And the Beast sought a Demon [Takehiro]

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Watching the larger man put on the weights was rather amusing, Takehiro wasn't going to lie. His size might have helped a hell of a lot, which was good. The fact that he didn't fall flat on his face only further cemented Takehiro's faith in the man as a disciple.

"600 pound anklets, friend. If you can walk in those, you're stronger than most, so I give you props." The Daimyo let out a small laugh, standing at Brandt's side. "By the time you're done training, those will feel like any old boots. And once you take them off, no one will even be able to see you. Well, that's how it is a lot of the time for me, anyway."

[Brandt Solveig]

600 pounds!?

"..I see.. ..This.. is your secret to.. ..Your speed.."

Brandt truly wad amazed. That explained the reason Takehiro had been able to get behind him so quickly in their duel. If this was truly how Takehiro gained his quickness, then Brandt knew for sure that he had to get use to these. Someday he would be on par with the Daiymo.

The giant would struggle, gritting his teeth while his skin turned red from the strain of trying to move with the weights on his ankles. He found himself falling forward on a couple of occasions as his feet refused to move at the same pace as his upper body.

However, after bending his knees and lowering his core a bit, the nord would focus on moving a single leg at a time instead of trying to walk like he normally would. Bracing himself he would pick his right foot up, still straining but would manage to take a step.

"You.. Are a man.. ..Above men, Takehiro.. This.. Is no easy.. Task.."

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Brandt Solveig and Amakusa Takehiro both receive 1 Exp to spend as they see fit.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

"No, I am simply a man who took his training seriously."

While Takehiro was proud of his abilities, he knew they were far from being above man. While he could level armies and take out fleets single-handedly, he could still never hope to take on a God. The first he'd met man-handled him, destroyed him. The second sent wave after wave of soldiers to fight him, so while he'd never fought Bishamonten himself, he knew of the caliber of men he commanded. Takehiro was far from their level, even now. But, this is sort of a tangent.

Takehiro had been watching Brandt the entire time, and once it seemed the man was getting the hang of walking with the weights, Takehiro would lead Brandt over to a blacksmith. "Come with me, friend." Assuming Brandt would follow, Takehiro would direct him to the best smithy in his fief.

"Now if I'm going to train you, you're going to need a weapon that can match my own, one that's not quite so unwieldy. I could assume you'd like another zanbato, but if not, let me know. I'll have my smithy, Kanbe, make it for you."

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt would heed Takehiro's call and begin to follow him, although his pace was still slow. Each footsteps creating an audible thud and heaving little bits of earth as he moved. 600 pounds on top of the near 300 pound giant was enough to make mother earth groan with each movement.

The giant would follow Takehiro toward the smithy, still red face with sweat beginning to bead above his bandaged forehead. This certainly was a work out for the Nord and he wasn't even in combat.

Soon enough though his new instructor would offer him a custom weapon. Brandt would contemplate the idea briefly. He had grown quite fond of his ol' steel carver. But he had to admit, it had seen its fair share of battle. A new weapon wouldnt be a horrible idea.

"Zaan..bat..o?"

The giant simply stared around briefly, breathing heavily as he returned his attention back toward Takehiro. He was clueless as to what a Zanbanto was. 

[Amakusa Takehiro]

The fact that Brandt was continuing what would be a trek for him without voicing any complaint was a good sign, and something Takehiro was going to take note of. The man was a trooper, and if he kept this attitude up, the training would be a breeze!

Not really. It was never a breeze.

"Ah, of course," Takehiro nodded, forgetting the foreigner was a foreigner. "Much like your large sword, only we don't call them, uh... large swords." The man spoke fairly decent Japanese, it seemed, so that he did not know of the term Zanbato, it was a little surprising. But then, Zanbato were not incredibly popular, so it made sense.

[Brandt Solveig]

"Ahh. Okay. I'm still.. learning your terminology."

While Brandt's Japanese had vastly improved since he set foot, he was still learning the language. He liked to believe he was alright when it came to picking up on language. This certainly wasn't the first he learned throughout his travels.

The northerner's mind would return to the object at hand though. This zanbato interested him to say the least. He certainly wasn't about to turn him down for no good reason. The upgrade would be welcome.

"If it is what you say, that sounds good to me.. I'm rather fond of most weapons.. Apart from those damn firesticks.."

Flintlock pistols and such, he was not so happy with. They were loud, and required far less skill in the giants eyes to use. And they hurt when they shot you.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro nodded, turning to Kanbe. He would leave a large sack of coins in front of the smithy, who looked up to Takehiro in surprise. "A zanbato. Make it like you're making it for me, would you?" The man nodded, smiling and taking the coin. "Thank you, Kanbe." Takehiro would then leave the man to his devices, and lead Brandt off to a more open area to train him while the blade was being made.

[OoC: Small time skip because Brandt needs his sword! Wooo]

After quite some time, Brandt would be led back to the smithy, where Kanbe stood next to his new blade! It was a large one, even larger than the Nord himself was, and it looked incredibly finely crafted. Kanbe's work was unrivaled, as far as Tak was concerned.

"Your new blade is ready for you!"

[Brandt Solveig]

After some time, Takehiro had asked him to follow him back toward the smithy. He wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed, but he was as sore as ever. He still struggled to move in the weights, but Brandt did not let it discourage him. It would take time to master moving with them.

Takehiro's blacksmith would present to him a mighty sword. Brandt was surprised to see it wasn't too far from what he had previously, though the craftsmanship was far beyond that of it's predecessor. Thumping loudly with each step, the Nord would grab ahold of his new Zanbanto, carefully admiring it.

"Your smith certainly has a knack for this..It is a piece of artwork."

Brandt wasn't intending to enlarge the man's ego, but to him it was the truth. Brandt found more beauty in a good weapon than in that of a painting or poem. He would inspect nearly every inch of it, even giving a few contained swings, careful not to hit anyone or anything. 

"..If I could mate with it, I would.."

A joke, al-beit a horrible one. And the tone je said it probably made it seem as if he was serious. Maybe even part of him was.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro would watch with interest as Brandt tested out his weapon. If all was well, he would find it was easy to wield despite its size, having rather balanced weight and incredibly tough steel. Should the Nord have found it as much to his liking as he said, then the Daimyo would want the man to test it legitimately, rather than swinging at nothing.

"Buranto," Takehiro spoke, brandishing his glaive. He would then hold it horizontally to the ground. "Give me your best swing, right here." This was also to test and see if Kanbe's craftsmanship was growing, or at least in the same ballpark.

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt watched as his new friend pulled out his glaive. He couldn't help but admire that weapon as well, even if he wasn't familiar with it. He had seen Halbards before, but it was not quite the same thing. He would hold out his weapon and instruct Brandt to strike it with his new Zanbato.

"If you insist.."

Grasping the sword with both hands, the northlander would lift the blade upward, extending as far as he could before he would force his blade down with all the strength he could muster. It was certainly more difficult to keep tabs on his footwork with the weights on.

Brandt wasn't sure what was expected to be the outcome of his strike. But he believed Takehiro must of had a reason for him to test it out.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

As Brandt made his strike, it would clash upon the handle of Takehiro's glaive with great force, though not as much as the Daimyo was hoping for. And, he knew why: for starters, Brandt still had the weights on, and there was a function to the weapon he was not utilizing. Everything Kanbe made was incredible due to some aspect it had, such as Takehiro's glaive wielding fire itself, along with being able to disappear and conjure illusions. So, Brandt would need to figure out what his was.

Applying just enough force to push Brandt back a little, Takehiro would resume his initial stance. "Take the weights off and try again. Give your weapon a little more attention. Familiarize yourself with it, find your center, and then strike." He was confident the man would only become more comfortable with the weapon the more he tried it out. He simply needed to try it out.

[OoC: With weights removed, Brandt's Dex would increase to 33, so you know.]

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt would heed his advice, resting the blade against his body as he crouched down to take the weights off. Much to his comfort, Brandt felt as if he had been set free to move naturally again. However even he himself noticed the slight difference after he had taken then off.

The giant would then stand again, holding the blade in front of him to inspect it. Something seemed odd about the back side of the blade, but he had initially attributed it to fancy craftsmanship. However he would notice the slightest wiggle in the handle.

Brandt would extend the blade in front of him as he inspected the handle closer. The Nord would twist it, half expecting to break the handle from the sword. Instead he heard an explosion of sorts, and his sword shot uncontrollably to the ground, driving the blade a mere inch or two from the toes of his right foot.

"GREAT ODIN'S BEARD! W-WHAT THE HELL!?"

Brandt's reaction was not one of hatred for thw weapon. It was due to the fact that he was not expecting such a thing to happen. He nearly chopped his foot! Even worse, the nord almost soiled himself in the process.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Upon seeing Brandt's reaction to the power of the weapon, Takehiro let out a hearty laugh. He was not expecting that result at all, but the things Kanbe was capable of crafting were almost unbelievable, and it seemed that zanbato had a particularly destructive power, were it used capably. While Takehiro was expecting some sort of elemental enchantment, the fact that it held gunpowder in its back that was ignited through a mechanism within the handle was impressive in and of itself. It was not fire, but it could be equally as, if not more, effective.

"I'll be damned! Looks like you've outdone yourself this time, Kanbe!" The smith let out a small chuckle, simply nodding. It was apparent he wasn't much for words. "And it seems you've got quite the weapon to get accustomed to! Save your feet, eh?" It may have been frightening without being totally aware of what the sword was capable of, but now that he knew, he could train with it more effectively. "That is a weapon worthy of a warrior such as yourself!"

[Brandt Solveig]

"It certainly is a blade of legend. I think I may grow quite fond of it.."

The giant would lift the blade once again, however this time he felt more confident wielding it. It surely was a mighty blade and Brandt would make sure he was truly worthy of using it. Finding his center, Brandt would sway the blade slightly to the left and right as his feet settling into a wider stance.

The blade would sway left once more, before it shot back right and then up and over. The giant would aim the blade to connect with Takehiro's glaive once again. But this time as his new sword arched downward Brandt would twist the handle and let the explosive force take action.

Now that he figured out its special feature, Brandt was sure the blow would be far stronger this time

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro prepped for Brandt's coming attack, as he wanted to test the steel and the strength behind it. So, when Brandt swung the blade downward, Takehiro's glaive's handle would catch it, and the force from the blow was so immense Takehiro's feet sunk into the ground a little, dust flying into the air. Did it hurt him? No, though it was clearly a formidable weapon against his own, which meant the blade had no flaw behind it if it could be used competently.

"Impressive," the Daimyo muttered, once again pushing Brandt back a little. "On top of your own impressive strength, this blade should prove quite useful, don't you think?" The Daimyo rolled his shoulders back a little, as even though he wasn't hurt, that was enough of a blow to make his body a little tense. He hadn't felt one of those in a while.

"You've got that blade, and access to my weights and anything else I have that you may need during your training. So, what are your thoughts, Buranto?"

[Brandt Solveig]

This time it looked as if he had actually felt the attack, at least more so than his previous. Brandt knew for sure that this weapon would help to set him apart from many. It was decided then that he would work to master the art of fighting with it. The tool of combat would help to forge him into a warrior closer to Takehiro's level.

"I believe so, my friend.. I will not let it's might go to waste."

Brandt still found it a little difficult to see that he had met and befriended such a powerful, kind man. He certainly had no obligation to help the northerner, but it would seem he was sharing quite a bit with him here. The nord would be forever grateful.

"My thoughts? Well.. I feel as if the gods brought me here for some reason. I know not yet what that is.. But I feel as if meeting you was part of it."

The nord would continue to look his blade over briefly before he would strap the Zanbato to his back. What he said, he felt was the truth. The gods had everything planned and what would become of Brandt was in their hands.

"I believe I have a role to play here.. And I was very fortunate to find you."

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro cocked an inquisitive brow at Brandt's remarks. It seemed the man was rather pious - as most were in these times, which made sense. Tak not being religious by any means would be redundant, given he'd met Izanami and Bishamonten - and believed his fate was steered by the gods themselves. Were that the truth, Takehiro himself had been blessed with the alliance of a powerful warrior.

"When you make it through your training, we shall see who was more fortunate."

While the man was not strong enough to defeat him, he could grow in strength just as Toshi did. Being the one to create a warrior of that caliber was always a good thing, considering the warrior would be on the side of the one who helped them train, lest he be a prick. Brandt here wasn't one Takehiro would peg as a prick, by any means.

"Forgive me, you must be tired," the Daimyo realized. Brandt had no moment of rest after the fight, and Takehiro held nothing back during it. With his 103 strength, most would not be walking for weeks, and this man wore the weights for an extended period of time, on top of that. "I can prepare lodging for you here in the village, if you like. On me. It's the least I can do for a man the people here respect."

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt hadn't actually realized just how tired he actually was until Takehiro had mentioned it. Thus far the day had been grueling. The Nord had the fight of his life, even if he had only barely managed to last. On top of it he had been moving with so much weight upon his lower half that his legs were just barely shy of giving out. Of course he still did his best to stand strong.

"That might be best. I need to stick around anyways.. But I will not stay for free. If I must, I will help around the Inn.."

The last thing Brandt wanted to come off as, was a freeloader or beggar. As he saw it, he got a sword that probably would have cost a fortune otherwise. He did not have it in him to take anything else for free. Brandt had always worked for whatever he got and that wasn't about to change now.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro nodded, glad that Brandt would rather work than freeload. That was a good sign, and though it was simple, it reinforced the Daimyo's confidence in the man. He would be assertive, however, and insist that Brandt heal up before anything.

"Then do so in the morning, after you've gotten rest and your muscles have healed up. I appreciate you doing your part, but if you strain your body, your training will be pointless."

A smile graced Takehiro's lips before he retrieved his weights and led Brandt back to the tavern. He threw a small sack of coins to Toshi, and pointed a thumb at Brandt, and the barkeep knew exactly what was going down. He was okay with it, too, which was important.

[Brandt Solveig]

"Aye, you are right.. I will rest."

Brandt would follow behind Takehiro as he led him back to the tavern. He would watch a monetary exchange and then the Daiymo would point toward the nord. He assumed it was Takehiro's way of reserving a place for the giant to stay.

It had been quite the day. Brandt had met the strongest person he had ever encountered and now he would become his disciple, at least for the near future. Regardless, it seemed Brandt had just gained a valuable ally in the Demon of Totomi.

"Again, I thank you. And I look forward to our next battle.. Promise you I will be more of a challenge then."

[Amakusa Takehiro]

"I'm looking forward to it," the Demon spoke with a smile. Takehiro would turn his back to Brandt and make his way away from the tavern, offering one last friendly wave for the day, then he would make his way home. He had a woman to see, and it had been a long time since he'd seen her.

Toshi, meanwhile, will call Brandt over once the man was done talking to the Daimyo. On a table, he would set out a number of cloths for the giant to take to his room when he was ready. "You keep up with Tak on more than one occasion, your name is gonna be real well-known around here, and for more than slaying bandits and saving little girls."

[Brandt Solveig]

"Allfather wills it. I will do my best.. I do not quite have the words to describe such a man. He surprised me like no other.."


Brandt would once again allow himself to ponder the day he had. What luck the gods had shown him this day. Brqndt would be well on the path toward a legendary warrior underneath the tutelage of one such as the Demon of Totomi.

"I am interested.. How did you end up meeting Takehiro?"

Brandt was tired, but he still had it in him to conversant for a short bit. The foreigner was curious to learn as much as he could about his new setting and the people that he would be learning from.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

"He does that a lot." Toshi smirked, cleaning some cups and putting them away. Toshi knew Takehiro better than almost anyone, and he understood how he was with people. To him, it was clear Brandt struck a good chord with the "Demon" and that was enough for him.

"Me and everyone else in this village, we're former bandits." Toshi was upfront, shrugging, not really embarrassed to admit his past occupation. "I was their chief. We didn't have much of a purpose, especially with our home having been destroyed, and Takehiro brought us out of that. He's a damn good man, a kind man, and that sort of shit's hard to find in this land. Gave us all a new, fresh start, and no one could ask for more than that."

[Brandt Solveig]

"A bandit you say? Good thing you got out of that line of work before I hit shore, Ahhahah.. I have dealth with many.."

While Brandt's jokes sometimes came put a little too serious to be considered a joke, he hoped that Toshi would understand. The nord found him as comfortable with Toshi as he had been with Takehiro. Maybe it was due to the fact they seemed to be similar in some ways, even if they had lived in such different enviroments.

"But you and I, we are not much different from one another.. At one time I might have been akin to a bandit.. Where I come from, my people raid for treasure, wealth and for the thrill of the combat.. We would slaughter many people. Women, Children.. Did not matter if they were there.

The giant would look downward, as if he was ashamed to mention the kind of things that he had done in the past. He had lived a life time of a warrior, killed in droves yet he had somehow managed to retain some humanity when most would loose such a thing.

"A fresh start.. New meaning.. I will not let him down. I will give him my all, until I can forge my own path.."