11-14-2014, 12:03 AM
“So you're saying this thing called karma rights wrongs and wrongs rights by divine intervention and judgment?” The men had all taken to Yoshimitsu's ramblings of Buddhism and by extension his knowledge of Hinduism very well. Far more appreciative than his riding partner turned delicious roast. They asked questions and strived to understand this foreign method of thinking. Yoshimitsu nodded in response to one of the younger men's observation.
“Yes, the world balances itself out and as long as we all strive to make the right choices, help our neighbor and go out of our way to be kind and generous, we receive good karma, good things happen to us in turn,” Everyone ooh'd and ah'd at this cosmic, yet simple revelation. “But if you're stingy and cruel and turn a blind eye then you can expect karmic intervention to reveal your true self by way of punishment!”
“Sounds like this Karma is a bitch...” Stated the leader of the seven man platoon. Some agreed, others gasped at the tenacity to speak so ill of another's belief. Yoshimitsu could only laugh. They didn't understand that where he came from, the phrase was the most repeated sentiment on the idea of karma. They all joined in the laughter as the caves came into view. It was quite a bit out of the way of the city, but if there were marauders stealing people then this was perfect to keep or kill victims. The laughter and conversation died. It was clear no one wanted to really be here.
“Let's make sure karma is a bitch to these guys,” Yoshimitsu broke their solemn moment, heading into the cave mouth first, a hand on his katana at his hip. If there were demons in this cave, he was going to slay them and finally begin feeding the curse. The rest followed cautiously with their leader right behind Yoshimitsu. All the men had swords of varying kinds. Claymores, broad swords, rapiers, all types. They were better armored than Yoshimitsu, though he bet none of them had a cybernetic arm or multi-layered helmets.
“So we've been here every couple days since we found the trail led here,” The captain was whispering as they navigated the damp, dark tunnels. Yoshimitsu's eyes could illuminate the dark, behind him one of the men lit a torch. It made it better for them, but barely. He could tell it was dim and the shadows from the jagged walls made things jump out and look exaggerated. “A lot of these passages intersect, we think if we follow them far enough, it'll lead to some center dwelling...”
Yoshimitsu nodded in acknowledgment. The careful steps, walking around puddles to avoid unnecessary sound, holding his breath between movements, it took a long while before he experienced the occurrences they had been talking about. It started low. Real quiet. But it carried. The chanting was rhythmic and steady. It felt like it was coming from all directions. How many tunnels had they passed? As much as he wanted to help, he also didn't want to walk into an ambush and get surrounded.
The cave walls began shaking. Rocks and debris began dropping and rolling around on the floor. Yoshimitsu pressed forward. “You hear that?” The mid line paused, causing Yoshimitsu to stop for them. “It sounds like...”
“-epal...Krb epal...”
The sounds were primal. The speech was low and inhuman. But they were human words. At least that's how it sounded. “It sounds like someone's gonna get their ass kicked, let's go!” Yoshimitsu whispered fiercely, signaling for his new band of brothers. They were looking to him to help out and he was going to do just that.
“Kreb...pe...epal...”
“It's getting louder...” They marched on, the eight of them. The tunnels grew wider. And wider.
“Krahbpe...epal...”
And louder. And wider.
“Krahb...peepal...”
Light. Not from his mask. Not from the torch.
“Krahb...peepal...”
The tunnels opened up to a wide cavern. Torches lined the dome like area. What was illuminated was so hilariously strange. Giant. Deep red. Armored. They stood on four legs with four arms. Only two of their arms were huge. Massive. They carried wicked looking vices. Large, flat heads with blank, black eyes. Their tails dragged along the ground, laying flat in tapered ends. They were...
“...Krahb...peepal...”
“Yes, the world balances itself out and as long as we all strive to make the right choices, help our neighbor and go out of our way to be kind and generous, we receive good karma, good things happen to us in turn,” Everyone ooh'd and ah'd at this cosmic, yet simple revelation. “But if you're stingy and cruel and turn a blind eye then you can expect karmic intervention to reveal your true self by way of punishment!”
“Sounds like this Karma is a bitch...” Stated the leader of the seven man platoon. Some agreed, others gasped at the tenacity to speak so ill of another's belief. Yoshimitsu could only laugh. They didn't understand that where he came from, the phrase was the most repeated sentiment on the idea of karma. They all joined in the laughter as the caves came into view. It was quite a bit out of the way of the city, but if there were marauders stealing people then this was perfect to keep or kill victims. The laughter and conversation died. It was clear no one wanted to really be here.
“Let's make sure karma is a bitch to these guys,” Yoshimitsu broke their solemn moment, heading into the cave mouth first, a hand on his katana at his hip. If there were demons in this cave, he was going to slay them and finally begin feeding the curse. The rest followed cautiously with their leader right behind Yoshimitsu. All the men had swords of varying kinds. Claymores, broad swords, rapiers, all types. They were better armored than Yoshimitsu, though he bet none of them had a cybernetic arm or multi-layered helmets.
“So we've been here every couple days since we found the trail led here,” The captain was whispering as they navigated the damp, dark tunnels. Yoshimitsu's eyes could illuminate the dark, behind him one of the men lit a torch. It made it better for them, but barely. He could tell it was dim and the shadows from the jagged walls made things jump out and look exaggerated. “A lot of these passages intersect, we think if we follow them far enough, it'll lead to some center dwelling...”
Yoshimitsu nodded in acknowledgment. The careful steps, walking around puddles to avoid unnecessary sound, holding his breath between movements, it took a long while before he experienced the occurrences they had been talking about. It started low. Real quiet. But it carried. The chanting was rhythmic and steady. It felt like it was coming from all directions. How many tunnels had they passed? As much as he wanted to help, he also didn't want to walk into an ambush and get surrounded.
The cave walls began shaking. Rocks and debris began dropping and rolling around on the floor. Yoshimitsu pressed forward. “You hear that?” The mid line paused, causing Yoshimitsu to stop for them. “It sounds like...”
“-epal...Krb epal...”
The sounds were primal. The speech was low and inhuman. But they were human words. At least that's how it sounded. “It sounds like someone's gonna get their ass kicked, let's go!” Yoshimitsu whispered fiercely, signaling for his new band of brothers. They were looking to him to help out and he was going to do just that.
“Kreb...pe...epal...”
“It's getting louder...” They marched on, the eight of them. The tunnels grew wider. And wider.
“Krahbpe...epal...”
And louder. And wider.
“Krahb...peepal...”
Light. Not from his mask. Not from the torch.
“Krahb...peepal...”
The tunnels opened up to a wide cavern. Torches lined the dome like area. What was illuminated was so hilariously strange. Giant. Deep red. Armored. They stood on four legs with four arms. Only two of their arms were huge. Massive. They carried wicked looking vices. Large, flat heads with blank, black eyes. Their tails dragged along the ground, laying flat in tapered ends. They were...
“...Krahb...peepal...”