Atmos

The glaring sun beat down upon the earth, enveloping all beings unfortunately trapped under its intense burning gaze in what could be passed as an inferno. For one man, working outside in the fields as he pulled away another pestering weed, it was almost brutal to the point of wanting to simply pass out and cook rather than strain his muscles under this intense heat. But he could not abandon his job, almost finished as he had been working since the early morning hours, when the sun's light was weak and it was much cooler. Pulling the last of the weeds from the ground, he looked over the vast field he had been assigned to take care of. It was hard work, living as a farmer at the edge of nowhere, with almost nothing to do but work and train. Standing up he wiped away some sweat that was building up and nearly stinging his eyes with its salty texture.

As he turned to walk toward the cool shade and drink that awaited in his house, he peeled off his plain white shirt, now drenched with sweat, and proceeded to use what little dry parts of it left to wipe himself down. Entering his home, he tossed his shirt on to the nearby table and proceeded to head to his 'icebox' a rather brilliant invention by human mages who had studied magic and alchemy. A special stone imbued with ice-like properties was fused into a steel box, allowing one to keep the contents of the box cold, perfect for preserving meats and cooling down hot objects. In this case, he pulled out a small bottle filled with water and took a hearty drink, draining almost all of it in one gulp. Pouring the rest over his head, he let out a sigh of relief as the cool water eased his over-heated body.

It was another boring day in a boring life, but it was all he had ever known. Having grown up here, at the border of the Human and Kitsune Lands, there was very little to do besides maintaining one's way of life and, to the very brave or foolish, entering the woodlands nearby, the fabled Kitsune race lived. Though he had heard about them, and knew of their tendency to play jokes on humans who entered their lands, he also knew they were very magical and thus, potentially dangerous. The man had no reason to want to go into those woods for anything, not even the allure of treasures that were rumored to be guarded by the Kitsune. Looking outside his window, he notices a few children running by, talking excitingly. Curious about what could draw their attention long enough to stand the heat, the man pokes his head out the window in time to stop another man following the children. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Haven't you heard? There's an adventurer here! He's at the tavern, everyone's going to see if he's the real thing."

"Adventurer," he asked himself as the man headed out to his destination. No one ever wanted to come to this place, people always wanted to leave. This small, out of the way village, Ion, was only good for raising kids away from the seemingly overcrowded cities and for people with absolutely no where else to go. Having been born and raised here, the man wondered himself if he would ever leave this place for good. Deciding that maybe he could use a bit of knowledge about the outside world, and perhaps catch up with some familiar faces, he turned to his bedroom and looked for a fresh shirt and new pair of pants, considering the ones he was wearing were dusty and starting to tear.

Dressed in fresh clothes, he walked out of his home before making his way with a small group towards a small tavern that offered some excuse of relaxation from the everyday mundane. Even as he approached, there was a sound of laughter emanating from the open windows. As he pushed open the door leading inside, he noticed that the laughter was coming from a single man, legs propped up onto the table where he was sitting, leaning back against his chair. Next to him was a bow and quiver of arrows, easily within reach though both hands were occupied by mugs that were filled nearly to the brim with some kind of alcoholic beverage. Surprisingly he wasn't spilling a drop as he took a hardy drink from one of them and continued to talk to the rather large group of people near him, children ever curious with grins of excitement as they inched closer, the adults more refined and preferring to stay in back.

"I swear it was! Nearly took my head off too, if it wasn't for my trusty bow. Man's gotta have faith the in weapon he keeps! It's what will save him in the end!" He took another drink, and proceeded, "Reminds me of when I went to the mountains to find a snow rose, legendary they are. Beautiful present for this girl I fancied at the time, really something you have to see…"

Ignoring the adventurer for the moment he stepped up to the counter where the bartender was leaning forward, trying to listen to the man's story. "Hey Greg. Give me the usual." The man, Greg, nodded and reached down behind the counter before pulling out a glass and a bottle of red liquid. He had always wanted to know what the red liquid was, considering it wasn't even alcoholic though it tasted rather sweet, but instead of asking he turned to see the adventurer excitingly telling his crowd the next story. "So, Greg, you know anything about this adventurer that everyone seems so interested in?"

"Not much to say, really. First time I've ever seen him, but he says he's from the Capital, where his Royal Highness lives. Been traveling around ever since he was a kid, tells all these stories everywhere he goes… not sure if any of them are true or not though."

"Tsk. And people here can't seem to get enough of it. Oh well, I suppose considering that he's kind of like an outsider I can see why. I suppose having the ability to travel around places is a luxury only those in the cities can really do." He took a drink of the red liquid, letting it cool his throat.

"You have a bit of money saved up. Perhaps you can go on a journey someday."

"Not likely. I probably only have enough to get me to the next town over. And then I'll be back to where I started." He took another drink and noticed that the adventurer was no longer sitting among the group, but rather next to him, gazing at him intently. The man gave a startled yell before toppling back over his chair. "Don't do that!"

"You ok, Raijin?"

"I've been better…"

"Sorry about that. You seemed lost in thought," the adventurer said smiling as Greg refilled one of the glasses he had. "The name is Luna, professional adventurer. I'm surprised that you weren't listening with the rest of them." Raijin looked to see the group of people had now broken up, all them talking about the something or another relating to the adventurer's tale.

"It's this guy's dream to get out of this place. You know, see the world. Lot of people here do."

"Shut up, Greg. Why are you even here anyway?"

"Hahaha! I like your spirit! Well, the reason I did come here was to find something the woods nearby. According to legend, it is a flower that, once it blooms, will never die for a hundred years. The perfect everlasting gift, wouldn't you agree?"

Raijin, however, was staring at the man like he had gone crazy. "Are you kidding me!? The woods are Kitsune Lands! You seriously think that you can just waltz in there and find some flower you don't even know exists?"

Luna merely laughed. "It take courage to face the unknown! That is why most people never bother to leave the safety of their homes. The fear what the outside world carries, what it means to stray from the beaten path that they themselves made." He raised his drink and gulped it down, before setting it down on the counter. "That's fine, living in a routine. But you miss out on life by not taking risks, by not straying from the road ahead of you. Sometimes you may find more then what you were looking for, but at least you can look back on it later and feel no regret. That is the meaning of freedom." Raijin thought about what he said as Luna finished his drink and thanked Greg, slinging his bow over his shoulders.

"I want to come with you," Raijin said suddenly, surprising even himself with his words.

"Oh? You'd come knowingly into lands better left un-stepped in?"

"It's true I want to leave this place. Maybe one day manage to make it to the Capital. But if I can't even step one foot outside of this village now, how will I ever hope to make it to the Capital?" Luna smiled and patted Raijin on the back.

"That's the spirit! Meet me in ten minutes at the western edge of the village! I'll be waiting!" Luna took off, a smile plastered on his face while Greg let out a low whistle.

"So, what would like me to write on your gravestone?"

"Shut up!"

Greg laughed at his friend's seriousness before serving him another drink of the red liquid. "In all seriousness, what exactly made you agree to do this thing?"

Raijin looked into his drink and thought about the reason himself. It seemed far too out of place for him, potentially risking his life for something that may very well be nothing more than a myth. As much as he was loathe to admit it, he liked the familiar surroundings, the daily routines that had become all but habit. But he knew also that admitting it to himself made him realize how much he hated it at the same time. "I guess… you could say I can see his point." Greg raised an eyebrow, wondering what 'point' the adventurer had possibly been trying to get across, before Raijin finished his drink and set off to prepare for his first ever 'journey'.



The sound of a boot crushing a twig echoed almost unnaturally loud in the forest, that seemed to be almost too quiet. Gone were the sounds of birds chirping and other forest animals foraging for food. It was as if the silent figure moving past bushes and trees was the only living thing around for miles. However, the figure knew to keep on its guard for anything suspicious or dangerous. In the Kitsune Lands were more than just Kitsune, other more primitive beasts roamed the forest, their ancestors calling it home for perhaps longer then all the races that had ever inhabited this land. Still, the figure was confident that neither Kitsune nor beast would hinder it from its goal.

"There's a job for you we'd like you to do."

"What is it?"

"We need you to steal something. Think you can handle it?"

"Depends on what you need stolen and where it's kept…"

The figure pushed aside some low branches, a glimpse of sunlight filtering through the trees and crossing over the person. It was a male, dressed in a black shirt and pants, spiky blue hair pulled back. Crimson eyes glared ahead of him with a purpose, unfaltering as they seemed to be searching out for something that wasn't there. A pendant of a stone with the engraving of a leaf on it hung around his neck and inside his shirt's breast pocket was an object that seemed to have been stuffed inside and was slightly bulging out. He ignored it though, in favor of reaching into a pouch on his side and pulling out a faded parchment, looking it over before placing it back where It came.

"I've never seen a symbol like this before…"

"Regardless, the item we need you to steal bears that symbol, so it should be easy to find."

"You still haven't told me where I can find this so called item."

"In the Forbidden Library of the Kitsune Village."

Moving through the forest, the male came across a clearing, and stopping briefly to reach for a container, opening it and bringing it to his lips. Cool water flowed into his mouth and he drank sparingly before putting the container back where it came from. Looking around he moved forward cautiously before reaching his hand out. It hesitated for a moment in midair, looking as though he were pressing against some invisible object before pushing his hand forward and retracting it back. He gave a small chuckle as he examined his hand and the empty space. "Very ingenious… but…"

"That's a tall order. Even with my connections, there's no way I could find that village."

"I have information on it… a map roughly pinpointing its location. You should beware the defenses they may have around the village. Humans aren't normally allowed other then perhaps the King."

"In that case, give me a few hours to prepare and then I will set off straight-away."

"Just remember this mission is…"

The male reached his hand into his breast pocket and pulled out a stack of cards. The cards were blank, having only the same design printed on the front and back, a series of circles, diamonds, triangles and runes. Drawing one of the cards, he placed it in the air at the same point where his hand had rested. Pulling away, the card simply floated in midair as though stuck to some surface. A light shot out from the card before a glass-like wall appeared out of thin air, directly in front of the man. The wall seemed to shift a multitude of colors before the card, now engulfed in the light, expanded to create what looked like a door. When the light vanished, the card was gone, as was a section of the wall where the card had covered it up, leaving an entrance.

Without hesistantion he stepped through, the portal closing up and the 'wall' becoming solid again before disappearing completely as if it was never there. "No match for my power. Now, to finish this assignment…" Heading with renewed purpose, he drew another card before returning the deck into his pocket. Turning it over a few times, he gazed at the image before it seemed to change before his eyes. "Looks like I'm going to have a good day… lucky." He dropped the card as he walked, letting it fall to the ground.

The image was a king of diamonds, before it faded back to a blank card. A small gust of wind, and the card vanished as though it were never there.



"Come on! Hurry up!"

"Wait! No fair, you had a head start!"

The sound of rustling could be heard before out popped a golden colored fox, nine tails fanning out behind it. Red fur could be seen on the tips of the fox's tails as well as its ears. Behind came another fox, with white fur and black tips, though this one only had two tails. The two-tailed fox rested in the soft grass, before speaking in a clearly feminine voice, "Your mean, Kishi-chan… you didn't even wait for me…"

"Not my fault you can't keep up Tsune-chan," the nine-tailed fox responded, also female. "Besides, we haven't been to this part of the forest yet, so we need to check it out!"

"But aren't we getting close to the Human Lands? Elder Kitsune did warn us not to get too close…" Tsune said, worried about being punished by the elder. Even though he was nearing his eight-hundredth year, the elder kitsune was remarkably sharp and quick.

"It's ok, you're with me! I am a Kyuubi, so I'm sure it will be fine," Kishi dismissed, listening to the forest around them. There was a sudden rustling causing both foxes to turn to each other. "What was that? We should check it out."

"Wait! Kishi!" But her warning fell on deaf ears as the nine-tailed fox shifted her form, becoming that of a young naked female with long red hair. Her fox ears and nine tails stayed with the transformation, though they could be dismissed if needed. Groaning in defeat, Tsune followed suit, taking on a human appearance, dark hair falling around her as she sped off after her friend.

As they moved through the forest, shifting branches and stepping over plants, they failed to notice a set of yellow eyes following their movements.