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Date Posted: 20:40:42 01/14/02 Mon
Author: Erlic Eastlore
Subject: Two as one
In reply to: Rowan Silvertree 's message, "At least the odds are even now" on 23:14:52 01/13/02 Sun

Once Erlic left Rowan to his own devices, he returned to his tent, seeing through the link that everything between Marz, and the opponent had been taken care of.

He had finally settled into his tent, and made sure that his tent flap had been secured. After lighting some incense to prepare himself, he quickly changed into the shinobi shozoko, the traditional dark hued garb worn by the Ninja, especially since most of their work took place at night. There were two other colors related to the Ninja, white for working in snow, and a camouflage pattern when working in the forests.
When in full uniform the Ninja’s flesh was well hidden, all except a small slit around the eyes, and his hands. The tabi boots had a slit in between the big toe, and the secondary toes. This was to make it easier for climbing, and scaling walls. The shinobi shozoko had many pockets all through it, inside and out. This was for storing all the small tools and weapons he needed, such as poison, shuriken knives, and so on.

Erlic sat in the lotus position with the various Ninja weapons placed before him from right to left. He closed his eyes, as his hands came together, forming various mantras to incorporate the Ninja magic that was sometimes necessary. Although believed to be a Ninja secret the Kuji-In was also used by the Samurai. Where it came from no one is sure but it did have similarities to Hindu, and Tibetan Mundras. The Kuji-In was more a way of concentrating the mind than weaving magic with ones hands.

The Kuji-In consisted of nine levels: Rin; strength of mind and body, Kyo; direction of energy, Toh; harmony with the universe, Sha; healing of self and others, Kai; premonition of danger, Jin; knowing the thoughts of others, Retsu; mastery of time and space, Zai; control of the elements of nature, and Zen; enlightenment.

Once Erlic finished his meditation, he gathered up each weapon one by one, placing it in a strategically kept area for easy access. The last weapon to be donned was the ninja-to, the sword that all Ninja’s used. Originally the swords of the Ninja were of poor quality, since many of the Ninja’s were poor, and could never afford the class of steel that the Samurai used. Erlic had his specially forged from the best steel that the East could produce, but keeping it in traditional length as with the standard ninja-to. The scabbard of the sword was three to four inches longer than the sword itself, thus allowing for secret compartments for items such as poison, spikes, and daggers. In all, the Ninja was supposed to be quick on his or her feet, and still maintain an arsenal of weapons that could cause destruction. As Erlic prepared to leave, it was funny to think of the stories he’d heard about the Ninja.

The ninja did not really exist; at least that was what a ninja would have you believe. Their abilities and reputations are clouded in mystery. Many ascribe supernatural powers to them. The ninjas have done nothing to discourage the stories, and may have spread the tales themselves. Such confusion only enhanced their reputations, inspiring more terror at the mention of their name.

But now it was time to move into action. Erlic bowed once at his imaginary master, an action he had done since his master’s death, and quietly moved to the back of the tent. He slowly lifted the flap, and peered both ways to insure no one was watching. He moved straight into the night until coming upon an up cropping of rock. The enemy was far to his left, which insured him some freedom of movement, even though he blended extremely well with the shadows, or the near shadows of the surrounding terrain.

He moved with a deadly silence leaving no tracks with the special shoes he wore, only leaving the sand as it originally was. After some time he arrived parallel to the assassins, but with one hundred, and twenty feet distance separating them. Erlic continued onward, and slowly started to turn toward an angle that would eventually place him behind the enemy.

This was not the first, nor would it be the last time he followed these tactics. When still in the east, many frowned on a foreigner to do stealth work, for he didn’t look at all like the typical easterners, with their yellow skin, and slanted eyes. But with the outfit of the ninja, no one could even surmise that he was capable of such cold, and ruthless acts. He had managed to kill many of those in power at that time, but he was growing bored with the lifestyle afforded to him. For that reason he traveled to the west, where he found more opportunities to incorporate his techniques on the unsuspecting.

He had joined numerous thieves guilds, and eventually through a fluke, befriended an assassin, though at the time, Erlic had no idea the man was a cold-blooded killer. Ironically, Erlic followed the man, and as luck would have it, his friend wound up being trapped, and surrounded by a group of mercenaries. It had been a set up from what Erlic could discern. Erlic quickly moved into action, throwing shurikens, daggers, using his martial arts, and finally his katana, until he and his friend were fighting side by side. That was when his friend looked at him in a totally different view. He realized at that moment that Erlic wasn’t just a thief, but much, much more.

The dessert sand had cooled off as Erlic continued to make his way to a point where there was a presence that his ninja magic detected. He froze in total stillness, as his head slowly looked at where the assassins were spying. The presence must be Rowan, and he smiled at the elf’s ability to blend in so well. As he drew closer his suspicions were clear as the elf whispered to him that there were only two. Soon, Rowan was off leaving him to do his own bidding.

He watched the man from his vantage point, observing every detail affordable to him, such as weapons being carried, and anything else out of the ordinary. He was, after all, another assassin just like his opponent, but with one exception, and that was the Ninja training.

He incorporated the Zai, the controlling of the elements of nature. He closed his eyes, and meditated, focusing on an area two feet behind the assassin. The guild master felt as if he were swimming in a river, slowly coming closer, and closer to his target, until he was only two feet behind the man. His opponent would not see him for Erlic had managed to burrow himself into the sand with the use of the Zai.

The first time Erlic ever employed this skill was when he was still training with his master. He had watched as his master dissolved through walls, only to appear solidified on the other side. His master had explained how important it was to have control over body, and mind. It had taken Erlic over one year to master this one feat, but once learned, he was able to adapt it to any forms of the earth. The Ninja, at least those that had trained properly, were able to disappear into the ground, only to appear right behind their target. Only the Ninja magic, in conjunction with one’s chi, when practiced correctly, could allow the user to move, and meld with anything as if it didn’t exist.

At the moment Erlic simply waited patiently. His breathing had slowed considerably, allowing him to hold his breath for a long time. Had it been necessary, he could easily employ his blowpipe, which served a twofold purpose. One, as a breathing apparatus under water, while hiding from adversaries, and two, as a blowpipe, where it could be used to assail the victim with pepper, darts, or other tiny objects. Since it was constructed out of bamboo, it camouflaged easily with the rest of the water bamboo commonly found in the riverbeds, while a ninja lay still under the water’s surface.

Eric suddenly rose from the sands’ depths coming up to his adversary’s left. Erlic stood his ground staring the man down, who now wondered how, and where he had come from. With lighting speed the man had his sword drawn, and was in a downward swing to kill his foe. Erlic kept his ground until the very last second, grabbing the man’s wrists, moving off to the side, and continuing his opponent’s downward motion until the sword almost hit the ground. While still holding onto his opponent’s wrists, Erlic’s foot forced the weapon downward, causing the man to lose his balance. Erlic backed off, as the assassin rose up. He stared at Erlic trying to gauge his ability. A quick flick of the man’s hand alerted Erlic quickly as he dove directly at the man’s feet, thus avoiding the flying shuriken he was using. The only difference was that once Erlic dove, he continued his forward momentum until he was upside down, and his feet kicked hard at his opponent.

Erlic was on his feet in a split second, and had his own weapons out. The shoge was a bladed weapon with a chain and ring attachment used for snaring the opponent, and his weapons. One swing, and the bladed portion wrapped itself around the man’s leg. Erlic quickly pulled, throwing the man off of his feet. Without letting go of the chain, Erlic dove to his side, landing directly next to his opponent, and slamming his arm on his opponent’s neck. He pulled on the chain, forcing the man’s leg upward, thus preventing him from gaining his balance, and with the other end of the chain, wrapped it around the man’s windpipe, until he heard the sickening snap.

Erlic stopped in dead silence. Someone was close by, and it took the assassin a moment before he realized it was Rowan. It was obvious the elf had managed to defeat his target. Erlic finally let go of the chain, and placed it back into its hiding place. He quickly checked the man out for any items that might prove beneficial. He found an unusual dagger, one that he thought Ravin might enjoy. He then searched and found a compass with unusual markings. Not realizing what they were for, he pocketed the instrument deciding to examine it later. He paused momentarily to view the stars. They both had about half an hour before the group started their journey.

When he was done, Erlic had collected various items from poisons to exploding pellets, all of which he would make good use of. He scooped sand quickly, and managed to hide the body below its surface. He made his way back to Rowan, and the two made it back to camp without anyone noticing them, or the fact that they had been absent.

Erlic interlaced his fingers in front of him, and bowed to Rowan, making sure to keep his eyes on him. It was standard practice to “always keep eye on opponent” regardless whether he was friend or foe. Erlic quickly snuck into the backside of his tent, and immediately went into another meditative state, thanking the kami for the help. Once he was finished, he slipped off the shinobi shozoko, and donned his everyday attire.

When he was done, he stepped outside, and joined the others by the campfire, indulging in a cup of java. He took that moment to notice the newcomer. Oddly enough, he was reminded of the geisha woman, and how they applied their makeup. At first guess, Erlic had to presume that it was a male, but he couldn’t be certain. Whoever it was, was very reminiscent of the ole eastern tradition.

He sat at the fire until Rowan joined him. Neither exchanged any comments about the nights mission, rather, they spoke of trivial matters.

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