In a desolate landscape. In a zone of despair. In the darkness. A boy awakens. To find a young lady standing in front of him.

He, who has not a sliver of memory, follows the young mercenary. Reborn, aimless, for no apparent purpose he continues walking by her, the only one he can trust, the only one he has ever met.

But one is not born with a purpose. One obtains it. For he was about to obtain his.

An enigma. Fog shrouds the truth behind both parties. Factions compete, blood spills, and the winning side is never decided.

Among all the havoc...

...a trump card is found...

Foreword

Greetings all.

This blog is a temporary hosting site for my story, Perfect Blood. After I find a suitable hosting site, I still won't delete this place so you can still view my story here.

What I do here is I will put a download link for each chapter first followed by the actual chapter content. Why I do that? In case you feel like downloading my story of course!

I wrote Perfect Blood in OpenOffice so there is a slight chance you may get some errors viewing the document in Microsoft Word and the like. If possible, download OpenOffice! To my knowledge, it's free and it's actually quite good. Crap, I ended up advertising for them... XD

Also, a note. This story is written with an anime-influence so those of you who are not used to anime may find my story a tad bit weird. If you are used to anime, try reading this story and imagining it in an anime. That will enhance the experience to a certain degree XD

So please forgive me for anything and have mercy on me! This is my first ever serious attempt at writing a story!! XD

Saturday, January 16, 2010

#3 ENTER

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#3
ENTER


A man talking.
A man smiling.
A monster.
A battle.
People.
Glass shattering.
A vast landscape.
The sky.
Stars.
Buildings.
People running.
People fighting.
Fight.
Fight.
FIGHT.
. . .

And everything shatters.


*********************************************

Amariya's eyes jolted open. She woke up to see the shade of tree leaves above her head with the morning sunlight seeping in between the leaves. Still dazed, she brought her back up to sit upright on the bed of dried leaves she made the night before as her sleeping cushion.

“...a dream...?” she muttered softly to herself. I haven't seen a dream in a long while, so why now, runs through her mind. She could further contemplate the matter, but she'd rather not. She turned to her back to look at her new-found partner still lying on the dried leaves. His chest heaved upwards and receded back softly as he breathed lightly in his sleep.

As if sensing the stare from Amariya's eyes, the newly-named Mitsuke opened his eyes a little, then fully. He sat upright and rubbed his eyes.

“Ah yes...” he remembered the events of the day before.

With both members of the party awake, they started their journey.

*********************************************

Time elapsed and they found themselves a mile away from their campsite. Mitsuke turned back to see the small hill he rested at for the night. All that was left there now was a tree. The dried leaves were scattered around the land and the ashes from the fire were covered in dirt. They made sure not to leave a trace as it would cause problems when news spreads across the continent and people come to investigate the area. If they found a campsite there, they would take it as first evidence and attempt to find its maker. Not good.

As soon as they departed from the hill, Mitsuke asked Amariya the most obvious question one would ask in the situation.

“Where are we going?”

“It's hard to explain now so just wait till we get there.” came her answer.

They've been walking for an hour and Amariya still hasn't explained anything, so Mitsuke assumed the journey was going to be a long one.

A few steps later, Amariya took her turn to ask Mitsuke a question.

“Did anything come back during your sleep?”

“No. Nothing at all. It's not like a haze blocking my memories... it's more like there's nothing there to remember...” he said

Amariya felt sad for him. She could relate to him in a way.

“Amariya... can I ask you not to mention it anymore? Even if anything comes back, I won't need it, since I've decided to have a new start.” Mitsuke told her. She was a little surprised, but it was a request from him.

“Sure.” she smiled.

In the evening light, Mitsuke couldn't get a good look at Amariya's appearance. Now, under the morning sun, he took notice of her. Her face was young yet showed maturity and experience. Her auburn hair was until the middle of her back and curved on the way down. She had a braid of hair from behind her left ear which added an elegant touch to her looks. Her eyes were sharp yet had a softness to them which he saw reflecting the fire's glow the night before. She wore a ragged cloak, torn in many places yet still perfectly usable that fell until above her knees.

A breeze blew and the cloak flew a little upwards, barely revealing a bag slung on her back under the cloak. She had a blade, a katana, tied to her waist with her belt. She wore loose cargo pants that were obviously comfortable and good for manoeuvrability and her feet were protected by work boots. In general, she looked like a young lady who saw a lot of the world and still goes around to see more.

Amariya, feeling Mitsuke's gaze, turned to him. “What's up?” she cheerfully asked him. Mitsuke just turned back to face the road ahead of him quietly. Though Amariya thought his reaction was a bit odd, if there was something he would have said it so she didn't mind. From facing him, Amariya noticed the badly torn clothes Mitsuke was wearing. They would hold for now, but she would have to get him something new to wear soon. Not only that, he was barefoot.

“If you can't stand walking anymore, do tell me.” she told Mitsuke. He nodded.


*********************************************

The path they were taking was muddled with tracks. It was a road used quite a fair bit by travellers and merchants visiting the town they left, thus grass did not grow well and it was mainly dirt. They did not walk in the middle of it, instead stuck to the side where trees shaded them from the ever-rising sun. After hours of walking, noon came and the sun was at its pinnacle, blaring its intense rays straight down at every being below it. Mitsuke told Amariya that his feet started to ache like he was told to and they stopped under a tree. The leaves provided some shade, not enough to entirely block the heat but better than nothing. It was noon, the time one normally would have lunch at, and both Amariya and Mitsuke's stomachs growled in hunger.

Amariya told Mitsuke to stay under the shade while she tried to find something to eat. She left the boy and went out under the sun and over a hill out of Mitsuke's sight. Minutes passed; to Mitsuke it felt much longer than that and Amariya finally came back holding a good-sized lizard by the tail. She returned under the tree, unsheathed her blade and started making a fire.

Mitsuke's heart thumped. It was like a spasm. He felt slightly disoriented.

“What's up?” Amariya asked Mitsuke, noticing the slight movement. Mitsuke shook his head, saying it's nothing. Since there were no more effects, he treated it as nothing. Amariya, as confused as the last time Mitsuke dismissed her question, shrugged it off too and focused on her fire.

She took a rock and swiped it against her katana, producing sparks that flew onto dry leaves and bark she scavenged. It took a few tries, but a fire started eventually. Once the flame built up, she sheathed her katana back and added more fuel to the flame. Eventually the fire grew big enough and Amariya started cooking the lizard which she beheaded, removed the tail, gutted and skewered with a branch.

“This was a lucky catch. It's meat still has some taste even without seasoning and it doesn't take all that long to cook.” explained Amariya for the sake of saying something.

“Where did you learn all this from?” Mitsuke posed a question.

“Well, when you've been wandering for as long as I have, you tend to pick these things up.” Amariya answered smiling.

The lizard was soon done and Amariya cut it to reasonable pieces to share with his comrade. She was right, the meat had a slight sweet and savoury taste to it but it would undoubtedly taste much better with a little seasoning.

Amariya advised Mitsuke not to eat too much as it would exhaust his body to digest it along the journey. She wrapped the remaining pieces in a cloth from her bag for later meals on the way.

Done with their small lunch, they covered the ashes with dirt and continued on their way with a boost of energy in their stomachs. Before departing, Amariya tore a small piece of cloth from her already torn cloak to bandage Mitsuke's feet so they would hurt less as well as provide some protection along the long journey.

The foot-walking continued. Mitsuke still didn't have a clue as to where they were going, though he wasn't vexed by it. Just follow the only person you can, he thought. With that thought, another arose in his mind. He remembered Amariya mentioning a few times about how she wanders a lot but exactly what does that equate to?

“Hey Amariya,” he started casually enough, “you keep saying you're a wanderer but exactly what do you do?”

“Ah, a good question. I suppose it's my fault for not being specific enough before.” she replied. “I'm a mercenary.”

“Oh...” Mitsuke said in accordance to her answer. He didn't know what he felt with that answer. It was a mixture, something along the lines of sadness, disappointment, something. Yet he did not hate her nor did he fear her. He just learnt that the one person he trusted, no, he could possibly trust, was a killer.

Amariya saw his head droop down. “You're thinking that it's a bad thing, that I'm a killer, aren't you?”

Mitsuke shook his head. “Not really. I... don't know what to think. I don't think that you being a killer is a good thing, but I don't feel anything against you either.”

“Ah, then that's good.” she says smiling. “It would be difficult for you to follow me when you're scared of me.”

“Yeah... besides, since you're the only one I can follow, I would have to accept it anyways.”

The words stopped for a moment. Only footsteps were heard. Then, Amariya continued the conversation.

“Well, it's the only thing I can do well. Since I have the skill to do it, might as well go with it, I thought a long time ago. The pay's not bad, though it really depends on the job and employer. And I don't kill people all the time either. Sometimes I get escort missions or maybe even tutoring jobs. Does that make you feel a little better?”

Mitsuke thought about it for a while. “Yeah, somehow it does make me feel better.” he smiled.

Amariya smiled too.

“So what were you doing when we met? Were you on your way to a job? Doesn't seem that way since we aren't in a hurry or anything.”

“Firstly, it isn't necessary to hurry to get jobs finished. Employers give a certain period of time for jobs to get done. If they want it, the pay may diminish based on how long you take to finish it, but that way nobody would want to agree to take that job. The general rule is that you hire a mercenary to finish a job only because you want the job absolutely finished. But to prevent mercenaries from slacking on the job, a time limit is given. If the job is not finished within that time, your status as a mercenary drops considerably.”

“Secondly, I wasn't on my way to a job. I don't get jobs all the time you know. No mercenary can be that busy. There are times when I just hang around aimlessly waiting for someone to get me or when I find my money depleting, I go somewhere to find available jobs. That somewhere could be a town, like Agara, the one I found you in, or a more specific place, which is where we are heading to now.”

Mitsuke found himself absorbing potentially vital information about the 'new' world around him.

“I hope you understood what I said because it's kind of hard for me to explain any better.” Amariya said to Mitsuke in a slight joking voice.

“Surprisingly I did.” Mitsuke replied.

The conversation played a big role in keeping their minds busy along the journey. Without them noticing how much more tired they grew, they had travelled quite a long distance during their chat. It would be good for them to keep on talking, but for now there was nothing left to talk about.

*********************************************

The town recently known as Agara, now as a pile of soot-covered rubble, lied on plain land which spread for many more miles. The terrain was slightly uneven, with some hills here and there, like the one the two travellers rested on for one night that had a single tree on top. As the two of them walked further away from the ex-town, they found more hills flanking their sides. The land was getting more uneven but it left a single channel of flat ground that lead to Agara. Perhaps a long time ago that channel was a river, but that is irrelevant.

Amariya was surprised at how Mitsuke could cope with walking for so long. He only took one break and could keep up with her. She didn't know if it was the fact that he was young or that his body was unique, but he would be unable to answer either questions so she left it at that.

More time elapsed and the sun was slowly setting. Amariya eventually decided on a spot for them to rest at for the night. This time it was a small indent in the hills covered by some foliage. Amariya knew that bandits and the like travelled at night and she didn't intend on letting any wandering thieves get them in the middle of their sleep. So she minimized the chance of that happening by choosing that spot. Again, she set up a fire, warmed the cooked lizard meat she kept from noon for a light snack and the two of them rested under the starry night sky a second time.

The next day was of the same routine. Traversing more land, taking a rest at noon for a small meal, more walking. Only a few things differed between the two days. Somewhere around after noon they came across a creek. Obviously thirsty, they enjoyed some cool clean water and Amariya took a canteen out from her bag to refill. Once refreshed, they felt much lighter and continued on their journey.

Amariya replaced Mitsuke's feet bandages when they woke up. They walked over some rough and rocky terrain in the afternoon and Amariya had to make his bandages thicker lest he face cuts and blisters. Eventually they returned to walking over grass.

But the most noticeable difference between the two days was at evening. After walking uphill for half an hour, they finally stepped on the pinnacle of the slope and beheld the view in front of them. In the distance, a town fortified by high walls with towers protruding skywards from its centre was visible. A civilisation.


“Is that where we are heading?” Mitsuke asked.

“Kind of. We're stopping there, then going somewhere else.” Amariya answered.

With the thought of a major length of their journey ending, the two of them shot towards the town.

*********************************************

Mitsuke stared at the person sitting across him. He wasn't the only one. People around the table were drawn at the sheer sight. He suddenly forgot who she was.

This person had plates and plates and more plates of food in front of her. She was holding a bowl of rice, among other empty and filled ones to her sides, in her left hand and chopsticks in her right. She was practically gobbling food down, taking a piece of fowl or meat or vegetable or perhaps several at the same time and downing it with gulps of rice. Without pause she strikes the plates with more swift picks with her chopsticks and downs more rice. She didn't chew, no, she chewed and swallowed so fast it was as if she didn't chew at all. Everytime she gulped rice down her bowl would turn upwards and cover her face. Now that her bowl was empty, she stacked it on top of perhaps ten others and took the next one in line. In that brief moment where she put her bowl down, Mitsuke saw her face and ascertained that indeed, Amariya was eating across him.

She was practically in a trance. She didn't lift her eyes off her food and swiped in swift motions. Almost everyone in the restaurant was eyeing her and she didn't care about them at all. It wasn't shameless per se; after all, who were the people around her to rudely look at her while she was eating. In the time it took Mitsuke to attempt to learn to use chopsticks, Amariya emptied three bowls and asked for three more. In the time it took Mitsuke to give up and ask for a spoon, Amariya emptied five bowls and asked for seven more. Mitsuke could imagine the restaurant running out of rice soon...

While Mitsuke thought of that, Amariya emptied another bowl and was about to grab the next one when she noticed Mitsuke stunned by her speed. One would expect such a fast eater to have specks of rice or remnants of food on her face but she was as clean as ever. Perhaps there was a sliver of lady-like in her after all.

“What's wrong, Mitsuke? You don't seem to be eating your share.”

She was right to order a separate set of dishes for Mitsuke or he would be fighting for his life with that demon to eat. With obviously bad results.

"Ah, it's nothing. But you sure eat fast, Amariya.” came the reply.

“What would you expect? When you come to a town with such a big restaurant and you've been travelling for days, you would eat a horse!” Amariya cheerfully replied.

A horse is too much of an understatement for the amount of food in front of Amariya, ran through Mitsuke's mind. He took a bite himself. Indeed, the food was splendid, much more so than the cooked lizard meat he has been eating. Amariya, too, returned to her blitz-eating.

I should savour the food while it lasts since we will be travelling more tomorrow, thought Mitsuke. Amariya said we will be going somewhere for her to get a job. A job means more money. Wait a minute...

“Amariya, if I'm right, you're finding a job tomorrow because you ran out of money and intend to get more?” Mitsuke asked.

Amariya took a drumstick of a fowl and dropped it into her mouth, pulled the bone out, slipped the meat off of it, chewed and swallowed in one perfect second. “Well, that's pretty much it. What's up?”

“Then what's with this huge feast in front of us?”

Now Amariya took a mug filled to the brim with drink and slurped it dry in one and a half seconds. “It was all within my calculations. I calculated that I would finish every bit of my money in this town. Then the plan was that I hurry and get a job to replenish my cache.”

Mitsuke didn't know what to think. Whether this person was a genius or an idiot. A hybrid? If it was possible, yes. He shrugged it off and continued taking bites.

If she always calculated like this, she must eat this much every time, ran by Mitsuke's mind.

*********************************************

The pair woke up in an inn they found the night before. It was Mitsuke's first time sleeping in a proper place and he found the bed the most comfortable he had ever slept in. Considering his circumstances, that was no surprise. They left the inn, giving their thanks to the owner on the way out.

Coming into the town tired and hungry, the two didn't take time to explore the place. Now with their energy tanks at full, they decided to take a stroll before departing to their next destination. Tarm was a beautiful place. Tall brick buildings flanked the streets and the stone pavement was the prime medium for citizens to travel. There was a marketplace. It was a centre of activity; merchants shouting to gain people's attention, crowds fighting to buy the freshest produce. It was irrelevant to the pair so they only walked by.

They also passed by a fountain spouting crystal clear water out. They imagined it to be how the one in Agara looked like but shrugged the thought off. Continuing on, they passed a restaurant with a sign in front saying 'Closed. Out of stock'. They didn't know why, but they felt like walking faster away from the place.

Soon they were in front of a clothes shop. Amariya remembered how Mitsuke needed new clothes, so they entered. She could tell how curious the shopkeeper was seeing a lady with a boy in rags. It was a good thing he kept his professionalism and refrained from asking. Seeing that they would be travelling more later on, Amariya chose something comfortable and easy to move in. She bought a loose fitting shirt and cargo jeans with her remaining money. Mitsuke changed into them and was really glad he had something new to wear. Amariya asked the shopkeeper to dispose Mitsuke's previous garments and they left.

One final stop was at a shoe shop. Amariya got Mitsuke a pair of cheap shoes. Much better than bandages. With that, they headed to the town's arched entrance and departed.

*********************************************

“Now that we've rested, it would help if we sped our pace up.” Amariya told Mitsuke. It seemed that she was in a hurry to get some more money.

Considering how she eats, it's no surprise if she has to work like this every time, a passing thought in Mitsuke's head.

Time passed. Scenery changed. From the hilly terrain, the ground seemed to turn more flat; they were heading towards a plain. And in the distance, Mitsuke noticed a line of cliffs, almost in a semilunar shape. He turned behind and saw Tarm, slightly blurred by a haze from the distance.

They kept walking towards the cliffs. Odd. There was nothing there. No town, no camps. Just a plain surrounded halfway by cliffs. Wait, there was a shack in the distance. That couldn't possibly be our destination, could it, Mitsuke asked in his mind.

They took more steps and Mitsuke noticed that they weren't heading for that shack, but instead heading towards the point where the cliffs started. Was there a hidden site?

Eventually they reached that point. Amariya placed her right hand on the cliffside, then smacked it. The sound of the smack on solid rock resonated and echoed off the cliffs. Mitsuke was perplexed.

“Erm, Amariya, exactly what are we doing here?”

Amariya turned behind to answer Mitsuke. “Hehe, you'll see.” with a smile.

Amariya continued on. Every few steps she would smack the cliffside and the same sound of palm against solid rock would come out. One would think she would get tired of doing this for so long, but it seemed as if she was used to this. After some time, the sun was right above them; it was noon. Under the blaring rays, Amariya continued her awkward act and Mitsuke just followed behind her. They were now in the middle of the semilunar shape. So far every time Amariya smacked the wall it was a 'miss'.

Now she smacked the wall and a hollow sound resonated into the cliff wall.

“Bingo.” Amariya said to herself.

Pat-pat-pause-pat-pause-pa-pa-pat-pat-pause-pat-tap-tap-tap-pat-pat. A succession of pats with pauses in between and tapping of fingers near the end was played on the cliff wall. Silence ensued. Then, a voice came from the wall.

“State your identity.”

“You know who I am.” Amariya replied.

More silence. Then, the ground around the two of them vibrated madly. Mitsuke's head turned to the ground in reflex, and when he heard a rumbling sound in front of him, he turned back to see the cliff wall move.

A part of the wall directly in front of Amariya receded into the rock face. Once it was deep enough inside, it slid to the side to leave an opening just big enough for a person to fit through. It was a secret entrance.

Mitsuke took a few steps towards this entrance. He peered inside and saw a man standing near the hole.

“Welcome. I assume this boy is your acquaintance?” he said.

“Yes. He's coming with me.” she replied.

And the two of them stepped inside.

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