Time ConsciousĀ Tactics
My arms still hurtā¦
Stonegit sat in the cold, early afternoon air, the suns warm glowing providing an oddly pleasant contrast as cupped a bowl of soup in his hands. It was his lunch for the day. It had been several days since he had gotten back to his home. But despite Dario and the other healers extremely proficient work, his arms were still incredibly fragile, despite their operability.
Darioā¦oh manā¦ Stonegit rubbed the back of his neck.Ā Thatās going to awkward ifā¦you know whatā¦nahā¦if he doesnāt recognize me Iāll just leave it beā¦
He glanced down at his hand, and remembered the sensation of nearly pushing it through Vidarās head. Itās not like how it was in the old daysā¦with basic healing magic I patched my collarbone up within a few weeks was it? Or was it days? Anywaysā¦the same amount of time, if not more, later after highly potent work from skilled medics, and I hardly want to pat someone on the shoulderā¦
He curled his fingers tenderly. Andā¦I guess having to kill againā¦will always be a risk. If I want to keep my line of workā¦and my life. The thought saddened him But it was what it was. And againā¦it wasnāt like the way it was before. In a good way this time. Stillā¦between my heart and my armsā¦and I guess my body getting older as a wholeā¦Iām not going to be able to rely on brute strength anymore. He glanced down at his axe. IĀ might not even be able to properly use her after a whileā¦Iāll need a back up. Something lighter that I can learn to use now, so that by the time Iām eighty or something Iāll still be capable of doing my jobā¦for both my weapon and the way I fightā¦
Stonegit groaned as he stood up, and scrapped the rest of the thick soup into his mouth. He had an idea of where he could start, and would write a letter to the Hidden Village after his shift. Maybe he could meet someone there who could help him later this week.Ā
***
@kirithevikingninja
Toshioka Kousuke, despite his designation as a Viking Ninja, was not fond of the cold.Ā He pulled his cloak around him as he slipped into the Great Hall which he was well aware was a location quite involved with rebellion.Ā
He only hoped that he only seemed a simple traveler, his weapons hidden and hood shrouding his features.Ā Perhapsā¦
He sat himself by the hearth, warming himself and taking a moment to relax.Ā Then he smiled and pulled the bundle off his back, loosening the strings of its wrappings.Ā
With a dramatic flourish, he cast the wrappings beside him, and checked the strings.Ā Warm plucked tones resonated, then shifted in pitch as he tuned everything down to the proper pitch.Ā Damn cold, making my poor instrument go sharp.
He paused for a moment, wondering if he should bother.Ā At the last moment, he shrugged, grabbing a knit cap from his satchel and placing it out for any donations.Ā And thenā¦ he began to play his lute, his gentle baritone voice ringing softly to any who might deign to listen, yet quiet enough to seem introspective to those paying no heed.
āOh that the learned poets of this time who in a lovesick line so well speakā¦ā
@moe-lazyeye
Upon hearing the instrument, Stonegit glanced over from where he had been ordering some drinks, and found himself sitting up a little straighter.
The song in his voiceā¦
His face and the way he carried himself. All that lighthearted word play while something far more serious lurked beneath.
Heās just like herā¦
Stonegit carefully got up, two mugs of bubble tea in his hands, and stepped over to him. āThatās a lovely songā¦care for a drink?ā
āā¦if strung with heavenly strings,ā Kousuke finished the verse, letting his voice lilt playfully as he released a resonating chord.Ā Then he grinned and turned to the stranger.Ā āHello friend!Ā A drink is very much appreciated!Ā And bubble tea for that matter!Ā You, my friend, have good taste.Ā Come, sit with me.Ā Iāve been on the road for some time, and there is much and more I would learn from one such as you, especially if youāre offering me sustenance.ā
He could tell gather from a glance who the man might be.Ā Clearly a fighter, though it seemed the man might be recovering from injury.Ā And one lazy eyeā¦
He smiled, hiding his satisfaction.Ā What luck.Ā He seemed to have found someone who, based on the stories he knew, had been quite acquainted with herā¦
āLearn something from me huh? I was hoping for the same from youā¦ā Stonegit sat down, and for a moment was lost in memories as he watched the boy. He shook his head. āSorryā¦you remind me an old friendā¦ā
Kousuke tilted his head curiously.Ā āOld friend, hmm?Ā You seem to have seen your share of battlesā¦ā
Donāt assume, let the man open himself up.Ā Letās see what he can tell.
He chuckled.Ā āWell!Ā You said you wished to learn something from me?Ā What would you, my new old friend, wish to learn from me, a humble traveling bard?Ā Iāve legend and tale and many a fine, subtle method of tickling a lute, but I daresay Iāve still much to experience in this world.Ā Especially compared to one such as yourself,ā he added, nodding knowingly.
āHehā¦a few yeahā¦ā Stonegit rubbed the back of his neck, and then winced as he lowered his arm.Ā āIā¦donāt want to presume. But I feel as though we may know each otherā¦at least by association. My name is Stonegit Elmiss.ā He held out a hand.Ā āA friend of Toshioka Kiri.āĀ
Kousuke gave a low, slightly bitter laugh.Ā The man was quite perceptive to have picked up on a familial connection twenty years after the fact.Ā Judging from everything he knew, this was a man to trust and a man who might have answers.
He sighed and pulled back his hood.Ā He had always been told that he and his sister had similar faces, despite differences in height and build.Ā He shook the offered hand, his sharp gaze meeting with the man before him.
āStonegit Elmiss.Ā A hero of the rebellion and Ragnarok in the Wilderwest of twenty years ago.Ā It looks like Iāve come to the right place.Ā My name is Toshioka Kousuke.Ā I suppose this means you might be able to tell me what happened to my older sister.ā
āIām a hero?ā Stonegit asked with some mild mannered skepticism.Ā āSomeoneās been dressing up the narrative-ā He stopped, his blood running cold for a moment.Ā āYou- ā¦Her brotherā¦ā Sadness for the boy swept over him.Ā
All these yearsā¦decadesā¦he never knew? How could it be possible, Kiriās memory has always been celebrated hereā¦Ā
Stonegit reached forward to grip his arm gently.Ā āHer brotherā¦ā He said again.Ā āIām honored to meet you, truly.ā His head lowered. There was no point in dragging something like this out. Not after so much time had gone by.Ā āKousukeā¦Iām so sorryā¦your sister was slain by the head Judge of Odinās first regiment. The same man that gave me thisā¦ā He motioned to the dented scar in his head.Ā āAnd thisā¦ā His fingers swept past his lazy eye.Ā āHis name was Orskaf Donz.āĀ
āJudge Donzā¦ Ragnarokā¦ā
Kousuke closed his eyes, remembering the reports he had read through.Ā A man of that name had visited at the start of Ragnarok, looking for more allies to contract with thinly veiled threats.Ā Kiri had been at that meeting.Ā She had already been aware of his nature.Ā It had not gone smoothly, from what the records stated.Ā
āI hope heās dead and gone.Ā Truly gone,ā he stated after a moment.Ā āIt has been twenty years, after all.Ā Kiri, sheā¦ well, we all assumed she died in Ragnarok, or if not that, while fighting a witch,ā he rubbed the back of his head, sighing.Ā āWitches donāt leave bodies.Ā Ragnarok, wellā¦ was Ragnarok.Ā I justā¦ wanted some better closure.Ā My parents always suspected her last visit was for more than just a simple family reunion.ā
He glanced up, taking in Stonegitās scar and eye.Ā He gave a half-smile.Ā āYou may have to tell me more about her and her dealings.Ā I never knew her, unfortunatelyā¦ I was born several months after Ragnarokās start.Ā Up to you, though I suppose speaking of the dead is not always the most pleasant of first chats.Ā You said you wanted to learn something from me?ā he raised an eyebrow as he took the mug of bubble tea and took a sip.
āNoā¦no you need to know. It wouldnāt be right otherwise.ā Stonegit said as he took a drink himself. āIts true though, I do need help with learning. Iām getting old, and I wonāt be able to be efficient with my job using the tactics Iām using now. Not without help at least. I know ninja vikings, even in age much more than mine, are able to fight extremely well. Iāll also need to pair my axe with something lightweight and quick. Butā¦firstā¦I have a story to tell you.ā
And so Stonegit told the boy what he knew of his sister Kiri. He spoke of her fierce independence, the kind that often saw her away from the fortress, while still somehow never pissing of the King. Which he admitted was something he was envious of.
He spoke of how the witches she killed and the teams she made were probably one of the biggest reasons the rebellion managed to maintain the foothold it had created for itself. And how her smiles and cheer had lightened peoples hearts, even if they hadnāt known the sadness behind it.
He spoke of how during some of his darkest days, she had stood up to him, and showed him that he would not accomplish his enraged and mad aspirations without a fight.
And then he spoke of her sacrifice. He melancholy nature of her sudden departure, and the horror that followed upon realizing that she had been tortured by the Judge.
The moment she diedā¦.how he had been thereā¦
The assurance of how even though the wulpergistsnacht had ended up killing many rebels in the end, it had not been Kiriās fault. And how it had still ultimately lead to the monsters permanent death at Helās hands.
By this point there were more mugs on the table, and Stonegit sighed as he lowered his drink. āOrskaf would eventually confront the King himself on the battlefield. And although I knew it to be a brutal fight, it was also known that Orskaf was outmatched from the start. He was slain by Gareth Haddock II.ā
Kousuke was quiet for a long time.Ā He had listened, drank mugs of bubble tea, seen time pass with the movement of people and firelight.Ā It was a long story, some of which he already knew.Ā Most of it, he did not.Ā All of it matched what he did know.
As Stonegit finished, Kousuke nodded in thanks.Ā Then he pulled out a worn notebook and began to jot down several notes.
āMy apologies for the note-takingā¦ itāsā¦ again, Iāve been searching for closure.Ā To know exactly what my sister involved herself in and how she did itā¦ thank you, truly.āĀ He smiled at the older man.Ā āWhat youāve told me, itā¦ her sacrifice was never in vain.Ā And from what Iāve heard about her, it seems she died trying to stop somethingā¦ā
He paused.Ā There was one thing in his notes that had seemed strange.Ā The assumption.Ā Combined with what she had told her family and the elders back at the Hidden Sky Village.Ā And the panicked account she had given four years earlier than that, when she appeared alone rather than together with her partner.
āHowā¦ how did she know that Walpurgisnacht was coming?Ā And in such detail?Ā And that Donz was going to unleash it?Ā But that makes no sense, everything you said implies she told everyone it was just approachingā¦ā
He didnāt realize he had spoken aloud.Ā He shook his head.Ā āS-sorry.Ā Justā¦ still trying to figure things out.Ā I know you probably donāt have that answer, butā¦ well, there are a lot of questions surrounding those days.Ā Thank you again, forā¦ telling me about my sister.Ā She was an amazing person, from everything Iāve heard.ā
āThat she was.ā Stonegit affirmed. āI miss her dearlyā¦some have even said theyāve seen her ghost from Helheim itself. Although Iāve never been fortunate enough for that.ā
He pressed his lips together in thought as he pondered the boys question. āKiri told many people of the witch thread. But I think between Central, Valkyire, Donzās threat, the demon who was once our enemy, and even my spell of madnessā¦the matter was often regulated as a burden she bore alone most of the timeā¦we never knew just how badly she had struggledā¦ā
āBased on what I sawā¦I knew she had been tortured. And there were accounts of Orskaf being in the Hidden Village. He likely got his information that wayā¦as for how Kiri came to this knowledgeā¦I know notā¦ā
Unlessā¦
He stared down at his hand, and remembered how it had once crushed a vile white cats head.
Noā¦she wouldnāt haveā¦
āHmm...ā Kousuke pondered, tapping the rim of the nearest mug.Ā āIf I could be so bold... if you and your fellow rebels still have any of Kiriās old books, notes, records - Iāve heard that she actually left a book on witch hunting that the hunters still use, but Iāve never been able to get my hands on a copy - but anyway, I would like to access them and do some research.Ā Cross them with what I have.Ā See if a theory of mine holds any weight... or at least, ensure that what truth we know is indeed the full truth.Ā You would think, me having never known my older sister, but hearing so many stories about her, that I would have that closure...ā
He paused, sighing.Ā āWell, regardless.Ā I would not ask a favor without returning it.Ā You said you were interested in learning the combat arts of the Viking Ninjas?ā he raised an eyebrow, the playful grin reemerging.Ā āAye, might be a little harder at your age, but I can think of several options.Ā And youāre even in luck, I have teaching experience.Ā Whatās your current primary weapon?Ā And if you say a battleaxe, you might want to consider a smaller version.Ā Just in case.ā
