Excuse me madam, might you be one of the heroes from legend?Seated alone at her table in the quiet tavern, Shiri looks up from aimlessly watching the rice wine sloshing inside its half-empty bottle. “Perhaps.”
Please great hero, might you lend me your ear? I have traveled far and wide to hear your tale, my only wish is to tell your story. True, I suppose if I wanted to know of various deeds I could just visit my local tavern or library, but to get it from the horse's mouth, now that would be a treat, far better than any old watered down story you hear on the streets, wouldn't you agree?She sits up and tries to look a little more presentable. At least he caught her at a time when she isn’t sloshed yet. “I guess we can talk. I don’t have much better to do.”
Oh you will? Joyous occasion! You shant regret this my friend, I promise you. Now then, what is your name?“Yuyakori Shiri. Or Shiri Yuyakori is how they would know it in Casperus.”
Splendid, and your age?“Twenty-eight. No, wait, twenty-nine. Twenty-nine? Twenty-nine. Time flies.”
Fantastic, and your gender good hero?“Did you forget your glasses? Female.”
Excellent and of course I know what you look like but for the sake of our readers?“Well, I’m a human woman from Nagahoro. I’m of average height, slender, with short black hair and brown eyes. At the moment I’m wearing a simple black dress in the Gwangju style, but when I’m in the action I prefer something more practical. I don’t wear armor though, that weighs me down too much. Just a loose cloth jacket and trousers with soft leather boots is my go-to. Really, it’s the go-to of many martial artists who practice the agile styles.”
Image by Aleriia_VExcellent, excellent, and how do you act on most days, you know, your mannerisms, your quirks and such. What makes you, you?“Err, I guess I’m pretty different now from how I used to be. During our adventure, I was quite reserved, composed, determined. Kind too, I think, but with a stern edge to it. Maybe a bit too much of a stern edge, in hindsight. As for nowadays, well, I’ve been through some tough times. But that’s no fun to talk about and frankly I think it’s none of your readers’ business. So let’s move on.”
Mhm, and your abilities magical or otherwise? If you use magic, what is your discipline? Do you use it for battle, defense, healing?She perks up a little at the opportunity to talk about this. “I was trained in ascetic martial arts, with a focus on agile techniques and bladed weapons. My preferred weapon is a slender curved blade called a silksword. I have one of masterwork quality that was passed down to me from my mentor. It’s called Kare Sachi, which translates to something like “Wind Song” in your language. I’d show you, but… well, I don’t like to carry it around nowadays. Anyways, I’m skilled at unarmed combat as well. We warrior monks believe that while weapons are more practical in battle, unarmed techniques are essential to gaining true mastery of your own body. That’s why I’ve continued to maintain my unarmed skills, while I’ve admittedly neglected my swordsmanship after the war ended.”
“I also make use of wind magic, but not in the way a sorcerer does. I can’t make whirlwinds or shoot lightning bolts. It’s more of an advanced fighting technique, which we call white phoenix style, where I bend it around my own body to create powerful short-range bursts. So, for example, I could enhance a kick to strike with the force of a battering ram. I can also use it to launch myself into the sky, like a powerful jump, and then use it again to stay aloft or quickly change direction. The result seems like flying, but I can’t stay off the ground for long without tiring myself out. Lastly, by channelling the magic through a swing of my sword, I can emit a wave of air that cuts from a distance. It’s a very deadly technique, but it can only be performed with great focus and no hesitation. I’m not sure if I could still do it at this point.”
Yes, yes, and before everything that transpired, what was your life like? Who were you?“I was born in a rural village in Nagahoro. While much of the country was in turmoil at the time, we were lucky to live under the protection of a nearby temple. The formidable warrior monks protected the surrounding land against bandits and other incursions. They were not numerous enough to stand against the major clans, but those generally left us alone for having little of value to offer. Still, life was not without its troubles. In a year of bad harvests, my parents struggled to provide for my two siblings and I. Thus, the monks offered to take one of their children off their hands, which they reluctantly accepted.”
“From then, I grew up among the warrior monks, maintaining only limited contact with my family. They taught me how to pray to the four spirits of the land, how to meditate, and how to fight. It was hard work, but I took to it well and made progress quickly. Based on my personality and build, they assigned me the tiger style, an agile martial arts form that incorporates bladed weapons. I later supplemented that with the white phoenix style, for which our temple had no mentor, but which I painstakingly learned from old scrolls. By the time I was an adult, I was the most formidable among my peers. The elders especially commended my ability to clear my mind and fight without hesitation, a key skill that most take much longer to master.”
“Despite this, they were reluctant to send me into the field. They claimed I wasn’t ready for the responsibility, something I didn’t understand back then. But fate ended up leaving them no choice. One day, a bandit attack happened while I was in town visiting my family. A small group had wisely avoided detection and figured they could plunder the town before the monks would know they were there. I walked in on one of the brutes dragging away my sister while my father lay bleeding on the floor. Needless to say, that became the first time I killed someone. And the thing is, it was easy. My training kicked right in, and with a clear mind I skewered him right through the neck, where his armor didn’t reach. As thoughtless as striking a training dummy. After that, the whole thing ended as suddenly as it started, with the remaining bandits taking off as soon as they knew I was there.”
“My perspective changed a lot that day. My father survived but was crippled by his injuries, and I shudder to think what my poor sister would have endured if she was abducted. Before, I was content living in the temple, studying and practicing for its own sake. But after that, I couldn’t help but imagine the plight of all the people out there who have no temple to protect them. If this could happen here, how badly did they suffer out there? Besides, I had demonstrated to my own satisfaction that I could handle myself in a real battle. So, some time later, I decided to leave the temple and my hometown to do something about the injustices happening in the wider world. The other monks questioned my confidence in this decision, but they didn’t try to stop me.”
“Surely, you can guess how it goes after this. I fought some bandits and some corrupt clans. Travelling wherever I was needed brought me across the border into Casperus, where I met Octavia and her guild. The rest is history. Now, you didn’t ask, but here’s the thing the stories don’t tell you. That part about violence being easy, I was so wrong about that. As it turns out, being undaunted and unfeeling in the moment doesn’t stop me from being haunted by the memories of all the blood I’ve shed. In fact, the more I fought, the more that state of mind started to scare me. If I can kill my enemies without hesitation or remorse, how do I know that I won’t kill an innocent on a whim one day?”
“Over time, as I became more hesitant to use it, the stakes became more dire, so I had little choice but to keep doing it. By the end, I had to stay in that detached state all the time, because I feared that I would break if I let myself feel anything. I don’t think my comrades even knew what I was going through, since I was covering it up so hard. When it was all over and the world was saved, well, I did break for a while. I’ve picked myself up a few times at this point, tried to get back into healthy habits, but I always break down again. That’s why I’m done being a hero. That part I’ve accepted. I’m just not sure what else to do with my life yet.”
She picks up the bottle from the table and takes a big gulp of the rice wine inside, then sighs as the alcohol burns her throat. “Look at me, sharing things I didn’t mean to share. Do with that what you will. Just don’t make me look too bad, okay?”
I would have never guessed. And what were your relationships with your comrades, are you still friends? Maybe lovers? Bitter rivals? How do you see them in your eyes?“Uhm, let me see. First there was Octavia, of course. I quite liked her right away. She was powerful and she used that power to do what was right. She never seemed to fear or regret that lifestyle, which made her a bit of a role model for me. It’s a real shame that she out of all people didn’t make it. I often wish it was me who died in her place. Then she could go on making the world a better place while I would be remembered honourably instead of being reduced to this. But don’t worry, I’m not suicidal. There’s no appeal in dying now for nothing.”
“Then there was Gideon, which…” Shiri sighs and takes a drink from her wine. “I liked him a whole lot, obviously. Yes, we were… together, like the stories say. He… really made me feel alive, even as I was starting to struggle with closing myself off. Now, I’ve heard some of the stories speculating about why we split up, but it wasn’t anything that exciting. I just… pushed him away because feeling anything, even love, was becoming too much of a burden. We lost all contact shortly after we buried Octavia. I didn’t want him to see me in this broken state. I doubt he thinks about me much nowadays. He’s probably found another woman without so much baggage. I guess I’d be happy for him if that’s true. Wait, what were we talking about? Right, my other companions.”
“Uhm, Eskel. Many people would call him difficult. But I had seen his kind of austere studiousness before, in some of the monks at the temple, so I readily accepted that we could get along without having to be cordial with each other. We didn’t talk much, outside of practical discussions, but I think we had a silent mutual respect. That said, he took Octavia’s death harder than anyone else and we did not part on good terms. I heard rumours that he’s been working with dark magic since then. I don’t usually listen to those, but it sounds believable considering.”
“Abraham, I was slow to trust. His insistence on speaking so little often made me wonder if he was silently planning to kill me. The fact that he looks like a demon didn’t help. Despite all that, he turned out to be a worthy companion. He has a good heart and he does what must be done without beating around the bush. I respect that. I wonder what became of him. Returned to the wilderness, never to be seen in civilized lands again, probably.”
“Naivara. I always found her intimidating. Not physically, but in other ways. She doesn’t always humour attempts at conversation, but when she talks, she talks at length, very eloquently and about many complex topics, making me struggle to keep up. She’s very beautiful too, which makes me feel a bit inadequate at times. Not to mention her spectacular abilities. It took me a long time to warm up to her, but I eventually found out that she’s a kind and caring person beneath it all. I’ve heard she’s in high places now, which seems fitting.”
“Yadira. I didn’t like her at first. She was a bandit, no different from the man who crippled my father. Even though she surrendered, I wouldn’t have minded killing her if Octavia had called for that. I’m glad we didn’t, because her past didn’t define her future. We ultimately became good friends. I quite miss the flippant way she would take things in stride. When we sparred together, she was like a bull in a porcelain shop, always finding faults in the most well-practiced techniques, which forced me to keep improving. In hindsight, I appreciate her even more, now I that know how strong she must have been to live with her past actions.”
(TBD)
I see, and.....did you know?“Excuse me?”
Did you even guess, did you even have the slightest idea?“Um…”
Do you even realize the amount of shit you heroes are in?What made you think you could defeat him so easily? WHAT MADE YOU THINK YOU COULD DEFEAT US SO EASILY?We almost did it, almost, but then you heroes and that bitch! Well no matter, you and your comrades will get yours soon enough!YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT HIM, DEFEAT US! NEVER! (que explosion with lots of blood and a little guts)Even with her senses dulled by alcohol, Shiri instinctively leaps back from the sudden threat, avoiding the brunt of the splatter. Her landing is less graceful, as she insistently guards her bottle from spilling at the cost of her own balance. She stumbles over her own fallen chair and bangs into another nearby table, bowling over the surrounding chairs while she slides down and plants her butt hard on the wooden floor. She then blinks as she wipes a drop of blood off her cheek. “Really? After I bare my heart to you like that? Bastard,” she mumbles before taking another gulp from her bottle.
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