Through The Eyes Of The Zen Masters

[Lord Kenji Oja 0]

The dark times of the Land had waxed to its greatest. With Garrin dealing with the Lotus and Wolf Clans, Shinja had lost his front to take back Serpentholme. Now, the legendary Serpent clan was on the brink of collapse. With no Oja to hold the throne and no army powerful enough to defeat the strong armies of the Wolf and Lotus clans, the Land was entering a Dark Age.

* * *

A rainstorm had brewed since Kenji had left the tavern where he was informed of the roubles of this land. He had a katana on his back and was clad in nothing more than a basket hat, a kimono, and a backpack with his provisions in it. He pressed on, lamenting of Tarrant's Folly.

"I am Kenji of the Serpent Clan, and my ancestor broke the World", he thought to himself. "The Horde was destroying all in his path, so he gathered the Clan and fled south, saving what little he could. He stood alone against them, and using the power of the Serpent's Orb, destroyed them. However, he didn't know that without the Orb's power to guide him, his descendants would be weak and foolish. Then again, did he ever really have a choice?"

Kenji stopped at a crossroads to see two peasants fleeing North.

"RUN, KONATO'S CALVARY IS COMING", cried one, stumbling before fleeing to the nearby village. Two calvarymen rode up to Kenji and looked down upon him.

"You're no villager", one growled at him, "Kill your share of peasants and I'll find you a plasce in Shinja's band. HYAH!!" The two rode off for the village, which was being set ablaze by Raiders.

"So it seems fate has pushed me into the conflict. Should I put the peasants in their place, or aid them and overthrow the Serpent Clan in this province", thought Kenji.

[Lord Kenji Oja 0]

(If anyone would like to bring their character in now, give me a shout and post an intro that could fit into the story.)

[Sinophile 41]

I am Shiranui Utara, one of the Geisha of the *Insert some Geisha house name*, the foremost and most popular Geisha house of the land. I was kidnapped by a triad of Rouges following the raid of my local village, in which I witnessed my immeadiate family and friends tortured by the un-flinching evil of the Bandit's weaponry. Despite us offering everything of our property, these men, with hearts of the darkest evil, continued to maim us, just to delight in watching us writhe in pain. I was lucky to run from the embrace of a man with pedophiliac tendences.

Shortly afterwards, he came back with two other men, a look of intense lust in his eye.

They kept me in their shanty, and continously raped me. They submitted me to the most disgusting and dishourable acts, which cannot be uttered. After they lost interest in me, they sold me to the Geisha house, for a low sum. Little did I know, that what happened now only scratched the surface of the hardships that were to come next...

[Guest Aramid]

"Time is a valuable part of me. It transforms me to a more powerful being. I remember my poor guard turning into ashes as he watch time goes by. I mastered time itself and reward me my youth. Now I am the dean of the college of time. Let hours and days melt your hearts while departing to the youth you had before."

"Our friendship with the devious serpent make us powerful, the lotus clan. I serve Lord Zymeth and grant me power. The wolf barbarians are nothing to us of their lack of intelligence and weakness at heart. I advice my master, Lord Zymeth to dye all of the lotus clan's hair's white cause it means fear and corruption. Thanks for seeing in time. The wolf deserves in the shale mines."

"Now the serpent son has return....I'll see how time can turn his soul"

[[LOT]rundown 3]

"I am the leader of the wolf clan. We were enslaved in the shale mines for many years until one day, me and my companion Longtooth, arose a rebellion and we managed to free ourselves from the grasp of the evil Yvaine. I took the throne to the head of the wolf clan and now we roam the land which we can't escape. Now some serpent boy wants to take over the land and put us into slavery once again. I won't HAVE FOR IT! Me and my wolves will fight until the last breath just to be free."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I am Grayback's trusted sidekick. I will fight for Grayback and the clan. I couldn't imagine several gruesome hours caged in the dark caves of humanity ever again. It is just too horrible. I learend the arts of boomerang throwing in the caves and now I have mastered it to the best. I will use my deadly accuracy to kill the man who wants to break the world again. I will make sure it happens no matter what the obstacles are."

(I did Grayback and Longtooth since I am being two guys).

[[LOT]diablo 1]

every since lord oja perished and the serpents son ran away no one is here to stand against wolf and lotus. otomo is a weakling and his war for peace will never happen. if nobody will stand up against Zymeth and Grayback then i Shinja will show no mercy to the enemies. but as long as otomo is here it will b difficult. but ill put an end to that. i despise his talk about the honorable dragon. that time is past, and only power will rule this land. i shall strike now and let the people know the mighty serpent is back. the other clans will know their place and the throne will belong to me

[Lord Kenji Oja 0]

Kenji stood as another calvaryman came galloping up the path after the other two.

"Now's my chance", thought Kenji as the swordsman started to pass by. Kenji's feet left the ground as he tackled the swordsman to the ground, grabbing the man's katana in the process. Without drawing his own sword, Kenji sprang up and thrust the swordman's katana into his chest.

Jumping on the vacant horse, Kenji galloped toward the burning village, intent on stopping the Konato's calvary.

[Sinophile 41]

Could everyone thats posting after this ntice, please, put proper punctuation and spelling in their stories? I think reading some of those stories made me dumber.

[Lord Kenji Oja 0]

I use correct punctuation.........

[Guest Aramid]

Lets just continue with the story....ok....

[Sinophile 41]

I use correct punctuation.........

8449[/snapback]

Yes you do... Thats why I love you.

Lets just continue with the story....ok....

8452[/snapback]

Yes! Now!

[Sinophile 41]

Hmm, Im disapointed, nobody continued the story.

[Guest Aramid]

How can we proceed without Kenji.... Issyl's scene is not yet here...hehehe.... OMG!!!!

[Sinophile 41]

Yes, we need Isyll to speed up the stories. Well anway, im gonna go on an ASCII rampage.

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[Lord Kenji Oja 0]

(Sorry for the lack of activity. My schedule's been pretty full. I'll post another IC post ASAP. Just came here to notify yall.)

[[LOT]gumbercules 0]

When I was a meere servant for the Ojha Master, I could only count the days when the time to rise with the greatest power would come. Tarran ran with fear as he tried to save his people from the darkness that aproached, all I saw was a challenge, or maybe even an ally. "I am always here", the darkness would say but that was not always true, for I arose to the throne without his help. And now my reign continues unchallenged. (as koril apears in front of Zymeth) lord Zymeth we have some trouble brewing in the southern lands, the serpent and the wolf fight each other, and theres a rumor in the east that the Dragon has returned. A challenge....A rebelion?...I! the lord of darkness shall break you all, with weaklings under your wing, shinja will fall as the thunder of my rage strikes him down. Grayback will tremble and ask for forgiveness for his insolance as my master warlocks take care of his armies. And I will unleash the greatest of my forces upon this son of ojha, that young pup I once cought skulking in his fathers throne room will bow to serve me by the time im done with him.

[IndominusRex 13]

futsalfred, I dont get what's in your graphic..

[Guest Aramid]

It looks like a frog or a monkey. It has a tail and goggles. hehehe....imo

[IndominusRex 13]

Let's just wait for him to tell us ahihi.. For me, I think it's a penguin.. lolz

[Sinophile 41]

the thing is 'Crazy frog', a stupid fad which started out as an annoying ringtone. Type it in your Bitorrent Client to download classic hits such as "Ding Ding Ding BOONG BOOONG" , "Crazy Frog Axel F" and "Stupid Crazy Frog Techno"!!!!!

That was the lamest joke I ever made. Anyway, to be off-topic, i have several half-yearlies coming up. Is there a way to make nice, short, answers, instead of the long complex replies I favour somuch? THis seems to suck up much of my test time, and gets less marks than the simple-sentance guy...

I will now post messages in short form to pratcie my short skills.

[Lord Kenji Oja 0]

The first two calvarymen who had approached Kenji ealier were the first to fall, their bloody bodies falling of their horses before they knew what had hit them.

While more swordsmen were swarming towards the village, Kenji had already cut down the two Raiders who had set the buildings aflame. Dismounting, Kenji strode to meet the swordsmen as the peasants of the village were extinguishing the fires.

"RAHHH", cried the swordsmen, as they all plunged toward Kenji, their swords twirling over their heads. Kenji's bloody katana was in his hands, an amused smile on his lips.

"Time to take out the trash", he grumbled, charging towards the swordsmen, closing the short distance. He dashed past one swordsmen, who stopped and stumbled to the ground, the front of his kimono alread darkening with blood.

Kenji whipped around in a tight circle and charged backward, cutting two swordsmen that had charged ahead of him down their backs.

5 more were still standing. After cutting down the two others, Kenji used his forward momentum to skid and then pivot, turning him toward the other swordsmen and cut two at the sides of their bellies in one slash, then seemlessly flowed into a spinning slash that cut down two more. The last swordsman suddenly realized he was alone and took a desperate lunge toward Kenji, only to see Kenji backflip away from the clumsy attack and spin in mid-air, landing and twirling fast enough to close the distance and decapitate the last swordsman.

Exhaling and inhaling to slow the beat of his heart, Kenji cleaned his katana then sheathed it, setting off at a walking pace toward to village he had defended, the fires having been put out.

[[LOT]rundown 3]

As Kenji approached the cheering peasants he could hear his name being chanted "Swordman, Swordman, Swordman!"

When Kenji reached the small village the peasants were already starting to repair their damaged huts. As one peasant dropped some wood on the ground Kenji came over to him and picked up the piece of wood. He asked the poor little man for a hammer and some nails. The man handed Kenji his hammer and some nails. Kenji effortlessly nailed the piece of wood onto the damaged hut passionately. The peasants were amazed at his much talent and a larger, more stronger man came over to Kenji.

He said "My name is Otomo, I am the protector of this village. If you need anything, food or drink, just ask. We are thankful for your help and it is most appreciated. I would of fought the bandits myself but I was outnumbered indoubtly and ran to the woods to get some aid from my archery buddies."

Kenji said "I am Kenji and a meal would be wonderful. I can tell you all about myself and why I have come to this land."

Otomo ordered some peasants to get to the kitchens and make some cuisine for the tired fighter and himself.

[Sinophile 41]

As Kenji entered the Hall of the Town Square, he sensed the aroma of steaming rice and other Asian cuisines. He sat down of the table with Otomo and they began to discuss.

"Who" Otomo inquered, "Are you, brave swordsman. Your talent is the most sharp I have seen. You seem familiar, but I can't seem to figure where I met you..."

Kenji jumped from the table, drawing his Katana from his backpack quickly and angled it towards Otomo. The few bodyguards in the vicinity crouched slightly, ready to attack if something goes wrong.

"I am Lord Kenji Oja, lost son of The Lord and I have come to reclaim the land. Tell me who has launched this attack on the village and I shall join you"

The brave Otomo replied without flinch: "Now I remember. The little boy who ran away after killing his father! Well, we will see what we can do with you"....

To be continued... BY FUTSALFRED

[Lord Kenji Oja 0]

(Hey, guys. Sorry it's been so long. Camping, chores, all this BS. Anyway.)

"Does it matter that I killed my father", said Kenji, smiling slightly.

"Not with me. I have waited seven years to serve you, Lord Serpent", replied Otomo, ordering his bodyguards to stand down.

"Don't call me that", growled Kenji, sheathing his katana.

"Come, have some tea. There is much to discuss", said Otomo, offering Kenji a seat and a cup of tea.

The two sat down and quietly sipped some tea. After awhile, Otomo spoke.

"The clan has fallen far since your father's death. The Wolf Clan and Lotus Clan have taken over much of your father's old lands", said Otomo before taking a swig, "The General of the Calvary, Garrin, has broken his province off from the Serpent Clan. He now trades with Lotus and Wolf, keeping his province an autonomous state. Its people have survived, though."

"Shinja has taken over rule of the Serpent Clan", inquired Kenji, removing his basket hat and shaking the dust out of his shoulder-length ponytail.

"Yes. When your father died, Taro took control of the Clan. However, where your father was skilled in politics and ruling with subtle silence, Taro lauded his power, using it to simply boss the people around. Behind his back, his retainers, including Shinja I might add, mocked his lack of skill in ruling. However, no one openly mocked him because of his skill with his swords, and his loyal bodyguards", replied Otomo, nodding before swiging some more tea, "Taro's lack of political skill led to his death. He was using his power to strip a lord of his fief, but the Lord instead set fire to his fields to kill Taro. The fires frightened his horse, and it bucked him off. He struck his head on a rock. The one man who could have saved the Clan......."

"Shinja has had control of three provinces since your father's death. This one, one to the northeast, and one to the northwest. I organized a rebellion, here. The attack by bandits you repelled were calvarymen from Garrin's Shock Trooper Unit. Except now, it's Konato's unit, as he and the calvary remained loyal to Shinja. Konato, Garrin's former Captain, has control of the Northeastern Province, here." Otomo pulled out a map and laid it on the table, pointing out the Province which contained a sizable stretch of the Eastern Road.

"Shinja rules from Hilltop Village, an old Serpent Fort in the Northwest. If we can attack Konato's base and persuade him to our side, we could gain command of the most powerful Calvary the Serpent has ever had. Also, I believe Konato could give us valuable information on Shinja's fortifications", continued Otomo.

"We must take the initiative while we still have it. If the bandits who raided this province were Konato's calvary, he'll be the first to know. If we can attack his province and cut off communications to Shinja, we'll have control of two provinces before nightfall. Shinja won't have any knowledge of this province's successful rebellion if we move quickly", replied Kenji, drawing several attack routes and protential bases on the map.

"We have no soldiers, Lord, but the villagers stand ready to serve", said Otomo.

"We must move quickly", said Kenji.

(Great work continuing the story in my absence, guys.)

[Sinophile 41]

(Im assuming the Konato's province is the same as the 'archer' province...)

KENJI'S JOURNEY Chapter 9

AWhat followed after that occasion was a short preparation and gathering of some recruits. A long trek from Otomo's villiage to the province of Konato followed, with Otomo and Kenji leading the way, a few peasants and rouge fighters in pursuit.

Kenji was the first to cross the boarder, and peered from atop the short mountain.