RP: The Search for the shadow

[KilledWithStyle]

NOTE:This RP is created as an experiment of mine to see how this would work. If you want to be added in please drop by this thread such that the next storyline event that I generate I can add you guys in. Other than that this one is pretty well open I will keep details vague such that some of the story can be forwareded by the users that join in.
Always do this story in the current tense, also the character that you are playing is just a normal person that might have had some sort of specific battle training. Any sort of magic is prohibited unless I allow. All storyline is told in third person.
If you are not "there" you do not know what happened. So do not use what you learn through reading in order to get an advantage.
(I reserve the right to kill or "make missing" any characters of my choice)
I tend to add stuff that gives people an insight into Ryoudu that you wouldnt know otherwise, but that is just to give the people only readling this RP some better story line such that they can get a feel of what Ryoudu truly is. Also it may or may not help in the responses that other people give.
ALSO Both Sarutobi and I are the storlyine people for this RP so both of us are 100% legeal to change the storyline.

Intro
A day like any other is when that blodied body changes the fate of many adventurers.


Ryoudu sat at the bar, drinking his sorrows away. It was as if his sorrows were consumed with every passing ale. Ryoudu, a naturally musclar man with a well trimmed chin, sat at the bar by his lonesome. His stout frame gave his face a bulky if not box like shape. His hair is a bit long in back but other than that mostly cared for. His normal presense, decent and well mannored, was ill-forgotten due to the amount of "sorrows" he had drank.

Many hours, and ales later, the illusive effects of alcohol had complete drowned out Ryoudu's sense of decency. He spent his time yelling and singing about even though he can not sing all that well. To his luck, many others drank their sorrows away that night and joined him in song and dance.

However, this happiness did not last long as the secondary effects of heavy drinking began to take their effect: Fighting. The bar fight esclated as more and more people joined. The bar, now in a brawl, had spirts of bodily fluids all over. Eventually, this fight was so bad such that the noise was heard across town.

Later that night, after most were either passed out from bieng drunk or just plain passed out, Ryoudu makes his way out singling jolly and happy. That bar fight was just what the doctor ordered for his sorrows. Oblivious about where he was going, Ryoudu kept walking into the night. Eventually the road ended at a farmhouse where Ryoudu decided to keep walking. This was an ordinary farm that grew wheat since it is the cash crop around these parts. The wheat, around seven feet tall or "harvest" size, is easy to get lost in, especially if you are drunk, like Ryoudu. Ryoudu finally reached the farmhouse where he abruptly and amuzingly...passed out.

Ryoudu woke up the next morning to the smell of copper. His eyes fluttered open as he spoted a dead and mangled body next to him. Every part of this guy was covered in blood. His face was torn beyond recognition. Not only that, it also had several unatural scratch marks across the corpse's limbs and body. Nothing is reconiziable except his right arm which held a blodied paper. A quick look around the vicinity, Ryoudu saw several sets of footprints, some of which were old and some of which were new. Someone definitely saw this.

After disgorging what was left of last nights eats, Ryoudu grabs the note and ran. Afraid of who might have known something he runs, but to no avail. He is quickly greeted by many townsmen with pitch forks and rakes. Ryoudu squinted as he saw the outline of many people and started to feel a splitting headache.

"This is no time to think lowly" Ryoudu thought to himself. He pulled out a small rusty blade about an arms length long that was next to the barn. The blade looked like it had once belonged to an old blacksmith that had given up on keeping the blade.

"What are you guys doing?", Ryoudu exclames, "I just woke up here."

The croud answered with a loud yell. Each scream made no coherant answer possible but, Ryoudu could easily figure that the dead man that he awoke next to that morning was important. Knowing that he could only take on a few in his hungover state, Ryoudu quickly set up a defensive position and prepared for the worst.

 

[Rayos]

What a night Rayos was having.



Wow, this is probably the best night I have had yet this entire year.
he thought to himself.
I guess my new drinks are really selling off the hook. I can't wait till everyone goes home and i get to practice with all the new chemicals I sent away for.
Rayos was more concerned with his experiments than it came to his bartending and ownership abilities. Standing behind the bar, he is able to see what is going on around the whole room. Being self employeed, and not hiring anyone to work with, saved him so much money that it paid for his hobby, Chemistry. Not to mention being one of the cheaper bars in town, newcomers always heard about it and would stop in.

Throughout the night, Rayos would talk with the "regulars" at the bar. He came to be someone that always looked out and listened to them. He wasn't anything close to a psychologist but more of a good friend who would listen when it was needed. He noticed a few strange men around the bar but paid no attention as he welcomed all guests. Then again, Raynos was thinking about the money that some of them were spending. They are not trying any of his creations but are pounding beers away like there is no tomorrow.

As the night was going on, Rayos saw a change in mood from a happy and upbeat night out, to a more anxious and defensive crowd. His suspicion was true as a small arguement between two friends turned for the worse and became a full out brawl.

Rayos was hiding behind his bar as the place was being torn down, peice by peice. Spirts of blood are seen landing on the countertop as his eyes were buldging at the site. He can not beleive this could happen in his bar.

Most of the crowd can be heard screaming and yelling as they leave the bar. A few stay for the fight while others are passing out in corners, either from being IN the fight or just too drunk to move.

Morning comes and Rayos puts a giant tape over his now half built door.

RENOVATING - WILL HAVE A REOPENING LATER IN THE MONTH

Rayos sighed as he packed his bags and decided to turn something negative into a positive situation. Rayos has had his eyes on traveling the world and this was the chance he got. With his bags all packed, he set out on a journey, not knowing where he would end up.


A few hours pass as the scenery gave him less than adequate sight seeing excitement. Passing by a series of wheat fields, a small farm house can be seen in the distance. Walking up further, he joins a giant mob with pitchforks in hand. Looking up ahead of the road, he sees a man that he remembers from the night before. Running ahead of the mob he runs up to the man.


"Hey. I remember you from last night. Dude you racked up some bill that you forgot to pay me. Apparently you forgot about that now didn't ya. So, did you forget to pay these guys also? I'd hate to be the only one haha."

 

[KilledWithStyle]

Ryoudu seems to be a bit stunned due to the roar of the crowd suddenly coming to a murmur almost as much as this strange man came walking from in front of the crowd.

Thoughts buzz in Ryoudu's head. Some thoughts were strange and outlandish while others were insane and seemed to be louder. Ryoudu could only get one straight thought through: someone removed all memory of anything beyond waking up. Until just this moment, all thoughts were becoming less reasonable and more random. Only a few things could be remembered. Unknown images of good and evil flow through Ryoudu's head like a whirlwind. What could have been seen through the eyes of Ryoudu was slowly fading to a total black.

Ryoudu's face slowly turns pale as almost inhuman screams start to rumble out of Ryoudu. Ryoudu's head was filled with unknown thoughts. He drops his weapon and falls to his knees. Ryoudu looks at the sky while completely drowning out all other sounds with an inhuman roar.

Part of the crowd slowly falls to their knees others just turn pale and their eyes white. Only a few of the youngest of the crowd are able to cover their ears and run away almost as if they were unaffected but still frightened.
----------
It is now several minutes later and Ryoudu lays unconscious and immobile as others in the crowd now lay as still as stone. They stay dormant, unmoving as well as lacking emotion.

Strong wind gusts now pick up as Ryoudu slowly opens his eyes. Able to see anything and everything around him but still without remembrance of anything that has happened before waking up that morning along with dropping his blade.

A quick glance around Ryoudu shows several almost soulless bodies around, and one person wearing gaudy clothing and spiky hair. He almost looked deep in thought mumbling to himself.

This new face to Ryoudu turns around and absolutely brightens up for a second when he yells, "Good!" This brightness rapidly goes away when he talks about what happened. He talks about how he had closed a bar and moved on from the standard bar business. He tells a quite detailed story more than what Ryoudu wanted to hear at the moment, mainly because Ryoudu probably has more questions than this man could answer. But eventually a hole pops up in the story when this man talks about how he came up to Ryoudu asked for the money and then went to talking about how he was checking all these people for signs of life.

Ryoudu found this the oddest of it all as he had been hoping that this man that obviously now has the exact same memory gap after the sword was dropped. Ryoudu went directly into deep thought over this new predicament but barely has time to think about it as he is also quickly instructed to help look at the bodies for signs of life.

A quick look and shake of these people's bodies shows signs of life still lasting in them, but no response. There is no feel of movement or anything, but these people still cared enough to breathe at a slow and steady rate. Men and women were just there unable to do anything else except stay right where they were staring with the same scared expression. Also the oddest part was their eyes. All of the eyes were now almost as white as snow and as empty as a night sky.

Ryoudu's mind how seems to wonder as he checks these bodies. "Name..... Name.... name... name...” now repeats in Ryoudu's head. Each succession of the word became louder than the last. Eventually one word keeps repeating in his head "Ryoudu... Ryoudu...... Ryoudu... Royudu, my name is Ryoudu!" Now realizing that he has actually yelled this as opposed to thinking this, Ryoudu quickly remembers the other man. Ryoudu couldn't know what exactly to ask but his mouth slowly opened up on its own.

"SPIKY HAIR," Ryoudu quickly yells as almost a reflex on what to say, "you still have not told me your name even after you bothered to talk your head off."

Yelling can be heard in the distance by younger people getting closer.

 

[Rayos]

"Jeezis jumpin Joseph. No, that isn't my name. My name is Rayos" He calmly noted to the strange man.

"I'm assuming your name is Ryoudu. You only said it about 30 times before you stopped shouting in my ear. So Anyway...that bill, you gonna pay me? It was quite a bit of money and i need that to buy all my new fun chemicals i can play with. I can see that you enjoyed my hallucination drinks. You drank far too many of them i can see HAHAHA."

Rayos realizes that there is a knife on the ground. Coming to the conclusion that that knife was for the mob he jokingly asked,

"So that little knife there was gonna stop all of them? Good thing you scream like a bad opera singer or you would be jolly well screwed."

Rayos' tone became a bit more serious. Though rare, he was known to rip apart situations to understand the complexity of the matter.


"So what was that? How were you able to cause this much pain to these men and why did it not affect me?"

He speaks to himself mumbling...not knowing if it was loud enough for Ryoudu to hear,

"Could this be from my potions? It can't be." Rayos decides to change the topic slightly.

"Hey Ryoda or whatever your name is...Why are you out here anyway? Hiding out?"

Rayos just stares at the man who he hopes will come back to normal "consciousness" soon.

 

[KilledWithStyle]

Ryoudu opens his mouth as if to reply but quickly goes into thought.

Nothing pops out of Ryoudu's mouth as he is come over with a face of confusion. Now the only thing that stutters out of Ryoudu's mouth is, "I... I don't know."

There are so many things swirling about Ryoudu's mind as he looks around. Things such as what was he doing here, who was that dead man, what are these people doing around without a glint of consciousness, this "Bill" Rayos is talking about, amongst a few others about what happened after all sound and light cut out.

Out of this mess only one part came out, "Wasn't there a dead man?"

Ryoudu quickly runs into the barn and runs back. "What happened to the dead man that was in the barn?" Ryoudu silently talks to himself.

Ryoudu beacons to the man "Ryeoas, where is the man that was in here?"

 

[Rayos]

"Very funny RyoDUH" Rayos commented about Ryoudu's attempt to pronouncing his name. He follows him to the barn where everything begins to hit Rayos like a sack of bricks


"What the hell are you talking about...What dead man?" Rayos then pondered about what Ryuodu just said, "Wait...a dead man? What the hell did you do after you left the bar last night?"


Rayos takes a few steps back cautiously. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

 

[KilledWithStyle]

"I am Ryoudu.... Where I come from..."

Ryoudu thinks for a moment but quickly changes the subject.

"Little I remember of last night, I just remember falling asleep after a maze of those tall grass things."

Ryoudu points towards the wheat.

"There was a dead man in this barn and he had this note...."

Ryoudu pauses for a moment searching his body.

"Note... note... note....."

Ryoudu glances on the ground where he woke up not too long ago and finds the note laying right next to the knife. Ryoudu picks it up and opens the leathery material.

"Here, the man was holding this note."

Ryoudu looks at the object. On it was some writing and a drawing of a pyramid, an eye on the top, and some random dots. Most of the leather like material was covered in blood that had absorbed into the writing making half the note readable. Ryoudu looks puzzeled really fast as he hands the parchment to Rayos.

"Do you understand this?"

 

[Rayos]

Puzzled by the note Rayos looks up at the barn wall then back down to the note. He brings it closer to his face as if he will find some missing part of the note if he stares closer.

"Ya know...if ya didn't get all this blood on it ...we might be able to understand this. I have no idea what it could mean. I'm no scienti....oh wait...i do chemistry...nevermind."

Rayos had trouble keeping a serious tone, a trait that has solved many hostile moments as well as caused a good amount of hostile moments.

"I know one person, many people think he is nuts but he taught me a lot of what he knows.....he probably is nuts now that i think about it. But i think it is time we go see him"

Rayos tugs on Ryoudu's arm

 

[KilledWithStyle]

Ryoudu shakes off Rayos tagging on the sleave and walks with Rayos in a bit of confusion and discontent. After a small bit of walking without a word Ryoudu looks back quickly at the barn were this started and sees no one there. Everyone had vanished.

Ryoudu starts to studder out a word but looks back to see Rayos still walking ahead. Ryoudu quickly catches up.

"Who is this man that you speak of?"

 

[Rayos]

Rayos stops to wait for the slow but steady Ryoudu to catch up. "um actually...after all the years i have known him...i just called him old man. He never was good with names anyway which should be fun for you Rydon...i mean...Ryodoken?...whatever....."

Rayos smirks with a bit of satisfaction.

"Anyway...he is the man that taught me everything i know about chemicals and mixtures and science. He may be slightly senile but he knows what he is talking about. If he doesn't know i bet he knows someone that does. So instead of all these questions...which i am supposed to be asking by the way....How bout you keep moving so i don't lose you."

Rayos picks up the pace. As his head turns away from Ryoudu, his face turns a bit more grim. Still pondering in his mind, "Did he kill these guys or did he honestly forget his memory...I'll know for sure when we get to the old man"

"Well ... We're at the entrance of the forest...home sweet home" The cool summer breeze had become dead silent. The strange aura around the two travelers had dispersed from the overpowering feeling of darkness and fear that emitted from the dark forest. A chill ran down Rayos' spine as he turned to Ryoudu.

"God I miss that feeling. Don't worry about that weird aura...if you feel it at all Ryoudu. The old man is a great herbalist and scientist. Like I said before, I learned everything from him. He burns a select choice of herbs that can bring fear and paranoia into the hearts of even the bravest men. Let's continue on.

Proceeding into the forest, Rayos walks over a marked tree. Knocking on the wood, he pushes at a select spot to open up a small box that is hidden next to a rock.

Ryoudu..no one knows how to get to the old man's house. The only way to get there is by eating this herb that is in the box. The name of the herb is Diploptherys Cabrerana, DC for short. What the purpose of this herb is to alter the brain and allow an illusion to take effect. This illusion that DC induces onto us will allow the correct path to the house be seen. Unfortunately, that path is not apparent outside the illusion. This is the power that can be possessed through chemistry and herbalism.

Rayos and Ryudu travel along with the illusion guiding their way through the darkness of the forest. The darkness slowly seeped away from the back of their minds as curiosity and anxiousness slowly kicked in. Rayos knew they were on the right track. The ability to alter the senses of a man and controlling their actions within them was something he knew all too well about. Rayos sniffed the air and realized he had arrived to the final location.

Well Ryoudu, We finally reached the house. The only thing left to do is get ourselves out of this illusion.
Rayos slaps himself on the cheek slightly hard. Shaking his head he begins to blink. Rayos can now see the small cabin where the old man stays. Realizing that Ryoudu isn't out of the trance, turns to him and slaps him fairly hard right across the face.

So can you see the cabin now? I hope that didn't hurt too much Rydon Another smirk across Rayos' face was pretty evident.

Let's go slowpoke!

Rayos had already made it to the door and began knocking...

 

[KilledWithStyle]

Ryouda is a bit clueless as to what was happening. First, Rayos was mumbling about an illusion of some sort and then he had to eat a strange plant. It's probably best that Spikey hair had someone to keep him from falling over those rocks. He stumbled throughout most of the trip. Figuring that Rayos was on some kind of chemical "trip" he finally was able to catch up to him. However, it is harder keeping up with Rayos the whole way as Rayos almost seemes to move about the trees and brush as a bird making his way through the clear blue sky.

Ryoudu pops and falls out the brush stumbling out with now scrapes and cuts that cause some small bleeding. Ryoudu, now covered in dirt, stands up a bit dizzy and in a daze. He looks at Rayos and sees not a scratch on him. Ryoudu quickly ponders but he is quickly slapped by Rayos saying that they have reached the location.

Ryoudu wasn't quick to anger but still wonders what had deserved a hit to the face. He runs up to the cabin in the clearing with Rayos. Ryoudu quickly tries to speak but then forgets the name of the man in front of him. "Ra... Spiky Hair, how did you make it through unscathed?"

 

[Rayos]

Rayos opens the door to the cabin, not paying attention to the mocking Ryoudu is spewing out of his mouth.

"Hey old man! Are ya home?" Rayos shouts into the cabin. Taking a few steps in, Rayos pauses as memories from his past begin to fill his head. "Ahh just like it always has been. This bastard never changes things up....Ever!" him.


Walking into the next room, Rayos is shocked as he sees his former mentor on the ground looking lifeless. "OLD MAN!?" Rayos shouts as he rans over to the body.

"Hey old man!...Wake up...What are ya doing?" He nudges him. Rayos then stares at a jar in the man's left hand. He grabs the flask like jar and sniffs its contents.

"Morning glory......" He sniffs the jar again, "Calamus...and...and Sinicuichi?! no way?! he can't have tried mixing these." Rayos jumps over to the counter and starts looking threw the jars of plants and chemicals in the room.

"Where the hell is it...where is it?" Rayos shouts as his voice begins to tremble more. A small burst of laughter can be heard from the room next door. Rayos pauses for a second, his face of concern quickly changes to a more ill tempered and embarrassed state.

Rayos walks over to the jar and takes a sip out of it. He shakes his head as he sees the body on the floor only to be a rolled up rug.

"OLD MAN!" A small fragile figure walks out from the shadows laughing histerically. "Rayos...Rayos, you poor child. You still fall for my tricks..even at this age?"

Rayos obviously pissed that he had fallen for the trick turns his head letting out a "pfft" from his mouth.

"So Rayos, why did you come by? It isn't to just see me now is it? You wouldn't just come by to say Hi or have a cup of tea or anything like that now would you?" The old man says with a bit of dissatisfaction.

Rayos turns to Ryoudu, "Hey...show the old man what you have"

 

[KilledWithStyle]

Ryoudu hands over the note to the old man. The smell of the leather drowns out the surrounds. The place is filled with the pungent stench of wet animals, and socks that spent way too many days in the mud without being washed. Oddly enough, strange sweetness fills the room, overpowering the abundance of fowl odors.

Grabbing the note hastily, the old man lifts it up to the light. "Hmmm interesting..."

Ryoudu is not paying attention to the old man and looks about the room. He can see several half-used bottles along with several plants and roots randomly about the room. Threw the corner of his eye, one bottle strikes Ryoudu's attention.

On the other side of the room the old man is yelling at Rayos about blood remover. "How in the ****ens am I supposed to read this with all this blood in the way. Quick Rayos, go get the blood thinner." The old man points to a back room and kicks Rayos into it and follows. Yelling could be heard, "Now where did I put that?"

Ryoudu is mesmorized with the bottle. It sparkles blue in the ambient light. It also appears to glow. Ryoudu opens it up. The sweet smell of an ocean's breeze along with, oddly enough, the sound of seabound birds fills the air. The silent rhymitic tone of waves and birds is all Ryoudu can think about. Ryoudu takes one step forward onto the canvas painted before him. Infront of him stands a shining white shape. The shape reaches out, in the form of arms, towards Ryoudu. Ryoudu passes out.

It's an unknown time later when the old man and Rayos appear out of the other room. The old man a bit upset, "Why didnt you tell me you broke it?"
Rayos says back, "I didnt break it, there is no such thing as blood remover that doesnt remove ink also!"

A moment of silence as Rayos looks at the old man looking at Ryoudu. "Oh verry funny, like I would fall for that again."

The old man shakes his head.

Rayos, a bit worried runs over but sees Ryoudu wake up. Everything seemes fine, except the color of Ryoudu's pupils is red. Ryoudu sits up. "Who are you people?"

A blank stare from both people, but the old man is deep in thought when he looks at the mostly empty bottle and the liquid around it.

"Lisha, Lisha... Where is Lisha? Where is this place?" Ryoudu demands out of the people infront of him. Ryoudu stands up with a more serious look in his face. Ryoudu starts heading for the door as he looks at the blank stares on the people infront of him. He reaches for the knob and quickly stops.

Ryoudu turns around, his eyes are grey again. Ryoudu looks about the two people in the room and notices their confused and stern faces. "What happened?" Ryoudu breaks and continues, "What was in the note?"

Rayos looks at the old man, "Is this what you were talking about?"

The old man seemed a bit releieved. "No, however, if what you say is true, he has truly lost his memory."

Ryoudu knows this is ovious to him, but looks at Rayos "What? You didnt believe me? I guess I wouldnt believe me. Yes, I have lost memory...I think. All I remember is awakening to the smell of blood and once more to view this man searching those people." Ryoudu stops for a moment, "Is that why you forced Rayos out of the room, was this whole thing a trap?"

The old man bows his head a little, "I am sorry I did not know what to think. Up to me forcing Rayos out of the room, that was real."

"I had auctally already put you to sleep with some medication, but it seemed to take a while to take effect on you. Which was odd since with all the injuries that you had recieved, your heart rate should have increased enough to spread the sleep inducer faster." Rayos said.

The old man rolls his eyes almost mocking Rayos behind Rayos' back. "Yeah after I kicked him out we were catching up on old times. I was mainly trying to figure out why he came all the way out here and why he hasnt been keeping in touch more. He told me some of the stuff that happened. It seems like there was a break in his memory as it is in your memory."

Ryoudu nods his head, "The break at the barn... I believe."

The old man continues, "Just as I thought. I was thinking of trying to use a new formula that I have been making. It was supposed to be used to help me remember old recipes that I have long forgotten. You have drunk one of my faulty batches before you passed out. Tell me, did you see anything?"

Ryoudu starts to speak but realizes that the old man is in Ryoudu's face with a very eager look. "Tell me now, did you see anything?" The old man musters.

Ryoudu says, "I... I saw a beach... Not much else."

The old man seems a bit dissappointed, "Probally just a dream."

From there, he picks up the bottle with only a little liquid in it. Ryoudu looks at the bottle and sees nothing but just a clear water-like material in it. The old man walks over to a chair and says, "Now about this note.."

Ryoudu lays on the ground passed out with a bit of blood dripping from his nose. The old man sighs and commands Rayos to get the "smelling salts". "One of the problems is most of my batches end up with bloody noses of that forumla."