A Quiet Storm

[Shabuto Venkage]

The Nightmare Wolves recently were contracted by a collective that is searching for a people known as The Akuma. As per his “request” Shabuto was personally chosen by Grixas to be sent as this will be his first mission. His task; infiltrate the ranks of the contractor and learn the secrets of the Island. A place that seems to be of interest to his lord. Before he was given over to his temporary masters he was embedded on his forehead with a curse by Grixas. An ancient spell that is spoken in a tongue none but Grixas could decipher. The end result was a “Living Scar”. A Magical manifesto of his Lord's claim over him. One that would allow him to Kill Shabuto wherever he was should he ever develop the will to betray him. However, due to the coming of the third Astral Year, the Moons have aligned and made the seas all the more tumultuous to navigate. Aside from the puissant storms that often crash against the shores of the Island, the seas were filled with creatures of the deep that made passage a grueling process. One such creature, a fierce Kraken ransack the ship just as it reached the veil, leaving most of the vassals and masters dead. Only Shabuto and a small number of other vassals made it to the shore with their lives.

Hey look! I think this guys breathing.

It seems he is most fortunate. He's barely got a scratch on him.


* Cough* * Cough*

His kinky curled hair lay meshed in the sands as the spurt of air and water shot out from his nose and mouth kicking up small clouds. He felt his body limp like he had all the naten drained from him. He began moving, but not of his own volition. This caused his eyes to crack open to find a woman with dark brown hair and bright yellow eyes staring at him with a most curious expression. She was strapped in plated armor head to toe with a sword, spear, and shield on her person. Still somewhat delirious he hadn't the energy to freak out being this close to a woman. His eyes lazily caught sight of another person not too far away from him. A male with dark raven hair. His that seem to faintly echo traces of lilac. He was wrapped in decorum reminiscent of some form of mystic, a magic-user? He glared at Shabuto as he pulled his scarf over his mouth before folding his arms and turning away.

"Don't mind him, he's a bit of a sour puss."

She said with a smile that carried a sort of soft warmth to it. It brought a glow to Shabuto's cheeks, one he was quick to jerk himself free of by wriggling out of her hand. His face sank into the sand as he mustered the strength to lift himself. The Auburn-haired woman would walk to his side offering her hand to him.

"Hey listen...we were all on that ship. We all were given a directive. But, can't you feel it?"

As she spoke the winds rustled through the neighboring trees. Shabuto's deep sapphire eyes locked with his as he forced his face from the ground. Her hand extended as the light of vescrutia's sun gleamed off her armor.

"The winds of freedom are whispering to us."

His eyes opened wide. For the first time in what felt like eons, he felt the warmth of light...the faint embers of hope being kindled deep in him. His body would respond in kind feeling more spirited he urged his vessel to move and move it did. He gripped her hand passionately and she smirked pulling his weight with little ease. She stood about a good 5 inches taller than him. He had gained his balance. Touching his left cheek he felt the scar his lord placed on him. Though the normal whisper of the Nether Fang had gone silent for now. it was still in his programming to never make a move with ought the consent of his lord. Though Yet the dark magics that whispered from it had fallen silent. It was just as the woman said...for whatever reason they were for, however temporary it might be. He couldn't imagine Grixas tolerating the loss of merchandise for long. The young Venkage took in a deep breath filling his lungs with the crisp air of the shore. Upon exhaling he looked to the woman.

"I am Shabuto if there are to be introductions."

He said as he patted himself down, checking to see if all his belongings were still on his person.

"Alright, checks out, guess I can write common thieves off the hypothetical list."


The man turned around with the sort of elegance that befallen those with the gift of dance. His eyes were like knives aimed straight at Shabuto.

"Why you little cur! To consider me to be amongst the likes of thieves?! Is that any way to speak to the people who dragged your lifeless carcass to shore?"

Shabuto slides his hand behind his head. He had a knack for blurting out things better left unsaid. Though there was something about this guy's demeanor that kinda ticked him off in a way. Like, why did he speak as if he'd had some kind of statures amongst the pack? All vassals were stripped of their rank and any claims to nobility they might have had prior to being" enlisted". Yet he spoke like he was the bloody duke van Vescrtuia. The woman stepped between them with her shield raised.

"Now Zane, I doubt he meant any harm by it. Besides it's not like any of us haven't nabbed a thing or to for the old bosses right?"

A sound much like the hacking of mucus in one's throat came from Elliot, his eyes locking on Shabuto's staff next, before turning away from them both. It was true, even he had succumbed to such whims in the past. It still was awfully uncouth of him to throw out his thoughts so blazingly.


"Look, I'm not here to make enemies, but I won't mince my words either. Though grateful you saved my life, who to say benevolence was your aim? When has this sodding life ever shown either an ounce of it?"

He said as he adjusted himself some more. The Abyssal staff was clad on him tight. Tighter than normal like a child that didn't wish to be apart from its mother; Or a parasite without its host. If he paid close enough attention the thing almost felt like it had...a pulse? Ever since he found this thing his demeanor has been changing slowly. He was much more expressive than he was used to. Much more determined, fiercer...much more of a hunter.

"Mara, Mara Autumndale. That one over there is Zane Kinglsey. We've been on the same side of a few battles so I guess were chums, though he'd never admit it. Didn't have much time to talk before everything went top side."

A hearty laugh erupted from her as she threw a quick jab Zane's way that he all but seemed to phase through. His reaction speed and fluid movements almost made him seem to blink from one space to another. He rolled his eyes before begging to walk towards the brush of forest before them.

"If you're gonna be tagging along be sure to make yourself of use. I don't know you and you don't know me...if I were you however, I'd learn which side was my good side, sooner, rather than later."

Nose reaching into the sky the pompous magus began to strut into the brush. The Stalwart shield bearer chose to do the same.
"Well come on then didn't you hear em? You don't want to keep him waiting"

His face was one of caution.

"Freed of one master...beholden to another it seems."

He said rolling his eyes as he gripped his bow, cautiously he followed after them. A slight smirk on his face. He was almost tempted to smile.

[Shabuto Venkage]

As the trio traversed the thicket of plush botany, Shabuto couldn't help but take note of the ecosystem around him. The verdant plant life seemed to be doing exceptionally well here. Raised by a solitary hermit on the hellish isles the Venkage hailed from, it was ingrained in him, the skill to be able to assess nature. Color, smell, the texture of the plant itself, whether or not the neighboring animals consumed them, and different things to pay heed to. The tiniest detail could mean the difference between life and death. In order to survive, he had to learn how to pay attention to quite a few things...People in particular. To say this "party" he now found himself a part of was odd was an understatement. His bow tapped against his staff as he continued on. Keeping his mind attentive to the pair he was trailing. The girl was a curious sight for Shabuto. She was articulate, kind-hearted carried herself with a certain...grace almost. It betrayed the monstrous way she fought. Most of the cast that he had met were vagabonds from all over the mother. Though this person had a certain....regalness to her. Yet removed from the pompous air that tended to exhale from others with her character type....which was a truth far removed from his other companion. The mage...he held something in him reminiscent of the scent that had been following Shabuto ever since he discovered the staff he carried. Something dark....buried beneath the magic user's scowl.

He was begging to question just what the Nightmare wolves' recruit methods and criteria were? Did they go about collecting anyone with any hint of militant talent? Or was there a deeper aim to the goal. He himself was snagged for his unique abilities. It would be pretty egregious of him to think others were not just as if not more than unique than he. A half-breed outcast whom no one wanted anything to do with.... what place would he even have in a world of freedom? What goal could he even aspire to hold? To obtain? Zane, spoke as if he had something taken from him. Shabuto...never had anything to take to begin with.


Zane: And just how long are you gonna walk behind us? Are you that untrusting of those who saved you?

He didn't even bother looking back to face Shauto, Mara would jab him in the shoulder a bit. She however did glance over her shoulders at him before pressing forward.

"Well if you must know I was just observing the nature of the plant life here, it doesn't strike you as good that this particular plant life is different than most...as if there is a higher concentration of naten here on this island."

Zane would actually give pause to consider his words. For a single moment, he inhaled heavily and exhaled. Upon doing so his eyes would glow brightly for but a second unbeknownst to his compatriots. He'd place his scar coly over his mouth. Mara would inquisitively be seen glaring at Zane...his demeanor suggested he knew something.

Zane: Huh...perhaps you'll hold purpose after all...Mara, these lands are saturated in naten. There is something else though...something I cannot pinpoint.

She placed her fingers on her chin. In the wide realms of possibilities, she could think of a slew of reasons why this place aside from its position in the ocean could be the focal point of energy. It is common knowledge though that many places upon the mother's surface act as "pockets" of naten. This island may be no different. Though, she supposed that it should be noted how the three of them ended up going to the same place. If there was nothing special why was there an entire fleet sent to invade this place?

Mara: Hey, bud, you could be on to something there...even though tons of places on Ves tend to gather energy there arent a lot of places like this...I mean did you see that crazy magnetic field that we hit right before crashing? Its power was over anything I've personally seen...

Her very rustic accent caused Shabuto to chuckle a bit. He hadn't met many people who spoke her dialect. This world seemed to be filled with many people and as he looked over at Zane he knew it to be filled with just as many if not more mysteries. Moreover Mara's point, the storm that wrecked their ship didn't come off as some everyday phenomenon. Granted the myriad of environments across the mother yielded different levels of temperaments. Some are more chaotically destructive than others. This one though felt incredibly sinister, the piercing green light that canvased the face of the sky moments before the waves ebbed uncontrollably. Something was amidst here.

Shabuto: Anybody with half a brain and a spec of survival instinct could see that the plants around here are overtly large.

Zane sucked his teeth as he continued on. As they traveled eventually they came over the horizon of a large hill. That when he laid eyes upon it...the origin of the amazing source of naten that was woven into the land. A massive tree that seemed to be supporting other landmasses.

All three together: What in Ves's hell...