Transcript from last night:
Me: Ok. So we left off with you and Kaidou in the middle of the woods. You just shot a rotten crabapple off a tree, and earned yourself a 1@1 Use Longbow T 3@1 skill. Kaidou seems pleased.
Ric: "Well, what do you think?"
Me: "A good first shot. You must have a natural talent. Still, come, and let us continue on."
Ric: "Right then." I follow them.
Me: They continue to lead the way. As you ride along, Kaidou explains a bit about what they do. Part of what ninja learn to do is to blend in, not only with their scenery, but with their entire immediate surroundings. Not so much in the way of camouflage, as much as hiding themselves in plain sight. Ninja have no uniform. They have ways of recognizing each other that are kept carefully secret. Even the sword and bow you now carry are more identifiable than ninja generally like to be - those things are left home, and carefully hidden when you are not on a mission.
Ric: I figured that much. I'm glad I've taken to the custom of making sure people don't see the sword.
Me: He's glad of that, too. In fact, on the morning of your third day of riding, he'll even show you another way of wrapping it - one that makes it look like something inconspicuous, like a bedroll, while allowing you to draw the sword without unwrapping the scabbard.
Ric: If they keep filling the metaphorical buffet table, then I keep taking metaphorical plates.
Me: They do, and they don't. Most of what they teach you along the ride is small, specific things. How to hide your sword, for instance, and how to hide a tent. Specific applications rather than a general Camouflage or Holdout type of skill.
Ric: If they need to show me something, then I'm not going to doubt their reasons. Part of learning a skill set of this caliber is always mundane things that serve as basis for advanced things.
Me: The cool thing about what they show you along the way is that it's all practical stuff. It's not esoteric nonsense like "wax on, wax off" that doesn't make sense till you've been doing it for a hundred years, but stuff you see an immediate use for, and could probably duplicate after seeing it done a couple of times.
Ric: Mmm... Practicality... Feels good, man.
Ric: "How long do we ride until we arrive at the, uh, destination?"
Me: "Tomorrow, or the day after, depending upon the weather. We are beyond the normal patrol borders now."
All told, it takes you a week to reach the training grounds.
At first it doesn't look like much. Just a pass between two mountains. No proper buildings. No facilities. No big Japanese pagodas with colorful roofs. Then Kaidou makes this sort of twittering bird-call, and people start emerging from the rocks. Caves hidden in the shadows start spewing forth what seems like an entire traveling caravan.
The people you see represent every sort of person you've seen before. Young, old, skinny, fat, male, female. They could be literally anyone. The only thing they have in common is that each of them has something close at hand. This one carrying a laundry hook, that one carrying something that looks like a crowbar made out of laminate layers of bamboo, and so on. Kaidou steps up and introduces you as the man who brought so-and-so the dead man's scabbard home, who has agreed to be trained to stand in his place. Only then do the scattered assembly show a sign of their unity, as they all raise their improvised weapons in an identical salute.
Ric: I'm not going to assume their salute, as it seems as I'm in the midst of a rite of passage. I bow in response, figuring simpler is better.
Me: They all seem well pleased by that, Kaidou most of all. "You learn quickly, Riku. That will serve you well. Come, I will introduce you to some of our Masters." He leads you up the paths, into one of the caves. Some of the others stare after you, but their expressions are not distasteful, just that 'staring at the new guy' sort of way. He introduces you to three masters in turn.
Me: The first one he introduces you to is a man named Kenta, who is a veritable tower of a man. His pupils call themselves Raiders, and are the tanks of the group. They focus on combat. They're the most likely to engage the Samurai openly, and have a correspondingly low survival rate, but the things they do are things no one else can, and so they are also accorded great honor.
Me: The second one he tries to introduce you to, actually introduces himself to you first. He is a smaller, willowy man, who looks more like you would sort of expect a ninja to look. He is dressed all in wrappings of brown and grey that make him rather hard to pick out in the dimly-lit caverns. His disciples are called Assassins by others, and consider themselves the true Ninja. They fight the Samurai most often, and have the lowest mortality rate. While some consider them cowardly, no one would ever say it where they can hear.
Me: The third one is even more of a mindjob than a guy who could sneak past Kaidou. This time, he leads you into a chamber where three identical women sit in a triangle, meditating. When they notice you - and all three of them look at you together - Kaidou explains that one of these women, and even he is not sure who, is their master of spies and thieves. If you want to study under her, your first test is to properly pick which one is the real one.
Ric: I maintain the utmost courtesy and respect in the presence of each of the masters. I explain to them that I consider this a great honor.
Me: They thank you for saying so. Sort of. Kenta, the fighter master, says he is just doing what he was born to, and any man who pursues his true calling is worthy of respect, whatever his stage. Toru, the assassin master, explains that it IS a great honor, and only a fool would forget that - and he is glad to see you are no fool.
Me: Each of the three who claim to be Mayumi the spymistress answer differently. The one on your left giggles and finds your hanging on formality somewhat quaint, and says she could make much out of you. The one in the middle returns your bow and welcomes you as a friend - it is as much an honor to teach as it is to be taught. The one on the right says it is a charity to be brought this far, and an honor once you are allowed to stay - she hopes you are honorable.
Ric: The triplets are interesting, I'm taking mental notes on their kinds of replies. I'm not even going to try unless I have a few pages to go on. "I am eager to begin, when will we start?"
Me: Kaidou explains that new recruits sleep deepest in the caves. It's hot and a bit uncomfortable, but it's safe. You'll find the others are fairly willing to help you settle in. As a new recruit, you don't have to specialize yet. They expect you to be able to do a little bit of everything. Once they have a chance to see what you're good at and interested in - maybe next summer - then you can pick a Master to challenge for specialist training. Some ninja are truly jacks of all trades, but they are rare and tend to take a very long time training. Since the need for field agents is always close to desperate, they try to discourage that sort of thing.
Ric: If they're ushering me to the recruit quarters, then that's where I'm headed.
Me: They're not forcing you to go anywhere at this point, just saying you're welcome to settle in. You're also welcome to explore the caverns, if you feel like it, or even sit in on a class if you happen upon one.
Ric: I go drop most of my stuff off in the quarters. I keep with me the sword and boot knife. In my laptop bag, I put rope, the more-used roll of duct tape, a bottle of Ronsonol, and the screwdrivers. Once reequipped, I'll map out the caverns.
Me: Basically, they're going to put you through boot camp. You'll probably lose a lot of weight. They make you run, lift and carry weights, gymnastics, climbing, the works. And then you get to fight, when you're exhausted and distracted and already in pain, against someone better than you. It's meant to break you down, make you angry, and teach you to work through it. To fight through distraction. To fight your best even when you're at your worst. And you're out there every day, rain or shine. Even in the snow. There is a lake down the way where you bathe, swim, and so on. When it freezes over in the winter, you get to go out and fight on the ice, and they don't warn you where the thin spots are. Some of the more ruthless fighters test it by flinging defeated opponents around the ice until one of them breaks through and reveals a weak spot.
Me: About six months into your training - you've picked up things like Stealth, Balance, Rope Use, and a smattering of martial-arts skills - it's winter. Your rival - whose name is Oroku Tsuyoshi - is out on the ice. He favors the Samurai-length bokken, largely because he owns a Samurai-length katana he claims to have stolen himself. He is a dedicated Raider, and today he's fighting a girl named Sayuri. Sayuri is a quiet girl, who is in line to train to be an Assassin. She's not much for toe-to-toe fighting, but prefers the kinds of attacks assassins would - quick, direct, crippling. Needless to say, Tsuyoshi is slapping her around mercilessly.
Finally, he slides in and flicks his sword down onto her wrist. Her arm goes limp and she drops her weapon, a wooden sai. Pivoting about on one foot, Tsuyoshi drives a kick into her midriff that knocks the wind out of her and sends her sprawling backwards. When she hits the ice, she falls hard. And goes right through.
Ric: Do I have the stuff I mentioned in my laptop bag before?
Me: Yes. As well as 50' of ultra-light rope , a bokken in the length of your sword, winter clothes including a new pair of boots, those climbing-claw things on your palms, and if you bothered to study any throwing weapons, half a dozen shuriken.
Ric: Are there any other people around?
Me: Plenty. Some people seem like they're moving to help her, but they're leery of the cold water. Others are just staring - some in admiration, others in horror.
Ric: I take out the rope, tie one end around me tight, and toss it to one of the more, uh, positively-motivated spectators. I take off my glasses and toss them to someone else. I say to whoever catches the rope, "When I start tugging, help pull us up." I once I'm sure he understands my purpose, I dive in. Death by cold is a lot easier to deal with than fire, and I know I won't "die" die like she will.
Me: It's F'ing /cold/. Almost as soon as you hit the water, you start shivering. You figure you've got about two minutes before you start having trouble moving. Still, she hasn't gone far. The ice she hit was very thin, and shattered into bits rather than the really dangerous kind where it also plugs the hole. The real problem is that she was damn near unconscious and winded when she went under. You're able to get a hold of her, but by the time you do it's damned hard to get your fingers to stop shaking while you try to grab the rope.
Ric: I don't need fingers to tug the rope. I can do that as long as my arms still work.
Me: Gotcha.
Ric: To surface, I kick with my legs, hold her with one arm, and tug the rope with the other. I really hope someone up there starts pulling. Wet ice is a bitch to climb.
Me: They pull you up, falteringly as they try their damnedest not to fall in after you. Somehow being out in the air is a lot worse. It feels like being on fire, and you still can't stop shaking. Sayuri isn't breathing, and nobody is making any real effort to help her. Maybe CPR hasn't been invented yet, maybe nobody cares. You really haven't seen this sort of thing done before.
Ric: My certification hasn't been active since my 2nd year in High School Naval JROTC, but I know enough CPR to not look like a retard in this situation. I check for a pulse, and then start with the breathing and chest massage. In between, I shout, "God damn it, someone go get someone in charge, for f***'s sake!"
Me: Some of the younger ones scramble to do as you say. (In the meantime, lemme see about CPR - I'm curious where this falls as a skill.)
Ric: Actually, what I'm doing is called Artificial respiration, not CPR.
Me: Oh yeah. Either way it's Tech 1@1, apparently.
Ric: Ah, did someone say Tech bias? XD
Me: So, you're 1@5 (Average Amateur) with a Tech BRA of 2@2 and +10 for the world's 5@ bias level. I'm not slapping any sitmods on you because, well, this is the kind of situation AR is for. Treating her hypothermia will be a separate roll. So, all told, that gives you a 47% chance of success.
Me: At first, it doesn't seem to be working. You're on her for a full minute with no response. After two minutes, just as one of the junior trainers is scampering out onto the ice, she rolls over and coughs up a lungful of water all over your boots.
Ric: I shout up once she shows signs of life, "Get a fire going somewhere inside, and someone get me a bunch of blankets now!"
Me: The junior trainer seconds your orders, and when he says it people go running. You notice that Tsuyoshi has vanished in the meanwhile. Between the two of you, you and the junior trainer are able to pick her up. She's a small girl, but even a hundred pounds of deadweight is a lot, so a simple two-man carry is the way to go. He leads the way back into the caves, where the temperature is instantly worlds warmer. As the two of you start carrying her toward the kitchen - it's the warmest spot nearby, and MUCH closer than the forge - people start heaping blankets on her. No doubt it helps her, but it also makes her heavier to carry.
Ric: I tell the other man, "Be careful not to move her body too much, there's the issue with frostbite. The worst is over."
Me: He nods. Doesn't really seem to get the word "frostbite," but glosses over it to get your meaning - he's seen this kind of injury before. In the kitchen, it's easy to get her to warm up, but it still takes a while before she stops shivering and starts to breathe normally.
Ric: Once we set her down, I take one of the blankets, ball it up, and get it under her feet. I prop them up about 6 inches, to help prevent shock. Once she normalizes, I start gathering any spare blankets and wrap them around myself. The activity has kept my body temp higher than hers, but now that the adrenaline will start to wear off, I don't want to slip into hypothermia myself.
Me: It takes her about fifteen minutes to become what you would really call "normal." When you go to elevate her feet - if you take off her soaking wet boots, which you know would be a good idea - you notice that her toes are starting to regain their color.
Ric: The better she gets, the more concerned with my own well-being I become.
Me: As for you... You notice your own toes are bruised and more purple than pink, not regaining their normal color nearly as easily. Your fingers seem fine - all the work kept the blood flowing - but it seems you were kneeling on the ice in sodden shoes for just a bit too long.
Ric: I dry my feet as best I can, and wrap them up with as much as I can. Only time will tell how well they'll heal. Purple is worse than pink, but a damn sight better than black.
Me: After you've been in the kitchen about an hour - and been served copious amounts of tea, with a pot left for Sayuri should she wake - an old man comes in. You've seen him before - he often watches over some of the more dangerous practices. He moves slowly and walks with a cane. If you attempt to rise or bow, he waves you down with his free hand.
Ric: I know better than to try to stand on feet like these. My bow is done sitting, I can only hope he knows why I didn't genuflect proper.
Me: He seems to. When he reaches the two of you, he slowly lowers himself down onto his knees, sitting over his heels. He speaks quietly, probably an introduction, but you can't really make it out. He lays a hand on Sayuri's forehead, her cheeks, and then the middle of her chest, over the blankets. He nods contentedly. Again, he whispers, and touches your forehead, cheeks, and chest the same way. "You are badly hurt. The cold has taken a worse toll on you than it has on her. Please, sit still a few moments." He takes his cane into his lap, and unscrews the top. From inside, he pulls a few thin rolls of parchment, followed by a pen. Turning the bulb that was the top of his cane over, he unscrews an inner lid to reveal a thick black ink inside. He whispers prayers in Japanese as he paints three kanji on the scroll. After six months, you recognize "health," "courage," and "power." It takes him about ten minutes to do all three, and when he is done, he takes the scroll and lays it over your feet. The scroll itself glows with an inner light, as if on fire, then curls up at the edges, crinkles slowly inward, and dissolves into ashes. When he brushes the ashes away, your feet are completely healed.
Ric: "Thank you, Master."
Me: He nods, slowly. "You are most welcome. It is good to see someone who is still grateful for the old arts." He begins to put away his tools. The cap on the inkwell. The paintbrush under the tip of the cane. The paper in the hollow under the headpiece, then the headpiece screwed back on. "The gifts of the gods are so seldom appreciated in these dark times."
Ric: "I hope you do not consider this too bold, but do you think it possible that you might teach me something along the lines of what you just did there?" I say this quietly to him. "My mind is open, and this is not the first time I've seen such things."
Me: He smiles a wide but oddly sad smile. "I would not take you away from your more serious training. With my tricks you may save one life, or two. The things you learn out there may save us all, someday..."
Ric: "I look forward to the day I receive any of your wisdom, Master." I bow to conclude that statement. "More importantly, is she okay?"
