In Hunt of a Sword and finding more along the way

Sprawling out before his own feet and those of his companion as they crested the last hill a small village spread before them, the smells of freshly baked bread reached even this far away they must have at least one decent baker as the freshly baked loaves brought forth a sense of hunger he had been suppressing since the previous afternoon. He could make out the different buildings all with the same style of flat tin roofs with stucco'd walls. While not a very distinguished group of buildings it wasn't wrong to say that it would be a good place to stop it may even prove useful maybe they could find a blacksmith for Aivas to find a new sword. His previous weapon had served him well but just a few days ago the blade had finally snapped after the years of wear and stress finally took their toll. It had been a sad and sobering moment he knew nothing would last forever but he had quite hoped the weapon would last awhile longer but it was not suited to everyday use as a utility tool and had finally broken clean off, almost shorn through by his own developing strength. Looking sadly down at his own hands for a moment he would let out a very low sigh blowing air through his nose slightly before stretching again pulling his arms across his chest one at a time and then rolling his shoulders in their sockets in an attempt to stave off the growing sense of stagnation. If there was one thing he hated most it was a sense of stagnation it did nothing but dull a persons senses and reflexes everything they had worked for to achieve eaten away by time and a lack of motion.

A low rumble began in the pit of his stomach while he simultaneously began to salivate at the thought of fresh hot food for supper. Turning to look at his traveling companion he would frown slightly maybe it wasn't time for a meal yet he hadn't yet completed his daily regimen of training and he would need the constant motion to continue to develop his muscles and reflexes. "Well I think its time to stop for awhile and get some exercise in before I go down there and fill my belly and forget the constant practice needed to keep a body in peak physical condition." He would smile at Oda in a friendly way "what about you minstrel plan to practice your own craft before we go down for something to eat?" Continuing to smile Aivas would start to step off the path into a clearing in the trees with relatively flat land three quarters of the way up the hill still with the village just tauntingly out of sight, although the scent of fresh bread loaves continued to taunt his senses. Shaking his head Aivas would drop to the ground in a push-up position his eyes glued to his knuckles as he slowly began to count in his head, one...two...three... his goal was to finish twenty push-ups before getting up to stretch although about half way through his set he would look up from his knuckles to see if he could spot Oda to see if the other man had agreed to train for awhile before continuing on. 

[558 WC]

Oda had decided to wrap his viol and bow in cloth as they approached the village. He kept the cloth with him as he did not currently have a case for his instrument, nor did he particulartly like how long a case would take to open in comparison to simply unwrapping. However, the viol was not in a simple bundle. It was tightly wound, leaving almost no space between the cloth and the wood on the instrument. Afer having wound the instrument, Oda had taken the two ends of the cloth and and tied them into a handle. He could carry this bundle in his hand or on his shoulder, across his chest. He currently held it in his hands as they approached the village. It was a pretty small village, they might not even have an inn. However, if it was raining, it would be nice to get an umbrella or poncho or something of the sort for the rest of the trip. Oda had a simple poncho, but it was still moist from a few days prior. A new one would be quite nice. "You really do contantly exercise, did you know that? It is almost astonishing." was Oda's response to the man wishing to stop to exercise. Seriously. Aivas had been doing hand stands and flips the entire trip. It was interesting to say the least. "I think I shall descend into the village and inspect their wares. Is there anything would would like me to keep a lookout for? I am personally going to look for a poncho." Oda would wait for a reply from the man on the ground before heading into the small village. he decided to slowly unwrap his viol and begin playing.

As he approached, he began to play The Celtic Viol. His steps were light and airy, almost as if each was a minor jump. He had taken off his headband a while ago and it rested in his sack. Best not to portray yourself as a ninja in foreign lands. Especially if you had an easy way to appear as a commoner. As he entered, he noticed many people looking his way. Children looked at him with wonder and amazement, and adults simply smiled in his direction. He would skip and jump to the music he played, providing a show. People who were entertained always provided something. Would would give some bread, others a few coins. Rarely someone would give you a place to stay. Oda had learned this in his travels. It was an interesting way to live. He approached the town center and put a hat on the ground. Here he would play and dance, and not say a word if it was not to sing. When someone shouted a song to him, he would start transfering to it. Many a strange song were asked of him, but he thought not of it, for a loaf of bread and some lose change were placed into the hat. The music seemed alived and energized, which was at least partly due to Oda infusing his chakra into it. After a little over thirty or so minutes, he would bow extravagently and pick up his hat. The change he pocketed and the bread he placed into his pack. He rewrapped his viol and approached a nearby conveniece store. Using the change he had gotten, he purchased a poncho and noticed he had just enough left over for a meal, and possibly a stay at an inn. This had been a good venture. Now would be a good time for him to explore the small village and look for what Aivas had wanted, or perhaps Aivas himself.

Oda made a comment about how he constantly exercised and he smiled to himself, "yeah I do like to keep in motion, helps prevent the stagnation of the mind." Lifting one hand he would switch his weight from one foot to the other as he smiled at his traveling companion it had been awhile since he had stopped and got in any really hard exercise and he figured it was a good a time as any to start his exercise regimen for the trip. The push-ups weren't the hardest part of his exercise routine but it would help him keep his arms warmed up for when he got to the harder part of his plan. Looking up at the other man while he continued to do his push-ups Aivas would smile "if you can look into a blacksmith for me, if you get a chance that is." Switching into a bit of a harder exercise he would start with a few minutes of plank position resting most of his weight on his forearms  as he considered what sort of sword he would look into purchasing to train with this time. There where a lot of options he could get another simple arming sword sleek design not too showy but it got the job done decent for both slashing or thrusting. Perhaps he would invest in a harpe style sword the flat blade section was excellent for cutting and the beaked hook was perfect for ripping armor or weapons from an opponent. Maybe he could invest in an estoc a simple sharpened rod absolutely useless for slashing an opponent but highly effective at piercing armor. On the other hand if he wanted a thrusting sword he could get a rapier, the decorative but functional hilt would protect his hand from being slashed by an opponent and it even had sharp edges unlike the estoc. However, maybe he could scrape together the money and get a large two handed weapon like a claymore something decent for slashing but not quite as effective at thrusting. If he wanted a more traditional and utility blade he could always go with a gladius a short sword with a heavy blade making chopping efficient going down. On the other side of chopping swords he could go with something like a falcata it would be good for chopping with its unique blade shape and could even be used for thrusting if he practiced enough. Well if he wanted something similar to his old arming sword he could go with a simple longsword and start to train his own personal style of unarmed combat blended with a one handed sword.

Noticing that he had been holding the plank long enough to start to cramp up his leg and shoulder muscles Aivas would leap back up to his feet and stretch touching his toes for a thirty second count then transitioning into lunges across the field while thinking on other swords he could perhaps train with. His arming sword experience would come in handy for practicing with a colichemarde a sword much like a rapier however having a thicker section close to the hilt for parrying blade on blade. If he wanted something like his old arming sword he could always get a katzblager another style close to the arming sword although having a rounded point and thicker blade. Perhaps if he wanted to practice his blade on blade blocking some more he could pick up a spare cinquedea short sword, it had a thick section at the base about five fingers wide and narrowing to a sharp point, it was a great thrusting weapon but its slashing would be unwieldy to practice as the extra weight of the base of the blade would throw the tip out of alignment. Along the lines of a cutting sword he could always get a dao it was a simple slashing sword but it was quite heavy perhaps it would be a good choice to practice his strength. Noticing that he had traveled across the clearing four times already he would approach a tree and find a thick branch hanging just above his reach and smiled leaping lightly up from the tips of his toes to grip the branch and hang for a moment before starting his chin-ups keeping count in his head while his gaze fixed on a point on the horizon parallel to the path they had followed that day, one...two...three... It felt really good to get his body moving at this level of exercise even though he had only broken into a light sweat. Finishing his four sets of twenty Aivas would drop lightly back onto the ground barely seeming to touch down at first but then settling back into his own stance he would smile to himself using his discarded shirt to wipe some of the sweat from his forehead before redoning his clothes and turning to walk towards the village he figured he had been working out for at least an hour and it would probably be best to go find Oda and see if he had maybe found a blacksmith or had any interesting insights into a sword choice for himself. Following the streets carefully he would pick his way towards the center of the town avoiding drawing too much attention to himself by switching his gait and hunkering back down on his heels and lowering his shoulders slouching slightly as he passed through the townspeople keeping his ears open for any rumors of danger on the road ahead. Luckily he didn't hear anything of much importance and it would be simple enough for the two to slip pass the border and go wherever they were headed. Turning slightly he would head towards a convenience store he figured it was the best place to start looking for his companion after all they would have poncho's right? Who knows he had never been sent to towns to shop it would be a new and novel experience to actually be there to enjoy himself and not to scout out the lay of the land for the warlord he had once served.

[TWC 1584]

As Oda purchased the poncho, he would ask the clerk about the location of a blacksmith in the town. The woman said there was one just outside the village, right on the border with Rain. With this knowledge, Oda stepped out of the convenience store just in time to run into Aivas. "Hey Aivas. The guy running the place said that there's a blacksmith just outside the village on the border between the countries." Carrying his wrapped viol and storing his poncho in his pack, he would begin walking towards the edge of town opposite of where they walked in. "I also scrounged up some money for a meal." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the coins, jingling them around in his hand. "Enough for a nice meal if we keep walking or set up a camp, or just a meal and a stay at an inn." He would put the coins back in his pocket and reach into his pack, pulling out the bread. "In the meantime, take some of this. Still pretty warm." He tore the loaf roughly in half and handed half to Aivas. It was a rather small loaf, so the halves were only the size of an average roll or two, but they would subside them if they decided to visit the blacksmith before getting a meal. Which is what Oda figured they should do seeing as many resturauns would remain open until late, but a blacksmith may close early.

While walking, Oda figured he may do something similar to Aivas. Aivas constantly trained. Oda would do similar. He started raising and lowering his viol as he held it, all bundled up, in one hand. He was not looking to strengthen his arm, but rather see how long he could continue this for before having to switch arms. He would continue raising and lowering his arm holding the viol as they walked. "So, what's your story? We've been traveling for a bit, yet barely know anything. Of course, sometimes that's the better way to handle things." He was not quite sure why he asked that. Curiosity just seemed to get the better of him for a bit.

The smaller figure of Oda rammed into him just as he had been about to enter the convenience store, he bounced back slightly onto his heels and looked at the other man listening carefully. "Let's get going to that blacksmith I have need of a new sword to practice with." Turning back through the street Aivas would instantly readopt his previous gait of slouching unimportance blending carefully into the background of the crowds as they mulled about the streets on their way to whatever meetings they may have that particular day. Going into auto pilot as he made his way through the crowd his mind would wander back to his dilemma of which sword style to use. He could probably adapt his style for use with a longsword it would be awkward for awhile with the added length and weight of the blade. Learning to use the lightning quick thrusts of a rapier may be a handy skill to have for combat but it would be very difficult to adapt the weapon to his own fighting style on the road. While he could adapt his style to use a longer curved blade such as a falcata it would be a lot of hard work and he would rather do it while in an area where he could drill nonstop and really hone his skills and speed with the weapon. He had considered briefly training with an estoc but the sword had no edges only a deadly point it would be like swinging a club and wouldn't have the bite as a bladed sword. While other swords had their drawbacks and strengths it would maybe be best just to stick with his original style of sword until he found a safe place to drill with a new weapon type for awhile. "Say Oda whats your opinion on a sword, what sort should I invest in this time?"

He turned down the street heading past the last few buildings on the outskirts of town heading towards the border and the blacksmith. The question caught him off guard he had been walking without paying much attention he just wanted to completely decide on a sword before reaching the blacksmith. "My story isn't much of anything, some time with a standing militia," he would mutter the next part under his breath, "not exactly of my own volition." He would look Oda over for a minute, "then I just sort of drifted and practiced with the sword, traveling around the woods avoiding civilization." He would shrug once then roll his shoulders stretching his muscles again, "what about you? Whats your story?"

[TWC 2020]

Oda himself was considering getting a sword at this point. However, if he got one, how would he weild it? He liked playing his viol, and holding both a sword and the instrument would be both unweildy and risky. No, that was not a good idea. So perhaps instead he could get weapons incorporated into his instrument. A rapier in the bow (or perhaps the bow in a rapier or other sword) and converting the viol into a smashing shield would be doable. Although it would cost much more than the measly amount of money he had and could gather. He would need to come up with some other way of gathering funds. Perhaps he could do some missions when he got home. Yes, that seemed a good idea. He would be unlikely to do it, though. Oda was not one for close quarters combat. If he could manage it, he would simply stay within earshot of his opponent. He has had this fighting style preference for most of his ninja life, prefering to confuse his fellow students with the Clone technique and music, and "take them down" with as little effort as possible. Perhaps that is why he studied genjutsu so much. It was the lazy mans jutsu. If it connected and went unbroken, you were set. If Oda could become powerful enough that his genjutsu would never be broken, he could do glorious things.

Perhaps it would even let him do things he sometimes feared he was capable of.

Oda had never taken a life before, but only barely. He would have a life on his hands had his sensei not stopped him.

He would have another had his plan that one day in the forest worked.

Oda knew that, deep within him, was something evil. What truly scared him was that he didn't mind.

"I'm not too experienced with swords, I doubt I'd be able to help you." he would answer as they continued to walk. Shortly thereafter, he would hear Aivas' story. "Well. You have quite the story. I'm actually unsure what to say. Mine is much simpler. I attended classes and lived my life. The most extra ordinary thing that has happened in my life is my village's rise to power, and then how it lost some." Immediately after saying that, he realized perhaps he should not have said that. He hid that thought from his face, however.

Aivas stopped for a second on the road his normal state of constant motion halting just long enough to turn a more scrutinizing look at the other man, he had come from one of the villages, perhaps a village was a nice place to live with structure but freedom all in one place he would have to ask about it and double check as he had not visited any village to his knowledge. "In this village you mention... is it a place where you have structure like the military? More importantly does it still let you exercise your own will, you know do you have freedom?" The moment of stillness crept into his very essence he could hear his own breathing the light creaking of his joints as they settled into a resting position it was rather unnerving, add to that he could hear his companions breathing and he was very thrown off, immediately he dropped to the ground and started doing push-ups counting out loud in a steady voice as he continued to look straight down at the dirt. Finishing a quick twenty he would immediately hop back to his feet and look around for his companion giving off a quick grin before heading quickly down the path towards the blacksmith he was very excited to pick up the new weapon he had finally made a decision on what sort of sword he would like to pick up, another simple arming sword would suit his needs just fine for training and practice to get his body back into a peak condition for combat and it was familiar so he could use it on the road as well without having to worry about technique every-time he went to draw the weapon.  Smiling he would keep up a light conversation as he continued on the road still smiling as he alternated between walking on his feet and hands sometimes dropping into a plank or doing another twenty quick push-ups just to mix things up. "C'mon tell me what village life is like, humor me. Pretend I've never been to a village and just describe every little detail that pops into your mind okay?" Aivas would smile quickly to show he was genuinely interested in the topic, "is there a large structure for a military, do they drill in squadrons or individually? Do they have good food?" After what probably felt like an eternity the two would round the last bend a small unassuming building poking out between two thickets of trees in a simple style aside from the large open air pavilion out front lined with weapons of all sorts and way in the back by the home there sat the large forge, simple molds for most basic swords stacked neatly by an anvil as if more important than actually forming and shaping the blade, Aivas knew the blade he was about to purchase would be sturdy enough but wouldn't hold an edge well or be the best craftsmanship coming from a mold but it would suit him for travel and training and that is what he needed right now.
Aivas would wait patiently for a moment watching his surrounding intently the grin vanishing from his face without any trace left behind as his features seemed to settle into an almost stony countenance as he watched for any sign of the forge master or blacksmith that operated this little shop. Inwards he focused his energy this muscles all over his body tightening in groups based upon his combat style first his off hand quickly followed by his sword hand the tips of his fingers twitching slightly as he barely contained the almost excessive amount of energy that was being held back as he sunk into a more warrior mind set.  It was a brief moment but he instantly locked his gaze back upon a small curtain that hung just over the open doorway he knew the blacksmith had stepped out into his forge it was evident in the way the atmosphere seemed to become charged with more than just his own energy, the weapons seemed to want to leap to their creators side eager to be chosen as his favorite the one he would recommend to the two men who had made their way into his shop. A faint smile flickered across Aivas' features as he settled into a state of readiness, picking out the stooped figure of an even older man who obviously ran the forge still despite his age.  He was ready for it and swung his hand forward as the other man raised his to shake forearms in a traditional greeting, a smile playing on the older mans face as he took in the two men, "What brings you to my shop youngins? Mmm if you come in search of a sword I have a wonderful stock of freshly forged rapiers."  
Aivas would make a noncommittal gesture with his free hand for a moment as if considering it before speaking, "I actually came in search of an arming sword, or short sword if you have any?" He could clearly see the sword type he was after but it was polite to differ to the craftsman to give him a chance to show off his wares. The older man was eager to show his wares as Aivas had successfully judged, and immediately strode over to the rack of shortswords seeming to look at Aivas for but a moment before selecting a decent looking weapon measuring it in his hands another time before turning to offer it to Aivas hilt first. Smiling kindly at the older man Aivas would take the weapon and step back giving it a single test swing before frowning and turning to offer it back to the blacksmith hilt first as it had been handed to him, "do you have anything perhaps a bit heavier?"  The blacksmith would frown for a second looking at the younger man again before selecting a slightly heftier looking sword and with a small grunt hefting it around to offer the hilt first to Aivas. Smiling encouragingly Aivas would pick up the sword with seemingly no effort stepping back once more to take a test swing before smiling to the older man the smile actually reaching his eyes for a split second before he masked his face in that set stone look, "I'll take it how much?" 
The blacksmith would conceal the lower portion of his face for a second with one of his hands seeming to think on the price before announcing "I'll give it to you for six hundred Ryo youngin." Aivas would frown for a moment starting to set the sword down slightly the point barely resting against the top of his boot as he seemed to think for a long while.
"I'll give you four hundred Ryo for this blade, it is of fine quality but I noticed the molds I'm not willing to pay that price for a blade when one of the same or higher quality costs that much if its been hand forged." 
The blacksmith would sigh for a moment before sizing up the youth again the gears in his head seeming to grind for a moment before he came to a conclusion, the younger man was more knowledgeable than he had thought, "I'll give it to you for five hundred Ryo not any less I have to make a living you know."
Seeming to struggle internally for a few seconds Aivas would sigh himself, "alright old man you have a deal, but if this breaks on my first swing I'm coming back for a refund or replacement." He would pull the Ryo from a hidden pocket in the front of his shirt and pass it to the older man before turning the sword swinging up to rest on his shoulder as he waited for the quickly presented sheath and checking its quality he would shrug to himself it wasn't the best but it would work for his needs. Sheathing the sword he would seem to consider for a moment before placing letting his sword hand keep hold of the sheath by a couple of strings meant to hold it to a belt. Turning on his heel only after looking at Oda to make sure he was ready to leave Aivas would tromp out and start on the path towards the border. "Oda did you want to stop for a meal before or after we crossed the border?" Nodding once he heard the answer he would raise his head and take a quick sniff of the air, he could smell freshly prepared food just over the  next rise in the terrain they could stop their before crossing the border, "I hope they have something tasty." He would start back up shifting from walking to a light jog, then back to walking on his hands with intermittent stops to do quick pull-ups and a few lunges. 
He would order something simple yet delicious from the small walk up stand, fresh rolls and a bit of apple jam spread, fresh of course. Smiling he would inhale the scent letting it fill his mind completely as he savored it for a second looking to Oda with a smile before ripping open a roll and spreading the perfect amount of apple jam on the warm inside. He would look up to the heavens for a moment saying a brief thank you before sinking his teeth into the roll, instantly his taste-buds lit up the food was so good it filled his mind briefly the warm feeling starting in his stomach as he smiled like a lunatic sitting back and looking up at the sky, very satisfied, if village food was anything like this small morsel that was more like a snack than an extravagant meal he would probably never leave the vicinity of the kitchens or mess halls he wasn't picky as long as it was good food in a pleasant atmosphere. He would let out a little sigh fixing his sight back upon his traveling companion a sad smile on his face, "I guess we should get going huh? Want to make the crossing well before nightfall so we can find a place to camp, right?"
He would lightly stretch up on his toes, rolling his shoulders and neck releasing some built up tension as he turned his restless feet to the path towards where the borders where located, he expected a nice simple walk and he had seemed to relax somewhat only switching his walking style, randomly jogging or walking on his hands no longer stopping to do push-ups or pull-ups and instead stretching when he stopped winding down his muscles as he prepared them for the few hours of inactivity he would inevitably have when he would have to get some sleep before continuing on this random journey, so long as Oda allowed him to follow he would, he really didn't have anywhere else to go at this point in time. He would turn to study his companion one last attempt at conversation before he let Oda take the lead with the conversations, "so what was your favorite part about the village you lived in?" Humming he would quickly speed up for a moment turning a cartwheel before stopping to drop into a plank holding himself steady for a minute before doing a one handed push-up and turning it into a one handed handstand and ending up miraculously on his feet. He would nervously look around at his surroundings once, surely they had passed the border by now and he was really psyched up to see another part of the world, and maybe the fabled (in his mind at least) village. He couldn't get there soon enough, "think we can push through the night and reach a village faster?" He seemed to be bursting with energy at the prospect, he would rise up on his toes before switching back to walking more back on his heel with every step sinking his heels slightly into the ground as he bounced.

[TWC 4037]
[Exit 20stats and Travel Complete Please]

They were odd questions, undoutedly. Aivas has truly lived a different life. “In a sense there was. It was semi-mandatory, but based on your parents signing you up for it. Starting at a young age, those who have been opted in are drilled in large groups. Once they rise in the ranks, they join much smaller groups, normally two other people of their level and a mentor of a level far above them. I'm at that stage." Oda would answer the rest of the questions in such a manner as to not give away that he was a ninja, while also not completely ostracizing the man. He watched as Aivas talked with the smith, and as he haggled for a better price. He got a decent reduction, but it was also a cheap sword. It was unlikely to hold up in fights for very long, and Oda expected it to give out much sooner than Aivas would like.

"Yes, getting some food sounds good" he would say. He ordered the same meal as Aivas and covered the entire tab. Between the cost and a small tip, he was out of the money he had earned playing music. However, he had not had to use any of his money, which was nice. Viol by his side, a song on his lips, he walked to the border with Aivas as he agreed that they should trek overnight, his music causing images of himself to continuously 'attack' the birds that listened.

[1630 8 stats and Mist Servant trained. Exit]

We did not know this and would like this to be a not-a-travel topic. We will preform a travel topic within the day as this is a LOT of words (mostly out of reap) where we thought we would get stats. Can we get this unapproved as travel and reapproved as training?