[voice]

[youhearthebells]

So, uh. Kind of a weird question. For everybody.

Any of you other crews that placed in the race and got prizes...did any o' you guys get half a map, by any chance? Figured I'd check with the others before I start huntin' the locals down.

Tell me somethin' interesting. I got a lot on my mind and a hell of a lot of open ocean between me an' a state of complete inebriation on Deesuko Ballia. Be better to fill it with stupid chatter, eh?

Comments

[borntochangetheworld]

We didn't get any map pieces.

I can however offer a story or two. Have you heard of the rampaging unicorn?

[youhearthebells]

Oh, hey. Huh. I guess a story would count as something interesting. Lay it on me.

[borntochangetheworld]

Alright! Then I will tell you of Hinahoho's Mighty Conquest!

[He clears his throat.]

In the vast, far reaches of the north sea is a tribe called the Imuchakk. The men and even the women are built tall and strong but there is no other kinder than the great Hinahoho.

The tradition is simple. Upon reaching the age that one becomes an adult, each male must slay the water beast they call the rampaging unicorn. The rampaging unicorn is a huge, huge beast. It has the head of a dragon, a body as longer than the shoreline of an island and the tail of a fish! Its skin is made of thick dense coral, its eyes burning with the passion for survival that any creature of the sea must have. This is no ordinary fish, but a savage beast. A monster.

[Sinbad is practically bouncing in his seat he's so excited by the story.]

To say this gigantic savage beast, all one is presented with is a single harpoon. So Hinahoho became the age of an adult, but he was very kindhearted and he found the idea of piercing such a creature distasteful and difficult. He could swim as fast as the beast but when he tried to pierce its skin, the rampaging unicorn would brush him aside like you or I would a fly. He grew disheartened because without this rite of passage he would never earn his warrior name, nor would he be able to off his hand to the girl he loved.

[He pauses for a moment to let it sink in.]

One day, during his twenty-first year, the gentle Hinahoho encountered a young man in a sailboat. This young man was in trouble and although he was struggling so, he stopped to offer him some food and water. He saved the traveler's life. During his conquest, his sister had come out to support him and she apologized for his nature. The traveler dismissed the apology and to repay his kindness, and to satiate his own desire for hunting strange aquatic creatures, he offered to help.

The two of them consulted but they didn't think it was against the rules to help, so the traveler came up with a plain to trap the beast to give Hinahoho the chance to pierce it through with his harpoon, using a crescent island. They lured the monster into the peninsula and sprung the trap! Now it was time for Hinahoho to charge into action. He boldly ran into the water, swimming up to the beast and pierced it with his harpoon. This did little but enrage it for Hinahoho did not pierce it deeply enough.

The beast let out a mighty roar and knocked Hinahoho aside. He struggled to hang onto the harpoon. He was angry and frustrated. He was tired of being unable to go home and tired of disappointing everyone. With a storm closing in, he did his best to push that harpoon through the skin and kill the beast! The beast howled in rage and gave its head a shake, knocking Hinahoho into the sea!

Worried that it was going to escape, the traveler summoned some magic and a large lightning bolt came down from the sky, bathing the creature in light. When it was over the creature fell forward, its head falling to the shore. With this victory, Hinahoho was finally pronounced a warrior of the Imuchakk tribe.

[youhearthebells]

Huh.

So the kid cheated by letting the traveler kill it. Sounds kinda dumb. But, I guess if the tribe don't care as long as the thing's dead, what's a little cheating?

All barbarian tribes got some kinda tradition like that, don't they? Sounds like the Nanman a little.

[borntochangetheworld]

I don't know about other tribes, I haven't been everywhere yet but the tribe didn't care. Hinahoho did though. He rejected the honour by setting out on a really foolish quest. Hinahoho is an honourable guy.

[youhearthebells]

Ohhh, so it was you who did the deed, eh?

If you say so. Honor is as honor does, or somethin' like that.

[borntochangetheworld]

What makes you think I did that?

Well the way he chose to prove himself was stupid, it was lucky he made it out alive.

[youhearthebells]

Somethin' about the details. You know too much for your own good.

I ain't judgin'. People feel like they gotta prove themselves in all kinds of ways. Dumb or not, creatures bigger and tougher'n you is always a favorite.

[borntochangetheworld]

[Sinbad laughs.] Well you caught me. Aside from helping him, the fisherman's blood within me was screaming for a chance to conquer a beast like that.

[He hums a bit.] He would have been better off with a big creature as his choice. He chose to challenge a dungeon though. There's nothing more dangerous in the world than that. Only a handful of people have walked into a dungeon and come out alive.

[Voice]

[amethystsregret]

Anything interesting, huh? I've got stories to tell if you want to hear them. Hm!

[Voice]

[youhearthebells]

[hmm, a new voice]

If it's an interesting story. Give it a shot.

[Voice]

[amethystsregret]

Well, there was a violin player that longed to make his name known forever, but he was poor and only known in his town. His desire was so great though that he attracted the attention of a demon, who promised him that if he played a song of its creation on a specific violin that his dream would become reality. That man didn't care what price he had to pay, so the deal was made, sealed within his eye. A powerful song was born that came to be known as The Devil's Trill, for only a master of the violin could play it.

The violin was passed down by the demon to other violinists that longed to make their name known, and every time they were compelled to play the Trill, they lost a piece of their soul to the demon. None of them cared about the price to be paid, so the demon claimed many a prize. Then, by chance, a played had an accident and died. Before the demon could claim his prize though, the contract went missing from the man's eye. The man's eyes had been given to a young man that was going blind, and by a stroke of luck, whether good or bad, he was a young, poor violin player...

[He paused a moment.]

Is it interesting so far?

[Voice]

[youhearthebells]

It's weird, that's for sure. That sounds like a long way to go to get somebody's soul...

[Voice]

[amethystsregret]

When it comes to demons, they enjoy toying with their food before consuming it. That tends to be a disadvantage when people that know them better come along to stop them. They are creatures of bad habits. Hm...

Anyway, the innocent violinist struggled against jealous rivals, but his talent was best by far. His heart was pure, and he could not help feeling guilt for the original owner of his new eyes' fate. In search of their next of kin, he met the man's only family, his daughter. Their meeting was not by chance, and the two became good friends. When his own violin was destroyed by his enemies, the child gave the musician her father's violin, the very violin the demon had given him. With the contract and violin in the same possession once again, the demon only had to find a means to kill the young man to claim his promised prize.

However, after the young musician nearly gave in the demon's torment, two guardians came to save him from the gates of Death. They had been sent from the afterlife to stop the demon from taking his soul. After drawing out the demon using the violin as bait, one of the guardians engaged the demon, nearly destroying him completely. Unfortunately, the demon possessed the injured guardian just before its body perished. Try as the guardian might, the demon overtook him and tried to kill the musician once again. His plan failed though because the other guardian sensed his presence.

The battle between the guardian and demon came to the afterlife, where the possessed guardian caused massive destruction as he hunted for the child of the previous violinist. His prize was the child that could see demons, blessed by Heaven. The remaining guardian had hidden her in the afterlife, but the demon had combed its host for information. While the demon faced off against the guardian, within, the other guardian struggled to regain his body. It wasn't until the pure-hearted young man called to him that the battle turned against the demon at last. He was forced out of the guardian's body, but before he could harm any more, he was destroyed in a final attack from his former host, a massive explosion...

The demon was gone, but the blessed child was lost as well. In the end, the musician returned to the world of the living. He picked up the demon's violin, and he played The Devil's Trill in honor of the fallen, the lost, and the guardians he would never forget.

[Voice]

[youhearthebells]

...huh. Wow. [quietly impressed]

Afterlife's really as lively as they say, then.

[Voice]

[amethystsregret]

It has it's moments. Hm-hm!

Did it get more interesting for you in the end?

[Voice]

[youhearthebells]

It's a lot to wrap my head around, yanno? Things aren't like that where I come from. Although...I suppose that ain't totally true, after bein' in a demon dimension myself.

Voice

[wanderer_from_ys]

Oh, is it story time? Well, I have a story. I told it to my captain and he's pretty sure I made it up but it happened to me.

Voice

[youhearthebells]

So far that's what people find interesting. Whatcha got?

Voice

[wanderer_from_ys]

All right.

When I first left home to make my own way in the world, I ended up in a port town. Across the sea was a small country called Esteria but it was impossible to get to. Anyone who sailed across the sea would have their boat swallowed up by dark storms. The whole country was surrounded with the storms and you could barely see anything except for one tower that reached into the sky, taller than anything I've seen before.

Voice

[youhearthebells]

...a little weird, but okay.

Voice

[wanderer_from_ys]

That's what I thought. No one wanted to go to Esteria so I thought I could go, just to see if there were actually storms there or if it was some kind of illusion. I learned how to sail and then took off in my own little boat. The country really wasn't that far off in the sea so it wouldn't take more than a few hours sailing.

As soon as I got near, it's like I triggered something and storms came from all over to swamp my boat and pitch me into the ocean. The next thing I knew, I was in a little clinic in this town on the island. *And thus starting an illustrious career shipwrecking in countries all over.*

Voice

[youhearthebells]

Well, at least ya made it to the island, and weren't drowned.

Voice

[wanderer_from_ys]

That's true. When I got there, I found out that there was a wizard controlling monsters in the country and preventing anyone from landing on the island.

He was trying to cut off the country and find some ancient books held by equally ancient family lines. So, because I was just a wanderer and didn't have to stay defending any of the towns, I tried to help where I could and solve the mystery and find the books myself. The wizard was holed up on the top of that giant tower.

Voice

[youhearthebells]

...take it you went to go be a hero, huh?