Akio

"Do you believe the stories about this place? It being built by the gods and the like?"

"Gods?"Akio let a bit of the firmness leave his voice as he walked. He was tense and didn't particularly trust his new companion, but there wasn't any need to illustrate this fact further. Besides, Akio trusted nobody until they proved themselves worthy of that respect. He deeply sighed and continued speaking, cautiously, but less harshly.

"I don't know very much about your gods, or the legends that surround this place. I've heard of a few in passing, but even still... I think that cities are built by the hands of mortals, sometimes to respect 'gods', but not by the immortals themselves. The stories are just that. Stories." Akio slowed his pace to allow the man to walk beside him, not just to get a read on him, but to make sure he wouldn't stab him in the back. "Tell me, why did your friend enter this place? What could he hope to gain by walking the abandoned alleys of a city such as this?"

@Fancy Party
The old man doesn't relax a bit;
"The Temple of Old Waidi, of course, where the faithful are called to await the return of the Gods. Planning on staying in the City long? It's the only bastion of civilization left in this place."

His voice lowers almost to a whisper;
"Master Peng of the Temple sees through my eyes as you would see through glass. I could give you directions there if you'd like. Or, if you would test your skills against mine, I could give you directions to many more places as well. But, well, looking you over I can see that it's a miracle you even made it up Wua-Sho at all. ."
He grins, smug as can be.

@Vec@Eklispe
You begin your walk west, careful not to stray from the wall and lose your way. At first things are quiet, cold, empty. The towers your only companions along the flat land. But things quickly change; the ground begins to lose its luster, the fog in the air grows a black tint the further west you travel, the stench of rot hits your senses.

Soon the towers are completely gone, replaced instead with a jungle of tightly packed buildings of gray stone and darkness. This end of the City feels like an entirely different realm than the rest; it's the first time you've seen any doors or windows anywhere, and in some spots the land dips a bit rather than being entirely flat. Long burned out lamps hang from the buildings here, and worn benches rest against their walls.

To the east where you entered the City was perfect, untouched. Here the buildings have long since began to crumble, time beating against them as it should. The reason why is clear; this area was built by men, not Gods.

This place is not silent either; the sound of claw on stone is fast approaching, though from where you cannot tell.

Haru was somewhat satisfied with the answer the man gave. He too didn't believe that the gods had really built the amazing City of Jade and was glad to have someone at least somewhat mirror his opinion.

"I do not believe that gods made this place either but having seen this place with my own eyes" Haru paused for a moment to look over at yet another jade tower "...I do not believe this to be the work of man either." Haru said honestly to the stranger. Haru lacked what many called a social filter and normally spoke his mind to anyone that would litsen.

After being asked about why Tanka had entered the forsaken city, Haru smiled a little as he formed an answer.

"Tanka, my friend, was in a rebellion as was I. Our resource were running low so we needed to find some way to gain an upper hand against our oppressor's power or, at the very least, equal footing. Tanka volunteered to seek out this city and come back with the riches said to lie here. After a year our rebellion was won without the help of the riches of this city but Tanka had still not returned. I waited another year before making my own pilgrimage to this city in search of him." Haru explained as he strode alongside this man whom of which he didn't even know the name of.

"To be clear, you know not of the reason your friend made their pilgrimage to this city?" Haru asked as he remembered the man saying that his friend may have been sent in search of Tanka too.

Lei wonders a bit about something the old man said to him; 'where the faithful are called to await the return of the gods'. And, while he's skeptical there are in fact any living gods to begin with, he wonders if that is why his master came here, to wait their return. If so, maybe this temple was Lei's best bet at finding his master.

While Lei is certain under different circumstances he would have stood a chance against the man to find out about more places, he hasn't quite had the time to properly recover from his trip up the mountain and is certain his fatigue would bring him down. "Maybe after I have rested some." He says politely before asking. "Though will you tell me how to get to this temple?" It seems as good a place as any to start. And if need be, he could probably find his way back here in the future to rise to the challenge and find out more.

Yasuri slowed his large strides as they entered this much different part of the city. The relativly clean air from before was polluted with the smell of decay and they were surrounded by crumpling buildings. A very different part indeed. The ear-catching sound of something scraping along stone become audible and Yasuri frowned, it sounded like it was moving towards them, both with the odd acoustics of this place it was hard to tell. So he simply stopped where he was, standing laxly, outwardly he might have seemed unprepared, but he was merely readying himself to react to an attack from any direction. "It seems the city is not empty." Was Yasuri's only comment to his travelling companion.

@Fancy Party
The man smiles knowingly, but his eyes show disappointment.
"It is to the northeast, more north than east. If you see any vegetation you have headed too far north, and if you pass near a park of broken statues you are too far to the west. I hope your intentions are pure, young man, or you will find nothing but disappointment."

This old man is not the source of the energy you felt, you've been with him long enough to know that now, but the weary feeling from the north has grown stronger than when you first arrived. You feel something else too, from even further away, something cruel and. . . there is no other way to describe it than "unwelcome", though it is unlike anything you have ever felt before.

-------

@rocketrobie2@jumpadraw
Shortly after Haru finishes speaking you come to a great wooden gate in the wall, one marked with traditional religious symbols that are common all throughout Waidi, but never together. A temple of many different faiths, perhaps?

A plaque is embedded in the ground at your feet, it reads;
"Speak freely and be judged by our Master, our Gods, and all the Old Ways"

The writing on the plaque is written in an older form than either of you are used to.

You can faintly hear commotion from beyond the gate, though it is hushed, and the smell of incense is in the air.

From the feeling Lei could sense, he didn't feel compelled to pursue the cruel and unwelcoming feeling much, even if it was something completely new to him, his curiosity did not overcome the sense of danger he sensed from there. And while he realized he wasn't where he had initially aimed for, he didn't want to overwhelm himself with too many places at once. So Lei decided to pursue this new clue with his safest bet. "Thank you sir, my intentions are simply to find and help my master. May our paths cross again. Thank you for your time and help."

He said before heading to the northeast, following the energy as well as he could, taking deliberate steps not to deviate from the course as he searched for the temple he was told of. If nothing else, there may be at least a sign or another clue of his master's arrival there and maybe it would be enough to tell him exactly what his master was doing in such a place.

The walk towards the western side of the city's exterior was uneventful. The two travelers simply walked, and though Meng Wu was on alert - since he was on a foreign and potentially dangerous land - he couldn't stop himself from staring at the wall and towers with interest.

"Hmm, I wonder if the Gods even required a wall to protect them."

Meng Wu assumed that once one reaches the level of power needed to earn the title of God, such things as walls and watchtowers become meaningless, trivial things. The strongest protectors were the Gods themselves, and their presence in the city was enough to guarantee that the city would never get attacked. So why build a wall? Towers? Who would stand guard?

However, all of Meng Wu's questions were more or less answered once they reached what seemed to be the ruins of a residential area. Meng Wu could easily deduce from the architecture that the area had nothing to do with the Gods since the architecture was simpler, and the buildings were definitely something that the Gods would not build. Meng Wu realized that the area had most likely been where the servants or human warriors of the Gods lived back then.

Or it was built by humans who were not granted entrance to the city. Either way, it was manmade and that's what counted.

"This area is defi-"

Suddenly, a long, eerie sound was heard from within the residential area, with the gloomy atmosphere of the environment exaggerating the situation even more.

Another sound, closer this time. Meng Wu grabbed the handle of his sword and rotated his cultivation base, getting ready for a potential battle. The sound was heard once more, this time even closer. Meng Wu's alertness was at an all time high; he would never dare underestimate the potential danger of this City of Gods. His companion seemed to be thinking the same thing, as Meng Wu saw he was also preparing for battle.

"It seems the city is not empty."

Yasuri's words rang true inside Meng Wu's mind, and he nodded without saying anything else.

He simply waited.

Akio

"To be clear, you know not of the reason your friend made their pilgrimage to this city?"

Akio turned to he companion, thinking over the words he spoke.
"Well, be it made by man or god, it matters little. My mission is the same. As for this Tanka,—"
Akio froze, raising a hand for his companion to remain silent. Before them stood the gates of the temple, but something wasn't right. Akio could hear someone, or something. It was quite, but distinct. It was almost as if they were deliberately being quite. Were they caretakers of this temple? Or other travelers, members of this "rebellion" of Tankas? Or, were they something worse? Again, Akio realized that he was thinking too much. Normally he was impulsive, and a bit rash, and he had been trying to get out of that mind set, doing a good job of it too. Often times,this just led him to ask too many questions, to overthink things. Akio shook his head, glancing down at his feet. As he did so, he noticed a plaque with some form of writing. It looked like the language of the kingdoms round about, but it was a form that Akio hadn't seen before, probably a much older form of it.
Speak freely and be judged by our Master, our Gods, and all the Old Ways The words sent shivers down his spine. Akio took a deep breath before turning his attention back to his companion.

"Be on guard, friend." And with that, he gradually nudged the gate open, allowing room for him and his friend to peer into whatever lay ahead.

@Vec@Eklispe
The sound draws nearer until a silhouette appears against the fog; a creature walking on all fours! It looks like a tall, muscular man, but with a patch of white fur running along its back, and a face like a dog. It's wicked claws scrape across the ground, it breathes raggedly from a festering mouth of broken teeth. The Things head hangs limply toward the ground, but neither of you are fooled -- it sees you just the same.

Suddenly the thing leaps at Meng Wu!

Meng Wu reacts with supreme reflexes, at once moving aside and cutting the Thing with his sword as it flies by. With a surge of power his blade flies through its flesh as though it were cutting air.

------------------------------------

@jumpadraw@rocketrobie2
Beyond the gate is a well threaded sandy courtyard segmented into various areas that seem to be for both training and recreation, and there are some buildings off in the distance.
You only give that a cursory glance, however, for far more pressing are the dozens of men and women who occupy the courtyard itself. They are all bald, obviously monks of some sort, and most are wearing sickly yellow robes though a few wear robes of pure black, and one standing before everyone else is clad in white. They're all standing in rows, staring directly at you. There is a look of disappointment on many of their faces, as though they were expecting someone else, though some look stern and unwelcoming.

The one clad in white is an older man of intimidating size; there are jagged black tattoos along his face, and he also has a goatee and milky eyes. In fact, he looks to be blind.

The white clad man opens his mouth to speak, but closes it solemnly and nods. You realize that he is gesturing behind you, where a young man covered in scars has approached from the fog.

Haru was in awe at the men and women before him and was startled to say the least of the scarred man who had shown up behind him and his new traveling companion. It was funny to Haru as he hadn't seen people in so long and in the span of less than an hour he had met a whole volley of people.

Haru turned away from the scarred man and back to the white robed blind man and bowed to him. "Greetings. I am Ose Haru and I have come to your city of Jade in search of the one named Ueno Tanka, a Ronin who supposedly came on a journey here two years ago." Haru stated to the monk before him. He didn't trust people easily but he wasn't much of tight lipped person as he felt that in most cases he could take care of situations caused by his loud mouth. The most troubling part of the monk however was his apparent lack of sight yet he was still able to see the other man enter the gate.

"Pardon my bluntness if this is a sensitive subject for you but are you truly blind? Your action of acknowledging our newcomer makes me believe that your lack of eyesight may be a ruse of some sort." Haru asked, curious as to what methods the Monk used to sense the world around him or at least disguise his eyes to appear milky and blind.

@jumpadraw@rocketrobie2@Fancy Party

The blind man's eyebrows raise at Haru's question, and he begins trembling. For a few tortured moments the world seems to stop as everyone anticipates his reaction.

His trembling ends when he can hold himself back no longer; and bursts into laughter.

"I think you're the first person to ever say that to my face, or at least the first to ask so bluntly!"

The entire mountain seems to shake until he regains his composure.

"My eyes are useless, this much is true. But to assume I can not see would be truly blind. There are none blind who Master Peng takes in. But where are my manners? My name is God-Speaker Mesu, and I have indeed heard of your Tanka. He came with another man, I believe by the name of Fan Gang. They left our Temple some time ago, with a small group of other men." He sighs deeply, "Many people have left our Temple as of late."

The people behind him bow their heads as he speaks.

Lei felt unbalanced as he approached the group of people and heard the man laughing. He regained his composure as Lei got close enough to hear what was being said. He nodded at the two standing in front of the old blind man and looked him over as he said:

"My name is God-Speaker Mesu, and I have indeed heard of your Tanka. He came with another man, I believe by the name of Fan Gang. They left our Temple some time ago, with a small group of other men."

And continued after a sigh with "Many people have left our Temple as of late."

The last part wasn't so curious to him and didn't catch much of Lei's attention. But he wondered what a God-Speaker was though first deciding to ask of a more important matter, trying not to interrupt anyone.

"You know of my Master? Master Fan Gang was here? Do you know which way the group headed or what landmark they were heading towards?" He stopped himself as he was excited, trying to keep from asking too many questions at once. Before asking lastly:

"What exactly is a God-Speaker?"

Meng Wu stood there silent, waiting for the source of the scraping sound to show itself. He had heard many tales about the City of Gods and knew that many strange things, potentially dangerous things, were bound to call it their home.

Fortunately, he was quite talented, and under the training of his master managed to hone his talents enough to distinguish himself in his sect, gaining some fame to his name. The training was tough, challenging his limits. Every day at the end of each lesson, he was left laying on the floor, panting and drenched in sweat. His master would always come over and say the same words to him.

"A keen mind and a trained body dictate the flow of battle; A spirit unwavering in the face of adversity, a heart unwilling to give up, those are the things that dictate the flow of life. Remember..."

And indeed, Meng Wu took his master's words to heart. That was why when that hideous thing appeared, slowly walking towards the duo, Meng Wu was as calm as still water. He wasn't bothered much by the being's appearance for a place famed for being the residence of the Gods most probably had to have many strange creatures, things that no man had ever seen in countless years.

When the creature lunged at Meng Wu, he skillfully dodged to his right before it could reach him. However, he did not retreat after dodging, and instead immediately followed with an attack of his own. Taking advantage of the fact that the beast was in the process of jumping and could not easily evade his sword midair, Meng Wu drew on his cultivation base, infusing his sword with his essence as he attacked.

Instantly, the power of his strike increased by a large margin, enough so to allow his sword to slice through the four-legged beast's flesh with ease, akin to a knife slicing through tofu. The two halves of the beast fell down on the floor, blood and gore spilling out of its body. Meng Wu stood straight once more, took a breath in and exhaled before whipping the blood off the blade of his sword.

"Let's not get conceited now, I'm sure that this is not all this place has in store for us..."

@Fancy Party@rocketrobie2@jumpadraw

"You are completely unfamiliar with our Temple then?" Mesu says disbelieved, in response to Lei's question, "In our Order the God Speaker is second only to the Temple Master himself, and it is my job to interpret the knowledge the Gods left behind, and to pass it on to new generations. Your Fan Gang, I believe, was very knowledgeable about our ways -- it is strange that he would have told you none of this. . ."

He turns and waves the standing monks away, who disperse very orderly, and motions for the three of you to follow him through the gates.

They open into a large courtyard with a soft sandy floor -- a great relief after the hard stone you'd been walking on prior -- where three buildings stand; they are simply constructed, with little decoration, though from their walls hang paper lanterns and strung up clay dolls. There is a little more to the central building; two statues flank its doors depicting royal figures who seem a little too tall and a little too thin to be human, with sharp, arrogant features. Some plants dot the yard too, all placed with perfect symmetry like the buildings.

Most of the monks have disappeared, though where to is not clear. There wouldn't be enough room in the buildings to house all of them. The ones that still remain are simply milling about, whispering amongst eachother; they all look native to Waidi, and both the men and women have shaved their heads completely, though some men still have facial hair.

"I would advise you seek out Scholar Ayandri. He is from a distant land, but travelled far to learn our ways and it is he who plans our forays into the City. You will find him in the Library, to the east. Would you like me to show you around our little corner of the world, or is your business too urgent?"

Yasuri had been prepared to meet the beast, but it seemed it intended to go for Meng Wu instead. A mistake as it turned out, Meng Wu nimbly moved out of the way and sliced the beast in two, causing it to collapse to the ground in two pieces. Yasuri nodded once. "It is likely you are right, but it was a skillful kill none the less. As long as we proceed with equal care we will be well off." Yasuri said calmly, taking one more glance at the beast to confirm it had no intent of rising up on follow them , could never be too safe after all; before continuing further into the city. One had to wonder about the origin of the animal, but there were precious little clues as to that, so it would be a futile endeavor.