Crickets were a cliché sound for one to hear in the deep night, but being so overused didn't stop Hoshikata from hearing them as they went off. Thick vegetation covered this area, the sky over blocked out by a ceiling of foliage from the great, ancient trees that grew so robust here; with trunks so wide three people couldn't hold hands around them and covered with enough moss to make a quilt, he was sure this place saw few people. The air smelled of those earthy scents that came with untamed wilderness, but there was an acrid stench over it as they neared their goal.
Somewhere ahead of them lay a temple buried under the fauna of the land, a large structure of archaic design with large, rough cut stones making up the walls and broad pillars with symbols of the old gods of the world carved into them, it would shine like gold if the light of the sun ever hit it but in this moonless night the only chance of finding it would be the fact that an immense bonfire burned brightly at the entrance to it. Twelve steps, each one nearly a hundred feet in length and ten in width, would rise from the floor of the forest to the entablature that ringed the building. A pediment rose above that with a massive window, no glass but only a crossbar to hold a holy symbol of some sort or the other.
The building was solid, no doubt. There were no other windows, no other doors. Inside it was one large room, with rows of beds to replace the old seats and more fires burning to keep the cold at bay. Smoke would rise to the ceiling and begin to pour out of that sole opening, giving the appearance of a giant, smoking hole to hell. As his staff parted the brush and his golden eyes alighted on the structure, Hoshikata would chuckle softly.
Wearing his jet black robes with gold trim, the patriarch of the Isaki clan was a shadow unto himself. His hood was pulled up, his boots matching in color to the cloth to blend him into the darkness more easily. The crystal cap on his staff stabs into the loose soil at his feet as he surveys the building, noting the people around the building. Several were in the middle of fanatical devotions while others were being led into hastily pitched tents. The grunts and moans coming from those gave him enough clue what was going on there, and the smoke rising from that gathering smelled off, making him decide he didn't want to know what they were burning.
The brush is settled back into place as Hoshikata turns to his companions and lets the smile fade from his face, a serious look once more on it. ”We're to capture, not kill, the leader of this temple. His followers are of no matter to those orders, so if their deaths will have no effect on our goal. The man we seek is inside the temple, he is going to be wearing two daggers and likely be close to fire. He has a healthier ego than anyone you've likely met, except perhaps a Minamoto. He also likely knows some blood jutsu.”
“Now for the bad news. He's possessed by the spirit of a fire demon. So be careful in apprehending him. I think our first course of action should be clearing those people out of the way. We don't want them interfering when we attack. Two helpings of skeletal warriors followed with an intense feeling of dread from our void expert should help, and then I'll ignite some tents to further scatter them. Questions?”
Somewhere ahead of them lay a temple buried under the fauna of the land, a large structure of archaic design with large, rough cut stones making up the walls and broad pillars with symbols of the old gods of the world carved into them, it would shine like gold if the light of the sun ever hit it but in this moonless night the only chance of finding it would be the fact that an immense bonfire burned brightly at the entrance to it. Twelve steps, each one nearly a hundred feet in length and ten in width, would rise from the floor of the forest to the entablature that ringed the building. A pediment rose above that with a massive window, no glass but only a crossbar to hold a holy symbol of some sort or the other.
The building was solid, no doubt. There were no other windows, no other doors. Inside it was one large room, with rows of beds to replace the old seats and more fires burning to keep the cold at bay. Smoke would rise to the ceiling and begin to pour out of that sole opening, giving the appearance of a giant, smoking hole to hell. As his staff parted the brush and his golden eyes alighted on the structure, Hoshikata would chuckle softly.
Wearing his jet black robes with gold trim, the patriarch of the Isaki clan was a shadow unto himself. His hood was pulled up, his boots matching in color to the cloth to blend him into the darkness more easily. The crystal cap on his staff stabs into the loose soil at his feet as he surveys the building, noting the people around the building. Several were in the middle of fanatical devotions while others were being led into hastily pitched tents. The grunts and moans coming from those gave him enough clue what was going on there, and the smoke rising from that gathering smelled off, making him decide he didn't want to know what they were burning.
The brush is settled back into place as Hoshikata turns to his companions and lets the smile fade from his face, a serious look once more on it. ”We're to capture, not kill, the leader of this temple. His followers are of no matter to those orders, so if their deaths will have no effect on our goal. The man we seek is inside the temple, he is going to be wearing two daggers and likely be close to fire. He has a healthier ego than anyone you've likely met, except perhaps a Minamoto. He also likely knows some blood jutsu.”
“Now for the bad news. He's possessed by the spirit of a fire demon. So be careful in apprehending him. I think our first course of action should be clearing those people out of the way. We don't want them interfering when we attack. Two helpings of skeletal warriors followed with an intense feeling of dread from our void expert should help, and then I'll ignite some tents to further scatter them. Questions?”