PSL for All the CRAU Najaran and PostLARP Miroku

[najaran]

Um... So yeah.

Trigger warnings: death, combat, eye horror (It's pronounced Horrowitz), body horror in general. All the PTSD. Demons. Possession. Survivor's guilt. Family trauma. Injuries. Did I mention all the PTSD. Because Najaran is going to be here. Oh and Opium. Because Fumas.



Spoilers for both the Culdcept manga and Inuyasha. Potentially for Culdcept games too. Also if the PSL lasts long enough spoilers potentially for Laughing Under The Clouds and Alice 19th among other possible things.

Anyway, if you are insane enough to want to stalk this thread, or play in it...

Welcome.

And please note.... You have been warned.

Comments

[najaran]

It was some time after Miroku had recovered from the opium exposure that Master Horowitz had sent Tare to invite the wandering monk for a meeting.

The meeting wasn't held in the usual meeting space for all the heads of the Holy Guild, nor in the cave, nor in Grubel's study - probably for the best, that last one.

Instead it was in a small comfortable office near the Room Of Resurrection for the Rakan religion. It was considerably more comfortable seeming than the cave, having an actual table and chairs. Not super plush chairs, but not stone floor either. There was, in fact, a rug on the floor even. And a door on the far wall that implied a far larger space beyond. Tea was set out for the both of them, and small Eidolon running around underfoot.

Three of them, standing on each other's heads, had opened the door to admit the young monk when he arrived.

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

Miroku manages a slight but respectful bow to the small creatures before walking stiffly into the room. The healers had done their job well, the combat injuries were manageable. The burns he ended up with from the aftermath, however, were slower to heal.

With each step he took in a new detail of the room, the relative comfort of it compared to the other offices he's been summoned to in recent days. It was the closest he's felt to the inns and homes he'd prefer to stay at in his travels. Of course, the work he had to do there was a quick exorcism at worst, a fake one at best. This time around it wasn't quite that easy, and something told him he only brushed up against the surface of it.

He let the light aroma of the tea drown his worries and thoughts out. Miroku knew better than to assume what a leader of the Holy Clan could possibly want with him anymore. At least it was Master Horowitz, someone with a calmer demeanor who might actually help Miroku make sense of some of this. And if not, he hoped Horowitz could at least point him to someone who could.

In the short time it took Miroku to reach the table he had nearly forgotten about his burns. He pulled the nearest chair out from the table and sat without a word. His mind was racing again, following a dozen paths. His eyes locked onto the eyes of a mask that wasn't there. A mask that resembled a fox.

[najaran]

"I will be blunt," Horowitz said, even as he pushed a mug of tea closer to Miroku. The man looked concerned. "We are worried that it is no longer safe for you here. Grubel thinks even were you to go wandering again, all that would change is that you would meet your unfortunate end too far for you to be resurrected here. Or possibly at all. You have done the Holy Clan a great favor, you and Yato, and we would prefer to pay you back in some other fashion, but this is what we can arrange on short notice. If you want our help, that is. Drink your tea," he added, sounding almost avuncular for a moment there.

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

Miroku snaps out of his daze at the sound of the other mans voice. He nods in understanding, taking a sip of the tea as he listens for once. He could feel something happen the moment it passed his lips, the pain he felt before receding. Perhaps if Kagome were here she could identify the herb used. It was certainly a potent one.

Miroku snapped back in from his thoughts at one sentence in particular. "I wouldn't expect any of you to exaggerate such a danger, but if Lady Grubel even believes death is so certain then..." his voice trailed before taking another sip of his tea. He sat up a little straighter now and looked at Horowitz more confidently. "I'll accept any help I can get, and I thank you for what has already been provided Master Horowitz. If I can no longer be of service to the people in my normal capacity without endangering them and myself, then I seek your councel on what my next steps should be."

[najaran]

"You cannot help people here as directly as you have been at current, no," He said softly, sipping his own tea. "But in the time between now and when we have made it safe for your return you could, if you wished, help other people. And help the people here less directly."

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

Miroku takes another long sip of tea as he argued internally with himself. He knew he the right answer, to accept. But he had just made a name for himself with the smaller towns and villages. Some of them were even letting him stay without the fake exorcism routine! He sunk a little in his chair, knowing that none of it matters right now. He preferred the hospitality of the villages, yet the ground would feel no different when an assassin left him lying in the mud. And he had no doubt that leaving this place on his own would lead to that exact fate.

"I'm but a simple monk, here to help those who are in need. Though I've grown attached to this land and its people, I will go wherever I'm needed." He said it with all the confidence and selflessness he could muster to bury the shred of bitterness he felt. He enjoyed his comfortable life and avoided the capital for this very reason. You can't make your way down the street without stepping into some political agenda, death cult, or smuggling ring. Or, if you're particularly unlucky it seems, all three at once. "Please, continue Master Horowitz. I'm eager to know where you would have me go so that I may be of use again. There's no reason for me to sit idly when such evil still lurks in the shadows." With the return of Miroku's health came his overconfidence, it would seem.

[najaran]

"If all goes to plan, once the danger to you here is addressed we can return you to your home and those you care for, if you at that point wish it. And if at that point Grubel and I have survived to do so." Which implied there was danger enough that they too were at risk. He sipped his tea as though he had not admitted to something so dire.

"We also are seeing to protection for those the cult may not yet be aware are important to you here, so that you will have the people you love to return to. However, let us focus for now on where you would be sent first."

He took another drink of his tea. This... This was where is own personal nerves came in, though he didn't show them openly.

"As you may have guessed," he said, using history in place of hesitance, "Grubel and I are no more native to this world than young Yato and the others who arrived recently. We have simply been here quite a while longer." Long enough that there were rumors already about Grubel's age. Of course.

"I knew that I would be brought to another world to face the crisis there, but I had one crucial task I had hoped to finish first. On Rakan, the world Grubel and I arrived from, as you may have guessed, my student and I were about to address that task when she vanished. She had, and still has, her own missions in other worlds to see to, to protect all of reality. I waited for her return, but was brought here before she did. We have watched for her from here. She has returned and been pulled away multiple times since then. However, this last time, she has decided that my absence means that the task was so important that I went on without her. That I deemed the task more important than I deemed her. In this she is incorrect. But the information she needs for the task is not information I could have left for her. She is crucial to the task. I was only important to it for the information and to keep her safe. You will have to take my place at her side finishing this crucial task. But you need to understand one thing. She is important to me, as dear as a niece. I would say daughter but her memories of her father are core to her and I would not seek to supplant them. But what I will do is make sure that anyone I sent to protect her that took advantage of her naiveté would love to retreat that. Are we clear on this point?"

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

Miroku listened intently, making sure to finish his tea as he did so. The weight of the situation pushed down any light-hearted comment that used to come so easily.

When he found himself in this world, he wasn't fully shocked. He knew of Kagome and Inuyasha's travels through the Bone Eater Well to another land. Though that had been by his understanding merely a gateway to the future, he also wasn't quite sure when this place was either. The very energy of the place felt foreign to him. Perhaps this is how Inuyasha felt in his travels to Kagome's home? he had thought to himself, merely shrugging it off. Those answers were beyond the grasp of a human. The threat Horowitz described, however, was easier to process.

All of reality, mutliple worlds, it all meant the same thing; the fates of everyone he's ever known would end at the same point, the failure of this task. While he stood against great evils of this world and his own, this made his triumphs feel so small and meaningless by comparison.

But thats never stopped such a humble and honorable monk before, he thought with a confident smirk, and what kind of person would I be to turn my back on all of reality? Did I really spend so long battling demons and Naraku just to sit back while it all ends? That thought sickens me more than any other fate, even being lost to my Wind Tunnel

Miroku looked up, a new sense of life and purpose in his eyes. The hesitation and regrets he wrestled with were gone now, as if his connection to that simple life had been severed by Yato himself. "I understand Master Horowitz, and will help you and your student in any way I am able. I know my own world has need of me, but I feel my own personal fights will matter little if what you say is true. I don't fully understand this threat or what help I may be, but I will face it with you nonetheless!"

His confidence only waivered a moment as his hand absently moved to the air beside him, then snapped quickly to his side. He supressed a pained look, only letting it flash in his eyes a moment. A muscle memory from his time in another world. Then it was gone, replaced by a renewed energy. That memory is what he was fighting for, and he would see her again.

[najaran]

He nodded grimly. "I wish that this burden need not be placed on such young shoulders. Yours. Hers." A deep breath. "His."

"The task before you and young Najaran is simple on the surface, difficult and even dangerous in execution. The Dark Cepters have gained more ground in Rakan than they have here, and they seek the Four Elemental Lords in order to destroy all realties in Baltheus' name. Najaran knows the person who carries one of the four. The task is to get him to join our side before the Dark Cepters can win him to theirs. But as with most things, there is much below the surface, unseen by a casual glance. As it may be, you could well be an even better choice to escort my student than I, in this case."

He refilled their tea, sipped his, then continued.

"You may be better able to relate to Zeneth than I, if you are prepared for the young man you are about to meet."

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

Miroku bowed slightly as he took the refilled cup, bringing it straight to his lips. The tea filled him with a warm energy he knew he'd need for the task ahead.

"I'll do my best, though any knowledge you may share about him would help to prepare myself." A soft and familiar grin played across his face. "This is only my second time traveling to a new world you see, so forgive me if I'm a little ignorant and slow to adapt. Such is the curse of being such a humble and handsome man of the common folk." There it was, the light hearted, half-joke told through a supressed chuckle. Miroku's confidence balanced back out with his more casual, joking nature as he processed everything. He really needed to tell Kagome about this tea, it almost seemed to heal the spirit as much as the body.

Or, he thought with another slight grin, perhaps I'm just excited to be wrapped up in another plan to save the world. A monk's duty is never done...

[najaran]

He shook his head lightly at the joke, it was hard to tell though if it amused him or not.

"Let's start with some background, as from what Grubel has told me, it might help you to have some empathy with the young man. Imagine if you could growing up as a small child, always being different, looking different. So different that the other kids ran from you, called you names, like monster or half demon. Your eye was different, ears, a hint of fangs. Yes, you were maybe faster and stronger... but shunned all the same." He took a deep breath, seeing for himself. And remembering the last time he had seen the boy. "And then add to that having a power welded to your arm, a dangerous weapon that could destroy you and all around you if unleashed."

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

Miroku's grin quickly left his face. He had heard this exact story before. He had heard it told through tears and anger at some of his friend's most vulnerable moments. He had heard it in the fears that whispered to him at the back of his mind.

It was the story of Inuyasha's childhood and Miroku's present life. A story of a half demon raised in human society, shunned by all he knew. A story of a curse, Miroku's greatest weapon yet also likely to be his demise as well as anyone too close to him at the time. This boy had been cursed with both, and the cruelty of that was not lost on him.

Kagome had always been best suited to empathize with Inuyasha when it came to his past. It never stopped Miroku from listening to his friend though, and his own experience with the Wind Tunnel could go a long way.

"I actually know this tale quite well, though the names and details might change a bit. While I can confidently say I've seen other's make it past such trials, it is a tragedy that takes it toll on the soul. It's not something that ever has a universal solution to heal, not even your tea I'm afraid." The joke comes off a little flat, an attempt to alleviate the monk's own discomfort than anything else. His eyes seemed to look past the cup when he glanced down at it before they met Horowitz's again.

"That being said, a friend could rarely hurt the situation. Perhaps he'll be willing to accept the risk to me once he understands it'll be a mutual arrangement." He lifts his right arm slightly, the inconspicuous prayer beads making the slightest rattle as they were brought up. The beads that were the reason he made note of every exit, every large empty space nearby. For if they ever failed, his only hope was to be the only one caught in the vortex that would follow.

[najaran]

Horowitz nodded. "That is my hope in sending the two of you. However there is more. The boy had exactly one person in his childhood he could count on. You have heard Grubel and myself called the two wise sages, yes?"

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

Miroku nods, making sure to pay close attention. "I have, though I admit I'm more familiar with the term than it's meaning. Especially in relation to these events. I took it merely as a title to express your combined wisdom and power."

[najaran]

"In Rakan we were not two, we were three. It was Salvadore who was the third of us. He had a different idea of how to change the world for the better. Where Grubel and I looked to wide sweeping solutions, Salvadore saw peace as starting with a single person. He took in Zeneth, the young man we are discussing. He took him in and raised him. Instilled in him what he could of our moral code. He lived amongst non-Cepters, hiding always his power. Making the boy hide his as well, because in Rakan the divide between Cepters and non Cepters is wide. Salvadore worked as a medicine man of sorts. He raised the child." He took a deep breath. Sipped his tea.

This was the difficult part. He'd said these words before. To Grubel who already knew what had happened, but knew that he had to speak the words once. He had hoped to never have to speak them again. But there were more important things than his own withered old heart. Protecting what was left of Salvadore's for one.

"One day, Salvadore had no way to save a dying child, but to use the powers in his Book. He used the Cards to heal a dying young girl. Someone saw that he had, and he knew. He sent the girl off with her mother. He sent his boy off on an errand. And he waited." He had seen it, him and Grubel. The problem with being able to see anything was eventually you realized you could see the things you least wanted to see.

"His wait was... I hesitate to say rewarded." His voice was as controlled as he could make it, his hands tight around his earthenware mug.

"The villagers came. Not the woman whose child was saved. But others. They had already been suspicious of Salvadore as other. It was why he chose to live there specifically. Proof of concept. To show that he and Zeneth could live there in peace. He was ever the optimist. The villagers came while the child was away. But the boy was not gone long enough. He returned in time to see the only person who had ever loved him killed for the crime of being different. In that day, the boy lost for the first time, his internal weapon with the war on his arm. He killed them all," Horowitz said quietly. "In his rage and his pain, pain."

If he could have he would have closed his eyes, but what good would that do him now? He would always be able to see that scene again. Some things a person could not forget. Ever.

"When you arrive with Najaran, it will be the anniversary of Salvadore's death. There is only one place then to find Zeneth, if he has become the man I believe he has become. But he will be at his least stable. He will need people who can understand, but he is not one who can easily accept that understanding."

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

"I can understand the anger he may have felt, and the damage that may have done to him. I do not believe he is lost though. A friend of mine went down a similar path of destruction, and for far longer. He was known as a great demon who terrorized the very same people he now protects."

Miroku sipped his tea again, thinking over the situation carefully. "It is going to be quite the risk approaching him at such a place and time, though perhaps as someone with their own Cards he won't see me as a foe."

A realization struck Miroku suddenly, and he leaned back in his chair. A look of unease crossed his face. "I'll have to be careful of my own use of the Cards as well, or I'll suffer the same fate his master did. It could even endanger all three of us if he and your student are present."

[najaran]

Horowitz nodded. "One of the things you will have to to is ensure that Najaran knows not to let anyone know that she is a Cepter. You as well. You will have to pass as travelers only. She must also disguise her walking stick. It will not be pleasant for him, but the town is dangerous now to outsiders. To anyone seen as different. The atmosphere has been tense there for years now, since the incident. People who can no longer make a living but cannot bring themselves to leave. This is no easy task I set you," he acknowledged.

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

"The wars of my world had some areas in the same state. As a monk I traveled with freedom just to see others caught between the armies of human lords warring with eachother. The demons only made things worse for people, and we got few warm welcomes traveling with three of them."

He smiled at Horowitz, trying to reassure him. "I'll take all precautions when it comes to their secrecy and safety. And if it comes to it..." Miroku trailed off, but the look he gave Horowitz finished the sentence for him. He would ensure their safety, no matter the cost.

[najaran]

"The hope is for all of you to remain safe. We need Zenith on our side, and safe from the Dark Cepters. If you can get him to agree to come with you, then you all need to return to the beach, and I will met you there or send someone who can. Time moves differently between the worlds, which makes things a little more difficult. That said, there is one thing that you should know that may ease your way."

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

Miroku nodded, smiling at the other caring for his safety as much as he did the others. At least he he put a lot of effort into it if he were lying to Miroku about caring. It was hard to tell with members of the Holy Clan sometimes, though Horowitz always seemed sincere.

Miroku leaned forward, waiting for what Horowitz had to say next.

[najaran]

"If you can, bring him to the center of the blast radius. Salvadore's Retrete. I know he has never gone to the house where he once lived. There is something there that may surprise him yet." A deep breath. "But I will not lie to you. The boy is dangerous. He stands at the precipice of controlling her powers or being controlled by them. The weapon fused to his arm is fueled by hate and rage. Those emotions will never bring him control." A very deep breath. "I wish to see him saved. For Salvadore's sake, for Najaran's sake, and for his own. For mine as well. But if he is going to lose control, if he cannot stop himself in time. I will have to trust you and your judgment to do what must be done," he said heavily. "I hope I can be there in time that you do not have to face that choice. But if it needs to be made, it is one that Najaran herself could never make."

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

Miroku nods, his face a mix of emotions. He understood the last request, the necessity of it. He couldn't help but think though, could he have done the same to Inuyasha? When his friend had been a local menace, had ripped apart buildings and attacked the humans who lived there out of his own rage, would it not have been necessary?

He knew the answer, and was grateful he lived to meet his friends when he did. There is the potential for good in everyone, but so is there the potential for evil. If someone so powerful chooses the latter there's always a cost. Usually the cost is human lives, and many of them. Just as Miroku would've stopped Inuyasha's trail of destruction, he would stop Zenith's if it came to it. It was his duty to those who could not protect themselves from such powerful beings.

"As I said, I swear to do whatever is necessary," a glimmer of hope found his eyes as he continued, "but I don't think that will be necessary. My greatest friendships were built upon forgiveness and compassion." It was Kagome he thought of now. Not for any wrong doing she had to be forgiven for. No, quite the opposite. He thought of her strength, and how despite the mistakes they all made she never stopped caring for any of them.

He realized even without being here, his friends were there for him in this very room. They'd help him through this task, they'd help save Zenith. And just maybe, they'd help save the world without ever realizing it.

[najaran]

"Thank you. I very much hope you are right. That all those years ago, Salvadore was right. He believed in Zenith's goodness from the start. Raised him from infancy. I want to believe that my dear friend was right in the end."

He set down his tea cup. "Is there any more information you need before you leave?"

[miroku_of_the_holy_clan]

Miroku takes one last, long sip of his tea before gently setting the empty cup down. He stands and steps out from in front of the chair before bowing deeply to Horowitz. He holds it for a moment as he speaks, a notable tone of respect in his voice not even Lady Grubel has heard from the monk. "Thank you Master Horowitz," he said before ending his bow. "I appreciate your hospitality, your help, and most of all your trust in this matter. There are a thousand questions I could think to ask had we the time, but time is something I'd rather not waste if we are to find him before the Dark Cepters do."

A warm smile came to his face again. "When this is all over, maybe we can sit down for tea again. You can explain everything from the beginning, and I'll tell you the tale of the third great demon sword and the portal to Hell." He chuckled, though not at the portal. That had oddly been said with a confidence that could only come with truth.

No, he had been worried that by the end of this there would be an empty seat left at this table. Perhaps both chairs would be left unoccupied.
At least there would still be intact chairs within an intact room, he thought optimistically. That could only mean we were successful, and reality didn't end.

[najaran]

"I will look forward to that, though I suspect there is a long road between here and now." He stood. "Thankfully Grubel was some help in the measurements needed for Dimension Door. You have not put anything into your pockets since she has last seen you, have you?" he asked as a Card flew into his hand.