The Turtle Hermit P. 2 (Gosai and Shana)

The Turtle Hermit Part II

Medium Quest

Requirement: Must have completed The Turtle Hermit.

Reward: 2,000 zeni and 10 Hero Points.

So, Master Roshi has agreed to train you. But, he has not always been known as the most conventional of teachers. He sends you to a remote island and tells you to survive for thirty says without using your powers. How will you overcome the hazards and desolation of island life, and can you make it through the rigors without breaking down wielding your ki?

So, in the hours following the human boy's crash landing on Earth Gosai had managed to erect a serviceable shelter of a sort. If several trees leaning haphazardly together could be called 'serviceable'. Although, he supposed, if it didn't rain before he could get enough sap and leafs than keeping out the weather wouldn't be too much of a problem.

But Gosai's stomach reminded him of other pressing concerns. Yes, despite being a 'mechano-man' he still had certain biological needs. Particularly food. Especially food. Unfortunately, food in the middle of a mountain range meant one of two things: Hunting or gathering.

So I've devolved that far, have I? The Dynamo thought to himself with a wry smile. Still, it would at least provide him with some degree of entertainment, he supposed. And with nary a television or dirty magazine in miles that entertainment would have to do.

And that was how Gosai found himself crawling through the underbrush, trailing a mountain lion. Or what he assumed was a mountain lion, he wasn't a tracker after all. Still, whatever it was was large, possessed a bipedal situation and presumably would taste nicely when cooked to well done with a side of barbeque sauce.

"Hey, if that coyote can do it, so can I." The boy declared, either having never watched an episode to completion or willingly forgetting what happened to 'that coyote' in question. Slowly however, he found himself nearing the trail of his target, eyes wholly engulfed with the tracks as he crawled Gosai hardly noticed the bobcat standing in front of him until he heard it start to growl.

"...Ah, nuts." He sighed literally right as it pounced, kicking up a savage dust cloud (which was actually kind of strange) as it attempted to maul the mechanical boy.

(Post Count: 301
Gosai Count: 301
Total Count: 301)

He's somewhere in here, I think... But why would somebody isolate themselves in the middle of a mountain range? Shana wondered as she scanned the snowy peaks with wide, brown eyes. The air from this height was cold, much colder than the human would have liked. Even though the capsule corp jacket provided some amount of comfort from the biting temperature, the human was shivering nonetheless.

Some people like the conditions. They say that it sharpens their senses. Makes them more primal, Okibi responded. Shana briefly imagined her fighting with the ferocity and likeness of Okibi. It wasn't a pretty picture whatsoever.

There! Shana narrowed her eyes as she saw a man come into view. But upon closer inspection, the "man" didn't seem very man-like at all. Sure, it was a male... but the sunlight seemed to gleam unnaturally off of several machine-like protrusions and attachments.

That's him, Okibi said, obviously noticing Shana's uneasiness. Gosai... Don't worry, he's not as dangerous as he looks- What the?

Just as the lion-like spawn of flames was speaking, a creature leaped out of the bushes near Gosai. With claws extended, the bobcat pounced on Gosai. Shana gritted her teeth and abandoned the Flying Nimbus, shooting downward from the sky like a runaway torpedo. Her long and black hair flowed backward as her form swathed through the cold air. Turning her body around, the human repositioned herself just in time to land solidly on the ground just between Gosai and the furious wild cat.

The cat's amber eyes lit up with surprise, yet in mid leap, had no time to redirect its attack. Shana swiftly brought two arms forward; pressing one palm against the cat's open maw and the other at its right shoulder, the human swiftly shut down its attack. However, the feline's left claws flashed out. With a viscous swipe, it tore through Shana's left sleeve and slashed the skin beneath. The host of fire winced, but didn't buckle from the new pain despite the crimson blood running down to the rocky ground. With a small grunt of effort, she threw the air borne cat aside and chucked a weak energy blast at its splayed gut. It exploded, and the bobcat howled out in pain, skidding to its feet to run away.

You could have dodged that swipe if you were paying attention... Okibi seemed to feel the need to point out Shana's mistake.

Enough... The human turned her gaze to Gosai. "You are Gosai, correct?" she asked without preamble.

Word of Shana: 421/421
TTC: 722

Gosai had been fully prepared to deal with (another) savage mauling. He seemed to attract these reactions from animals; often leading him to wonder why he ever bothered leaving the cities to begin with. However before he'd had the chance to adequately defend himself a new player entered the fray. A small child with dark hair and... well that was all Gosai'd had the chance to notice before his feline aggressor's claws had sunk into the girl.

To her credit, the newcomer's reaction had been to simply throw the jungle cat, and give it a solid burst of power to ensure it realized this meal was a pretty terrible risk-reward ratio. Only after that brief skirmish did Gosai recover from his surprise enough to crawl towards the girl and examine her injuries. "Huh, not that deep really." He mused, although uncertain how deep it really was. Mostly he was guessing from the amount of blood.

"So my guardian angel is a loli? I'm sure South Kai is laughing his ass off right now. I just know it." The Human Dynamo sighed, tearing a strip off of his shirt in order to craft a make-shift bandage for the child warrior.

"As f'r me? Yeah. I'm Gosai, what have I offended your school or something? Or your older sister?" He queried, giving the youth a long look, trying to imagine what an older sibling for the child might look like. "Or have you come to be trained in the ways of the Matsuhito-Ryu Karate school?"

He was pacing now, giving his own schpiel in an attempt to win a pupil (and a steady income. Have you SEEN the rent on an entire mountain before?) "I warn you, the training is savage, arduous, and many who attempt it either die, fail, or call me an idiot. Usually a combination of all three. BUT! If you can handle my training, this will be yours!"

With his shouted statement, Gosai reached into his sleeve to remove... a cloth belt of dark color. "The black belt!"

(Post Count: 340
Gosai Count: 641
Total Count: 1,060)

Thankfully, the cut on her arm wasn't deep. It was deep enough to sting, yet shallow enough that the bleeding had already stopped. The human had come closer to glance at her arm. Up close, he looked even more creepier than at a distance. Shana tried not to shy away from his mechanic body as he wrapped her arm up unnecessarily.

Without further ado, the teenager began to rant. Yes, rant. Shana stared at him with a perplexed look of utter confusion, hardly able to keep up with his banter. Finally, he produced a black belt, announcing it with a triumphant proclamation. With a grin, Gosai looked expectantly at her.

I can understand why Blackfire avoids him... Shana thought, backing away from the man slowly.

Careful... Okbi chided her, He's a telepathic from what I hear. Keep your thoughts closed off.

"Um," Shana began, frantically trying to remember what Gosai had just told her. "No. I don't have a sister. And I don't know what Macaroni Karate is." Okibi snorted in amusement. Did she mess something up?

"But I was sent here by Mutant Roshi-"

Muten!

"Erm- Muten... Anyway!" The child found it increasingly difficult to speak properly after recovering from Gosai's flamboyant exclamation. "He seemed disheartened. He mentioned that one of his old students had vanished. Okibi seems to think it was you..."

You probably should start off with an introduction. The way you're talking, he won't understand you anymore than you could understand him... the lion-like spawn of fire instructed, He knows of the Conclave.

He knows about the whole Vessel thing? Shana thought back wonderingly. Okibi didn't respond.

Stifling a sigh, Shana tried to restart. "My name is Shana. I hail from the Conclave of Elements. I am the Host of Fire."

Word of Shana: 296/717
TTC: 1358

Gosai was relatively certain that he was goggling at Shana with the same expression she was giving to him during his own rant. Still, he'd settled down enough after his sales pitch to listen to the child speak, going over the possibilities as she answered his questions.

No sister, so I probably haven't offended her family in some way. He thought to himself, balking, however, when she called his style 'Macaroni Karate'.

"...Although that's not the name I gave it DOES sound delicious." The Human Dynamo was forced to concede. Suddenly though he jerked to attention as the girl mentioned the Turtle Hermit. "Ahh, I get it now. You were sent by Kame Sen'-" He paused yet again, however. It seemed Roshi was in the midst of a depressive spell. That was quite unusual for the man once called 'The Invincible Old Master'.

Before any questions could be asked about Roshi and the missing pupil, however, the girl finally introduced herself as well; Shana of the Conclave of Elements. This day was finally becoming interesting...

"Alright," Gosai declared at last, sitting down on the ground in something resembling lotus position. "so, you think I abandoned Roshi? On top of that, you're from the Conclave? So... are all the Vessels female? Oh, lord, that means Tork'thal is female!" He declared with a powerful shudder at the thought.

"Let's... lets move on to more pleasant topics. Roshi's depressive spell. You think I'm the one who has to do with it?" The Dynamo asked, pondering. "Also, what's Blackfire up ta?" He added, almost as an afterthought. His thoughts seemed so disjointed, it was possible the pod crash had shifted some of the contents of his head around.

"Baaah, let's just focus on the real problem." He declared, hopping back to his feet with sudden energy, a thought occurring to him. "C'mon, kidlet. It's about time for me to start my exerise routine why don't you run through it with me?"

(Post Count: 329
Gosai Count: 970
Total Count: 1,687)

Gosai sat down. "...so you think I abandoned Roshi?"

"I-" Shana began, but Gosai swept on before the host of fire could even complete her thought. "On top of that, you're from the Conclave? So... are all the Vessels female? Oh, lord, that means Tork'thal is female!"

He's ranting again... Shana spoke wordlessly to Okibi.

Aye, the god of fire agreed. Don't trouble yourself over it, I'll handle him... With a powerful flash of light that glowed from Shana's amulet, Okibi appeared. All ten feet of him. The massive wall of lion-like god towered over both Shana and Gosai. The look upon his face was formidable, yet his voice was deep and gentle.

"Tork'thal has no gender, human. As for Roshi, I only guessed that it may be you. You are quite mobile, Gosai; it's not odd for you to dash off in random directions without warning." The god turned his head to glance at his host briefly before sitting down on his haunches. Picking up a paw the size of a dinner plate, he licked at the course, short, and white hair contemplatively before setting it down once more. "Blackfire is away on Conclave business. I don't know when she'll return to Earth," he lied easily.

Probably not anytime soon if this guy stays here, Shana couldn't help but thinking.

"Erm," Shana broke through with her tiny voice. "Exercising routine? Shouldn't you go back to your master?"

Word of Shana: 239/956
TTC: 1926

Gosai looked briefly at the Elemental of Fire, seemingly nonplussed by his appearance. "Huh." He murmured. "Well, you make a good point about the whole... me wandering off thing." The human admitted at last, scratching his chin. "And y'know, you can call me 'Gosai' not 'human'. It sounds like you're talking down to me if you just refer to my by my species." He added at last before turning attentions back to Shana.

Placing his hand on top of the girl's head, he offered a grin to her. "It's true I should go back to Roshi, but consider this your appraisal as one of his pupils. Kame Sen'nin has veeeery high standards for when he takes on a disciple. It's why he lives out in the oceans. Finding him is step one but there are other tests. Soooo, we're gonna see how well you can keep up with me, eh?"

Clapping his hands together, as if an agreement had been struck, Gosai immediately began the start of his training routine, dashing off towards the canopy of trees. "C'mon, kidlet!"

And thus, the screen faded out to show several other events...

"Remember," Gosai informed Shana, bridging his back to the extent he was resting completely upon his head and the balls of his feet, arms folded over his chest. "you always wanna have a nice warm up before stretching, otherwise you could get muscle damage."

--

"One thousand strikes to a hard surface can build up the density in your bones. Micro-fractures will heal up and make your bones denser." The Human Dynamo declared, throwing a series of punches into a boulder, watching it slowly pulverize.

--

Crouched down, Gosai was frog hopping in front of Shana, looking back to continue speaking. "Normally I'd find the heaviest thing around and hold it, but I figure we'll just use this as a beginner course for ya. Some people will do this for miles at a time. Literally miles."

--

And several additional moments faded in and out, including Gosai attempting a series of push-ups, Gosai jumping a chasm, and strangely enough, Gosai cooking ramen over a campfire.

--

"Now, after all that, and bare in mind I just put you through the physical conditioning, d'ya still wanna go back to Roshi?" The boy asked with a grin.

(Word Count: 385
Gosai Count: 1,355
Total Count: 2,311)

Shana's arms ached. Hell, her entire body ached. From her knuckles that were worn from punching a rock to her legs from lifting such heavy objects, the human was ready to collapse. I don't get how any of that was supposed to make me stronger... Shana thought wearily. She had thought Okibi to be a strict teacher when he coached her exercises in the gravity chambers. But this was brutal in comparison.

"Now, after all that, and bear in mind I just put you through the physical conditioning, d'ya still wanna go back to Roshi?"

Shana stared bleakly at him. Was Roshi's training regime even worse than this? Shana couldn't think of anything worse than what Gosai had just put her through. This boy's 'training' is quite... the god of fire paused as if trying to find the right word. ...idiosyncratic. The lion-like spawn of flames had chosen to remain outside of Eden's realm, yet hadn't partaken in any of Gosai's antics. Instead, he bathed in the sunlight, sitting proudly atop a rather large boulder. His broad shoulders demanded respect even though the god was not blazing with flames like he normally would in battle.

When the girl spoke, her voice sounded strained. She got up from her sitting position and almost fell right back down. But Okibi had leaped down from his perch and positioned himself so that his host could lean on his massive shoulder. "I-I guess," she said, sounding uncertain.

"I see little point in those 'stretches,' child," Okibi admonished Gosai, narrowing his eyes. "But Blackfire sent my host to train under Muten Roshi for a bit. The sooner we get you back to him, the sooner my host can start her training. Shall we go?"

Word of Shana: 292/1248
TTC: 2603

Gosai, unlike Shana, seemed to be properly reclined upon another rock, leaning against a tree as he watched Shana attempt to recover from the work out he'd put her through. For someone so young, though, she certainly had dealt with the situation adequately. Offering a slight smile to the God of Fire he chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment.

"The stretching has a purpose," The Human Dynamo countered calmly. His experiences with Skoll had apparently desensitized him to the terror that could usually be inspired by the Gods. "stretching properly at least twice a day is good for the muscles, keeps them loose and gives you better range of motion."

Another second ot two of silence had passed however before the boy opened his eyes and stood up. "Fine, fine. If we're really gonna get you trained by Roshi though... we're gonna need to pick someone else up. Like I said, he has... requirements. And my sister'll help you get through a couple of those." Without a thought to the girl's protests, Gosai simply grasped Shana about the waist before taking off to the edge of the mountain, sliding down the angle.

"Now, if my GPS will actually work, finding my house shouldn't be any trouble at all."

(Word Count: 209
Gosai Count: 1,564
Total Count: 2,812)

"Fine, fine. If we're really gonna get you trained by Roshi though... we're gonna need to pick someone else up. Like I said, he has... requirements. And my sister'll help you get through a couple of those."

Without warning, he suddenly scooped Shana up by her waist and hoisted her above his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "H-hey! W-wait a second!" But Gosai gave no notice to her protest and only leaped. Yes, leaped off of the side of the mountain. Okibi let out a heavy sigh and padded to the edge of the mountain before leaping off. His massive form blotted out the sun before he landed beside Gosai with a thunderous crash. His white paws ripped gouges in the rock as he kept pace.

"O-okibi! Help me!" Shana tried to squirm away from Gosai's grasp, feeling acutely embarrassed and harassed. Okibi growled, reaching forward with his maw to pluck Shana from Gosai's grip by clamping down upon the host of fire's collar. With a jerk of his head, he tossed Shana backwards, forcing the child to grab onto Okibi's broad shoulders. It took several seconds to realize that she was riding the lion-like deity much like a horse. But instead of a horse, it was a two and a half ton lion, likely dwarfing any lion that she ever saw in zoos.

"How far away is your sister's house?" Okibi growled as he ran along side of Gosai. "And why do we need her to confront the Turtle Hermit?"

Word of Shana: 258/1506
TTC: 3070