Once, long ago, in Rokugan, there was a young Samurai-Ko
She was of the Wasp clan, a small clan known for their bountyhunters and proficiency with the Yumi and Dai-kyu
She was one of the best, and fastest, noone could touch her in hand to hand combat, and she could outshoot some of her own Superiors
She was given a task to capture a Ronin who had escaped justice in the land to the north, in the territory of the Unicorns
His bounty was large, for it was not only a Ronin, but a Shugenja, one who cast magic
She tracked him down to a great forest, known for its darkness and tainted monsters.
In the forest, she was enveloped by a deep fog, a mist that clouded not only her vision, but her judgement
She walked on, in the mist, until she came upon a large statue, fallen sideways on the ground
it was not human
it was a very large snake body, with the upper half broken away
she searched the area, and came upon what seemed to be a great ruin....
There were no stairs leading up the walls, only long, curving ramps
She drew her katana and proceded deeper into the Ruin, the fog only lifting enough to give her vision a few more yards around
She, looking around, then saw a large pool of water, leaves scattered on its surface, and small ripples broke its surface
She was thirsty, and needed to drink, so she bent down to the edge of the pool
but she stood quickly again, horror etched on her face
Its body was that of a long snake, its girth so immense that it could have crushed the life out of a pony.
its torso was that of a man, and the head and neck flared out slightly as if it were a hood, but the facial features were ... almost human
It didn't move
she touched the water with the tip of her Katana, trying to decide what to do
The monster's eyes flew open!
It stared up at her through the water.
she lept back, Katana at the ready, as the huge beast rose from the water
The water poured off of its scaley skin, and it blinked at her, not smiling, yet not attacking
It drew in a deep breath and stretched its arms wide
It released a long hisssssss, closing its eyes,
It opened its eyes and looked down upon the tiny Samurai-ko
She felt a buzzing in her head, then heard his words.....
" You are not of the Naga......Who are you, intruder?"
She was speachless...
but then was able to speak her tale of her hunt.
The Large beast nodded,
then it came out of the water completely, slithering across the dusty stone
" You are not welcome here, Human Hunter. You must leave the City of the Naga as soon as you are able, but..."
" You have not done harm here, and so I will grant you safe passage "
" Take this as my token, and if you are confronted by any of my kind on your way out, show it to them. "
She stood slowely, then put away her Katana.
The Beast leaned down from his towering height and handed her a large Pearl....
her eyes went wide, for such a pearl was never before seen in her land
It was the size of a large man's fist, and the most beautiful glowing white
She Bowed deeply to the Naga, and accepted it.
" If any harm befall you in these woods, only crush it. you will have help assist you when you do.
" Domo, My Lord Naga. " she said softly.
The beast looked down at her again..." If you wish to speak to me again, only come to the edge of the mist. Wait there, and you will have an escort. "
She bowed again, then turned and quickly left, feeling awe, terror, and hope....
She did not look behind her, but she heard the slithering of the body as it, too, turned and moved away.
She held the Great Pearl out in front of her the entire time she made her way out of the fog, and she was not confronted by anything...
Outside of the mist, she stored the Pearl in her sidebag, along with her provisions
She followed the paths to lead out of the forest, and there, near the edge, pinned to a tree with very large arrows, was the Ronin she was hunting.
She took his lifeless body down from the tree, and looked at him closely
His eyes were wide, as if his dieing sight was one of the most tainted Oni
She steadied herself, and took from his body his possessions, as proof of his death, so she could claim his bounty.
When she returned to the Kyuden of her Daimyo, She told him of the adventure she had...
He nodded, not having any reason to doubt her, but his belief was solidified when she produced not only the Ronin's possessions, but one of the arrows and the great Pearl.
She was not only given the bounty, but Bountyhunter rights to that great forest....
There she was known by many as the friend of the Nagas, and never let the Pearl leave her possession
So ends my tale of a young Samurai-ko and her adventure in the mist, and the Naga who gave her a great pearl.
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