Ment
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Tsukiko Shimizu
Part 1, part 2
The whistle of a weapon, an evasion — and suddenly two halves of the opponent fly in opposite directions, hitting the wooden floor with a dull thud, rolling across it, losing bits of tightly packed material along the way.
The old master covered his face with his hands.
— Tsukiko! For heaven's sake, use a wooden katana! How many times must you ruin the equipment?
The girl straightened up proudly and tossed her head.
— Good grief, how much more of this. Just how much? — the old man continued to mutter, and Shimizu-chan thought to herself how much he irritated her. He did nothing but grumble. No, it was understandable; he said he had nothing left to teach Tsukiko, saying, "be grateful I even let you into the dojo to destroy everything," but... It was all a lie. She could and should continue learning; any nihonka would be glad for any help at all. A training ground is well and good, but limiting herself to that was unacceptable.
These three years had passed far less successfully than Tsukiko would have liked. First, the cancelled tournament — an extremely unexpected and unpleasant piece of news from the new government. It would have been one thing if they had changed the rules or ensured the safety of the participants, for example... No, instead, a long-standing tradition and, more importantly, a great opportunity to gain new, truly useful combat experience, was simply crossed out.
Then came the secret mission, which in fact turned out to be an operation in Areid. Combat actions in the weakest state in the world are hardly something that fosters growth as a warrior; someone far more primitive could have been sent there. Worse still, riots were occurring in Nihon at the same time, with yokai killing people in broad daylight. Furou Fukuro, the current governor of Tsukiko's home region, did nothing to establish peace, while she herself was stuck on this meaningless, low-skill assignment far from Home, no longer having the chance to drop everything and go where she was needed more.
When it was finished with Areid, the nihonka immediately rushed back to her hometown — only to find that she was too late. The Onryo, those same separatists who had always been so despised by her and her family, had already sorted everything out. Well, not entirely, of course... That bloodsucker named Furou Fukuro had been shamefully exiled, and the yokai and other sources of unrest had mostly been slaughtered. Tsukiko visited her father and found that he was doing fine. The blacksmithing business, despite the new times, was thriving; horseshoes were being forged, scythes sharpened, rakes repaired... This was a great relief, but it also gave her pause for thought.
***
This conversation took place about a year before the current moment. The girl, overjoyed by meeting her living and unharmed father, and having stayed with him for some time, dared to remark that the onryo had done a good job and they had been wrong about those guys. But her dad slammed his fist on the table.
— Enough! Now you're going to pour this into my ears too, Tsukiko. I am grateful to them for much of what they did, and I didn't expect help from that side either. But the onryo go further than just cleansing our streets. They want Nihon's independence. They want to return us to the times of chaos and wars, when no one knew if they would live to see the next day. And I don't want you to end up in a world where for no reason our boys... and girls like you... die from the fire of imperial rifles. I have already lived in such a world, trust my experience. And all this that happened now... Yes, they succeeded, but the empire would have handled this job too if it hadn't been hindered at a critical moment. And the onryo were exactly that factor. They drove out the imperials themselves, fought the yokai themselves, and then announced themselves that all the work fell upon them, poor things, and how great they are, and that we don't need useless imperials. A clever trick. But for some reason, this cunning had a great influence on the nihonites. Everyone supports them now; everyone is fired up by the idea of fighting Reimu.
— Well, I agree that it would be better for us to be one state, but look at the empire now... It has completely forgotten, no, not even that, it has renounced its past. The Reimites laugh at the gods and spit on the power of the human spirit. They teach us that there is no past, traditions are unnecessary, and any problem can be solved by technology. That technology which is useful and necessary, and I myself carry such now, but... Can this truly compare to what traditions provide, preserved and perfected over centuries... And all this... Give the Empire free rein — it will put us all in trousers and send us to factories! Especially Sonata. I do not support secession, but if Reimu is to exist, then only Nihon should determine its form. Once we were conquered, yes, but the point isn't who won or who lost, nor who is stronger. Power should belong to whoever is more correct, whoever treats it with more responsibility.
All this time, her father was becoming paler and paler.
— Where did you pick up all this?
— Dad, come on... I figured it out myself. I want to join the onryo.
— What... What did you say?
— Dad, you understand everything. I believe this is right.
— This is suicide, do you understand? A dishonorable suicide. And you know, you are still a child. Has it been long since you reached marriageable age? Do you not want to ask my opinion, whether I agree with you fighting for the enemies of our people?
— But the people are for the onryo...
— Of course. What do they understand? The people walked under bullets without hesitation in the last war too — and how did that go? Fine, I overstepped by calling you a child, but I still won't allow this; if not by parental authority, then I don't know, by force... Yes. I will stop you by force. Mark my words.
The blacksmith's hands were shaking, and it was clear he was struggling to keep his strong, dull voice from trembling and shifting into notes unfamiliar to him. The daughter felt no better and began to openly argue with her father; in the end, for the first time in her life, she wanted to hit him, and hard.
It is difficult to say why she didn't do it. Partly because of months of suppressing her evil desires and attempts, on the advice of a teacher from Reimu, to restore the purity of her heart. But one must also not forget that her father-blacksmith, huge even by non-nihon standards, was among the few people who were truly frightening to hit.
Soon Tsukiko did indeed leave to join the Onryo. Those she considered heroes, guardians of tradition, and those who would bring peace to Nihon and prosperity to its inhabitants. And perhaps to the whole Empire, if the onryo began to think more globally.
***
Well, here it is. After two rather nominal combat skirmishes, Tsukiko got stuck in this wilderness, hacking at mannequins. The onryo were having a relatively quiet time; there were no actions, and Shimizu-chan was simply sent to one of the villages supposedly to keep order. And to learn from a master (can't-remember-his-name), apparently, the art of grumbling at the whole world. Well, physically the nihonka kept herself in shape with immense effort, and even moved forward, but without real action, much was being forgotten... That unfeathered girl who emerged alive from the Palace of Reisen Reimu three years ago was not as strong, but she had drive, speed, a clear understanding of where to move next — and it all vanished. To gain real experience, the experience of generations, the experience of using a true warrior's weapon in actual action — that is what Shimizu desired now. Perhaps it sounds somewhat selfish... So be it, but what difference does it make how it sounds if one acts correctly? As a person with a conscience and a pure heart would act in her place?
— Young lady (replace with adequate nihon equivalent), are you deaf? I am still waiting for an apology — the old man's voice brought her back to life. Who did he remind her of? Ah yes, of course, the bum in the Reimu sewers. Just as vile, stupid, and inconsistent in his desires. Only even that man once found a bundle with good bread and drink at the threshold of his "dwelling," left at night by the Masked Ghost. As an apology for rudeness and as a first attempt at redemption. Could it be that this old senile... Oh, I mean, kind old man standing before her is not even worthy of her not arguing with him for nothing?
— Forgive me. I will try to be more careful, I promise. And thank you for the help.
Tsukiko bowed and walked away. The old man stood in complete silence for some time, thinking about something of his own, his back to the place where Shimizu and the unfortunate mannequin had been. Then he turned around and scanned the room.
— Gone? Well yes, well yes, no respect at all. Wretch, daughter of a forest dog. She still didn't apologize; I'll get her next time!
Origin: Nihon
Access to nihon skills, +1% melee damage per unit of agility, +1 own point
Faction: Onryo
+1% melee damage per unit of agility and wisdom, +1 accuracy and evasion per unit of will
Conviction: traditions
+30 to selected characteristic (strength)
Characteristics
Strength: 34 (+30)
Intelligence: 5
Will: 35
Agility: 48
Perception: 30
Wisdom: 20
Charisma: 5
Skills and Abilities
Way of the Warrior
Katana.
+50% armor penetration
+50% accuracy
+4 movement speed
- Battodjutsu
+50% accuracy
The warrior can parry enemy attacks and shots. - Meijin
+50% armor penetration
+Additional attack - Suiren
Damage (444% base damage) in a 3x3 area. Movement speed for this attack is 1.5 times higher.
Concentration: 2
Perks
Body Strength
+10 health per unit of strength
+1% melee damage per unit of strength
+1 evasion per unit of agility
Additional:
+30% damage against characters of Alivar origin
Equipment (what was had)
Enhancer (ruby)
First meridian: ☆ Air
Second meridian: ☆ Fire
Third meridian: ☆ Nature
Fourth meridian: ☆ Darkness
Healing Potion
Restores all character health.
Katana (Camelian steel)
Damage: 130
20% armor penetration, additional strike
Strength: 16
Money
13760 rumies
What is desired: wrist weights (how to train without them?), some random book on nihon warrior traditions and history, a costume with a ghost mask.