Gangshu Fortress - CHECKPOINT

The journey to this mountain fortress had been long and grueling. Spending his ventures on foot have left him weary in most of his days. This had to be one of the most daunting he'd taken on in a long time. The fortress towered over him as a beacon of exclusion. This was not a place that allowed many people through, or so it looked. Rumors fueled his travels but to speak on them may make him look quite ludicrous. He knew what he should say and hoped for the best. He was far too tired for any sort of confrontation.

As he moved closer to the stone palace he pulled his hat to shield his face and walked with his 'cane' slowly. He had hoped his body language would be enough to show that he was no threat. He was not the first to arrive, it seemed. A man was bellowing with his female partner at the fortress already. He sounded to have business that he would not budge on. Watching him may help him decipher an idea to convince the guards to allow Xyrix through.

The ronin's eyes were mostly fixated on the woman that followed the man in front of him. Something about her seemed... Opaque. As if she was but an afterimage. Xyrix let out a cough loud enough to inform them both he was treading in their tracks. After all, he didn't need them thinking he was following them. Though now, they had his utmost curiosity.

Seijo turned in his saddle, spotting the man who had filed in behind him. His single eye took in the sight of the stranger for but a moment before turning ahead once more, noting the guards had come out with weapons in-hand. He took in the sight cautiously, though he knew if they were interested in loosing a few of those his way they would not have had the courtesy to step out of their fortifications to do so.

So, it sounded as if their fellow traveler had gotten a pass, yet these men were more cautious. He shouldn't have been surprised, he noted. If what he heard of the Iron Crane they considered women to be as capable as men.

"She is my sister, Seijo Izumi." he lied, although with the ease of years of practice. "She is a priestess, and a mute. She aides me by keeping my weapons blessed, so that I may combat spirits."

As Xyrix hobbled closer, he'd be able to more clearly see the sigil of a crane in flight upon the tabards the men wore; though it was hazy and faded from enduring the elements and harsh washes.

Should he make it through the gates, he'd find something of a small shanty town on the other side, with what appeared to be a small trade store, a small blacksmith, and the barracks for which the fortress was occupied. As on its front, so too was the gate guarded with spikes and more on its back, the looming mountains still stalwart Giants all around them.

"Papers," demanded a new man on this new side, armed and armored and helmed, his hand on his sword and other guards near him.

The person sized door that had been guarded by two archers still remained open as a heavy silence once more greeted the Izumi siblings outside.

Then:

"Come forward and through the door." The archers lifted their bows and stepped wide off to the sides as the man-sized door was closed and one of the massive gates was eased open with a rumble of chains. Four more archers jogged out, their gazes on the mountain pass while the first two kept their gazes on Jeito and his sister. On the ramparts, archers were ready as well.

Of course. The ronin thought to himself as he peered up at the man in iron before him. He should have known his ethereal existence would have its limitations. He hadn't exactly done away with his identification it's just that... it never existed to begin with. He couldn't make the man wait so he thought quickly. Lost it. No, these were dagger eyes warriors. Lies wouldn't sit well if he was found out. Pity. Again, no. Kindness did not seem their tendency. A tired man would hardly cause them any heartache. Money. A bribe would be suspicious. It could lengthen his questioning and possibly lead to his imprisonment which was not an option. 

What do I say? Only one option was left. Honesty. He removed his hat and gave the guard a stern but sincere glance, and offered him a short and quick bow. 

"I must apologize for my lack of preparation. I didn't think my identification necessary and have not brought it with me." Mostly honesty. "Truthfully I am carried here by rumor of something causing disruption in a town beyond the fortress. I come merely to investigate. As an concession for me asking that you go against what your post requires of you; I offer my hand in assistance to other places as well. I can cook, I can tidy, I can labor. Under your watch if necessary." He truly hoped it wouldn't come to that. "I will not plea more. I do not wish to waste your time." 

Xyrix broke eye contact once he heard the footsteps trailing through the door behind him. The pair he had passed had now made entry to where he was and it filled him with a sense of relief. If he who walked alongside the dead at least had his paperwork, perhaps this job could be concluded without his help. It still saddened his heart to know the possibility of missing this yokai was great. 

It was somewhat fortunate that through the turmoil Tawakoshi had suffered through Seijo had the presence of mind to keep some relic of his past. Of course, he wasn't certain if these were the "papers" the people of Tokhung desired or if they had created their own, specific set. Gesturing to be given a moment he reached into a saddlebag of his horse, drawing out a bamboo cylinder with a corked end which, once unfastened slid out a wax paper. With paper in hand he returned to the individual, holding it towards them. It was a registry of his name onto his family tree of Seijo, a once-affluent family mostly forgotten. He knew it would have his birth date, but aside from a few details offered little else except historic value.

"Will this be sufficient?" he asked, glancing around at the other guards as if expecting them to tackle him to the ground for displaying the wrong image.

XYRIX:

The scribe worked and the guard watched as the supposedly-crippled man answered the questions dutifully...

... Until the word yokai.

The scribe stopped writing and looked up, glancing with concern from Xyrix to the guard. The guard woman's lips thinned into a line but she nodded at the scribe to keep writing, even as she leaned back in her chair so she was not resting with her elbows on the table. The scribe hurried to keep pace with Xyrix, filling out a form on Xyrix's behalf.

"You should be aware that the Iron Crane, and thus Tokhung, had a strained relationship with the House of Reason. We do not permit many to work the magic you so speak of, but I have heard the tales you have. You are misinformed on one thing; it is not a village, but a mine and it is owned by the Kiba Family in the Black Mountains. To get there, you must pass through Ishimura."

The scribe sanded the paper, then got up and handed it to the guard, who looked over the work. Then the scribe brought over a book with a blood red leather cover and an iron-wrought pin of a crane in flight, the detail exquisite. The tip of the Crane's beak seemed to be dark brown, and when the scribe opened the book, it was to a place where the name of a person was written neatly in kanji and a bloody thumb print was next to it.

"Is this information correct?" the guard asked and handed over the papers Xyrix would now have to carry, making sure that info had been correctly translated. If it had been, the guard gestured and the scribe wrote Xyrix's name neatly beneath a visitor that has passed through before, with the date, then handed him the pin.

"Do you swear you mean no harm to Tokhung, or to it's people, least of all the Iron Crane, savior of the iron lands and Clan Yukimoto who's family has become the blood of Tokhung??" The scribe asked Xyrix while he held the pin. The only correct answer was yes, and once given Xyrix was directed to prick his thumb and place it next to his name.

As this was happening, the guard stamped the paperwork near the top, then folded it half and in half again and sealed it with a wax emblem, and handed it to Xyrix. "This visa will last you 2 weeks, and the seal should remain in tact until you reach the Daimyo's Offices in Mutsonobe. You will make things difficult for yourself if the seal is broken, or you are over your time." the guard took the brush from the scribe and wrote a visible date on the outside of the visa.

"If there is nothing else, you can go."

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SEIJO & IZANAMI

The guard took the scroll from Seijo and opened it to see it was a family tree of his family. Most of those gathered knew little of the people outside of Tokhung, and so the scroll meant little. Still, they recognized the importance and brought out a book to cross-reference the mons on the scroll with what they had in their literature.

A conversation happened quietly away from the siblings and closer to the Outpost office, where Xyrix was being attended inside. Glances were thrown Seijo's way, as well as Izanami's, but no action was made until the original guard approached Seijo.

"You will need a temporary visa, which you will have to turn in to Mutsonobe. The lieutenant is busy currently with the other guest, but when he leaves, you and your sister can go in. What brings a family like yours to Tokhung?" The guard's eyes kept slipping to Izanami.

After the few moments of bustle from the guards, Seijo glanced at Izanami with something of a sigh. He could have been halfway up the mountain by now he expected, were it not for the slog of bureaucratic process. At last, however, they returned to him, explaining that he needed even more paperwork. Of course he did. Giving a curt nod, the swordsman accepted his scroll once again, fitting it back into the tube. He could feel the guard's gaze opting for his "sister", a not-uncommon thing. Yet, after helping Izanami back onto the horse Seijo stood before it, leading it by the reigns towards the point the guards had directed him. He didn't need the spirit's lack of footprints in the snow to alert them something was wrong.

On the way to the building, however, they found themselves faced with the strange man who had followed them to begin with. When the younger man stared into his eye, Seijo's hand gravitated to the hilt of his katana, his scowl deepening. When the man turned his gaze to Izanami, however, she smiled fetchingly. Moments before she stuck out her tongue at him, winking. Whether the message had been received or not was difficult to tell, as her own joke seemed to have entertained her greatly and she silently giggled all the way to the building.

"Izanami." Seijo said sharply and she snapped out of her self-fueled joke. It wasn't as if he were going to provide much in the way of comedy, after all. While out of earshot, Seijo's low tone traveled to the spirit. He hardly had to speak at all, they had been together, so intertwined for so long she practically knew his thoughts already. Her insistence of not merely riding as a passenger within his psyche had caused them a significant amount of trouble, and it seemed like it might here. Yet, she was experiencing this inconvenience. It seemed much worth the trouble, to her.

Then, helping her from the horse the two entered the building Xyrix had only just left.

"Seijo Ito and Seijo Izumi." he announced, as if concerned they might try and attack were he not properly identified, tagged, and sent on his way. "I require a temporary visa."

Until now, the process had been easy enough. He already had the paperwork necessary to prove his name, age, and origin, and merely needed to fill in the blanks which, after he had finished he parroted most of for Izanami, explaining that the damage to her throat had left her quite mute. He had thought they had handled the process quite handily...until the end. When presented with the book, Seijo glanced at Izanami, his thoughts coming quickly to mind.

"My sister is forbidden by her faith to touch objects that are not holy." Seijo informed them, voice cold but not hostile. This was getting to be dangerous if they doubled down on it. "Except those of which are required to perform her duties and eat." he reached out, pricking his finger and placing his print onto the paper. "I ask that you accept my assurances of her conduct and I, as her last living relative, will of course accept any responsibility for her actions which I can assure you will be nothing but pious."

So it was like that then? Seijo couldn't help but wonder at such a strange tradition. The Iron Crane had peculiar ways, he decided.

"We will need to prick your finger." he told the woman, rising and circling around her slightly to take her hand. At least, to those not expecting different he certainly did a good job of making it seem so. "Our ancestors can't protest if I've made you do it." he reasoned. Faultily, but he hoped it might allay the suspicions of the guards. Then, overlaying his thumb over hers, he made to press it down into the needle. The ghost winced dutifully, although the needle passed harmlessly through her thumb and pierced her ward's instead. Then, subtly, he pressed the thumb he had been clever enough to alternate by crossing to her other shoulder lightly onto the paper in an attempt to make it seem smaller than its opposite.

As soon as he released her hand he balled his fist, masking any blood that had been drawn as the spirit put her finger in her mouth pitifully as if trying to stop the flow of it herself.

"I trust that is sufficient to have broken my sister's oath?"