An interlude before adventure

Angerona returned to the mountains, awaiting her ally once again while slumping against the wall just inside of the cave she had just recently traveled to; The reason she had slumped in place of simply standing or leaning was due to her recent escapade into Kumogakure which, while having apparently been rewarding, did little to satiate the blade which she wore upon her hip, a blade which constantly drove itself into her mind and tore her apart piece by piece, memory by memory, until she was nothing but an obedient servant to the hunger of an ancient evil which corrupted even a sword that once held potential as an object of salvation, a blade which now constantly switched between maternal care and nearly psychopathic blood-lust. Something which even Angerona had grown to distrust, having found herself in a position which could have easily ended up getting herself killed, yet somehow rewarded her, and then the events of the nights which occurred afterwards, where she had met a young woman, older than herself, whom seemed to have an odd Light about her, she had the feeling of someone whom would one day be able to fight her, and that was something Angerona could not afford, yet here she now sat, slumped against a cave wall, moping.

Her hair covered her eyes as she began to cry in the frustration, only stopping after nearly ten minutes had passed, expecting her ally to arrive soon she wiped her tears and drew the sword, holding it in one hand as she brought her knees close to her chest, dangling one arm over her own knees as the blade hung off to the side of her body, glowing softly, she would wait in this position until Suto arrived, and if he did indeed enter the place which she had hopefully remembered to inform him of - her memory being faulty the past few days as well, due to the pure mental and physical exhaustion - she would offer a small wave with the sword and begin to speak in a low, almost saddened tone: "Welcome, my Prophet," There was a pause between words as she now looked up into the man's eyes, if he should so make himself visible, as her reptilian eyes would seem to radiate Dark Energy, piercing through him as if staring at the wall behind him. "I have encountered many an obstacle, on my small journey without your aide. I am suddenly finding myself very unsure of both my capabilities - - - " Another pause, as she contemplated even saying the words which may come as blasphemy, nevertheless she would say them. "As well as my Goddess's" She would finish, frowning as she shook her head softly. "Or at least my potential to wield her power properly, if only I were able to see into the minds of others . . . if only I were able to allow them to see into her Realm." This however, would give Angerona pause as she smiled softly, gaining an idea. "Though, perhaps with the power of my Goddess, there is a way." She would finish this thought, standing slowly now, as her boots lightly scratched against the rock floor of the cave.

Her eyes now turned to Suto, intently gazing upon her Prophet as she began to brighten up in her expression, the doubts and fears which were cast upon her by the previous few day's events evaporated and being replaced by a new feeling, one of hope and even victory as she now knew that one of the most effective ways in fighting with the Darkness was not merely with a blade or other such weapon; but with the mind, where her Goddess would be able to render their target at her mercy, or at least weaken them in such a way that they would be more susceptible to the Darkness and it's will; or rather Angerona's. Eventually, she would speak once more, pointing the tip of Aufero toward Suto, but merely as a way in which to elaborate on her point: "My Prophet, we shall render them to our side by way of their most precious of things; The Mind. Afterwards, their soul's shall follow and even their bodies, until we control every aspect of those we desire, and soon the world will know purity, it will know peace, that is and has always been my aim along with my Goddess, though I am sure this merely restating facts you know. As you are all-knowing, correct?" She would say this question with the faintest of smiles, perhaps showing that she did indeed distrust her Prophet somewhat, but merely allowed his presence as he had given her the ideas which she had used in order to survive thus far, or at least he provided her council when she most desperately needed such. No matter the case, she would not appear hostile toward Suto as she then sheathed her blade, awaiting further response before making any action.


[826]

Suto had been traveling on his own for sometime now, Yuriko, or Angerona as she had now decided to call herself, had recently traveled somewhere, though he didn't recall as to where she had said she was going, if she did, but she did inform as to where she would be in a few days, so he was heading there the cave she had mentioned, at least in the general area. He had already checked a few caves already. The weather was rather cool out, which he was thankful for, because otherwise he'd have to take off his white cloak, and carry it around, which would be more annoying in his opinion. The area was shrouded by the shadows of te clouds above, though he doubted there would be a storm, or a rain shower, due to the fact that the wind was blowing rather quickly, thus he would expect the clouds to quickly disappear towards a different area. There were small parts in the clouds that would break and let rays of sunlight through them, and shine down on various spots in the surrounding area, he saw one shining down on the tops of a few nearby tree tops. He continued, though, not minding it, as right now he wasn't worried about the situation on the weather, he was making way to meet Yuriko after a few days.


Upon entering the cave, he would take notice of someone right away, and assume it was Yuriki. 'Cause, who the fuck would it be besides her. "Ohey, where the fuck have you been?" He would ask, despite knowing that she would have been gone, he was somewhat curious as to where she had been and why she went. He assumed it had something to do with the village she was from, mainly because that was the only reasoning he had on her leaving for a while. Assuming none of her dialogue would change, Yuriko, or Angerona would begin to mention about how she had encountered some difficulties, and had begun to doubt her own abilities, as well as that of the one 'person,' or otherwise item, which Suto had so far based his opinion on, due to the so called Aufero, which Angerona had constantly been on about, supposedly being a sword. She doubted both her own and her 'Goddess'' abilities, which was something, because the way she had been talking about Aufero before she made her sound unbeatable. Suto really didn't know what to say, so he simply replied with, "So go make yourself undoubt them. Go wreck shit or something. Worse that can happen is you dying, and me too probably," though he didn't expect her to take anything he said seriously, "if that happens, I mean, your goddess thing will just ensure us safe passage into whatever the hell her domain is called." She had also mentioned wanting to be able to read other's minds, but he wasn't going to pester with that. He would merely wait, now.

Angerona would frown softly at Suto's first reaction to seeing her, seeming slightly disappointed at the fact he had asked first where she had been, rather than how she was or anything of the such. Nonetheless, she would tilt her head to the side slightly as she spoke to her Prophet in a calm, soft tone: "I had been in Kumogakure, seeking out more missionaries for our beloved Goddess . . . " Afterwards, she would pause, allowing Suto to continue on with what he had been saying and in-fact challenged her to cause herself to believe by using the powers held within the blade, even if it meant their deaths, as they would then be taken to the realm of Aufero, which would be their afterlife and heaven. She took a moment to ponder his words, each of which penetrating the barrier of self-loathing and doubt which she had held ever since she had returned from Kumogakure, ever since she had her last battle with her former sensei and ever since she had realized just how different she had become from those she used to admire and love so deeply, it was at this moment now, however, that she would realize that this did not have to be something to frown upon, but could possibly become an advantage at some point in time. 

With a small smile now forming on her lips, Angerona would grab her Prophet in both arms and graciously hug him, her strength making it so that he could not escape, even though she performed this gesture gently and without hostility, she would still ensure it went through however as she held him there for a moment without a word, before slowly letting go and speaking up to him: "Thank you, My Prophet, you have shown me the way . . . We will travel and find the next soul for my Goddess, we will finally test her power and go onward to becoming the purifiers of this world, it's Saviors." With that, she would swiftly turn from her Prophet as her cape flowed behind her, beginning to walk from the cave with a newly founded desire to show to her Goddess her devotion, as well as to showcase her own growing power and it would be then that she would finally be able to achieve what she had dreamed of since that day in the caves of Kumogakure: She would finally become a Hero, and gain her soul back in the process.

While she walked, Angerona would be greeted by a vision of her Goddess within her mind, who spoke in a stern yet maternal tone to it's Wielder: "You will first dominate their minds, then you will destroy their bodies, only then can their souls be freed. You will allow them passage into my Realm while this occurs, so that you may be undisturbed and I may welcome my new Servants" With that, Angerona would close her eyes as an image of a strange, black mist filled her mind. Within the mist were many trees, dark and black in color, even the leaves being such. Beyond the trees lie the visage of her Goddess, within a small clearing where small spheres of different colors seemed to hover near her, as if they were trophies. She would recognize these spheres as being very similar to what she had seen her own Soul as, upon retrieving Aufero within the caves for the first time, she approached the image of her Goddess, slowly, cautiously, as it began to fill her vision until she reached the point where she stood face-to-face with the powerful Goddess of the blade. "Is this your Realm, My Goddess?" She would ask in a soft tone, as Aufero simply nodded, gesturing around to the Dark Forest and Black Mist: "This is my domain, where you will take those whom you wish to serve me into, allowing me to speak with them, to persuade them to join our cause." With that, Aufero would smile softly, mischeviously, before beginning to fade into the very same black mist from whence she came, as Angerona nodded softly and uttered: "Yes, Goddess" before eventually returning to reality, as she was still walking along, away from the distant village of Kumogakure and toward the borders, where she hoped to travel freely this time, leaving to places unknown in the search for new Souls for her Goddess.

Angerona would glance over to Suto, a faint smile still upon her lips as she thought to herself: "His loyalty is dubious, but I have the feeling he will be a great ally toward our cause, Goddess, he holds so much potential within him, and I feel strange endeared toward him, as if he was someone dear to me . . . Perhaps he shall be, some day." Her thoughts would slowly fade away as she offered a small nod and said: "Come now, try to at least keep pace with me, Prophet. We will be traveling from some time so I cannot afford to have you fall behind just yet." At this, she would utter a soft laugh, continuing on as she placed her hands behind her head and leaned it back, gazing up at the sky as once more, she sensed the sunset approaching. 

It was going to be a long journey, but she knew that in the end, it would all be worth it: She would finally begin her quest the way it was meant to be, with Aufero in hand.

[1,737]

She replied to Suto's previous question on where she had been, stating that Yuriko had been to Kumogakure, which he figured was the village she was originally from, though left, in search of missionaries. If he figured the religion shit had been a joke earlier, then this probably would have made it seem more serious, though Suto could tell from the first time he had met Yuriko that she was pretty much dead serious on the presence of Aufero and that her religion was real. He personally was just acting in on it, 'til he found a good point in the journey to leave, if any. After mentioning his reply as to what Yuriko should do about her feelings of doubt, she appeared to be put into a state lost in thought, which somewhat worried Suto as he didn't intend for it to be all that serious. Shit, can't back out on it now. He thought, and the reason being so was due to the fact that if he backed out of the idea, it might somehow offend her religious beliefs, maybe by thinking that he didn't actually believe that they'd be taken to Aufero's realm. He kept a plain face, awaiting her response, and decided not to assume anything. There's a possibility for her to have some sense, he figured.


He would begin to notice her taking movement, with her being both faster, and stronger than him, he couldn't really avoid being hugged by the girl. While he wasn't exactly comfortable with it, being hugged by a rather complete stranger, he didn't complain, aloud anyways. Simultaneously, she had begun to thank him, and that she had decided to journey and become the world's saviors. He merely held back a sigh and began to speak once more; "Well, I don't think we could do it right now." He would begin to speak. "Well, I mean, I don't think I would be capable of associating with much of anyone at the moment, anyways." He said, putting some emphasis on the I in his sentence. He mainly wanted to avoid anyone hostile with this, as, at the moment, he had no idea that by saving people, Yuriko meant to take their soul through combat, or killing them. "Just want to avoid an unnecessary death, is what I mean, as I am rather physically weak, and somewhat ignorant in what it mostly takes to be a shinobi, or at least a powerful one." He would say, speaking truthfully, he lacked pretty much everything, he barely had knowledge of one of the most basic concepts; chakra, and he had no techniques or jutsu in his arsenal to boot. All he had on him were petty weapons which could probably only be used a few times in battle, if not once. While sure, physically he had been training himself over the past few days by participating in a few various, though basic exercises, however, he could barely escape a hug of a thirteen year old girl, considering the age difference between the two, he could assume that shinobi at his age have more than twice the amount of strength and speed, and more knowledge on the Ninja arts as well. Thus he figured he couldn't exactly rely on the child for training to become a ninja, at least not completely, perhaps a few basics could be taught to him, but he figured he may have to visit one of the more major villages before he can learn anything. Assume things kept going as they did, Yuriko would act like the two were going to begin to travel, and joked about his lack of speed, at least that's what Suto had perceived from her speech on keeping pace with her. He sighed, figuring he could put in work for improvement later, as he began to follow. "So where the fuck are we going?"

{1152}

As they walked, Angerona would hear Suto respond to her by saying that the two - or rather he - would not be able to embark on her previously envisioned mission just yet, as he mentioned not being capable, further explaining that he was weak and ignorant, unable to defend himself properly. Angerona would take this in and solemnly nod, understanding that they were indeed incapable of taking on any force equal to her own power or possibly even less, due to the fact her Prophet was not quite yet trained for battle, nor was he fully aware of what being a Shinobi entailed. It was a sad truth, but Angerona knew that they must hold off on showing the Goddess's true power for just a tad longer, to give themselves time to prepare and time for her Prophet to grow into the strong warrior that he needed to be in order to survive this place, in order to be a true Prophet of Aufero.

Angerona would reply to Suto's words within a few moments, after letting out a soft sigh: "I understand, Prophet. It would seem that you are correct in that perhaps we should train you further before charging into battle..." She would trail off, until he spoke once more and asked where they were going, to which she would reply: "We shall travel to the Black Forest, where we will hone you properly for battle, where you will finally begin to become the Warrior that you must be, alongside the Prophet which you currently are." Angerona would continue walking now, moving off toward the distant Black Forest now as she knew what must be done: Suto must be trained properly, and she and her Goddess would be the one's to aide in this, with the help of the Darkness itself she would turn this man who was currently so very weak into someone worthy of being called the Prophet of Aufero, someone that she could trust her life to if such was forced to be, one that could even rival her. 

With a faint smile, Angerona would turn her head to Suto as they walked along the new direction now and said: "I have faith in you, Prophet. Soon we shall begin your training and you can finally be whom you were meant to be." She would say vaguely, her eyes seeming to be attempting to pierce through him as she seemed to gaze through the man, this was due to her attempting to see inside of his mind, of his soul, all a byproduct of her recent epiphany in which she was told that mental combat would be just as effective as physical combat, an idea which she previously contested but now seemed to believe in somewhat as she continued to stare into him, only looking away as she noticed the sun beginning it's descent out of the sky and into the abyss, to be replaced within hours by the moon which she nearly worshiped, alongside her Goddess of course.

There was much work to be done, days, weeks, or possibly even months of training to complete in order to become capable of wielding the Darkness and the power which lay within, only then would Angerona be able to accomplish all that she had wished to do: Bring peace to this world, no matter the cost. 

[2,295]

Suto would listen as Yuriko would agree with the fact that he wasn't strong enough to go and participate in a fight anytime soon, due to his lack of training. In reply, she would mention that the two would now begin to travel to a location, which Yuriko seems to call the Black Forest. He had never heard of it, due to the fact that he had no idea on the common areas in the world, he just mainly wandered around. "Alright, then." He would reply, not having a problem with the area that Yuriko had selected for the two to travel, and train at. Yuriko would continue to say that she had faith in Suto, which made him think she were about to rant on about her religion once more, though he didn't mind it, he'd grown somewhat accustomed to the mentioning of the Goddess Aufero and how he is a prophet and such, which certainly beat wandering around, alone in silence. He merely heard Yuriko out as she spoke about. At this point, he was thinking about how strong he would soon become, how much power he would gain, in a step closer to becoming a shinobi which he had longed to be. He merely remained silent, looking up slightly, and grinning as he walked along with Yuriko towards their destination.