Guildsteady Sanzaru Intro

[20:57] <!DM-sama> You grew up in the Land of the Jade Wall, where you served the Jade Emperor for a time as a Samurai before taking on a self imposed exile.
[20:58] <!DM-sama> This exile has lead you to wander much of the land and see much of the beauty your nation is famous for.
[20:58] <!DM-sama> Today your travels have brought you to the East Dragon Springs outside the town of Dan Cho.
[20:59] <!DM-sama> That was the plan at least, but upon arriving you notice the town has been nearly leveled.
[20:59] <!DM-sama> Buildings are smashed in and burning, and the villagers are in a panic.
[21:01] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> I want to find anyone close and ask them what happened here
[21:02] <!DM-sama> A crying woman keeps screaming that her daughter was taken but no one seems to be acknowledging her.
[21:02]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu runs up to the woman, "Ma'am, what has happened here? What has befallen this town?"
[21:03] <!DM-sama> "An oni! It fell upon us in the night and attacked the town! My little girl was taken when he fled to the springs!"
[21:03] <!DM-sama> "Please I beg you, I see that you're a swordsman, I'll do anything if you can bring her back to me!"
[21:04] <!DM-sama> The distraught woman kneels and bows her head low as she begs.
[21:05]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu grabs the woman by the arm gently and lifts her up, "Stand up ma'am, there is no need for that. I will get your daughter back. Calm the townspeople. Tell them this will all be over soon."
[21:06] <!DM-sama> Tears roll down her cheeks as she thanks you repeatedly.
[21:06] <!DM-sama> You look around the town.
[21:06] <!DM-sama> The buildings appear to have been leveled by a massive iron club.
[21:07] <!DM-sama> You see footprints large enough to stand in, but otherwise humanoid, leading up towards the spring.
[21:10]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu follows the footsteps carefully, eyes keen for the beast that made them
[21:10] <!DM-sama> You follow the path towards the spring, you've never faced an oni before but their size and power are mythical.
[21:11]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu keeps a hand upon his sword, still in its sheath
[21:11] <!DM-sama> The scent of blood assaults you as you approach the spring and your concern for the kidnapped girl increases.
[21:11] <!DM-sama> Until you reach the spring...
[21:12] <!DM-sama> The large dragon statue in the middle of the spring is stained red with blood.
[21:12] <!DM-sama> The massive body of the oni is impaled upon it.
[21:13] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "By the gods..."
[21:13] <!DM-sama> From the position of the statue it would have been impossible for the massive fat creature to have fallen upon it, he must have been hurled through the air.
[21:14] <!DM-sama> You hear singing.
[21:14] <!DM-sama> The spring is stained red by the blood of the oni,it's gruesome face contorted in agony.
[21:15] <!DM-sama> The singing is coming from the small girl is a green dress as she places a lilly on the blood red pond.
[21:15] <!DM-sama> Could that be the daughter of the woman from town?
[21:16]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu braces himself, and calls out, "Excuse me, little girl? Are you from the town below? Your mother was looking for you, so I came to fetch you..."
[21:16] <!DM-sama> She turns and looks at you, her eyes are a sparkling jade green and almost glowing and her hair is a light shade of brown you rarely see in these parts.
[21:17] <!DM-sama> "Go away... I won't go back." she says as she turns back towards the pond.
[21:17] <!DM-sama> "You're wastin' your breath handsome." you hear which makes you turn towards the source startled.
[21:18] <!DM-sama> A woman in battered and rusted armor sits on a rock.
[21:18] <!DM-sama> Her armor is decidedly western as is her beautiful fair skin.
[21:18] <!DM-sama> Her hair is like fire, you've seen paintings of the people beyond the wall but you've never met a western woman before.
[21:19] <!DM-sama> Well... not since you were a small child at least.
[21:19] <!DM-sama> "I've been trying to take her back too but she refuses to go back." The red headed woman shrugs.
[21:20] <!DM-sama> She hops off her large rock and you realize how immensely large she is for a woman.
[21:20] <!DM-sama> Could she have been the one to slay the onii?
[21:21]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu nods at the woman "If trying to get a young girl reunited with her mother is wasting time, I will gladly spend the rest of my life wasting time Ma'am."
[21:22] <!DM-sama> "She's not my mother." The girl says.
[21:22] <!DM-sama> She holds the sides of her head as though she's in pain.
[21:22] <!DM-sama> She curls up and mutters into her knees for you to go away.
[21:22] <!DM-sama> She's small but she looks to be at least 13.
[21:23] <!DM-sama> You were expecting a much younger girl.
[21:23] <!DM-sama> The western woman walks over to the little girl and KICKS HER INTO THE BLOODY SPRING WATER
[21:23] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
[21:24] <!DM-sama> "Stop being such a brat, if you want to run away from home then do it but don't let your mom think an oni killed you." She says to the girl as she flails.
[21:24] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> (question)
[21:24] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> (how deep is the spring, and is she ACTUALLY flailing about at the moment)
[21:24] <!DM-sama> (Yes?)
[21:25] <!DM-sama> (It's about 4ft deep, she's just surprised, she can probably swim.)
[21:25] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> (ok.)
[21:25] <!DM-sama> (It's like a hotspring)
[21:26] <!DM-sama> "I don't want to hurt anyone..." The girl says as she climbs back on shore.
[21:27] <!DM-sama> The tall western woman pinches the bridge of her nose.
[21:27] <!DM-sama> "You mages give me a headache..."
[21:27] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "Ah. A mage huh? Why are you afraid that you're going to hurt someone?"
[21:28] <!DM-sama> "She summoned the oni." The redhead says as she stretches.
[21:29] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "Truly?"
[21:29] <!DM-sama> "Technically it was drawn out by her innate magic combining with the greedy thoughts of the people in town."
[21:30] <!DM-sama> "There's some kind of festival and they were probably all thinking of selfish things and praying for good fortune... must be hard for a little mind reader to hear thoughts like that from so many people at once."
[21:30] <!DM-sama> "..." The small girl looks away with sadness in her beautiful eyes.
[21:31] <!DM-sama> "As long as she's around people she'll keep summoning monsters like that."
[21:31] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "Girl. I have one question for you."
[21:31] <!DM-sama> She looks up at you.
[21:32] <!DM-sama> "Xien...." She says angrily.
[21:32] <!DM-sama> (Xi En*)
[21:32] <!DM-sama> (For the record, that's how it's pronounced)
[21:33] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "Xi En, then. Did you mean to summon the creature on purpose?"
[21:33] <!DM-sama> "No..." She says as she tries not to cry.
[21:33]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu leans down "ah-to.." and places a hand on the girls head, and begins ruffling her hair, smiling
[21:34] <!DM-sama> She looks at you like she wants to tear out your heart.
[21:34] <!DM-sama> The redheaded woman crosses her arms and watches your interaction with the girl.
[21:34] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "Then as my master would say, you are not at fault. It was just a mistake, and mistakes are made so that we can grow as people and become stronger for it. I mean, hell, if your innate magic can summon an Oni, what do you think will happen if you ever learn to truly control it? Think of all the wonders that you could accomplish with a gift such as this!"
[21:35] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "It's okay to cry and be afraid of hurting people, it truly is."
[21:35] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "But one must NEVER let that fear control them and stop their movements. For if you aren't moving, it's as if you are already dead, isn't it?"
[21:36]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu stops doing his best impersonation of the old man, stands back up and grins at the girl."
[21:36] <!DM-sama> The woman covers her mouth and stifles laughter.
[21:36] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> (- the quotes)
[21:36] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "At least, that's what I think the greatest man I ever knew would tell you!"
[21:36] <!DM-sama> Xien on the other hand stares up at you.
[21:36] <!DM-sama> "Fool..."
[21:37] <!DM-sama> "If you're worried about summoning monsters I can take you to a place where monsters like this wouldn't even last a day." The redhead says.
[21:38] <!DM-sama> "But... you'll have to talkto your mother first." She adds before laughing loudly.
[21:38] <!DM-sama> Incredibly loudly and ungracefully for a woman.
[21:38]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu grins at the boisterous woman
[21:39]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu bows
[21:39] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "I thank you for protecting this young girl."
[21:39] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "Even if it was from herself."
[21:39] <!DM-sama> She shrugs.
[21:40] <!DM-sama> "Just a flick of the wrist, nothing worth thanking me for." She says with a smile.
[21:40] <!DM-sama> "But if you insist on showing your gratitude I have a proposal for you."
[21:41] <!DM-sama> "I doubt you'd know anything about it growing up in such a xenophobic country, but beyond the wall is a world bigger than you could possibly imagine."
[21:41] <!DM-sama> "There's a distant land, a recently discovered continent called Granda Lessil"
[21:42] <!DM-sama> "For the past 20 years people have been building small towns all over it and not even the tiniest bit of it has been explored."
[21:42] <!DM-sama> "Yet already the native monsters are overwhelming the innocent people trying to start a new life there."
[21:43] <!DM-sama> "I can't be everywhere at once... so I'm travelling around to recruit people for a special guild to exterminate the dangerous beasts."
[21:44] <!DM-sama> "You look like a travelling man, and little miss 'demon tantrum' will need a babysitter if she's going to make the trip across the ocean."
[21:44]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu contemplates this offer
[21:45] <!DM-sama> "I don't care what you decide, but if you're interested bring the girl with you to the port town of Xan Mi and take the boat leaving two weeks from today."
[21:45] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> Finally, after a time, Zhi says, "Ma'am, I have 4 questions for you."
[21:46] <!DM-sama> "Sure." She smirks.
[21:46] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "Will there be no end of creature to slay, people to protect, alcohol to drink, and stars to sleep under?"
[21:46]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu grins
[21:47] <!DM-sama> "I've haven't run out yet." She says with a radiant smile.
[21:47] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "Sounds like paradise. I think I'd rather enjoy that. Master would tell me to go, for youth is better not wasted."
[21:47] <!DM-sama> You feel a tug on your robes.
[21:47] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "hmm?"
[21:48]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu looks down
[21:48] <!DM-sama> Xien grabs you with one hand.
[21:48] <!DM-sama> "Will you slay them... if they appear?" She asks you with an intense frown holding back tears.
[21:49] <!DM-sama> Looking closely she's like you... one of her parents was of western descent.
[21:49]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu leans down, placing both hands gently upon the young girl's shoulders
[21:49] <!DM-sama> You remember being bullied and wonder if that might have helped lead to the events that have befallen her.
[21:49] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "I swear upon my honor as a samurai, ronin though I may be, that I will slay them all so that their blood rains from the sky. You can count on it."
[21:51] <!DM-sama> She places jade beads around your neck and her eyes instantly change from sad and pathetic to cruel and domineering.
[21:51] <!DM-sama> "Good... I'll hold you to that." She says as the beads glow faintly.
[21:51] <!DM-sama> The redheaded woman covers her mouth again and holds back another laugh.
[21:51] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "Oh? And what is this then? A control spell of some sort I'm assuming?"
[21:52]  * Zhi_Lei_Xu sighs and runs his hand through his hair
[21:52] <@Zhi_Lei_Xu> "People can be such a pain sometimes..."
[21:52] <!DM-sama> "Don't be silly... I'm just a little girl." She says as she begins walking back towards town.
[21:52] <!DM-sama> "Though I agree with you about people being a pain..."
[21:53] <!DM-sama> After a night of explaining things to her mother Xien and you set out for the city of Xan Mi the next day.
[21:53] <!DM-sama> You never got to say goodbye to that western woman.
[21:53] <!DM-sama> But you somehow know she'll be waiting for you in the land of Granda Lessil.
[21:54] <!DM-sama> [End]