"Before the war, we prayed to Kataki to sharpen our swords and harden our armor. Without his blessing our weapons are all but useless against the kami hordes." -Kenzo the Hardhearted (Kataki, War's Wage)
"..And now we move forward with Giver of Runes, and if Gods Willing, we may make it through the fray yet."
We re-join Kenzo on the battlefield.. he comes to consciousness after seeing only several peaceful Kami in a March of Otherworldly Light..
The Samurai Kenzo finds several goblins (Goblin Champion) "championed" among their peoples, and a few stray bunnies (Rabbit Battery) that somehow seem to be from the future..
..until an Imperial Recovery Unit accompanied by a Dragonfly Suit hovers over a nearby Plateau. It suddenly became clear that Kenzo was at home.. but he had been gone a long time.
Passing through a Clifftop Retreat, he sees the very monument of the Mountain surrounding him. Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, and he remembered the legends of Ryusei, the Falling Star and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. At the keep he discovers mystical artifacts like the Mirror Box placed alongside Ancestral Katana. The juxtaposition is.. jarring to say the least. He remembered the Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
and kept a safe distance from the relics.
A Selfless Samurai has more than once protected Kenzo from the fray of the Kami before, and maybe like Konda's Hatamoto have always sought to stay vigilant since he's known them, ..maybe he can find new friends..! Then again, maybe not.
Along the path Kenzo has forged, few before have remained in his company for long. His power was Tempered in Solitude, and he traversed from Roadside Reliquary to Sundown Pass, always under Shelter from the forces surrounding him, but for how long?
In the new millennium, Reinforced Ronin have taken up posts to defend the Dynasty of Kamigawa.. but they're different! And strangely familiar to the Ronin Houndmaster from his homelan- err, time... right. Kenzo hadn't quite made heads or tails of it.
Michiko's Reign of Truth
had led to a peculiar mixing pot, he wondered if she would be surprised or delughted by the scene in front of Kenzo.
There were Peerless Samurai among them and Asari Captain that lead platoons of prestigous warriors, an Imperial Subduer that was guarded with Vigilance by a nearby Eiganjo Exemplar. All of this Procession while a Bronzeplate Boar sniffed out a set of Lizard Blades. The autonomic "animals" aroused a chuckle from Kenzo while a Metallic Mimic seem to coggle nearby, posturing his Warrior's stance. It reminded him of Kentaro, the Smiling Cat and his clever personality.
"The bonds of bushido will draw the dishonored back someday, and I will be there waiting." - Kentaro, the Smiling Cat
Kenzo grasped at Kentaro's wisdom, and wondered where his former companion was. Wondered how long Kentaro had waited for his comrades to return home. How long he'd been stranded..
Kenzo felt that these are strange times with Cyborg swordsman (Upriser Renegade) that are donned in Akki War Paint.. alongside strange new Samurai who proudly share their lineage, like Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei, and his legion of Akki Ronin.
Kenzo was confused. He thought goblins only capable of Guttural Response and Ambitious Assault. He realized that maybe goblins were more than fodder among the Hall of the Bandit Lord. Maybe change was good, and whether he liked it or not, it was happening.
"As I died, I rejoiced. I would see my family again. But then I woke up back on the battlefield. Back in Kamigawa. Back in hell."
—Kenzo the Hardhearted (Yomiji, Who Bars the Way)
He pondered on his return, if it was a Path to Exile. What of the Devoted Retainer he once was, and if would ever trade his Swords to Plowshares. His Call to Glory remained unfulfilled it seemed. He wondered what remained to be vanquished.
Kenzo had seen a lot in the Kami War, traveling over Windswept Heath and through Flooded Strand. However all of this seemed so different.. and so much seemed to remain the same.
After The Fall of Lord Konda
, it seemed all could have been forsaken, betrayed for That Which Was Taken. A fool's folly. An endless genocide for Konda's ego. Kenzo had been betrayed
The former prestigous warlord thought on The Restoration of Eiganjo
and grinned, despite his frustrations, and if only for a moment. With Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire intact.. he felt a small touch of comfort. He took solace in the time when a Blacksmith's Skill was all he needed to sway the tide of his fate. The warrior felt resolve, as thought he would see this through as well.
Standing near a Secluded Steppe, Kenzo secured his Wakazashi and Katana with a Lion Sash, and breathed out.
The once feeble Bushi Tenderfoot
has come far from the Plains he once roamed, and his quest is far from over.
