Not so Ordinary World

[Liddo-kun]

To the top you finally do arrive.  Oddly when you do reach the dirt ground of the temple the pressure lessens greatly, though you're still too tired to get up from the effort of the climb.

"Jyuurokujya!" you hear a male voice call out.

That's when you see an odd shimmer around you as a six-foot long golden colored serpent uncoils from around your body and slithers its way away from you.  It comes to a stop by the foot of a man in the priestly garbs of a shrine attendant.

"Welcome to Korinja Temple," he tells you with a slight nod.

[Kwokinator]

He blinked.  Then blinked again.

"What," Maki pointed at the previously invisible, and obviously a demon or some such monster for wrapping around him. "The hell is that?"

[Liddo-kun]

With a wave of his hand, the creature slowly begins to evaporate into a mist, with the only trace left behind - a single glass bead.

"Shikigami," he tells you.  "A creature molded and constructed with the shaping of spiritual energy.  Would you care to sit down?"  He motions to the space besides him with a friendly smile.

[Kwokinator]

"No thanks," he decided he didn't quite trust this man yet. "I'll just take a sit right here."

And he did so, and sat down on the ground opposite the man.

"So who are you, and why did you send that at me?"

[Liddo-kun]

"Merely a test," he assures you, nodding to your request to sit where you do.  "One that you passed admirably, I might add.  The 3 gates you walked under each tested your attributes."  He begins to tick them off with his fingers, "Mind, body, and spirit."

He then holds up a fourth finger to join the three he held up in front of him.  "Jyuurokujya was the fourth and final test.  If you were to force your way up to the top without proving worthy..." he trails off, a bit of steel creeping into his voice.

"Well, let's not speak of that," he finishes, lightening his tone.

[Kwokinator]

"And what if I didn't pass and prove myself as whatever you deem to be 'worthy'?" he decided to push the issue. "You're going to throw me out to die at the hands of the creatures?"

"And I don't think I felt anything special when I passed those gates, so what's the test?"

[Liddo-kun]

"That you didn't feel anything when you passed through the gates is the point," he explains to you patiently.  "If the gates had deemed you unworthy, you would have been struck through the head, the heart, then through the entirety of your body by spiritual blades."

"As extreme as that may sound, none of them are fatal; however, they are effective deterrants for those who would seek to do us harm.  If someone was fool enough to disregard the wardings of the gate, then Jyuurokujya would have wrapped and pinned them under her weight," he finishes.

[Kwokinator]

"And how many people have been deemed 'unworthy' so far?" Maki frowned. "Who are you trying to hide from, exactly?  Those creatures didn't look like they'd be affected by your little six-foot-long serpent."

[Liddo-kun]

"Not many, thankfully," he tells you.  Though in a more serious tone, "But dire situations, such as these, brings to the front the most ugliest side of the human nature.  We would gladly share what we have to those with good intent, but I have no mercy for those who would seek to take for themselves greedily, or do good people harm."

"It would be nice to be able to give everyone their share so that there is no need to be greedy, no need to be petty, but we aren't afforded that luxury," he tells you with a hint of regret.  "If I must be cruel, in order to save good people, then that's the mask I'll wear."

[Kwokinator]

"Understood," Maki nodded, satisfied with the explanation. "Sometimes sacrifices must be made.  Taking the dark path and acting foolishly without preparation or the necessary power, you pay the price."

"Anyway", he got up and smiled at the man, extending a hand. "My name is Maki Taguchi."

[Liddo-kun]

"Shoga Isegami," the man replies in kind, rising to greet your handshake with a firm one of his own.  "You are welcome to stay as long as you like, but be prepared to lend a hand to the community should we need it."

"Lin, show our guest to his quarters," Shoga calls out to his right.

A young woman garbed in traditional kimono wear with a soft blue floral print, seemed to step out of the very shadow to answer the request by the priestly man.  It catches you off-guard only because she was so close, yet you didn't notice her in the least bit.

"This way, sir," she beckons, indicating for you to follow her as she guides you to where you'll be resting.

"I shall see you later today then, Taguchi-san," the priest tells you amicably with a slight inclination of his head as he takes his leave.

[Kwokinator]

Maki nodded to Shoga and followed the Lin woman, slightly alarmed by how many skilled people there seemed to be living in this "community".

"So," he tried to strike up a conversation. "How many people live here, and what brings you here in particular?"

[Liddo-kun]

"There are currently twenty-six guests staying with us at this shrine," Lin begins, while leading you through some twists and turns on your way to your quarters.  "Of the twenty-six, we have eight children, five young adults - such as yourself, three elderly, and the rest are able bodied adults of varying age."

You finally reach a communal room.  It looks like you'll be sharing space with two other boys around your age - one younger, one older.  Without skipping a beat though, she answers your last question.  "My purpose here is as an attendant to the shrine gardens and for the general upkeep of the living quarters."

Lin sounds oddly stiff and formal, but you don't know her enough to make any solid judgments.

[Kwokinator]

Maki tries to memorize the twists and turns and the surroundings that he went by on the way, just in case he ever had to hightail it out quickly.

"So when do I get to meet everyone else?  And is Shoga the one in charge here?"

[Liddo-kun]

"He is," Lin replies, then for your second question, "And you should be able to meet everyone in the evening - we all sit together during dinner."

You note that it's sometime in the afternoon right now, still too early for it to be close to evening yet.

"Please, feel free to settle in," she tells you.  "I have to make my rounds and see if anyone else needs anything.  So until tonight."  Lin gives you a bow before departing, leaving you in the room.

Tatami flooring, sliding doors with rice paper... yeah, this is something straight out of one of those samurai movies that your father used to always watch.  About the only thing of any real color or personality seem to be the corners of the room where your two other roommates have their gear stowed.