Wolf Like Me [Solo]

[Okada Kaji]

For some time I thought this diary was a means to tell you the truth of my life, and the many tales I lack the conviction to spoil your youth with. That is until now, as I have realized that this has really been an effort to write the story I want you to know. So, in order to prevent the tainting of this journal with lies, I will share that omitted truth: the story of how I met your sister, Setsuko.

Kaji Okada​

It was just supposed to be a snippet at first— or maybe even an epilogue to another volume in the life of the great Kaji Okada. At first, this was a story about closure, and a lone adventurer going back to the place where his life— his real life, not the humble cabin origin— began. You see, after that scrap in the world tournament, Kaji was provided a bit of unpaid leave from his post in the Cloud. He had just enough for a pilgrimage back to the Land of Earth. Finalizing his separation from the Hidden Stone was something Kaji Okada had to do face to face. A written letter with an official seal of the Hidden Cloud wouldn’t do— no, everything in the stone was done the hard, old-fashioned way. Really, it was just par the course in the life of any man looking to sever an oath typically made to last until death. An oath kind of like marriage.

Haze blanketed the horizon as a cool summer shower swept across a vast collection of jagged peaks that filled Kaji’s view. He was lucky enough to find a temporary respite from the rain as shallow, man-made caves were somewhat common in the Land of Earth. Sometimes they were rigged with traps, though this time Kaji had found one already weathered away and disarmed by time. So he settled down in the narrow gap at the cave’s face and put a pen to a pad while biding his time. “I hope this letter finds you and the little one doing well” he whispered, mulling over what to say while his hand worked. A moment of scribbling passed before he stripped the paper off of the pad and crumpled it into a ball. Damn his pragmatism, or so he thought as he struggled to create words to match just how much he missed his lover and child. “I wonder what they’re doing today,” he said, thinking aloud just to disrupt the static rainfall outside. The time and place were forever changing, but this was becoming a daily trouble for the traveling mister Okada. To say “I miss you” just wasn’t enough, and as he moved closer towards the metropolis of Maruishi these chances to rest and write were coming at rare intervals.

Only the natives understood how much danger was to be found at the brink of the savage lands surrounding the mountain’s megacity. Out in these peaks where Kaji journeyed were mankind’s deadliest opposition— large beasts that learned to favor the taste of easy human prey. Traveling unwarily could lead a foolish wanderer into the pit of a terrifying creature, or worse, the equally savage barbarians who hunted them. It was difficult to travel here without getting blood on your hands. Kaji learned his lesson years ago, yet he intended to visit the Hidden Stone one last time and survive to tell the tale, without incident.

- Kaji has entered the thread (this is probably gonna be a four part thread.)
- Might be Entering the Country.
- Might already be here in another thread, I don't know.
- I'm RPing again. Yaaaaaay.

 

[Okada Kaji]

Wolf Like Me: The Monarch Girl

I’d like to leave you with some words of warning that should stand the test of time, at least until you are old enough to journey forth and see for yourself. The popular roads leading into the city of Maruishi seem safe— they are patrolled by the city guard more efficiently than in the past. Highwaymen used to make the paved paths a treacherous option for travelers, but now their efforts have become more discreet. Go there with even the slightest hint of a secret worth knowing, or the glint of a bauble worth stealing, and you will be followed until the proper strategy is enacted to take what is of interest to your pursuer. So, you must never take the main road into the city; El Dentado, because it is rife with ambitious upstarts who’ll try their luck with any random traveler they come upon. I have no doubt that you’ll be able to handle yourself, of that much I’ll see sure to in the coming years. But if you choose this life I chose, then you will surely be coming to Maruishi with more than a few reasons to avoid unwanted attention. So don’t take the jagged roadway. You will be brave, and venture down into one of five tunnels leading into the cisterns and labyrinth of machinery running between Maruishi and Arcadia, better known as The Underbelly.

The most well-founded and safe to travel passage into The Underbelly is via a routine maintenance tunnel; it is a registered entry point into the village restricted to Stone Shinobi for local travel. However, I imagine the first time you visit will be similar to Kaji’s arrival in this adventure, where alerting the authorities of his arrival ahead of schedule might compromise his quest. And so, Kaji did not choose the first or even the second— but the third most ideal entry point into The Underbelly— one I demand you never take unless your life depends on it. There is a sliver of a cave, just a crack in the mountainside large enough for Kaji slide through. Obscure and unguarded, this entrance didn’t need patrols because of the natural dangers presented by the skein of gears large enough to grind up humans who take a wrong step in the dark pass. The corridor Kaji traveled through was the interior of a large steam engine responsible for one-eighth of the city’s power infrastructure. It was hot, humid, and reeking of oil and grime as the adventurer strode through a lightless chamber of machinery. Kaji knew the way through this place, which was a direct path down a very long walkway with countless machines spinning on both sides until you found a heavy, locked door at the end. It was deceptively simple, yet a hidden mechanic of this long hall made it nigh impossible for your ordinary sneak-thief, or even a skilled shinobi to pass without the necessary keys. The corridor is host to an insatiable demon bound via divine sorcery, an incarnation of chaos and evil bottled up and unleashed on trespassers. I hope you never come across one of these traps keeping a Nabassu in waiting. Attempting to slay the fiend is a costly strategy as it will have a complete advantage within the chamber. Instead, you will have two options. The Underbelly maintenance workers who make routine visits to this chamber carry warding seal which allows them to enter the zone without summoning the Nabassu— they are created specifically for each circle and you most likely won’t have one. A Nabassu is a creature that hungers for souls, strikes through shadows, and kills its prey in order to devour their soul. Unlike most humans, Kaji is a being with multiple souls capable of offering one as a bargain with the Nabassu. One soul is enough to satiate the fiend and cancel its presence for a limited time— a worthwhile price to pay rather an unnecessary battle. There is no good time for a head to head with a demon, which is never a small encounter.

So Kaji wormed his was through the crack and narrow tunnel which led into this demon-guarded chamber. His pair of emeraldine orbs were glowing, magically attuning to provide him with sight despite the pitch blackness. Moving walls of gnashing iron came into a grainy view in shades of gray as Kaji realized the familiar setting. This place was as he remembered, unchanged in the decade since he last passed through on a return home from a classified operation with his long-dead comrades Xinyue and Heizo. Per the instructions of their master, the trio brought along a suitable sacrifice— a bandit they captured from El Dentado. Once the Nabassu emerged, Xinyue killed the bandit as an offering and the demon was pacified, at least long enough for the trio of shinobi to walk around it and make a hurried exit. This time Kaji would make it through without needing to make a sacrifice—at least, that was his plan.

As the hero unsheathed the blade of Eelspine and walked with cautious steps towards the border of the zone which would summon the Nabassu once he entered, Kaji came to a stop just one final pace in front of the seal’s border. Something was off— call it hero’s intuition or whatever you want but Kaji knew his plan wouldn’t go as intended. And then it came, the wrench, the unexpected complication that would have ruined it all. A brief flash of life spilled into the grinding chamber, causing Kaji to disperse in a flock of shadows, vanishing from sight in the darkness. All of the noise had prevented him from noticing any sooner as someone else was entering the chamber through the thin crevasse in the wall. Perhaps he was being followed, Kaji wondered from his hiding place. Once the wall revealed a warmly glowing lantern held in hand by a dangling handle, Kaji was certain, albeit haughtily, that the stranger couldn’t have been trying to track him. The light revealed more of its user than of her surroundings, illuminating the image of her as a young female. She looked about teenage, with a semi-tan complexion, raven hair mostly hidden by a worn kasa made of straw, weighed down atop her head by bronze baubles dangling evenly around it. A pair of thickly braided pigtails dropped from the nape of her neck, down to her pronounced collarbone. She had the makings of an athlete’s physique, most-likely honed from practicing with the pair of swords across her waist. Her attire was practical for a shinobi, yet it's design showcased her steps into womanhood. The backless outfit revealed the tattoo of a red dragon sprawling from her shoulders to the small of her back in a winding coil. The black garb looked as if it were initially long, but cut precisely to breathe in the summer heat. She had a lengthy skirt with slits cut that revealed her legs with thigh-highs pinching her as she strode. Her boots were muted by proper shinobi-soles, and she wisely equipped sleek armor to her forearms and shins. Intrigued, Kaji moved through the darkness and began sneaking through the sea of machinery like only he could. The kunoichi with the lantern swung it about slowly, taking in her surroundings before uttering a few words to low to be heard by Kaji through the machine noise. They were command words though, triggering a sudden release of orange-glowing butterflies from the lantern she held. There must have been dozens of them fluttering out from the lantern as they spread light into the otherwise black machine room. As they spread, an occasional butterfly light would vanish as a spinning gear or pumping mechanic swept it away with a crushing blow, but the young adventurer paid them no mind. She seemed focused on a matter at hand, cautiously investigating the strange space, either aware of the trap that lay ahead or trying to discern her location. Kaji maintained a vigilant stare on her but he was motioning through his surroundings, trying to get closer just as she made moves towards the Nabassu’s summoning seal. “The fool is going to get herself killed,” Kaji thought in a panic— it was unlike him to simply spectate such a tragedy when he had the remedy in his sword pommel. So the man of shadows was nearly out of the maze of gears, trying to maintain his stealth as he hurried towards the adolescent wanderer when he missed the butterfly tracing him from his right. The orange glow grew bright as the insect began to circle around him in a revealing display. With her last step halted, the stranger’s attention spun around in Kaji’s direction and she stared him down hard. “Found you,” she said, determinately, creating a new set of questions for Kaji as he jumped out from the darkness with his hands reaching hopelessly from afar. Those questions would have to wait as a most immediate concern came first, a sudden frothing of blackness so intense that the butterflies flying near the chamber’s center were swallowed by it. It was the errant girl’s last step— the nabassu was summoned!
“Are you Kaji Okada?” She spoke out with a loud and accusatory tone, sure she was correct as it was indeed Kaji who stood before her, yet he hardly paid her the attention she expected.
“Get out of my way before it kills you” demanded Kaji, who was reaching for Eelspine and marching past her with his sight set on the imminent darkness.
“That sword— that’s the Eelspine— it's really you, you’re Kaji” the hard womanly call deflated back into an excited childish, giddy intonation as the teenage adventurer became flustered. She tipped her kasa back, revealed swept bangs and searching eyes which resembled aquamarine gemstones in the lowlight. “Wait… face me” she demanded with a renewing, hardening resolve, building the nerve to hurry after him further into the dark hall. “You can’t run from me” she said with a shout as her pace improved, but Kaji still hurried away. She shot out an angered pout and persisted her pursuit.

The glow of Eelspine led his dash as Kaji placed himself a dozen paces away from the dark presence ahead of him. He stopped there and held the blade outward, conjuring an incredible mass of chakra which illuminated the entire hall. “Stay your wrath Nabassu, I’ve come to bargain and not with blood,” said the ever-prepared Kaji. “A soul— a gift for the demon to fulfill its hunger once more. ‘You may take it and begone from here!” His words were delivered like a scripted prompt even though Kaji genuinely didn’t know if the plan would even work. However, his presentation has at least kept the demon at bay for the moment, as the black shroud was lifted to reveal the Nabassu with something like a smile on its wretched visage.

“Tmuw aly miw myirv ao zmiz ypyridv qdas kyoary— uz uw haf, zmy kily ao Kaezohr! tmy rysirv oar hafr myiv uw xe qryiz aly ulvyyv.”

The fiend spoke with a sound that resembled rocks scraping together in it’s throat, uttering in a language unknown to Kaji, followed by a shrieking laugh and a proud flex of its scaly chest. Its posture insisted their would be a fight as the Nabassu bared its claws and wings out wide. Powerful legs pushed it forward with no use for those wings in the narrow corridor. It was reaching for Kaji with claws lunging like a hand made of daggers. The demon’s eyes were like fiery pits locked onto Kaji, starin with a soul-stealing gaze that grew more intense as it drew closer to him. The twelve paces separating the opponents were quickly closed to melee combat. However, by the time Kaji weaved to the right, avoiding the slash, a burst of blue light stole his moment to counter-attack and interrupted the penetrating stare. With a pair of katana swinging into the Nabassu with a double thrust high, that kunoichi emerged from the light in a burst of uncanny quickness and deadly precision. Blood splattered. Kaji quickly rebounded and put Eelspine back to work, making more precise cuts to the fiend’s right thigh and calf as he moved around to it’s flank. The Nabassu tried to follow Kaji as it’s priority despite the kunoichi landing direct blows to it’s chest. Their strikes were making shallow cuts as hitting the Nabassu felt akin to striking stone. A claw made sparks as it struck against spinning iron cogs lining the wall. It flapped a wing out behind it mid-turn, attempting to slap the nameless Kunoichi but she merely flipped backward in a somersault with some nimble footwork. The demon stumbled once it tried to balance on that carved leg, opening it to a follow-up attack from Kaji. Swinging Eelspine again produced a burst of psionic energy in a sharpened blade of force. The blow spanned from the Nabassu’s chest where those katana slices began and ran down it’s belly in an attempt at tearing the demon in half. The blow pushed the Nabassu back onto that weakened leg, and its wing was snagged by the gnashing wall. The fiend was yanked back against the wall with an agonizing howl as it’s appendaged was mangled in short order. It tried to tear itself free in desperation but wound up ensnaring its opposite arm as well. Sounds of snapping bones popped loudly to a gruesome effect. The turning of the gears slowed to a stop as the fiend jammed the mega-machine. All the meanwhile the Nabassu screamed until the brief adjustment period came to an end and the fiend began a mocking laughter in spite of its pathetic position. The machine chamber made sounds of lament from the stoppage— escape valves discharged heavy plumes of thick steam and red lights began flickering brightly as an alert for the maintenance crews.

The demon was helplessly exposed for finishing blows, as it’s tough hide would take multiple strikes if they meant to kill the Nabassu. Kaji seemed hesitant, only dashing forward when he spotted his unexpected ally going in for the kill with her blades singing. Kaji parried her pair of blades, swatting the first and grabbing her left wrist as he slipped inside her guard. They spun around in a light-footed dance until they broke apart and made even paces away from their prey.
“What are you about?” Asked the girl as she eyed Kaji with incredulity. “The maintenance lights are flaring, we gotta kill the thing and unstop the machine or we’ll have bigger problems.”
“Not yet” answered Kaji. “Leave if you fear capture, but I’m not finished with this creature.”
All the meanwhile, the Nabassu began a diatribe in that abyssal language, grinding the stones in its throat to deliver garbled promises. "Bywzyv kh Kaji Okada. Iz pizzyrw laz; zmuw aly uw wfry za pyyz haf iqiul smyl uz uw haf sma miw kyyl mflq al zmy zarzfry ritcw, vorv tiqyv ul zmy ikhwwid cyye ao Kaezohr!"
“It knows your name” realized the kunoichi beside Kaji.
“As do you” Kaji said with a sharp glare. “This is not my first run-in with a demon— I have to find out what it knows… It should only take a moment.”
“And how are you supposed to be doing that? ‘You can understand this thing?” The girl followed on Kaji’s heels with every step he took, staring at him hard and glancing nervously at the Nabassu in short glances, back and forth.
“No,” said Kaji through gritted teeth before he reached for the dagger strapped to his vest and made an unexpected jab into the Nabassu’s left eye. He disabled the glow of its soul stealing gaze after a repeated blow to the other, effectively neutralizing the fiend’s last fighting measure. The fiend’s mocking laughter was broken down, back into a lamenting howl as blood poured down its cheeks in a gruesome display.
“Kaji Okada, a man who’ll torture demons,” said the girl in estranged awe. “No one is going to believe I saw this.”

And no one else would ever know, well, just you.