened a little. She hadn't expected him to just plunk over and fall asleep, though she imagined he must be tired and the tea (if she could say so herself) had probably helped. She wasn't sure if she knew him well enough to just fall asleep right here next to him, or if she should find her own space.

In all honesty, she didn't think he would do anything while she slept. She could tell from the short talk they'd had and his reputation that he wasn't that sort. It just seemed weird. Regardless, the fire was already burning, and he'd picked up more wood. So, she too finished her tea and curled up a fair distance from the Samurai. She drew her legs up into her dress and used it a bit like a blanket.

Bea stole a glance at the sleeping wanderer in the firelight and noted that he looked very peaceful. She could only hope that he was home and at ease in his dreams. Because she sincerely couldn't think of a single way he would ever get back to then in his waking life. She closed her eyes, and tried to fall asleep.
 
When jack awoke the sun had just started to rise. He quietly put the rest of the wood on the fire and then remembered spotting a river nearby. The samurai stretched briefly and then headed silently through the forest until he reached the slow moving water.

Untying his sword, he set that on a rock along with his sandals and kimono. Undressed, he stepped into the water. It was very cool but something he was used to since warm baths weren't common in the woods.

When he resurfaced and the water cleared from his ears, he felt as if he was being watched. It was a feeling he often got and this time it was subtle. So he stayed closer to shore as he cleaned his body and enjoyed the water.
 
"Where did he wander off to?" Bea thought aloud, rubbing the dust from her left eye and stretching. The samurai was not in the spot where he'd been last n Soight. She stood and straightened her dress, brushing off as much of the dirt as she could.

There was a dry sensation in her mouth, and licking her lips had virtually no effect on them. There was nothing left in her canteen or in the jar where the tea had been. So, she picked up both of them and listened to the woods. She recalled hearing the distinct sound of rushing water last night when the night was still.

She trained her ear and headed in the direction she thought the water was coming from. Through the trees, she could see a sliver of a river or heavy stream. Good, fresh water would be-

Full of gorgeous men?

She stood in the shadow of two trees, watching him for a moment with her mouth agape. Although Bea hadn't expected him to be here, she supposed it made sense for him to want to wash in the river while he had it available. Embarrassed at having stumbled upon him, but still unable to look away, she was paralyzed.
 
Jack finished bathing, and walked to the pebble-covered shore. He was glad it seemed like it was going to be a sunny day, because he didn't have a towel on him. So he dried as best he could before putting his clothes back on. Ringing out his hair, he retied his top-knot and tied his sword to his side.

He walked back to the camp and didn't see Bea but her things were still there. The samurai didn't want to leave her without saying goodbye at least. So he took his time spreading out the fire to let it die down. He then brushed dirt over it and watched as white smoke rose up into the trees.
 
Bea watched him go without making a sound. She then filled her canteen and one jar and beat it back to the campsite. He had beaten her there, which was to be expected, and was putting out the fire. She stoed her water in her pack and kept her eyes to the ground, as she was absolutely certain her cheeks were still red as roses.

It wasn't as though she hadn't seen men before. She couldn't say she had seen many, or even a lot, but no one that... lovely looking. She cleared her throat and tried to find something to say, but she wasn't sure what she could say that wouldn't sound stupid. Other than perahps, goodbye.
 
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