Shisen

Cold wind breezed past Finn's face, bursting him awake. His eyes opened in one shot, wide and confused he looked around, only to see his front door cracked open. The guardsman got up from his seat, blanket still wrapped around him, and approached the door. His head poked outside, his eyes adjusting to the daylight as they narrowed down to shield themselves. He quickly put his head back inside his house, closing the door and looking around. The girl was nowhere to be seen; she had left. Mutt rested where she once slept, covered by the guardsman's cloak. Finn yawned loudly, waking up the wolf, and an annoyed whine came out in response as the beast went back to sleep. He walked through the corridors and rooms of his humble home aimlessly, before finally starting to think of something. I should visit the guard post. Finn thought to himself. He had another couple of days available for rest, but, he could come back whenever he wished to his post. The guardsman yawned loudly again, as he threw away his blanket, and went straight to the washroom.

Warm water poured over his hair, and a bar of soap was being scrubbed across his arms. The filth of days with no wash went away, and Finn felt brand new. His hair fell down near his neck, raven black, almost jet black, and nearly curly. He gripped onto a pair of scissors, as he stared at himself in a mirror. Long hair was fashionable all across the Frontier. Men with long hair were viewed as elegant, intriguing, and noble. Some in warrior culture viewed long hair as something only an amateur would wear; Long hair tends to get in the way of the fighter during battle, though some veterans may wear it as they are not held back by such a thing.

Finn put the shears down, deciding he could keep his hair as it was. He did opt in for shaving off his beard, however. A sharp blade rushed along his face, revealing more and more of his pale white skin. Warm water touched his smooth skin, and his blade clanked down as he dropped it in the sink. He stared for a bit, a bit unfamiliar with his new look. He wasn't as rough, definitely more gentlemanly. By the hells, you might confuse me for some noble. He stepped out of the washroom, going unbothered through his house, naked at all ends. He approached his room with a cheerful stride, whistling and humming a song he and his old trainee unit used to sing.

Sharp, sharp.

I brush my steel, sharp, sharp.

I go into battle now, sharp, sharp.

A sharp warrior is a sharper man;

Will of a soldier and a sharpened blade;

That's what makes me a Guardsman.

Sharp, sharp.

Finn had finished dressing, his body covered in cloth once more, and his body refreshed, he took off to see the world outside, and then quickly headed back inside his home as he forgot to grab his cloak. It was raining again, of course. Luckily, it seemed to be only a light drizzle. In Ebonvale, the rain gets rougher as the weeks progress, at times, it can go on for a whole month, or be only a week short. But usually, the people of this land will only see TWO whole days of light. You would wonder how they grow crops, how they filter out all this rainwater, and how it affects the land. But, you would be surprised to see that the city of Lokarth was the only one in which it rained like this. Not to be confused, Ebonvale was very much a rainy land, though, the capital city seemed to be cursed with endless rain. The origin of this never-ending storm is unknown, but to some, they view it as a protective blessing, as the enemies of Ebonvale would find it tough to battle in these storms, unlike its people.

Blessing or not, Finn quite enjoyed it when it was just a simple calming drizzle like this. As he arrived in a courtyard, his head shot to the left to see a tall figure sitting by a grindstone, sharpening a large battle axe. "Brugo!" Finn shouted, happy to see his comrade. The orc gave a glance to the once bedridden corporal, and smirked, setting aside his battle axe. "Corporal!" The two met hands, a firm handshake exchanged.. and it was being held for quite some time. The two looked deep into each other's eyes, as Finn began to turn his smile into a cheap smirk, his crooked smile showing off, and the Orc merely kept his own, his vibrant eyes glaring in the corporal's direction. They were having a strength competition, as their grip strength increased, Finn eventually began to chuckle, pulling his hand away from the brutes. "Didn't lose your touch, good," Finn said. "Corporal, your 'hika' has become greater than last time," Brugo replied, spewing out a word in his mother tongue. 'Hika' meant Power, orcs could tell the power level one warrior had just with a handshake; A skill no other race could achieve, due to their battle skill, orcs are some of the most renowned warriors in the world. Their mercenary prices alone show that they can be quite expensive to hire.

Finn looked at his hand, puzzled. "How is that? I lay in bed for more than a week, and just like that, I'm stronger? If I knew I would just sleep all day like Yorsen." Brugo chuckled, answering the corporal's curiosity. "You have it all wrong, corporal. Your battle with the doppelganger was a testament to skill. You made Duroku-Tora proud, she saw it fit for a warrior of your calibre to see more battles." Finn smirked at himself, giving a sharp look towards Brugo. "If your goddess saw it that way, then how about a spar? Let's see if she was right." Brugo smiled, his tusks showing off brightly. "I accept." The two entered a small wooden ring, the earth beneath them making for a good ground to battle on, as it had not yet muddied. Finn spun around a wooden sword, his sleight of hand still sharp. The orc gripped his own, staring at his opponent as they approached each other. Small drops of water tapped their garments, Finns' hood sliding off his head casually, and Brugos' long locks trailing off his shoulders lazily. Their blades were about to meet, and as if on cue, the rain had paused. Their swords met, Brugo sending out a powerful slash towards Finn, reaching towards his shoulder, only to get parried away to the left, as with a quick step Finn slipped away from him and quickly delivered a fast jab with the tip of the blade towards the brutes chest, only for it to be blocked as Brugo had brought up his sword to stop the attack, the guard of the wooden blade smacking away Finn' attack.

The two made distance, only moments after to engage again, Finn's blade twirled in his hands, as he would send a rapid slash upward, and with another twirl, it came back down. The orc, in response, blocked the first strike, shooting his hand on the wooden blade to move it upwards, blocking the next attack. With a step forward, Brugo entered the corporal's range, knocking him away with a strike of the pommel to his chest, Finn barely managing to dampen the strike by stepping backwards. "Not bad, your back-foot game is still as good as I remember it." Brugo frowned at the remark, spitting at the ground "A true warrior never stays as you remember him, he only improves." Brugo charged back in, delivering a downward slash with all his strength towards Finn. The guardsman barely had time to react, but the telegraphing of the attack allowed him to block just in time, though it felt similar to his fight with the Doppelganger.

During my exchange with that monster, it broke my guard. I'd say Brugo and that thing are about even.

Finn composed himself, and with a sudden step to the side, he would redirect the wooden blade, sliding against Brugos, and with a push of his hand, the tip hit his cheek. The orc was surprised, assured his physical superiority would win this exchange. He quickly turned preparing to slash at Finn once more, only to be met by a sudden twirl as he was switching stances, the slap of a wooden blade felt on his wrists.

"And that's your hands! Fights over, big guy-" Finn couldn't finish his words, feeling a sudden burn in his chest, as air left his lungs. He was flung onto the ground, his head poking up to see that Brugo had kicked him! The rain began to set back in, signaling the end of their spar. "My hands may be gone, but I still have my legs." Brugo smirked, only to drop his blade and reach for Finn with an open hand. Finn took it, lifting himself off the ground with the Orc's help. "Next time, if you kick me like that, at least do it when I'm on my guard." Brugo chuckled, patting Finn's back. "That sounds like a you problem, Corporal! Hahaha!" Finn only gave him a crooked smile, his eyes closed as a vein popped up on his forehead, his fist closing in and then smacking the orc in the face with it.

Minutes passed, and the clobber-fest ended. The two men were beaten up enough to have settled on a truce and got to sit down for a bit. "So, tell me, what happened since the whole ordeal with the Doppelganger?" Brugo lazily glanced at Finn, then back to the sky. "It wasn't good, Corporal. You completed the mission, but when we found you, the Sergeant freaked out. He smacked Lanor in the face for letting you go off on your own. Then he took you, and flew off towards the Healer Den." Finn sucked in air through his teeth, making an audible worried sound. "Yeesh.. Lanor got smacked? I did order him not to chase the monster.. I should probably go and apologize to him." Brugo waved his hand in the air, gesturing not to bother with it. "He wasn't mad at you, nobody was. If anything, Lanor said you looked 'heroic'. He was so inspired that the poor lad trained until mana exhaustion." Finn was surprised by this, although, Private Lanor always showed great potential. The truth was, Lanor was Finn's protégé. He always gave him advice, always tried to guide him into taking a leading position. Partially? Because Finn wanted a successor. If anything happened to him, Lanor would step up. And the other part? Finn wanted to move up in the world, but second-in-command work didn't suit him. He wanted to lead. "Lanor is a good lad, y'know? Yes, he is..." Brugo followed up, with an amused tone. "Impatient? Foolish? Inexperienced? Whiny?" Finn sighed, chuckling. "Yes, he is those. But. He's also a good lad. A man you can put your faith in. Once he matures, just a bit more, he'll be a fine soldier." Brugo scoffed, questioning the Corporal. "Is that so? What about me and Yorsen?" Finn looked towards him, his eyes squinting at the orc. "You two are fine, but this isn't an evaluation, ask the Sergeant for those." Finn got up from his spot, preparing to walk away, onlyy to feel a tug at his left arm. "One last thing, before you go." Finn turned towards the orc, shrugging, but hearing him out. The orc took out a small bone from his belt, attached to it was the end of an ink pen, and with a sudden stroke, he drew a symbol on Finn's forearm, just above his wrist. "What the hell is this- Ouch!" The ink began to flare up, as it suddenly imbedded itself into Finn's forearm, snatching it away from Brugo's hold. He held onto it, trying to take the ink off but to no success. The pain disappeared, and a permanent inked mark remained on his forearm. "What. The. Hell. IS THIS?" Brugo smirked at the corporal, but Finn seemed nearly furious.. and also worried. "Dune Scorpion Ink." Finn was alarmed, his eyes widening more as he grabbed to orc by the collar of his shirt. "Explain yourself, now." Brugo slumped his shoulders, relaxing himself despite the corporals threatening demeanor. "That's the 'shisen' Mark. The Mark of a True Warrior." Brugo unhanded Finn from his collar, turning around and moving away his hair to show him that he had three of these same marks on the nape. They were similar to Finn's, each mark signed differently than the other. They were like a signature, it was a round circle that was left open, and then struck downwards like a slash.

"The 'Shisen' Mark. It signals the path to warriorhood. One takes on this challenge to attain skill and power like no other. You will compete with others that possess the Mark, and in combat, you shall fight to the death to decide the better warrior." Brugo explained the meaning of the mark. In orcish tongue, 'Shisen' meant Warrior. One claimed a mark from another already possessing one. Usually, these duels are fought to the death. Now, Finn wouldn't mind that, however.. "So, you marked me to possibly one day... And let me say this clearly. DIE. To the hands of some battle thirsty, blood lusted, psychopath, such as yourself.. because I am a 'true warrior'?" The orc nodded. "Yes." Finn was left speechless. Although, the prospect didn't give him any fear for his life. Instead, he felt a bit annoyed and also.. excited. "Alright, sure. I'll take the challenge on. But next time, ASK someone first when you're about to do this." Brugo blinked, his blank expression disappearing after realizing what he did. "A-Ah, yes, true. I shall do so from now on! Haha! But no worries corporal, mine were won through knock-outs only, there is no reason to worry about spilling the blood of your enemy if you are a pacifist!" Finn sighed, only more annoyed at the orcs statement.

A Shisen mark had been acquired. And many eyes settled on the Guardsman. He may have seemed annoyed at the prospect of constant life threatening duels, but, a part of him welcomed them. It was like a calling, a certain calling that would lead him to the path that seemed befitting of the word 'Shisen'. The path of a true warrior. Brugo explained the mechanics behind this game they played. Ink was to be used to draw upon the body. Signatures all were different, if they looked too similar, they would disappear. Blood was to be used to draw upon the body if the warrior had slain a great beast. The pen would only recognize beasts power, and make the Mark permanent if worthy.

"The Doppelganger. It was a tough battle for you, Corporal. But it was a mere product of superior power, not skill." Finn nodded along, agreeing with the orc. "I did get that feeling. It was as powerful as you. More agile however. Though, it lacked something." Brugo followed up once more, completing his sentence. "Experience. It lacked the battle earned experience we have. Consider that mark your first victory, besting an opponent physically superior to you with skill only. The monster forgot it was a monster, tried to fight you like a man, and lost." Finn nodded, he liked the analogy. It made sense too. The doppelganger was awfully tactful of its movements, but they were sloppy and definitely not suited for its monsterous advantage. "Your 'hika' grows, Corporal. Continue to battle powerful opponents and your 'shisen' path will flourish." Brugo finished speaking setting himself back down onto his chair, with axe in hand. Finn simply smirked, giving the orc a confident look. "Sure. That won't be an issue."

Brugo only gave a glance up at Finn as he left the courtyard. His expression seemed dull, though, his eyes never were more vibrant yellow then this, almost glowing with inspiration.

"I think I understand it now, Lanor. This is what you felt."