Post by Koji Nobuyoki on May 22, 2008 14:35:36 GMT -5
Prologue - Blood follows like a dog
War is never a good thing. It leads to death, tears, broken families, and grudges. Powerful grudges that last through the thick of the war, that tear friends apart, and faces them against each other. It turns your loved ones into your enemies. Blood is spilled by these grudges, splattering the walls, staining clothing, and giving off its powerful scent.
Of course, war always has its reasons. Around here, it’s because of the gods. You see we live in a world where Gods truly exist, where they have actually been seen by us, and where they actually influence us. In truth, it was the fault of one of the weaker gods that started this war. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
All right, let me start by explaining some things. I live in a world with no name. I don’t know why it doesn’t have a name, myself, but most people just call it the Nameless World, so it sort of stuck. The world is not very big, only about the size of a single continent, but the sea is massive, though nobody sails due to the constantly violent seas.
On the land, there are the Regulars, or the normal, everyday people. They walk about, talk, make friends, play with family, fall in love, and so on. But they aren’t the only people who inhabit the world, as there is a second race of humans, but with a strong difference from their normal counterparts.
The Burned is race of Humans who have won the god’s favor. But, it’s not as simple as gaining the favor of the gods, in truth. Winning the god’s favor is only the first part.
The other half of the deal is, for the most part, that you are in danger. You see, to become a Burned, one must either be in danger, or one of their family members must be in danger, about to die, so to speak. The gods, or god, as a single god governs the burned, will look down on you, see that you are about to die. If the “God of the Burned” likes you, and doesn’t want you to die, he burns you.
The good thing of this deal is you get incredible powers that allow you to hopefully defeat your adversary. The bad part is the pain. This is one reason why most people try to avoid being burned. The pain of a Burn is the worst thing you can go through. It’s more painful than having all your limbs cut off. It is impossible to compare it to anything else, as it is THE worst pain.
War is never a good thing. It leads to death, tears, broken families, and grudges. Powerful grudges that last through the thick of the war, that tear friends apart, and faces them against each other. It turns your loved ones into your enemies. Blood is spilled by these grudges, splattering the walls, staining clothing, and giving off its powerful scent.
Of course, war always has its reasons. Around here, it’s because of the gods. You see we live in a world where Gods truly exist, where they have actually been seen by us, and where they actually influence us. In truth, it was the fault of one of the weaker gods that started this war. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
All right, let me start by explaining some things. I live in a world with no name. I don’t know why it doesn’t have a name, myself, but most people just call it the Nameless World, so it sort of stuck. The world is not very big, only about the size of a single continent, but the sea is massive, though nobody sails due to the constantly violent seas.
On the land, there are the Regulars, or the normal, everyday people. They walk about, talk, make friends, play with family, fall in love, and so on. But they aren’t the only people who inhabit the world, as there is a second race of humans, but with a strong difference from their normal counterparts.
The Burned is race of Humans who have won the god’s favor. But, it’s not as simple as gaining the favor of the gods, in truth. Winning the god’s favor is only the first part.
The other half of the deal is, for the most part, that you are in danger. You see, to become a Burned, one must either be in danger, or one of their family members must be in danger, about to die, so to speak. The gods, or god, as a single god governs the burned, will look down on you, see that you are about to die. If the “God of the Burned” likes you, and doesn’t want you to die, he burns you.
The good thing of this deal is you get incredible powers that allow you to hopefully defeat your adversary. The bad part is the pain. This is one reason why most people try to avoid being burned. The pain of a Burn is the worst thing you can go through. It’s more painful than having all your limbs cut off. It is impossible to compare it to anything else, as it is THE worst pain.
img216.imageshack.us/img216/981/hunterkirizakitheburneduw7.jpg
(A picture of Hunter with his spear drawn, made by the artist who is going to be doing the comic version of The Burned)
Chapter 1 - Don't add "Kill the Gods" to your to-do list
"There he goes! Get him!"
Yet again, he was running from someone. Yesterday, it was the merchant, and today a couple of guards. When would it end? That was one question that you couldn't answer until the day it happened.
Running from the guards was, of course, Hunter. Now, by no means was he a thief, or a trouble causer. It just seemed that everywhere he went, Hunter always got into a fight. It was probably the fault of the cursed mark on his eye.
"Curse it all! Why can't you just leave me be? IT WAS SELF DEFENSE!" Hunter spat at the guards, who only seemed to get angrier. Hunter sighed. He shouldn't even try, it was no use. Their skulls were as thick as lead.
Hunter scanned the narrow alleyway, looking for a way to escape the guards stumbling after him. He soon noticed a ladder, and lunged at it, grabbing on, but almost falling off before regaining his balance. Clamoring up, Hunter reached the flat roof of a low building. Perfect. He set off at a brisk pace, running over to the edge, before he jumped off the roof into a hay cart. The guards, losing sight of him, ran past, and Hunter sighed.
After a while, Hunter jumped out of the cart, a bunch of hay stuck in his mouth. Spitting it out, he brushed off his clothing. His attire was quite strange, only a green sash slung over his torso, and a pair of baggy pants that ended at the ankles. He wore no footwear, which was quite odd.
Brushing back his hair, which was an odd Maroon color, he looked about a little longer, his blue eyes scanning everything. The guards were gone. Excellent.
He had to get away, lest he be attacked again. Hunter finished brushing off the hay, and began moving. Luckily, nobody was around, meaning nobody was staring at him suspiciously. Nobody staring at him suspiciously meant that he was less likely to be reported.
Slinging his back over his shoulder, Hunter sighed and began to walk, trying to look average. This was sort of hard when you were a 6'4" man with maroon red hair and a strange attire.
"Hey, you!" Just what he needed, another person calling him out. Hunter sighed and turned, his bag slung over his shoulder in a way that seemed to say 'Whatever you're going to say, it doesn't interest me'
The man, of course, held a sword in his hand. And the man, of course, wanted a fight. Hunter, of course, didn't want to fight, but of course he didn't have a choice. Sighing, Hunter waited for the man to say it.
"Burned, eh? Pretty cool. Mind giving me the honor of a battle?" the man said, tapping the sword on his shoulder before beckoning with his left hand.
Hunter yawned. "In truth, I'd rather not. I've already been chased by guards due to an earlier fight." he said, "But if I must, we do it outside of town. That fine with you?"
The man smirked and nodded. "Sure." he said, "But don't expect to win." He said, then walked off to wait for the fight to begin. Over his shoulder, he stuck out his tongue, trying to aggravate Hunter
Hunter groaned. Scheduled for another fight. When would these people give up? It almost made him wish he weren't a burned one, but he couldn't do anything about it. You're burned, you're stuck with it.
Scratching his head, the giant man walked along, dodging between people before reaching the gate. It always seemed to spell out protection to Hunter. But in a different way, as Hunter felt safe when he was outside these bars. This was mostly due to the brawls he got in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, the challenger stood outside of the city walls, smiling as he drew his sword. Flipping it in his hand, time seemed to slow down as the blade slowly transformed. By the time he had flipped it around all of the way, the blade had transformed into a Hammer, and after another flip, became an ax.
“Now, the test shall begin. We shall see if Pyro’s hope in this boy is true.” Said the man, as his form shifted, his shirt dissolved, and his hair spiked up before turning blonde. His face became broader, and muscles began to grow along his arms and upper body.
The man who had challenged Hunter was Tsukurimasu, the God of the Forge, and an incredibly powerful opponent. He would have his work cut out for him.
"There he goes! Get him!"
Yet again, he was running from someone. Yesterday, it was the merchant, and today a couple of guards. When would it end? That was one question that you couldn't answer until the day it happened.
Running from the guards was, of course, Hunter. Now, by no means was he a thief, or a trouble causer. It just seemed that everywhere he went, Hunter always got into a fight. It was probably the fault of the cursed mark on his eye.
"Curse it all! Why can't you just leave me be? IT WAS SELF DEFENSE!" Hunter spat at the guards, who only seemed to get angrier. Hunter sighed. He shouldn't even try, it was no use. Their skulls were as thick as lead.
Hunter scanned the narrow alleyway, looking for a way to escape the guards stumbling after him. He soon noticed a ladder, and lunged at it, grabbing on, but almost falling off before regaining his balance. Clamoring up, Hunter reached the flat roof of a low building. Perfect. He set off at a brisk pace, running over to the edge, before he jumped off the roof into a hay cart. The guards, losing sight of him, ran past, and Hunter sighed.
After a while, Hunter jumped out of the cart, a bunch of hay stuck in his mouth. Spitting it out, he brushed off his clothing. His attire was quite strange, only a green sash slung over his torso, and a pair of baggy pants that ended at the ankles. He wore no footwear, which was quite odd.
Brushing back his hair, which was an odd Maroon color, he looked about a little longer, his blue eyes scanning everything. The guards were gone. Excellent.
He had to get away, lest he be attacked again. Hunter finished brushing off the hay, and began moving. Luckily, nobody was around, meaning nobody was staring at him suspiciously. Nobody staring at him suspiciously meant that he was less likely to be reported.
Slinging his back over his shoulder, Hunter sighed and began to walk, trying to look average. This was sort of hard when you were a 6'4" man with maroon red hair and a strange attire.
"Hey, you!" Just what he needed, another person calling him out. Hunter sighed and turned, his bag slung over his shoulder in a way that seemed to say 'Whatever you're going to say, it doesn't interest me'
The man, of course, held a sword in his hand. And the man, of course, wanted a fight. Hunter, of course, didn't want to fight, but of course he didn't have a choice. Sighing, Hunter waited for the man to say it.
"Burned, eh? Pretty cool. Mind giving me the honor of a battle?" the man said, tapping the sword on his shoulder before beckoning with his left hand.
Hunter yawned. "In truth, I'd rather not. I've already been chased by guards due to an earlier fight." he said, "But if I must, we do it outside of town. That fine with you?"
The man smirked and nodded. "Sure." he said, "But don't expect to win." He said, then walked off to wait for the fight to begin. Over his shoulder, he stuck out his tongue, trying to aggravate Hunter
Hunter groaned. Scheduled for another fight. When would these people give up? It almost made him wish he weren't a burned one, but he couldn't do anything about it. You're burned, you're stuck with it.
Scratching his head, the giant man walked along, dodging between people before reaching the gate. It always seemed to spell out protection to Hunter. But in a different way, as Hunter felt safe when he was outside these bars. This was mostly due to the brawls he got in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, the challenger stood outside of the city walls, smiling as he drew his sword. Flipping it in his hand, time seemed to slow down as the blade slowly transformed. By the time he had flipped it around all of the way, the blade had transformed into a Hammer, and after another flip, became an ax.
“Now, the test shall begin. We shall see if Pyro’s hope in this boy is true.” Said the man, as his form shifted, his shirt dissolved, and his hair spiked up before turning blonde. His face became broader, and muscles began to grow along his arms and upper body.
The man who had challenged Hunter was Tsukurimasu, the God of the Forge, and an incredibly powerful opponent. He would have his work cut out for him.
Chapter 2 - Whatever you do, don't blink!
About an hour later, Hunter had arrived outside of the city walls, and looked around, trying to find the man who had challenged him. Just get it over with was what he was thinking, and he showed it through countless yawns and sighs as he waited. Fifteen, twenty minutes passed, still no sign of the man.
About to leave, Hunter caught sight of a man in the forest surrounding the city, with an ax which he was using to cut down trees. Blonde hair... that wasn't common around here. But, neither was maroon, so Hunter didn't really pay attention to the man. That was, until, the man suddenly stopped and smirked before charging towards him.
Surprised by the man's actions, Hunter immediately jumped back, landing on his hands before using them to propel himself farther into the air, before landing with his spear drawn. This man was nuts! Well, at least it seemed that way from Hunter's perspective.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Hunter asked, standing up before bringing his spear to his side as he stared at the lunatic. The man, smriking, stood up from his previously crouched position, and placed his ax on his shoulder to rest his arm.
"Did you not agree to a fight? Just because I look different doesn't mean I am not the same man who challenged you earlier." the ax-wielding man said, then smiled. "You know me as Tsukurimasu, the God of the Forge."
Hunter was now incredibly confused. A god had ust challenged him to a battle under a disguise, and then posed as a lunatic lumberman in order to trick him? Apparently the gods were capable of deceit, but Hunter didn't really care about that. He couldn't defeat a god! Even the weakest god was strong enough to fight evenly with a Burned, but the god of the forge? You had to be kidding!
And that's exactly what he voiced, as he blurted out "You have got to be kidding me! I can't beat you!"
"Hey, I said don't expect to win. But, if you do, I can guarantee you a hotseat with the head honcho himself. Ol' Pyro's got his eye on you, and sent little ol' me to try my hand at beating you up." Tsukurimasu said, taking the ax off of his shoulder before lunging at Hunter again.
Hunter was flabbergasted, The God of the Burned was testing him. Well, that's one honor he could not pass up! Pyro had been the one who granted him the powers to save his hometown. Smiling, Hunter placed his left hand over his right eye, and pulled it off, as the burn mark over his eye burned with an incredible light. Hunter clenched his teeth at the pain that soon followed, but after his years of training, he was able to endure it.
"Prepare to lose, old forger!" Hunter said, as the shadows of the field began to rise about. The fight had been scheduled at dusk, which was perfect for Hunter, as he had the power to control the shadows.
The God obviously hadn't anticipated this, as the shadows about him grabbed his feet and held them down. Hunter, now having the advantage, stabbed the hilt of his spear into Tsukurimasu's stomach, knocking him back.
Tsukurimasu wiped some blood off of his lips, and smiled before rising up. "I may not have any nifty powers, but I wield the strongest weapon of the gods!" he said, and raised his ax to the sky, as the blunt weapon transformed into a bow with a loaded arrow. Pulling it down, Tsukurimasu released the round, as it shot at Hunter and pierced into his left leg.
Hunter grunted, but simply tore the arrow out. Being a burned, small wounds like that were nothing compared to the burn mark upon your eye. As he raised his hands up, the shadows about Tsukurimasu began to shift about, and soon, one of the larger shadows launched out, stabbing through Tsukurimasu's arm, before another went through his leg. Soon, the god was being barraged with shadow needles, as he began to bleed.
Falling to his knee, the forge god let out a huge laugh. "The ol' geyser was right! You are a tough one! But, don't expect to beat me next time we meet. Fer now, get some sleep." he said as his form began to evaporate and rise towards Tengoku, the god's home.
Hunter looked up. That seemed almost too easy. The god of the forge was much tougher than that! It seemed like he was going easy, which, strangely, seemed to anger him. Why would the god go easy on him, if he was testing him? It was as if he wanted him to win.
Hunter sighed. It was late, and like Tsukurimasu had said, he needed sleep. Hunter walked out into the forest, and layed down on a patch of grass. It would be useless to sleep in town, there would be too much noise.
About an hour later, Hunter had arrived outside of the city walls, and looked around, trying to find the man who had challenged him. Just get it over with was what he was thinking, and he showed it through countless yawns and sighs as he waited. Fifteen, twenty minutes passed, still no sign of the man.
About to leave, Hunter caught sight of a man in the forest surrounding the city, with an ax which he was using to cut down trees. Blonde hair... that wasn't common around here. But, neither was maroon, so Hunter didn't really pay attention to the man. That was, until, the man suddenly stopped and smirked before charging towards him.
Surprised by the man's actions, Hunter immediately jumped back, landing on his hands before using them to propel himself farther into the air, before landing with his spear drawn. This man was nuts! Well, at least it seemed that way from Hunter's perspective.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Hunter asked, standing up before bringing his spear to his side as he stared at the lunatic. The man, smriking, stood up from his previously crouched position, and placed his ax on his shoulder to rest his arm.
"Did you not agree to a fight? Just because I look different doesn't mean I am not the same man who challenged you earlier." the ax-wielding man said, then smiled. "You know me as Tsukurimasu, the God of the Forge."
Hunter was now incredibly confused. A god had ust challenged him to a battle under a disguise, and then posed as a lunatic lumberman in order to trick him? Apparently the gods were capable of deceit, but Hunter didn't really care about that. He couldn't defeat a god! Even the weakest god was strong enough to fight evenly with a Burned, but the god of the forge? You had to be kidding!
And that's exactly what he voiced, as he blurted out "You have got to be kidding me! I can't beat you!"
"Hey, I said don't expect to win. But, if you do, I can guarantee you a hotseat with the head honcho himself. Ol' Pyro's got his eye on you, and sent little ol' me to try my hand at beating you up." Tsukurimasu said, taking the ax off of his shoulder before lunging at Hunter again.
Hunter was flabbergasted, The God of the Burned was testing him. Well, that's one honor he could not pass up! Pyro had been the one who granted him the powers to save his hometown. Smiling, Hunter placed his left hand over his right eye, and pulled it off, as the burn mark over his eye burned with an incredible light. Hunter clenched his teeth at the pain that soon followed, but after his years of training, he was able to endure it.
"Prepare to lose, old forger!" Hunter said, as the shadows of the field began to rise about. The fight had been scheduled at dusk, which was perfect for Hunter, as he had the power to control the shadows.
The God obviously hadn't anticipated this, as the shadows about him grabbed his feet and held them down. Hunter, now having the advantage, stabbed the hilt of his spear into Tsukurimasu's stomach, knocking him back.
Tsukurimasu wiped some blood off of his lips, and smiled before rising up. "I may not have any nifty powers, but I wield the strongest weapon of the gods!" he said, and raised his ax to the sky, as the blunt weapon transformed into a bow with a loaded arrow. Pulling it down, Tsukurimasu released the round, as it shot at Hunter and pierced into his left leg.
Hunter grunted, but simply tore the arrow out. Being a burned, small wounds like that were nothing compared to the burn mark upon your eye. As he raised his hands up, the shadows about Tsukurimasu began to shift about, and soon, one of the larger shadows launched out, stabbing through Tsukurimasu's arm, before another went through his leg. Soon, the god was being barraged with shadow needles, as he began to bleed.
Falling to his knee, the forge god let out a huge laugh. "The ol' geyser was right! You are a tough one! But, don't expect to beat me next time we meet. Fer now, get some sleep." he said as his form began to evaporate and rise towards Tengoku, the god's home.
Hunter looked up. That seemed almost too easy. The god of the forge was much tougher than that! It seemed like he was going easy, which, strangely, seemed to anger him. Why would the god go easy on him, if he was testing him? It was as if he wanted him to win.
Hunter sighed. It was late, and like Tsukurimasu had said, he needed sleep. Hunter walked out into the forest, and layed down on a patch of grass. It would be useless to sleep in town, there would be too much noise.
