The Dead Forest (Increased Orc activity due to skirmish)

[Vahn Fah]

He continued staring down at the man, his grip loosening as he began to swing his weight back up, to right himself properly upon the branch. "You'll go because I asked you to.. nothing more, nothing less."

He stood atop the branch now, arms folding across his chest, for a moment, before he pushed, leaping backwards into the foliage of the forest.
"You have 2 months to train. Bye~bye."

And he was gone.  

[Vincent of the Fire]

Vincent sat in the tree, as he usually did. he held a piece of torn black cloth, the origins of it unknown. On it, in a red sort of paint, were two symbols. Fire and earth. Japanese characters.



He put the cloth on his forhead, the characters pointed outwards, for all to see. he tied it behind him and let the frabric fall over his shoulder. He settled his hair around it, making sure the characters could be seen, for whatever odd reason. He sat quietly and watched the gorund.  

[Maximos]

::The wind was the first thing to be noticed, the sweet scent of white cherry blossoms swirled with the warm air. The lovely scent was soon met by actual cherry blossoms, the wind carried them like tiny messengers and sent them gently blowing past, and around Vincent.

The soft white cherry blossoms would be strange to say the least, considering there were no cherry blossom trees in the area. Then suddenly, for just a moment, the wind picked up in all directions, and he was there....behind Vincent.

His voice rode the wind as softly as his cherry blossoms. His white Gi blew through the air gently as did his silver hair, hair which gently covered but one of his eyes. Even as he spoke his right hand rested on the hilt of the Gale Blade at his left hip, grabbed it, clenching it.::

You....of the fire and earth...

::Solemn sadness dripped from his thin lips and reached for Vincents earts, just to call his attention for a moment.::  

[Vincent of the Fire]

Vince shifted on the tree limb, turning around to look at the other, his eyes hidden with sunglasses. He looked at the other, then felt his makeshift bandana. "Yes?" His voice seemed to carry on the wind in it's own, his own distress clearly heard. He stared at the other through his glasses, his middle finger going up and pressing them up higher on his nose.  

[Maximos]

Vincent of the Fire

Vince shifted on the tree limb, turning around to look at the other, his eyes hidden with sunglasses. He looked at the other, then felt his makeshift bandana. "Yes?" His voice seemed to carry on the wind in it's own, his own distress clearly heard. He stared at the other through his glasses, his middle finger going up and pressing them up higher on his nose.

Have you seen him...Irikuzi?

::He stepped closer, reaching around to his right hip, yet over and behind his sword. He could see the mans pain, and misery does love company, but he felt his own pain stronger.

His mind was filled with a single focus, a single drive, a single desire. Nothing would stand in his way, nothing would halt his revenge. As he spoke Irikuzi's name his fist tightened even more so around the hilt of his blade.

And the winds, ever so slightly seemed to grow...::  

[Vincent of the Fire]

"I am sorry, I have not." He shook his head slowly, looking the male over, then looking to the ground. "I am sorry I could not be of help, sir." His voice was sincered, and his eyes were hidden to hide his own pain, which came in droves. Especially because of the bandana, which seemed to have a familiar scent on it.  

[Maximos]

Vincent of the Fire

"I am sorry, I have not." He shook his head slowly, looking the male over, then looking to the ground. "I am sorry I could not be of help, sir." His voice was sincered, and his eyes were hidden to hide his own pain, which came in droves. Especially because of the bandana, which seemed to have a familiar scent on it.

::The winds picked up, and the figures grasp on the hilt of his blade tightened. Infact, the winds managed to pick up so high, that Vincent would feel as if he was almost suddenly sitting in a storm, minus the rain.

And he spoke again.::

Irikuzi knew of fire....he mastered it with a burning will...his spirit could not be missed! You've taken him....havent you.....?

::Near the end, his solemn depression seemed to give way to a smidgen of anger. Just a but peeking through as he showed his digust for Irikuzi's killer.::  

[Vincent of the Fire]

"No sir, I have not. I do not take lives unless I have to. I have not met this man. Please, I do not wish to find a man angry at me. If I can prove it, I will." He looked to the ground, holding tightly to the limb. "Let me help you find this man."  

[Maximos]

Vincent of the Fire

"No sir, I have not. I do not take lives unless I have to. I have not met this man. Please, I do not wish to find a man angry at me. If I can prove it, I will." He looked to the ground, holding tightly to the limb. "Let me help you find this man."

::At that moment, those final few words sounded like the sickest and cruelest possible joke imaginable. Find, Irikuzi....FIND Irikuzi...., the words the thought, the idea, swirled in his mind. His beautiful features did not seem so pure now, his brow was furrowed causing a wrinkle on his nose, rage was in his eye. His one visible grey eye, while the other seemed invisible. He could not find Irikuzi...::

No one can find him...Irikuzi is dead!!

::His voice screeched across the distance between the two men. A shout not a scream, a shout of anger, of rage. In that same instant his right hand reached across his waist and gripped the hilt of the Gale blade and drew it at blinding speed. The Gale Blade with its engraved blade cut at a diagonal from lower right to upper left. The blade itself was not an attack, the wind was.

The slashing motion cut across the grass at blinding speeds and sliced the tree directly in half, with the current angle the tree began to slide apart, with Vincent still riding it.

Oki's face, was not a face of sorrow, but of rage. Through the shadow of the canopy and his hair, his left eye almost seemed to glow a fierce green, and his hair seemed to stay focused over his right eye.

He clenched the sword with all his might as he shouted forth again, causing another powerful gust of wind which would surely knock the tree over.::

I WILL SEND YOU TO HELL TO FIND HIM!!!  

[Vincent of the Fire]

Vincent had lept from the tree at first chance, landing on the ground. He stared at the other, watching as the tree fell near him, but he did not falter. His eyes trained on the other, his hands rising to pull his sunglasses away, his blood red eyes showing compassion once again. If one looked hard enough, tears were falling down is cheek. The scars on his body were obvious now, as they were not before, and his red hair tossed in the wind, along with the tails of his bandana. "And I will gladly go, if it will help you on your quest. Someone ou love is worth killing, and I know that. I beg that you do not kill me, but what good is it to beg? I did not kill this dear person, but I have offered to find his killer, not this man you find so close to your heart.""  

[Maximos]

Vincent of the Fire

Vincent had lept from the tree at first chance, landing on the ground. He stared at the other, watching as the tree fell near him, but he did not falter. His eyes trained on the other, his hands rising to pull his sunglasses away, his blood red eyes showing compassion once again. If one looked hard enough, tears were falling down is cheek. The scars on his body were obvious now, as they were not before, and his red hair tossed in the wind, along with the tails of his bandana. "And I will gladly go, if it will help you on your quest. Someone ou love is worth killing, and I know that. I beg that you do not kill me, but what good is it to beg? I did not kill this dear person, but I have offered to find his killer, not this man you find so close to your heart.""

::Those eyes! The compassion! The love...the pain.....Irikuzi's sprint towards Vincent slowed.

But no, Irikuzi was dead! This man did to because he was jealous....but how could one with such eyes do such a thing....how....

No! That wasnt the point! This man must die for his crime!

Oki's sandaled feet slammed into the ground and shoved off again, anger poured from his visible eye. He vaulted closer and closer, his foots step were heavier and more powerful.

Suddenly from behind came a gust of wind which shoved him forward even faster. Then came the moment of truth, Vince was in striking range, and Oki's eyes had never left Vincents.

The Samurai of the 5 Winds clenched his hand around the sword with all the strength he could muster...the sword flew clean, true and powerful directly toward Vincents head.....

And then it stopped. Dead. It was not 2 inches away. Frustration, turmoil, confusion and overall sadness, filled Okizakimarinobru's face for that moment where he gazed into Vincents eyes. Where he knew, beyond that this could not be his brothers murderer, but felt the urge to kill him anyway, just seek some kind of revenge.

And then he sheated his sword. The anger melted away and was replaced with meloncholy, as was his voice. He turned and began to walk away towards where he came, only letting the words::

It isnt you....

::Fall from soft redish lips. So little, and yet it was all he needed to know.::  

[Vincent of the Fire]

Vincent hadn't made one move, just staring at the other absently. His eyes locked on the other's form as he walked away. "Wait. Perhaps I can help in one way or another. Perhaps you could stay, and I can bring you dinner. At least stay for a few minutes, and perhaps I can atone for bringing sch thoughts to your mind." He spoke softly, his hands resting at his side quietly. Though one hand moved to rub a scar on his stomach, as if it were causing him pain.  

[Maximos]

::This was a failure. Another attempt to do something he felt almost surely too inadequate to do. The strongest of his brothers should have this job, not him....but here he was....for love...brotherly love?

Oki did not stop, his heart...drew him forward. He could not stop...This was something he had to do...a cross he had to bear....alone. He spoke and again sweet meloncholy filled his voice.::

Such thoughts are always on my mind...but...I, Okizakimarinoboru En, Samurai of the Five Winds...must...walk alone....

::His heart...would never heal...alone, like the wind, he must travel. Perhaps to where to 5 winds meet...or perhaps...to where the wind does not blow...::  

[Vincent of the Fire]

"If you must, you must. I will be here, and for sparing m life, you have my ever lasting respect. Perhaps we will meet eachother in passing. Until then, perhaps I will find this murderer for you, and tell you if we meet again." He knelt down, flicking his wrist and watching as the writing on them glowed. He dipped his hand into the dirt, and pulled out rock that seemed to be of liquid. He began sculpting, looking at the other walking away as he did. His hands moved delicately.  

[Celtic of the Fae]

The angelic figure treaded quietly out of the arena into the woods, it was quiet... no one seemed to be around him. The shadows around him seemed to creep all around him, a faint "hoot" of an owl resounded through the trees. He looked up into the air, the moon shown brightly in the sky.

It's as if.... nah... can't be...., he though to himself.

He continued walking down the path untill he came to a small pond. He sat at the water's edge watching the reflection of the moon off the surface. Faint memories from the loss of his comrades flew through his mind.

I couldn't.... do anything.....
..... I couldn't... that force was too great...
there was no way to stand up to... somthing like that....

He sighed deeply knowing that that creature was sure to come and finish off him and his comrades, wherever they may be.....