Welcome to Ambrosia!

[Kuzuru]

Renji spent the night resting in the medical tent. Guu followed through on her promise and he was brought a decent meal of meat. The Swordsman ate the food eagerly, filling his stomach with sustenance. The other creatures of Ambrosia kept a weary eye on the swordsman. His red eyes and aggressive outbursts kept them estranged, and he preferred it this way. Kuzuru was oddly silent, his once ever-present blood lust was almost nonexistent and Renji found a simple peace from this silence. He stayed silent and listened to the hushed whispers and rumors. The young denizens spoke with loose lips and he gleaned hefty sum of knowledge from the chatterboxes.

Matilda was the only one that would approach him. She refreshed his dressing every few hours. He tried to leave, but the rat-lady urged him to rest lest he tear open his wounds. So the swordsman was left to contemplate his existence. He reflected on the kindness of these strangers, despite his fearsome visage and aggressive tendencies they still cared for his wounds. It was strange, he thought, strange that these people were so accepting of him. Renji finished his food and fell asleep shortly afterwards. The wounds had taken a vicious toll on his strength and despite his best efforts he knew he had to rest.

His sleep was heavy and refreshing. During his slumber he did not visit the prison of souls within his blade, deciding that it was best for him to avoid that place for the time being. The morning was a soft gentle morning, the grass was covered with a crisp dew and the air was light and pleasant. For the most part his wounds had healed, and he was feeling invigorated. The nurse was no longer around and in her stead were several assistants. This was his chance to stand without being berated and stand he did. He stretched his stiff muscles and smiled at the beautiful day. The largest wound, a gash cut through the meat of his left shoulder, pulsed in pain.

The swordsman stepped from the medical tent and shielded his red eyes from the sun. The sun felt warm against his flesh and discarded the idea of wearing a shirt on this fine day. For the first time in years the swordsman felt that he had purpose, that he had something to look forward to. He would fight for Ambrosia until there was no more conflict to be had. It was the least he could do, after all they did save him from the cold grip of death.

“Orc attack!” a frantic teen rushed past Renji, repeating the alarming phrase. With two simple words chaos had found itself in Ambrosia. A sly grin peeked across Renji’s mouth a chance for another battle was on the horizon. Instinctively he found himself jogging towards the source of the chaos, he ran against the grain of fleeing civilians. His metal-plated sandels left unique imprints in the soft earth, every moment was savored as he could hear the clashing of metal-on-metal.

Twelve or so of the brutish green-skinned combatants lumbered through the town. They lacked refinement, their weapons were crude and their fighting style even moreso. He felt disgusted watching them attack the poor civilians, their massive frames forced them to take slow sweeping strikes and Renji felt they were moving in slow motion. Before the swordsman could act he watched an old ally rush into the battle. Carn, the anomoly charged into the fray saving several civilians from one of the green-skinned creatures. Renji watched in amazement as Carn made short work of the vile creature.

The swordsman stepping forward and made his presence known “it seems our fates have become intertwined once more anomaly.”

“Oh! Its you Mr. Swordsman, strange how you seem to pop up in unexpected places.”

Renji smirked “as much as I love these simple pleasantries, I think our guests need some lessons in swordplay and I’m in a teaching mood.” He pointed his sword at the brutish creatures, momentarily stopping their assault. A wicked grin crawled across Renji’s face and his red eyes flashed with malicious intent. They did not pause for long and the group unleashed an earth-shaking warcry. Half of the pack split off to fight the anomaly while the other six charged Renji. He took a step back and braced himself for the inevitable stampede. At the last moment Renji leaped high into the air, vaulting over the pack of slow-wits. They roared in frustration and charged again, following the fleeing swordsman.

Renji was no fool, he knew fighting six warriors no mattered how unskilled was a fool’s fight. He had to take this slow and methodically pick apart the cluster of fighters. Without warning he turned to face the ferocious pack of orcs. With a flash of steel he parried one attack, while dodgin another. Renji moved like water, snaking in between blows and deflecting the ones he couldn’t avoid. The unskilled orcs couldn’t keep up with the seasoned immortal, an enternity of conflict had honed his skills and their attacks were all too predictable.

Or so he thought.

A wild swing caught Renji by surprise. A large club made froma gnarled tree branch crashed into Renji’s bare chest. He was sent tumbling to the ground. Using his momentum he barely managed to tumbled back to his feet. Another downwards swing forced Renji to scramble backwards, they had him on the backfoot and he did not like it. With a practiced maneuver he ducked under the third strike and brought his blade upwards, slicing a vicious gash across the orc’s chest. Blood covered Renji and Kuzuru flared to life, clawing at the back of his mind.

Another battle Renji? So much blood, what a service you’re providing for me! Slay them all!

Gladly.

He slashed outwards again, severing an orcs arm and forcing the survivors back. Renji let out a wicked laugh and felt the blood on his blade. “You dimwits are so painfully slow! Come on, move faster you worthless excuses for warriors!” The remaining orcs eyed Renji warily, they charged him again and he sidestepped their reckless advance.

“So slow!” he taunted, enraging the already furious orcs “just stop fighting and bleed for me!”