Mount Todo

[Valencrow]

The dark mountain loomed before Mitsuhide. He had traveled many days to get here. The whole time he had contemplated the message of the guts, and the words of the old man. He could feel something beginning to surface in his mind. A ghost of an idea.
As he approached the foot of Great Mount Todo the dark clouds that surrounded the peak even in the light of the brightest day pulsed and fluxed before his eyes. The demon mist that comprised each cloud seemed to look down on him. Judging him. Were he a weakling he would be devoured on the spot in a mass of blackness and screaming.
He smiled at childhood memories of luring human Oni hunters out here by pretending to be injured and watching with glee as the bold fools were eaten alive.

As he expected the mist offered no resistance as he walked through it. Rather it felt refreshing to have it on his skin again after so many long years. He soon came to the Oni Gate. The last warning to any foolish enough to come this far.
The Gate was comprised entirely of bone. The support beams were the backbones of two great Dragons. The Arch itself was made of countless human skulls held up by their own arms, Crucified on each of the Dragon spine posts was the reanimated corpse of a full blood oni. The traitors had been cursed to forever hold the gate up. Even were it to fall they would tear lose from the spears that held them and be compelled to rebuild the great gate. Such was the fate of those that dared to court the wrath of the clans.

As he passed under the great bone arch the skulls cried out. " Why?"

Mitsu could only answer "Why not."

( Ok I think I really did it with that one. )  

[Valencrow]

The trail up the mountain was was well worn from years of curse trader coming and going into the country to sell fetishes and other things no one in their right mind would buy. Mitsuhide passed several rival Villages on his way home. He was challenged a few times but nothing note worthy. After almost a day of travel he came to the Blood gate.

At time he lamented his clans lack of imagination and singular need to compete with things that really didn't need competition. The age old symbol of his clan. The blood gate. An arch of stone painted with the blood from hundreds of enemies. A fearful sight. Yet it paled next to the Bone gate at the entrance to the mountain. Truly his people lacked imagination.  

[Valencrow]

Passing the garish blood sucking waste of effort Mitsu looked upon his home. Dozens of caves and huts decorated the rocks. The cave would be home to the more pure blooded Oni. The ones that lacked a human form and who's size made shelter other then caves to fragile.
" Surrender And Die !" Came a call from behind as an Oni Blood youth charged him at inhuman speed. The boy Held a spear with some skill but had made one mistake. Mitsuhide easily sidestepped the spear and slammed the boy into the rock with bone jarring force. As he held the boys arm behind his back he leaned in close to tell him of his error." Next time spear me then yell."he whispered into the boys ear. Then to punctuate his point he snapped the arm.

The boys screams announced his presence to the rest of the village.As weak as he was the boy would most likely be dead by night fall. Mitsu Sat down in the center of the Village and watched as various Oni peaked their heads out to see the commotion. Most knew him so it wasn't long before Baki the clan shaman and the last of the full bloods in the village came to greet him. The Ancient Oni was of the classic red color and wore his skulls and loin cloth with pride. No one knew what color the shaman's hair had been in youth but the fact he had lived long enough to have a bald plate and a great grey beard spoke to how dangerous he was.

" I have been expecting you Boy. Come." Mitsu got up and followed the aged demon to his cave near the back of the village. The inside was dominated by a hot pool of water. An underground off shoot of the famous cursed pools. It was said that Baki had killed a hundred Fellow shamans to lay claim to this cave just because of the pool. Baki took a seat at one end of the pool and motions for Mitsu to sit opposite him. Once his guest was seated the Gargantuan Shaman spoke.
" I have had a vision. Not some throwing of the bones, but a true pure vision given to me by the Night it self. I have seen two worlds. In one We are gone. All the other races are gone The humans run rampant over everything. They dragged the spirits out of the earth kicking and screaming and made the world nothing more then so much rock. I tell you now this vision was almost to much from my soul to take. "

Gathering himself the Shaman spoke yet again. " My other vision was just as troubling. I saw a Nippon dominated by Oni, but not true Oni. These were weak runts. Even weaker then the boy you bested at the door. They were weak, overfed louts at the head of a peaceful empire. A PEACEFUL EMPIRE. They were nothing more then humans with some of our blood calming to be us. It filled me with disgust." Spitting on the floor of the cave to clear his mouth the shaman continued. "
I saw one other thing in each vision. Your death. In the world without magic you die a hermit here in this cave. With out mate or children you are the last of us. In the other world You die in a great room filled with retainers surrounded by dozens of heirs. You were the God Emperor of them all . You took the empire as your own and Oni's became the nobles of a new empire. They would pray to you forever yet you would have made weaklings of them."
" The fate of our people hang on your Blood oath. You swore to take the life of your father's killer with your own hands. He swore you to this. If you do not fulfill your oath you will rot as that hermit. If you do you dam us as a people. I should kill you but that would just leave the oath unfulfilled. "

Mitsuhide was silent for a moment while he digested all the old one had told him. " Who is the current leader of the clan?" He asked as he stood. " That would be Genra. You know the green skin three quarters." replied the Shaman. " Mitsu gave the elder his thanks and walked out. Minutes later he walked back in holding Genra's head and those of his wife and children. " A curse on all visions." Was all the new clan leader said as he sat down.


( ok im finally gonna get this moving.)