❄️|| The Mother's Garden

[Mattysandwich]

Funded by Kogarashi, The Mother's Garden is a place of worship for all those who follow the Evergreen religion. All those who follow the religion may enter and share knowledge of their skills. The Kogarashi Institute has provided a copy of their techniques in scrolls kept in the library, allowing those without access to village scrolls to expand their horizons. Those rogues and non village ninja may learn them provided that they say their prayers to end the Mother of All.

Facilities within the Church Grounds
• Library and Archives: Side Compound
• Crafting and Forge Facilities: Behind Side Compound
• Battle Arena[ Behind Church ] [ Dojo and Academy Bonuses ]
• Basement Level Medical Laboratory with Medical Facilities [ Hospital Bonuses ]
• Cafeteria: Third Floor of Church
• Barracks: Fourth Floor of Church
• Academy facilities for new converts: Second Floor of Church

Church Personnel
• Leader [ Byakko ]

 

[Mattysandwich]

With his religious grounds being his, Byakko went off to train. First he learned from the Kaiser Fist style the Heavy Punch and the Stimulating Armor. He then learned the Kaiser Crown, Crumbling Overhead, and Suddenly straight. Finally, he learned how to perform the Elbow Bolt, the Guillotine Drop, Iron Back Hand, and Meaty Punch. Byakko also learned the Breaking Lariat, but he needed a break before he continued. Mind you, he was not performing any of these moves, and was just reading up on them from the scrolls Kogarashi generously provided. With a puff of his cigarette he enjoyed his break.

After his cigarette was finished Byakko read up on more techniques. He finished the techniques associated with Breaking Lariat which included Golem Missile and Invigorating armor. After this he continued to read on which discussed the techniques of Liger Bomb, Kaiser Fist, Bulky Punch, and Bolstering Armor. Finally, he concluded with the most sacred techniques of the style, which included the Kaiser Cannon and the Kaiser Armor. Since he had a little bit of time, he perfected how to utilize the combat forms of both soft and hard physical. He decided then to take another cigarette break.

Once he finished his next cigarette Byakko moved onto the Impact of the Closed Fist style. He read up first on Impact Resistance and Rejection Strike. He followed this up with learning the techniques of Recoil and Spinning Blow. He finalized reading with the techniques of Focal Point, Marking, Drift, and Fissure. He wanted to stop there for another cigarette break, but decided to not pass up on reading repeated heavy blows and heavy blows of the brawl. Once he read them though, he rewarded himself with two cigarettes.

Byakko finished his cigarette and continued his reading. He only had a few more techniques of these styles, and thus read up on heavy blows of the aura, free for all, and will to fight. He finished reading of the style by learning how to perform Complete Denial and Belligerence. Once he finished with this training Byakko chose to perfect his usage of Kunai and Whips. At the same time, Byakko the tiger mastered the use of his claws and fangs. Both completed their training separately and, although they did not see each other train, knew what the other was doing.

Byakko next picked up the scroll which detailed the taijutsu style of The Knight's Blade. He learned first how to perform the techniques of Acclimation, Endurance Contest, and Tackling. He then learned how to use Wall, Crushing Underfoot, and Beetle Grabbing Hold. He finished his training with Shifting Position, Hammer, and Landing Force. He also overachieved slightly and read up on Heel. However, he needed another cigarette break before he read the last of the techniques.

Byakko finished the next cigarette as he read up on Spiked Helmet. He continued his training by learning Filling Gaps and Barrier Wall. He finished the scroll by reading Knight's Blade and Turbulence. Of course, Byakko could not be satisfied with just this. He also pulled out a scroll of water ninjutsu and learned how to not only create water, but also how to make a massive tidal wave out of nothing. These techniques were known as Water Manipulation and Water Collision Destruction. Byakko decided to take another heavy cigarette break as he finished. He did open a maruton scroll to see how Korabo worked. He had a feeling that would be useful.
 

[Mattysandwich]

The roars of defiance bellowed by Byakko were thunderous enough to be heard from outside the church. Inside on the ground floor was the tiger and the human. Although they share one soul, their two minds caused them to bicker like an old married couple. And at this moment, their arguments may erupt into an actual fight. Byakko paced back and forth as he eyed the human. Kazuto continuing to leer down the animal as he refused to back down for once in his lethargic life.

"Will you let your pride go for one damn minute you stupid cat?!" Kazuto lashed out. Byakko roared with fervent fury as his nails dug into the ground. Kazuto, in a moment of weakness, roared back at the tiger. Byakko, dumbstruck by the interaction, sunk his neck back to see what Kazuto did next. "I know that we're stuck in these stupid bodies. And I know all we want to do is go back to the stars and sleep away in the cosmos. But while we have these stupid bodies, we need to train ourselves in how the mortals use nature chakra. If we can gather that for ourselves, then maybe we can be one step closer to killing the people we need to in order to get back our astral bodies. But none of that matters if we don't do some god damn meditation."

Byakko studied the human. Although he knew that his soul and the man's were the same, the way he spoke felt alien to him. Byakko was a creature of pride, and once revered as one of the only four deities. To see his human counterpart ready to shed his dignity with some petty meditation seemed repulsive. However, Byakko also knew that he reached a limit in his powers. If he was going to kill off that cursed Mother as well as the others responsible for his downfall, then he needed to go through with some of these ludicrous ideas. Therefore, even though he did not truly consent, Byakko moved to one of the long benches for sermons and laid himself across it. If he was to do meditation, then he was going to do it relaxed.

"Good enough." Kazuto exhaled with a sigh. He pulled onto his own seat and closed his eyes. He tried to take in the nature around him. As per the construction of the church, nature was designed to be able to enter it. This was in part to make sure the religion of Evergreen could sense the flow of nature around them. However, the only thing Kazuto picked up in his nose was the secondhand smoke of the cigarette he was puffing. Therefore, he reluctantly put his cigarette out beside him as he continued to meditate.

Kazuto cleared his mind and did his best to allow nature to come to him. He used his nose to take in the scent of flowers. He heard the rustling of the leaves adrift in the wind which blew gently from the west. His mind could picture the mouse which crawled through the grass along the ground by the ever so subtle noise of the grass bending around it. All of it gave him a perfect image of the nature all around him, and yet, none of it provided him with the pure essence of nature chakra.

Back when Kazuto and Byakko were one, nature chakra was just as much a part of their chakra as it was their being. In fact, the entity known as Byakko could have been noted to have been made exclusively from nature chakra. He was the force of the western side of the world and all of its glory. Now that he was human, he struggled to feel any sensation with the nature around him. Although he did not speak, the tiger also felt the strange disconnection to the nature. Both kept their eyes closed and mediated, but felt nothing.

Kazuto continued to deeply try and sense the nature chakra. His eyes tightened as he tried to recall what the sensation of nature chakra felt like. It was different from the chakra mortals knew as it did not come from one pure entity. It instead came from the foundation of life which governed the cycles of life and death of all entities. His mind scrambled for a semblance of that chakra. No matter how hard he searched his memories, however, he could not recall that exact sensation.

Byakko the tiger had similar difficulties recalling the sensation of nature chakra. It felt strange that something once so natural was a foreign concept. After a few hours of trial the tiger rose from the bench and walked around. He was not one to accept failure and was going to choose to forego the whole ordeal. He almost left the temple when he looked back and saw Kazuto.

Kazuto was twitching in his seat as he struggled hard to keep his eyes closed. He really wanted a cigarette. He needed a cigarette. He had no idea how the addiction started, but he struggled to keep his mind focused on anything but how desperately he wanted his next light. He felt pathetic as he struggled to keep his mind on the pursuit of nature chakra. Once he had it he could then light up. His fingers curled inward as he fought back his temptation.

His mind was racing to keep his thoughts on nature chakra. It was so hard to focus on the world around him when he felt his internal world clawing internally at him. He started to whimper as the hours ticked by and he refused to cave. Although he preferred to slack and pretend to be bored by it all, Kazuto was still Byakko. The pride of a god resided in him, and that hubris would not allow him to cave. Therefore, he resisted his best impulses as he continued to meditate.

Byakko watched his human counterpart resist his own addiction. Although he always felt it was the man's own fault for getting addicting, the resolved he showed proved that he was just as much God as he was. Perhaps Kazuto was even more of a deity than he was, since he chose to defy expectations and continue even when it proved an immeasurable challenge. The tiger felt a sense of shame within himself, and resolved to make amends. It was for this reason that the tiger jumped onto the same sitting area Kazuto resided and nestled his head in between the man's two hands. He purred soothingly with closed eyes as he provided Kazuto with something else to meditate on.

Kazuto was initially startled when he felt Byakko's fur. The purring noise of the loud mammal, however, did help to relax it. It took the edge off of the addiction which shook his whole body. The two sat in silence as the pain of foregoing a cigarette faded. Furthermore, once the sensation faded, a new sensation arose. This one was gentle, and felt familiar to both Byakko and Kazuto. This was the force of nature chakra.

Kazuto and Byakko were both connected to the force known as nature chakra. They felt the overwhelming will of nature enter their souls for the first time in centuries. The sensation of being connected with nature caused both of them to radiate with a warm glow. At first it appeared as two separate forces, but then the two merged into one, just as the two bodies stood for one soul. It was then that both Byakko and Kazuto opened their eyes. They no longer needed intense focus to manifest nature chakra. Now they could both call upon it like an old friend.
 

[Mattysandwich]

Byakko held back the urge to smoke as he approached the congregation of people. The entire first floor of the church was filled with people who wanted to have a sermon about the religion of Evergreen. As someone who wanted to just sleep, he was annoyed by the amount of people who have gathered. However, since he did have a job to do, the man feigned enthusiasm as he approached the front of the room.

"Brothers and sisters of nature. I am truly grateful for you all to be here." He praised with a rehearsed smile. Byakko snarled in the back of the gathering at Kazuto's phony expression. The gave a passing look of contempt to the tiger before he reverted back to his fake sincerity. "As part of our duty in the ways of Evergreen, we are always one to partake in the praising of Nature. Therefore, I ask that everyone here take a seed from the communal jar, and plant a seed in the soil of the alter."

Kazuto led by example as he planted a seed in the fertile soil of the alter. Offerings such as these were one of the reasons why he had to make sure the church was built in tune with nature. It could not be a true place of Evergreen without an abundance of nature. Furthermore, the interaction with the religion was designed to draw people's interest further. Everything was calculated by Kazuto to make sure the sheep remained in the flock. It was all too easy to assume the actions of man.

Once people planted their seats and returned to their seats, Kazuto returned to the front of the room. "As a devout follower of Evergreen, it is my sworn duty to inform all who gather about the history of our noble religion." He said soothingly. Truth be told the religion of Evergreen was not big on its history, which was why people could warp it however they needed. However, since he needed something to do to not blow his brains out, he figured a story would be useful.

"Long ago, before the advent of man." Kazuto began. "Our world was birthed into existence by a force beyond comprehension. From that birth came the land, then the sea. The sky came next, which was followed swiftly by the air. Finally, came the fauna. Nature's first step toward life was the green of the leaves we so often take for granted." Kazuto remarked.

"Plants were not the first thing to try to live. Many other creatures tried to exist before the trees and moss." Kazuto continued. "These were creatures not recognizable to man or beast. They were fearsome monstrosities devoid of semblance. They wandered our planet like plagues, draining the world of all other attempts of life." Kazuto explained with duress in his voice. He had to add the flare for dramatics, but truth be told, he didn't like to talk too badly about these creatures. After all, he was kind of related to them.

"Despite their best efforts, however, the plants survived!" Kazuto exclaimed! "Against overwhelming chakra and foes of infinite power, the plants gathered their chakra together to form one cohesive force. This force, which we now call nature chakra, was powerful enough to not only rival the creatures of lore, but also to purify their corrupted nature." Kazuto concluded. The truth was not as clear as he presented it, but the Evergreen religion seemed to gloss over the more messy details. He felt like that was enough to leave them on for the moment anyhow. "Therefore, this origin of the will of Nature itself is what helped begin the Evergreen religion. Come back next week for the next verse of our story." He said as he concluded his sermon. God he was ready for his next cigarette. He figured he would hold off just a hair longer, however, as he watched the people leave.
 

[Kondo Kaicho]

The room emptied out as the young man, Sora remained in the temple's main chamber. Soon it was just the two. The light haired youth would clap. The slow clap would echo distinctly through the empty room, creating a rather interesting meeting of the two followers. " Very good! I was ultra impressed with your sermon! Kehehe!" he giggled girlishly afterwards, smiling as though he had not a care in the world. He looked to the Tiger after speaking. " Oh! Kitty! Who's your friend!"

 

[Mattysandwich]

Byakko stood on all four and growled ferociously at the boy. He was ready to rip his neck out and watch blood cascade from him like a fountain. To be so blatantly disrespected. The tiger was about to pounce when he felt some sort of signal from Kazuto. The tiger turned his head and saw that an open hand was raised toward him. In that moment of frustration at his human's inaction the tiger realized something odd. His head turned back to the boy as he suddenly could sense a great amount of power radiating from the boy. The tiger had not had that power before, but knew of it back when he was in his celestial form. Was this a benefit of the nature chakra training? The tiger continued to snarl as he would let Kazuto take the reigns. He would not tolerate another notion of disrespect.

Kazuto took a breath when Byakko did not lunge. His hand lowered and a fatherly smile crossed his lips. "My sermon only echoes the arcane wisdom of Nature herself. As a servant of her will, I take full pleasure to your compliment." He said with a nod of his head. Of course he knew that the man was being facetious with him, but he also figured the boy could handle it back. His power level gave him an idea that he was not someone who hasn't been around the block. "My friend and I are just humble messengers. Do you also come here seeking to learn more about the glory of Evergreen?" He asked as he studied the child. "Or have you been sent here from Kogarashi?" He asked with a polite tone, despite his last few words cutting away at the fat of civility. With how much power this boy had, there's no way that he didn't have some affiliation with the organization. There was no headband on his person, and Kogarashi held a monopoly on the development of all wanderers and rogues. Byakko knew that he caused a bit of a stir previously, but he figured that was behind the two of them. It depended on the words of the boy if that remained true.

Kondo Kaicho

 

[Kondo Kaicho]

The tiger snarled at Sora, causing him to giggle again. " He seems really strong!" Sora replied merrily. He held his hands up, revealing his open palms to them both. He seemed to be confused for someone who was sent as an agent. " Praise be to nature, brother." he said, a phrase often said between members of the religion. He smiled whole heartily again as he spoke. " I mean, I did just join the Kogarashi group...but that was only to find out where Mother is!" Sora plopped himself onto the nearest pew and assumed a cross legged seat. " See. Rumor has it that Mother appeared not long ago to a couple of boys that are linked to this group! Amazing, huh!? What's even more amazing is that she supposedly claimed to be their birth mother!" He frowned, speaking to Kazuto again. It was clear he was blathering about everything, the bond between brothers of Mother's Religion was enough to diffuse any distrust he had. " Unfortunately, they've all left the institute! I traveled so far to get here too!"

 

[Mattysandwich]

Kazuto took a moment to analyze Sora's body language. He knew the term of phrase for fellow Evergreen members. That at the very least meant that he did some homework, which denotes intelligence hidden by his whimsical nature. He listened to how the boy said that the Mother appeared recently. While his face did not change, that key radiated very deep in both the human and tiger of Byakko. The force of Byakko was killed countless years ago, and neither one of them knew why out of the blue The Mother of All chose to revive them as her servants. As shady as this child was, it was possible that not only did he have information Kazuto sought after, the information may in fact be valid. It was for this reason that the man took a seat right on the same pew as Sora. Byakko jumped over and positioned himself to the side of Kazuto, still leering across the human toward the young man.

"The Mother of All has more than two sons you know. It is possible that she is responsible for life itself on earth." The man said as he rubbed the fur of his tiger. He needed to keep the beast from killing the brat long enough to get the information he had. He smiled in the way he would use to get closer to one of the people he needed to convert. "It's entirely possible that even you are a child of her love." He said gently. Of course he figured the boy probably wasn't. Those who were children of the Mother should have more of a sense of nature chakra than this boy seemed to have. "However, if these two have met our true Mother, then perhaps they have wisdom even us followers would pray to hear." He said in a way to inspire interest from the child. As much as he didn't trust him, Kazuto needed the child on his side. "You follow the true path, so allow us to exchange names." He said with a hand on his chest. "I am Kazuto, and this is..." He gestured to Byakko. "Mr. Snuggles." Byakko roared at Kazuto loud enough to echo in the church. Although to the boy it would be heard as just an animal's aggression, Kazuto translated it mentally to a string of cuss words not meant for proper communication.

Kondo Kaicho

 

[Kondo Kaicho]

The man who appeared before him sat to his right. Sora would take it that he was interested in their conversation as he smiled readily. This man seemed really insightful. He listened intently as he nodded while Kazuto spoke of mother's children and how even Sora could be her son. " Woah!" he said, sitting up straight. " You really think I could be Mother Evergreen's child?!" he would point to his eyes and make a strange, serious face. " Don't all of her children have those crazy ripple eyes though?!" He lowered his hands and released a sigh. " I suppose it's possible still!"
As Kazuto introduced himself and Byakko, who was clearly not named Mr.Snuggles, Sora giggled. "Hehehaha. Well, my name is Sora Shinko! I'm a wandering priest of Evergreen!" He extended his hand to be shaken. It was a kind and friendly gesture, should Kazuto return the gesture he would find that Sora's hands were soft and delicate. It was clear that despite him being sensed as powerful, he was not a physically strong person.  

[Mattysandwich]

Kazuto was actually surprised at the obscure way he talked about the two children and their eyes, although he did not show it. That certainly wasn't a professional way of detailing an individual. Kazuto wondered if this kid was really pulling an act on him, or if he really was this simple and honest. It would be easy to trust what he saw, but looks can be deceiving. If this child did end up being a threat, and the man lowered his guard, then Byakko would never let him hear the end of it. Therefore, it was better for the man to assume the worst, and be surprised later.

He faked a smile as easily as he breathed when Sora offered his hand. "Any follower of the good mother is a friend of mine." He said merrily as he accepted the gesture of friendship. As he took in the boy's hand, he mentally noted how delicate and soft his hands were. If the two were to fight, then Kazuto predicted that engaging in close quarters combat would be the best way to defeat him. Byakko growled slightly at the sign of the friendship. When Byakko the human released his hand he stood up and looked toward the door. "We'll have a day's trip ahead of us. The upper section of the church has some barracks if you wish to borrow supplies." He said as he then looked at his tiger. Byakko rose to his feet and bolted for the stairs. As much as he hated fetching the supplies for travel for himself and the human, he knew that Byakko the human was spiteful enough to both starve and dehydrate himself if the tiger didn't. At least when he was in charge there would be enough supplies to last the trip.

Kondo Kaicho

 

[Kondo Kaicho]

Sora was enthralled at the friendship extended by Kazuto. The tiger growled lowly, seeming to not be fond of the extension of friendship. Sora wasn't overly concerned. The tiger was an extension of nature itself, it was only a matter of time before he realized that Sora was an ally. Sora squeeled like a school girl. " Really? Ya know, I don't think I've had friends before! I lived with all the old priests on the road before and these Kogarashi people are just...cold! This is so exciting!"

As Kazuto spoke of a long trip, he stared with some confusion. " Mr. Kazuto, where exactly are you going?!"  

[Mattysandwich]

"You mean, where are WE going?" Kazuto said with a hearty laugh. He felt compelled to play himself more of a leader because of the naivety presented by the boy. "As a follower of Evergreen, connection to nature is our strongest desire. Therefore, the two of us shall go on a pilgrimage to the sage lands, where Nature chakra is at its peak." He said with feigned enthusiasm. In truth, he could care less about the field trip to the sage lands. However, since the Mother was a fickle Goddess, he knew that he was going to have to entice her with something she wanted. And one of the only things she cared about are the things which she directly created. In this case, one such flower crafted by The Mother herself resides in a rainforest. Therefore, while there was no guarantee that she would appear, it was the closest chance he had of getting some answers. Of course, getting her to appear also requires someone who actually cares about The Mother.

"You better pack up fast. Once Mr. Snuggles finishes our packing he'll be annoyed to wait." He said with a carefree grin. He placed pressure on Sora in order to ensure that he would go. While it probably wasn't advisable to travel with someone he just met, he was fairly certain at this point that, if the boy did want to kill him, then he was the type to wait until Kazuto slept. And if the kid did try that, Byakko would rip him into so many pieces a professional jigsaw puzzle solver wouldn't be able to fix it. "If you left your supplies in Kogarashi then you have full permission to borrow some from the church. After all, what belongs in nature belongs to us all." He said with his hands on his hips. Time was ticking.

Kondo Kaicho

 

[Kondo Kaicho]

Overjoyed that he was included into the trip, Sora grinned ear to ear. " Awesome! The sage lands?!" he asked with an over zealous enthusiasm. He had never seen such a place...and to be frank, Sora loved adventures. It was why he had allowed himself to be taken by the monks to see the world. He had seen the lands of snow to the lands of wind, but the Sage Lands were a holy place that he had not tread before. " This is SOOO exciting!" He said gleefully. He leapt from the pew, flipping over the one before him and landing on his feet. " Fortunately, nature provides! I don't need anything!" He smiled, being surprisingly honest. Perhaps it was why he was so small....stunted growth at the expense of religious zeal.  

[Mattysandwich]

"Nature provides indeed." He said with a jovial grin as he studied the boy in a way which did not denote judgment. Was he really not going to bring any supplies? Not even a change of clothing? How did the boy plan to endure the bitter cold of the night? Did he plan to share his supplies with the old man? The child was in for a rough crash course if he thought that Byakko would share anything, tiger or man. However, when Byakko the tiger returned with a poorly constructed stash of goods, Byakko the human smiled toward Sora. "Let us not lose a moment of daylight! The blessed Mother awaits us in the land of pride." He said as he moved toward the church exit. Byakko the tiger continued to watch Sora and waited until he exited the church before he would leave. Kazuto was not at all concerned since he had a grasp of human psychology, and knew that even if Sora was playing the two of them, that he wouldn't wait until now to stab them in the back. He knew that he could relax himself a little bit until there was a moment when the kid would truly turn against him. Until then, like a good prophet Kazuto led the way toward the sage land.

Kondo Kaicho

 

[Kondo Kaicho]

Sora Left