A Road Not Taken [Yoshi; FINISHED]

[Issac Verro]

"Thank you Shaohan." Issac said, slipping the footwear over his sandals as Yoshi explained the intricacies involved in making his yet to be finished sword suitable for the mission at hand. Yoshi knew his materials, and though Issac lacked the skills to repair his own weapon, he picked up an understand as to how it was done, in order to ensure he was not cheat, nor his weapon damaged. "Well let's be off then, Ill be outside." Issac said the group of men, waving goodbye to the girls, carefully closing the door behind him so the fierce winds would not slam it shut and disturb those living next door.

Issac's feet were much better off covered by Shaohan's footwear, the thin layer of snow covering the ground in front of the door went almost unnoticed, Issac's robes bound tightly to protect him from the fierce weather, the tip of the proverbial iceberg as they prepared to climb the mountain surrounding the village in search of the rare ore that would repair Issac's sword whole.

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

Walking through the wintry conditions, Yoshi led Kei, Shaohan, and Issac through Niebelheim and up to the town gate.The two guards on duty were busy chatting. One with a cigar noticed them first and proceeded to approach with caution. When he Noticed Yoshi, he began to walk with less attitude.

"Yoshi. Where are you headed this fine evening?" he said in a sarchastic manner.
" I need to go into the mountains." Yoshi responded.
The guard looked at him closely. "Are ya sure?"

Yoshi proceeded to walk past him. "Officer, you know who I am, so you know I have the rights from Mayor Gosama to go wherever I decide. Please do not detain me."

As the party passed by the guard sneered. "Some big bad hero. I could defend this town." Just then, a bat flew by and scared the guard so bad he ran off.

Jerk.

Yoshi and the party Trekked up the path on the east side of the mountain. A Thick, Grey fog set in. Yoshi Pulled out and Arrow and struck his heel with it. As it ignited Yoshi explained.
It's an incendiary arrow. I put them together when Issac explained about the Orcs weakness to light. I never knew about that, but it makes sense."


Kei spoke out as a breeze swept his crimson hair. "That was Wise of you. But what about us?"
"Very Simple, Don't get seperated!"

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

With little trouble, Yoshi, along with the Brothers Sho and Issac Verro, Reached the clearing into the caverns of the Moutains near Neibelheim. The Mountains were always a valuble resource of many things to the town: Fresh water, Minerals. Now the mountain would provide a sense of adventure as well. As the party started warm up rituals, Yoshi instructed Kei to go collect some small stalagmites as he handed the arrow to Shaohan to hold. Kneeling down and reaching into his backpack, Yoshi fumbled around for a small container. As Kei brought them he opened the container and revealed a green cream. Yoshi rubbed the cream on top of the rocks, stood up and walked them over to Shaohan. He stuck one of the Stalagmites in the the fire and i instantly lit up. As he went to pass it to Issac, he began to explain.

This cream is called Fire Chrysalis. I developed it while back, it's made from ground Chyrsalis found right here in this Mountain. When I mix in a few elements, it holds oxygen through several half-lives," he continued, Equipping everyone with a torch."It Should last about four hours, which should be more that enough time to retrieve the Orichalcon Stone, And Hopefully I can stock up on extra so that I Don't have to return to this place."

[Issac Verro]

Time passed much faster in the presence of other people, the trek across the mountainous regions surrounding the small town were much tolerable in the company of others Issac thought to himself as the town and the insolent guard were far behind them. Coming to a clearing the group stopped, reading themselves for what lie ahead in the caverns, Yoshi removing several artifacts from his bag, dispensing them to his traveling companions. He explained that they would each have their own torches, mixing the noxious chemicals whose fumes Issac could smell in the crisp, clean mountain air. Yoshi indicated that the torches would last several hours, but Issac knew they would only need half of that time if things went accordingly, even without Yoshi having to tell him so.

As Issac took his torch, he heard the weapon smith speak on stocking up on the precious material, his intentions both economic and logical, even with there being four well to do men present, each of them fighters and more than capable of defending themselves in their own right, the mouth of the mountain still looked menacing enough to merit Yoshi's concern, something Issac would greatly consider as he assured his weapon was in close proximity, moving it into position so all he would need to do is quickly unsheathe it to dispatch any and all threats. Holding his torch away his face, Issac walked closer to the entrance to get a view of what lie ahead, his vision allowing him to see farther than the rest, his nose and ears finishing what he was incapable of visually.

The cave extended several fee before diverging downward, the stalactites on the ceiling shimmering in the moonlight, as the front most rows shined while there brethren in the rear only formed shapes in the increasing darkness. Issac could smell the sulfur in the caves, as well as the dank odors native to such a place, assuming that the animals in the cave resided near the running water he could hear being feeding into the river below them, it's source deeper inside the caves, the dripping of the mist collecting on the ceiling as clear as if he were already inside. "Whenever you're ready guys." Issac said, turning back to the group in anticipation of entering the caverns.

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

Inching into the cavern quickly became marching as the party found themselves not-so-anxious 45 minutes later. It seemed that it was going to be easy travels from this point in.

Or Was It?

As the team descended further, the road of rocks led to a beautiful clearing of crystals, and other minerals. Water could beheard streaming from the cliffs above to small lake-puddles that could be seen from the path if you had a light. At this point, yoshi turned to the party and held his index finger over his lip delibrerately. Soon after, the road reached a clearing, and there were multiple paths to choose from, as well as a growing lake behind them.

Shaohan put his Shakujo in the water and twirled it slowly. Yoshi quickly turned his head to Shaohan and shook it 'no'. Rolling his eyes in response, Shaohan withdrew from the water and slammed his stave on the ground. Causing the rings to jingle.
Yoshi turned his head again, only this time to be matched by a loud growl. Yoshi Quickly lay down his torch and drew Ymir.

Kei Slowly stanced. "Shaohan....what did you do?"

[Issac Verro]

The sulfuric odor in the caverns rendered Issac's usual keen sense of smell was all but useless, it's scent saturating the already dank air. The constant dripping of water and shuffling feet of his companions, made his sense of hearing difficult to rely on as well, having to be on guard as well as filter out through the ambient sounds of the cave. It was his vision that the Inu-Jin made the most use of, despite the dim light, he could see just as well as he could in the day time, relieved that the group had stopped to rest at a spring inside the cave.

Sitting down to enjoy a sip of the fresh, mineral rich water, Issac observed the hard headed Shaohan's behavior, the jingle of his rings clears as the crystalline water at his feet, not only to Issac, but the growling creature in the darkness. The angry noises soon outweighed the jingle, and Issac kept his water in his mouth, swallowing slowly as he reached for his sheathed blade, drawing it out slowly. "Kei, Shaohan, get back. Yoshi, kick your light near the concentration of crystals in the back." Issac said, turning on one foot, the top of his blade pointed down, as his weapon was still sheathed, his body in a position to spring forward and attack.

The hulking monster was now clear to his sight, lurking in the blanketed darkness that was soon pierced by a myriad spectrum of colors from the light of Yoshi's torch, a rainbow-like glow bouncing off the walls allowing all four to see the Orc that growled angrily.

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

Yoshi slowly stepped into a better shooting position. Throwing the torch gave Yoshi the reminder he needed. The Incidieary arrows. As yoshi reached for another, The Orc roared and took a Massive swing with it's Axe-like pike. Yoshi jumped back, and successfully Grabbed the arrow in Mid-stride. striking it on the ground, the flaming arrow was loaded speedily.

"Everyone get down, NOW!"

[Issac Verro]

The large fiend was in clear sight now, and Yoshi instructed everyone to move into a safe position, he himself poised to fire an incendiary arrow, Issac's keen sense of hearing could placed the small noise the string of his bow made as he pulled it back into firing position. The beast lurched forward with its weapon, noticing the bright light emanating from Yoshi's position and headed that way, which caused Issac to carefully plan his next set of actions to ensure the weapon smith's safety.

Bursting forward, Issac cracked the rock beneath his feet into a fine powdery dust as he leaped forward, a surge of Force magic propelling him so as he aimed low, striking the back of the beast's legs, swinging himself around with a small pivot. Issac then aimed his aggression at the orge's hand, the focus of which was the ball of the monsters hand, the section that would most greatly effect its grip on it's weapon, attacking with more of his force magic in order to land a blow powerful enough to shatter it hand.

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

Reading Issac's Movements as well as he could, Yoshi decided to pull the trigger. The arrow seemed to embed itself in the Orc's face, searing it's eyes. IT would seem that the party would beable to get away at this juncture, but unfortunately, the giant club the Orc was wielding was headed for the ground.

The Club cracked against the moist ground causing some of it to cave in. The collapse was quick, sucking down Shaohan. Kei tried to reach Out for him, but he was also dragged down. Yoshi wanted to react, but the Actions before him were too fast.

"Kei! Shaohan!" Yoshi Yelled. He wanted to dive in, but that would leave Issac with the Orc, and he couldn't do that, either. Plus, he wasn't to sure as to har far far the brothers SHO had fallen.

The Orc had begun to swing wildly as Yoshi tried to peer down the dark hole. "If you GUYS CAN HEAR ME, We'll be there as doon as we can. HOLD ON !? turning his head up to Issac, Yoshi called out. "He can't see. We need to get Outta hear andd get to my friends! I know the way!"

Grabbing up his Bow, Yoshi sprinted down the next corridor.

[Issac Verro]

Effortless evading the Ogre's blind swings, Issac looked toward Yoshi, who had begun to make his way towards the section of the cave where his friends had fallen victim to a sinkhole. No doubt cause by their opponents massive weapon, Issac hoped back and stood to his full height, eying the injured Ogre as it continued to flail about in pain. Pitying the creature, Issac sheathed his weapon, and after moving toward the ogre, Issac smashed it's foot the the butt of his sword, causing the creature to scream out in agony as Issac hands made their way to the creature's neck, hitting him in several key spots as the creature's bellows ceased. Falling to it's knees, Issac moved as the creature remained their, paralyzed, the Ogre slipping into unconsciousness from Issac's merciful attacks, and the Inu-jin removed Yoshi's arrow, and allowed the creature to fall on it's face, injured, but alive and sleeping off the pain.

Having left the defeated Ogre, Issac stood near where Kei and Shaohan were trapped, listening for their breathing and other signs of life, Issac knelt to the ground, "I can make a rope if you have the materials for one..." Issac said, reaching for a small stone, dropping it into the chasm to adequately judge the distance to the bottom. Hearing it finally hit the floor with a soft thud, Issac thought to himself, "It's gonna be a pretty long rope..." Issac said, following Yoshi into the corridor adjacent.

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

"Sh.....shaohan......ack!" Kei muttered weakly before grasping his left leg in agony. "Don't move." Shaohan said sternly. He had been applying a splint to Kei's leg even before he woke up. "You dislocated your ankle, could've been a lot worse for the both of us. Now let me finish.
Kei bit his lip as the splint was tightly applied.. Shaohan sighed as he finished, wiping his brow. His brother was in distress. 'Screw the mineral, Shaohan thought. 'My brother is hurt, and we need to get the hell outta here.

Kei glanced to his left, and noticed Shaohan's broken Shakujo. "Shao....your staff....."
As shaohan tied the final knot, he Gkanced at his Shakujo. It had broken in the fall, so Shaohan used it to make a splint since Kei needed it.
Trying to stand Kei up, Shaohan put Kei's arm over his shoulder and stood him up. As they began to walk, a moaning sound was uttered from around them. Shaohan clutched his right fist and began to channel the dark aura. Reaching out with the energy, he grabbed up both his and Kei's staves and reeled them in. As Kei used his to stand on his own, Shaohan stanced and prepared to cover his brother, no matter what.

Without warning, two smaller Orcs chargeg Shaohan's left side!

"Go!, Barrier Ball!" Shaohan summoned the darkness to form a spherical forcefield around them. Upon contact, the Shield Pushed Them Backward, nearing where then entered as water fell from the above cavern in a small flush. " Kei, get behind the water." Hesitantly, Kei did what he was told. Then Shaohan, holding his Broken Shakujo near his arm in a dark aura, Readied himself for what could be his last stand. The Orcs' strength seemed endless. Shaohan would have to use his brain to overcome them.


"Yin Style! Lion System! Linking the Forms!" Turning his arms opposite one another, Shaohan charged toward the orcs. Leaping high, he padded the left most one with two swift kicks, bouncing off of the second kick, launched himself into the other one fist first, opening up upon it with a flurry of dark blasts.

Kei, who looked on, couldn't stand to see his brother in this type of distress. But he knew he was helpless. Unlike Shaohan, he hadn't gained any new powers, all he had was Ba gua. Meanwhile, Shaohan had backflipped out of a furious swing of the orcs club. Then Proceeded to Block it with the Dark Shakujo. Each shot took more and More out of the monk, and it seemed that the other orc was preparing something in the darkness. Kei threw his shakujo at the orc, but he didn't have enough arm strength to score a hit. Instead, it just jingled as it hit the floor. The other Orc snapped its attention in Kei's direction and started toward him. As he stepped out of the darkness, Kei could see what he was doing. He had Pulled up a large Stalagmite from the ground, much bigger than the club he abandoned.

As he Dragged it toward Kei, Kei did his best to strike a stance. Fighting back pain, he stretched out his left foot and pointed his toes. Right hand open before his left, Kei closed his eyes, saying,
"Yin Style! Unicorn Style...Reversing the body...Qilin...Qilin...qilin...quilin..." As the Orc with the Giant piece of earth walked closer to him, Shaohan lost his concentration, turning toward him. The Orc that was swinging on Shaohan swung one last time, and while the most of the blow was blocked, it still sent shaohan spiraling to the left. The Other Orc, raising the stalagmite above him, prepared to give his finest slam on the head of Kei Matsu, who stood completely still.
"KEI !!! NO!!!!!!!" Shaohan Screamed!

At that point, Kei's eyes snapped open, and a white light burst forth from his body, causing both orcs to cover their eyes, dropping their weapons.

A golden energy encompassed Kei's legs, eyes and arms as he walked forward in the Unicorn Stance. Blinking widely, then smirking, Shaohan called out, "You did it, Kei! You realized your power!" Kickflipping up, Shaohan summoned a swirl of Dark nergy, covering his limbs and eyes. "Ready to wrap this up brother?"
"Yes!"

[Issac Verro]

Hearing the loud panges of injury from Kei, amplified by the cavern, Issac felt compelled to jump down, but knew better than to attempt such a reckless maneuver. Before either he or Yoshi could take any action to help the brothers, it seemed their troubles extended beyond injuries sustained from the plummet to the bottom of one of the caverns pits, as two Orc seemed to appear, both of heading in Shaohan's direction. Judging from the faint light an sounds, it seemed Shaohan was defending himself and his bother from the might of the two Orcs, but how long could the spirited young man hold out against such opponents, not only protecting himself but his downed brother from their onslaught.

Issac found an answer to his question as he felt a surge of dark energy rush from Shaohan, which concerned him at first until he noticed that it felt directed and contained, focused and aim unlike the description he was given by Yoshi, and the familiarity of the experience. "Seems like things are getting interesting down there..." Issac mused to himself, following Shaohan's movements, until his focus on the dark energy was distracted by by a sudden explosion of light energy emanating from Kei. Things had indeed grown interesting, as both of the brothers, in form stood to deal with their cave dwelling assailants, aid stand not to far from above, although Issac doubted severly if they required any help from himself or Yoshi at this point.

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

As Yoshi and Issac Made their way to the bottom of the cave floor, Kei and Shaohan Stood Side by side, Cloaked in their respective Elements. The Orcs, who had Just began to regain their Sight, Growled Angrily and charged the brothers, who stood still like statues. The Giant creatures swung their wild fists, only to be repelled by the Combination of Light and Dark energy.

Sparking off, The Brothers began laying into the Orcs in synchronized attacks. A Palm from Kei, then a low kick from Shao, followed by and uppercut here, and a dual thrust there, until the Orcs stood dazed and staggered. Then, one brother leaping upon the shoulders of an opponent as the other. They Both pulled the right arm back, aiming it at the base of the neck.

Both striking, they dislocated the necks of the Orcs, leaving them lifeless. And they leapt off, landing in a fierce form before allowing their powers to retract.

Yoshi, who let go a sigh of relief, Grabbed the Shakujos and jogged over to the brothers. Handing Kei his stave so that he could balance, Yoshi started out. ""That was awesome! Kei. You realized your power!!!"

"yeah......I guess it was just...time..." Kei muttered heavily, tired from expending so much energy.

"The light and the darkness....." Shaohan mused, folding his arms. " That makes sense!"

[Issac Verro]

Issac was happy to see that his secret gambit paid off, the young and spirited, often reckless monk Shaohan had managed to tame the wild beast the was his burgeoning powers. Nodding his head in approval, he watched as Yoshi and the two monks appraise themselves, along side Yoshi who seemed happy that they were safe. It was distressing to see the lifeless bodies of the Orcs on the cave floor, this was by right their home and Issac and company were the intruders, but it seemed their was no way around the bloodshed if both Kei and Shaohan were to remained unharmed.

In the midst of his melancholy, Issac noticed a faint glimmer in the dusky darkness of the cave, near the bodies of the Orcs. The upturned earth from the battle reveal something strange, it's eerie metallic glow catching the Inu-jin's eyes, as he didn't intend to cut away from the victory at hand, but turned there attention to the sought after prize that now lay directly within reach. "Fellas... if you don't mind, I believe we've found what we came here for..." Issac said, walking over to the spot where the raw ore lie exposed, brushing the edge of his scabbard against the metal, sparks flying from the slight contact.

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

Yoshi walked back over to Issac to look in the direction in which he pointed. " The Orichalcon! I didn't know there was a deposit so close to the entrance!" As Yoshi walked over to the resource Shaohan helped Kei hobble over. Yoshi Proceeded to uncover some bags inside a bag inside of his satchel. Handing one to each member of the party Tokugawa proceeded to hand out instructions. "Get as much as you can. I've never come here with 3 others , so let's make the most of it. I never want to see this cave again!!"

Within forty-five minutes or so the party made it's way out of the cave and were on the cold trail back to Nifiheim. The sun was peeking behind the pines as the town came into sight. "Almost home, guys." Shaohan exumed as he carried Kei on his back. "Good." Yoshi checked. "And after some rest, I'll restore your sword, Issac."

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

Within a few days, Yoshi came up from the forge with a wet towel wrapped around the sword he had been charged to repair. As He came out in the sales room behind the counter, he took a bite of a piece of cheese that had been resting there awhile. Before he could swallow, He called out for Issac Verro, to come and retrieve his newly refinished blade.

[Issac Verro]

The only thing harder than felling the Ogres and obtaining the precious metal was the perilous journey back to Yoshi and the Brother monks homestead. During their venture inside the cavern, the snow that slowed there travels had fallen heavy, almost a foot total, making there trek back an enormous task. But, being warmed by the hearth, entertained by the camaraderie, and fed by the girls, Issac found no reason to complain while Yoshi tended to the forge, set to repair his sword.

After hearing the weapon smith's call, Issac made his way to the basement's forge, crouching under the doorway and beginning his decent down the stairs. "With all the food you feed me here, I'll need you to forge me a knife and fork set." Issac said stopping in front of the series wall mounted weapons, and the green haired Yoshi who held out his newly glistening and repaired weapon. "So this is it huh?" Issac said in anticipation of holding his weapon again.

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

"Yeah, This is it!" Yoshi replied with a smirk. "Pick it up, Try it. The Orichalcon melded smoothly over the edge, which was good, but it takes a while to sharpen." Yoshi began to explain, curling his green locks over his head and around his ear. Then, He posed, Standing rather feminine-like over the counter, with an elbow down and the hand waving around conversationally. " Now because of the natural properties of Orichalcon Stone, your weapon is going to be a bit lighter, so I hope it's not to much of a problem. The results went over well with the last spear and Schimitar I sharpened with it."
As Issac Examined the sword, Yoshi then stood up and put his hands on his hips. A Curious look crawled across his face. "What do you think??"

[Issac Verro]

Issac reached for the blade, holding it as he slowly removed it from Yoshi's grasp. The blade was light, surprisingly light as Issac had grown accustomed to the weight that came with the extended length of his longsword, but Yoshi's craftsmanship has seemingly worked wonders, as the breadth of the blade's sharp edge shined magnificently, even in the dark of the cellar forge. "It's amazing..." Issac said continuing to examine it's peerless appearance. Placing his hand on his chin as was his usual stance when thinking, Issac wanted to authenticated the true merit of both the blade and the blacksmith, smiling his usual devilish grin, exposing his canines as he turned back to Yoshi.

"Do you got any spare hunks of slag metal lying around, any non tempered steel, or a weapon you wouldn't mind parting with would you." Issac asked, holding the sword by the handle, running his force coated finger along the edge, the blade sliding effortlessly along the buffer of his magic, his blood would have spilled and a finger lost if he were anymore careless.

[Yoshi Tokugawa]

Yoshi pondered the question for a moment before reaching under the counter."Yeah....sure." he responded. After shuffling a bit, he produced a few thing, A Kami Dagger he carried when he was young, and Two Ono Kamas (hookswords) that had shown a bit of ware.

" You're not telling me you're a sell-sword, right?" Yoshi said in a joking tone.