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Post by DMis on Dec 23, 2015 23:44:59 GMT -5
"It is a rather beautiful place. Makes me wish I had my paints," Todd offered.
"I think I have a good second to that," Forsaken offered as she dug around in the pouch she had been keeping on her back. Despite the bag only being a foot long the woman had her whole arm in it as she reached for something.
Yang smiled. "This place is so calm and serene. It's odd to me but it feels nice... If that makes sense, Mister Kikagi," the blonde offered with a smile.
Forsaken soon came up with two sketch pads and a pair of pencils.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Dec 23, 2015 23:48:44 GMT -5
Evan smiled and followed Sanuta, taking in the atmosphere all the while. Carter kept a steady pace, sticking his nose in every bush they walked by. In keeping with the opening small talk, Evan asked, "So just how many different things do you grow here? Do you, like, provide crops for the village?"
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Post by gantzgun74 on Dec 24, 2015 16:30:48 GMT -5
Alex was a little unsure when it turned out that mr. Kikagi had no real idea what they were doing here either. He had just as much idea of what they needed to learn as they did. Erin looked equally annoyed, turning to her twin brother and wiggling her eyebrows, as if to quietly say 'Oh dear GOD, our informant's ALREADY useless.'
Alex twitched back. 'We don't know that. Let's just stick around and ask a few questions...'
With that done, Alex took in the surroundings. "IT is a pretty garden... It must take a lot of effort keeping it cleaned up and well watered."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Dec 24, 2015 20:53:41 GMT -5
"Why, thank you!" Sanuta mused in response to the various compliments. "Yes, Kisono fields is the number one provider of produce and medicinal herbs in Bonsai Village, as well as a top provider for the rest of the island. My family has tended to these fields since the earliest days of the island's colonization."
"Wow! That's some family business you got here," Swift chuckled.
"Indeed!" Sanuta nodded to Swift, then to Alex. "Yes, it is quite the workload caring for this garden with only myself and Kensuke. But it's work well worth doing, and I honestly feel quite blessed to have an occupation I enjoy as much as I do."
"Well, that's good to hear! When you love your job, you never work a day in your life!"
"Haha! I agree! Of course, I suppose I have an inherit advantage over my ancestors when it comes to influencing nature... which helps..."
To give a visual example of what he was explaining, Sanuta walked by a bush and picked a berry, holding it up for all to see. He quickly crushed it in his hand and held it open again. Then, at his command, the exposed seeds instantly sprouted, grew out of the juice and blossomed into a bouquet of full, healthy, bright purple flowers.
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Post by DMis on Dec 24, 2015 21:53:24 GMT -5
Forsaken blinked. "Wow...." she uttered before passing Todd a sketch book and a pencil.
Yang certainly seemed impressed as she watched.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Dec 24, 2015 22:00:21 GMT -5
"Whoa..." Evan smiled at the display while Carter just stared and snuffed at Sanuta curiously. "Awesome! This really is some impressive work!"
As they continued on, Evan kept the conversation going, hoping his next question would get them where they needed to be. "So your family has been here since the island was first discovered?"
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Post by gantzgun74 on Dec 25, 2015 18:51:03 GMT -5
Hmm..... That was a good question... "That would be a good question... For as long as I've been here, I haven't had the chance to meet too many people native to the island itself. Mostly visitors that are settling in with the natives." He couldn't help but smile as he said that, remembering a few of these said natives. "Honestly, a little history lesson might actually be pretty neat~. What can you tell us about that?"
Erin turned her attention from the garden to listen in as well. She hadn't really been on the island as long as Alex had, so while she didn't share his interest, she figured it might be good to know. Sides, she'd be living here herself wouldn't she? She'd probably need to have some of this knowledge anyway. "Yeah! Do tell~! I'd love to hear the story about how your family first came to the island. I always thought Bonsai Village was such a neat little place after all."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Dec 26, 2015 14:50:07 GMT -5
"Thank you," Sanuta chuckled, handing the bouquet to Swift.
After taking a sniff and sticking one of the flowers behind Evan's ear, Swift smiled up at Sanuta and asked, "So you're an elemental hanyo?"
"Indeed I am," he replied as he resumed his walk. "I possess control over all of the most basic elements. You see, my mother was the Mistress of Twilight, a great elemental yokai who brought the first settlers to Bonsai Village from their home world, as well as many to follow. She was quite close to my family, even going so far as to fall in love with my father. But... then... she died very shortly after my sister and I were born." He mused on this fact for a moment, then perked back up and continued, "When my ancestors arrived here, they were quite 'down on their luck,' as they say... until they were lead to these fields by Kitomo."
"Kitomo? Who's that?"
"Who's Kitomo??" Sanuta asked, doing a baffled double-take. "S-Sorry. I assumed you would know, seeing as there are those among you bearing the emblems of Kyozoku and Chima."
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Post by DMis on Dec 26, 2015 22:09:26 GMT -5
Forsaken blinked hearing 'Mistress of Twilight' but her and the voidial twin's jaws dropped hearing their emblems called Kyozoku and Chima. "Mister Kikagi.... Is your sister also an elemental hanyo?" she asked after the shock wore off slightly. Her mind was still reeling.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Dec 26, 2015 22:18:32 GMT -5
Evan blinked, equally confused but much more stunned silent. It was obvious that Sanuta was referring to Alex, Erin, Forsaken and Todd, as if he had been led to believe that their god tier status had something to do with... what Evan could only assume were deities of his ancestors' conception. But if that was the case... who was Kitomo supposed to represent?
He looked down at Carter. The dog looked just as baffled, or at least as baffled as his canine features could convey. He looked back up at Sanuta, swallowing harder and louder than he had intended.
This was why Kendall sent them here, wasn't it?
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Post by gantzgun74 on Dec 26, 2015 22:40:15 GMT -5
............... Alex and Erin's eyes were wide as the two did the math in their heads. They both looked down to their ninja robes, proudly bearing the sigil of a void player... Then when they looked around, they found that there was no-one else Sanuta could be talking about. Alex, Erin, Forsaken and Todd were all bearing two symbols one for each set... Two deities... Two symbols... " ... Oh..."As Lizzie floated back, Alex and Erin looked to each other, eyes wide and conclusions reached. No-one was saying it. They were thinking it. GOD-TIERS."O-OH! Well that's-... You see-""Is totally our faults~!" She looked at him oddly. "You see, me, Erin, Todd and Beth here come from a group on another world and when we came here, we thought sticking together would be a key element to survival. It became kind of a team effort... Then while we were in Void City, we came across these shirts and thought they looked cool. We've been wearing them since then as a kind of uniform sort of thing based on our talents." ... Now Lizzie was looking at him funny. "I'm..." He bows his head to the man. "Sorry if such a thing seems insensitive. We were unaware these symbols had any real significance... Why not tell us a bit about the deities for each symbol? I'd love to hear more.".... This got him looks from just about EVERYONE. Before anyone could comment however... "O-OH! yeah, what he said!" She had caught onto the meaning of his charade. There was no need to tell Sanuta the specifics. If it turned out these 'deities' WERE god-tier.... |
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Dec 26, 2015 23:48:58 GMT -5
Sanuta smiled sadly at Forsaken and nodded. "Yes, she is. After our father died, Senuta left the garden to follow in our mother's footsteps as an adventurer and vigilante. I... am honestly unsure how that life has been treating her. I have not seen her since..."
To Sanuta's mild confusion, everyone seemed pretty dumbfounded by his mentioning of the Skaian deities. Swift was certainly no exception, her ears flattening as she too came to the logical conclusion that he was blissfully ignorant to. But as he listened to Alex's bluff-laced explanation, Sanuta's grin returned and he nodded slowly in understanding. "Ah, I see. I suppose that shouldn't surprise me. It's not particularly uncommon to bear religious iconography on everyday clothing. But in that case... if you wish to know, I'm more than willing to explain!"
In their walk, Sanuta continued to lead the group up a small incline through the garden, passing a fairly large pond that –judging by the choir of croaks and chirps– was teeming with frogs, and towards a small house upon the hilltop. All the while, he explained...
"I suppose it only makes sense that I start from the beginning. Well... long ago... there were eight worlds orbiting a blue star just above where the island is now. These worlds foretold of the coming of gods, one to govern and watch over each world. These gods, as they have become known amongst the villagers, were...
Tokishin, God of Time and Destruction...
Seishin, God of Space and Creation...
Kyozoku, God of Void and Obscurity...
Chima, Goddess of Blood and Unity...
Keihei, God of Light and Fortune...
Okueki, God of Heart and Soul...
Namashi, God of Life and Endurance, and
Kitomo, God of Hope and Faith."
Swift's ears lowered impossibly further. Her eyes, nearly the size of baseballs, stared up at Evan.
"When these gods finally arrived, their presence awakened a great and terrible demon that ravaged the eight worlds. As the gods had yet to reach their full potential, even they could not defeat the demon. Thus, in a last-ditch effort to salvage the worlds they were meant to protect, Tokishin halted the universe in time and Seishin poured his will into the fragmented worlds, uniting them as one. A single, unified world that continues to await the return of its lost heroes." Sanuta turned around and spread his arms out. "This island... is the amalgam of those eight worlds."
"Oh... Wow..." Swift squeaked without even realizing it.
"Heheh... 'Wow' indeed," Sanuta chuckled, turning to walk forwards again. "As I stated, my ancestors discovered this history when they were led to these fields by Kitomo himself. This garden... actually, much of the eastern expanse of the island is built upon the remnants of the world Kitomo was destined to oversee."
Upon reaching the top of the hill, stopping next to what was obviously Sanuta's house, he gestured ahead towards a small, decrepit, yet intricately-designed stone building a little ways down the opposite slope. "That temple down there... it came from that world. My ancestors created this garden with Kitomo's blessing and left the ancient cathedral standing to honor him."
And sure enough, very clearly marked on the side of that building in glistening white stone was a pattern resembling angel wings.
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Post by DMis on Dec 27, 2015 0:06:58 GMT -5
Yang gave a soft whistle.
Forsaken blinked several times as the information sunk in. She couldn't help but look away from the cathedral with a small tear.
Todd nodded. "May we learn why you follow Kitomo as opposed to the others?" The male Blood tier asked.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Dec 27, 2015 0:24:57 GMT -5
"What... the serious... f***."
Fortunately for Carter, the only one who could understand his obscene bark had all but tuned the world out a few sentences ago.
Evan stood next to Swift, shaken and horrified by this revelation. He stared down at the cathedral, eyes wide, mouth agape, breaths ragged, body stiff in the back but wobbly in the knees.
This man... this simple Japanese gardener... believed that Evan... or at least his dead alternate self... was a god. No... That was just... No! There were far too many ways in which that was wrong! He wasn't a god, and he could only hope –oh jeez, he had to gag at his own choice of words– that his other self would've felt the same. There was only one God, and the idea that someone believed that Evan could compare to his creator just made him sick to his stomach.
And to think there was this entire legacy built around him and his other self's fellow players... to think this went beyond simply finishing the game...
HOW WAS HE SUPPOSED TO LIVE UP TO THIS?!
Oh God...
Oh dear God, what had he gotten himself into?
Wait, where did the cathedral go?
Holy crap, why was the garden spinning?
When did everyone go underwater?
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Post by gantzgun74 on Dec 27, 2015 1:24:55 GMT -5
...........
Forsaken looked away, Todd was shocked... Alex and Erin had only gotten more wide-eyed then ever...
This... Truly confirmed it didn't it-? Yes... This world was BUILT by god-tiers... No... This entire ISLAND was built by God-Tiers. It was created to be a last ditch effort to save a game that had never truly lived in the first place...
Still... To create a place this elaborate... Alex had to give props to whoever the space player was... The work may have been slap-dash, but it... SEEMED to work. Every region functioned as it should, even if technically it shouldn't have been able to. The climate in all realms were normal even though the differences should have created chaos...
That space god created ALL OF THIS WITH NOTHING. Even if he couldn't recreate his old world, he created a new one from the remains of a dead session.
"Oh my god..." She whispered, stunned at this discovery. What caught her attention even more then that was the flag unfurled on Sanuta's lawn... One sporting the symbol of 'Players of Hope'.
Alex took all of this in, just taking his sweet time letting it all sink in... As he did, Lizzie noticed partially that he kept close to Yang...
"... I see...." There were so many unknowns... Sure his story painted a picture... It just didn't paint a complete one. For some reason a lot of this was starting to sound vaguely familiar. At that moment, something about a lot of Bonsai Village was starting to ring out. IT was a sound... A feeling that felt nostalgic... As if he KNEW this place.
No.
No he didn't.
"This is all very fascinating Sanuta... Truly... Where can we learn more about these other go-"
SPLASH!!!!
?!?!?!?!?
The group turned to find that Evan had fainted.
And had fallen over clean into the pond.
"!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH!!! EVAN!!!"
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... Oh..."