Mind Training

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Your Lordship has requested that as a soldier you train your mind as well as your body. You will be given tasks to test your resolve and become at peace with yourself.

Objective: You will be required to sit under a waterfall for a period of two hours to test your physical and mental prowess. You must remain in a sitting position, eyes shut. If you move from this position for any reason, you must start the two hours all over again. After this, you must trek up a mountain covered in snow to reach a temple at the top. The mountain will have harsh weather conditions, your visibility will be poor and there are plenty of dangers. Once at the temple, you must meditate in the warmth of the temple, learning to find inner peace in yourself and blocking out everything from the outside world, including the pain you suffered reaching the temple. You have a total of 72 hours to finish both tasks.

Reward: Up to +3 Spr

Location: A location in your faction's territory, Joetsu for those unaligned.

[Sanada Yukimura]

On the outskirts of Kofu, cliffs rising up against the backdrop of the sky above, a small river snaked its way through the surrounding bamboo groves, terminating at a rather high waterfall emptying into a small pool of water, surrounded by bamboo stalks, an enclosure of sorts. As requested by Lord Takeda-sama, in order for him to try to attain enlightenment and clear his mind, Yukimura had traveled through Kofu to one of the many small waterfall areas scattered throughout Kofu. After removing his armor and clothing, leaving him in just a pair of hakamas, he would climb into the pool of cold water, ignoring the initial shock of cold to his system, and would wade through the water to a flat wide slab of rock. Lifting himself up onto the rock, after situating himself beneath the waterfall, closing his eyes, he would block out his surroundings, and begin.

It was going to be a long two hours.

His eyes shut tight, sitting cross-legged on top of the flat wide slab of rock, Yukimura would slowly calm himself, in order to seek enlightenment, and to clear his mind of thoughts that would seek to cloud and impair his judgment. Though it was intensely difficult to maintain focus, not because it was difficult to clear his mind, but because his body was not used to being constantly bombarded with ice cold water, he would continue to meditate, ignoring the bitter cold water crashing down on top of him, the water running in streams down his muscular upper body. He would continually tell himself that Lord Takeda-sama had a reason to subject not just him, but the other soldiers, to such an exercise that tested his physical and mental states, and that would be the only thing keeping him going, continuing to endure it. Deeply focused in his meditation, despite the sun shining down on him, his body was already shaking from the effects of the constant cold water of the waterfall, but he would soldier on. It had already been an hour and a half, he was not about to quit now. A calm and focused look on his face, he would continue to focus on his meditating and clearing his mind, and by the time the last half hour was up, though his body was shaking immensely, he no longer felt the effects of the cold. With one task down, after drying himself off and pulling his clothes and armor back down, the next one was no easier than the first. In fact, it was harder... Much harder.

There it is...

The bitter cold, howling wind of the snow covered mountains roared constantly, the outline of a temple barely visible through the snow that was whipped into a frenzied rage, in the distance, a temple towering over it, as a lone figure charged onward through the terrible conditions. Equipped with little more than the clothes and small satchel bag on his back, his spear strapped to his back, Yukimura had, for the past two days, journeying up the mountain to a temple located in Kofu. The snow crunching beneath his fur-lined boots, the journey itself had been a trial in itself. The snow storm all but white out conditions, he had barely been able to make out the outlines of the path carving through the cliffs of the mountain, barely even cutting through the thick, raging snow storm. His spear had saved him more times than he could count, and this had been no exception. He had used it to determine where the path was up ahead, and more than once part of the path had broken off before he stepped onto it, shrinking the already small area of the path even more. Not only that, but he had to contend with drifts of snow slipping off the mountain and dumped down on him, the spinning of his spear managing to clear a small area of circumference around him, to keep his vision clear... or what little he actually had.

Halting at the wooden entrance gate to the temple, though he was exhausted, the journey was nearly complete. He then began his ascent up the stairs of the temple, taking it one step at a time. One mistake would prove to be fatal and costly. Reaching the final step, he stared up the temple before him, as he trudged along the path leading up to the temple doors. Placing his shoulder up against the red door, he pushed it open with little difficulty, the snow piled up behind it only a minor hindrance. Closing it behind him, he made his way along the path leading into the enclosed outer area. Stepping under the solid wooden covered outer walkway, he made his way to the front of the door leading to the main shrine. Much like the Emperor entering into the Imperial Palace, the large old wooden doors slowly swung open in front of Yukimura, revealing a young monk standing behind them. No words were needed. Bowing his head slightly in respect as the monk stepped aside, allowing him in. Pulling his boots off, Yukimura stepped into the main shrine, leaving his boots at the door. Pulling his outer clothing off, revealing his clothing and armor beneath, he would place his outer clothing and bag off to the side, before standing before the impressive large golden statue of Buddha and the many rows of candles placed before it. Just looking at the serene face of Buddha smiling down at him, he could feel his mind beginning to clear already.

"What a beautiful place. And not just the building. The whole area, including the air, is so pure..."

The monk leaving Yukimura to his own devices, folding his clothing into his satchel bag, after settling down, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, silently he would sit in mediation, as the snow storm continued to rage outside. Though he was exhausted and his body ached from the journey, he would fight through the pain, to attain the inner peace he now realized Lord Takeda-sama sent him here to achieve. To block out everything in the outside world, including the suffering he was subjected to. Without so much as the slightest motion outside the passive breathing, eventually Yukimura would become statuesque and seemingly dead to the world, yet his mind was clear, free of emotions that would cloud his judgement. As he continued to sit and meditate, the pain and exhaustion he felt eventually ebbed away, and he was literally left with nothing to restrict him. Though the journey took up a good deal of the the time allotted to complete the tasks, his perseverance paid off, and when he left the temple the next day, the snow storm having died down, though his resolve had been pushed to its limits, he felt more at peace with himself, and would begin his journey down the mountain and back home.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Sanada Yukimura: +3 Spr

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina was sitting at the shrine she had set up inside the empty room in her home. Even though she was now living in Japan, she had not given up her traditions from China. The shrine was set up to honor her family name, and even though she had no trinkets from her homeland, she had scripts with the name posted upon an alter. A few small gold pieces were placed in a jade bowl in the center. Incense was lit while she prayed, the sweet aroma filling her nose.

After her daily prayer, she raised her head, blinking rapidly, confused. There was a new piece of parchment laying on top of the jade bowl. She lifted it, revealing that the golden pieces were gone! Her father had often spoke of her ancestors helping him in times of need but she had never experienced this before. 

She read the parchment: "We have answered your prayers, but we cannot give you something that you do not earn. In order to obtain your reward, you must first prove yourself worthy. Go due north to the highest mountain in your visibility. Along the way, you must cross a river. Follow the river that rushes south to the base of the mountain. Here, you will find a waterfall. Sit under the waterfall, motionless for two hours. If this task is not completed, you must begin the time again. Once the two hours are finished, climb the mountain to find a temple at the top. Along the way, there will be many dangers, but once at the top, meditate at the temple and reflect upon your pain. You have three full days to complete your tasks."

Jina wasn't sure who exactly had answered her, but she knew that she had to prove herself. She decided to rest for the night, pack and get ready for her journey. She gathered supplies, food, water and a wineskin which she filled with clean water. Once the sun was set, she went to bed, knowing that she would need to get up before dawn.

When she arose, she prepared herself for her journey and set out just as the sky had begun to get light. Within the hour, she had reached the river that had been mentioned on the parchment. She dipped her hand into the water. The iciness sent shivers up her spine. She sighed, this would be no easy task.

She removed her boots and crossed the river, the water rising to just above her knee at the lowest point. She continued on, the air growing colder with each step forward. She followed the peak of the mountain and eventually arrived at the waterfall. She could see the snow weighing over the crest of the waterfall. She was sure the water would be almost unbearable. She removed her clothing, knowing that she would want to warm up as soon as possible once the hours were over. The sun was past the crest, indicating that it was already the afternoon.

Jina quickly prepared herself for the task, then got beneath the water. Immediately, the water put goosebumps on her skin. She quickly got comfortable, then remained motionless. For almost an hour she sat there, eyes closed with the water rushing over her skin. Pain had spawned from the cold temperatures and the heavy droplets of water running down her. Her breathing was labored.

A few minutes later, she heard snorting. Some kind of animal had approached where she was sitting. She heard the leathers of her knapsack being torn as the animal rummaged for food in it. She contemplated shooing it off, but she had already made it this far. In truth, she wasn't really even thinking about the emptiness of her stomach. The pain of the water was consuming her thoughts. She knew that only the food would be gone and she would just have to find another way to sustain herself.

Once the two hours were up, Jina was numb. Her skin was cold, clammy and she was shivering. Once the sun set, she knew that her time was up and she released her legs from their locked position. Her joints seemed to creak, having not been used in a while. Her nerves were so numb that she could not even feel herself moving. She half stumbled, half crawled over to the remains of her knapsack.

Once she was back into her warm clothes, she decided that she would build a fire and sleep, getting up at dawn once again to continue her journey. She slept deeply, not waking when the sun had risen. When she had finally woken, the sun had already been up. Jina began to rush, knowing that she only had a day left to get to the top of the mountain. She began climbing; the elevation was shallow at first but began to grow steep the higher she got. Eventually, her muscles ached, she was still cold from yesterday and this intense climbing was putting pressure on her weakened muscles. As she climbed higher, her footholds got smaller and her fingers ached from pulling all of her weight up on them. 

Thankfully, she reached a cliff. It was covered in snow and the wind was blowing hard. She was shivering again, her body hardly able to heat itself without any food. She pressed on, her feet falling half way to her knee in snow. She continued climbing the mountain, walking in a zigzag pattern in order to keep her footing on the slippery snow-covered rocks. Up this high, the wind was blowing loose snow into the air, making it very difficult to see. The cold was freezing the tears in her eyes and snowflakes landed on her lashes.

Jina heard a growling, and with the sun about to set, she had no idea what she faced. Her frozen fingers struggled to grasp at her rapier, hoping she wouldn't die trying to defend herself in such conditions. Without any warning, she was tackled from behind! A large claw gashed across her arm, shredding her flesh in three spots.

She cried out, falling to her knees in the snow. She looked up at the creature she faced. It was a red fox, grown larger than she had typically seen one. Her blood was falling from her wounds into the snow. She took a brief second to inspect them, they weren't deep but they were certainly bleeding a lot.

Jina took her rapier in her off hand, knowing that her bloodied arm would likely not have the strength to fight. She was weak from the cold and this added wound was enough to do some serious and possibly fatal damage if she was unable to defend herself. 

The fox looked at her, baring his teeth. Jina waited for it to strike, knowing that she would react better to an attack then if she was on the offensive. It was only a few short seconds before the fox lept at her, covering a greater distance than she expected. She raised her thin sword in front of her to block the animals attack. The sword pushed against the fox's shoulder, making a small and useless wound. The force of the jump was enough to knock her over and the fox was on top of her, snapping at her face.

Jina knew that the fox was light and she was strong enough to hold it. Her left arm swung across her body taking the fox with it. It padded lightly in the snow and Jina hastened to her feet. The fox, barely injured barked at her. It was time, she thought. She spun the rapier so that she was holding it upside down and ran towards the fox. Before it had time to react, she impaled it in the back of it's neck. The blade was thin and sharp, easily inflicting a fatal wound with one blow. It appeared that she had severed the spinal cord, for the fox went limp instantly.

She jerked the sword out of it's neck and sheathed it. It was now fully dark with only the moon's faded light bouncing from the snow to guide her. She tore one of the two straps from her knapsack and tied it above the bleeding skin. It was drying quickly, the wind aiding the clotting. She knew that she needed to reach the temple soon. 

Within the hour, she came to a stone path. She was unable to see the temple, but knew that she was close. Her pace picked up, the snow was still deep but the distinguishable stone markers peaked out from the snow. It wasn't long before she fell to the stairs at the base of the temple.

There was maybe fifteen stairs, which under normal conditions wasn't a problem. Unfortunately, the strong wind, cold temperatures and piling snow made for a very difficult climb. Jina resigned to crawling up the stairs on hands and knees, moving slowly. She slid back once, falling three or four steps, but was able to make it to the top. Once there, she saw the bright red walls of the temple and hurried inside.

She found that the temple was warm, warmer than any fire she could have lit herself. The walls were insulated, keeping out any of the wind. She found a small cushin sitting in the middle of the temple with a plate with a rice cake and water sitting on it. She ate it quickly, famished from her journey. Her wind burned throat accepted the water gratefully. She found a clean cloth under the plate and used this to tend to her wound. Only then, did she sit to meditate.

It was morning when she opened her eyes. Sometime during the night, she was unable to stay conscious and slipped into a deep slumber in her seated meditation position. She smiled, feeling unbelievably proud of herself for having completed such a difficult set of tasks on her own. Her body was once again warm, though her fingers still tingled from the excessive exposure to the cold. 

Knowing she had pleased her ancestors, Jina decided it was time to return home.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Zhuo Jina: +3 Spr

[Yamabara Shou]

Senga falls it was a location that Shou loved. It was beautiful especially with the recent snow fall. Shou had heard about the test that Lord Shingen had been assigning to commanders and captains under his command recently. It seemed like an amazing test of will power. Of grit and endurance of body and mind. Something he felt like he needed ever since he had got this demonic suit of armour. Shou remembered the rumours, and what Captain Koboyashi had said been expected of him. 2 hours alone still in the waterfall. Then a trek up the mountain to the nearby shrine, and it would be a trek as it was way too icy for him to climb as he had the last time he was here.



Shou stripped off his clothes and climbed into the river. It was near freezing, only the movement was keeping it from icing over. Swimming out to the bottom of the water fall, Shou moved to sit on one of the rocks, that were they. It was uncomfortable as hell. Shou closed his eyes and tried to force his mind to calmness in order to deal with the cold enveloping him. He wasn’t sure how long passed. Little by little time went by til eventually, a falling piece in ice hit him in the head. It shook him out of what peace he had found and he splashed back down into the water. “Damn it.” Shou curse as he clawed his way back to the surface and regaining his position. It happened another couple of times, either falling ice or a sudden noise making him lose his focus and fall into the water.

However eventually Shou thought 2 hours must have passed, but continued wait, just so no one would say he had cheated. Swimming to land once absolutely sure 2 hours had passed, Shou uncovered his clothes and a towel hidden from the elements under his metal armour. Drying off and putting his slightly damp and cold clothes on, before all of his armour. Shou knew that eventually he would warm slightly his body numb from the cold. He started the long trip around the, unclimbable cliff side.



-5 Hours Down-



The trip around the cliff side was short and on flat land, and not the hard but once it turned to slopes Shou started up wards. He slipped and stumbled something he fell and didn’t feel like getting back up but the desire not to die drove him back to his feet and onwards. The top of the fall came, and even out for a while before it was back to climbing the slopes onwards and upwards harsh winds and snow mixing with his already numb body sapping his energy. However eventually the shire lay up ahead. Heading inside he stripped off the demonic armour and left it by the door. It seemed wrong to take it any fathers. However once inside the warmth of the shrine Shou collapsed and passed out, unsure of how much later he awoke.



-52 Hours Down-



Awake but still feeling like he had been through a one man war, Shou was hungry and hurting. The cold induced sleep not helping as much as normal sleep would. He pulled himself up of the floor and sat on the ground of the shrine crossed legged. Creeping sound, and hurting body sung at him constantly but Shou focused his mind as best he could trying to block them out. It wasn’t working and eventually Shou instead started focusing on the pain. He focused on the pan until nothing else seemed to exist and then passed it. He mind wrapping round the other side of pain, to the absence of pain, the absence of anything. Perfect stillness. Shou lost himself in the nothingness, hungry, pain and tiredness not existing for hours and hours until he final came back to his sense. A empty yet full feeling in his body and heart. The trip back down to Kofu looking like nothing against the vastness of things.



-68 Hours Down-

[Oda Nobunaga]

Yamabara Shou: +3 Spr

[Miyamoto Kenji]

With the success of the Mogami training camp, Kenji felt accomplished in his pursuit of self-betterment, yet was determined to go further. The camp served not to settle, but reinforce it. Fortunately, the governor of his little town gave him the perfect opportunity, calling him - along with a number of others from the camp - to the castle for a meal and a conversation. Apparently, there was an old ritual that he and his unit would perform back in their heydey to help solidify their minds: sit under a waterfall unflinching for two hours, then ascend a mountain peak in Dewa to meditate. The waterfall task was to be completed without moving from the spot, else they had to start over again. That, however, was the easy part, as the mountain was known to be hazardous and frigid all year round. Limited visibility, wild animals as could be expected, and an all-around harsh environment... All of this was topped by the fact that the tasks had to be completed in seventy-two hours, or three days. Though the governor recommended that they give it a shot and see how it worked out, he said that he understood if it seemed too rough a challenge.

Of course, Kenji had no interest in backing down from this challenge.

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

The waterfall task really was the easier of the two, though still held plenty of difficulty in its own right. Infact, it took Kenji three tries in order to succeed. The first try's end was unexpected, as he unconsciously shifted his weight in a way that left him unstable, the mighty force of the falls proceeding to knock him off-balance; he only made it an hour in. During his second attempt, he thought he heard someone approaching and began to rise, only to realize his error before resetting himself under the wall of water; this try lasted ninety minutes. Only on his third attempt did he make it through the two hours, and though Kenji felt as if he could go for another hour, he opted to use his time limit wisely and vacated the area.

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

As for the second task, following his drying off and change of clothing, Kenji made for the mountain path. The early ascent was the least difficult, the weather gradually worsening as he rose, and no special hazards impeding his path. After eight hours, however, especially after night set in, the true face of the mountain showed itself to Kenji. He encountered a rather sudden blizzard, or perhaps he had simply walked into one. Its intensity didn't seem to let up as the metaphorical clock approached eleven at night, so he vacated the path and found a shallow cave to duck into for the night. Mercifully, no animals were inhabiting it upon his arrival, nor did any come to claim it as their own.

The second morning was as rough as the night before, though this time, Kenji knew what to expect. He kept a weather eye on the path and monitored the area all around him. On a few occasions, he saw winter wolves lurking in the distance, as if tracking him. If he had to fight up in this treacherous mountain, he'd better fight to win, lest his corpse freeze and his family go without a body to bury...

Toward the late afternoon, or what he surmised as such, one of the wolves decided to stop stalking and make a move, lunging out from behind a tree when Kenji was turning away from it. By some lucky miracle, the biting winds struck him first and narrowly shoved him out of the wolf's path, whereupon it very nearly skidded off of the edge of the mountain. Kenji whipped around to face it and drew one of his blades, cursing his lack of a proper katana, but nonetheless thankful for having something to fight with. The wolf regained its balance and made to leap again, Kenji being just a little faster and driving his sword into the side of the wolf's head. Adrenaline ignited his veins, his body and mind driving back the cold for the time being.

At the sound of howling, he turned to find the rest of the wolf's brethren - three lupines of similar size, ready to charge. Kenji drew his second blade and settled into stance, bracing to meet them. Two moved on him from the fore, and the third hung back, looking for a better opportunity. Timely stepping aside them both, Kenji's arm swept toward his side to slash through the pelt of one, leaving a deep gash as the wolf landed. He kept the bloodied blade pointed back at the two eager hunters, and his clean sword at the patient third. The injured beast snarled and moved again, only for Kenji to step back and cut across its body once more. As it flopped over dead in the snow, its brothers lunged at once from both sides, forcing Kenji to duck and let them go by.

He turned to address the closer of the two, rushing in to drive one blade into its back before it could turn and attack again. As he drew the sword back out, he heard the other lunge, and turned his other blade on the leaper. Though he made contact, plunging right through its head, its body barrelled into him and knocked him off his feet. Kenji was sent rolling toward the cliff edge, only halting his momentum by stabbing one of his swords into the ground. The wolf rolled off of his other sword and fell from the cliff, leaving only its injured companion up top. After taking a good few moments to regain his composure and get a better grip on the ground, Kenji hauled himself to his feet and approached the last wolf, who whined in pain. Kenji knelt down next to its head and stroked it in an attempt to comfort the beast, then wordlessly thrust into its head, finishing it off.

Whether it was at peace or not, only the gods would know. All Kenji knew was that he held no ill will toward a hungry animal.

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

Compared to the fight on the second day, the rest of the mountain trek was uneventful by comparison. Kenji braved the ridiculous weather and, by some feat of either endurance or determination, made it to the mountain top by the third day's evening. He could see the temple just ahead, lit by lanterns, but otherwise looking vacant. He had heard from the governor that the temple would likely be very sparsely populated, and that by this point in time, it would be surprising to see more than a couple of monks, though as Kenji made his quiet entrance, he found neither within. Perhaps they were out elsewhere?

Regardless, he did not let this faze him. If anything, being alone would make it easier to meditate as he sat before the temple shrine, stilling his mind and contemplating the last few days of this rigorous test. His body, already warming up, had been battered by the horrid weather and abused by the bitter cold, yet that did not matter. His swords had been stained in the blood of desperate wolves, yet this too mattered not. He felt stronger, sharper, and more at peace with himself after the ordeal of ascending this frozen peak.

Or maybe that was just his stomach demanding a hot meal. Hard to tell.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Miyamoto Kenji: +3 Spr

[Deleted]

Crystal clear, cold, water cascaded down a daunting waterfall and came crashing down upon a white-haired man who could be seen sitting beneath it. This man’s name was Juubei Kurosawa and he was lost in thought, unmoving, and emotionless. The time was roughly eight hours past mindnight and he had a couple days left to accomplish a series of tasks that were designed to test his mental and physical resolve. Juubei’s two hours under this waterfall were almost up and soon his mind began wandering towards his next task. This pre-planning took his mind off his present engagement and it made the remained of the time fly by. Dried off, with new clothes upon his back, Juubei was ready for the next part.

His next assignment was to ascend a snowy mountain in the midst of a powerful storm and reach the ancient temple that resided at the top. Juubei took a few hours to prepare and gathered a small amount of wood, strapping it to the sack that was slung over his right shoulder. This was prepped for the possibility that he might not reach the temple before night came. With his weapon prepared and tucked into the sash worn around his waste, Juubei departed. The time was now an hour before noon. He had a long way to go and he figured he’d better get this show on the road.

Juubei waved to the other mercenaries in the camp as he departed and took to whistling various tunes from his childhood as he sped up to a brisk walk. It took him a few hours to reach the base of the mountain and this was where he was faced with a dilemma. Should he begin his ascent now or should he wait for the crack of dawn the next morning? There were advantages and disadvantages of each option, but ultimately Juubei decided it was best to begin his ascent now. He mustered up the determination and began the climb.

5 Hours Later.

Gusts laden heavily in snow whipped across Juubei’s exposed face and accosted every inch of his body with frigid cold. It was starting to grow dark. The visibility on this mountain had already been poor and the onset of night would make it impossible to see where he was going. With an hour left of light, maybe less, he decided it’d be best to make his shelter for the night and try and get some sleep. His shelter was constructed out of densely packed snow and he hollowed out a cavern just big enough for him to lie down. A small fire was started with half the wood he’d brought and he used some gunpowder for his matchlock pistol to start it.

The next morning was much like the previous day, the weather was foul, but at least there was enough visibility to see what was directly in front of him. Juubei made good time and reached the temple around noon. He took off his clothes, gathered the rest of his wood, and rummaged around the temple in search of anything else he could burn. The fire did wonders to lift his spirits and warm his weary body. Both were needed to complete his next task of meditation. That’s right, meditation. Juubei took a seat upon the floor, sat cross legged, and simply cleared all thoughts from his mind.

This part of his journey didn’t take as long as the other ones, surprisingly. Juubei reflected upon his time spent underneath the waterfall and how he’d felt about it. Juubei was at peace then, knowing that the end result would be worth any hardship he’d have to endure. It was relatively easy for him, so that helped as well. The next part, the mountain climb, was harder. The heavy garments and furs had kept his reasonably warm on his wintry excursion. The only thing he had to fight was the desire to just give up and turn around. The night spent in the cave of snow had been when his spirits had dipped the lowest, but thankfully the fire had been there to keep them alive. So there Juubei was, in meditation, inside a temple atop a mountain. He felt content with this, strangely enough, and a faint smile crept onto his otherwise stoic visage. The next day Juubei made his way down the mountain and rejoined his comrades at the mercenary camp.

[Takeda Shingen]

Kurosawa Juubei: +3 Spr

[Fujishima Shigenobu]

I've got to do what? How did he keep letting myself get talked into this nonsense? He really needed to stop taking bets, that was probably it. The old man with the hairless body that seemed chiseled from solid granite explained everything one more time, that same disconcerting smirk on his face as had been the first two times he had done this same thing. Ugh. This was going to suck. But the old man had claimed that he did it twice a month to keep his mind sharp and his body fit, and he certainly seemed to still be alive. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. 

Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Oh sure, Shige thought ruefully. Not that bad. Noooo, not bad at all. Ow. Ow. Ignoring the fact that the water was cold, like really cold, it was falling a good forty feet onto the top of Shigenobu's head. Ow. Ow. He could honestly not even begin to think of (ow) a less comfortable place to spend an afternoon. And yet there he was, spending (ow) his afternoon here. Like an idiot. He didn't (ow) move a muscle. He was far to vain and prideful (ow) to let that old man get the better of him that easily. But what he wouldn't give to just take a large (ow) tree branch, maybe one with a couple well-placed spikes attached, and..... well, probably ambush the old codger someplace really dark, because Shige had poked the man in the chest with his finger and damn near hurt himself. He had (ow) no desire to face anything like that in anything resembling a fair fight. Irritated thoughts of (ow) all the bad things he wanted to happen to the old man occupied pretty much the entire rest of the two hours. There was no (ow) way in hell he was going to start this nonsense over.

---

The mountain temple seemed so far away, nearly lost in fact through the falling snow. And the mountains of Joetsu were no joke, even to Shigenobu, who had grown up not terribly far from here in very similar mountains. Adjusting the heavy (but fashionable) cloak he had decided to add to his usual regalia, and picking up the sturdy stick that was going to be his only companion for the journey, he started the trek. 

And immediately almost fell over into a snow drift that was considerably larger than it had at first appeared. Lovely. Well, nobody saw that, so nobody was going to know. Brushing himself off (although really, why bother? Not like the snow was going to stop falling any time soon anyways), Shigenobu decided that the stick would serve as a prod as well, to avoid future instances of exactly that.

The first few hours of the climb went surprisingly uneventfully. He had trudged through knee- and waist-deep snow, his hair and beard were stiff and crusted with ice and snow, his face hurt from the biting wind, and his hands were almost numb despite the heavy gloves he wore. There were times when he had even thought that he had lost the trail. Stupid old man. How dare he subject the Fujishima Shigenobu to such outlandish conditions! And furthermore......! 

Shigenobu stopped dead in his tracks, barely even daring to breathe, ears straining. Had he heard a howl? Or was that just the wind playing tricks? It had been several hours, after all, and his mind could be making something of nothing. But no, there it was again. The distinctly forlorn howl of a wolf. Great, this was precisely what was needed, he thought to himself in his most sarcastic inner monologue. 

Another howl, much closer this time, and Shige's head snapped around to his left. There! A lone wolf (no doubt a part of a one-man wolfpack) stood atop a steep rise, glittering eyes fixed upon Fujishima. They stood for what seemed like several minutes, eyes locked. Shige adjusted his grip on the stick, foolishly the only thing resembling a weapon he had access to at the moment, with his knives bundled beneath his clothing and his claw gauntlet in the pack at his back. It would have to do. Without warning, the wolf made a mighty leap, sailing over Shigenobu's head as he craned his neck to follow the wolf's flightpath, and landing nimbly several feet ahead of where Shige stood. Their eyes remained locked, and Shige braced himself for the worst, but the wolf simply stood there. And then, inexplicably, sat back on its haunches and started licking its paw. 

This was new. Shige had heard many tales of wolves in his home village, some good and some bad, but he had never heard of this happening. He relaxed slightly, though he remained wary. The wolf's next movement was an inexplicable as his first. He stood, turned around, and walked about fifteen feet before stopping and looking over his shoulder at Shigenobu. 

No freaking way. He couldn't possibly want Shige to follow him. The wolf moved another few feet, then stopped to look over his shoulder again. He didn't even look to be going in the same direction that Shigenobu had been traveling, but he certainly did seem to want him to follow. Shige remembered some of the tales of wolves being spirit guardians, and at the moment, those outweighed the ones where they were ferocious killers. He was very cold, after all, and the blasted snow still wasn't stopping. 

The wolf led on for the better part of five hours, the world around them gradually getting less and less stark white, and fading more into a greyish haze. The sun was setting and the temperature was dropping even further, and very quickly. This wasn't good. Shige was about to call it quits and search for some semblance of shelter in this hellhole when the wolf crested a slight rise and stopped, turning to look over his shoulder yet again. Shigenobu crested the rise himself, merely ten feet behind the wolf to begin with, and beheld a beautiful temple built into the mountainside itself. A low whistle involuntarily escaped his lips. This was head and shoulders above the quaint little building from his own home village. 

Shige turned to where the wolf was sitting, fully prepared to thank another living thing for the first time in his life, only to discover that the wolf had disappeared, not even leaving so much as a paw print. Even Shige had to admit that was a bit freaky. But he also had to admit that he was frickin' freezing, the snow still showed no signs of letting up, and the sun was losing its battle against the encroaching night. Trudging wearily up to the temple door, he slammed his stick against it, receiving a series of satisfyingly booming thuds. 

The door was answered almost immediately by an aged monk covered in so many wrinkles he looked like a Shar Pei, and a refreshing blast of warmth washed over Shige. Shigenobu knew the drill, and even he wasn't arrogant enough to presume upon a monk. Usually. He bowed his head as he entered the temple and silently followed the monk through the corridors to the central chamber, a beautifully though tastefully decorated room with a large golden statue of the Buddha taking center stage among bolts of light fabric in several colors, candles of varying sizes, and more incense than one could shake a stick at. Shige immediately felt a sense of calm wash over him, the tension melting away and even the thoughts of that granite-esque old man faded quickly from his mind. 

Shigenobu bowed once more, and allowed the monk to take his over-clothing and stick. Shige moved toward the statue, lit a new candle, and used the candle to light a stick of incense before retreating a few feet and lowering himself rather heavily to the floor. The exhaustion of the day's climb had finally caught up with him, it seemed, but there were far more important things to do than sleep. Enlightenment and all that. 

And then, slowly, the pain and exhaustion slipped away, to be replaced with an easy calm and a strange invigoration. It was..... perhaps the most pleasant thing Shigenobu had experienced in his entire life. He felt like he could, and in fact did, stay in this position until dawn and beyond. The walls dropped away, the smell of the incense receded, even the flickering sound of the candles and faint howl of the wind disappeared. Shigenobu was alone in the universe, and it opened itself to him. In his mind, he was made to see how immensely large the universe truly was, and how immensely small humans were. And he saw his own place in the scheme. And he was pleased. 

The morning came, and with it a final abatement of the storm. Quietly thanking the monks and gathering his things, Shigenobu was all smiles as he left the temple and began the long trek back down the mountain. Things were progressing exactly as they should.

[Azai Mana]

Silently, without protest, Mana sat beneath the raging falls, hands folded in her lap, eyes closed, head and back straight. Normally in European-inspired clothing, she now wore little more than a sarashi and fundoshi as she allowed the waterfall to pound her form. The former enforcer found herself here after overhearing a few Azai soldiers bragging to eachother about feats of might and endurance. One claimed he had sat beneath a waterfall in Echigo for two hours, and climbed a frigid mountain immediately afterwards. Mana paid no heed to his haughty nature, but instead to the challenge he claimed to have put himself through. Given the man's stature and lankiness, it seemed unlikely, but it made her wonder.

Thus did Mana determine it was worthwhile to attempt the challenge herself, and so, here she found herself, meditating under the crashing liquid of the falls. Though more than uncomfortable, she sat through with no complaints, no budging, nothing. Two hours came and passed, and though she was wet and cold afterward, she yet said nothing to hint at her state. If Mana couldn't endure something like that, she had no excuse to endure the idea that she committed atrocities for so much of her life, or so she felt.

After taking the time to dry off, remove her sarashi and redress - adding a fur coat over her usual garb for obvious reasons - Mana set off for the mountain path. As anticipated, it was cold beyond compare, yet she did not yield, for she knew it would only grow colder as she ascended higher. Instead of even thinking about the temperature, she reflected on a great many other thoughts and events.

What happened during her service of Momochi Yojimbo, now that she was no longer thoughtless about it, plagued her recent memory. Mana had been molded over the course of more than eight years into a killing machine and a thuggish, if slight, enforcer of criminal activity. She had slain mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, the elderly, and the innocent, cutting them all down as if stepping on a twig. Those she was not ordered to kill, she beat into submission, or broke their homes or stores, ruined their livelihoods... It was horrible, yet it was still at her hands. Mana's saturated, soaked, dripping blood-stained hands.

As she continued her ascent, braving the sheer cold and sharp winds of the mountain, Mana contemplated what her life might have been like, had she not been taken by Momochi. Both her mother and herself might be in Rokkaku lands, well away from little Nagamasa... Well, she surmised that he would not be so little any longer. By what she could remember, he would be fifteen now. To even think Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan as well... She heard from Omi residents that he'd won a great victory against the Rokkaku clan, which inspired retainers to force Hisamasa into a kind of retirement, allowing Nagamasa to rise in his place as daimyo. It was commendable, certainly, but Mana couldn't help but wonder how he felt about the whole idea.

The snow-laden trees and freezing path became blurs in Mana's mind. She was aware of her surroundings, but it hardly mattered. The temperature, harsh and unforgiving, was less of a concern to her as the possibility that she couldn't see her family again. She might be thrown out of Omi, branded as a liar, or imprisoned for faking relations, or Nagamasa might have changed to become like his father and simply discard her existence altogether. Her personality was gradually shifting toward something not so empty or cold, as gradual as her ascent up toward the peak of this mountain. Still, would such changes matter if she continued living in isolation, refusing to pursue her past so as to change her future?

She had to at least try, Mana felt.

Finally did Mana return fully to reality as she found the end of the path. She had found the mountaintop, and sitting ahead of her was an old monastery. Looking up at the sky, she found that it was just entering nighttime. Given that it was the crack of dawn when she arrived at the falls, Mana surmised that it must have been over half a day that she'd trekked... It was an amazement that she didn't encounter wildlife, or have to stop and sleep for the night; her persistence in completing this task, combined with distracting herself with her contemplations to shun the harsh cold, had helped Mana to prevail.

Calmly, she approached the doors to the monastery and knocked. In short order would the door open in response, a young monk presenting her with a warm smile. Mana bowed her head in respect, lifting her head as the young man politely took her coat and let her inside. From there, the ex-enforcer wandered in, locating a brilliant hearth by which she could warm up and rest her tired legs, for they were understandably tuckered out. Before the flames she sat, folding her legs in and taking a meditative posture, eyes once more closed as she isolated herself from the rest of the monastery in her mind.

Mana knew, as she sat before the fire, that she had to change her lot further. She'd already changed so much by getting rid of Yojimbo, but it was not over. She needed closure, and for that, she had to acknowledge her name and blood as Azai. To that end, she had to meet Nagamasa.

Somehow.

[Tokugawa Ieyasu]

Azai Mana: +3 Spr

[Mōri Motonari]

Fujishima Shigenobu: +3 Spirit

[Kuroshi Maki]

I had to grow stronger from the inside out as well, I had to learn to control the hate and use it as a power instead of a weakness. Having met a Monk, he could see the hate just burning me down and told me to put it aside or use it to get better but not letting it destroy me from the inside out. Knowing he could not convince me to just put it aside he would help me control it till the point I could use it to get better. But he warned me that for me it would be harder then a normal person to find that inner self.

" Follow me young spirit "

The Monk has led me to a waterfall and told me to sit underneath it, having to take off the clothes I was wearing on the upper body and remove any armor I had on. The weapon as well had to be removed. Sitting down under the waterfall  I would feel the water crash upon my neck and shoulders, the water was cold and had needed abit of time to get used to. "Close you're eyes " As my eyes would close I had to think of the pain and suffer that was deep inside my soul and burned there. I had to relive the moment but had to watch it as a third person and not myself. I had to watch myself as a Kid, playing with his mother outside smiling and being happy. I could feel joy and tears rise up in my eyes and then roll down my cheek. Soon it would turn to anger and hate as I would reach the part were those men enter the house, blood would color the ground red as the lifeless body of his mother would drop to the ground. Laughter would be heard from those that did it. Teeth would clench.

The Monk could see the pain I was going trough and started to chant as tune, I didn't know what it was but it would calm my body down, and instead of getting consumed fully by it I could watch the surroundings of when it happened better. I could stop the time and look around inside my mind. I had never been able to relive the moment and focus on clues or anything. My body would relax and I could for once see something I missed. One of those man had blond hair and this showed me it was not a Asian man at all. Two hours would have pass and my eyes would slowly open yet something new was burning in those eyes. It was still hate but with new found strength. The Monk noticed and would smile.

" It does not end here young spirit, in order to maintain that new found spirit of yours. You have to climb that mountain and face the harse weather and reach the temple. There you have to do the same thing again but this time try to put aside it all. "

With that the Monk would take his leave as he felt his purpose was complete. Before I could even thank the man he was already gone like a ghost. Looking up the mountain I could see the temple as a small spot. Maybe i could find more clue's, so I would start my walk up to the temple. It wasn't as simple as it looked, the weather was cold and the wind was fierce. Because of the snow falling it was hard to even see anything in front of me further then a arm reach. But I had to do it for her sake and that of my own. The first step was made, and i would climb the mountain slowly step by step I would come closer. Body would turn cold and the pain would grow greater. The wind would sometimes push me back but I would not falter and keep going forward. The fire would still burn in my eyes.

When the cold begun to sink in, I remembered a power I had learned before. I was able to control fire, I wasn't very good at it yet but I was able to heat myself up and the snow would melt upon falling on my skin. Even if it took all my emery by using it I would reach this temple. It took around a day to reach the temple and looking at it the Monk would already stand there smiling friendly. How was this man able to reach it before me? Stepping inside the temple i would sit down in front of a large dragon statue. I had to try and let it all go.

As i had to relive the moment once again and this time images flash by so fast as it was more emotional then before, not only would I see that of my mother it also flashed that of all the things I did after that, living in the Forrest for 12 years and meeting Gabriella. but then after a few hours all went white around me. A woman shape would appear in front of me and the smile would stun me, it was her, my mother would appear in front of me. I could not speak or move. Her hand would fall upon my cheek, the warmth was overwhelming and tears would slide down my face. The monk could feel the change and would leave the temple again knowing I had found the stage I needed to be in.

"Good luck young spirit, you will become great one day "

Back to were I was inside my head in front of my mother, I could finally ask if she was still proud of me but then again I would be afraid she would say no. But before I could speak she would begin to speak as if she could read my mind.

" Don't ever lose yourself son, you are greater then they would ever be. I know you seek strength and you will find it one day. But fighting isn't the only thing that grands strength. You need something to fight for. Before I didn't think you would have anything to fight for until you met her (Gabriella) You don't have to avenge me but I know I can't stop you from doing so. Just promise me after you will become the man I wish you would be and be there for her as you were there for me! "

She would then disappear and my eyes would open, her words still running inside my head. She was still proud of me and she hadn't left me. My desire to become great grew but I knew what I had to do. Until I killed those man I could not release the image of what had been created but after that I would be free.

[Brandt Solveig]

I think this is it..

Pale green eyes stared in awe at the scenary infront of him.
A large mountain stretched upward to unimaginable heights. A
massive waterfall could bee seen, the mists rising high from
the contact it made below. Brandt had almost lost breath
beholding the beauty of it all. Nature was one of the giant's
weak spots. He loved it so.

Brandt had come here under his own terms. One could say the
giant was soul searching through foreign acts. He was growing
more fond of this area as the time passed. An old man had
actually mentioned this location and Brandt had decided to
take a look. How also gave him a set of instructions to help,
though they were quite strange.

Pulling off all his gear and tossing his sword aside, the nord would move toward the waterfall. Stepping underneath it, Brandt would feel the cold, rushing force from the waterfall. All other sounds seemed to escape him as he assumed the position. It took him thirty minutes to get use to it before he moved. He would reluctantly start his count over. This time however it seemed easier for him to do so. Focusing on the sound, he swore he soon heard a familiar drum beat. Almost as if he was back home at a celebration during the rain. And before he knew it his time was up.

That was actually kind of refreshing..

Leaving the embrace of the waterfall, the giant would soon begin his trek up the mountain as he had been instructed. It would be a long, cold and cruel climb to the top. The nord was use to weather like this, in fact he was probably use to far harsher.  The winds of the north could cut through a man like blades.

The closer he got to the top, the worse things seemed to be getting. A couple of times Brandt lost his footing, tumbling down to save himself just in time. His hands were freezing, raw from grasping at frozen rock and ice. His fair share of new cuts and bruises would be evident later on. However the giant was focused. Nothing would make him give up on this.

I shall keep going.. The gods will it.

It took time, but he would eventually reach the top before nightfall. His body freezing, frost clung to his face and hair. The constant moving had helped to provide him with some kind of warmth, but the viking could hardly wait to get inside the temple. Brandt would stare at the wonder of construction before him. The asian people certainly knew how to build things well.

The architecture.. Its grand..

The warmth as he entered the temple brought on happiness like no other. Out of habit the Nord would slap his hands together and rub them to try and warm them faster. It wouldn't take long for him to take his position upon the floor and close his eyes once again. At first he found it hard to push away everything that he had just experienced. It was certainly something that altered ones perception.

Eventually though as the sun set, casting multicolored rays throughout the clouds, Brandt began slipping away. His meditation soon became lucid. Strange visions and nordic symbols floated about in his head. The faintest sound of music could be heard. It was almost as if he was experiencing the story of his heritage, his lineage leading back.. 

But before he could see exactly what it was all pointing to, it began to fade away. Brandt's eyes would flutter open just in time to see the sun start to rise. It amazed him to realized that the night had already passed by. Even though curiosity tore at him as to what it all meant, he felt far more peace and as if he had learned the beginning to an important story about his past, maybe even his future.

Someday soon, I will know who I am.. I will know my role to play..

[Tokugawa Ieyasu]

Maki: +3 Spirit

Brandt Solveig: +3 Spirit

[Akiyama Weiss]

It was a beautiful day in the land of his lord Imagwa Yoshimoto. Weiss had aligned himself with the Daimyo shortly after departing home and had come to possess a great admiration for the man. He held the lives of so many people in his hands and with a word he could extinguish them without reprisal. He respected this power and Weiss grew to have a dedication to him that bordered upon zealotry. It was underneath a crashing waterfall of crystal-clear, cool, water that Akiyama Weiss was currently seated. He had to remain completely still for a minimum of two hours and focus his mind on blocking out the considerable discomfort he was feeling. For his lord he would endure this trial without complaint and in truth it was actually quite easy to perform. The two hours went by quickly and no sooner had he put on a dry set of clothes, was he hurried off to complete the second part of his duties.

The mountainous terrain was treacherous on any day and many lives had been lost upon this piece of earth, but it was exponentially more dangerous when you factor in inclement weather. It was a chore to continue making progress through the snow that covered the mountain and the storm that was presently accosting the area was making visibility extremely poor. This wasn’t good for a man that whose eyesight was already less than perfect, but Akiyama Weiss would endure. He had a very good sense of direction and was able to navigate the wintry world with success, albeit at the cost of taking a lot longer than a person with better vision. Weiss’s destination was a temple near the peak of the mountain and it was there that he would have to meditate and reflect upon the various things he’d done to get to that point. It wasn’t usually Weiss’s cup of tea, so to speak, but it’s what his lord had asked of him.

Weiss reached the temple with a little over twenty four hours to complete the meditation. He’d never really been one to reflect upon his own actions, so this was going to be awkward. Weiss seated himself upon the temple’s floor and took to relaxing his body and controlling his breathing through rhythmic patterns. He thought about lord Imagawa at this time and how he made him feel. It was admiration, respect, fear, and a little bit of bloodlust. The fear was out of respect for the man’s power. He could have Weiss killed on a whim and the thought of that was both terrifying and exciting. The bloodlust came from his desire to kill the man. Don’t get the wrong idea by that statement; Weiss had no intention of murdering Imagawa. He simply felt that way about anyone who had power over the lives of others. Weiss reflected upon these emotions and the past couple of days for several hours before he finally felt that he’d nothing left to contemplate. Weiss left the temple and headed back down the mountain, eager to see Imagawa again.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Since the girl had met Lord Uesugi and began to work for him as a merc, she had been sent for quite a bit of training. The archer was quite used to training, but Kenshin made her train in ways she was not used to (and instead of taking multiple jobs, as what was normally expected with her being a mercenary.) But her deep and growing respect for the God of War made her not question him, really. She did what he said without question, definitely noticing a difference in her various performances since somewhat going under his wing.

But now she was expected to train her spirit, and Kat didn't know what to think of that, only having trained herself physically over the years. But, like with everything else since Kenshin had earned her respect, the archer did as he asked.

And that was how she found herself sitting beneath a waterfall.

Katsumi had endured much pain and discomfort throughout her life due to her harsh and abusive father, and living the life of a mercenary. It was not the waterfall crashing down on her that was the problem. Her mind was able to overcome such a matter. But about halfway through, Katsumi found she had to pee, and not too long after that, she really had to go. And the sounds of the water and being soaked to the bone really didn't help. Unable to leave her position, Kat grit her teeth through it, shifting every so often uncomfortably.

Time ticked by, the water hitting her body, wracking at it, and, with that, her need to pee simply grew worse and worse. But if she got up now, Katsumi would have to start all over. All of this would be for naught.

When the two hours were up, the archer couldn't have been more grateful, practically sprinting over to nearby bushes. After a minute, she walked back out and sighed satisfactorily. It felt good to be relieved.

But things weren't over yet. Putting on a coat and warmer shoes after putting on dry clothes, Katsumi proceeded to trek up the mountain, heading towards a temple. At first, it wasn't so bad, but upon going further up, the weather worsened and Katsumi kept running into trouble, again and again. At first, there was a damned bear. It was hungry and territorial, and Katsumi was forced to quickly take the beast down by shooting it with multiple arrows. Then there was a narrow path on the side of the mountain. While hugging the snowy wall, the ground gave way, and if not for the woman's wind musou, the girl would surely be dead, able to use gusts to rise her up to safety. With her tiny height, getting through the snow was even more difficult, and she had to dig her way to the temple.

By the time Katsumi arrived, she was exhausted and quite grouchy. Yet even now she still wasn't done. The only reason the girl didn't snap on the monks unintentionally was because their temple was warm. Meditating in a warm building was much better than out in the cold, right? Katsumi was really trying to stay positive.

After removing the winter clothing, Katsumi began to meditate, having plopped down on the floor. She closed her eyes and remained in a sitting position, trying to focus on what Kenshin had told her. To find inner-peace. That was something difficult for Katsumi given her nature, and so it took all of her will-power to block the outside world out and search for inner-peace. Hours passed, and many of the monks went to sleep. Yet Katsumi stayed at it, sitting there until the sun came up and the monks left their futons to meditate in the morning. As the sun's warm rays washed over Katsumi, she felt... satisfied, and calm.

Dark eyes fluttered open and the girl nodded. She had found inner-peace.

"I hope this pleases you, Kenshin-sama," whispered the girl to herself. For now, it was time to sleep and rest before heading back to the Uesugi camp.

[Tokugawa Ieyasu]

Akiyama Weiss +3 SPR
Shinomori Katsumi +3 SPR

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

When the drill commander emphasized the oneness of mind and body in battles, Ryunosuke listened intently. Although he had great skill in attacking vital points and dodging, it seemed that there was something still lacking in his fighting style. And so he listened as the drill commander issued his speech on the importance of the mind, and when the drill commander drew up a training session based on his lecture, he eagerly joined in. The training session consisted on three steps: a waterfall meditation followed by an icy mountain trek, and a temple meditation for the finale. After they had been briefed on what they should do, they proceeded to the nearest waterfall within Totomi to start the training.

The icy waters of the waterfall trickled down on Ryunosuke, but still he maintained his composure as he sat down within the great current of water pouring down on him, for any other easier spots were taken by other soldiers. As he sat down there half-naked for a couple of hours, he felt some fish or aquatic plant falling down on him, but such minor disturbances hitting his body did not budge him as he was sitting on a rock with his eyes closed, his mind trying to shut off from his surroundings even when fins of some fish wounded his body. But when he was at the close of his two hours of meditation, he felt something hot on his left shoulder. It seemed as if beneath the icy cold waters of the waterfall there seemed to be a zone of warmth... wait. The water trickling down on his left shoulder was yellowish, and its smell reminded Ryunosuke of something familiar. But he still tried to contain his rage as he continued meditating beneath the waterfall. When the close of the two hours was announced and the other soldiers started to get away from the waterfall, Ryunosuke remained there for an hour, but not to meditate. He needed to rinse out that pee that one soldier passed while they were meditating. That person will pay when he had finished their training.

After removing the final vestiges of urine from his body, Ryunosuke dried himself up, changed his clothes, and donned on a thick robe in preparation for the next activity. The temple which was his third destination was on the top of an icy mountain, and to reach it he had to travel through the mountain that might harbor a lot of danger. Although this might be the case, he still pushed through, hoping that this would boost his willpower. The icy winds, as well as the thick amount of snow that covered his legs, hindered Ryunosuke's progress towards the temple, and one time or another wild beasts showed themselves randomly across the trail. But Ryunosuke was determined to reach the temple as soon as possible, and steeled himself s he moved towards the temple, slicing wild animals and monsters along the way with his howitzer. But by the time he reached the temple, he was covered with cuts and scratches, the blood from those wounds frozen by the harsh weather. But even with those wounds, Ryunosuke managed to pay respects to the monks within the area, smiling all the way, before removing his thick robe and boots. He then set himself within the temple to meditate notwithstanding the number of wound on his body.

As he sat down meditating he felt a great warmth enveloping ll of his body. The coldness that he carried while he was on that mountain trek vanished completely, but as the cold disappeared, he felt a sharp cone of pain from his body. Notwithstanding the intense pin that he had, he continued to meditate. Soon after, the pain subsided as soon as his mind was disconnected from the plane of the human world. He felt the power surging from the depths of his soul, and it was a burning feeling, but it seemed that it was not unbearable. His soul was burning, but it seemed that it was a very comfortable feeling. He felt that with this released power, he could continue on fighting even when his body is very battered.

After some hours of meditation, he found himself back in the temple, and it was already the morning of the day after he sat down on this place and meditated. He was still covered in wounds, and blood flowed through the scathed skin of his body. But it almost did not matter for him right then. It was as if his soul was becoming tough enough for this amount of wounds.

[Takeda Shingen]

Ichimura Ryunosuke: +3 Spr

[Nomi no Ōkata]

While physical training was crucial, training of the mind was of utmost importance to Lord Motonari. The most obvious, of course, was intelligence. Reading others moves, their expressions, their thoughts, strategy, and overall knowledge. But next to that was spirituality. While it may have been surprising to some, Mori was an incredibly devout man and spirituality was exceptionally important to him. To train the soul and keep it 'clean' was how one got close to the gods and pleased them, and, in turn, brought man great power. And so after sharpening her wit and even training her body, it was now time for Okata to focus on her spirituality, something she was less prone to complain about than pure physical work. Spirituality was more important than most realized, and she had seen her Lord's power, and had even some of her own, although not even a fraction of his own.

Riding out to a waterfall in the Chugoku region, adorned in men's clothing once more (for her typical intricate, ornate clothing would hardly due), the concubine removed them and stepped into the water. Wading over near the waterfall, the curvaceous woman climbed onto the rock and, quickly giving up sitting in her typical formal seated position on her knees, sat cross-legged and on her ass(ets). She was able to last much longer this way, whereas before she couldn't take it for more than twenty minutes. Still, it was painful and Okata winced at first, before steeling her mind as she often had to with her line of work and her background. No, this waterfall would not overcome her. If not out of her own pride, than for her Lord and Light.

The sun moved in the sky and eventually the two hours had passed, and Okata scooted forward, splashing into the water. She swam wearily to the shore and crawled out, laying onto the ground for a short time. All of the sound of water rushing had made her uncomfortable near the end, and so Okata picked herself up and relieved herself over by a bush, before washing her hands in the water and drying herself off. Wringing the water in her hair out and tying it up, the courtesan put her clothing back on and rested for a couple of hours before heading off.

The trek up the mountain was the worst part. Okata was far from physical (except where she needed to be haaaaa) and she had to stop several times, taking rest. But when the snow began to fall and it grew dark, it was a danger to stop. She could hear wolves howling in the distance and Okata gulped, removing her bladed fans and holding them close. She fought back the coldness that whispered at her to sit and sleep, to slip into an everlasting slumber. But she did not listen. She would only heed the words of her Light, and Okata trudged on, moving on heavy step after the other.

A pack of wolves tailed after her and, instead of facing them, Okata ran best as she could. She neared a cliff. There was no way around, and so the woman, glancing behind her worriedly, began to climb. It was a struggle, and one of the wild canines nipped at her heels, but the concubine managed to continue upwards. It was a treacherous climb and she couldn't see a damn thing, just like that night when she was a wee little girl with her sister, running for their lives, but she knew at the top would be light, salvation. She was almost there. She was so close.

The night went on and eventually Okata made it to the top out of sheer perseverance. When she did, she saw the sun peaking out from the horizon and tears slipped down her cheeks. She whispered weakly, "Praise Amaterasu."

In the distance, she could make out the temple and, closing her eyes for a few moments, then crawled up onto her feet, half-dragging herself to her destination. Okata made it there, and a monk looked on at her with surprise, and with a small, weary snort, she wondered just how long it had been since he had seen last seen a woman. And one looking like she did. It was almost as sad as it was pathetic. In her eyes, anyway.

He went about her duties (with a few nervous glances made her way) and she sat down informally, far too exhausted to sit properly. Hands rested over her knees and Okata inhaled deeply before closing her eyes, pushing aside the aching of her body and the weariness weighing her down. For a woman like her, someone who was not a warrior, it may have been surprising she could make it this far, and certainly finding peace with the pain. But, before reaching where she was today, Okata had endured starvation on the streets, berating, and plenty of rough-handling. It was inevitable with her line of work, and what she went through most would snap under. They thought she was weak because she was a woman, but her will was stronger than that of any man, and Lord Motonari saw this in her. It was a large part of why she was chosen, and, at the thought of soon returning to Lord Motonari, the concubine found inner-peace, and a soft smile pulled at her plump lips.