Episode 3 "Guardian Monks!"

February 3, 101P.A.

Takeo begins his long walk up the winding road, at the the top he is met with closed blast doors. There also hangs a massive bell 15' tall, alongside it a large wooden post for striking the bell. Takeo swings the large post and give the bell a ring. A few moments later a smaller door, within the large blast doors, opens almost as if by itself. Takeo enters and finds himself on a 100yrd  bridge leading through cherry trees and over a large coy pond, right up to a set of gates. Takeo continues down the bridge until a hooded figure wielding a staff appears in front of him. The hooded figure leaps a Takeo and the two engage in melee combat. The hooded figure lands a couple of hits, of clearly "pulled" hits. Takeo manages to parry of the hits, but fails to land a strike on the leaping man. Takeo has never seen such a fighting style, Tengujitsu, as the figure avoided all of his attacks flipping gracefully through the air. Finally Takeo comes close to landing a hit just as the hooded figure back flips out of the way, and begins laughing as he pull down his hood revealing a young boy.   

"Brother" laughs the boy, "You have been neglecting your training. You look exactly like the photos mother has sent of you." The boy introduces himself as Shonen Kiske, a name given to him by the monks. They exchange greetings and Takeo tells Shonen all about what has happened to their family and his journey here. He shows him the sword of their father and the letter Hitsuguya was carrying for help. Shonen invites his brother into the monastery, and explains that it must be fate that his brother come now. Shonen is now 15yo and must make his Holy Pilgrimage to the monastery in Kyoto in the New Empire to visit the Millennium Tree. Shonen takes Takeo to meet Hito one of the elder monks of this monastery. Takeo shares his story with Hito, and gives him the letter for help. Hito says he will send a rider to a near by village to gather men and supplies for help and send them back to his home village. Then asks if Takeo would accept the quest of escorting his brother to the Millennium Tree, and that they must take the old man who trained Shonen, the old monk Ryoko. Hito asks to see his father's sword,  Hito explains that Takeo is lucky for not using his fathers sword thus far in battle, for if he were it would break. He then tells Takeo a little about the Demon Queller Society and that he should take the sword there.    

The three set out on the pilgrimage. Along the way, after they finally leave the mountain ranges, they stop and camp. At night the party sleeps when they are awoken by the noise of wolves howling and barking. They see a lady running from a small pack of wolves. Takeo manages to trap the wolves in a series of magic nets. The lady introduces herself as Orihime. Takeo casts words of truth on her and asks her what she was doing. She begins to tell him that she comes from an ancient ninja training camp and she is on a mission. A mission to kill the emperor of the New Empire. She then asks if she could travel with them. They accept her into the party and they continue to travel, camping along the way fishing and hunting until they reach the coast. They follow the coast coming across a small make shift dock for smugglers, a large ship is currently docked there and people are loading crates.