The Trek to The Samurai II

It had been over a month since I last saw my lord. The last time I can recall seeing him, he was back in Theden with his disciple, Yuki. My memories of Yuki are quite jumbled as I remember meeting and befriending him over a year ago on a mission. We encountered one another several more times and I remember arriving in Mare Maris with him, but that is about it. If I am going to find Battousai, I should probably start there. It is probable that I should have remained in Sunnveil until the strengthening process was 100% complete, but I feel well enough to travel and I must return to my lord's aid. Despite protest that I am fine on my own, Cinos, the male avian spirit that had watched over me while I was recovering in Sunnveil, is flying alongside me. During one of my more recent meditations, I got a very disturbing feeling about Jun'Jo and those close to me who reside there. This prompted a hasty departure from a place I had started to grow quite fond of. As our flight continues ahead, Cinos asks me why I didn't finish the strengthening process. I tell him that I can always return to finish it, but for now, I need to return to ensure that my master is safe. I always have responsibilities to The Network. While Mirage is currently leading them, I need to be sure that they are still progressing on course for my plans. Now that Jun'Jo is a reality, I begin the next phase of The Network's role there. I find that even tho we are not rushing back, we are covering ground pretty quickly thru the skies. It would not be long before the village known as Theden, home of the mercenary Yuki, comes into view. I fly directly towards the guards so that they could see my approach before flying straight up in the air. Yuki's starting forces were heavily ranged based warriors, so I elect to avoid being shot at the moment. Cinos would follow in the rapid ascent followed by a dive towards the center of the village. It is such an exhilarating feeling to just let go and plunge thru the skies. I wonder what it will be like when I am able to regain my speed.

Stopping near Yuki's house or headquarters, I'm not sure as I rarely recall spending much time in Theden other than to deliver reports or retrieve my lord, I look around before lowering to the ground. I run my fingers thru my hair to make it at least slightly presentable. I would wait for a moment as I am sure that one of his guards would be around soon enough. Upon their arrival, I would inquire, "Where is Lord Battousai or his disciple, Yuki?"

EXP: 508
TEXP: #2 (2 threads)

One of the rangers on guard duty notice the approach of someone flying through the air, which wasn't a common sight given that most travel by ground through the forest and to the village. However, not only one but two individuals where flying towards Theden and this raised caution with the ranger having taken notice of the approaching figures. Not wishing to cause panic with the village, the ranger dispatches one of the guards to go fetch there leader. Moving swiftly as the figure moves over the village, the ranger begins to follow, though they seem to raise high into the sky before plummeting towards the earth. By now villagers had noticed the unknown figures, though at first they wonder if it was just there leader and someone he knows. As the two plummet towards the ground and finally land, they would be greeted with some of the villagers that come to see what was going on as well as the ranger that had been following them. With the two having landed it is clear that neither of them are Yuki, though they don't seem to be a threat so the ranger doesn't launch straight into attacking but she remains cautions. Having been first on the scene the ranger would quickly find out why these individuals had come to Theden as one of them speaks up, asking about her leader and his sensei. Seeing that they had come on business the ranger begins to relax, " The Alpha should be on his way now. I sent word for him when I spotted your approach. " the ranger says as she looks to the male that inquire about him.

EXP: 304

Noticing the villagers first, I smile at them. It had been some time since I was last outside of Sunnveil and the number of spirits there is rather vast in relativity thus, flight is still quite normal to me, especially since I lived with the avian spirits. They were probably curious about how I was able to do that and if said question I would simply smile and reply, "The same way that you walk. A manipulation of our muscles." When the guard responds, I nod to her. "Thank you. And for not shooting at me. Things were so much more convenient when I could just arrive unseen and leave just the same. I would continue to interact with his villagers until the wolf hybrid arrived. I spot two of my operatives that are integrated here, but make no reference or gesture to them. One of them sees me and realizes his error from before the Mare Maris trip, for he is actually the operative who delivered the intel to Yuki mistakenly thinking that the white haired hybrid was me. Truth be told, it is an understandable mistake, assuming that Yuki didn't speak or growl or perform any of his very distinct and... canine behavioral gestures. Still to his benefit, my telepathy does not reach that far yet, so I cannot read his thoughts from here even if I was trying. Pausing for a moment, I realize that only part of my question had been answered... I think. She had stated that the "Alpha" was on his way. Is she referring to Battousai? He is the leader of all of us, but that is a lupine term used to describe wolf hierarchy, so perhaps she is referring to Yuki, but when the hell did he become anything of that nature. Then again, he does lead this village, so to them, it would be a fitting title. Interesting.

EXP: 346

Having been on the other side of the village taking care of other matters, the half-breed wouldn't know of the arrival of someone flying until the guard that had been dispatched to retrieve him confronted him with the news that someone was flying around and was coming to the village, or at least seemed to be. Though curious as to why the two had landed in the village, the villagers remain at a distance from them though the two didn't appear to be a threat. As the one speaks to her the ranger gives a faint nod to his statement, " Yes, I did not think that you where a threat so I seen no reason to open fire. " the ranger says as she looks at the male. With word that someone had flown into the village Yuki had set out quickly, wondering who it could be since he knew his sensei didn't fly around nor was he expecting anyone to come and see him. With things beginning to settle down some of the villagers peal away to go back to there business though a few remain behind a bit longer. Drawing closer Yuki shifts his gaze before it falls upon the male he figured the guard was speaking of. Looking at the male Yuki recognized him and lets out a soft growl, " Dravec... " the half-breed murmurs lightly. Seeing the approach of Yuki, the ranger lifts her hand and gestures towards him, " And there he is. " She says as she glances to Yuki. Drawing closer with his gaze set upon Dravec Yuki speaks up, " I didn't think I would see you... What do you want? " Yuki asks in a bit of an angry tone as he looks at Dravec, though he wondered why he wasn't trying to kill him again like he had done before.

EXP: 321

The ranger points to a white haired male, but I have never seen this person before. Looking him over, I look at the ranger once more wondering if she thought I actually didn't know what Yuki looked like. This would be an interesting security measure truth be told. What happens to give me reason to pause for a moment is that the male speaks as if he is knows me. Looking at him intently, I exhale slowly with a hint of annoyance. "It is quite rude to address a guest like that. I do not have time to waste with games. Where is Yuki b/c unless you learn how to shapeshift, you are not him? And tell him that if he is going to use a decoy body double that he should at least pick someone that looks like him." My tone is calm and direct. I wait for a moment expecting the body double to leave and fetch his master. Having no perceived need for my "bodyguard" here in Theden, I would tell him to locate Jay'de so that she is in Jun'Jo upon my arrival. Cinos looks at me and nods his head. With a flap of his wings, the avian spirit lifts back into the sky and heads east towards Battousai's village.

EXP: 222
TEXP: #3 (2 threads)

Glancing to the ranger, Yuki waves his hand, dismissing her to go back to her duties before he turns his gaze back to Dravic as he begins to speak. Given the signal from Yuki, the ranger pulls away, departing form the meeting as she heads back to her post. With his gaze set upon the white haired male, Yuki shifts his gaze over his form for a moment as he listens while Dravic speaks. The males words draw a soft growl from the half-breed. " It is me... " Yuki begins as he glances to the strange male with Dravic, " I was like this after I had my powers stripped from me. " the half-breed adds as he shifts his gaze back to Dravic as the avian male fly's off to tend to his own business Dravic had set for him. " I wasn't expecting to see you here with out Battousai at your side.. " Yuki says as he watches Dravic. The male had yet to strike out at him as he had done before nor had he made the same remarks as before, which somewhat puzzled the half-breed. " I trust that you have come here for a reason, perhaps we can discuss matters in my house, unless you are in a hurry that is. " Yuki says, attempting to keep things civil, not wishing to fight in the middle of his village.

EXP: 237

With both "attendants" dismissed to carry out other tasks, the pair of white haired hybrids are left alone. When he states that it is indeed him and even growls like he would, I find myself inclined to believe that it is in fact him. If only I had enough comfort with my ability to read his thoughts without noticing me inside of his head, but I do not, so I would simply have to take his word for it. Responding in my characteristic fashion, I remark, "Interesting. So your powers were stripped away as well. So Lord Battousai is not here I take it?" Looking at Yuki, I find myself vastly intrigued at the distinct change in appearance. It would seem that everyone had undergone some significant changes due to this mysterious event that occurred while I was unconscious in... at home. When the offer to go inside is extended, I look at him and shake my head, "If you don't mind, I would actually like to see Theden. I have been recovering inside four walls since I awoken absent my powers, yet accessing new powers and apparently I can fly now. I wish to enjoy the fresh air before I must continue my search for Battousai, my apprentice Jay'de, and get back to work aiding our lord." Yuki would notice that I am definitely different from how I was before. Before, I never referred to Battousai as our lord as I generally considered Yuki to be a charity case. That was Dravec. As Kautuka, I can see value in all of my lord's allies. Looking at Yuki as he guides us either on a tour of his village or towards his house, "So when was the last time you saw Battousai?"

EXP: 318
TEXP: #3 (2nd thread)

Listening to Dravic as he spoke, the half-breed begins to wonder if Dravic had dropped what happened between them before and decided to move on from it. When he asks about Battousai not being here, Yuki gives a faint nod, " No, I haven't seen him lately. " Yuki answers as he watches Dravic. When Dravic declines the offer to step into his house, Yuki gives a faint nod to his request to see the village instead of going into his house. " I see. " Yuki says as he begins to move away from where Dravic had landed to take him around the village as he wished. Beginning to lead the wake, Yuki thought upon how like he, Dravic seemed different as well, it seemed that being stripped of there powers have changed many people in various ways. As Dravic speaks again, Yuki glances to him for a moment, thinking on his question before speaking, " It has been a week or so since I last seen him I believe. " Yuki says as he turns his gaze back ahead of them, " How have things been for you Dravic? I haven't seen you since before the event that took our powers.. " the half-breed says as he continues to lead the way, still wondering why Dravic was acting as he is.

EXP: 232

Hearing that Battousai had not been in Theden for over a week leads me to believe that he is in Jun'Jo. Introductions had been made there, but not much past that before we had to leave for Mare Maris. It also disappoints me. I have no true concept of how long I have been gone when he speaks of more than a week passing between visits. As we begin the tour of the village, I would note out loud to the wolf hybrid, "Theden truly seems to be well on its way to blossoming." I continue to look around as his people go about their day. The question about how I have been prompts a temporary pause for me. The silence is soon broken as I answer him, "Dravec... that falsehood is no more. My people call me Kautuka. Dravec is the name that was placed upon me when it was thought that I was practically a hunting animal. You got a new body and I awoken to my true name. Seems we both have new things to get used to. As for your question about how I'm handling this predicament, things have been a process since I awoken. This event that you speak of is unknown to me as I was in a deep sleep when it occurred. When I woke up, I was... different. Whole in spirit yet far from whole in regards to my powers. You can imagine the displeasure I felt when I discovered that not only were my memories slightly off, but I cannot access the Void and my martial prowess is heavily stunted. I have been absent from my lord for quite some time apparently, so things have been quite turbulent. Tell me Yuki, how long has it been since Mare Maris?" I truly don't know as time means nothing in the forest village of Sunnveil. Magic and mystical energy is abundant there, so the days don't really seem to change much plus I discovered there that I don't actually require sleep as a normal human body does. Quite useful when training to regain so much that was lost.

EXP: 373

As Dravic comments about Theden, Yuki glances to him for a moment and gives a faint nod before turning his gaze back ahead of him. When Dravic pauses, Yuki pauses and glances to him, wondering what was the matter. As he begins to speak, Yuki listens to him, bringing up his name, though it seemed that he had assumed a new name, which sounded to be his true name, or at least that's what he says. Given that he had gotten a new body Yuki couldn't deny that he could have a different name. As Kautuka goes on, Yuki continues to listen to the male as he explains what has happened to him. Listening to him, Yuki comes to understand that like Noah, it seemed as if Kautuka had perhaps lost memories or at least can't recall them, this for the half-breed was somewhat pleasing given the last time he had seen Kautuka they tried to kill each other. When he inquires about how long it has been since Mare Maris, Yuki takes a brief moment to think before answering, " I believe it has been about a month actually.. Perhaps a little more then that but not to long. "

EXP: 212

Stopping in my tracks, I look at Yuki with visible confusion. "You can't be serious! I have been absent our lord for over a month?!" I grasp at my head as a slight headache begins to pierce thru. My equilibrium is thrown off a bit and my first instinct is to reach out and grab the closest means of support, which in this case is Yuki. I go to reach out for him, but quickly retract my hand and lift off the ground slightly. I remember the last time I got one of these headaches and touched someone. While I had no intention of doing so, I somehow started draining them of their life force in order to sustain mine. I wasn't close to them, so they did not register as ally tho they were a spirit of the community. When that occurred, fear of my powers started to spread even more. Truth be told, it was one of the reasons I expedited my departure. I do not know what is causing these headaches, but I must get to the bottom of it and quickly. There is something about using my muscles for flight that calms me. With a slow and steady exhale, everything seems to return to normal as my feet find themselves planted once more on the earth. Opening my eyes, there is a faint glow to them that seems to flicker similar to a light bulb attached to a faulty current. The flickering stops and my eyes return to normal. It happens quickly to the point that if Yuki was paying attention, he might think that he was seeing things. I look up at him and tell him that perhaps we should continue the tour a bit later. "Is there a map of Theden at your house? You are pupil of our lord and as such, I shall offer my aid in helping you to focus your people to the betterment of your village while I recover."

EXP: 343

It seemed as if Kautuka didn't like the answer he had been given in regard to how long it had been since Mare Maris. The half-breed's gaze was set on Kautuka after his response, a faint nodding gesture comes from the half-breed to confirm what he had said, watching the male Yuki sees that something begins to pain him as he grasps his head. The half-breed is surprised as Kautuka begins to reach out for him, seeming to need support, to which the half-breed doesn't pull away, though instead of using him as support Kautuka raises into the air and begins to fly. Shifting his gaze from Kautuka now that he seems to be calming down, Yuki looks back ahead of them, his gaze slowly shifting from side to side as he gazes ahead of them. Gazing ahead of them, Yuki doesn't notice the light bulb eyes Kautuka seems to possess. When Kautuka begins to speak again, Yuki glances to him for a brief moment as he gives a faint nod to Kautuka's question. With Kautuka's desire to instead go back to his house and continue there tour later, Yuki begins to shift directions to head back to his house. " If you need, we can go to the hospital if you require a healer to treat you. " Yuki says as he looks at Kautuka.

EXP: 241

Shaking my head, I confess, "They will do no good, but thank you for the offer. The healer that I was living with ran out of options save a process that would have taken far too long given the fact that I have already been gone for over a month." I fall silent as I still can't believe that I have been gone that long. "Oh and last I heard, congratulations are in order. I must admit that I never really took you for the family type." There is a faint smile on my face as we continue heading towards his house. After he responds to that, I would switch back to business as I inquire, "So tell me, how goes the development of Theden? Since I seem unable to finish the tour right now, I'd like to know what you currently have here. That way we can figure out what you should focus on developing next." My aid to the wolf hybrid served two purposes to be honest. One was the overt purpose, which is simply to help an ally and the disciple of my lord. That by itself is of benefit to Battousai and thus a necessary objective. Underlying that tho is the fact that I have been focused on recovery for too long and as such, I need to hone my strategic advisory acumen before I return to my lord's side. So with Yuki, I could assess the situation and give proper suggestion with time to ensure that everything is accounted for.

EXP: 267
TEXP: #4 (5 posts)

Though he had set forth the offer to take Kautuka to see the healers, the male declined the offer and Yuki gives a faint nod as the offer is declined, listening as Kautuka speaks on the matter. Leading the way back towards his house, Yuki remains silent as Kautuka falls silent for a brief moment before speaking up once again. As Kautuka congratulates him, Yuki glances to the male and gives another nod, " Indeed... Neither did I to be honest, however something's tend to change when you have children... Though it was done as part of a deal I cannot deny that they are of my blood and as such my kin and should be treated as such. " Yuki says, his gaze shifting back ahead of them as he falls silent. Silence fills the air once again for a few moments as they draw closer to his house, then finally Kautuka begins to speak again, shifting the topic back to Theden once again. With the question from Kautuka, Yuki takes a moment to think on it before speaking, " To be honest, not much has been done to the village since I have lost my powers. We have built another shop.. Raised an armory to arm my troops with weapons and a barracks or two... We still have a great deal of housing that is free. "

EXP: 240

Nodding to the other white haired male, I find that the plans for the village leave something to be desired for sure. Things would need to progress rather quickly. As the headache begins to subside, I inform Yuki, "Well, you will need to build two things as soon as possible. You need to build at least one resource camp. This will help streamline the process of your workers gathering resources and in doing so, it will allow you to collect more resources. After that, you will need to open a Trade School in order to gain more skilled non-specialized personnel. These will be your first two steps. After that you should build an Armory to produce armor for your troops and a Hall of Guilds so that your workers can exchange ideas fro how to improve their skills and by doing so, you will not only be able to attract more new villagers, but your workers will become more productive. You will also need to make at least one field of farmland or hunting grounds in order to make sure that your people never worry about hunger. Follow these steps and you will see your village grow. When we get to the map, I will help you select locations for these additions so that you will be able to have the vision for this on your own." A level of self-sufficiency is necessary in order to truly test someone.

EXP: 262
TEXP: #3 (2 threads)

As Kautuka begins to speak, Yuki lifts his gaze to look at the male as he listens to the advice he has about Theden. While listening Yuki thinks upon what he has already had constructed to make sure that there isn't anything that Kautuka brings up that he hasn't already built to mark off the list of things he should build. While listening Yuki hears a few things that he had not had constructed yet nor had he thought about building them, but now he put on the list of things to build, a Hall of Guilds being one of the things to be built. While listening, Yuki gives a faint nod here and there as Kautuka continues to speak. Coming to his house, Yuki reaches out and pushes the door open before stepping into his house and moving to the side so Kautuka can step in as well. Once he had stepped inside, Yuki would shut the door behind Kautuka. Nodding his head once again, Yuki glances to Kautuka as he speaks, " I believe some of those things have already been constructed, though I will have to look into a guild hall. " Yuki says with a faint nod as he gestures towards the kitchen before he steps away to retrieve the map of Theden. After retrieving the map, Yuki takes it into the kitchen and spreads it out on the table for Kautuka to look over.

EXP: 251
OOC: I actually don't have a map/layout for the village, I need to make one though >.<

When Yuki informs me that some of my suggestions had already been handled, I nod with a pleasant look about me as that would mean that he is not far behind where I suspect he should be. He seems to show a bit of interest in the Hall of Guilds, which is good. Increasing the overall productivity of the village is very important. When he returns with the map, I look over it in silence for a while. I point at specific areas, even using my finger as a place holder as I inspect how far certain points are to the other points. Next, I would start using random items around us to point out where he should put specific buildings like the Hall of Guilds and why certain structures should not be placed close to others. I inquire, "You said that you built an Armory for weapons, correct? Do you have additional armories to produce light armor and siege equipment? Also in regards to the weapons and armoring, are your troops light troops or heavy troops? Your armories and blacksmith shops will be good to place here near the Hall of Guilds. Also, a Market or Bazaar would be smart to build near the Hall of Guilds as well. This way you can centralize certain things into clusters within Theden. As you grow larger, you will build additional markets and such, but your guild hall is a hub of sorts for your workers and personnel, so having a market near it will enhance their productivity as they can see what goods trade well and which ones are only acquired by a select type of individual. Your farmland and hunting grounds will typically be on your outskirts as you need ample space to expand them and also b/c you don't want the smoke from say an armory or blacksmith damaging your crops or scaring away the game that you would wish to hunt. So tell me, what would you think to build in the vicinity of say your residence here?" I am curious to see what his thoughts would be as I mean to ensure that my lord's disciple is fully adequate.

EXP: 390
TEXP: #3 (2 threads)

With the map set out on the table, Yuki watches as Kautuka begins to point out areas and distances between points with his finger before moving onto placing random items onto the map to indicate the location of buildings and where they should be placed. As Kautuka indicates where things should be placed, Yuki shifts his gaze over the map to take in where Kautuka is suggesting things be built within Theden. Lifting his gaze, Yuki looks to Kautuka s he brings up the armory he had built, though he brings up the idea of additional ones, something that the half-breed had not thought about but now that Kautuka had brought it up he put it on the list of things to build with in the near future. Not only did he bring up the topic of additional armories but also the placement of them in relation to the hall of guilds, though the half-breed wasn't sure of the hall's importance in the matter given its name. With the question about his troops, Yuki takes a brief moment, thinking on the question before speaking up, " Right now my troops light troops. However I have gave thought to heavier troops in the near future. " Yuki says with a faint nod before falling silent before Kautuka continues to speak, the half-breed shifts his gaze back to the map as he continues to speak, shifting topics to a market or bazaar that should be constructed, though they should be near a hall of guilds and as Kautuka continues to speak Yuki begins to gain some understanding of why this hall should be relatively close to all these points he has spoken about. As Kautuka brings up the topic of farmland and such, Yuki shifts thought to the areas of farmland he had already constructed and wonders if he should tend to that as well to make sure Theden had enough food to feed its people and have some extra incase it is needed. When Kautuka posses the question of what he would build in the area of his residence, Yuki shifts his gaze to the area and thinks for a moment on the question, " More housing? " He inquires as he lifts his gaze to look to Kautuka, wondering what he had in mind.

EXP: 415

So currently they were focused more on light troops. That actually made perfect sense. Still in these earlier phases of development, he wouldn't really have the resources to spare on making heavy armor and heavy weapons or shields for his troops. As our conversation continues, Yuki begins to understand the reasoning behind the placements. This is good. When he suggests building housing around his residence, I pause for a moment intrigued by this. Most leaders would keep other villagers away from them as a means of security, but he says to build more housing around his house. I smile at Yuki and realize that first and foremost, he is a warrior. "Housing, eh? Perhaps for your personal guard and/or personal attack units. Since your family lives with you here I'm assuming, you will want total control to this area. You will want to make sure that your most trusted bodyguard and head of internal security is full aware of who enters and exits this area of the village. Perhaps, if you come to develop a council of advisors, they will reside in that housing area as well. If you can deal with the smell, you could also add farming plots near your residence... or make a garden for both less intrusive smelling foods and for aesthetics." While I was enjoying this conversation of ours, I needed to return to my master already, so I would have to draw this meeting to a close soon. "I think you will do just fine, Yuki. I have to go soon, but if you find that you have questions on development and such, come find me in Jun'Jo."

EXP: 310
TEXP: 1 (250)

As Kautuka begins to speak, Yuki lifts his gaze to glance to him for a moment before shifting his gaze back to the map as he listens to the idea Kautuka about the housing around where he lives. It sounded as if Kautuka had a different idea then what he had for the area around his house. With his gaze still on the map, Yuki remains silent while listening to Kautuka's thoughts on the area around his house. The idea Kautuka seemed like a good one, but it wasn't what the half-breed had first thought of when he had mentioned housing being built around his house, though it did give Yuki some things to think about now. When the topic changes and Kautuka begins to speak of having to leave soon, Yuki gives a faint nod as he lifts his gaze to look to Kautuka. " You have given me some things to think about. " Yuki begins to say as he turns his gaze back to the map, " I had not thought to build housing for that purpose next to here. " He adds with a faint nod while shifting his gaze over the map, " Though I will give it some thought now. Would you like me to send an escort with you? I could even send Ulfric so you wouldn't have to walk the whole way. " Yuki says, offering to give Kautuka a ride to Jun'Jo.

EXP: 243

The offer to provide an escort or transportation was much appreciated. It was also unnecessary though. I shake my head at the hybrid warrior. "I thank you for your hospitality, Yuki, but I require nothing at the moment. Especially since the escort that you offered can't fly. This has been an enjoyable visit, Yuki. The next time we are able to do this, I hope time is not an issue." I would smile and bow before it was time to lift off of the ground and take my leave. Returning to the air, I smile down at Theden once more before taking off towards Jun'Jo and the reunion with my lord.