Scenario:Yodarha - Rusted Phantasm
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Rusted Phantasm
Though Yodarha and Rhens are making steady recovery from wounds previously dealt by Grace, Rhens senses something amiss about his master. (Captain), too, expresses concern over how Rhens is the one writing a letter to the crew each time instead of Yodarha.
The sound of pen on paper resonates throughout a small civilian house.
Rhens: Let's see... "I know I said I'd write regularly, so lemme apologize for the long hiatus since the last letter."
Rhens: "I'm still getting used to this letter-writing thing. But no more delays from now on, promise."
Rhens: Though I've probably said that at least five times now. Feel bad making 'em worry.
Rhens: "Not that there's much for you to worry about here by now though. The old man and I are both back up and active."
Rhens: "It's thanks to you and the folks at the Society that we were able to make such a speedy recovery from those wounds Grace left us."
Rhens: "Tell 'em I said thanks. And be sure to drop by and say hello if you guys are in the area."
Rhens: "The geezer's been feeling kinda lonely lately. Maybe take him with you next chance you get."
Rhens: Phew, don't think I'll ever be a natural at writing letters.
Rhens: And heck, why's the guy with a busted arm doing this? Why isn't he writing the dang letters...
Grumbling his usual post-letter complaint, Rhens drops the pen and gently contracts his right arm.
Vyrn: What? You can't move your arm?
Rhens: Yep. The wound ran a little too deep, y'see. The docs told me that I won't ever be able to move it the same way again.
Ever since nearly losing the use of his right arm after shielding (Captain) from Grace's attack, Rhens has made a remarkable recovery.
Rhens: With Gramps gettin' better too, I guess this retirement isn't gonna last much longer.
Muttering under his breath, Rhens stuffs the letter into his pocket and leaves the room.
Yodarha: Hm? Where are you headed off to, Rhens?
Rhens: Just gonna drop off this letter to (Captain).
Yodarha: Come to think of it, it's been quite a while since we last heard from them. Don't tell me you've been lax about reporting to the crew regularly.
Rhens: Let's be real, Gramps, keepin' in touch as a former crew member is your job. Maybe show a little appreciation that I do this for you at all.
Yodarha: A very fair point. My apologies for the trouble, Rhens.
Rhens: Er, nah, it's all good, Gramps. Just doin' my part as your disciple.
Rhens: Well, I'm off now. I'll be back with the ingredients for dinner.
Yodarha: Maybe I ought to go fishing in the meanwhile! How do meat and fish skewers sound to ya?
Rhens: Don't forget what the doctor said about eating a balanced diet. That means meat and veggie skewers for you. Your fish we can dry and have for breakfast tomorrow.
Yodarha: Aw, you're no fun. Don't you know that fish tend to slip away from a fisherman who's no fun?
Rhens: Doesn't bother me in the least. I've got no plans to become a fisher. Take it easy out there, Gramps.
With that, Rhens leaves their temporary residence.
Rhens stops in front of the general store in town, staring hard at the letter's seal.
Rhens: The geezer's been in a weird place... Dunno if I should've included that in the letter...
For a second, he makes to break the seal.
Rhens: I could just be imagining it...
Rhens: Hey! I need to send this letter—
Shaking his head, Rhens leaves the envelope with the seal intact and hands it over to the clerk.
Lyria: Seems like Yodarha and Rhens are getting better!
Vyrn: A speedy recovery's always good! Sourpuss and the other Society guys'll be glad to hear it!
Lyria: We should pay them a visit soon!
Nodding along with the pair's delighted reaction, (Captain)'s eyes turn back down to the letter's inked words.
The very penstrokes of earlier letters made clear how high the hurdles to recovery would be. Their smoothness now is a testament to how much has been overcome.
Though glad to see such improvement, (Captain) is acutely aware that not a single one has come from the hand of Yodarha himself.
Wondering if there might be more to the situation than meets the eye, the captain feels a slight tinge of uneasiness.
Rusted Phantasm: Scene 2
The crew visits Yodarha and Rhens and shares a meal with them. Rhens later finds an opportunity to privately share with the captain his misgivings about Yodarha's possible exhaustion. But because (Captain) wishes for the Harvin swordsman to continue fighting alongside the crew, Rhens agrees to try to make it all work out somehow.
Yodarha: Really appreciate the visit! We don't have much to offer in the way of hospitality, but make yourselves at home!
Rhens: Never mind that I'm the one being hospitable here... Eat up, guys! Hope you like ready-made pork!
Rhens places a few plates of steaming-hot pork on the table.
Lyria: Thank you!
Lyria: Nom, nom... The oil really adds to the texture and makes it that much better!
Vyrn: Yum. Ready-made pork fresh outta the oven is real good!
Yodarha: Rhens was pretty excited about prepping the pork this morning.
Rhens: Too much info, Gramps! Just enjoy the chow!
The crew decided to come pay them a visit after receiving their latest letter.
Vyrn: Seems like you've been eatin' well, Gramps.
Yodarha: No, I wish. Rhens and the doctor remind me at every possible turn to watch what I eat.
Yodarha: I'm somehow surviving on scraps of meat with oodles of vegetables.
Rhens: A mountain of veggies a day keeps the doctor away, or something like that. Gotta follow the doctor's orders if you wanna get better.
Rhens: I figure we must be doin' something right since even the doctor was blown away by your progress. You've got one heck of a sturdy body, Gramps.
Yodarha: A-hyuk-hyuk! All the training I've done has paid off.
Vyrn: So your wounds are all healed up then?
Rhens: Enough to earn some pocket change taking down stray monsters on his way back from fishing, at least.
Yodarha: Rehab—as the doctor calls it.
Yodarha: On that note, it's time to train my disciple!
Lyria: Your disciple? You mean Rhens?
Rhens: Yep. It's a crazy world out there. No monster or brigand is gonna give us a break just because of our injuries.
Lyria: You can... use your arm now?
Rhens: Not as well as I used to, but I'm making progress.
Yodarha: And lemme tell ya how hard I had to work, getting lessons on using an injured arm through his skill.
Yodarha: I have to give him some credit though, he has picked it up. Boy wasn't called a master swordsman in the making for nothing.
Rhens: Heh... Maybe time to put me up a peg and call me a fledgling master swordsman?
Yodarha: A-hyuk-hyuk! There's no rush! I'd say you need about another fifty years of training! Do keep up the good work!
Rhens: Yeah, yeah, I know I've got a ways to go. Just like you'd do well to remember to not overdo it. After all, I'm the one who ends up getting a mouthful from the doctor.
Yodarha: Yes, I'm aware. I'll try not to be too much of a bother.
Yodarha: (Captain)... Do you mind if I take a bit longer before I rejoin the crew?
Yodarha: I want to be at my best when the time comes!
Choose: We'll be waiting then!
Yodarha: Hyuk-hyuk! Good answer!
Rhens: ...
Rhens: Whoops, looks like I probably didn't need to use up all the pork.
Rhens: Gonna need to buy something else for tomorrow's lunch. (Captain), any chance you can join me on a trip to the grocer?
Yodarha: No lunch for tomorrow? That'd be a disaster! Maybe I should come too.
Rhens: I'm not gonna ask an injured old man to carry the groceries. We'll be back in a jiffy, so the rest of you guys stick around.
Lyria: Okay! We'll be right here, (Captain)!
Vyrn: I won't mind if you buy me an apple or two for dessert! Heheh!
Chuckling at Vyrn in response, (Captain) takes off with Rhens.
Rhens: Munch... You're a real softy when it comes to Vyrn, huh.
Rhens: Won't deny that these juicy apples are somethin' special though.
Rhens and the captain each snack from a bag of large, lustrous apples on the way back from the grocery.
Rhens: So I've given you the lowdown on how me and the old man are doing. How 'bout you guys though? Not caught up in anything nasty, I hope?
Choose: It's been smooth sailing!
Rhens: Glad to hear it. I guess after going up against the likes of Grace, doing anything else must feel like a cakewalk.
Rhens: For real? You hanging in there still? Must be pretty bad if you're the one saying it's rough.
Continue 1
Rhens: The old man's gonna wanna hear this too later.
Reflecting back on all that's been happening, (Captain) fills Rhens in on recent events.
Rhens: ...
Wow.
Wow.
Rhens: Er, oops, sorry for slack-jawing there. That all had way more of a punch than I was expecting.
Rhens: You okay?
Seeing (Captain)'s confident response, Rhens wonders if he should even bring up the topic on his mind at all.
Rhens: Listen, I know you've got bigger problems to worry about, but...
Rhens: When meeting Gramps back there, did you... notice anything?
Choose: I noticed he's in good health.
Rhens: Yeah, you're right... I'm probably just overthinking it...
(Captain) looks silently at Rhens, waiting for him to continue.
Rhens: Well, I suppose I might as well get it off my chest.
Rhens: Ever since the old man and I started our recovery here, it feels like he's gone soft.
Rhens: Sort of. I'm not sure how to explain it exactly. Maybe more like his corners have been filed down...
Rhens: At least to my eyes, it started after he took off those suicide robes.
Rhens: At first, I took it as a sign of how bad his injuries are. But nah, that ain't it...
Rhens: That venom he had while he was chasing down Grace is gone, but even more, his usual edge is too...
Rhens: It's like he's lost the fire in him, if you get what I mean.
Rhens: Makes me worried that he's gonna put himself in danger if he goes back to skyfaring in his current state of mind.
Rhens's concerns are not without merit.
After a bit of thought, (Captain) mutters in a low voice.
Choose: Still, I want him with us.
Rhens: I hear ya. He's crazy strong in battle.
Rhens: All right, enough of this sour talk from me! I'll take good care of the old man till he's ready to rejoin your crew.
Rhens: I realize things are hardly ever easy for you guys, but... hang in there.
Rhens: Cuz you've got not only the master swordsman, but his master disciple on your side too!
(Captain) cracks a smile at Rhens's comment.
Rhens: Hey, what's so funny! Let's not forget I'm the guy that showed Grace who's boss!
The two continue on their way back to the others, their moods uplifted.
Rusted Phantasm: Scene 3
Upon the crew's departure, Rhens requests a duel and his master is quick to comply.
The crew has returned to the Grandcypher, leaving Yodarha and Rhens to themselves.
Yodarha: And now it's as quiet as a windless sea.
Yodarha: How nice it was seeing everyone in good spirits! I'll have to try to keep up!
Rhens: For one thing, you could try havin' a proper duel.
Rhens: Doubt fighting the occasional pushover monster and training your disciple does much to keep you in your prime.
Yodarha: Hm, true enough. But do you think you'd make a worthy opponent?
Rhens: Tch! You know my skill level better than anyone else, Gramps!
Rhens: I'd say I've got what it takes to face a convalescin' old man!
Yodarha: No backing down now, Rhens. May this be a test of strength for both of us!
Rhens: That's what I wanted to hear. Let's move out front!
Grabbing his sword from Rhens, Yodarha prepares for a duel.
Rhens strengthens the grip on his handle, carefully watching his master's movements.
Rusted Phantasm: Scene 4
Despite the duel between master and disciple ending in a flash, Rhens warns that Yodarha's lost the spark needed to take on the types of powerful foes that (Captain)'s crew confronts regularly. Taking the pupil's remark to heart, Yodarha embarks on an intensive training regimen.
Rhens: It's over!
Yodarha: How naive!
Yodarha: Ultimate Flash!
Yodarha swiftly evades a devastating blow from Rhens and immediately follows up with one of his own.
Rhens's sword is sent flying and ends up planted into the ground.
Yodarha: You have speed, but you need to work on your strength. Otherwise you'll struggle even against monsters.
Rhens: Speak for yourself, old man!
Yodarha: Hm?
Rhens: What the hell was that lousy move!
Rhens: Even a guy like me was able to react fast enough to block it! Not dodge it, sure, but still!
Yodarha: Hah... Your point being?
Rhens: You've changed.
Rhens: Ever since you took off the suicide robes, you've kinda sucked as both a swordsman and a fisherman...
Rhens: You only do the simple stuff, like basic training or helpin' people out...
Rhens: Nothin' wrong with that. Heck, we're all grateful for your help.
Rhens: But until Grace's death, underneath that easygoing exterior, there was some... thing I can't even describe.
Rhens: But now it's like there's nothing down there at all!
Yodarha: ...
Rhens: You can leave the typical monster to rookie young 'uns like me.
Rhens: But y'know (Captain)'s gonna be taking on foes potentially far deadlier than Grace.
Rhens: So I'm gonna come right out and say it, Gramps... I doubt you could put a dent in those foes!
Yodarha: You believe I'd just get in the crew's way, eh?
Rhens: Yeah. And what's more...
Rhens: If you should get hurt again, imagine the burden that'd place on them.
Yodarha: Hm...
Yodarha stares into his own reflection on the sword.
Yodarha: (Indeed, what a coward I've become...)
In his reflection, there is no hint of the master swordsman that once was.
Only the visage of a peaceful old man just trying to get by looks back at him.
Yodarha: (While I've been hiding away, (Captain) has continued to brave countless dangers...)
Yodarha: (Rather, (Captain)'s been in the throes of battle since the day we met...)
Past Yodarha: Now there's nothing to worry 'bout, see? We're in the middle of nowhere—you won't run into another soul all the way out here.
Past Yodarha: You're much more likely to be caught making a ruckus moving around, right?
Yodarha: (The captain went from fearing imperial soldiers...)
Grace: Listen, (Captain). I really am on your side, you know.
Yodarha: (To taking on deadly foes like Grace head-on.)
Yodarha: (Despite your youth, you helped me to fulfill my wish...)
Yodarha: (Now I see. I've been thinking that was my conclusion.)
Yodarha: (Rejoining the crew, for me, was just a way to enjoy my own epilogue. I came to think that way without realizing it.)
Yodarha: (Yet for me to underestimate the unforeseen enemy may as well make me a frog in the well again. What a joke that "phantasmagoric fencer" name makes of me now.)
Rhens: ...
Yodarha: Hm...
Yodarha: One question, Rhens.
Rhens: Yeah, Gramps?
Yodarha: Back in the day, what did I say was the ultimate sword strike?
Rhens: Oh, that?
Seeing the change in his master's expression, Rhens picks up a pebble lying on the ground.
Rhens: Heck if I remember!
He then hurls it at Yodarha.
Yodarha: Hrgh!
The Harvin splits the rock in half, leaving behind a smooth cross section.
Rhens: For shame... You're off from the center.
Yodarha: My aim is imprecise. As you suggested, I must resharpen my senses.
Rhens: Whettin' a rusted blade ain't no easy feat.
Yodarha: A trial by fire awaits.
Determined to reignite the spark within him, Yodarha steps into the twilight of the forest.
Rhens: Ooh, that's gonna be a toughie. I wanna watch.
Yodarha: I don't mind you coming along, but don't blame me if you collapse.
Rhens: Training's been easy as pie lately. This is as good a chance as any to light a fire under my ass.
Yodarha: Hah, you and your big talk. Let's go, Rhens.
Rhens: Right behind ya.
Seeking to hone their skills with the blade...
The two swordsmen proceed through the darkness.