❁⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘❁
[!]
Above was a rendition of the mines to the east of Koyo-kuni, put together using a drawing charcoal.
The quality was shoddy and rushed, though various details stood out such as what one could only assume to be blood,
a darker trail of splatter and gore across the flooring of the shaft leading one deeper into the darkness.
❁⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘❁
ℳ𝑜𝑜𝓃𝓁𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝑜𝒹𝓈 𝑔𝓇𝑜𝓌 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁
𝓈𝓁𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒾𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈,
𝒾𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝒹𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝓌𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝒶𝓎.
- A haiku by The Fish warrior; 12:48 1st of Snow's Maiden.
❁⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘❁
For the last week; my companion Retsu and I have been tasked with camping out within the tiger sanctuary with the goal of planting and caring for a tree in pursuit of completing our first trial on the long winding path in learning the art of Shizen No Shito. Though during our first day of pitching tents and searching for kindling for our fire we came across the rancid corpse of a tiger that had been dispatched by some other beast. It was then we learned of The Night Stalker. Paranoia now ran deep within not only myself but my companion Retsu, who came up with the noble idea of setting up traps and hunting for the creature before it could bring ruin to us and our mighty saplings we had planted. Though I believed this could not be done without knowing where it was vanishing off to.
Early in the morning of the 2nd of Malin's Welcome I set off while my friend still slept, wandering off into the wilds of the tiger sanctuary in search of more signs of the creature - it was then I found another mutilated body of one of the animals we had sworn to protect. Disgusting. Though I pushed onwards, until I came across a set of tracks that led me further east - it was then that I found what looked to be an abandoned mineshaft, a low guttural shriek greeted me as I drew in on the entrance. So doing what any true man would do in that situation, I utilized a powerful technique passed down to me by many of the fine monk who trained me during my younger years of Oyashima. I RAN.
I had spent too long searching as night had began to fall, it was as though I heard every sound around me - the rustling of grass, the animals wandering, owls cawing from their perches above and it sent me into a frenzy of fear; yet still I pushed onwards running blindly. From that point I fell into an opening in the ground of sorts not far from my camp, my survival instincts took hold as I grabbed onto the chain which once held onto an old elevator that would bring one to the surface - the flesh on my arms torn asunder on the way down and my back cracking against the cold stone of the ground beneath me as I hit the floor. I could not bring to light how long I laid there in the darkness, until eventually I awoke. The moons rays shone down on me as if guiding me from above back to the surface, a hand extended outwards from the heavens by Uncle-O himself. When I looked around I found I was deep in the shaft of the mine that I had wished not to enter, perhaps it was fate.
For hours I wandered in the darkness, little to guide my path forward but a lighter graced to me on my first days of coming to Aevos. Splatters of blood across the ground, fresh and surprisingly different from the blood that trickled down from my own injuries. Relentless bodies each torn asunder, though who could tell if they were recent victims or those who long met their fate in this tomb. It was as though something compelled me not to go further, I had gone the wrong way - ominous sounds rang out from the darkness before me. Similar in nature to the ones I heard when I first entered, I had found what I was looking for - though reality set in. Not letting ambition take over I turned back, each step harder to take then the last. I could tell I would not survive for long down here, aside from my wounds the air was heavy as though harmful gas sought refuge in my lungs. Though inevitably I found my way out and back to Koyo-kuni late into the evening of the next day where I was met with a gaijin who had compassion towards my situation. I kept any true details concealed, though let them tend to my wounds; except nothing could remove this newfound heaviness that hung over my heart. It will take far more then two students to take down such a plight and such compels me to warn each of you,
DO.
NOT.
ENTER.
THE.
MINES.
鯉 戦士 Fish Warrior
❁⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘❁
