So Yasu continues to fly off the handle, Kyokai steals stuff, Kyo flirts, who knows what Korin is up to and Liune must keep them all in line… somehow. This is the third part of a group role-play called The Twisted Road.

Part 3

Written by: RedLady, The HG man, Kilme, Chazbone, Raekna, and Adro. These authors can be found on fictionpress under these names.

"What?! You're telling me you don't have any idea where to go?" Luine yelled. She took a deep breath and calmed down before talking again. "It looks like you have no idea where to go, do you?” She began as if it were the first time she had heard this. “Ok. I say we head to the nearest town first to stock up on supplies. Who agrees with me?"

"Ye fool!" Yasu shouted yet again, "It is always the first town in which we find our first enemy!" Looking around at everyone, he knew they thought he was crazy and wouldn't listen to him. "Ah well, if you people are resigned to get one of us either killed or wounded let it be."

With that he grabbed Kyokai, shook her, took back his extra gunpowder, bullets, flint, and hand guns. Backing away from the girl like a wounded animal, he started another crazy speech. "Let me just say that I warned ye all. I warned yee! Also, I got my eye on you Kyo. AAAAAAHHHH! A shadow! It is an omen of evil! EVIL I SAY!!" He was jumping at his own shadow.

Ignoring the crazy man, Kyo spoke up, "Then what? I'm still trying to understand what the point of all of us sticking together is..." He pointed out. "Besides, why should I stick around? I like being by myself."

"I doubt, there’s any single 'lonely' village girls that you've met, that could vouch for that statement..." Liune muttered. Everyone watched in surprise as Kyo chuckled nervously.

"Anyways, there's a very good reason to have you stick around!" Yasu pointed out joining back in the conversation.

"And what might that be?" Kyo asked skeptically.

Suddenly, Kyo found the odd rifleman right next to him, leaning towards his ear. Yasu's narrowed eyes were shifting back and forth suspiciously. "Because... somebody needs to keep an eye on that ninja girl. God knows we'll all go broke if somebody doesn't keep an eye on those grabby hands of hers..." He whispered into his ear.

His little statement was followed by a sharp shooting pain in his shin, curtsey of Kyokai. "I can hear you, you know!"

"Excuse me little girl, but where are your parents anyways? Shouldn't you be heading home by now?" Korin asked. Kyokai gritted her teeth irritably.

"I'm not a little girl!" Kyokai exclaimed. "I'm sixteen years old! I'm not a child!"

Liune suddenly turned to Kyo, narrowing her eyes at him. "Don't you start getting any ideas." She glared sharply at Kyo who looked to be in a mixture of nervousness and indignation from the accusation. Kyokia looked at the two in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked quizzically, a looked of complete bafflement as to what Liune was referring to.

"Well, let's just say, that our little friend Kyo here; if he ever got the chance, he would-" Liune was suddenly interrupted by an outburst from Kyo.

"Oh hey! Look at the time! Well, we'd better get going. Got lots to do in this little group of ours... heh, heh, heh..." Kyo chuckled nervously as he started walking rather quickly down the road. Liune just shook her head as she started down the path. The rest slowly followed after. Kyokai was still trying to figure out what they were talking about.

"I don't get it... What's wrong with this Kyo guy?" Kyokai asked, completely clueless. Yasu and Korin just sweatdropped nervously.

Suddenly, Yasu ran before them. "Good lord the omens have come true!" He practically yelled into Kyo's ear. "We have the little thief that wants to be treated like everyone else, the pervert that must have some horrible past, a demon hunter, and a persons that seems to have no fighting value but when the times comes unleashes great power!"

As Yasu said this, he pointed to the people, who obviously thought he was crazy. "Hmmm…" Yasu mused, "Now all we need is the hero, and since I am the only one left it must be me! BWHAHHAHAHAHA! I am immortal" As Yasu laughed, Kyokai quickly stole all the items he had taken back earlier.

And so the band of adventures went to the nearest village, following the rifleman who was chasing after the sneaky ninja.

Upon arriving in the village, the small group of adventurers attracted all the villager’s attention. But who wouldn't when you have a ninja girl being chased around by an infuriated Rifleman, a man dressed in black who almost looks like a demon, and a couple of other odd looking humans...

"Get back here you little thief!" Yasu bellowed as he chased after the young girl.

"Nah, nah! You gotta catch me first!" Kyokai mocked, staying one step ahead of Yasu.

And so it continued.

"You know, she tells us she's not a little kid anymore, yet her actions prove other wise." Kyo stated blandly.

Both Liune and Korin nodded sagely.

"Though the same could be said for the Rifleman." Liune pointed out.

More nodding.

"And don't forget the childish bickering that seems to go on between you two..." Korin added.

They started to nod once again but stopped themselves. Both Liune and Kyo turned to glare darkly at Korin.

"Eh, heh, heh... " Korin suddenly felt that finding something other to do, would be a very good idea at the moment.

"Well, we better go find some place to get supplies..." Kyo began, but paused as something caught his attention... Coincidently, it was right when some of the village girls walked by... "Why... uh, why don't you go take care of that..."

Liune rolled her eyes as the darkly clad man trailed off behind the young women. "Well, it looks like it's just you and me, Korin." She said plainly. But strangely there was no response... "Korin?" Turning around, Liune found that the odd young man was already gone, to who knows where.

"The wonders of teamwork..." She muttered sarcastically.

But as the group quickly spread out amongst the village, a dark figure watched from the shadows, cursing this sudden change of events... Quietly, the figure watched... Hopefully, this wouldn't affect his plans... This village’s blood was very important, especially now, with things so close to being ready...

There could be absolutely NO complications... The figure's eyes narrowed. These newcomers better get what they needed and leave quickly... Interruptions will NOT be tolerated...

"HAH HAH!! YOU CAN'T CATCH ME!!" Kyokai yelled back at the infuriated Rifleman. She was running and making faces at him without watching where she was going. "NAH NAH NAH BOO..."

BONK!

Kyokai found herself running into a man wearing a black hood who had been standing amongst the shadows of one of the buildings. Her smaller girl figure was no match for his obvious stocky built and she fell backwards upon the dirt. Yasu stopped when he saw the figure.

"What?" Kyokai said clearing her head. "WHY DON'T YOU WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING?" She yelled at the man in the shadows. Most of her items had fallen out and she quickly gathered her various stolen goods. Yasu simply watched the man with wide eyes.

The man in the shadows seemed at a loss of what to do. He turned to the left but looked back again at the rifleman who was staring at him with suspicion. He was about to grab his weapon when the rifleman suddenly shouted, "LOOK OUT!"

Yasu grabbed Kyokai and dove to the ground just as the mysterious man flung some type of knives. "Get back here!" Yasu yelled and fired of a few shots at the man who was able to dodge them. “Dang it! Kyokai, you should know better then to talk rudely to a mysterious man! If it wasn't for me, you could have died right then!"

"It's not my fault!" Kyokai yelled, "He practically got in my way on purpose! He deserved my scolding."

Annoyed, Yasu grabbed Kyokai and yelled at her, " DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SAYING? THAT MAN IS A PERSON OF THE OCCULT! HE HAS DEALINGS WITH THE DEAD AND YOU COULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF HIS SACRIFICES!!" Then after calming down he put Kyokai down and said, "Well now we have to get back to our group and see what we can do about that man. Oh and give me my stuff back, you were lucky that I had some spare shot."

Kyokai stared at Yasu dumbly. What was with this guy? Dark figures? The occults? Sacrifices? GIVING STUFF BACK?!

Kyokai sighed heavily a she handed back the impatient rifleman's belongings.

In another part of the village...

"And that's how I defeated the dragon..." Kyo blustered. All the village girls gathered around looked at him in awe.

But even though they looked at him in awe and 'giddiness,' they all carried the same trait - a look of exhaustion... their faces seemed to lack energy and animations. Their movements were sluggish and clumsy... as if...

As if the very life was slowly being drained from them...

But of course Kyo wasn't paying attention to any of this... A tired pretty girl was still a pretty girl... Unfortunately (or fortunately considering how you looked at it.) the darkly clad man's story time was cut abruptly short by a sharp shooting pain through his ear.

"AH!" Kyo exclaimed as he turned his eyes to view an irritated Liune holding him by the ear.

"You really haven't changed a bit..." Liune stated blandly. "All dark and mysterious one minute, but the second there’s a pretty girl in sight, you're Mr. Social..."

"Did you want something?" Kyo asked irritably. She was after all, cutting into his 'valuable' girl time.

"I just went to get some supplies." Liune explained. "But while I was getting them, I noticed something strange... have you noticed something odd about these people? They seem so..."

"Lethargic?" Kyo finished. "I noticed it too."

WAMP!

"Then why didn't you do anything about it Baka?" Liune scolded.

"Well... You know... I was getting into the good part of my story... Didn't want to ruin it with interruptions... heh..." Kyo scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Liune shook her head in shame.

"Please tell me it wasn't that stupid dragon story..." She muttered. Kyo remained silent. "God, you haven't changed at all..." She sighed. "Anyways, any idea what's wrong with the people?"

"Nothing positive..." Kyo stated. "But, their behavior does sort remind me of a castle I visited along time ago... The castle's inhabitants were being haunted by a 'Soul Stealer'..."

"Soul stealer?" Liune asked in concern.

"But I don't think that's what's happening here." Kyo continued. "But there are some similarities... the loss of energy... liveliness... I think something is really amiss here."

"Well..." Liune sighed. "We'd better round everyone up before something bad happens..."

But course, everyone's know that just by saying that you'll jinx it...

Korin turned quickly after he heard several gunshots. As Kyokai and Yasu were fleeing, he could have sworn he saw a dark entity in the direction they were running from.

He sighed. "What have these fools gotten themselves into now? I suppose I should return to them just in case." But as he approached a group of villagers, he noticed their slowed movements. "The dark entity must have something to do with this, but do they know?"

Korin checked out the place he last saw this creature and discovered nothing but an evil presence. But soon this evil presence had passed. "Hmm. Perhaps I should notify the others." He leapt up onto the closest rooftop to return to the clan. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, he moved as fast as he could, which was faster than any normal human.

Next time, Kyokai decides to go off on her own adventure which leads her to the dark figure, treasures, knives in the back, and probably a lack of energy...