Iron and Rain

  • So many newbies lately! Here is a very important PSA about one of our most vital content policies! Read it even if you are an ancient member!
Ryoshi was looking around the shelves of the shop and found a small yellowed box of old smoke bombs. He took the box and tossed it on the counter "Nothing special, just preparing for the journey into the hills." He said to her though there was a playful tone to his voice.

He grabbed a box flairs and tossed it in with the smoke bombs. Then came a few bombs, and with a sigh he looked at the pistols. He looked at them as if this was the last time he would see a gun. He picked up a one with a laser sight and a few boxes of ammo. "Do you have a gun or bow or something? You don't want the monsters put there getting close." He asked.
 
Akane rose a brow slowly and tilted her head to the side slightly in question. She didn't know him incredibly well yet, but she felt as though she could sense when he was planning something. "Uh huh... alright." She said and followed him around the store and observing what he seemed interested in at the moment. The things he tossed onto the counter she would pick up and give them a look over just out of curiosity. She wasn't much into using things like bombs just because they always seemed so... wild. Unpredictable. She preferred tactics of which she had control over... like the swing of her swords.

When he stopped to look at the guns, she checked them out as well though she was hardly interested in them. She'd never had experience with such things. More so bows and things that were crafted within her village. Guns just seemed so.. savage. "I... don't," she said softly and placed her fists on her hips as she looked over the bows next to the guns. "I'm more accustomed with bows. Trained with them and everything back at the village. I'm not a bad shot. If you think it would be a good idea, I could pick one up." She had to say, they didn't have bad gear here at all. She picked out a mid-tier level bow, feeling the weight of it in her fingers before expertly pulling back the string and checking out the sight before easing the string back into place. Not bad. She would then take a moment looking over accessories, pulling out a standard looking quiver and some standard arrows, although she would also grab up some extra tips to make her own or if she broke one off of the others.
 
He put the gun and ammo on the counter "These and whatever she has." He pointed. Ryoshi seemed tense and a little on edge, his movements were less fluid.

"Ah ya must be going through the hills with all this gear. Afraid the boogyman is gonna get ya?" The shop owner laughed.

Ryoshi growled a little and tossed the man his money before marching out into the cold morning air. "Fucking idiot..." He whispered.l "Akane let's go!" He called back and he stomped through the muddy streets toward the general store.
 
Akane rose a brow, wondering what had the hunter become such a bundle of happiness this morning. Perhaps the ache of his ribs was stronger than what he was letting on. "Alright… hey wait!" She called and slung the quiver and then the bowstring over her shoulders before hurrying after the man. 


"What's wrong? You seem wound up tighter than my bow string…" she said as she came to walk by his side, raising brow and expecting him to speak. Yet, with the mood he was in, perhaps he would rather not.
 
"No one seem to get the danger that's just inside that fog!" He pointed to the hills. "I've been in there and there's shit lurking in those hills that would make them die on fear!" He huffed.

He opened the door to the general store. In side it had camping gear, canned and dried food, clothes, boots, and a bounty borad. He started to look around and picked a few cans of pork and beans, then kept looking.
 
With curious brow still raised, she glanced over to where he was pointing to see the rolling fog that adorned the mystical dips of hills in the distance. She looked back to him, silent, following after, as she couldn't quite say that she knew of the dangers within either.

Following after the man who seemed to be in quite the tizzy, she adjusted the quiver over her shoulder and glanced around at the items for sale. "Perhaps you should… fill me in on what is in those hills," she finally said, admitting to the fact that she did not know as well. She grabbed a couple items that she thought she could make room for in her pack as it never hurt to have additional food and clothing on hand. Nothing too heavy or cumbersome though as she preferred to travel light.
 
Ryoshi sighed and his shoulders sank little "People call those hills the Dead Mans Hills. The fog never lifts, the cold never leaves your bones, and the spirits of the dead roam free. Many hunters have gone in and only a few have come out." He looked her in the eye.

"I'm not going to spin you some bullshit ghost story Akane. I've seen red eyed demons tare a man to shreds, I heard whispers from voice that will drive you insane if you aren't careful, and I've felt the icey hand of death on my shoulder more times then I can count when I was out there."
 
The hairs at the back of her neck prickled at the look that was in Ryoshi's eyes when he told her of what resided in those hills, and she did not like it one bit. She pressed her lips together in thought before taking a breath and letting it out slowly. They had come this far. She would not be the one to cower and go running off with her tail between her legs.

"If it is the only way through... than we must, right?" Couldn't be any worse than the mouth demon... or that's what she thought anyway. The biggest worry of hers was the fact that she had no context. She hunted monsters.... not demons or ghosts. Yet, maybe they were more similar than she thought. "Just tell me what you can... weaknesses and things to prepare me. We'll be fine."
 
"Most of the creatures out there hate light and smoke seems to drive them off to. That's why I bought the smoke bombs and flairs. I got the gun because you don't want anything getting to close, that means fighting to." He grabbed some rope and a few bundles of dry wood. "It's going to take us two hard days to get through the hills."
 
Oh great.

So not only did it seem to be one of the worst places for them to go, but now they had to stay the night. "Well... best get rested up here then as I doubt I'll be sleeping for two straight days," she said as it didn't really seem like a place you wanted to let your guard down. Not to mention even if it was safe while one of them remained awake... she didn't think she would be able to even fall asleep.

Although she was already thinking. Good thing she grabbed a bow. She could light the tips on fire and make those things scatter if they didn't like light.
 
The two rested and we're both ready a few days later to take on the Dead Mans Hills. Ryoshis side hadnt completely healed but they had to keep moving. He stood at the edge of town with Akane "No matter what you hear or see don't take your mask off." He looked at her.

They headed off into the fog and the temperature dropped as soon as they got in.
 
Still not feeling her best either, her body had definitely recovered a large amount since first entering the village which was good enough for her. If anything, she seemed to be in a lot better shape than Ryoshi, of which she hoped she could watch his back a little better than she has been to keep him from getting further injured.

"Okay," she agreed quickly, taking his every advice on the matter since she really didn't have much of an idea about what they were going up against. Not that Ryoshi hadn't tried to fill her in on the details, but she just figured it was going to be a lot different when they were actually amidst the fray. "Lead the way," she said and closed up her mask, adjust the pack she carried over her shoulder as well as the new addition to her arsenal, the bow and quiver that resided on her left shoulder.
 
The was thicker the further they got in until it was hard to see more then four feet out. The grass under thier feet was a dark green, almost black, and the cold it carried could be felt through their boots. Ryoshi seemed to know where he was going though.

"Pssst Akane." A voice whispered to her left, but there was no one there. "Over here.." there was another whisper to her right.

"Akane what's wrong?" Ryoshi looked back.
 
At first she figured it was Ryoshi speaking, but how could his voice sound from either side of her when he was leading the way a few steps in front of her...? Becoming slightly more spooked at the first interaction with the creatures of which Ryoshi had told her stories of... yet she still could not see them.

"I... I'm hearing voices," she said quietly and took a couple quick steps to come to walk a little closer behind Ryoshi as if they were to get separated right now, she feared they would not find each other again. At that point, she may as well kiss her ass goodbye as without Ryoshi's guidance, she didn't think she would stand much of a chance against whatever lurked in this fog.
 
"Stay close, they've already taken notice of us." Ryoshi said. "The whispers aren't the problem, once the you start hearing growling that's the problem." He said and kept a hand on the hilt of his sword.

They kept walking and all the more the tension in the air kept growing, something was watching them closely like a predator stalks it's prey. "Help! Please help me!" A mans voice screamed from the fog, a blue flash went off a little further a head of them. "Please it's attacking me!"

Ryoshi grimaced and changed the direction they were going.

"Akane help me please!" It was her father's voice now.
 
Akane swallowed hard and felt goosebumps rise on her flesh, doing much the same action as Ryoshi and keeping her fingers gently on the hilt of her sword. The unease grew within her, a tingling sensation, like when she knew the eyes of a beast were upon her. Her breathing came slightly harder and her grip tightened on her dagger. It didn't help when she couldn't see a few feet in front of her face!

A voice, at first, unfamiliar, and Akane was not stupid enough to fall for this trick. Ryoshi had warned her, and she could either heed or she could foolishly fall into their trap. Hard eyes remained upon Ryoshi's cloak and she followed after him, not asking any questions as to why this or why that... only blindly following.

And then the voice changed, and her footing stuttered. Her heart skipped a beat. She knew they were toying with her... she did... but still...

The tears were almost instant and they stung the back of her eyes. How did they do that...? That voice... there was no doubt in her mind that it was her father's. How did they know...?

"Low blow..." she whispered and unsheathed her newly crafted dagger and keeping it close as a single tear trickled down her cheek. "Don't you fucking toy with me," she hissed and sniffled as she continued forward before she lost sight of Ryoshi who was becoming increasingly hard to see with even the few steps he had managed to take to increase the distance between them in her stutter of movement.
 
"Akane please help me!" Her father cried out again. "Don't let me die again!" He called out in a scream. There was another burst of blue light.

"It's not really your father Akane we have to keep-." Ryoshi looked back and Akane was gone. "Fuck." He growled.

"Ryoshi my love please come back to me." A woman's voice called out.

Ryoshi clenched his fist "Akane!" He called out. "Akane where are you!"
 
"Dammit..."

Even while being conscious that this was the worse case scenario, it had happened without her realizing it. But hardly her fault! If they were thinking, they should have had something connecting them, just in case they were to get visually separated....

Too late for that now.

"Shut up shut up shut up!!!" She cried and stood still for a moment to just press the palms of her hands to the side of her face. These stupid damn voices... they weren't tricking her, but they were sure pissing her off!

Then she heard Ryoshi's voice, and she allowed it to calm the rapid beating of her heart. "Ryoshi!!" She called through the fog, reaching back quickly and grabbing one of the arrows of which she had dunked in gasoline, ready to light. Maybe it would help her be visible to him. She set the tip ablaze and held it into the air, feeling the fog around her begin to glow gently, taking on the yellowed light from the flame. "Ryoshi, where are you??" She could hear him... he seemed further away than she thought though. How did he get so far away in such a short amount of time?

"Ryoshi!"
 
As she ran with the arrow out she a face popped out of the fog. It was a deep black with pin hole eyes.

1598764809407.png
​
It saw the flame of her arrow and swatted at it, knocking it from her hands. It let out an ear piercing shriek and swiped at her. "Save me Akane! Save me!" It had the the voice of her father.
 
Feet stopped dead in their tread as a face came out of the fog and nearly stopped her heart. She was used to seeing the stuff of nightmares... but this was too much. Gasping for a breath as the spindly fingers swatted away the light of her flame, it tumbled over itself and onto the ground, going out. Shivers ran through her body as she hastily took steps back, trying to control her body enough to dodge the swipes it made at her as she swiped at it with the hand wielding her dagger.

"Stop. fucking. using... MY FATHER'S VOICE!!" She screamed and planted her feet in an attempt to stand up to the thing, gripping the handle of her dagger tightly. It was obviously solid since it had the ability to smack away the arrow in her hand. Maybe it could bleed. "Get away from me!!" She shrilled and sliced her dagger through the air in attempts to injure it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back