Zen In The Art of Archery (OPEN)

Hakumen had long grown fond of the more sparsely populated areas of Earth. His obviously inhuman appearance and the large sword on his back sometimes tended to attract more curious eyes than he would like, and while he did not think that the scientists that had worked on him would try to track him down after his escape, it was better to be careful about these things than to simply make blind assumptions.

It was fortunate then, that his artificial body made such things easier. Even after travelling for days or weeks at a time without pause, the cyborg did not feel even a hint of exhaustion or hunger. The power that thrummed throughout his body was more than enough to keep him going for as long as he wished. Perhaps, if he wanted, he could simply walk across the entire globe without stopping once. He might even enjoy it if he lacked what little humanity he had left. But in doing so, he would neglect the other reason why he appreciated the wilderness.

Thanks to his enhancements, Hakumen had found himself treasuring these places far more than he ever had before. Unnecessary actions such as eating and sleeping were replaced with meditation and simply sitting back and taking in as much of nature as he could away from the loud and crowded cities he had once called home.

And of course, the wide open spaces were perfect for training with his blade in peace.

It was a wonderful day on the slopes of Mount Paozu, and he had taken full advantage of the clear sky to spend time practising his forms up there. For hours his sword had tirelessly carved through the air and imaginary foe alike, and only when he began to touch the limits of his current strength did he finally stop to save the environment around him from careless destruction. Now, as the wind blew through his silver hair, the cyborg descended from the mountainside down a dirt track lined with ever-present bamboo and made his way towards the barest signs of civilization whilst deep in thought.

He was growing stronger, that much was easy enough to see. When his body was still made of flesh and blood, he thought he had reached the peak of what he could be capable of. But ever since he was transformed, it seemed as if there was no true upper limit no matter how much he pushed himself to improve. Perhaps the scientists had been right, and this new power would be enough to prevent a tragedy like the destruction of Battle Island from ever happening again. Only time would tell.

Suddenly, the faint sound of a voice from off the side of the trodden path jolted Hakumen free from his musings. Immediately the tall warrior spun round to face the direction the noise had come from and began reaching back to pull his weapon free from its scabbard, but before he could complete the subconscious action he stopped himself.

A moment passed before he lowered his arm and relaxed his posture, instead focusing on expanding his senses. What was that? He could not feel anything near save the ever-present local wildlife. Had it simply been his imagination playing tricks on him?

…

There was only one way to find out. With his curiosity piqued the swordsman stepped away from the trail and into the forest beyond. Forcing his way through the ocean of bamboo stalks, he kept a firm grip on the strap of the bag slung over his shoulder to keep it from jostling free until he broke free of the greenery and stepped out into the wide-open field beyond, plainly visible and detectable to any who might be lurking in the brush close by.

A thorough scan of the surrounding plains revealed nobody around, not even a single soul for as far as Hakumen could see no matter how hard he looked. He could have sworn that he had heard someone speak, just barely. But perhaps he had been imagining things? That was concerning. He had not experienced something like this before throughout all of his travels. Was this some side-effect of his artificial body finally making itself known?

Had he still possessed a human face, he would have frowned at the thought. The work that had been performed to transform him into what he was today had never failed him so far. Perhaps he simply was not looking hard enough for this hidden being? Once again, he turned his attention away from the outside world, focusing as his awareness spread out around him. But, try as he might, the only thing of note he could feel was a deer that his sudden appearance had startled.

It was only when the cyborg was deciding whether or not to go back to the path and continue his journey did the mysterious man reveal himself. His sudden appearance as he rose up from the ground caught the swordsman's attention immediately, his featureless mask snapping around to face him in surprise as his body tensed up. The hand closest to his weapon couldn't help but flinch as the thought of drawing his blade crossed his mind. But the warrior resisted the urge as the man began to speak.

"…Indeed. I could not find you no matter how hard I focused." He nodded, relaxing slightly as the hunter introduced himself and the possibility of a fight seemed to fade. "I apologise for disrupting your hunt. I caught your voice in the wind, and my curiosity got the better of me."

PL: 24,000
WC: 302
TWC: 929

As the knife left the man's hand, Hakumen allowed his posture to loosen once more. With the awkwardness of their initial encounter behind them, the cyborg was more than willing to nod along to the hunter's words. The mountain and the lands surrounding it were rich in potential prey for someone who wished to fill their belly, that much he knew thanks to his time spent stretching his awareness out over the area whilst meditating.

"Greetings, Barracuda. While it is not the name that I was given, you may call me Hakumen." Placing a hand on his chest as he spoke his chosen name, he banished the thoughts of the life he had left behind that had begun to stir before they could fully form. Instead, he distracted himself by inclining his head in response to the man's correct guess. "It is easier to train and sharpen my abilities when there is no possibility of distraction or interruption," He explained.

Choosing not to pry into whatever had distracted him, Hakumen couldn't help but tilt his featureless mask in surprise as the man, no, the alien made him a deal. The enhanced warrior had not needed to hunt before, even before his transformation. But the offer of knowledge, from another planet no less? That was more than enough to tempt him. What incredible techniques could a visitor from a distant star have up his sleeve? The cyborg, who had relied on self-teaching since his flight, simply could not refuse.

"I accept," he said with a firm nod of his head. "I do not think I will be of much help, however. I have never needed to hunt for food, even when I was still fully flesh and blood." Slowly, he began to make his way over to where Barracuda stood to discuss some sort of plan. "What would you have me do?"

The cyborg politely held his tongue as Barracuda explained the reason why he was so far from home. He did not know exactly what things or mistakes the alien had made, but Hakumen could respect the fact that he was trying to forge a new path for himself free of the pain he had inflicted. It was somewhat similar to his own journey after all. He too had abandoned his old life, leaving it behind him in order to find a new purpose for himself.

"It does you credit that you saw your actions for what they were, and sought to change before you slipped too deep into that endless pit. Many do not and continue to perform even greater evils, even as the things they once valued crumble to dust around them." Despite having a featureless mask for a face, one could almost imagine the enhanced swordsman smiling thanks to the tone of his voice. "Well, if that is the reason why you are here I think you have made the right choice. Earth is a peaceful world… for the most part."

Before he could speak much more on the matter, the cyborg noticed the alien's movements becoming more and more sneaky, and so copied him as they closed the distance between them and the grazing bison. Unfortunately, there was only so much he could do to be stealthy. Even while crouching as he crept along, he stuck right out like a sore thumb compared to the hunter accompanying him.

"Very well." He gave his companion a nod of affirmation. A quick peek confirmed the location of the grazing animal to the swordsman, and slowly but surely, he began to quietly circle the beast to put it between the two men. He took a moment to judge the angle Barracuda needed to take his shot from his new position, and after a few slight adjustments, found things acceptable. Without another word, he stood straight up from behind the shrubbery he had taken shelter behind and threw his arms out to his sides to attract the attention of the grazing ox.

The animal spotted him almost immediately, and while surprised, it did not seem to know what to do in response to the massive cyborg that had appeared before it. Should it run? Or should it continue to consume the wonderful grass it had been grazing on? Whatever the case, the bison had been distracted, and Barracuda now only had precious seconds to take his shot before it came to a decision, and potentially fled the two hunters.

As Hakumen watched on, the alien drew his bow and took his shot. Time seemed to slow for the swordsman as the energy-infused arrow flew through the air towards its target, but as it drew closer the cyborg realized that it would miss the beast's heart. No matter, if the shot could cripple the animal enough there would be more than enough time to follow it up with another.

That is until the bison tried to flee. For a split second, he stood there frozen with indecision as their prey began to run across the plain and away from the two hunters. Should he chase after the creature himself? 

Thankfully Barracuda did not let his target get too far, and just as decided to try and go after it himself, another arrow quickly found its mark and crippled the animal's back legs. With two of its limbs disabled, the beast staggered beneath its own weight and toppled to the ground as it began to cry out in pain. The situation had solved itself without the cyborg needing to lift even a single finger.

Seeing that his companion had begun moving over to his downed prey, Hakumen started to walk over too. He met up with the hunter at the injured and struggling beast, nodding in approval as Barracuda quickly put it out of its misery. "You are welcome. Take as much time as you need, I won't be going anywhere."

True to his word, he moved past the man as he began to carve the beast apart and lowered himself down on a nearby stone. Resting his hands on the plates of armour covering his thighs, he let the alien perform his work in silence for as long as he needed. When he had finally finished taking what parts and pieces of the animal he needed, the hunter finally moved on to what the cyborg had been anticipating the most ever since he had spoken about it. The art of the sword.

"Indeed. I had trained with the blade before my transformation, so it made sense to keep it as my chosen method of combat." He gave the man a nod as he stood up, pushing himself off the rock he had been using as a seat while he waited. "Before I became what I am today, I trained in a school under a teacher. Now though, I am self-taught, using the increased ability and power of this artificial body of mine to my advantage."

Raising his right arm, Hakumen reached back behind his shoulder to grasp the hilt of his blade and slowly pulled it out from its sheath. The air was filled with the sound of ringing steel as the sword was freed, and after a short pause, he brought the impressive weapon down in front of him so the alien warrior could inspect it himself. It was close to 7 feet tall, with an odd blunt tip and a large, blue jewel adorning the center of its pommel.

"This is my sword. If it has a name, then I do not know it. It was given to me to use by the people who overlooked my enhancement."