"There are many things to discuss," Konpaku said, "However, only one of them is applicable right now." With that his soul reached out and shimmered into the physical realm before his face, slowly altering itself into a map. One spot glowed brightly. If it were to scale it would appear to be about two miles wide. "That is where Genkai is, and that is where the legs are."

OOC: Is the island really that small?

IC: Raikotsu's eyebrows shot up, like the wings of a startled bird, "Interesting ability you have...can you gather the others, and bring them to me? It would be best if I discuss this with the other members of my group. Also, there is the issue of whether or not you can be trusted. Who are you, and why are you offering us your aid? How do you know where Genkai is?"

Chi seemed to be loosing his patience. His eyes narrowed and his face shifted a little into a more demonic shape. As he spoke he slowly continued turning into Talkatz "Are you!? Are you truly loyal to the Daemon lord!? Loyal to the blood that flowed through his veins!? Why should I kill you!? You cannot even answer a simple question! Maybe I should simply tear you apart and use your blood to supplement my power!!! I ask again, why should I kill you nameless creature!!??" He was nearing completion of this form as he finished.

The body hung limply for a few seconds after Raikotsu spoke. Konpaku had been prepared for this, but being forced to lose the advantage of surprise against Chi, whom he'd most likely be forced to kill, or have killed, at some point had made him quite irritable and the plethora of questions weren't helping. Those few seconds were to allow him to sort through the questions and answer them calmly, so as not to gain Raikotsu's ire. He didn't want to gain anyone's ire until he was certain of how he could, or could not, use them.

"Your questions, in order: I can not gather the others, as that it is doubtful they would trust me and I lack the ability to simply tear them from where they are and bring them here, at least without them agreeing. Further, I am known as Hando Konpaku, I am helping you because I require Talkatz to be resurrected in order to accomplish my own goals, and I know where Genkai is because I am not bound by my flesh when I do not wish to be. I simply watched him from the safety of the spiritual veil."

The man was apparently going to kill him either way, perhaps if he answered him, then the shock of actually being answered would give him time to escape. "You should kill me because..." He hesitated for a second, this was madness giving him a reason to kill him, but it was his only hope. "... I failed in my duty to kill Kurama, and I failed to distract him when we attempted to get the legs." Ishumo prepared for Chi's reaction; if it was violent then he would get 1000 pounds of shadow dropped on his head.

Kirakiri, the quiet achiever
 

OOC: Well, it's about time I began introducing some of Kirakiri's minions who I've been vaguely rambling about in the discussion thread.

Kirakiri is somewhat annoyed about the waste of time the meeting with Chi had been. The demon had struck him as being flighty and not possessed of a very firm grasp on reality. His paltry attempt at intimidating them had done nothing to improve Kirakiri's opinion of him. Nor had his choice of new allies. Sendo is a psychotic murderer - a creature that, although it may have its uses, must be kept on a tight leash. In general, Kirakiri finds such creatures not worth the trouble, even in the rare cases when they have useful abilities. Ishi he hadn't gotten a very firm picture of. Overal, not very promising. But... Kirakiri is patient: he will wait for a more complete view of them. If all else fails, he may be able to channel their energy into useful purposes.

While considering this, Kirakiri had checked about Sila. The Kimono's forces had already moved her to a secure location. Fortunate indeed. They had also gathered the bodies of their fallen for burial. He is quite impressed by their level of organisation. Although he knows a little about Tsubasa, his information about her group is more scanty. He'll have to talk to her later. For now, he has to set his own formidable resources into action.

Finding a place of solitude, the shapechanger pulls out a scroll and begins writing upon it. This is an extremely useful creation - it is mystically linked to another scroll and one of the pair can be commanded to show what the other has written on it. This scroll's twin resides in Mizukyo, the hidden village conceived, created and ruled by Kirakiri. It is his secret bastion, guarded and kept secret for over two hundred years. Even today, all that is known about it by most is, at best, vague rumours. A hidden place deep in the forest - or perhaps the mountains - it is said. The temple of a clan of not entirely human ninjas who can steal the faces of others. A village where degenerate humans live alongside twisted demons, sworn to their all-father and tainted by his blood. A mighty fortress built on or near water and guarded tirelessly by sleepless, shapeless horrors and shape-changing demons. Some of the rumours are even true.

Kirakiri's message is short and business-like, giving commands to begin gathering information on Kurama's companions. Some of them he knew about already but others he does not and it is they who he describes with quick, precise detail, including what he knows of them. In addition to this, he also scribes a command for certain of the forces he has at his disposal to be made ready to move out. He has decided to have Takashi sent to him and so has written that he should come here as soon as possible. Takashi's magical abilities would make him extremely useful. He finishes up his message then waves a hand over it, says a short phrase and the words fade into the scroll.

With that done, he goes off to find Tsubasa. He needs to talk to her about Sila. There is also the fact that Talkatz wasn't very detailed about why the new age is so much of a threat. Kirakiri knows however and he should tell them the full reason behind it. He sets off in search of her.

OOC: I'll leave you to decide where he runs into Tsubasa as I'm not quite sure where she is.

Green Kimono (Kirie)
Kirie smiled and joined up with Raikotsu and Konpaku. "That's excellent! If we know where the legs are, I can inform the other girls and get quite a force there. We'll need them to buy time if anything else. This time, we'll be victorious and we might even be able to get the legs back. Konpaku-san, you're great!"
Then she blinked a few times.
"Hmmm...I have a stupid question, but...where is this island, anyways? I've never seen it before and I don't think the others know of it, either."
-----
Redrum (Shizuka)
Redrum stood and looked at Kyne. She nodded. Kyne nodded in return. Redrum turned and left the room. "Girls...I'm counting on your intuition." Redrum's voice was choked with tears as she left Kyne alone in the chamber.
-----
Blue Kimono (Kiyomi Matsuraba)
Kiyomi felt happy to be with the other sisters. Well, not all of the other sisters, but at least some of them were with her, and they brought along a sizeable chunk of their armies. Chizuru, Rio, and Takano were all there. They had large forces of Chizuru's spiders, Rio's abominations, Takano's marionettes, Kiyomi's mech soldiers, Mika's mysterious demons, Tsubasa's ninjas, and Kirie's slave minions. Once they learned where the legs were, the armies would begin moving, and god help those who got in their way.
The armies were impossible to hide or keep silent. They had set down in a place where they had to contend with a village or two. Childsplay, really. While Kurama and his companions proved quite capable at killing their troops, unwary, mostly unarmed humans didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell. It was probably for the best. The spiders and Pit Demons fed on humans and they got plenty to eat from the nearby villages. It wouldn't be long before they had to keep moving. Before then, Kiyomi was sure that they'd hear where the torso was being kept. Then she looked and saw Rio playing with Chizuru. She sighed. So much had changed that Kiyomi doubted they were an item anymore. Rio seemed to think that way.
Then, one of Tsubasa's ninjas rushed before Takano, kneeling quickly as it stopped.
"Lady Takano! The little girl named Chiyo has mounted the sleeping Orchamech and has activated!"
While the other girls were really taken aback by this, Chizuru almost fainting into Rio's arms, Takano stood strong.
"We decided that the Orchamech wasn't stable for activation. How are the other forces holding up against it?"
"Lady Chiyo...somehow has the Orchamech completely under control, my lady. She's not attacking the other soldiers with it and they're not attacking it for fear of harming Lady Chiyo."
"Hmmm..." Takano thought for a small moment. "Chizuru. Rio. Get over to Chiyo and keep her from steering that thing out of the area. Kiyomi and I will stay here and wait for updates from Tsubasa and Kirie."
"Yes, Lady Takano." Rio said, then shook Chizuru back into reality. "Relax, Chizu-chan. Chiyo's all right. C'mon! Let's go see that monster!"
Chizuru hurried after the grinning Rio as Takano sighed. "Oh, well. It's incidents like these that keep us on our toes."

Sanjuro smiled as the woman appeared to offer him anything wanted, dense as the man was he understood what anything could mean. "As nice as that sounds miss I kinda got out of a near-relationship," The woman looked confused as he spoke, "But I was wondering if there were any healers around." He brandished his wounded arm towards her to further explain his predicament.

She smiles politely as she places her hand gently upon his arm, a deep glow of blue slowly enveloped the arm and then as quickly as she began she stopped. "It was a simplistic burn, you should take a break at one of our many hot springs to further your healing."

Sanjuro excitedly ripped apart his bandages to reveal a small scar, "I'M EVEN GREATER THEN I THOUGHT I WAS! Now I can start training with demon spark in no time."

"If you are to train make sure to visit our armory as well."

"Armory?" Sanjuro questioned, not knowing the meaning of the word.

"Please follow me," The woman moved to the door assuming his question showed interest in the place and not the word used to describe it. As the entered the room Sanjuro's eyes filled with glee, "You may take any weapons you wish by the orders of Emperor Vance." She gently bowed as she closed the door behind her.

Sanjuro laughed with a child's glee as he moved through the racks and racks of weapons.

********

Ishi was surprised by the man's candor, but still he slid a foot backwards in preparation for a strike.

The light on Konpaku's map grew outward until it was considerably larger and his hand jerked up to it. "The island is here. No one should know of it because a barrier of enslaved air and water kami circles it, effectively creating a thick fog which hides the island from sight to those outside its borders. As you can see, it's extremely large for an island, and, further, is very well populated. Humans, demons, and half-breeds all live there from what I could see, and, though I didn't watch long, they certainly didn't seem to be at war with each other. Attacking with an army would be fool hardy. It would be the equivalent of attacking a demon country. It may be possible to win, but why should we fight at all? We are after the legs. I suggest that those of us most able to infiltrate without arousing suspicion go to the island and steal the legs back. There is no need to begin a fight on enemy territory with enemy troops all around us."

"Enslaved...air kami?" Raikotsu's eyes narrowed to slits, "While I cannot object to them being used for the good of our cause, having them enslaved to defend our foes is utterly intolerable. Also, stealing the legs under cover of stealth is wise, but a diversion would give us further cover. If I break the spells holding my lesser, distant, kin, they will be able to divert attention from us. Furthermore, without them the barrier is useless...and I may be able to find a way to use them still further."

Raikotsu's eyes opened again, and he murmured a mantra. Not a magical one, but a basic concentration aid...preparing for a task that was difficult in its complexity, regardless of its power.

"Tsubasa. Bring the others to me...we know where Kurama is. Reply, and the next several words you speak shall be audible to me." he spoke carefully, making sure his words were clear, and would not be distorted by the wind. Trapping the vibrations of the sound within a breath of wind, he sent it to find Tsubasa...

...a wind whipped past the White Kimono's face, and the message could be heard as though Raikotsu was standing right beside her.

((OOC: The eternal question, is Twilight shadow or light....I say both.))

Chi stopped growing and seemed to pause, as though thinking, or listening to something very intently. He looks suddenly over to the only cave exit and narrows his eyes as the barrier he had created suddenly turns into dust and falls down, dried up. You realize then that it had been getting warm in the room, as a bit of fresh air seems to waft in. He looks quickly back to the man that had been the center of his attention.

"It seems Talkatz would agree with you. He has told me that you must be brought into the fold. Swear to me an oath to serve the Daemon lord and those that are true to him. Swear it upon your soul and we may put this unpleasantness behind us nameless creature." Chi suddenly seemed to melt away and reveal his previous form. He looked quickly to Ishi and Sendo as though to say to hold your attacks for a moment.

White Kimono (Tsubasa Hirasaka)
Leave it to Raikotsu to somehow get a message from one world to another.
"I understand. I will be along shortly."
"Did you say something?" Yuna asked.
"It seems like the Vanguard is ready to move out. I better go handle this or we may lose many chances to retrieve the pieces of Lord Talkatz and our own mission will suffer more setbacks."
"As you wish. We can speak of these matters later." Yuna said.
Her tone made Tsubasa somewhat uncomfortable.
Fuck it. Without Yuna, destroying Talkatz and setting the demons free of his horrible rule would be improbable at best. We wouldn't even have a weapon like those guns of hers that could kill Talkatz.
Tsubasa hurried away to join the other sisters and bring them to Raikotsu.
-----
Fallen Wing (Yuna)
Yuna stood there with Redrum, waiting for Tsubasa to be gone for good.
"Ha ha ha...without the Kimonos, destroying Talkatz and making myself into a god over man and demon alike would be improbable at best. I wouldn't have the homunculi or the Orchamechs and I'm even able to make more Demon-Execution weapons. Victory will not only be easier, but I think it will come sooner than I had originally hoped. Isn't that right, Shizuka?"
The armored being known as Redrum shuddered visibly. "Go to hell, you bitch."
Yuna grinned fiendishly as she approached Redrum. "Now, now, Lady Shizuka the Red Kimono. Is that any way to respect the one woman who could bring you victory over Talkatz?" Yuna stepped up beside Redrum and aimed one of her white handguns at Redrum's head. Normally, any person would try to move out of the way, but the Slave Armor that covered Redrum was Yuna's to command, and if Yuna wanted Redrum to drop into a pit of living fire, all she would have to do is command the Slave Armor to do it and Lady Shizuka would be forced to take the plunge. "Besides, it's really for the best, you know. Remember, Shizuka. Cooperation is key to victory. The Kimonos will stay alive as long as they remain ignorant. You agree, right? After all, you haven't told them of my little operation. You know that if you did, all I would have to do is hunt those scantily clad little sluts down like the mindlessly loyal dogs that they are. And when you've gotten over the suffering of their deaths, I could simply raise my gun once more and put a bullet through your head. Actually, you're a very powerful demon, so it might take three. No matter. I have plenty of bullets and I think shooting you over and over again would be worth every round wasted. Then I could fabricate some story that would rally all your soldiers under my banner. With an army like that, I would achieve victory just the same. In fact, I might achieve it faster that way. Then they wouldn't be dying along with the Kimonos when going for the second piece of Talkatz."
Redrum didn't respond. Redrum seldom did when Yuna preached of her greatness. Yuna sighed, letting her excitement slowly die out.
"In any case, you simply must get some rest. While you'll never experience the world around you except what you can see through those tiny eye slits, you must be really exhausted. I'm going to go check around to see that you haven't been trying anything behind my back. Then again, that is one of the things I'm having the homuculi do for me. Maybe I should take a rest, too. I need to look my best when I order all life in this world damned to oblivion, only to be replaced by my homunculus creations."
Yuna withdrew her gun from Redrum's head and walked away, laughing smugly to herself. If she was silent, she would just be able to hear Redrum crying pitifully.

The young woman came back, and brought Kiro towards their armory. As they passed through the hallway, he could have sworn he heard the voice of Sanjuro before they madea turn at a door. "In here is a collection of armor, just pick a suit that you like and its yours." She said. Kiro thanked her and went in.

The armor here was beatiful, and as Kiro picked up a peice of the first suit he saw, he realized it was lighter than most suits normally are. "The suits are purged of all impurities using the heat of the volcano, so the metals we make are normally lighter and faster." The voice of the woman said. Kiro didn't realize she was behind him and was shocked at first, but the part about using a volcano's heat was very interesting. He thanked her again for the information and continued his search for a suit of armor.

OOC: This is true by the way, you can check it in my bio.

"Meaning no direspect lord Chi but I have already sworn my oaths to King Talkataz, I have been serving him in this way since my youth." Ishumo told Chi simply.

The hallway was eerily quiet, after all Sanjuro was but a room away and there was not even a peep coming from him. And like always, as soon as it seems peaceful and serene, Sanjuro reminds you he's around. The great doors bolted opened with a groan and a loud clacking as they stuck open. Sanjuro stood foot forward with a smile on his face and a weapons rack on his shoulder. "I've decided." Sanjuro declared proudly, "I'll take them all."

The five blades glinted brightly in the light, the woman appeared shocked for but a moment before bowing, "As you wish, would you like to go to the hotsprings now to further your healing and relax more thoroughly."

"No, I have a better idea." Sanjuro claimed, moments later Suzume's door was kicked open, "DEMON-SPARK! I AM READY FOR MY TRAINING, LETS BEGIN!"

*********

Ishi smiled as his sword clicked shut, "And then there were four. Well then, it appears Lord Talkatz will have his ressurection come off without a hitch." Ishi began to ponder the remaining team, "Tell me Ishumo, other then the air bender and the white kimono is there anyone on that team that has an agenda they would place ahead of Lord Talkatz's ressurection."

Ishi began to rub his chin in ponderance of the remainder of team evil as he did he felt a set of scraches upon his helm. Sendo got a little closer then I would have liked, I must practice my high speed combat further. After all his allegience falls to Talkatz, not upon me. The bonds of trust were fragile ones, but Ishi was a man of his word, he would trust any of the men here until they proved otherwise, then they would die by his blade.

Suzume was wrapping a new bandage around his chest for his back when Sanjuro kicked his door down. All of his motion stopped as he was yelled at from not too far away. Like he'd thought earlier: the kid was eager, but oh so dim...

Finishing wrapping up the bandage, Suzume put his ripped up shirt back on. The clothes provided for him were too extravagant. Not really his thing. Maybe back in the old days, but he'd been wearing the same clothes for too long to consider wearing a robe again.

"Ok, then. Bring your... uh... collection with you, and we'll begin."

Grabbing his swords again in one hand, Suzume stood up and walked past Sanjuro casually. He wanted to take it easy in the start, but he knew Sanjuro probably wouldn't let him do that. Hell, Suzume himself was like that at age eleven when he first met his own master.

"And now for a beautiful start..." Suzume thought with complete and utter sarcasm.

After being informed by the Kimonos that Tsubasa is busy with Yuna, Kirakiri had decided to wait. Instead he had gone to find Konpaku and Raikotsu. He has his suspicions of the human's motives but, for now at least, Konpaku seems like he could be of use.

He had paused and listened for a while, waiting for an appropriate moment to announce himself. When Raikotsu ensorcels the wind to carry his message to Tsubasa, Kirakiri steps forward.

"If you intend to use a plan of infiltration, I would be of considerable assistance. I have certain... resources I can draw upon. One of my assistants is headed here as we speak. He in turn can cast a certain spell which allows rapid transportation between prepared locations. Via that, I can call upon ninjas of the Mist Clan. Their skills and their ability to assume the appearance of others would be most useful."

Garud followed a woman down a hall. Walking past a room, he heard something hit the wall.

"Ma'am, can you tell me who's in that room just there?"

"No sir, I cannot. I dont actually know his name, but he is one of Lord Vance's guests, so I assume you know him."

"Okay then. Listen, can you tell me where my room is? I wont be heading there straight away."

The attendant pointed to a door at the far end of the corridoor, and then motioned for a left turn. Garud nodded.

"If you require anything, just ask."

Garud bowed, and turned to the door. Knocking he said,

"Are you alright in there?"

Green Kimono (Kirie)
The Kimonos arrived with their forces and it was quite a sight to behold. Ninjas, mechs, large cloaked demons, victimized women with either talismans on their faces and dressed in green kimonos or ones with featureless masks with weapons sticking into their heads, mostly swords. Giant spiders, wooden marionettes hanging by strings that could not be seen, and before all of those forces, five young and beautiful girls. The one known as Chizuru wearing all black with dual tonfas. A platinum blonde wearing brown with a bow and a quiver of arrows. A blonde in violet armor with a unique sword. The one recognized as Kiyomi the Blue Kimono with orange hair and a large spear. And finally, Tsubasa, all in white with her weapons concealed.
"My apologies for being late," Tsubasa said, bowing slightly. "Are we ready to begin?"
"I think we are." Kirie said. "If not, we'll be moving out very shortly."

"We are, almost. We know where Kurama is, and the location of Talkatz's legs. Attacking the island they currently inhabit in the hopes of retrieving the legs from the rubble is a shaky plan, and it would be too easy for Kurama to escape in the confusion, so we will infiltrate. Kirakiri, the shapeshifter, your part in this is crucial. You spoke of having a minion that can ensure your rapid transportation to the island. Once there, find a civilian whose duties bring them into close contact with Kurama and his friends. Do not eliminate them immediately, ensure that you can imitate them fully before dispatching them and assuming their form. Dispose of the body thoroughly, in such a way that there is no hope of discovery. Recover the legs, that is paramount. By chasing Kurama, we allow him to draw us into his territory, but if we have the legs he will be forced to come to us. It is then that we shall destroy him. Arrange for your transportation back to us beforehand. We are counting on you, shapeshifter."

Turning to the Kimono girls, Raikotsu continued, "We WILL mount an attack on the island, to deceive them. However, Kirakiri must be in place first. Any questions?"

Green Kimono (Kirie)
Tsubasa nodded. "Not at all. Just signal us to attack the way you gave me that message on the winds. I'll stay here and help organize for the assault."
Tsubasa turned away and began working with the other girls, leaving Kirie with the Vanguard.
"Well, if Tsubasa's staying with the forces, then I better stay with you in case you run into some trouble and need the extra blade." Kirie said.

Pyros found that the Forge was a particularly hot place, even for him. Well, perhaps it wasn't the heat, but the humidity. He felt as if his wingfeathers were fusing with the jacket he wore. But his modesty prevented him from ever thinking of removing the jacket, so Pyros kept moving.

What helped him keep his mind off the heat was the attention grabbing of more of the giant swords, axes and other weapons, that no human could wield. Except for Sanjuro of course, but Pyros could foresee damage if Sanjuro were to hold it over his shoulder. Especially if he turned around alot. He noticed that the weapons were made of some metals he had never seen much of before, at least in great quantities. If he had time, he give them all names and start up a love of Geology, but that was not to be.

"Hello?" Pyros called out inside the empty smithy. Considering amount of raw metal ore outside, Pyros had thought it'd be much busier. "Hello? Is anyone here? Mr. Smith?"

Pyros found himself at a giant metal door that was covered in rust and slightly melted. PYros wondered if it was even openable. Pyros grabbed the doorhandle and pushed. The entire door moved with his push, a sign that the door had fused with it's hinges. Pyros could force it open, but that would rip the door clean from the wall. He scratched his head.

Pyros then felt a tug at his jacket. Pyros turned to see a young boy, no older than 13, wearing thick gloves and smithy clothes that were comically oversized for his body. It was strange for a normal human to be able to sneak up on Pyros, even in the scorching air of this smithy. "Are you this town's Blacksmith?"

It was a perfectly reasonable question, the boy didn't look like he couldn't be the town's blacksmith, and the sheer fact the boy didn't collapse from the sheer heat of the place gave him more credibility. But the boy shook his head. He was not the blacksmith. The boy took Pyros by the hand and led him to a hole in the wall, where even hotter and darker air seemed to seep from. The boy offered Pyros a mask, but Pyros shook his head and walked in.

The room was dark, and the air full of ash and smoke. The only ventilation was the hole they just entered from, and a hole in the roof. Despite the hole's size, the darkness of the exiting smoke prevented sunlight from entering. The only true light was from the enormous forge in the center of the room, that a man covered in black soot from head to toe pounded like a madman at another of the monstrous swords.

Pyros couldn't tell if the man was from the land in which the sun darkened the skin to complete blackness, or if the man was simply covered in layers of soot. Perhaps he was both. Regardless, this was obviously the Blacksmith. But he didn't seem to pay Pyros any attention, and continued to hammer away. Pyros was too polite to interrupt, so he patiently waited for the man to finish. The young man lacked the eternal patience of Pyros, and hit a large bell nearby with a hammer.

The Blacksmith looked away from his creation for a second, and stared at his visitor. Then the Blacksmith continued to hammer away at his creation. The boy hit the bell again. The Blacksmith looked a tad annoyed, and motioned for "one more minute."

The boy hit the bell again, and A very angry Blacksmith continued his work with increased speed, prompting the boy to hit the bell over and over again, ensuing in a battle of wills between the two. The old man hammered the sword faster to drown out the sound of the bell, while the young boy hammered the bell ever faster. Eventually, one of the sides had to give in, and it was the Blacksmith.

His fast hammering had resulted in his weapon being finished earlier than expected, and quickly put in his Master's signature into the weapon, as well as naming it the "Buster." He slid the sword into the cooling water, as it's weight was far too heavy for him to carry, even more so after all that hammering.

The boy grabbed Pyros and pulled him closer to the Smithy, who levered his blade out of the water and admired it with it's metal still steaming. "Aha! My latest, and therefore greatest creation yet!" The Blacksmith beamed. Pyros started clapping, as it seemed to fit the occasion, but the boy grabbed his hands, a good indicator of "Please stop."

The blacksmith gave the boy a look. "Okay, what's the meaning of your intrusion of my work? Can't you see I was in the midst of delicate work?" He shouted while waving his hammer about. The boy pointed to Pyros. The blacksmith looked Pyros up and down.

"So who the hell are you?" He asked. "Um... A customer?" Pyros meekly replied.

"Aha! Finally someone who realizes the value of my creations! Truly, You must truly be a lover of powerful swords!" The man did his best to show the "Buster" sword more clearly to his customer. "While you look a bit too scrawny to wield it's raw and unfettered power, I, Tutusei the swordmaker to the gods, will gladly sell my finest creation for a meager sum of 9,000,000,000 pounds of gold."

Pyros tried to make sense of the situation. Apparently the man was trying to peddle to Pyros one of these gargantuan swords. "I'm sorry sir, but I'm not very interested..."

The man waved away Pyros's refusal, and pushed the sword over, causing Pyros to have to catch it. Pyros managed to get a good grip on it, and wielded in front of himself a few feet above the ground. It was truly heavy, emphasis on 'truly'. If the ground beneath Pyros's feet had not been permanetly melted together by the intense heat by the forge, it would have cracked.

"Eef! If my arms were any less strong, I fear they'd fall off!" Pyros moaned. Yep. Sanjuro'd like this sword. "I'm sorry sir, but I'm not quite interested in-"

"Oh come on, at least give it a swing!" Tutusei implored one of the few men who could lift his weapons.

Pyros did his best to shrug, and proceeded to raise the sword and swing forward with all his might. The weapon cut through the air uncleanly, and the massive force created waves of air that knocked the boy from his feet and extinguished the forge's flame. The blacksmith whooped. "Yes! Yes! See the power of my creations! The awe inspiring might of the world's most incredible weapons!"

"Um. Isn't it a tad big?" Pyros asked, placing the blade down so as to lean upon it.

"Nonsense! It's the smallest sword I've made yet!" The man patted his creation.
His...Smallest?

"I'm VERY SORRY sir, but I am NOT INTERESTED in-" Pyros reiterated with emphasis.

"What are you yellin for? I'm giving you a great deal! This weapon's worth more than most people's life worth!"

"I'm not here to buy the sword!" Pyros stated in a strained voice, just barely omitting a few taboo curses.

"What? What are you saying!" The Blacksmith stammered.

Pyros pulled out the list. "I'm here, for metal parts neccesary for the repair of my friend's ship."

Tutusei waved his hand in scorn of the list. "Feh! Such meager tasks are below a Blacksmith of my caliber!"

Pyros was dumbfounded. This was clearly a large smithy, and successful for use by the island, and Pyros had noticed multiple islanders wielding weapons and tools with the mark of Smithy. Yet the mastersmith did not make normal swords and tools?

"Then who makes the normal metal items?" He inquired.

"I do not know, but they are not made by my blessed hands. I make only blades suitable and fit for the gods!" Tutusei stated with a grand gesture.

"Apparently so, but I've met several "gods," and I do not think they would like such blades. Especially Ramuh. Ramuh probably would've gotten bored with it by the time he lifted it." Pyros explained. The boy grabbed Pyros' list and nodded to him, and walked off.

"What? You doubt the power of my weapons? What about that toothpick you sling along your back? Truly you cannot consider it to be superior than one of my blades!" The blacksmith said angrily.

"It does it's job, while respectfully your swords fail to do any job unless wielded by a behemoth."

The smith ran up to Pyros and pulled the Pyrosian from it's hilt. "Let mesee this! Let me just see the quack who... Masamune? This is a Masamune? Of course, this explains everything!"

"Explains what?"

"Ha! You were duped by that trickster Masamune! The man who creates swords that are "invincible", "powerful" and lightweight! I tell you, such a thing is impossible! For a truly powerful and unbreakable sword, it must be made of the most powerful metals, and a large amount of them!"

"Um, have you ever heard the old saying, "Bigger isn't always better?" And "Quality over Quantity?" As well as "Unbreakable as a Masamune?""

"What? What idiot would create such sayings? Bigger is always better! Obola the tormentor titan was better than any other combatant in the coloseum of ancients! Masamune's being unbreakable? Let me show you the err of such a thought!"

The swordmaker took the blade and put it upon his anvil. Before Pyros could explain the futility of such an action, Tutusei smacked the sword with his handle. The hammer shattered into a million pieces. Tutusei was dumbstruck, but for only a moment. The metal he used was originally melted together with molten lava that had a vein beneath the smithy, just a few steps away from the forge. He opened the lid and dipped the blade into the lava. Pyros now figured Tutusei was a demon bred, half-demon or full. Few humans could survive that close a proximity.

The boy, who Pyros was certain was human had left, and if he had been here now, he would have suffered a bit, even near the hole in the wall.

Tutusei pulled the sword out of the lava. The blade was fine. In the words of a certain Grey wizard, it was "Quite Cool."

((OOC: It's long to make up for lost time. And I had some free time.))

Kurama heard Garud knocking on his door. He wiped his face. The few tears that had managed to form clung to his eyelashes, blurring his vision. When he was young, his father taught him to never cry in front of others. As such, Kurama rarely did.

"I'm fine, Garud. Just meditating for a moment."

(OOC: New chapter up later, after I get back from class. Finite Math can bite me.)