[Tsuru drops into a room in the Citadel. It's a room familiar to him, as it's where he and the other swords would brief the saniwa.
... Who, as it turns out, is sitting on a cushion in the center of the room. Aruji's looking a little monsterified, as she turns her head towards Tsuru.]
Welcome back, Tsurumaru. However, I'm afraid your mission is over now.
[Well, if he's not making a move, she'll continue to do so. A flurry of charms fly from her sleeve, until they form what's essentially a whip, long enough to cover the span of their room. Not much room for Tsuru to get out of the way now, as she sends it lashing at him.
There doesn't seem to be any way out of this area, so you have two choices: kill Aruji, like with the bosses of the previous labyrinth, or risk trying the Dispel spell on her?]
[If she hears Tsuru at all, it doesn't show on her face. Tsuru slashes at the whip, cutting off its end—and causing it to break into several pieces of paper, which then sharpen into points and fly at Tsuru.]
[Well, she's tirelessly going to keep trying to kill him, so that's a thing. More paper blades come flying at Tsuru, trying to stab him. Meanwhile, her monster/body horror features intensify, with parts of her body flickering as though she might disappear.]
[ honestly, the flickering is the most concerning part of this
i rolled a 9, so tsuru is going to get stabbed. he is going to try to ignore this like he did all his other injuries, and will go to move more towards her. ]
[When Tsuru stabs Aruji, it's as if everything goes black, as Tsuru's consciousness leaves him.
He dreams of being back in the Citadel, with Aruji and his fellow swords. He feels the satisfying exhaustion of a tough mission gone well, the results of which he and the others brief Aruji on. She's glad to hear it, of course, but above all, she's glad that you've returned safely. Tsuru and the others may be tools, but they are family, in their own way.
In the distance, he might hear a few notes of a song playing, before it fades to quiet.
When Tsuru wakes up, he'll find that he's a sword. No, literally. His human vessel is gone; he's entirely in his blade form again, unable to move or speak on his own. Still, his spirit can see, and he'll find that his surroundings are likely familiar.
He's in a coffin, buried with a corpse—that, upon a closer look, is one of his previous masters, now nothing more than a note in history.]
the thing is, the idea of what will happen to them after their mission is over has been on his mind for a while. after all, once they defeat their enemies, there will be no use for a sword warrior, right? it seemed obvious, in that case, that they would simply return to their forms.
it's both familiar and not. it's both what he's used to, but now isn't.
mostly he really hates that this is his second week in a row in a coffin. :/ ]
After a while, though, there's the sound of something digging through the dirt. Then, light filters in, as the lid of the coffin is removed. Peering in is a samurai, who reaches out to grab Tsuru.]
Ah, here it is. Well, it'd be a waste for a sword like this to remain buried under the earth...
[It's a familiar story, isn't it? Once more, Tsuru is taken from his master's grave. Again, he is used for battle.
This master doesn't even get the chance to use him for anything grand. It's a fight that certainly won't leave much of a mark in history, with the samurai wielding Tsuru using him to slash at nameless, trivial enemies.
And then, without warning, one foe slices off the samurai's arm. It, along with Tsuru in its grasp, drop to the ground. Tsuru can do nothing as the man's head is then stabbed through the chest, before he drops dead next to where Tsuru has fallen.
Cranes are believed to give their owners longevity. That's the irony of it all.
Then, once more, Tsuru is buried in his master's grave.]
the faces of his masters sometimes blur together, and there's a guilty tug when it takes him a moment to try to place this one.
still. he thinks that it might not be that bad, if he gets to rest here with him a little longer. even though he knows that's not what is going to happen. ]
[Tsuru finds himself in a void, empty of any scenery.
And in the center, kneeling with perfect poise, is Aruji. No monster or body horror features this time, however—she looks as she always does in Tsuru's memory. When she sees him, she offers him a soft smile.
In Tsuru's hand is a knife: the same from the Dispel spell. He will know, intuitively, that to complete the spell—to see whether he can successfully cure Aruji or not—he must stab her once more.
... But it doesn't look like she's here for a fight, so he doesn't need to do it immediately, if he wants a moment.]
Even if there comes a day where your missions have ended, I hope you can find a future you desire. Filled with peace, but with enough surprises to keep your heart beating.
but there's still a pain in him as he grips onto the dagger. while it is not uncommon for a sword warrior to have to slay their own master for the sake of history, they have always been the ones of the past. but aruji is the present, the one whose fate isn't etched in stone.
this isn't really her, and this should be helping her instead of harming, but... ]
Once again... I am sorry. [ he bows. ] Thank you for everything. I will return to you soon.
[He drives the blade into her. To the very end, she smiles at him, fond and at peace. No blood comes this wound, as she instead disappears, fading away into the void.
Tsuru will find himself falling. It's hard to tell how long it goes on for, the passage of time marked only by the song from before playing again, echoing in his ears as he descends.
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guestservices) wrote2022-06-26 04:17 pm
PART 2 - TSURU
... Who, as it turns out, is sitting on a cushion in the center of the room. Aruji's looking a little monsterified, as she turns her head towards Tsuru.]
Welcome back, Tsurumaru. However, I'm afraid your mission is over now.
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this actually pains him the most out of all of the others. he blows slightly. ]
I am sorry, Aruji, for what is about to happen.
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Aruji says nothing in return as she stands up—and then throws what look to be charms in Tsuru's direction. Probably shouldn't let them hit him!]
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that's his saniwa </3 but he'll move to a further distance away ]
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There doesn't seem to be any way out of this area, so you have two choices: kill Aruji, like with the bosses of the previous labyrinth, or risk trying the Dispel spell on her?]
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well, he will unsheathe his sword. if there isn't really any space for him to run away, he will instead use his sword to try to slash at the whip. ]
Aruji--
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he will try to strike them down before they can hit him (16). he still isn't making any actual offensive moves yet... ]
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i rolled a 9, so tsuru is going to get stabbed. he is going to try to ignore this like he did all his other injuries, and will go to move more towards her. ]
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tsurumaru summons the knife, and is going to make an attempt to get as close as possible to drive it through her chest. ]
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He dreams of being back in the Citadel, with Aruji and his fellow swords. He feels the satisfying exhaustion of a tough mission gone well, the results of which he and the others brief Aruji on. She's glad to hear it, of course, but above all, she's glad that you've returned safely. Tsuru and the others may be tools, but they are family, in their own way.
In the distance, he might hear a few notes of a song playing, before it fades to quiet.
When Tsuru wakes up, he'll find that he's a sword. No, literally. His human vessel is gone; he's entirely in his blade form again, unable to move or speak on his own. Still, his spirit can see, and he'll find that his surroundings are likely familiar.
He's in a coffin, buried with a corpse—that, upon a closer look, is one of his previous masters, now nothing more than a note in history.]
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the thing is, the idea of what will happen to them after their mission is over has been on his mind for a while. after all, once they defeat their enemies, there will be no use for a sword warrior, right? it seemed obvious, in that case, that they would simply return to their forms.
it's both familiar and not. it's both what he's used to, but now isn't.
mostly he really hates that this is his second week in a row in a coffin. :/ ]
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After a while, though, there's the sound of something digging through the dirt. Then, light filters in, as the lid of the coffin is removed. Peering in is a samurai, who reaches out to grab Tsuru.]
Ah, here it is. Well, it'd be a waste for a sword like this to remain buried under the earth...
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he thinks, oh not again. he really does not approve of grave robbing, you know? there isn't really any class to it.
but tsurumaru remains silent. ]
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This master doesn't even get the chance to use him for anything grand. It's a fight that certainly won't leave much of a mark in history, with the samurai wielding Tsuru using him to slash at nameless, trivial enemies.
And then, without warning, one foe slices off the samurai's arm. It, along with Tsuru in its grasp, drop to the ground. Tsuru can do nothing as the man's head is then stabbed through the chest, before he drops dead next to where Tsuru has fallen.
Cranes are believed to give their owners longevity. That's the irony of it all.
Then, once more, Tsuru is buried in his master's grave.]
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the faces of his masters sometimes blur together, and there's a guilty tug when it takes him a moment to try to place this one.
still. he thinks that it might not be that bad, if he gets to rest here with him a little longer. even though he knows that's not what is going to happen. ]
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PART 2.................2!
And in the center, kneeling with perfect poise, is Aruji. No monster or body horror features this time, however—she looks as she always does in Tsuru's memory. When she sees him, she offers him a soft smile.
In Tsuru's hand is a knife: the same from the Dispel spell. He will know, intuitively, that to complete the spell—to see whether he can successfully cure Aruji or not—he must stab her once more.
... But it doesn't look like she's here for a fight, so he doesn't need to do it immediately, if he wants a moment.]
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[ his voice is filled with fondness, but there's a hesitance before he walks over to her.
he did, technically, stab his master earlier. more than one master, actually, but he'll focus on the one in front of him. ]
You look well.
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... You've worked very hard, haven't you? Tsurumaru. I'm sorry that as your master, I couldn't give you more of a respite between missions.
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[ in more ways than one. ]
Thank you.
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[Said with nothing but fondness.]
Even if there comes a day where your missions have ended, I hope you can find a future you desire. Filled with peace, but with enough surprises to keep your heart beating.
[Slowly, her hand falls back to her side.]
Until then, though—do what you must.
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but there's still a pain in him as he grips onto the dagger. while it is not uncommon for a sword warrior to have to slay their own master for the sake of history, they have always been the ones of the past. but aruji is the present, the one whose fate isn't etched in stone.
this isn't really her, and this should be helping her instead of harming, but... ]
Once again... I am sorry. [ he bows. ] Thank you for everything. I will return to you soon.
[ he will drive the blade into her. ]
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Tsuru will find himself falling. It's hard to tell how long it goes on for, the passage of time marked only by the song from before playing again, echoing in his ears as he descends.
It's almost over.]