The Story Of Hajima The Nin Ronin, this is kinda long and addictive maybe.. Options

[jchamber]

I got inspiration from you guys, so thanks. Well here it is. Lemme know whatcha think.

(edited for fluidity, immersion, detail, and character touch up)

Chapter one- the begining
Part One
The Uncertainty

"Owww, my head..... dear Mephala!! What hit me?" I found myself with my face buried in a pillow on a hammock and my head was splitting in two. I can't remember what happened that was making my head hurt so bad or why I am lying down but I did know I wanted the pain to stop.

"Quiet, or the guard will hear you, he can be a mean sort." Said a gruff, deep voice. I turned my head to get a veiw of the guy and as I did so realized that I was on a boat, and that I didn't have a sea stomach as nausea overtook me and spilled my previous meal, which seemed to contain little more than a thin soup that I can't remember eating.

"Hey! Watch it!!" said the gruff voice that was now connected to a muscular dark elf with an ear ring, and scar on the right side of his face that took one eye out. He was wearing nothing but a pair of worn out, undyed, perhaps too used... pair of trousers on.

"Sorry 'bout that, I didn't see you were standing so close, good thing you were a little behind me."

"Yea good for yout health too, how are you besides being seasick?"

"My head is feels like it's going to explode, Several parts of my body feel like they have been wounded, I am still tired, and I haven't the strength to turn over to look at my body to see how bad the damage is."

"Well don't worry you'll be fine, gave that guard a mighty good fight though."

"What? Why is there a guard and just how hard did he hit me on the head, I don't even remember getting on this boat, or why I would be on one.. And why did I fight..."

"Slow down there," the man interrupted. "You are on a boat because that is where the guard put ya, the guard is here because I am a murderer and you have undoubtedly been found guilty of something...not that I am saying you did it, ... whatever it was. When the guard brought you to this boat I am guessing you knew you would get seasick or just wanted to escape and you just about did seeing as it took five guards to help the one you gave a thrashing to bring you down. I didn't see it but I heard it, and about it in good detail. I hear one had a hammer and got the back of your head when the other four were trying to get close enough to you, without getting hurt, to grapple you. I heard alot of scolding afterwards, seemed you were not supposed to be hurt getting on, that guard probably got his status revoked. As for this trip I am guessing we are about halfway there and I would suggest you go to sleep if you can't even turn over. By the way I am Jiub, we can will talk later, when you wake up, for now just rest."

And so I allowed myself to stop fighting the weary weakness that poisoned my mind and muscles and just let go...and soon I was standing in a windy foreign terrain. I had never seen anything like it before, the dirt was red and being picked up in the air, there was also another kind of dirt that seemed to be falling from the sky like a very light sprinkle in the storm of red. Before I could gather any more information about the place I heard a voice in my head of a soft but somewhat resounding tone, "They have taken you from the Imperial city's prison, first by carridge and now by boat. To the east... to Morrowind, fear not for I am watching. You have been chosen"

My shoulder was shaking, I began to wake up...to that gruff voice of Jiub's "Wake up, we're here. Why are you shaking? are you ok? Wake up. Stand up,... there you go. You were dreaming. What's your name? Forgot to ask before you passed out again.

"Owwwwww, I am still really sore, so take it easy on the sholder. Um, gimme a minute I just had a really weird dream.....Um .....BAH why can't I remember....I am sorry I can't remember my name right now, so just call me whatever you want."

"I think you seem like a Ganthar"

"That sounds bad lets go with Hanthimar instead."

"What do I care, it's your name."

"Fine then until I can remember my name we agree on Hanthimar"

"Ok, well, Hanthimar not even last night's storm could wake you, I heard them say we've reached Morrowind. I'm sure they'll let us go!" Jiub said hopefully. "Quiet, here comes the guard."

I could see him coming down the steps at the other end of the lower level of the boat, he looked very serious, but almost comical in that he only had one bracer on and one bracer off. His clothes were dark, but his boots and overvest were lighter. They might provide a little bit of protection...why am I thinking like that, I don't want to hurt the person who might let me go....now he was upon me and began to speak in a light, but very official, voice, "This is where you get off, come with me." I now noticed that the Imperial had some facial hair and was begining to bald, but that was at this point irrelivent. I was more worried about how I couldn't remember my own name. As the guard walked away I was caught up in my own thoughts, trying to remember something. The guard stopped and looked back threateningly.

"You better do what they say," said Jiub. So I got over my daze and followed the guard. When I got to the door in the floor of the top level a woman behind the stairs said, "The sooner you leave, the sooner we can move on." She was a ....well no better than a female dog let's say....That thought was interrupted by the gaurd from below that was escorting me,

"Get yourself up on deck and let's keep that as civil as possible." I paused for a moment to hate the woman, and the male guard gave me a small light push with a, "On deck now, prisoner" So I headed on up the stairs in front of me. I never could have guessed what I was to find at the top.

This post has been edited by jchamber: Feb 15 2006, 06:37 AM

[jchamber]

ack, I was on vacation at my cousin's and his computer is usually in use. I had a hard time posting an update due to some finishing touches to the material I wrote the first day that I was writing, which is the first four posts and a little more.
I am sorry about the wait on the update, I really hope that was the longest break I will have to take for a long time. and now the mystical update


Chapter One- The begining
Part Four- The Troublesome Tradehouse Trailer Trash

After getting an idea of the guard patrol routes, schedules, and where people frequented, and also where everything was in relation to each other I still hadn't seen that man's ring, awww crap I forgot to ask his name!! between not asking the town's name and his I was begining to think that my memory loss was due to the fact that I just decided not to pay any attention to anything.

Well in any case it was starting to get dark and look like rain would fall, so I headed over to Arrille's place. I was getting a bit hungry as well. As I was about to walk in the building a guard was heading out and just about fell off the ledge of the half wraparound porch before I grabbed him. He was not just half in the bag but about nine tenths there, I decided he needed an escort and I decided I should be the first person to offer.

"Be careful there, Good thing I was here to grab you, do you wan..." it was at this point that the guard seemed to really notice me and then rudely interrupted.

"Shut up! I woulda been ffffffine if I 'ad gone over, it's a shortcut to my housth...jus' gonna walk now vo. ew goin' in zatch dere place watch the suwama ets goaaaaaahhhhh...... bbbbllaaaahhhhh oh god..., eh wha' was aye 'ayin'?" and with that he went to the ground and passed out. I thought that the right thing to do was help him out or at least call another guard but I didn't much care about him and he had been hostile mannered so I decided to kick him off the edge of the porch...after all that would get him closer to home. And with that I walked in the pub/inn/store of Seyda Neen.

Aside from a bit of noise from upstairs that blended together into a small hum, Arrille greeted me warmly with a smile and "Hello, I am Arrille and this is my trades house I believe someone mentioned you would be stopping by, isn't that right?" I nodded and said nothing to indicate my desire for silence on the matter.

"Is there a room available still? and is it too late to get some food? oh I want some kind of drink too, if it's not too much trouble"

"Well it just so happens that the, not a, room is right upstairs. That will cost you 30 gold peices for you, seeing how you probably don't have much money in the first place I will let you pay me back whatever you can't pay today later on this week as you find the funding."

In a very hushed wisper and a swift look around to see if anyone had come around from upstairs I glared at the man as I explained the situation to him, "I don't want you to do anything for me that you wouldn't do for any other person who came in on a boat, so just keep our little arrangement quiet and act more like you usually do with strangers."

"I think you misunderstand outlander, I constantly run into people that have just arrived by boat and I treat them all with kindness and generosity, in fact I have a good standing with a couple people in the community which makes it so that just about every person that comes to town stops by and buys at least a new pair of gloves as a suvenior of their trip here and away again. I think I would have less sales if I was mean, don't you agree?"

"Of course, you are a fine businessman of foresight and wisdom, I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Hajima and I am just passing through Seyda Neen, I will take a short break here before I go to my destination, which is Balmora." Wow, that sounded corny and patheticly overworked, but I wasn't going to let him make me look like a jerk or as uncivilized as soon as I arrived, I've been planning things that require some finesse and friends and once I make a plan I do what needs done to make it a success, although I doubt I had planned to leave from Cyrodiil considering my attack on the guards. Oh well I just made myself a liar, now I live with it. I am going to have a little talk to that little guy...Oh yea I should ask about him...but my secrecy is more important for now. I handed the man the 30 septims from my belt pouch.

"Excellent, well here is the key and you will find the cook upstairs, she will also provide you any drink she has the ingredients for, though I would limit it to single ingredient mixes as she has a bad taste for balencing more than one."

"Thank you very much, I suppose I will see you in the morning."

"No, thank you. Sleep well Mr. Hajima." His last remark again made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, but if that is how he always talked I should just take it in stride. So I decided to stride on upstairs to see a happy looking Nord in Imperial armor. He glanced over at a man in a long robe at the table nearest him, perhaps these two were secretly communicating something....there goes the hair on my neck again...perhaps I am being paranoid again though.

"Hold your horses there outlander, I wanna know what you are doing in my presence without any cash out for me, when I am not eating or drinking anything. Let me tell you how it works around here.....any outlander who passes by a guard who isn't spending money, eating, drinking, or otherwise busy must give that guard at least five septims or they get to have their clothes taken until that outlander is taken into custody for public nudity. I assume you barely have more than five septims after your food money so I will take the minimum amount from you, cough up that coin pouch there if you don't have it." Well I had allowed alot of things to go unbothered for the purpose of being a normal member of the background of this town, but here is where I draw the line.

"That is openly corrupt and is intollerable, I won't pay you for anything without recieveing something I need and I don't need anything from you."

"Acctually there is a very dangerous bandit group nearby that hates outlanders, they are morrowind's fundamentalist-types, but I have some pull with them so I guess I could put in a word to keep you from being attacked, that means it's a protection fee that you DO need."

"Nah, that's ok. I will be fine without your services so have a good evening." and with that I brushed passed him, only to have the robed man step in front of me to block my path.

In a soft, reserved voice that almost sounded pained the guy simply said, "You shouldn't go making trouble like that, I won't allow you to move on without paying the man."

"That sounds like a threat and I don't like the sounds of it, but I have no intention of paying someone for nothing, taxes pay for this guy's salary, and from what I have seen he doesn't really deserve it, you seem to be a person that might understand that."

"No, you will go back downstairs until you figure out how to behave." I was begining to see how this was going to go, so I went back downstairs to talk to Arrille and see what could be done by him as owner of the building.

"Hey can you hear that chatter I am getting from the guard and robed man?" I asked as I turned around the corner at the bottom of the stairs.

"Well I am guessing that you were asked to pay a customary outlander tax, but there's nothing I, a lowly merchant, can do. I would have most of the town against me and then I would have a much harder time making a living. You wouldn't want me to be in that situation would you?" Well there was no way I could argue with that. Arrille had all the best qualities of a merchant including a way with words that I couldn't match. It seems I would have to handle this is a my own way, and at the moment I was tempted to go upstairs let the guy start trouble with me again and kill him after I had established self-defense, but first I wanted to see if there was a non-violent way to do things so that no one would ever have to pay an 'outlander tax' again.

This post has been edited by jchamber: Feb 22 2006, 09:07 AM