Sanctuary [Moro]Feb 24, 2021 16:25:52 GMT -5
Crimson sun resting against hues of dusk peaked through dreary clouds over the Law Country. A man with long raven hair in billowing white robes walked across a field of zoysia grass that dotted the area with little bumps, making all but the beaten trails traveled by man an exercise in frustration. At his back was an expanse of a forest of gnarled roots and branches and a quickly approaching twilight. Ahead of him he seemed to be following the setting sun. The scent of the mountains north blended well with the fragrance of the seedheads. Crickets kept away the silence. Ahead on the path was a rigid tower with six stories, topped with a smooth stone obelisk. Far from any civilization, there were still signs of upkeep being done. The closer that Hotaru drew, the more the sweetness of the fields was replaced with the scent of blood and decay. Along the tower there were a plethora of pikes, each that had been dressed with the body of a human. Some had been picked nearly clean by the birds, while others were still fresh. A vulture was present, eyeing Hotaru as it ripped carrion from one of the corpses. "Ooooh smells like home!” a muffled voice said. It had not come from Hotaru, who kept his mouth covered with a high collar. Instead a cloth sack that he was carrying in his left hand was moving about slightly. Hotaru stopped and undid the strings of the brown sack, pulling out a head by strands of long red hair. A pale man with a sickening grin looked around and began laughing. Tsuji was a jashinist that had gotten too close to his territory, attacking a woman on the border of Tori and Mori. Hotaru was reluctant to destroy the head. He assumed, perhaps wrongly, that the cult would take revenge on his land for killing him. He thought that if he returned the head, as well as the body that he kept sealed with him on his back in a large scroll, that the show of mercy would be repaid. "Hah, so you want to meet my brothers and sisters? They will be so excited to see you,” Tsuji said. "I’m sure you will be repaid…” "We could have found them sooner if you told me where the temple is,” Hotaru replied dryly. He had heard rumors of an underground city, but he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. This tower seemed like a good enough place though. He saw the triangular symbol crested on the door to the shrine. He was sure that this was as good a place as any to make contact with the cult. "No way, but if you light the beacon i’m sure that someone will come,” he said with a giggle. Rather than enter the building, Hotaru would walk up the wall to get to the top. At the center of the top of the tower the obelisk began to raid up into the sky. At the base of the obelisk were unlit braziers. Hotaru used katon to heat a kunai and placed it against dry brush within the first brazier, repeating the action four times while the disembodied head laughed maniacally. Akatsuki had thought him a fool to try to negotiate with jashinists, but they were still people. In his eyes the villages were more evil than they, at least they were honest. Perhaps they would be able to work something out. If not, then he would have to earn their respect another way. Protecting Tori no Kuni was worth whatever struggle he might have to endure here. The fires would cast bright orange light onto the obelisk, designed to glow from a distance to attract the attention of those nearby. Hotaru placed the head onto a ceremonial altar and then moved to the edge of the tower, watching the roads as he took time to refresh himself with sips of water. |
last edit by Dull on Mar 3, 2021 19:38:17 GMT -5
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