10NOTE: While I was typing chapter three, I came back to this chapter for some reason. I had to edit two mistake that I noticed right off the bat.
Because I'm bored and think it will be fun, I'll be naming each part and chapter as we go along. (In case you didn't know, the game is divided up into three parts. Each part has a boss: Orochi for the first, Ninetails for the second, and Yami for the third.) (Great. Now I have to restart the game... again.) Well, I don't know when the next update will be, seeing as I'm working on my other fic, but it will be someday. I don't leave things hanging. :)
Oh, yeah! I also forgot. Whenever they explain everything in the beginning, I skipped all the scenery, since they're just pictures and not moving. Holy trap, this is a long prologue. 0.o Also, you will notice that I group everything together in each chapter. (i.e. The whole beginning part where Ammy comes to life, Kamiki Village, Hana Valley, Shinshu Field, Agata Forest, etc.)
DISCLAIMER: This will be for the whole thing: I do not, and never will, own Okami. Clover Studios, which doesn't exist anymore, does. Amaterasu, Issun, Orochi... all of them belong to the creators of Okami.
PART ONE: Rebirth of the Goddess
Golden Rays
Prologue
"Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a tiny village by the name of Kamiki. Legend tells of a horrible beast that threatened the residents. It also tells of the wolf that risked it all to protect them. Controlling the very fabric of existence, this wolf stood up against a beast many times its size and banished the darkness. This ethereal wolf's valiant act ushered in an era of tranquility. The villagers' hearts swelled with respect and adoration of the wolf..."
A lone, glowing white wolf raced low to the ground with blazing azure eyes wide and alert. A long trail of flowers sprung up at the she-wolf's heels, and bits of pollen floated off into the cool night air. A divine instrument sat upon her back, a large green disc with ancient scribbles inscribed in it, and it was surrounded by a bright orange and white flame that heated up the wolf. Her paws came up close to her with every flying step she took, and her tail fanned out behind her, its black-tipped end dripping ink on the dew-ridden grass behind her.
She raced along a long, twisting yellow path with long strides, her speed matching that of a cheetah and her eyes sharp. Red markings shone brightly in the moonlight, racing up and down her side and making a circle on her forehead. She ran against the wind, leaves blowing into her face on the wind and her claws tearing up the ground behind her. She veered right in a wide arc, determination evident in her ice blue gaze.
Within moments, she was racing along the waves on a stark white beach. A trail of sand, leaves, grass, and flowers kicked up at her heels, dissipating before they could start growing. As she rounded another bend which took her to the fields, she gave a long, elegant, flying leap into the air. Her paws made landfall on a rock canyon as she jumped again to the right on another rock, and then to another. She jumped on two more rocks, criss-crossing the waterfall that stood in between them. Grabbing onto the ledge with her paws, she made a frontflip in the air and landed on the top of the canyon that overlooked the fields that many people called 'Shinshu Fields.'
She reached her head forward slowly and then threw it back with the force of a bull and let loose a long, eerie, bone-chilling howl, and then, the people across Nippon knew that their guardian wolf goddess still watched over them...
o
"Long, long ago, a tiny hamlet known as Kamiki lay nestled in a grove of proud and beautiful cherry blossoms. Each and every tree around the quiet burg was honored as a god. However, the village was not without its dark secrets. To satiate the appetite of Orochi, a fearsome cave-dwelling beast, a young maiden was offered as a sacrifice at the annual festival. With a body like a mountain and eight heads mounted on necks the size of tree trunks, its blood-red eyes alone were said to curse anyone who gazed into them. No one dared disobey the horrific beast. When the night of the sacrifice drew near... A mysterious white wolf appeared
outside the village. This wolf, its coat as brilliant as snow, was dubbed Shiranui.
The wolf kept a watchful eye on anyone who ventured outside the village, and made a habit of patrolling the streets at night. People assumed the wolf to be a familiar of Orochi. One villager took it upon himself to face the fearsome Shiranui. The warrior Nagi attempted many times to challenge the wolf, but his attempts were thwarted by Shiranui's swift movements. Before long, the night of the accursed festival had arrived. A white plumed arrow heralded the coming sacrifice. Piercing the sky, the arrow sunk its shaft squarely into the home of Nami, the village's most beautiful maiden.
Nagi, harboring a secret love for Nami, was enraged by this sign. Determined to put an end to Orochi once and for all, Nagi traveled to the beast's cave in place of his beloved. The Moon Cave, a place as dark as evil itself, served as Orochi's home. As Nagi stood bravely before the entrance... A beast appeared, eyes glowing crimson upon eight thrashing necks. Orochi stood tall before him, anxious for another sacrifice. Nagi leapt with incredible grace, swinging his blade valiantly. On and on he sliced, well into the moonless night, but Orochi's hide was like steel. The blade left nary a scratch. At long last, Nagi, his energy spent from the intense battle, dropped to his knees, fatigued and gasping for breath.
He knew he was staring death in the face. It was then that the wolf appeared. As if to protect Nagi, it stood its ground before Orochi. In the darkness of the cave, the wolf's coat shone brilliantly. Alas, it was Shiranui, the wolf that dwelled outside the village. Baring its fearsome claws, Shiranui leapt toward Orochi. Orochi reared its terrifying heads, readying its fangs for battle. The two beasts struggled wildly, thrashing in the darkness. Mysterious and terrifying, the spectacle continued. Shiranui summoned gusts of divine wind to counter Orochi's flames.
As Orochi closed in on Shiranui, sharpened claws glistening, a gigantic tree suddenly sprouted forth, shielding the wolf. Shiranui fought gallantly to gain the upper hand. However...
Orochi, protected by a mystical power, was not easily bested. Shiranui, covered in gashes, majestic coat dyed crimson, stood exhausted before the mighty Orochi. Orochi saw a chance to strike what would be the final blow. But Shiranui refused to give in. With its last ounce of strength, the majestic wolf gazed heavenward and unleashed a mighty howl.
Suddenly, the black clouds overhead dissipated. The light from above glinted off Nagi's sword as a beacon of hope. Guided by his sword, Nagi, who had been taking shelter in the shadows, stood proudly to face his adversary. Channeling all his strength into his scarred and battered arms, he leapt ferociously toward Orochi, his sword poised high. The golden sword danced in his hands like a puppet on a string. One by one, Orochi's fearsome heads separated from their owner. Orochi's broken body collapsed in a lake of its own blood. In that instant, the curse that plagued the villagers was lifted. As the battle subsided, the sun shone once again in the sky.
Shiranui had succumbed to Orochi's poison and struggled to breathe. Nagi scooped the beast into his arms and returned to Kamiki. When they reached the village, Shiranui was no longer moving. The village elder gently stroked the wolf's head. In response, Shiranui let out a hoarse and pitiful bark... Then closed its eyes and drifted off as if into slumber.
Peace had at last returned to Kamiki Village.
In honor of Shiranui's heroic exploits, the villagers erected a shrine and placed a statue of the wolf within it. Nagi's sword was christened "Tsukuyomi" and placed inside the Moon Cave. The villagers all looked forward to an age of endless peace...
However, this is not the end of the story...
There is more to this tale than most people know. One hundred years had passed since Nagi and Shiranui's heroic exploits. It happened so quickly that no one in the village even took notice."
o
Far off in a dark, distant place near Kamiki Village, a large bell sat hooked onto a wooden post, swaying gently in the breeze. The sky around the area was blood red, and fierce, howling winds whipped throughout the trees, leaves riding the breeze. A purple, foggy haze settled around the area, making the land smell of curse and disease. Beneath the bell was a small patch of dirt, and a lone, blue sword with a yellow crescent-shaped moon near the hilt sat stuck in the dirt. A few rocks made a ring around the aged sword, and the two strings that hung off of it flapped in the breeze.
A lone and shadowed figure - a figure in the shape of a man - approached the sword with heavy steps, his feet dragging against the ground and his breathing heavy. "Is this the legendary sword?" he asked rhetorically, his voice tipped with disbelief as he scanned up and down the sword with envious eyes. "Is this Tsukuyomi, the sword that banished the dreaded Orochi?" he added, taking a step closer to Tsukuyomi. "No... it couldn't be," he murmured, putting both hands on the sword. "It's just a legend. Nothing but a fairy tale!"
The shadowed figure grinned evilly and yanked the sword out of its hold in the dirt patch, accidentally bumping the bell on the way out. As he smirked at his prize, his eyes trailed up to see eight pairs of eyes staring at him, sixteen red orbs blinking with crimson hatred. Eight long necks, eight different elemental masks...
The man jumped back and dropped the sword, scared. He nervously looked up at the eight-headed beast before him, and as the sword hit the ground, it made a loud, clear ringing sound. He backed up one more time as purple smoke and fog started to shoot out of the area where the sword hit, and the haze started to swirl around the clearing. The beast, however, stayed put and watched. The bulky man screamed loudly and wheeled around and took off anxiously. He raced down a flight of stone steps behind him and past two large boulders as the violet fog started to shroud the area.
The fog uplifted the bell into the air, making the man trip and fall to the ground. He turned around nervously, and he stared behind him at the beast. Dust and dirt flew from the impact of him hitting the ground, kicking up a few stray pebbles at the same time. As he turned around, one of the heads came up to him, mere inches away from his face and shining red eyes glowing brightly. The man gasped in horror as he realized the fire symbol on top of the dragon's head, and as it flicked out a tongue, he winced.
"O, he who seeks power..." the dragon began in an evil tone. "He who has broken my bonds, speak the words 'I wish darkness unto the world," the dragon added. Utter that prayer unto me, and unleash my power." The man's eyes were livid and bright, flashing with fear and anxiety as he backed up against the ground and stared into the cold, hard eyes of the fire elemental dragon before him, the other seven heads surveying the area.
The man got up and ran away as fast as he could, and the dragon through back its head and let out a long, loud roar that sliced through the air. The man raced down a stone path and quickly ran down a ramp that was surrounded on either side by broken statues. Fire came sprouting up from behind him, and the eight-headed beast soon followed. He was too slow, though. The dragon caught up to him within seconds and got caught up through a large wooden building. Surging forward, the dragon broke free of it and raced throughout the trees in hot pursuit of the man.
The beast let loose another ferocious roar that raced throughout the land, churning up dirt, grass, moss, trees, and boulders in its wake. All the debris came together and swirled around before burning up into a black, burnt crisp. The cursed fire raged through the land, and the blood red sky was soon replaced by heavy, black clouds. The dark clouds joined with the swirling motion and moved over the sun, blocking its glorious rays from touching the ground.
And soon, the land was washed in darkness...
o
"A horrible tragedy suddenly swept over the land. However, there was one village that seemed to escape the curse. The tiny settlement of Kamiki Village enjoyed the protection of a sacred tree." Deep within the heart of Kamiki Village, a long dark gray-blue statue was frozen in place while darkness swept throughout the land, destroying everything in its wake. The statue was of a wolf, and the ends of its elbows had paintbrush-like ends that were darker in comparison to the rest of it, save for the wolf's tail. "It is here that the real story begins."
Gray rocks and old trees circled around the village like a tornado, and the wolf's crouching position seemed to warn it to stay away. A whistling sound followed the wind as boulders cut through the trees like a razor, and following shortly after was a green ball. The ball hit the ground with a tremendous impact, and, in its place, a tall, lean, slender woman stood. She wore a long pink kimono and had long, beautiful, ebony hair. Her cleavage was exposed in the bare air, a few leaves holding up her breasts. "How troublesome," she sighed softly. "This is just like the ancient prophecy of doom. What has transpired to bring about such calamity?" asked the woman, a wood sprite named Sakuya, rhetorically. She turned around to look at the statue of the wolf solemnly. "We must act quickly! There is no time to lose!" she continued as if the wolf could hear her. "My power has diminished over the years I've spent protecting this area. I don't have much time left in this world."
A faint yellow light glowed from around her feet, a sickly green color mixed in it. A purple haze that was connected to her arms and reached out behind her moved with every movement she made, and as she reached up with her arms, she said, "Amaterasu, now is the time." She brought her arms out to the side and flicked a wrist, a large, stone plate appeared, ridges on the side of it sticking out as if it was frozen fire. "We have never needed your power more," Sakuya said softly. "Shine your divine light upon this broken and polluted world." A few white and yellow sparkles came off of the piece of stone - a weapon of the gods frozen into stone. "Let your heavenly rays become our hope as you guide us all!"
In one fluid motion, Sakuya tossed her arms up into the air, and the divine weapon with it. It stopped in the middle of the air and spun around a few times, sparkles coming off of it. Circling through the air like a shruiken, it made a wide arc around the area and slammed itself onto the back of the statue of the wolf. Immediately, the green stone flames turned bright yellow, red, and orange and came alive. The rock-hard fur of the wolf fluffed out, and vivid red markings revealed themselves. The wolf slowly stood up, hundreds of years of being at rest not doing anything good for her bones. She straightened out her legs and stood up tall and shook her body from side to side, sending a shower of sparkles from off her back.
She whimpered in greeting and blinked her eyes sleepily. Her tails, elbows, and dew claws were longer than normal and ended in what looked to be a paintbrush tipped with black ink, and as the wolf looked around, she started to become more aware of her surroundings. "Ah! Such divine white light! Such beauty and grace!" Sakuya exclaimed happily as the wolf goddess leaped off of the platform and landed a few yards away from the wood sprite. "The only one capable of such a wondrous spectacle is none other than our mother and the origin of all that is, Amaterasu!"
The wolf yawned.
"How delightful to see that the savior whose brave sacrifice sealed away the evil demon so many years ago has not changed one bit." Sitting down, Amaterasu watched Sakuya with a bored expression. "Seeing you emerge after so many years spent as a statue brings happiness to my heart!" Sakuya sniffed once and wiped an eye. Amaterasu yawned loudly and sank to the ground, resting her head between her forelegs tiredly. Sakuya stared at the goddess, sighed, and said, "Amaterasu, gaze above you and take in the condition of the sky." The sky was still a shade of dark red, and boulders, rocks, gravel, trees, and plants all still circled around the land dangerously. "Since your untimely departure from our midst, the world has succumbed to devious and vicious beasts," Sakuya explained.
Sakuya looked down to see Amaterasu already starting to sleep, her head tucked close to her side and the sides of her chest steadily rising and falling. "They have ravaged our fine and bountiful country of Nippon... But never have the circumstances been worse than they are at this very moment. Please use your powers to banish the darkness and punish those who would do us harm." Sakuya opened her mouth to say more, but stopped when a low squeak came from inside her kimono. Opening up the inner layer, she looked down. "...Hm? Eh? What is this? Has something stolen its way into my robe?" Shaking madly, she tried to get it out. Within the next few seconds, she started laughing madly and tossing her head up in the air. Sakuya giggled loudly like a little girl and laughed, shaking. Throwing her upper body up, a small, green, glowing bug-like creature came flying out of her kimono. "Phew!" she sighed and then leaned down to inspect it, and then started to glare. "What on earth? You again?" she said flatly.
The small bug jumped up and started bouncing at least two feet in the air madly, rage seeping off of his mushroom-like head. Amaterasu jumped to her paws in a second and started growling. "Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow! Are you nuts!?" he yelled as he bounced up and down. "Boy, for a little thing, you sure make a big fuss!" he yelled at Amaterasu, who was winding her tail in circles and snarling. "I was just tryin' to make the conversation a bit more interesting, that's all." He shrugged.
"Were you napping in my clothes again, bug?" Sakuya growled, glaring at the bug.
"Bug!?" the bug shrieked. "I told you a thousand times not to call me that!" he yelled and starting bouncing even higher, Amaterasu still growling and winding her tail in large circles. "I'm a wandering artist," he declared proudly. "The name's Issun!" he added. "I'll show you just how great I am, and it won't be long till you're bowing before my great brush!" Issun stopped bouncing and whipped out a large scroll. He ran up to Amaterasu and shoved it in her face, causing her to jump with fright. He plastered the scroll across her face and grinned. He had drawn a picture of Sakuya, with only a few minor differences. Taking it back and returning to bouncing, he asked, "Well? Whaddya think? Even cuter than the real thing, no?"
Issun started to bounce around Amaterasu like a flea, and she struggled to keep her eyes set on him. Issun jumped on her shoulder and then landed on the tip of her black nose. Growling, she looked up, raising him up in the air. "What's with you, furball?" he asked, looking in her left eye. "You look kinda down in the dumps." Pausing, he added, "Actually, you look kinda familiar... Got it! You look just like that statue of Shiranui!" he exclaimed happily. With a simple twist of her neck, Amaterasu tossed her head up in the air and swallowed Issun whole.
A sick look overcame her face after two seconds, and she threw her head back and spat out Issun in a mass of wolf saliva. "Whoa! Whaddya think you're doin'!?" Issun yelled, his green glow turning a fiery purple color. "Are you crazy!? A handsome guy like me should never be covered in wolf slobber!" he yelled angrily as he flicked off a few drops of Amaterasu's saliva. "You'll regret messin' with the great Issun!" he declared boldly. Leaping back a foot, Issun whipped out a small sword in a flash of silver and growled, "Don't make me use my prized sword, Denkomaru, against you!" he threatened.
As soon as those words left his mouth, a terrible roar shook the ground Sakuya, Issun, and Amaterasu all stood on. All the debris that swirled in the air started to slow down tremendously, and shakily, Issun asked, "Wh-wh-what's that growling sound?" His color turned back to green. "And why is it so dark, anyway?" he added and hopped on Amaterasu's nose.
"O great god Amaterasu," Sakuya sighed as large pink and white petals surrounded her. "I've used all the power I have to protect Kamiki Village. The village lives on. Their spirits lie encased in my fruit," she explained and brought her hands together. "Cut it free, and the village will be reborn. I trust in you. I know that you will lead us down the right path." Sakuya flicked one wrist out and revealed a large, curved and gnarled brown tree with bare branches and no leaves. "Only your awesome power can restore life to the world." And with that, she disappeared.
Amaterasu was standing up and staring at the naked tree, Issun on the end of her nose. "The tree's returned to normal, huh? That Sakuya girl sure said some weird stuff," he said as he inspected the tree. "The villagers' spirits are being kept inside the fruit..." He looked up to see a large pink, bulging fruit sitting on the end of a branch, beating like a heart. A single green stem connected it to the tree, and the rest hanged down. "That's the fruit." He pointed to it with a small hand. "That girl said that if you cut it down, the village will be restored," he explained. Sighing, he added, "But it's awfully high up there. If you don't use some kind of special power, there's no way you're gonna reach it."
"The darkness is really gettin' to me, too," Issun added, watching a few shiny sparkles float off the fruit and disappear into the darkness. "A lot can happen while you're taking a nap..."
Amaterasu didn't reply with a bark or whimper or growl, but, instead, walked over to the tree. At the base of the tree was a large hole that was a blinding yellow-white color, and she had to squint to not hurt her sensitive blue eyes. "That fruit sure is growin' in a high place," Issun remarked. "The only way we're gonna reach that is with some kind of special power."
Wheeling around, the wolf goddess turned and raced off into the blinding light. She and Issun had to sit through a few seconds worth of bright lights, and they had to close their eyes to make sure they wouldn't blind themselves. They emerged on the other side of the tree to find a large, beautiful, stunning bright green meadow. "Where are we?" Issun asked, looking around the clearing.
This place was clean and the sky was ebony black, and stunning white stars dotted the sky. A crescent moon hung high in the air, overlooking the place. Small flowers and weeds grew with careless abandon on the sides of the place, and a few jars and statues were scattered about. The pitch black sky was cloudless, and only the stars and the moon shared it. Issun and Amaterasu both stood on a floating island-like piece of land that hovered above a vast expanse of endless blue waters. A red wooden bridge connected the island they were standing on to the next, and a ledge was at the end of it. "It got awfully quiet all of a sudden," he remarked, the only thing that they could hear being the stars twinkling in the sky. "I don't remember any place like this in the village."
Amaterasu surveyed the area quietly, the weapon on her back spinning around in circles but not touching her back once. The flame coursed harmlessly through her fur, not injuring or burning her in the slightest. "Well, we better keep our eyes peeled," he said firmly. "Boy, you really look so helpless. You sure you're gonna be okay?" he asked teasingly, pulling a few strands of shining white fur.
Amaterasu ran forward with long, elegant strides and stopped at the wooden bridge. She waited for Issun to let go of her fur and then ran across it. The other side held another island, except in front of them, there was a large dirt cliff with grass and weeds growing at the top of it. Two lit torches stood on either side of the opposite end of the bridge, providing light that wasn't needed because of the bright moon and stars. Running to the right of the ledge, she went onward. The ledge in front of her was too tall for her to jump in one leap, so she stood back.
She jumped onto the ledge wall once and sank her claws into it and did a frontflip to land on the top of it. She landed on her four paws gracefully, a few crimson and violet flowers appearing and disappearing as she landed. The new piece of land had a small peninsula-like ledge that stuck out to her left, an empty river straight in front of her, and a large slope to her right. A small red-brown fence was at the end of the ledge to her left and at the very top of the slope to her right. In front of her, a large statue stood next to the water-less river. But... there was a problem.
Another bridge, like the one at the entrance, connected the island she was on to the island with the slope and the river, only it was broken in the middle. She stopped in front of it and carefully walked out on it, looking down at the very, very long fall she would have to make if she fell down. "Looks like the bridge is out," Issun commented, peering over her ears to see the bridge. "This shouldn't be so hard, um, Amaterasu, was it?" he asked, turning his head to the side and looking at the goddess. "That's kinda long," he remarked lowly. "Mind if I call ya 'Ammy'?" he asked, but didn't give her a choice. "Listen, Ammy, ever heard of the spirits of the brush? Good brushwork has its own soul, 'least that's what they say," he explained. "Just watch. It'd take all day to explain." He cracked his knuckles.
"A picture's worth a thousand words, right?" he said casually. Jumping in front of Ammy, he whipped out a small brush and dipped it in black ink. Setting it down against his scroll, he weaved it back and forth, and the same ink appeared over the bridge. He zigzagged from left to right and back to left until the bridge was completely covered in black ink. Picking up the brush, he stood back with a smug expression. The ink disappeared completely, leaving behind a fixed bridge in its wake. "Nice, huh?" he said with his arms crossed and leaped back between Ammy's ears. "Just a little technique I've mastered called 'Rejuvenation.' It's one of many brush techniques that use divine power. It's a brush god power that can restore broken or missing things. I've practiced really hard just to master this one technique." He sighed hopelessly.
"But there are thirteen!" he exclaimed. "Each one is a power of one of the thirteen brush gods," he explained. "Originally, all thirteen were all a single, powerful deity. When the deity died, its power was split into thirteen gods. The gods now dwell within objects all around us, but... god or no god, how could anyone have the power to master all thirteen!?" Without indicating that she cared, Ammy ran across the bridge to the other side. The other side had the steep slope the goddess' right, and a waterless river straight ahead, with a sign next to it.
She turned right to go up the slope, but Issun pulled on her ears to get her to stop and read the sign, which said 'River of the Heavens.' "River of the heavens? They mean the fabled Stardust River?" he asked rhetorically to himself. "But I sure don't see anything like that around here. It couldn't be that little puddle over there, could it?" he asked, pointing to the small pool of water behind Ammy. She stared out across the no-water river and locked her gaze onto another opening on the othe side, a bright light coming from it.
Between the island they stood on and the island where the Stardust River was supposed to be, there was only an empty blue space of air with a foggy white haze floating between it. The shining white goddess wheeled around and raced up the slope, a trail of sparkles and flowers dogging her pawsteps. She stopped at the top of the hill and looked up. The two were close to the sky, as if they could reach out and grab a star. "Wow! Look at the stars twinkle!" Issun gasped loudly. "I haven't seen such a beautiful nighttime sky in ages." As he said that, four stars, brighter than any other star in the sky, glowed radiantly. "Hey, look!" Issun called out and pointed to the four stars. "Are those stars forming a pattern, or is it just me?" He squinted his eyes to look closer, and said, "Hmm... there's one missing."
The four bright stars were all in a zigzagged line going horizontal, but all the way to the far left, one star was missing. "Guess I'll just have to draw the missing star," Issun said casually and shrugged. He pulled out his scroll that he had used earlier and put a single dot in the far left corner. A big dot appeared at the end of the constellation, but with a loud bang, it disappeared. "Bah..." he growled, setting down his paintbrush irritably. "Looks like I'm just not ready to draw missing stars." He muttered a few curses under his breath and plopped down between Ammy's ears.
"I sure spent a heck of a lotta time practicing that," he mumbled irritably. While Issun was looking the other way, Ammy stepped up, raised up her tail, and filled in the missing dot. The star stayed still briefly for a few moments, and it, along with the other four stars, shined as bright as ever. Her ice colored eyes widened happily, as if she knew what was to come. A brief outline of a dragon was shown along the stars, and in the next moment, a bright flash of numerous colors zipped across the sky. All the stars around the five constellation stars all turned multiple colors: indigo, purple, blue, violet, red, green... almost any color imaginable.
Ammy leaped back a few feet as a large, long white dragon broke out of the constellation and did numerous loops and somersaults through the cool night air. With his hindlegs, the dragon carried a large brown scroll gripped tightly in his talons, and as he spiraled around once more, Ammy and Issun soon found themselves standing in a new realm. The sky in the new place was a bright orange-yellow color, and the outlines of mountains and trees were off in the distance. The dragon made one last spiral and came sit in front of the wolf goddess with a placid expression. Ammy sat down neatly, her paws even with her hindlegs and Issun bouncing on her nose.
"Ah, why if it isn't mother Amaterasu," the dragon, Yomigami, said in a deep throaty voice as he floated in the air with his scroll. "I apologize for not contacting you sooner during these long years," he apologized. "Having never forgotten you, I, Yomigami, god of restoration, have eagerly awaited this day when we could meet again." As he floated in the air, in his two forearms, he held multiple spheres with different colors mixed in them. "While you were away, the thirteen spirits of the brush that you once possessed, including myself, have been scattered across this land of men, and now lie in disarray," he explained calmly. "I became a constellation and managed to survive until now." The darker flecks of gray that dotted his neck stood out brilliantly in the orange light, and his twisted brown horns moved with his head. "The time has come for you to seek out and reunite all the techniques. Your power is what is needed to restore the dried riverbed of the heavens and renew the stardust."
Yomigami backed up his head and made a pale yellow-brown circle. The rings of the circle all moved into one glowing and color-changing sphere, and Yomigami disappeared in a bright flash. The sphere had a Japanese symbol on it - the sign of restoration. It moved in a circle around the clearing and circled around Ammy's head for a few seconds before dissolving into the white fur on her chest. Soon enough, the clearing faded away, and Issun and Ammy found themselves standing back at the top of the slope.
Issun was on the ground bouncing up and down with excitement. "Wow! That was Yomigami, the god of rejuvenation!" he exclaimed happily. He stopped jumping within the next few seconds, a flat look starting to etch across his tiny face. "Wait... so you have the power of rejuvenation now!?" he yelled. Turning around to look at the empty river, he asked, "Can you really use it to restore the River of the Heavens? That would mean you were as good with a brush as yours truly!" he boasted jealously. He shook his head. "Nah, it couldn't be true. Who else could master this incredible god technique?"
Ammy raced down the slope gracefully, leaving large pawprints in the dew. She skidded to a halt beside the sign from earlier, and Issun tugged on her ears to get her to stop. "Wonder if drawing some stardust would get the river flowing again?" he asked. He shook his head slowly. "Nah... it's one thing to fix a bridge, but fixing a starry river? There's no way you could pull off a stunt like that!" he exclaimed.
Ammy ran to the water's edge an leaped in, swimming around in a complete circle before getting back on land. Shaking ice cold water out of her stunning white fur, she raised her ink-tipped tail and smeared the entire empty gap between the two islands with divine black ink. Lifting her tail from the spot, she stood back. The ebony-colored ink "exploded" and the River of the Heavens lay before her, stardust dancing off of the surface of the water. Small ripples formed where she place one ivory paw in the water, and a slight chill raced up her leg.
"Whoa!" Issun exclaimed, wiping his eyes in disbelief at the river that had returned. "A river of stardust! So... this really must be the River of the Heavens," he added, wiping his eyes again. "But what I really want to know is who drew the darn thing!" Ammy leaped into the cool water with her front legs close to her chest, and as she broke the water's surface, Issun let out a shrill squeak. She paddled across the river leisurely, swimming in small circles and relishing in the feeling that the stardust gave her as it passed below her. As she neared the end of the River of the Heavens, she leaped out of the water gracefully and landed on the fresh green grass.
She shook her stark-white pelt and water flew off her in all directions, sprinkling the grass in a shower of rain. Without pausing, she raced forward towards the light. She ran straight through the blinding light at full speed, and arrived on the other side, much like what had happened earlier.
Ammy and Issun both soon found themselves standing on an old and dusty brown brick trail that wound all the way up a slightly inclined hill. Trees grew on both sides, evenly spaced, and a few large boulders and rocks were scattered about. A crescent moon hung high in the air, casting moonbeams upon the land below it. Lush green grass and leaves grew on the ground and trees, and the distant sound of water trickling by in a river sounded throughout the new land that the wolf and the bug-like creature had found.
The she-wolf ran along the path, gaining speed with every stride. She passed beneath a wooden structure, and from then on up, the incline got suddenly steeper. Tongue lolling out of her mouth happily, she ran further and further. Ammy raced along the path happily, Issun clinging onto her by the fur between her ears tightly, his eyes shut tightly. She slowed down when she came to a small red and brown wooden bridge, walked across it, and took off again. This new path was even curvier, and it abruptly turned right as she passed over the bridge.
Ammy raced beneath another one of the red structures, and there was another steep incline. She jumped along the brown and black bricks happily, and Issun held on tightly, screaming for his life. This trail was steeper than the other two, and two large canyon walls rose up around her, blocking out the moonlight from touching the path. The trees got denser and thicker, and her sharp eyes and acute sense of smell sharpened dramatically to adjust to her new surroundings. The goddess reached the top of the trail and raced past a set of large, wooden spike that made a dungeon-like door... only they were wooden.
Her paws skidded in the dirt as she whipped around to see the wooden "door" close and sink into the ground. She turned back around to see a large statue holding up a sword... except for the fact that the top part of the sword was completely broken off. "Is this..." Issun didn't finish his sentence. Ammy's large blue eyes widened as she stared up, studying the moss that covered a good portion of the statue. A hole in the "ceiling" of the cave exposed the hollow to moonlight and stars, providing some light. Two large pools of water surrounded the statue, and as Ammy and Issun looked behind themselves warily, they noticed the only way out was through the way they had just come...
"Is this the legendary shrine?" Issun gasped, his eyes widening in shock and bewilderment. "We must be in the Cave of Nagi!" he exclaimed. "The legendary hero, Nagi, is enshrined here! He vanquished evil one hundred years ago with the help of the white wolf Shiranui! First the River of the Heavens, now this place... Where the heck are we, furball!?" he asked worriedly, looking around. "Boy, this place is a wreck." His eyes were focused on the broken end of Nagi's sword and all the moss that covered near seventy percent of the statue. "See?" he asked, pointing to the sword. "That sword's in really bad shape. The gods sure didn't do much to protect this place," he snorted.
Ammy stepped further into the clearing, and cold moonlight touched her fur, turning it a blazing silver color and making the fire-red markings on her pelt shine as brightly as the sun. Beams of moonlight could easily be seen shining on any surface it could touch, including the statue of Nagi. Ammy yawned loudly and raised her tail, steadying it as she raised it the statue's sword and drew a straight line upwards. The ink vanished shortly, leaving behind a full sword that was clean.
"That really WAS your brushwork all this time!" Issun exclaimed, punching Ammy's head but not realizing it. She growled in response. "How'd you get so good? Exactly who are you, anyway?" he asked, staring at her. As the sound of sparkles filled the two companion's ears, they both glanced skyward. "Hey, there's another constellation!" Issun announced, pointing to it with a small arm. "This one looks like a..." But he didn't finish his sentence.
Five stars shined brightly, missing one star to the far left. Two stars sat upwards to the left, just barely on top of each other. From the top star slanting down to the right was another star, and slightly straight down from that one was another. The bottom star that was next to the first star branched out to the right, too, but was closer to being level than straight vertical-facing. Ammy put a single dot on the two twin stars left, and within moments, a brief flash of a mouse appeared. Another bright flash came, only this one was blue, and the mouse came to life.
The small white creature with red markings carried a red sheath on its left side, and with a twist of its neck, it drew out a long, blue, metal blade, which expanded as it reached out to the far right. Ammy, the mouse, and Issun faded away into the same realm that they had been with when they encountered Yomigami, except this one was a blazing gold color in the background. "Well, well, well, if it isn't mother Amaterasu..." the mouse said in a squeaky voice. "It's been a long time. But with all these monsters around, the only place I could hide was in this shrine dedicated to ancient heroes. If there is anything I can do to assist you in your endeavors, I'm at your service."
Ammy sat down, looking up at the mouse - Tachigami - intently. The mouse stood on its blade, balancing on the end of the hilt. "Make good use of this sword, as it was designed to conquer evil." Tachigami disappeared in the same orb as Yomigami did, and he circled around Ammy's head before disappearing and dissolving into her fur.
As they faded back into the Cave of Nagi, Issun said, "Hey, that was the god, Tachigami, master of the power slash technique," he explained. "Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "If you're gettin' all these powers, then you're just like that Shiranui! You know, the wolf who fought and died alongside Nagi? When Shiranui died, the wolf's power was split into thirteen brush gods. This is crazy! Shiranui and Nagi...? It's just like the legend!" He paused. "Well, anyway, I've never seen this power slash technique myself. How 'bout showin' off your stuff on that boulder over there?" Issun pointed to a large gray boulder that sat in a dark corner.
"Lemme see you slice it in half by drawing a straight line!" he exclaimed happily. "I won't believe it till I see it!" Ammy raised her tail once again and drew a straight horizontal line across the boulder, and it sliced in half in two pieces. "Wow! I didn't think you had it in ya, furball!" he said happily, bouncing up and down on Ammy's head. "I'm not even in the same league as you! Guess I really overestimated myself," he said with a casual shrug. "Hey, furball, er... I mean, Amaterasu... I've made up my mind!" He paused. "If you're Shiranui reborn, that means you can master all thirteen techniques, right?" he asked uneasily.
"In that case-" He stopped and scratched her head. "-I think I'll tag along until I'm as good as you! Lucky you!" Ammy knew she was anything but lucky.
Ammy whined pathetically and shook her whole body, trying to fling off Issun. "Heh heh..." he laughed. "It's no use tryin' to change my mind. There's no stoppin' me once I've made a decision! But enough about me. Now that you've mastered power slash, you can cut down that thing Sakuya was talking about!" he reminded, referring to peach-like fruit that was hanging off of the tree. "Let's go back and give it a shot!" he proclaimed loudly.
The wolf turned around, leaving the statue of Nagi behind her. She raced forward happily, making a wide arc around the cave. However, she stopped once she was completely turned around. The same dungeon-like gate was still heavily implanted firmly in the ground, and it was evident that she - or Issun - wouldn't be able to get it out. Readying her tail, she gave it a good slash from left to right, and the gate fell in two pieces. She raced past the gate, as if it would rebuild itself soon. She passed up the red structure and ran down the stone path. As she set foot on level ground again, she immediately skidded to a halt.
A bright ring of red surrounded her in a medium-sized circle, odd symbols circling her in the wall. She and Issun both looked around warily, waiting. "What the!? Where'd they come from!?" he exclaimed angrily as two green imps wearing masks jumped out of nowhere. Both imps carried a brown bamboo flute, and their masks were painted with random red symbols. "Ah, well. Draw first, ask questions later, right?" he added as Ammy dropped low to the ground and started snarling ferociously. "You know that divine instrument on your back?" He pointed to the large green disc object that circled around her on her back, red flames surrounding it. "Well, swing it at them to attack!" he instructed, even though the goddess already knew what to do.
She swung out at the imp to her right, knocking it all the way into the wall. The imp to her left slashed out at her with razor-sharp claw-like nails, ripping out a few pieces of fur. "Look, Ammy! Once you've caught 'em off guard and turned 'em black and white, they're easy prey for your brush, no matter how nasty they are," he explained. "Grab your brush and give 'em a power slash!" he instructed.
Ammy slashed both of the green imps at once, killing the one to her right and knocking back the one to her left. She swung out her divine weapon three times, and the imp turned black and white. She drew another straight line across it, and it, too, was cut in half. The red ring around her dissipated in a large puff of red, and she stopped, looking around to see if anymore would come at her. After realizing that no more imps were coming, she wheeled off on her heels and took off down the trail, her claws clicking against the hard stone. She raced through another structure and another ring formed around her, and two more green imps popped out of air, their flutes ready in their gloved hands.
She quickly finished both imps off by twisting and turning around quicker than what they could. As soon as the ring disappeared, she raced off to the golden light and sped straight through it. The light flashed once, and Issun and Ammy found themselves standing back at the River of the Heavens. The river of stardust that stretched out before them was steadily dissolving, and Ammy, without wasting any more time, raced straight ahead and plummeted herself into the water. Stardust tickled her belly and chin, and Issun tried to avoid small droplets of water that came at him, squeaking with every drop that nearly hit him.
Ammy leaped on the land on the other side of the river and took off again, running across the bridge and jumping off of the cliff gracefully. Passing up an origin mirror along the way, she exited the black abyss that she and Issun had spent the last few hours in.
When they emerged on the other side of the gate, the sky was still a deathly blood red color, objects still circled around them, the dirt and grass were still brown and sickly-looking, and the fruit, the only source of a bright color, still hung on the branch, pulsing. Ammy drew a straight line across the middle of the fruit, and with a loud shink sound, the fruit fell off of the tree. The fruit hit the ground with a loud thud, and instantly, flowers sprung up all around it. Roses, violets, daffodils, tulips, lilies, daisies... all kinds of flowers.
Light pink petals raced down every path in what was called Kamiki Village, making a trail of green grass as it went, and bringing life back to dead trees. Water started to flow back down a narrow river in the village and turned a sweet azure blue color. Each house returned to its normal color, however, one thing remained unchanged: the sky. The sky stayed pitch black, making the whole village look green. Ammy and Issun had trotted down a path that hugged the cliff to their left and stood a few yards away from another one of the red structures. Ammy stood next to it, gazing around. "Wow!" Issun exclaimed. "The village's been restored! Sakuya came through bigtime! She really was protecting the village! But I sure wish I coulda spent more time in her kimono, if ya know what I mean!" Issun grinned happily and started bouncing up and down on Ammy's nose again.
Issun laughed for a few seconds, and then said, "But seriously, with all the monsters runnin' around and all, the village could still be in danger. Let's go see how they're all doing down there!" he ordered, jumping back between Ammy's furry white ears. The wolf let a flat look cross her face, irritable-ness evident. Ammy raced down a long, curved slope that had a few trees scattered along the side. The only sound around for miles was the sound of her paws drumming against the ground and the flowers that sprung up everytime she took a stride. Skidding to a halt when she came upon a circular clearing with two paths, one to the right and one to the left, she and Issun both looked forward.
A statue of a man was frozen solid in stone, and he wore a mask and held a flute-like object in his hands. "What in the world?" Issun said, leaning closer to get a better look at the statue. Two small red tables were either side of the statue, with an umbrella on the end. "I don't remember there being a statue here..." he trailed off. "Well, whatever. Let's go talk to the villagers!" he declared and sat back.
Ammy took the path on the right, which led to the village. Skinny black, pointed trees were along a wall-like mini-ledge on her right, and a huge ledge to her left blocked out any moon that could have been out. This path, too, was curved, although it curved to left. A large body of water was out to Ammy's left with a small island floating in the midst of it. Picking up more speed, she zipped down the path with tremendous speed. Ammy entered Kamiki Village and slowed down, kicking up a small cloud of dust behind her.
The village was small; very, very small. Upon entering, a turnip farm was to her left, and two houses were to her right. An old waterwheel windmill was beyond the second house to her right and sat nestled halfway into the river. A small pond of rice plants was nestled between the windmill and the second house, and beyond it to the right was another large spring of water with a waterfall directly above it. The village itself was surrounded by canyons and ledges on any side that didn't have water, as if the cliffs would protect the village from monsters.
Beyond the turnip farm was a small open area with a few trees, and across the river was another house to the far left. A wooden red bridge connected both pieces of land together, and, at the very end of the village were three larger boulders blocking the exit. Ammy walked up to rather fat statue that stood admist the turnips in the turnip field and looked closer. "Hey, there's a statue here, too..." Issun said. "It's like the villagers have turned to stone or something..." he muttered. After he said that, another loud roar, like the previous one, shook the whole village madly. Ammy jumped slightly, surprised. "Not again! That's not one of those smaller monsters that're lurking about. A roar like that's gotta belong to somethin' much bigger." He shivered. "Let's hurry up and find someone with a pulse around here."
Ammy looked up to see a statue of a small boy and walked over to it. Sniffing it curiously, Issun inspected it. "No good. This one's not movin'. Everyone here was perfectly fine just a few hours ago! There's definitely something strange goin' on around here. The village is back, but what's up with this dark sky?" he asked, looking at the onyx sky. "Maybe it's dark outside the village, too? Let's find some high ground so we can take a look!" he said loudly.
Ammy turned around and ran back up the path they had came from, and she soon found herself in the clearing again. "There's definitely something strange going on. Let's find some high ground so we can take a look!" Ammy, this time, took the path to the left of the statue and went up. The path hugged to the right, curved like the previous ones. As she passed up the two walls on either side of her, she found herself standing thousands of feet above the water.
A tiny wooden fence traced the edge of the cliff they stood on, but that was it. A few unlit lanterns were scattered between the fence. Ammy continued to run along and came to a slighter larger opening with a large hole in the middle of it, which looked like a dried up pond. Veering sharply to the right, she found a large platform that stuck out over the water below. It had a narrow walkway, but opened up to a medium-sized square wooden platform. She walked out onto it casually, surveying the area below her. As she stepped out into the middle of it, Issun muttered, "This is bad..." He pointed up at the sky. "The sun's not even shining. It's as black as night as far as the eye can see. And not a single villager can move a muscle. Is it some kind of curse? Did a monster do this? It's not gonna stay like this forever, is it? If only the sun were out to light our way..." he sighed.
"If you could draw a circle in the sky, we'd have ourselves a sun!" he exclaimed. "But... I guess that'd be impossibe, even for a god like you." He shrugged casually and leaned back against a furry white ear. "Maybe we better seek out another brush god for help. Of course, if you had that kind of power from the start, that'd be a different story..." he mumbled. Ammy growled under her breath and raised up her tail - her Celestial brush - and drew a large, round circle in the sky.
As she took it away, a ring of red and orange surrounded her circle and formed a large bright sun. Golden-red rays shined brightly and touched every available surface near Kamiki Village. "Wh-wh-what the!?" Issun stared at the newly-formed sun n disbelief. "Hmm... come to think of it, your name is Amaterasu. That's the name of the sun god! So it'd follow that you had the sunrise technique from the start! With it, you could even turn night into day," he explained. "Wow! You're no run-of-the-mill god, that's for sure! The flowing brush is like music from the heavens... That's a line from one of my grandfather's poems. He felt a skilled artist was like a musician of shape and color. Since you're such a great artist yourself, why don't we name your brushwork after that poem of his? It's called Celestial Brush! After all, your brush did bring out the sun!"
"Well, Ammy, let's get back to the village!" he declared. "We gotta see if the villagers are back to normal now." As Ammy started to turn around, an old man wearing blue clothes and bent over walked over to Ammy, resting heavily on a cane.
"Hm? Who are you?" he croaked in a raspy voice. However, the most peculiar thing about him was the orange he bounced on top of his head. "A white wolf?" asked Mr. Orange. "Not the one who fought that terrible creature with Nagi!? You couldn't possibly be the legendary Shiranui!" he exclaimed. "No, it can't be..." Ammy stared at him blankly. "That story is one hundred years old." After he said that, Ammy sat down on her hindlegs with a bored expression. "Still, you look a lot like that statue of Shiranui." Ammy yawned. "On the other hand, you don't look quite as smart..."
Ammy dropped low to the ground immediately and starting winding her tail again and growling at Mr. Orange angrily. "Wh-wh-whoa! No need to growl like that!" he said fearfully, placing his hands and cane in front of him. "Can you really understand what I'm saying?" he asked. "Well, I'm not one to mince words. I just state facts." Moving his hands back and forth in a punching motion, the sky darkened a gray color. Ammy looked up to the mountains in the distance, her blue eyes narrowing down.
Three green imps with flutes across their backs were sitting on a far-off mountain, watching Mr. Orange. The three imps all leaped off of the mountain together and started to plummet down the cliff for Ammy and Mr. Orange. "Hm? What's this sudden chill down my spine?" Mr. Orange asked uneasily, scratching his bald head.
"Here they come, furball," Issun said as Ammy returned to her offensive position, poised to strike. "Those are the monsters that've been plaguing these lands. They sneak into villages and cause all sorts of trouble!" Issun leaped on the end of Ammy's nose and said, "Step aside, furball! This is a job for my trusty sword, Denkomaru!" Before Issun could do anything, the three imps leaped down at Mr. Orange. Ammy tossed Issun off of her nose and flipped in the air and grabbed Mr. Orange by his clothing.
Throwing him out of harms way, she spun around back on the platform and whipped around. Another ring of red formed around her and the three imps within a few seconds, and Ammy turned around to face the imps. Two imps struck out at her with their flutes, but she easily dodged it by flipping in the air and bringing her weapon crashing down against them. One imp was cleaved in half and with a quick stroke of her tail, it was sliced in two. The other two imps jumped in the air and came swinging down at her with sharp claws. One slashed her on her left side, and she twisted her body around and snapped its neck with her powerful jaws.
Divine Retribution swung out and hit it twice, and the imp soon turned black and white. She gave it a quick slash with her Celestial Brush and whipped around to face the other imp. The other monster was dancing in front of her, taunting her by sticking out its tongue and doing other things. Angrily, she rushed up to it and slashed it with a quick stroke of her brush. The battle ring soon disappeared, and the once-empty and dried up pond slowly filled with clear blue water.
Plant life sprung up around it, lush flowers starting to take root in the ground. Ammy paused where she was standing and looked around, making sure no more imps were headed her way. "Wow!" Issun exclaimed. "You get really aggressive when you're mad, don't ya? Hey, you got yourself some praise! And look! See how that dried up spring began flowing again?" he asked, pointing to the mini-pond. "That's because ridding an area of monsters restores the gods' power to the land. People call it Divine Intervention. The more you restore the land to its natural beauty, the more praise you'll get. It's the source of your natural power," he explained.
"Few people believe in gods these days, and that may weaken you, but if you try real hard, your true power might just shine through!" Issun started to bounce again. "But boy, there's sure been a lotta monsters around lately. And that Mr. Orange you tossed around up on the sacred deck... Looks like he thinks you're a regular wolf! Seems the gods have grown so weak people can't see them anymore." Issun started to grumble a few words angrily. "Oh, uh, anyway, I'll show you around the village. I have a feeling we're in for an epic adventure! This should be fun, furball!" he exclaimed.
Ammy's ears perked up when she spotted a chest in front of her. Racing forward and headbutting it, a bag of seeds popped out. "Why, you little devil! Look at this sweet grub you found! Hey, wait... this is animal food! Still, we could save it to give to animals. Let's use it when we try to approach animals later. Something good might come out of using it the right way!" he explained happily. "I know gods aren't supposed to use creatures in this manner, but what the heck! Let's make an exception this time." Issun grinned.
Now THAT took a few hours to type. (We're talkin' about twelve, people. Mainly because I had to keep switching back and forth between the game, pausing it, here, playing, pausing it, going check something on youtube, etc.) I ended this chapter here because this is basically the whole tutorial part. For those of you who haven't finished the game and are stuck, this can serve as a walkthrough of some sort.
Oh, and you'll also noticed I skipped all the parts where Issun explained all the controls. I did that for two reasons: 1.) The controls for the PS2 and Wii version are different, and 2.) I don't think you would walk up to somebody in real life and say 'You can press X to interact with people and 'start' to pause life.' That would be weird.
Dunno when I'll get around to chapter two. Oh, expect 'em all to be at least this long. This took an hour and forty minutes to proofread. -headdesk- Mainly because I kept getting up to go do other things, but... who cares.
-Tainted Lullaby
September 13th, 2008
Edit date: December 29th, 2008