God's Will [Closed]

[The Creator]

Shouta sat upon the balcony of the Little King in the dead of night. Sleep didn't find him that night, though he knew that tomorrow was to be a rough day of training. The lantern that sat on the old, wooden table next to him was extinguished. Next to it was his white mask; it was only in the nighttime when he felt comfortable enough to discard it. He stared up at the night sky, wondering what the divine beings were doing.

Shouta was not much for heresay but he did believe that Gods existed up among the stars. There was no other rational explanation for what those lights were up there, "stars". He turned his gaze back to the empty streets of the city. The area in which he lived was not the most wealthy but he knew it well. Not that they even knew that a ninja lived there in this dilapidated theatre, as far as he knew. He looked at the buildings, only shadowed outlines against the pitch-black backdrop of night. They were ones he knew, although maybe not his.

Finally he felt sleep begin to tug at him. Happy for it's calling, he did not even bother to return inside but instead slowly began to fall asleep under the stars.

---

JiMmIyZ - Hel

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

The Dead Rise

Sleep would not yet be awarded to the Onigami as beneath the balcony in the very streets he were watching shadows began to cluster. As if the darkness itself had a mind of its own they grouped together into a single dark circle about two meters in diameter and as they did so, they actually bubbled as if they were boiling water with dark streams of smoke bellowing from inside. As the darkness curdled a hand reached out from the depths of the black, one pale and dead. It reached out and moved forward, screaming. A voice was soon heard and soon a head raged out from the dark, followed by a withered body draped in twisted vines of armour similar to steel in appearance however it was no kind of steel. "Gyaaaah!" The voice screeched as if in pain as the body of an dead man lurched and crawled its way out of the black. If Shouta were to use his God vision he would find things very odd indeed. First would be the twisting coils of armour. While on the outside they looked like steel, they were actually a strange kind of bone with much greater resistance. Carved into a hollow suit, this was the 'Armour of the Dead One,' a great suit of armour that protected both against physical strikes but also against the blight of white magic. Further investigation of the armour would reveal that the helm was blessed with magic, chakra. While unknown to Shouta just what kind of blessing this would be, it was blessed so as to ensure that no kind of trickery could interfere with the wearers perception. It was the 'Helm of Crushed Bone,' shaped in the image of a ant's head, it served as a grizzly deterrent.

Most terrifying of all this however was the man. He was not living, he was by all means dead. He didn't even have a heart, just a large gaping hole where it should have been but there was evidence that there had been one in place in the past as there were torn arteries leading to the crevice. The man gained his footing atop the darkness, shadows seemingly clawing at his form as he stood huddled amidst it. "Human!" The voice pleaded. "Shouta, Onigami. I am Vasdum, a God of the other world. I ask of you, please. Help me!" He would sound wounded, his words gasping as he spoke. "There is a tournament being held this morrow between chosen Champions of the Gods, other humans, to decide just who the King of Gods will be. I have barely scrapped through my entry into this tournament having forged for you humans the moon above your world but I have no Champion. The other gods. They wound me so. So please, Shouta, please! Become my champion and win for me my crown so that I may face no further adversity from my peers. If you win then they'll have no choice but to leave me be. So please I beg of you! Help me out, after all I've helped you!" As he spoke his eyes would glow beneath his mask. They'd glow red.

These eyes were the eyes of the Onigami, the same blood limit that Shouta himself possessed. "I gave you humans the eyes of the Gods. So now, please. Help me!"

[The Creator]

It is difficult to understand the phenomenon of waking up in the middle of the night, undisturbed, and yet, afraid. Perhaps it is a bad dream, forgotten upon awaking, or some other strange signal sent in the brain to rouse the conscious from its sleep. But yet it is always with a sense of terrible urgency with which one awakes; a dreaded curiosity takes him as he begs to know what terrible force had woke him.

But, for Shouta, as the cool night stood still before him, a sober reassurance washed him over. There was nothing evil out to take him this night, it was just dark thoughts nipping at the back of his mind yet again. He sighed with relief as his heartbeat began to relax once again into a normal state. As he sat on the balcony, thinking wild, imaginative thoughts, he suddenly realized that the shadows before him were shifting, as if the moonlight was dancing through gray, shifting clouds on that still night. Shouta looked up and reaffirmed that there were no clouds in that night sky. Looking back down on the city he stood up as his a fear clutched his chest. The shadows were no longer dancing but shaking madly, dark branches on a black tree shook by hurricane winds. They converged on the street before the Little King in a black frothing, bubbling like a boiling pot, culminating in a white hand reaching out.

Shouta inhaled sharply, realizing that he had not been breathing this entire time, as a figure appeared before him, screaming with a shrillness of a half-murdered woman.

This is a dream. I'm dreaming.

The most lucid dream I've ever had.

No, hear him.

Radamel...no...how?

But the Onigami had no time to consider how his dark passenger had somehow resurfaced after he was sealed away by powers that Shouta thought were much greater than the demon within him as the figure now spoke to him. Its words sent shivers down his spine. He realized that whatever this was, God or not, it was stronger than anything in this village. It had materialized in the middle of the Hidden Village of Sound, raised no alarms, and now spoke to him about Gods and Champions.

There was no fear greater than when Shouta was named by the demon. He knew what he was and what blood he held, and this God was planning on taking him, whether or not the Onigami wished to go. Then the eyes behind that wicked helm blazed with a reddish glow, the eyes of the Onigami. Shouta felt his legs fail. He fell to the balcony in a mix of awe and horror. He came in long lineage from this sick God? Suddenly the vision of his mother crossed his mind, how he had been sealed away under her reddish gaze, hungry for his eyes. Could this thing know about her? How to defeat her? Shouta stood, legs shaking, and spoke to the creature.

"Fine. On one condition, you must answer three questions about the Onigami."

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

Honestly the God of tricks was not expecting a quiz on the matter. He had assumed that he knew all there was to know about the blood line already but it was a fair trade he supposed, not that he liked it. In a shrill voice, disatisfied that he had to give anything in return he replied to the young Onigami. "Hmm a fair trade. Ask your questions three." The questions of the boy's mother, how to defeat her, the God of Tricks knew nothing of these. If or when questioned on them he would draw short, after all, he had only just discovered Shouta. "I know nothing of the woman who gave birth to you as I have only just discovered you. My power reveals many things about you to me but it only extends to that, if you want more..." the God paused in his words and strummed his chin thoughtfully. Like a carrot dangling above a mule, he had some bait to use against him. "There is a human or great clairvoyance in your world. They will know of your mother, they will know all you desire. Compete as my Champion, be victorious, and I shall give you your reward of knowledge. I will lead you to her, and you shall have your answers."

[The Creator]

The horrifying creature in front of him had a visage which did not give away the motives behind his words. Not that Shouta was in any type of an analytical mood, he in fact was far too shocked for anything of the sort. When the creature mentioned his mother it was as if he suddenly had a strange connection with this creature in front of him. Never were any of his fears greater than someone knowing who Shouta was and what he knew, what his motives were. Yet here was something that met all of his fears but what did he feel? Connection. No other creature knew him so intimately. No other creature knew his thoughts.

"I.... still have three questions. But I will not ask them here."

With that, a strange motivation came over him. He wanted to go and see what this thing had to offer. To see strange things and understand strange worlds was something that he thoroughly enjoyed. However it was typically a quest he wanted to partake on his own. But here, it seemed he had no choice.

==

JimZ go ahead and whisk me away if everything is good on your end.

[JiMmIyZ - Hel]

We're Gone

If there were no more questions the it would be time for things to move along. "When you're victorious. Then you shall have your answers." A Sinking back down into the shadows Vasdum couldn't help but smile. His champion selected, none could claim him a cheat. In the night sky up in the clouds the image of a giant ship would appear soaring through the air, illuminated by unnatural means it was a beckon in the darkness, before a loud booming voice could be heard. "Human, chosen as acolyte of the God Vasdum, God of Shadows, giver of the moon and tides. I am Naeyar, God Of Messages. Do you accept this offer or do you pass?" The ship sailed through the air as if it were water, pushed along by giant white sails that caught the gusts of wind from above, and two smaller flags by the side of the ship pushed by artificial wind two two large turbines. Crafted from the finest timber it looked as though the lacquer finish had been polished for months to create such a sheen. With a stylized, solid gold bulbous bow reinforcing the a long pike protruding from the ships bow it looked as though it was literally cutting the clouds as it sailed through them like an ocean of fluffy white.

If the Onigami would accept the offer he'd find himself instantly teleported aboard. The ship looked giant from the ground but up close, it was so much more. It stretched for miles upon miles, it was as if were made for a crew of giants, and in actuality, it was. Off in the distance, such a long way away, Shouta would spy a man steering the ship. It would be at the very edge of his sight but he would be able to see this man was wearing a white battle dress with golden trimming held up by brown leather suspenders. Atop his head was a roman helm crafted of gold, moulded to make it look as though the helm had sprouted wings and fitted with a Mohawk of unicorn mane. This was the Mystic Golden Helm of Divine Kings, a helm forged with the stolen horde of the great dragon Kovinth, Destroyer Of Men, by dwarves who sacrificed it to Naeyar in a great time of need. This helm acts as a ward against mind affecting ailments and help the wearer keep a sense of right while demeaning the wrong. Upon his feet were sandals crafted with leather and trimmed with gold. These were the 'Feet of Blessed Justice' a gift from the Goddess Sopuna, she had awarded it to him days after completing the sprint across the world. These boots double a the wearers speed allowing them to run both faster and for a longer time. Finally he wore upon his wrists leather bracers, the Champion's Bracers of the Prodigy. These bracers were a gift from his brother Ombus, youngest of the three. They increase the wearers strength by triple and were gifted to Naeyar amidst the boasting of Ombus who claimed to have no need for them.

The man was gripping the wheel and holding it tightly. If the Sound ninja dared close the gap he would find he was further away than once thought. As he'd draw closer and closer to the helmsman he would find that he was a giant of a man, standing over one-hundred meters tall. Resting upon a frame by his side was a staff, the magical staff 'Dragon's Cane.' Carved from the bones of Mesanth The Mysterious One, it was fitted with a great jewel but upon the fitting the bones of Mesanth began to twist and turn to bronze and silver. Soon the images of serpents grew from the staff and accosted the jewel as if the dragons greed had surpassed the realms of life and death yet they froze before reaching it as the jewel began to glow blue. It created a shield of wings to protect itself and the serpents were halted in their advance. Some say the soul of Mesanth now lives within the jewel yet none have been able to communicate with it to confirm this theory. Other venture that the jewel was by chance the lost 'Eye of Mivtix', Goddess Of Jealousy. A lost treasure of the first wife of Hatuna, Goddess Of Thunder, which she crafted herself by tearing out her left eye and bathing it the waters of Masra, Goddess Of Truth. She used it to spy on Hatuna whilst she was away, driven mad by jealousy and paranoia, the Eye was capable of peering every corner of the universe.

As if time had moved forward the deserts of the Land of Wind were quickly in view overboard and the night sky was somehow replaced with brightness as the sun hung overhead. Before him, a broken down Colosseum which had seen better days. Terrible things had occurred here in the past. Many lingering evils. Was that a human skull? Why did it have teeth marks? What are these spirits?

---

Please exit to this thread. Remember to repost your equipment. That will be mandatory for all threads in the event.

[The Creator]

The creature that called himself a God hesitated for a moment after Shouta's request. He then spoke, promising that answers would be given after Shouta became victorious. Shouta wondered suddenly if he wouldn't be seeing the Vadsum for the duration of this event, whatever it was. Would he only see him if he claimed victory? Shouta began to wonder a great many things about this thing in its entirety. As he did, Vadsum sunk back into the frothing, black ooze from which he spawned, saying nothing more, but silently disappeared from Otogakure. Before Shouta even realized that Vadsum had left without giving him any information as to how to get to the event, a booming voice bowled through the sky like thunder, crashing down on the sleeping village.

Shouta looked up at what was just previously a beautiful, clear, starry night. Thick, white clouds now covered the stars from view like billowing smoke from an impossibly large bonfire. Sailing through the sky, no care for gravity, was a giant ship of colossal proportions. It was beautiful, a King's ship, one which had been crafted with hands greater and more deft than a human's. The planks shone with a bright sheen in the moon's light. But, no, that wasn't the moon's light. Illuminated to appear halfway glowing with no light source in the night's sky, it redoubled the immortal happenings of the evening.

"I accept." Shouta said. He blinked, and suddenly he was no longer standing on the balcony of the Little King. He was now on the deck of the ship which he realized now was giant, much larger than he had ever dreamed of. He looked around, peering the helmsman up at the front of the ship. He looked around once again, spying nobody else, and decided to ask the helmsman for more information. After a couple of steps he realized that he was growing no closer. With the impossibilities that had already gone on tonight, Shouta stopped resignedly. Sighing, he wondered if he had made a mistake.

Suddenly the sunrise shown before him. The complex capabilities of these creatures, these self-styled Gods, were beyond the mortal machinations of what Shouta had previously known. With no regard to the limits of Space-time, he suddenly realized that it was daytime and the ship was floating over an expanse of desert. Shouta had heard of such things but had never seen it. A stretch of sand, as far as the eye can see, of wind-swept dunes and mountainous hills. This was the Land of Wind.

[Exit]