Ryu was sitting at the back of a horse-drawn carriage. The carriage was shaking due to the bumpy dirt road. That big man promised him freedom if he got rid of that Shifter in the woods. He needed to do it, or else he would get stuck here for a while.
"It's all because of that guy... Tsk," he blamed the man who insulted him earlier.
He sighed and shook his annoyance away.
...
After a while, the carriage came to a stop just outside the edge of the dark forest. Ryu leaped off the carriage, landing on the dirt ground. He Fixed his clothes and wiped the dust off his back. He walked towards the front of the carriage.
"So, where's this cave?" Ryu asked the man.
The man, who looked way too young to be in such a job, was nervous. He clumsily pulled out a piece of old paper, "H-here!" It was obvious he was a beginner to this law enforcement job.
Ryu smiled and took the paper from him. He opened the rolled-up paper, revealing its content. On the paper was a crudely drawn map of this particular area, made just for this specific task. It looked clumsily made, definitely not by an artist. On the map was a highlighted spot where he currently was. Then a very squiggly line, connecting the spot to a certain area of the forest. It was so badly made that it only barely got the idea out.
Ryu sighed, "Who made this? This was probably made by a kid!" He jokingly said, hoping to lighten up the conversation.
The man frowned deeply and shamefully replied, "I-I... I made that map..." He looked down due to embarrassment.
Ryu regretted asking that and felt bad, "O-oh... I-... It's not... I mean, it could be worse!"
He tried to cheer the man up, but he failed miserably. The man looked even more ashamed. Not wanting to worsen it, Ryu no longer pressed onto that.
"W-well, I'll be off now," he said before turning around to face the forest.
"W-wait," The man, who looked more like a boy called out to him.
Ryu whipped his head back, looking at the man, "Hm?"
"B-be careful out there, I heard from my seniors that Stone User's shift is an Oni, a Special-Stone..."
Ryu had heard of it before, not really knowing what that creature was.
"I see, thank you," Ryu smiled before leaving.
The man, though still worried, nodded and went back to the city.
Ryu was left alone just outside the edge of the forest, his heart was thumping loudly.
"A-an oni...? I only heard of them from Gramps..." Though he looked confident on the outside, he was shaking his boots on the inside.
He was very, very nervous. He barely made it out alive fighting a few wolves, and now he has to face a Stone User? And an Oni too, it couldn't get worse than that to him.
He can barely control his Aura, and he already has to fight again.
He huffed his nervousness away, and hyped himself up, "I need to do this, I got this..."
He hopped on the ground repeatedly to feel energized. He stopped and looked at the forest.
He braved through and entered the forest.
...
...
He walked while looking down at the map, barely making out its instructions. He walked for a while, and then...
*grumble*
His stomach grumbled, hunger had hit him.
"Ugh..." He massages his belly.
"I haven't eaten since that weird village.."
He took off his bag and opened it. He dug through the piles of things stuffed into the bag without a hint of organization. After a while of digging...
"Oh no..." He found no food, "Shit..."
He huffed his annoyance away. He closed his bag and wore it again.
He resumed his journey.
...
After a while, he started getting tired, his feet screaming for rest. He pushed through the pain, though that would ultimately catch up to him later.
He continued walking, trying his best to ignore his hunger. He needs to find the Oni as fast as possible so he can fill his stomach.
He was walking past many tall trees, with birds chirping and trees rustling. It would've been such a nice experience walking if his stomach wasn't complaining the whole time.
...
As he walked, he felt something... He felt something staring at him, though he didn't know exactly where. He tried his best to ignore it and continue on his travel.
The stares persisted through the whole time.
...
He prepared his mind for an attack. He cautiously walked through the tall trees, scanning his surroundings. He learned his lesson from the attack of those wolves last time, and he won't make the same mistake again.
...
Then, he abruptly stopped and heard something. He heard many rustling of the leaves on the ground...
Then, he whipped his head back and heard loud a high-pitched scream.
A wild boar was charging straight at him.
"AH!-" He immediately jumps from the boar's line of attack.
He landed on the ground and the boar missed. The boar looked back at him and shrieked. The boar charged again. Ryu put up a stance and his palms were glowing blue. The more he used his Aura, the better he could control it. He manifested his Aura, and this time, it felt more natural. He was gradually improving on the spot.
...
Then the world slowed down around him, "Focus... Focus..."
He closed his eyes, concentrating his power on his fists.
...
He opened his eyes and threw a straight punch, aimed at the charging boar, but then...
*slip*
He slipped on the smooth, muddy ground and lost his balance.
His fists connected with the Earth instead.
*BOOM*
The ground shattered, and the boar was launched even faster towards him.
The boar's body hit Ryu on his torso. He was thrown back by an explosive force.
Then, the back of his head hit a thick tree.
He was knocked out cold.
...
...
His eyes fluttered open, and saw a very, very tall man, his back hunched as he was munching on a wild boar hungrily. He was inside a decently sized cave, surrounded by many makeshift decorations and a lot of futons next to each other. The sunlight barely illuminates the inside.
"H-huh..." Ryu groggily sat up, "Where am I...?"
The tall man looked over his shoulder, revealing two horns protruding on his forehead, "Oh, you finally woke up."
"Who... Who are you...?" Ryu asked nervously.
The tall man swallowed the food in his mouth and replied, "Kazoku."
...
Kazoku, Special-Stone: [Oni]