Hand Over Fist [Entering Country]

[Okada Kaji]

Hand Over Fist

Prelude​

Worse for wear, the young ninja shook his last bottle of soylent compound. He was leaned back, in red leather seat behind his wheel, one firmly docked to the ground within the cabin of Jomei’s steam ship. It seemed as though a hundred days had already passed since Jomei last departed from the shelter and comfort of Maruishi. In that time he sailed east from the Earth Country, navigated through a maze of rivers in the Land of Bears, and survived a challenging storm on the waters of the Lightning nation’s southern gulf. Though his ship remained upright, the storm left his vessel in ill-repair, operating at a fraction of it’s sailing potential. In the early morning hours, Jomei steered his ship on course for the closest port city eligible to him. Now that he was counted among the rogue lot, he needed to travel much more carefully than in his past. As a lone traveler, he wouldn’t have the symbol of the hidden stone to threaten pirates, bandits, and other ne'er do wells who found him adrift in the free lands with his barking engine, failing to said faster than a 35 knots per hour. His ship was stripped of any hidden stone decals, and a model common in the region. Jomei sported a change of clothes, free from the mossy green colors, and the bold style of his earth-nation origin. Instead, he donned an inconspicuously plain white collared shirt, woven with cotton. Suspenders held up his trousers, and a his boots were already black and filthy from being constantly worn. Before sunrise he also wore an oak, all-weather jacket, and he always wore his trademark cap. The dusty one from that dive bar.


As he took in his drink, Jomei monitored the horizon, which was steeped in an early-morning fog that blocked his sight from his destination. He traced his free index finger along the eastern coast of the Moon Nation, and a particular blip on the map where Jomei knew he’d find another fantastic civilization, similar in design to Maruishi’s port, Titan’s Keep. “Tsukigakure” he mumbled the name under his breath and took a finishing swig of his liquidized breakfast. As he took the bottle away from his lips, he failed to let out the usually sound of thirst-quenched relief, and merely experienced the bland flavor of the drink one last time. He felt relieved to finally be done with his rations, and was eager to have a warm, stove-cooked meal once he dropped anchor in the The Village Hidden the Hidden Moon. With his excitement building, Jomei almost became complacent at the helm of his ship, and barely managed to shift his vessel a few degrees in order to avoid a slowly-approaching risen stone. He chanted “Land ho” with a lax bearing- It wasn’t his first close call, or so it goes. Though his eyes were trained on the sea the thoughts of breakfast still clouded his mind. It left his mouth watering, and his stomach was aching and rebelling. “Nevermind the hunger. I’m just ready to see another human being, live and in the flesh” he added, spiting the loneliness he felt in that cabin. In his time away from the Stone, Jomei found much waking hours being spent clutching a mysterious green gem he excavated from the sunken cavern of Arcadia, years ago.


It was a precious bobble, and the only possession he dared to covet in a ship full of tools and treasures. He called it the Gate Gem; and it was the catalyst of this very adventure. it was his mystery to solve, and an object of immense, unknown power. The Gate Gem was unlike arcadianite gems he used as power cells; in fact the glowing green gem had a power and presence that radiated from it, and could be felt by all who came near, one you’d feel down to your soul. Jomei often lost himself in marveling at the stone, contemplating it’s purpose and design, as something capable of toying with the line between life and death, and the flow of life force governing it. Over the months he spent journeying, he had experienced enough exposure to the magic gem that it allowed him to hold it bare-handed without fear of receiving a searing chakra burn. He rarely felt tempted to use the gem, all in fear that the gem might steal a target’s life away, or greedily deplete himself of his own life force, killing him. In the hands of anyone else, the wielder would face a risk of being stunned by a karmic bolt, or fall dead in an instant, as the gate gem’s wrath was entirely unpredictable. By not using the gem, Jomei protected himself from the gem’s call; an innate desire of the sentient gem which hungered for more life energy. While the gem was satiated by a regular supply of Jomei’s own chakra, it would require much more in order to enact its most divine magic. For now, the innate abilities of the gem only began to affect Jomei in a few, tolerable ways. The only thing you need to know for now, is that it grants a gift to sense the presence of beings hidden from the physical plane.​

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- Jomei is Entering the Moon Country & Thread
- 885 WC/MFT

 

[Okada Kaji]

Hand Over Fist: Prelude

The fog was endless for Jomei. And as he sat there in a lucid state, a duo of ninja crept into the cabin through each open port hole. A third shadow lurked in the forward deck window, and trapped Jomei with genjutsu from the vantage point outside. The entering duo crept in the dimness behind Jomei, moving with a cat’s silence. The small cabin lighting revealed them as sword-armed fighters; a sibling pair. The two allies of the illusionist were dressed in anbu cliches, muffled, linen-wrapped armor plating and long katanas slung over their backs in scabbards. They may have been fraternal twins in their appearance, a brother and sister with similarly flared eyebrows, bulgy aggressive eyes, and muscular builds. Their motions were in sync as they entered, and fluidly moving. Their faces were hidden behind the linen from the nose down, and only their hair colors could be depended upon to tell them apart. There was a color theme going here. Garnet hued accents were used to identify the energetic brother, Nori, and in contrast, his sister Tori was completed by a teal trim to her uniform. The duo sweep over every crevice of the small chamber, and the younger sibling became intrigued with a display of red, bulbous Dunsai flowers preserved in a special glass canister. Flowers unlike any she had ever picked in the island meadows.


Nori approached Jomei casually, confident that the his master had a firm grasp on the captive. Meanwhile, Tori released the cabin hatch locks, and opened it, revealed a stunted veteran. He was Chief Sozui, the illusionist, still casting the genjutsu that ensnared his captive. Their clothing all possessed the emblem insignia of their ninja village of Tsukigakure. Tori aided the illusionist in stepping over the knee-knocking bottom of the doorway. His effort was concentrated upon maintaining the illusion, and he would not look away from Jomei as he entered. Old age left a slouch in his stance, and he entered wearing a woolly steel-blue cloaks, gray tunic and trousers, rubber black boots, and neon green accents to his cuffs, seams, and fine details. He had a crooked hooked nose, half-moon shaped eyes, bulky hairless brows, and a silver-haired combover, neatly trimmed.


The masked sibling in red slipped past Jomei, and engaged the controls of the ship with prior knowledge of how to operate it. He shut off the engine and released the anchor’s lever. The ship’s constant churning came to a sudden stop, as did the slow crawl towards land. With her arms crossed, Tori stood back besides the illusionist master, and remained vigilant while her roguish brother picked the target’s pockets. “He always forgets to check for a breast pocket” the sister groaned in a whisper meant for her master’s ears alone. The energetic brother was working quickly, searching Jomei’s pockets for identification, and anything of value. “My girl, some things are best left to your brother Nori. I won’t have both of my students practicing at thievery.” The illusionist stood behind Tori at the back of the cabin and gave his pouting apprentice a favoring pat on the arm.


Rather than the fog of the intruder’s illusions, the fortified coastal city of Tsukigakure sat on the horizon, less than fifteen minutes away from the bow of Jomei’s steam machine. The sun was beginning to illuminate the skyline, and revealed frigates parked with cannons aimed from the port and starboard sides. Unaware of it all, Jomei went without protest as the ninja handling him spun his chair around, and looked to his sister with a cheerful grin once he managed to notice Jomei’s jacket pocket. The energy of the Gate Gem practically called out to him, and the ruby-eyed twin responded with an almost hesitant dip of the hand into the pocket. Out came the gem, which reacted with a pulsating green glow, clutched between the henchman’s index finger and thumb. “Get a look at this” he said with sheer excitement, forgetting about the lad slumped back in the captain’s seat. He raised the gem eye-level, and turned to see his illusionist master, who didn’t seem so excited about the gem and it’s telling, ghastly green glow. “Be careful with that object, it could be--” before the elder could finish his late warning, a karmic blast of chakra pulsated out from the green jewel; one so incredible that it swept through his body, and and took alone every speck of his own vigor in its passing. The young brother dropped to the floor with a hard thud, as good as dead when he smashed face first. However, the gem had a different fate and landed in the reaching palm of Jomei. The sheer force of the karmic blast coursing through Nori was enough to stir Jomei, and the interrupting chakra snapped him out of the genjutsu cast by the illusionist, Boat Chief Sozui. Jomei caught the precious stone instinctively, and seized a grip on reality as his clarity returned. Jomei raised his hands with palm forward, and though his motion resembled a plea, Jomei was posed to defend himself. He read the two intruders, instantly surmising which of the two was responsible for the fog. The sister’s katana flashed a reflection of the rising sun when she raised it to an offensive stance, alerting Jomei to the time that passed during his capture. “This was quite a trap” Jomei admitted justly, attempting to settle the intruders in case they there might have been some sort of mistake. It was no small task to bypass Jomei’s Hachiashi threat detection sense. The seasoned elder took the compliment as sarcasm and turned to face his brooding apprentice, whom had her fill of standing by idly. Tori was a bit bulkier than her brother, enough that Jomei imagined a single bolt from the gem wouldn’t flatten her as easily as it did her sibling. Her master Sozui gave her a nod, “Now you understand why some things are best left to your brother.” The elder paid the fallen sibling little to no mind, and encouraged the sister’s role as the superior of the two siblings. He then set her free upon Jomei.

“Your job is to do that of which you excel: cut down this sniveling interloper. Do it for Nori.” On command, the assassin made slow, soundless footfalls towards Jomei, ready to pounce like a wild cat in a literal heart-beat. Her sword trembled, not with fear, but the sensation of captured rage, and the last moment of calm before a total outrage. The sway of the ship made it impossible to see if his chest did not rise and fall, and nothing was for certain. The only guarantee was the wrath to come if her sibling was laying there, slain, and drained of his life force by the mysterious gem. She was going to do her best to hack the so-called interloper to pieces.​

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1152WC

 

[Okada Kaji]

Hand Over Fist: Prelude [Closed]

The elder was speechless, and took a step back as an instantaneous struggle began between the vengeful Tori, and Jomei, with his maddening green jewel. Even from his captain’s chair, Jomei proved to be a formidable opponent to Tori, who would have cut a typical interloper down in such an scenario. She made heavy downward swings, hacking in the captain’s chair and the desk console with her singing blade. Jomei narrowly weaved by each cut. She was fast, yet he was faster, and his deceptive evasion came with a presence of webbing expended during his dance. Just as Tori grew tired of chasing Jomei, she into a raised arm, forward-pointing impaling stance, and wound up to thrust, aiming for Jomei’s center. The whistle of her blade closing in towards Jomei came to a sudden halt, and a collection of webbing was revealed, entrapping her from coming another footfall closer. The snared trap was a clever distraction, but one meant to create an opening. With her guard down and her actions delayed by sticky webbing, she was open to a savage yet precise, jumping heel kick to her temple. The blunt force of Jomei’s dynamic strike sent her stumbling back, and trapped in the stupefying entanglement of webs. The spider ninja had made a mockery of her, and she fell backwards over a weathered loot chest. There was a splattering sound when she hit. The webbing surely planted her to the deck, captive and foolish looking. All the meanwhile, Chief Sozui simply spectated until he stood alone with Jomei, who was entirely bewildered by fear and concern.


“I believe we have a misunderstanding” Jomei interrupted the awkward silence for the shifty elder who still stood before him. He stowed the green gem his jacket lining pocket, which Sozui seemed fixated upon. “There is no misunderstanding.” Sozui’s voice was dry and worn, and his every word had a scornful edge to them. “You are piloting an unmarked, unregistered vessel in the waters of Tsukigakure. You are a trespasser!” As the old one said his rebuttal, Jomei accounted for the ships surrounding him, and could hear the sound of boots beating against the deck outside, lining the cabin walls for a sneak attack, if Jomei persisted. In the last fleeting moments for him to take initiative, Jomei held fast, and did not risk everything when an understanding could have possibly been reached. “I am a traveler in distress and nothing more” Jomei explained. “I wasn’t far from here when the storm hit, and my ship has taken a lot of damage. I only came here looking for hospitality, and a harbor where I can make repairs.”
The sagely old man did not seem entirely confident in Jomei’s story, and his disapproving scowl was unmoved. He waved a hand, signaling for his reinforcements to break down the cabin door in a show of force, and storm in with blades in hand. Several ninja created a formation in the small cabin, creating an impassable barricade between Jomei and chief Sozui. Jomei doubted that he could verbally sway them after the aggressive tactics they showed thus far, and he would have gambled too much by trying to flee; the option simply did not exist.


“Simple travelers do not make stealthy approaches onto our shores under the cover of twilight. It was simple protocol for my squad to inspect your ship. Usually we let your type go along their way and neglect to inspect their ships, but there was something off about you. Call it a gut feeling.” The elder then gave a snap with his fingers, and the fellow ninja became eager to get closer to Jomei. As they slowly enclosed upon the lone rogue, the elder gave Jomei instructions, which, if followed, meant a ticket out of being slain then and there. “Place down the jewel, step away from it, and do not resist my guards. Comply, and I will promise you a fair chance of due process once we have returned to the village shores. Show even the slightest hint of resistance, and my men won’t hesitate to skewer you.” Though he was difficult to trust, his demands were simple enough for Jomei to compromise and live. Wisely, Jomei complied and went to set down the green gem, but his movements slowed as he set it down on the hardwood floor. The old voice came again from behind the wall of masked ninja, this time in as a concerned growl as he noticed the hesitation in Jomei’s compliance. “Just try me, son.” He stepped out from behind his protection, and approached his captive. “I’ll sink this rusty bucket with you still shackled to the wheel. But that’s If it were up to me.”


Jomei backed away from the gem, heeding the demand of his captor in hopes of surviving the incident, and finding escape once the opportunity arrived. The old one seemed satisfied, and cautiously retrieved the gate gem from the ground. He revealed an ebony silk pouch, and scooped up the gem with the same caution a thief might use when picking a lock with his last lock pick. The squad of ninja used their drawn weapons to prod Jomei into making an exit, and he went along quietly. The old chief now had room to think, and take in his surroundings. The collection of equipment he found was new and mysterious to him; he held up partly-charged arcadianite energy cell, and tilted it in his hand to get a better look at each side. But that power cell paled in comparison to the masterfully crafted map he found pinned to Jomei’s desk. He had come a long way, indeed. Just what kind of activity did the stranger in the steamship have planned for his village? Appearances were deceiving, and the old Illusionist could not accept that Jomei was just a lad adventuring at sea. It may have only been the aura of the green jewel, but even it resembled much less of a threat without the presence of it’s keeper.


The marching sounds of his reinforcements exiting the cabin with Jomei were continuing out the hatch, and along the top deck sailing frigates parked besides it. Chief Sozui now had the room with his apprentices, which were both incapacitated on the deck; one blacked out, and the other, bound by Jomei’s silvery webbing bondage. While Tori continued to squirm helplessly in an attempt to free herself without aid, the chief went to check on Nori, the second sibling who’d touched the gem. He placed his index and middle fingers against the neck, and quickly found a beating pulse among the lad’s lean neck muscles. “Your brother lives” Sozui informed his other apprentice. “Which, I cannot say will be the case for the intruder once the Overseers learn of him and this wicked gem.” The the port hole, Sozui went to watch as his mariner ninja transferred the mysterious lad into their brig ship. Odds are, Sozui would let Jomei spend a few days in the city’s dungeon to straighten him out, and put some fear of the land into him. In the meantime, customs would have a field day with the instruments in the cabin. In fact, Jomei’s collection of energy-harnessing ores and metals would prove to be quite interesting indeed.

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1219WC
Jomei has entered the village.
Jomei has left the thread unless stopped.​