11-13-2017, 02:03 AM
Washing everything down with some ale the ninja rose from his seat at the table and ventured back to his clearing. Nineteen trees still lay upon the ground. He looked down on his handiwork and started to ponder how best to transport the trees. I could carry them two at a time, although that leaves ten more trips. No, that would take too long... He fought over the idea’s in his head, finally deciding to conjure some rope and tie the logs together before hauling them up the hill. He sat down on the ground, his legs crossed. He wanted summoning to become natural to him, or at least, not as foreign as it currently felt.
He concentrated on his rope. He left the Omnilium swell within him and before too long twenty feet of rope lay before him. Satisfied Ryu stood and began to work. He looped the rope around five huge tree trunks and then tied it off with a fisherman's knot. He examined the knot, and the logs, ensuring nothing was too loose. He didn’t want to lose a log on his way back up the hill towards the village. He gripped the loose ends of the rope with both hands, turned so his arms hung behind his body and started to walk forward.
It was slow going. Even if one tree had been no big deal, now he had five in tow. He pulled with all his might but the trees weighed him down as he moved. With each step, it felt as though the ninja was having to give it everything he had. Slowly though he began to pick up his pace. He had found his rhythm. Left foot, then right, left then right. He almost seemed as though he had to remind himself how to walk, but it was working. As he reached the top of the hill he let out a sigh, however, the struggle was far from over. He leaned forward and stepped forward with all his might. Then another, beads of sweat condensing on his face. He struggled with the last push but finally made it.
He looked towards the log brought up prior to lunch. Already six men were around it with saws, chisels and hammers, and shaves, taking the bark off the tree. He stumbled over to them, before untying the rope.
“You could just summon a horse and carriage you know,” one of the workers said as Ryu began coiling the rope for his second trip.
“You’re probably right, but this seems much more fun,” the ninja replied. In all honesty, the horse and carriage idea sounded great, why hadn’t he thought of it. That being said, Ryu wasn’t going to change his plans just because some villager told him a better way to do it. No, Ryu had thought of the rope and dragging, he was going to stick with it, even if it was far more painful than walking beside a horse-drawn carriage.
He made his way back down the hill once more, repeating the process of tying the trees together, grabbing the rope and pulling. As he reached the top of the hill this time around he had a momentary lapse in judgment and relaxed just a moment too soon. Gravity is a bitch, and when it comes to a few tons worth of wood, well, it works marvels. The trees tumbled back down, crashing into the ground below, leaves and bark flying every which way. Damnit to hell was all that passed through his mind as Ryu descended the hill for a third time, only to be grabbing the same bundle of trees again. This time he waited until he was at his previous drop off point before relaxing, loosening up his knot and coiling it back up again for his penultimate trip.
His third go with the trees went much smoother than either trip before. Not only did he find his stride faster, but he made damn sure not to let up before he was home. By this time the shavers had finished with the first tree and had moved onto the second. A few of the other workers had stopped to take a drink of water, something Ryu realized he was desperately in need of as well. His mouth was dry and his throat felt as though it was cracking on the inside. He walked over to where they stood and took a horn for himself. Splashing it into the jar the water splashed around it as the horn filled itself to the brim. Ryu took a long drink, tilting his head back to try and get every last drop. Water trickled down the sides of his mouth and down his chin as he drank deep, quenching the dying thirst that he had.
He made his way back down one last time, rope coiled and slung over his shoulder. Even though it was just four trees remaining Ryu found this trip the most difficult. His legs gave way a few times as he made the journey back. With the extra rope from only having to tie four logs, Ryu decided to wrap this load around his torso, leaving his hands free to grip and claw at the hillside as he struggled to get up. He even resorted to using two of his daggers to dig into the dirt at one point to avoid slipping all the way back down. Finally after nearly two hours of struggling he made it to the top, exhausted and drenched in his own sweat. He tugged and pulled, finally reaching his destination, and untied the length of rope from his body.
He peered around. The workers that had been working had stopped. The sun hung low in the west, soon it would be dipping over the hills. The smell of cooked meat filled the air and gave way to a rumble deep within the ninja’s stomach. He hurried to the packed table. Again a seat next to Alton was saved, however, Gus was also absent from his place. The shinobi looked around, spotting the village elder standing by the shack Alton and Ryu were sharing.
“...Midnight tomorrow, that's your deadline. Have it by then, or we’ll be back.” It was hard to hear the voices over the chatter at the table but Ryu clearly made out that threat. Gus hurried back to the table, obviously shaken by the interaction, but it appeared Ryu was the only one who noticed.
“There you are Gus, we were missing you,” Alton started as he piled another helping of potatoes on his plate. Gus shot back a meek smile as he too loaded his plate with food, roasted turkey and potatoes with some form of tossed greens to go along with it.
Ryu was busy shoving food into his mouth when he looked up and made eye contact with Gus.
“...So I see you managed to get all the trees up here in half a day. My, what great luck we had when Alton crossed paths with you…” He trailed off, but Ryu felt as though he could sense the meaning. The rest of the meal Gus was abnormally quiet, at least from what Ryu had been used to. He too ate in silence, the joyous ruckus from around the table created a pleasant ringing in his ears but he felt no inclination to join in.
Dinner ended and Ryu stepped away from the table and back into his shack. The Dragon Sword lay propped between his bed and the wall, exactly where he had left it the night before. It rang funny that the ninja had left it where it lay, not donning it like he normally did every morning. His legs ached and pain cut through his musing. He started upwards towards the moon, now nothing but a sliver in the night sky. He turned and sat on his bed, focusing his thoughts towards the roof above his head. Again he felt the Omnilium swelling from within and it wasn’t too long before he could sense a darkness embrace him. He opened his eyes and the room indeed looked darker. He peered up noticing his craftsmanship. Maybe it wasn’t the prettiest of jobs, but for his first time, it wasn’t too shabby.
“Way to go boyo” his voice cut through the silence of the shack, Ryu only now realizing Alton had entered. “What did I tell ya, you’re a natural.”
“Alton, who was Gus talking to before he joined us for dinner?”
“Them, oh nothing to worry about boyo. Probably just some traders from up north. Never you mind them,” but Ryu wanted to mind them. He wanted to know what they meant by that threat. Whatever it was, Ryu wasn’t able to dwell on it too long. His legs flared up again, this time with his back joining the symphony of pain. He rolled over onto the bed and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep moments later.
He concentrated on his rope. He left the Omnilium swell within him and before too long twenty feet of rope lay before him. Satisfied Ryu stood and began to work. He looped the rope around five huge tree trunks and then tied it off with a fisherman's knot. He examined the knot, and the logs, ensuring nothing was too loose. He didn’t want to lose a log on his way back up the hill towards the village. He gripped the loose ends of the rope with both hands, turned so his arms hung behind his body and started to walk forward.
It was slow going. Even if one tree had been no big deal, now he had five in tow. He pulled with all his might but the trees weighed him down as he moved. With each step, it felt as though the ninja was having to give it everything he had. Slowly though he began to pick up his pace. He had found his rhythm. Left foot, then right, left then right. He almost seemed as though he had to remind himself how to walk, but it was working. As he reached the top of the hill he let out a sigh, however, the struggle was far from over. He leaned forward and stepped forward with all his might. Then another, beads of sweat condensing on his face. He struggled with the last push but finally made it.
He looked towards the log brought up prior to lunch. Already six men were around it with saws, chisels and hammers, and shaves, taking the bark off the tree. He stumbled over to them, before untying the rope.
“You could just summon a horse and carriage you know,” one of the workers said as Ryu began coiling the rope for his second trip.
“You’re probably right, but this seems much more fun,” the ninja replied. In all honesty, the horse and carriage idea sounded great, why hadn’t he thought of it. That being said, Ryu wasn’t going to change his plans just because some villager told him a better way to do it. No, Ryu had thought of the rope and dragging, he was going to stick with it, even if it was far more painful than walking beside a horse-drawn carriage.
He made his way back down the hill once more, repeating the process of tying the trees together, grabbing the rope and pulling. As he reached the top of the hill this time around he had a momentary lapse in judgment and relaxed just a moment too soon. Gravity is a bitch, and when it comes to a few tons worth of wood, well, it works marvels. The trees tumbled back down, crashing into the ground below, leaves and bark flying every which way. Damnit to hell was all that passed through his mind as Ryu descended the hill for a third time, only to be grabbing the same bundle of trees again. This time he waited until he was at his previous drop off point before relaxing, loosening up his knot and coiling it back up again for his penultimate trip.
His third go with the trees went much smoother than either trip before. Not only did he find his stride faster, but he made damn sure not to let up before he was home. By this time the shavers had finished with the first tree and had moved onto the second. A few of the other workers had stopped to take a drink of water, something Ryu realized he was desperately in need of as well. His mouth was dry and his throat felt as though it was cracking on the inside. He walked over to where they stood and took a horn for himself. Splashing it into the jar the water splashed around it as the horn filled itself to the brim. Ryu took a long drink, tilting his head back to try and get every last drop. Water trickled down the sides of his mouth and down his chin as he drank deep, quenching the dying thirst that he had.
He made his way back down one last time, rope coiled and slung over his shoulder. Even though it was just four trees remaining Ryu found this trip the most difficult. His legs gave way a few times as he made the journey back. With the extra rope from only having to tie four logs, Ryu decided to wrap this load around his torso, leaving his hands free to grip and claw at the hillside as he struggled to get up. He even resorted to using two of his daggers to dig into the dirt at one point to avoid slipping all the way back down. Finally after nearly two hours of struggling he made it to the top, exhausted and drenched in his own sweat. He tugged and pulled, finally reaching his destination, and untied the length of rope from his body.
He peered around. The workers that had been working had stopped. The sun hung low in the west, soon it would be dipping over the hills. The smell of cooked meat filled the air and gave way to a rumble deep within the ninja’s stomach. He hurried to the packed table. Again a seat next to Alton was saved, however, Gus was also absent from his place. The shinobi looked around, spotting the village elder standing by the shack Alton and Ryu were sharing.
“...Midnight tomorrow, that's your deadline. Have it by then, or we’ll be back.” It was hard to hear the voices over the chatter at the table but Ryu clearly made out that threat. Gus hurried back to the table, obviously shaken by the interaction, but it appeared Ryu was the only one who noticed.
“There you are Gus, we were missing you,” Alton started as he piled another helping of potatoes on his plate. Gus shot back a meek smile as he too loaded his plate with food, roasted turkey and potatoes with some form of tossed greens to go along with it.
Ryu was busy shoving food into his mouth when he looked up and made eye contact with Gus.
“...So I see you managed to get all the trees up here in half a day. My, what great luck we had when Alton crossed paths with you…” He trailed off, but Ryu felt as though he could sense the meaning. The rest of the meal Gus was abnormally quiet, at least from what Ryu had been used to. He too ate in silence, the joyous ruckus from around the table created a pleasant ringing in his ears but he felt no inclination to join in.
Dinner ended and Ryu stepped away from the table and back into his shack. The Dragon Sword lay propped between his bed and the wall, exactly where he had left it the night before. It rang funny that the ninja had left it where it lay, not donning it like he normally did every morning. His legs ached and pain cut through his musing. He started upwards towards the moon, now nothing but a sliver in the night sky. He turned and sat on his bed, focusing his thoughts towards the roof above his head. Again he felt the Omnilium swelling from within and it wasn’t too long before he could sense a darkness embrace him. He opened his eyes and the room indeed looked darker. He peered up noticing his craftsmanship. Maybe it wasn’t the prettiest of jobs, but for his first time, it wasn’t too shabby.
“Way to go boyo” his voice cut through the silence of the shack, Ryu only now realizing Alton had entered. “What did I tell ya, you’re a natural.”
“Alton, who was Gus talking to before he joined us for dinner?”
“Them, oh nothing to worry about boyo. Probably just some traders from up north. Never you mind them,” but Ryu wanted to mind them. He wanted to know what they meant by that threat. Whatever it was, Ryu wasn’t able to dwell on it too long. His legs flared up again, this time with his back joining the symphony of pain. He rolled over onto the bed and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep moments later.
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