Kinight In the Land of the Rising Sun (closed)

The night had been exceptionally cold, even for winter, but the man that lay by a roaring fire knew nothing about it. His horse was nearby and showed clear signs it was quite uncomfortable as it stirred and snorted. There was little he could do about it, they had been through much worse together, and thus he turned the rod that held the roasting rabbit over the fire. The smell was delicious and he was famished from an earlier battle that morning. The blood on his sword had long since been removed, though the snow nearby still showed the brutality it had brought, the brutality he had brought to a field that had once been peaceful.

As an owl made a sound nearby the man looked up to the sky and located the northern star. It had been a companion of his for more than fifteen years as he had been his guide to their far away and once strange land. Two years had had passed since he had arrived in a western port and had come to a land where he had spoken little of their language and was the one of an incredibly few with skin that looked so different, and facial features that looked so different as well. Few of his kind had been allowed in this land of customs and war, and even fewer had been allowed to live.

His life had been challenged many times since he had been arrived, yet he still lived, and now prospered through the cost of his services to the Shuno clan. Their daimyo had liked him, his love for sake, and his tales of a land so different from what he knew. The two had become friends and the daimyo had even offered one of his daughters to him, but he knew what that meant. Had he accepted the daughter he would have been bound and that was something he would never be.

After looking at the stars once more the man returned to the rabbit that looked done and he pulled from rod from the fire. He slipped it off the stick and blowing on it to cool it as he stung his fingers he soon enough took a bite and then another as he thought of what tomorrow would bring. For William Barr, or Will as he went by, that likely meant greater violence and bloodshed. His paid target was a samurai that served the Hitoshi clan, a powerful war leader, general, who recently had slaughtered a village.

An hour after he ate Will had laid himself down to get a good sleep, his sword his only companion on this journey, and held close by his side at all times. When he was unarmored in his iron suit Will was still a giant among these people. At 6’4” and with a medium build frame he towered over most of them that averaged nearly a foot less than that. His light blond hair and blue eyes made him even more strange among these people. He had the weather worn face of an Englishman that had seen far too much sun in the far east, but the handsome features of this bastard and orphan were surely profound. And, the rumors that came from the geisha halls were legendary about his prowess and size.

In the early morning, just after the rise of the sun, Will had mounted his steed packed his armor on the back.

They had a lengthy journey ahead of them and he surely wasn’t going to make it in that suit all day. As they kicked it into a full gallop the snow kicked up on the dirt path that hadn’t been traveled obviously in a few days. They had a dense forest to travel through and then traverse a mountain path before they had made it to the last known location of the target.

His daimyo, his friend, had told him a small contingent of troops would meet him there and they were set to destroy and kill their target, Hideyoki Kantuma. Into the dense forest they rode, full of winter trees so thick that no snow had reached the ground here in some time.

A group of people stood closely together, exchanging information in hushed voices, even though nobody was around to overhear what they were saying. In the middle of the group stood the shorest among them, yet the one with the strongest and most commanding presence. It was also the only female in the group, her small lithe body outlined by the tight fitting black clothes she wore, which allowed for the maximum mobility. Yet at first glance, nobody would guess she was a woman in the first place. Her curve of her hips was just barely there and her B-cups breasts were bound tightly together. Her eyes however, they excuded feminine power and confidence. A sharp blue, which could stop any man in his tracks to stare at her. Right then however, they werent inviting or charming, but instead icy cold and focused on the mission at hand.

Aya Akayuki had been trained all eighteen years of her life to lead men into battle. Not an open fight however, but one fought from the shadows. For generations her family had passed down the secret arts of the ninja and she had picked up all of them with ease. From early childhood her parents had discovered her talent of the profession and had even trained her more than her older brother, seeing far more potential in a lethal woman. When she grew up to be exceptionally beautiful as well, they knew they had made the right choice. She could be a fighter, a spy or even a seductress when needed. Overall, a great asset to the Hitoshi clan, which they served ever since they had begun to record their family history.
Small, delicate, with pale skin and silky long hair, Aya was the epitome of Japanese beauty when wearing a Kimono and nobody looking at her would ever guess that she could be lethal.
But she could be. She could kill from the shadows with one well aimed shuriken, even though her prefered method of fighting was surprisingly hand to hand combat. It was when she could use her agility to her own advantage, turning the enemy's strength against him.

For this particular mission however, agility and hand to hand combat wouldnt do. Their target was a man of legend, none of them had ever seen. He was supposed to be a giant of a man, from a distant land. Some villagers had even called him a war demon, but this fact didnt scare Aya at all. In the end, whether demon or human, he was still a man. And, as she had been taught quite well, every man had a weakness. They all let down their guard when in the arms of a beautiful woman.
And Aya had learned the art of seduction from the very best Geishas in the land. She knew how to bring any man to his knees and make him melt at her feet. Sex didnt mean anything to her emotionally and neither had she been taught the pleasure she could get from it herself. Instead, it was just another trick or method to fulfill her missions.

"Spread out, but do not attack him. We dont know what he will do.", she said firmly. "For now we just watch, observe his movements."
That was the plan for now. She wanted to get to know her target first, learn how he moved, how he surveyed his area and how close his hand was to his sword.
The real task would come at the next village, where Aya was supposed to make her move on the foreigner. The young woman knew the pressure that rested on her, seeing as the entire Hitoshi clan counted on her to eliminate their most feared enemy. Failure would bring dishonor to her family and could only end in death.

The men around her spread out, moving as silently and swiftly as the wind, one by one disappearing into various hiding spots, blending in with their surroundings. Aya herself climbed a tree with ease, taking her position in one of the highest branches and looking down at the road below, hoping that the next traveler passing would be their target. An unknown, but reliable source had given them a hint about the path the Shuno clan's champion was taking and they had taken their chance and had acted upon it.
"Show yourself, demon...", she whispered, making sure her black hair was still tied firmly into a tight bun, before pulling a hood over her head, covering herself almost completely.

A half days ride had been enough for his horse, but Will truly wished he could have pressed him onward for awhile longer. They had a destination to get to and it was a bit time limited. However, his steed surely had heard his thoughts for suddenly it stopped and nearly bucked him from its back. Will cussed as he gripped into the horse to ensure he maintained his balance and tugged back on the reins to regain control. "Whoa!!! Whoa!!!" His voice echoed through the quiet forest, which if he was experienced in such matter he would have realized was a sign of danger. There was no such thing as a naturally quiet forest, even in winter minus the animals, for snow and winds caused branches to sway and crack easily. It was odd, a warning, and his steed sensed it.

"Okay, I get the point friend, we'll take a break," he said, swinging himself off the back of his horse and walking it to a nearby stream. The sounds of swaying tree limbs began again, and as he let his horse drink Will took the armor and other supplies from its back to give it a break. As he tossed it on the ground he looked around for any sign of life, but it seemed there were only two living beings in the entire forest. Again, thinking nothing of it he relaxed, stretched his back, and then took a seat leaning against the base of the tree. The rush of the stream couldn't be heard for most of it was frozen over and thus from the quiet he closed his eyes to relax, his sword laid among the other heap of items.

Unarmed, he did have at least his chainmail on under his shirt, an item that had saved him numerous times and shocked the enemy for they had never seen anything like it. Three times it had stopped a blow from a blade and had shocked the attacker so much, for they had nothing but leather armor here, it had given Will the perfect opportunity to counter with his own killing blow. His sword wasn't for cutting through leather armor, but with that much force put behind the strikes the blade shattered its way through. Minutes after he had closed his eyes his horse returned and pressed its muzzle into his side, stirring him awake. "What is it? You wish to go already, you couldn't wait to stop a moment ago!" How he wished the horse could talk, especially as it may have warned him he was in danger.

Slowly he had risen from his seat and repacked his horse, but instead of mounting he walked him, pulling him by the reins. At his side hung his sword and on the other side of his horse a retractable pole weapon rested and waited. As Will walked he began to whistle and then sang an old tune from his homeland of England. It was a tale of a noble and a farmer's daughter, a goat, priest, and donkey. It was an incredibly raunchy tune sung in taverns and whispered among boys and girls when they wanted to be bad. He smiled as he thought of his homeland and he wondered how much it had changed.

The song made him lose his attention and cares in the world, which he found very warming to his soul.