Hinode: A Mostly Text Adventure

日の出

Prologue:

Every universe has that one rule.That's not to say that there's more than one rule (It's almost certainly guaranteed), but every universe that ever has and ever will exist has one rule that defines it and defines how it runs.

For some universes, that rule is that good and evil are in constant opposition. Other universes could care less about moral philosophy and are merely based around the unbiased eye of neutrality and moral relativism. There are universes ruled by raw imagination or others ruled by rigid numbers and logic. Some Universes prefer Order while other prefer Chaos. There's even Universes that base themselves around the rule that men in purple pointy hats and pajamas wielding a stick are the most powerful form of evolution. Undoubtedly, these universes would make little to no sense to each other if they ever met, but every universe takes its one rule seriously even if it would appear ridiculous to those from outside it.

For one universe, that even the Gods dare not speak of, that rule is simply as follows: "Pirates and Ninjas were born to fight".

Once again. This may sound silly or ridiculous to those that live outside the world, but inside it, it is a deadly and serious matter that has defined the larger amount of its history.

No one knows exactly what it is that draws Ninjas and Pirates to fight each other, but they have fought harshly since the dawn of time. Some believe that it's because of cultural difference in opinions. While Ninjas are cold, logical, and live by codes, Pirates live a life of wild abandon, freedom, and impulsiveness. Others believe that it's because the first two beings to exist in the universe were the first pirate and ninja, and one merely told an insult so harsh that it led to an eternal blood feud. The important thing is that, for most, it is an infallible truth.

However, every rule has its rulebreakers. Even the one rule of a universe isn't immune to this. It is as if the true rule of all universes is "there are no true constants."

That is not to say the "one rule" of a universe is effectively nothing. It is the common sense, the cosmic parlance, of a world. To overrule or change a "one rule" requires multiple people of great will and commitment. It can never be the effort of just one person. Still, eventually even the great rule of the fierce rivalry between Pirates and Ninjas may shatter with enough influence. Even now, some that would've been bitter enemies in the past find themselves working together for greater good or profit as freelance adventures, friends, and even sometimes lovers.

This is not a story about the shattering of the rule, though. A great rule is not so little of a thing to be shattered by one story. This is merely the story of a crack; the weakening of its influence. Still, it is one worth telling.

This is the story of a young girl who, while raised in a system of order and tyranny, was forced to learn to break even her own rules and how she eventually became one of the most prominent and powerful leaders of her time. This is the story of a breeze growing into a hurricane and a blade finding its sheath.

This is not just her story though. This is the story of those that brought about that change and their eventual roles in the world she made. Just as the one rule of a universe cannot be overwritten by one person, a person's personal rules cannot be changed by that person alone; no matter how strong the will. As such, there is no easy starting point to this story. History is not a straight line and sometimes detours must be taken to see the entire truth. Still, things will always eventually wind to their inevitable conclusion.

So, dear reader. Who is it you wish to follow first? Will you follow the respected Master or perhaps his loyal Student? Will you follow the Prince's life of decadence and luxury or the trail of a clever young Orphan? Do you wish to hear of an Angel or Demon who rejected their natures? Maybe you wish to hear about the humble lives of a Doctor or a Nurse? Then again... Maybe you just prefer a Cat. Either way. You can only choose one. Worry not, though. There will be time and place to eventually hear the stories of them all and more.

>Pick a Starting Character.

>The Cat

Introduction:
Hi everyone. This is the reboot of a mostly text forum adventure I did for the old MS Paint Adventures Forums before they died set in the same universe as an even older forum adventure called Pirates vs. Ninjas (although, this one should be quite a bit less frantically silly). This is "mostly text" because I do intend to show some visual aids at some point (and I may go back and illustrate if I finally can get an art style I feel is appropriate for this adventure), but for now, it's just all text. For the reboot, I decided to try something different. Hence, if you happened to be one of the few people that saw the last adventure, the alternate opening. This time around, I'm gonna try switching narratives around a bit more and giving a bit clearer player interaction. The old mechanics from the old thread should return in good time as well. Either way. I hope you enjoy it.

Also, this thread, for the time being, is running simultaneously at Eagle Time and Omegaupdate. So, if you see suggestions that aren't in this thread, you know why.

Table of Contents:

Lore:

Mechanics:
Suggesting:
Despite the warning in the intro about this being a story of history, readers are encouraged to guide the actions of the characters currently in focus at any given time. Some suggestions may not be taken literally if they are too outside a character's personality as this is, contrary to the silly premise, a mostly serious adventure. Still, I will attempt to factor in as many suggestions as I can in any update. When suggesting, please mark suggestions with ">[The Character's Name]: [The Suggestion]"

Lore:
I will obviously always try to fill the readers in on any relevant history that's important to the story, but there may be some random window dressing that you may wish to hear more about. In these situations you may, once an update, type ">Lore: " and the topic you wish to hear more on. The current focus character will then tell a brief snippet of what they know on the topic.

Character Switch:
At some points, it will be appropriate (or even forced) for you to switch which character's perspective the story is being told from. At these times, you can type ">Switch: " and the name of the character you wish to switch to. Please note that switches will typically be ignored unless the majority of the suggestors wish for it, and may sometimes be ignored if the timing is inappropriate. Similarly, some characters may stop being available for perspective switching while others may be added throughout the story.

The Super Sweet "Not That Sweet" Mechanic:
This will come into play at the end of the first chapter... It's not THAT sweet.

The Cat: Resist the cat puns!

. . . THE PRINCE OF CATS. ' C' No wait that isn't an option. Cat sounds interesting.

SpoilerShow

>The Cat: Resist the cat puns.

>. . . THE PRINCE OF CATS. ' C' No wait that isn't an option. Cat sounds interesting.

Ah yes. The Cat...

To understand his story, we must go back to the very beginning; far before most in this story were even born.

For the majority of written history, the war between Pirates and Ninjas has been a blood bath. The two sides fought eternally; taking no prisoners. Villages were burned. Families were destroyed. Great cities were reduced to ash in the span of a night's battle. No one was safe from the war. Eventually, people grew tired of the constant fighting and began forsaking the way of the Pirate and the Ninja. These people, believing in a middle path or no path at all, called themselves the Wanderers. By growing large enough, the Pirates and Ninjas were forced to form peace treaties and cease fires or threaten being overwhelmed by the Wanderers. With the Wanderers as an anchor to society, proper economic trade was allowed to grow and the rare exchange of ideas (stolen or given willingly) between the Pirate and Ninja nations led to an age of technological boom and enlightenment that would last a millennia.

However, this peace was shaky from the very beginning. The Pirate and Ninja nations never really knew proper friendship or alliance, just a begrudging respect at best. Sure. There was peace between individuals, but the tensions were never forgotten. Several members of the Pirates and Ninjas continued to study their crafts and prepare for the time when the war would resume, and they would take their place in the side of their army. Of course, border skirmishes were not unheard of, and while the general tone of the ceasefire caused people to take prisoners more often than lives, collateral damage was inevitable.

Four years before the loss of the Takara and the restart of the Great War, the Slender Cat's family was marked as "collateral damage" in one such dispute.

The Slender Cat was a young Wanderer boy who, after the loss of his family, was forced to turn to the streets, begging, petty theft, and, eventually, the only person that would take him in and give him a proper home, the Master of the Evadinja School of Ninjutsu, Ebon Flow. There was no love between him and his employer. Especially, when, four years after joining his city, the Master was one of the influential figures in restarting the war. The relationship was one of begrudging convenience and mutual necessity. Ebon Flow needed a spy, and the Slender Cat needed food and shelter. There was no love lost between the two of them. Master Ebon considered the Slender Cat brash and impudent. The Slender Cat considered him a stick in the mud at best and a tyrant at worst. Still, it was a professional relationship, and it worked fine for the Slender Cat for the time being.

The Slender Cat stuck to non-violent jobs. After the violent loss of his family, he just couldn't stomach a mercenary's work. His jobs were only that of information brokering, spying, errands, and the very occasional theft. He was good at what he did though, and he was even better at getting out of sticky situations unharmed if he needed to. After all, that's why they called him the Slender Cat. He was agile, stuck to back alleys and odd perches, and could slip out of even the tightest situations.

The Slender Cat...

It had a decent ring to it. No matter which society or faction of the war you belonged to, they were all obsessed with professional nicknames of some kind or fashion. So, he could've done a lot worse for himself. He could've been the Scraggly Urchin or the Prince of Rats or "Hey you! Come back here with my Cabbage!". At least "The Slender Cat" sounded threatening without sounding like a low life. It just always struck him weird. He got his nickname much earlier than most, and as such, he had now spent more time hearing that name than his real name. In a sense, the 10 year-old that lost his family those 14 years ago was all but dead and gone. He didn't feel like an imposter any more, but occasionally these thoughts would come creeping back in. They only stayed for a short bit though. After all, at least he was lucky enough to find his identity. He'd much rather be shoved into a role he was ill-suited for early than to be ignored by society almost entirely like some people he knew.

The sun was starting to set. For most, this meant that the day was ending, but this particular day was just beginning for the Slender Cat. He climbed down from the top of the stone wall that he had been resting on top of, and dusted himself off. Master Ebon had some new tasks for him, and wanted the Slender Cat to meet him just after sunset. Master Ebon said it was important. A reasonable and loyal servant would have headed out right now, but the Slender Cat liked to make him sweat; keep the master waiting a bit just to remind him that he didn't own people. So, the way he figured. He had a good half hour to an hour to kill first. The only real problem was...

>How would he spend his free time?

>You are hungry. A light snack wouldn't hurt.