Pages and Pages of Words & Thoughts
Category: Tenchu
Tension rises as more information comes to light about the Akechi army and the possible whereabouts of the main castle keep. In the wake of the new enemy a new territory has been reopened, one that has been long forgotten due to the lack of it.
With the princess still captured, the Azuma ninja and their allies can only proceed with caution as they continue to look for clues.
“A place to give out special assignments, such like assassinations?”
In dire situations that require a slight chance of normality, one must often call for the help of others to bring back that usual lifestyle. In the case of ninjas, trust is a rare thing, sometimes ending in betrayal and one losing their life. However, if there is a past between allies, it would be natural for them to help one another.
“Do you know what kind of weapons are being transported?”
“I’m not too sure, but all I know is there’s a lot coming in. Just about enough to arm an entire army three times over.”
A group of ninja are closing in on Gohda territory. However, they are not alone. They are being lead by an assassin that only has two things set on her mind: fear and war. As Ayame tries to take a moment to relax along side Gohda’s daughter, Kiku, she ends up having to square off with that assassin after seeing an invasion unfold.
Dark clouds and an even darker assassin are a sign of something dangerous approaching.
“So, you’re the one who killed all of them?”
“Caught red handed.”
Passing through checkpoints are often used to help travelers reach their destinations faster, acting as shortcuts through dense forest areas. Should a checkpoint ever be under control of a specific entity, it would make traveling through much more dangerous. Rikimaru keeps this in mind as he heads towards his informant.
“I’m going to wage my war now.”
“All of Gohda’s forces are weak. Including the Azuma!”
Lord Gohda calls for a quick briefing with Rikimaru and Ayame. As they discuss the findings from Ayame’s last assignment, a familiar name comes to mind for Lord Gohda, indicating that this is a much more serious matter now. He gives Rikimaru a special assignment, hoping this will give them the upper hand for the time being.
“Move or die. Your choice.”
“I’ll move this spear, and you’re gonna die.”
Business is usually conducted during the day, under the rising sun. With the sun overhead, it makes it harder for shadows to complete their assignments. Whether a village is full of civilians or guards, a true shadow will be able to find a way to remain undetected and complete the task at hand.
How a ninja is able to remain in the shadows in broad daylight displays their mastery of the art of assassination.
“I’m not here as an order. I’m here for somebody’s life.”
“Sorry, but if you’re here for mine, you’re not gonna get it.”
A ninja’s duty is to serve and protect the master or lord they’ve sworn to and the ideas that follow. Not everything is done through the uses of planned assassination, but often simple guard duty. However, doing guard duty also has its moments in life or death. Tonight, Ayame is sent out to protect the town for the night.
It may be a simple task, but sometimes, it can yield unexpected results. Ayame hears footsteps nearby and what was suppose to be a simple night turns into one with blood stained blades.
“You know, trespassing is a punishable offense.”
There has been an increased reports of people going missing recently across the nation. The most probable cause is more people entering the dishonorable human trafficking and slave trade business. A family in Gohda territory just reported their daughter missing when she was sent on an errand. Little does she know, a shadow is nearby coming to her rescue.
Find and rescue their daughter and punish those responsible. A likely area to start would be in the snow covered forest just outside of a small town.
“Selling others as slaves for your own gains brings nothing but shame and dishonor to you. And for that, you must pay the price. With your life.”
A business man is somebody who manages to make deals without breaking their own code of honor. If they conduct a deal using less than honorable tactics, they become nothing more than an underhanded merchant. Noboru Echigoya has cheated, manipulated, and bruised his honor to fulfill his greed. Using the cover of darkness, two shadows begin their new assignment: bring justice to the merchant using stealth and unwavering honor.
“You remember our target location?”
“The red house near the castle gates. I just hope this one doesn’t try to cry his way out.”
Tenchu is a stealth based action game that had its first release in 1998 titled “Tenchu: Stealth Assassins” for the Playstation. The series takes place in a fictional universe set in feudal Japan The story typically revolves around the last two remaining assassins part of the Azuma Ninja Clan who are under orders from a man, known as Lord Gohda.
The first is Rikimaru. He’s a well built man, easily identified by his iconic silver hair and slash over his right eye. He becomes the head of the Azuma clan at very young age. Although he has a mastery of a style of karate, he prefers to assassinate his targets with his ninjato, Izayoi, the sword given to the head of the Azuma clan.
The other is Ayame. A female ninja, known as a kunoichi, who showed excellence in her talents as a very young age. She wears a standard ninja outfit, but has a mid-drift, making her more identifiable from other kunoichi. Unlike Rikimaru, she wields a pair of twin kodachi, which are japanese short swords. With raw talent and a bad attitude, Ayame is a cold-blooded assassin. Meeting a young ages, Rikimaru and Ayame are not just members of the same clan, but very close nit companions, despite not always showing in in the game.
As the game series goes on, more characters are introduced and new events occur, showing just how talented these two are at what they do.
The story I’ve decided to do uses some of the main characters from games later in the series, but will still have Rikimaru and Ayame as the main leads. The game also has objective based missions, such as assassinations, retrievals, escape missions, etc. I wanted to portray this by having every few chapters being type of mission. Although the original plan for this story is to have each chapter be a new mission, I do now have a defining plot as if it was a stand alone game. However, if I have a new plot that I want to put these characters in, the story will show as it progresses.
(Throughout the game, the word “shadow” is often used as a synonym for “assassins,” so I kept that to give the story a more Tenchu-like feel than just some story about ninjas.)
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy my story. If you’re interested in playing the game, here is a list of the game released in North America:
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (Playstation)
Tenchu 2: Birth of Stealth Assassins (Playstation)
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven/Return From Darkness (Playstation 2/Xbox)
Tenchu: Fatal Shadows (Playstation 2)
Tenchu: Dark Secret (Nintendo DS)
Tenchu Z (Xbox 360)
Shadow Assault: Tenchu (Xbox 360)
Tenchu: Shadow Assassins (Nintendo Wii & Playstation Portable)
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