% Here we go again since the chapters are short.
"No," Iron Grip answered from behind him, "most of
them are unfortunates, families forced here by the evils
and violence of the streets of the city above. We shelter
them... and they help us in return. Even a child can pour
metal into a sword mould."
% mold
"He's an assassin!" the
% The
Jubei winced, the fiery emotions of the women
reminding him of another black-haired, female ninja.
Kagero..., Jubei thought, lost in the memory, as his hand
moved unintentionally to his mouth. The wanderer did not
even notice a heated conversation was taking place around
him.
% Her death's still recent then? Or is it a long sort of pining he has?
"Is it true? You are a hired killer?" Iron Grip
asked, sounding disappointed.
% Heh. He'll take some flack for not asking that of Jubei before he brought
him underground.
Jubei escaped his thoughts, glaring at Grip. "I am
NOT an assassin...
% Jubei: I prefer the term 'freelance peacekeeping agent.'
this vigilante band!" Jubei stopped suddenly, surprised
as himself. When did he start caring? What others had
thought of him never mattered to him before. Yet this...
assumption... that his
% he
"I never agreed to..." Jubei started.
Eagle waved a hand for silence. "This man is an
amazing fighter. Both Iron Grip and I have seen him in
action. He would only be a boon to our missions." He
turned to the mercenary. "And you... you don't have a
choice."
% A bad move. We know how much Jubei likes being forced into things from
the movie. Even if the cause is just.
Jubei backed away from Eagle and the others, he
% his
"The captain is a good man, and an honest one." Eagle
% one,"
"Since you'll be staying with us for awhile, you'll
have to earn your keep. You are a fast and strong
fighter, which you can never have too many of." Eagle
gestured to the five people around him. "You will join
them in a mission on the morrow. Iron Grip, you have
met." Eagle nodded to the robed man. "This is Ghost,
master of the camouflage arts. You will never see him
first." Eagle turned to the short youth. "This is
StarKindred,
% That name's a bit awkward. The others have worked so far, though.
"It is an amazing sword technique, one of finesse and
unpredictability." Eagle
% unpredictability
answered for her. He turned to
another man, who was standing out of the way. His hair
was lined in feathers, his clothes seemingly made out of
furs. A pair of long, iron claws adorned the top of
each of his hands. He looked foreign. "This is
% Chuck. Just plain Chuck. Can't fight worth a darn, but he's the coolist
looking of us all. So we let him hang out with us. :)
Jubei shrugged. He found this name game pointless,
but Ronin described the master less
% masterless
ninja pretty well,
%Actually I don't think Jubei is a ninja.
-+---------------------------+-
Jubei keep his eyes low, glad his long, unkempt hair
block
% blocked
Bamboo Eagle had ignored them, however, claiming that
this mission was just what the mercenary needed to "get
his feet wet". The mission was on the outskirts of
Obi-Oni, in a small iron mine in the Obi-Tawa mountain.
The lord who ran the mine a
% mine was a
Her death had made him lose control.
The demons that haunted the mercenary had been
released in full force, and he had mercilessly managed
to cut his way through an entire small army of ninjas,
and to put an end to their immortal lord, Gemma.
% Nah. He's just entombed in a Golden Hell at the bottom of the ocean.
Presumably still alive, just immobilized and probably as mad as a hatter.
-+---------------------------+-
"They are in here."
% here,"
Hunting Hawk whispered, as he
looked around the corner. Hawk, Jubei, and StarKindred
were backed up against the wall in a small passageway.
Serenade was posted at the mine entrance to act as
look-out, and Ghost was not seen since they entered the
mine. The mercenary paid no heed, however, as the rest
of the group did not seem too.
% to
obviously acting as the living quarters. About sixty
men were chained to the walls in various places, and the
floor was covered in random pieces of moldy food.
% Obviously well fed if they aren't eating the moldy food. :)
sole guard who was in the room. When the man would not
keep quiet, the guard took out a whip and preceded to
beat the man.
"I'm going in."
% in,"
"We'll have to fight."
% fight,"
% Double-check your work for this mistake as it seems to be quite prevelent
swordsman could pull his own sword back. His sword
firmly embedding in the dead man, Jubei pulled the body
around, the other guard's thrusting sword catching itself
in the dead man's chest. The mercenary jumped forward,
sandwiching the guard between the wall of the cavern and
the dead body, and pushed his own sword farther in the
dead man's body at an upwards angle, making the blade
exit through the back of body and into the living guard's
stomach.
% Now that's more like it. Jubei easily dispatching them.
Look forward to more
D.B. Sommer