Second Born

by Lance Wilson

  “Cutting through this garbage only dirties my beautiful blade, it is wonderful to see you. Attonnan is a man worth killing. Right now the Takunen and the Hitori are at a meeting. I shall incite their hired men into a riot. This will make it look like a plot from the Hitori when I kill general Takada.” The man says running a cloth along the blade for the last time making sure all the blood is off of it.

  Attonnan is shocked at what he has just heard; this man plans on killing his master and making it look like the Hitori.

  “Why are you telling me this” Attonnan says standing in shock.

  “So that you know. Cause if you know, that will give me a reason to kill you” The figure says with a slight smile and cock of the head.

  Attonnan having had enough of all this knows what he must do and his hand instantly goes to he blade. But he is far to slow. Before he can even blink the figure is in front of him, face to face, the tips of their noses almost touching. The figures hand resting on the pummel of Attonnan’s blade pressing it into its sheath.

  “Not yet” He says in a whisper, almost as if he were talking to his lover.

  And just like that the figure is gone, lost in the shadows. Attonnan only looks around in shock. How can this be, how can one man move so fast. As these thoughts begin to rush though his head he hears a bell in the distance. It is the alarm bell. How can this be, could the figure really have acted so quickly. Flashing back to himself Attonnan leaps into action. Quickly he runs to the main entrance but before he knows it the streets are full of people panicked about the on coming war. Attonnan has to force his way past them shoving them to one side or another. In the distance he hears the sound of battle and quickly makes his way to it. The Takunen are fighting Hitori members, but the Hitori must not have trusted the Takunen cause as the battle rages he can see that more Hitori just seem to be coming out of the night air. Attonnan draws his blade knowing now what he must do. He knows that it was not the Hitori that started this, but he must protect the clan and if that means fighting them, then so be it. His blade moves like lightning through the crowd cutting down that entire stand in his way.

  “Run, get out, get to Omashu” He shouts above the sounds of battle and the shouts of other men.

  The Takunen knowing Attonnan and knowing well of his skill do exactly that and run. Attonnan knows that this cannot be decided in one battle and slowly makes his own retreat. As he moves through the streets cautiously and fighting only those that he has to finally makes his way to the edge of the town. Behind him is the road home, empty as can be, but in front of him is what seems to be the entirety of the Hitori army. In the distance on a rooftop he sees him. The figure that started it all. The figure is smiling in the blackness of the night, and just like the last time he is gone. Before Attonnan can run he is tackled by many of the guard and his blade tossed to one side. Two of them then quickly grab him by the arms and pull him up to his feet. He struggles and growls but is soon face to face with the leader of the Hitori clan. Musashi Hitori. Musashi is a middle-aged elf with long dark hair and dark eyes. He is wearing eastern style armor that is a mix of the colors of rust and blood. Along his back is an elven spear, and at his side is an elven sword, both of eastern styles. He looks sharply at Attonnan then waves his hand and a couple of men bring to him the body of General Takada. Attonnan instantly stops struggling, as he looks hard at the body in front of him.

  “This is general Takada, leader of the Takunen. The Takunen are dead. You are the one known as the ghost. We shall let you leave without harm. But know that the Takunen are dead. With this man died all of our anger and hate toward your clan.” Musashi says and looks hard at Attonnan.

  Attonnan is stunned by what has just happened. His master is dead and all that he knew to be true and real has just been washed away in just a few seconds of battle. The Hitori acted so quickly and with such precision that there was no way of defeating them. The Takunen were far to unprepared for this kind of action. Attonnan only nods and the two men holding him let him go. Attonnan just stands there looking at the whole of the Hitori clan seeing now that there are easily over a hundred of them. He is good, but not that good, besides his grudge is not with these men, it is with the white skinned stranger with the Dagoth markings so much like his own. With this as his final thought Attonnan nods and turns walking down the road.

  Attonnan walks down the road for a good few hours. Then he wonders what shall he do. He cannot go back to Omashu. The clan will be in chaos and he is sure that without Takada it will just fall apart anyway. He cannot go back to Fuma; he will never go back to Fuma. A deep pain fills his chest as all this washes over him. Why him, why does he always have to be the one that is driven into loneliness. Just when he thought he had found love and brotherhood once again he is force out of it. The clan ruined. With the sorrow finally washing over him he walks to the side of the road and sits on a stump of a tree. Taking a deep breath he looks up at the stars. He wonders what is all out there. Like a flash of lightening it comes to him. His family, this is his chance. With his skills in swordsmanship and no longer being attached to any clan or order he can finally go searching for his brothers and sister. Sitting there he begins to think of all those years ago when he was separated from his family. Byrdi, Byrdi was given to the Hitori clan. Was he there in the fight, did he fight his brother and not even know it. No matter, he knows with what just happened he couldn’t go to the Hitori clan. They will still see him as an enemy and possibly kill him on sight. Mellyruna’s, Mellyruna’s and Rin were both taken to the kingdom of the Kainith elves, to Mecmed. He knows that is out of the question. He is good but he knows that he is no match for the forces of Mecmed, after all in this short time they have concord the entirety of the Denerith elf kingdom, no one dare stand against them. That leaves only Maeraer, she is with the Oda clan. His mind twists trying to think of where the Oda clan is. Finally he gives up remembering something that Vulge had told him when he was young. No one in all the Denerith elf kingdoms knew where the Oda clan had made there home. It had been set in some kind of kingdom set with so many enchantments that no one could find it. His only hope then was to wander the Denerith elf kingdom and hope that he could find it. He would find Maeraer and talk to her. She would be the first step in reuniting his family. Maybe if he was lucky in his wandering he would be able to answer that questions that everyone kept asking him. Why did he fight? Looking at it all now he still didn’t have the answer. Maybe he if spent some time on alone, wandering, keeping to himself he might be able to answer it. With that thought he gets off the rock and looks to the sky he finds the North Star, he knows that Omashu is west, he shall head south. South hoping to find the kingdom of the Oda. Taking a deep breath he marks his path and begins his wanderings.

  It is just outside of the city of Shimazu, Kenshi sits staring at the starlight, how could this have all happened. It was such a peaceful night, Takada was so sure that the Takunen would be able to talk to the Hitori, but like a flash of lightning chaos came raging at them. He was just walking the streets when it all happened, a flash of light from the main house on fire. By the time he got there both the Hitori and the Takunen forces were in an uproar, fighting, killing one another. He fought for his men but he could tell that it was far too late; an assassin had killed Takada. He asked the guards and they told him that it must have been a Hitori assassin cause he left them unscathed. Taking what men he could he fought his way out, killing all that he could. All the time he prayed to see that white figure in the night, to see his dear Attonnan, but there was no sign of him. He can only guess that he too got caught up in the battle. He is sure he is alive but now the question is where is he. He can’t think of such trivial things now though. Looking around he sees the remnants of the Takunen warriors. How dare the Hitori do this to them, they were trying to make peace. He can only assume that Mecmed bought them, he had already done it once and bought them to kill the Unagi clan. No matter, he shall gather the forces,
bring them back to Omashu, then, he shall lay claim to Omashu overthrowing the lord there. Once he has the city he shall start to gather more men, more warriors to call to his banner. He shall gather a force strong enough to strike back at the Hitori; they shall hear his name soon enough, and it shall strike fear into the heart of them. He only wishes he had Attonnan at his side, he knows that with Attonnan he could get it all done much sooner. Already the legend of the ghost has reached the ears of many warriors, his name already strikes fear, but there is no way of finding him now and he cannot waist the time. Letting out a whistle he gets the men to there feet.

  “We go home, we go home an regroup.” Kenshi says knowing that it was Takada’s dream to keep the Takunen alive so that they may always be a force against Mecmed and his forces.

  “What of the Hitori, what shall we do?” One of the soldiers says looking back at the burning city.

  “We shall let them go happy with their victory. Let them think they have extinguished the flame of the Takunen, it will make no difference. In the end it is we that shall drive forward and claim there banner for our own. I loved master Takada as much as any, but he was fooled if he thought he could make peace with a clan that sells their morals and honor to the highest bidder. Any clan that sides with Mecmed is our enemy. It seems we are alone in this battle.” Kenshi says lowering his head.

  “Where shall we go, what shall we do, they are warriors unrivaled” The second soldier says shaking his head.

  “First we go home. Then I shall think this over, let us get home and mourn our dead” Kenshi says taking a deep breath.

  And just like that they all start to march home to Omashu. Kenshi knows that Takada made many files of great warriors that might help him out, warriors that have kept hidden from Mecmed.

  It takes them tell the break of dawn to get home. The lord seeing the injured and battle weary men instantly call for the healers and guards to help them. All of the men are taken to the baths and then to there quarters where they can rest up. Kenshi however ignores all of the hospitality of the lord and goes right to the war room where he knows that Takada kept all of the files. Calmly he moves through the room tell soon he finds it. A small chest with the symbol of the Takunen on it. He has always wanted to look in it; he knew that in it had all the greatest of warriors here and where they could be found. He often asked Takada himself why he didn’t call for them but he always told him that they were living lives of peace now and to call them to war would be something that he couldn’t bring himself to do. The time for that however was done, if he didn’t call them to him then Mecmed would over throw the Denerith elf kingdom and all would be lost, even their peace. Slowly he opens the chest and begins to pull scrolls out. He is surprised at how many there are. He slowly takes the first one and unrolls it. Yoshitsune Minamoto, sword master. The scroll goes on about the battles that he has fought and that he now only wanders, it also tell that he has a custom weapon, but there is no location where he can be found. With a deep sigh he rolls it back up and sets it to one side. That one he shall just have to pass on. He cannot spend his time looking for men, no he must be able to contact them and convince them of a meeting. He then unrolls the second scroll. Zhang Jiao, a mystic and strategist. It tells of all the strategies that he has used to win wars in the past. It also tells of some of his skills as a mystic. With luck near the bottom of the scroll it tells how he lives deep in one of the neutral territories, both him and his wife Diao Chan. she too is a mystic and a master at the war sword. Quickly he writes down where he can find them then rolls the scroll back up and puts it with the first. Carefully he unrolls the next, Zhuge Liang. He too is a mystic and a strategist, looking down the list it seems he is the opposite of Zhang and has fought against him in many battles, however in his masters writing he can see a side note that he has no ill feelings to Zhang, as a matter of fact looking at the location it seems that the two of them are almost next to each other, probably less then a mile away from each other. And like Zhang, Zhunge too has a wife, Yue Ying, she like her husband is a mystic, but she has mastered the flamberge weapon as well, a huge western like weapon. Like Zhang he writes down the location and smiles, now he is getting somewhere, if they agree that will be four mystics and two weapons masters to his army. With great enthusiasm he unrolls the next scroll. Huang Zhong, there is no need for him to look further, he knows the name, this is the master of the Yan Yu archers, the greatest archers in all the lands. Each trained to such a degree that they can clip the wings off a moving fly. Quickly he moves down the scroll and finds the location. Writing it down he moves the scroll to the others and picks up the next. Unrolling it he looks at the name, Griffin. At first he is shocked, he has heard the name but knows that the wolfpride are chaotic and sometimes untrustworthy. He looks down only to shake his head, they are already in the employment of Mecmed. He moves to the next. Unrolling the scroll he stares at the name in shock, could it be, did, did he know all along. Sun Wukong, Wukong, and his family name. Quickly he reads the scroll. It is, it is his twin brother. Since he joined Fuma he thought it all lost Quickly he reads down the scroll, his brother like him has become a master of the spear, and, and is near by, He will go to Sun himself, tears well up in his eyes thinking of all the time lost. It will be wonderful to see him again. Calming himself he looks over the last four scrolls. A deep sadness falls over him reading only the names. Rin Unagi, Mellyruna Savgtlin Unagi, both with Mecmed Maeraer Shyrys Unagi, princess of the Oda clan Brydi Shasos Unagi, Lieutenant of the Hitori clan. All of them the family that Attonnan had lost. If, if he can find Attonnan, he will give these scrolls to him, let him find his family. Now knowing what it is like to find a lost sibling he can only pray that he has the opportunity to give that gift to Attonnan. Taking a deep breath he takes the names that he has found, writes his letters for a meeting. It is time to begin work, He shall start with gathering his forces, and then, then he shall strike at the Hitori, sparing only Brydi, a gift to Attonnan.

  Chapter 10

  Rebirth

  It is late in the afternoon and the sun is beating down hard on an already barren land. Walking on a small ridge is Attonnan; the years that have passed since the death of General Takada have not been kind to him. His uniform is all but gone now, he wears only the white silk pants, boots and yellow and blue sash. His blade still hangs loose at his side. His body and face show of the wear and tear that he has been through. He has searched for all these years trying to find the smallest hint of the Oda lands but has always come up with nothing. His head is hung low as he walks but he stops right in his tracks as his nose catches the smell of something cooking. Looking around he sees some kind of foul roasting over an open flame just below him. Around the fire he sees a man about double his own age. The smell of food makes his stomach rumble, it has been so long since he has eaten, his hand then drifts to his blade. He won’t kill the man, just knock him out and take his food. He has to; it’s survival of the fittest now. He watches as the man then walks to a small tree and knees down. Then Attonnan sees her, a young woman resting against the tree, her stomach plump with child. No, he can’t do that. To take food from a wanderer is one thing, but to take from a family, no, she needs the food more then him. His stomach gives out another growl and he lets out a sigh then continues to keep walking. The sun beats down on him as his mind begins to drift. He begins to think of what he always has since the death of Takada, he thinks of the night it happened, and the pale skinned man that so perfectly matched himself. He moved so fast, faster then even he himself could ever have done. He has asked questions about the pale skinned man, but no one knows him, he doesn’t exist. If only he could find this man, find him and kill him. He has had no contact with any of the major clans; he knows nothing of the Hojo, Oda, Hitori or the Kainith elf kingdom. Of course you cannot help but see Kainith elf soldiers, they police all the towns now that the Denerith elf lands are under Mecmed’s control, all but the smallest of towns that is. He is almost s
ure that now with Takada gone the Kainith elves will have taken Omashu. Another town fallen to the power of Mecmed. He wonders of the town of Ronin, he has thought about going home, but he knows it would be stupid, there is nothing left there. Nothing but the ruins of a past he didn’t enjoy. As these thoughts move through him he looses track of time and soon finds himself walking down the main street of some kind of small village. The village is poor with the look of it, but even so he can see it has some kind of guard still walking through it. Attonnan lifts his head and gets a good look around. Smiling he finds a street vendor that may have some food for him. Licking his lips he walks to the vendor and nods his head.

  “What can I get for this” Attonnan says and lays down a few coins.

  The man looks at the coins and shakes his head

  “Not much, couple of days worth of rations, one good real meal if you want” He says sliding back the coins.

  “Rations” Attonnan says as his stomach gives another growl.

  He would have loved to agree to the real meal but he has to think long term, this is the last of his money and who knows when he might come into some more. He feels a kid brush against him as he ducks beside the stall. Chuckling the kid then lets fly an egg. Attonnan watches as the egg sails across the street then hit a man in uniform in the back of the head. The guard who was sitting in a circle playing cards with four others snarls and gets up turning to the vendor, but all he sees is Attonnan. The guard then walks over and is stopped by a larger guard. This one is in a much finer uniform and at his side hangs two small hammers both with square heads. The man then slaps his hand on the vendors counter and growls.