The story thread

[roxelanahybrida]

I thought it might be fun to have a story thread, where everyone who posts contributes a part of the story. You can be serious or be funny,or both at the same time.
I'm going to start it out with characters from IYSS but feel free to include:

Characters from other dramas
other historical figures
giant robots
random explosions...in short all the things that make a good story Let your imaginations run wild! (Welllll not too wild...)

[roxelanahybrida]

It is early, the sky is still dark. It will be a cold day,and perhaps it will rain. The trees of autumn are brilliantly colored against the overcast sky.
The Admiral sits at his desk. It is lit by a single candle. His desk is covered with papers. He sighs and puts his brush down. It has been a long night, and the day promises to be even longer.
Suddenly, there is a sound of running feet, clad in heavy boots, out side the door. Kim Wan bursts through the door, followed by Yi Young Nam.
"Admiral!" Kim Wan says, out of breath.
Yi Young Nam glowers at him from under his eyebrows. "Sir, I tried to stop him from..."

[Eowyn]

A cool idea, roxelanahybrida. I hope I did an ok job -



"...sending the message, but the courier took it!"

"Message?" asked Yi Soon-shin, surprised.

Kim Wan shifted on his feet and began to stare with downcast eyes.

"He sent a message to the nomads in the north. Asking them to join us against the Japanese!"

Soon shin turned his head to his loyal officer, who stood now silently before him. "Is this true, what Young-nam says?" he asked.

***edit - oops i made a mistake, let me edit again, ok better now

[roxelanahybrida]

Thanks for getting the ball rolling Eowyn!

*cue dramatic music *

The saga continues...

[roxelanahybrida]

Kim Wan looked at his feet. "Aigu, what a mess... see,Sir, what I meant to do was... ahhmm.... we're just in a bad spot right now sir, and I thought..."
The admiral stood up. " This thing must not happen. Go now and take the our fastest horses, and try to intercept the message. Both of you. " " Right away, sir" they replied in unison.
They hurried to do what the Admiral had ordered (Young Nam grumbling all the way) They had not traveled far when they came to a crossroad. A lone figure stood there, hooded and cloaked. As they approached, the hooded figure turned towards them, and removed the hood obscuring his features.
Kim Wan and Yi Young Nam gasped, for the hooded figure was ...

[Eowyn]

"...Duduel, keeper of the Shilla Dynasty, the last Imperial Dragon.

"It cannot be," gasped Young-nam. "I have seen his portrait and it is he! Duduel!"

"You are crazy," shot back Kim Wan, keeping one eye on the figure and one on his companion. "Duduel is from the age of the warriors, from...Koryo!"

The cloaked form spoke at once, his voice ancient yet strong. "It is true I am from Koryo, but I have come back to you now," he declared.

Suddenly, he let fall his robe from off his shoulders. His one hand was revealed holding a sculptured head, grayish in color, yet with stains of brown like old blood. The features of the carving stared out sharply, as if in pain.

Kim Wan's eyes immediately protruded from his head. He gaped wildly at the statue, knowing at one what it was. "It is...it is the face of the people," he exclaimed. "The face of the people, encased in suffering!"

At these words, the master let close his eyes for a moment. When he spoke again, it was in a tone of great command.

"Yes, Koryo has passed into history. But Chosun shall not!"

[roxelanahybrida]

Yi Young Nam pulled his companion to the side.
"I don't think we should get involved with this guy. Everyone who associates with him tends to come to a bad end"
" I know,but just think...he's got to know something that can aid us in our mission"
Young Nam sighed.
"All right, but keep an eye on him. The minute he starts on on the whole 'saving the people from distress' and 'bring back Shilla' thing, we're leaving..."
Dudel (who was suddenly standing right behind them, though neither of them had heard him move) snorted.
"Neither of you have any faith in me...but you will. Follow me...

[Eowyn]

"...it is not far." Duduel picked up his staff and walked on ahead as the others followed on horseback.

After traveling this way for a good quarter hour, Young-nam all at once recalled the message that he had been charged to intercept. It was as if he had been unconscious, lost in an empty reverie, and it was only now that he had realized who he was and what he was doing there in the northern country.

"Listen, we have to go back," he announced. "To the north. We have to find the courier sent to the nomads."

Kim Wan swore at the realization. "And we have wasted all this time," he moaned.

"Do not fret," replied Duduel, still leading the way and without once turning his head to them. "It is already taken care of." His tone was light and simple.

The two officers exchanged puzzled glances before finally shrugging their shoulders. "This is too strange for me, " murmured Young-nam, beneath his breath.

The party of three began to ascend a steep mountain. Rocks protruded from the earth as the horses carefully picked their way through. Duduel's pace was quick and his ability to climb miraculous for one of his age.

Arriving at the top, he beckoned for the officers to hurry forth.

"Our horses must watch their way!" grumbled Young-nam. He was becoming more and more ill-humored as the journey progressed, half-wishing he had not followed the old master, yet knowing that there was some sort of power in his appearance.

Kim Wan pulled his horse up to his companions side, and they both reached the mountain top together. Standing besides Duduel they gazed down on one of the most spectacular sites they had ever seen. For before them was....

[TheBo]

New York City.

[roxelanahybrida]

For a few long moments, nothing was said, as Kim Wan rubbed his eyes and Yi Young Nam merely gaped at the sight before him. Dudel smiled.
"It is incredible,isn't it? Come along. I have something I wish to show you"
"But...what is it? Where are we, master?" Kim Wan asked.
"And how did we get here?" Young Nam added.
" I could tell you where we are...and perhaps I will, but not yet. As to how, why, that's none of your concern. And now, if there are no more questions, let us continue on out journey. You will see and hear many things that you cannot understand, but don't be afraid. None of these things can cause you any harm so long as I am with you"
The three companions headed off into the city.They had not traveled long when Dudel stopped abruptly.
"We have to make a stop before I show you what I want you to see. Before we continue we need to..."

[TheBo]

"Dawg! Gitcher hot, steamy dawg!"

Master Dudel paused in the middle of this thought. "Yes, yes, that's it," he murmured. He turned toward a metal cart emitting steam and spoke to the villein who had interrupted him with his plaintive cry. "I will have six, please. Plenty of mustard."

"Master, what is mustard?" cried poor Kim Wan.

"A sauce, most piquant...here, eat, fill yourselves..." Master Dudel handed his two confused followers the hot dogs and took an appreciative bite of one of his own. When Yi Young-nam, startled into a grunt of joy, began to speak, the Master held up his hand (the one holding the bloody head of Chosun). "No talking, eat, enjoy..."

The three travelers consumed their viands and washed them down with something called "celery tonic." The master wiped his face with a paper cloth, and said, "Now, then, we must get to MOMA..."

Kim Wan whispered to his befuddled friend: "MOMA. This must be a leader of the nomads!"

Yi Young-nam just nodded. Suddenly, Master Dudel shouted, "Here! We are here! Wait! Where is the head!"

Kim Wan, tapping his forehead, said, "I think you left it on the..."

[roxelanahybrida]

"....cart? By the mustard?"
Dudel raced back to the cart, with his two companions struggling to keep up.
"It's gone" said Kim Wan in dismay as they reached the cart.
"You guys looking for that statue? Some guy took it. I tried to stop him, but he just ran off. He went that way, towards the subway station. Maybe you guys can catch him..."
Dudel rubbed his chin. "I see. Well, MOMA will have to wait. We cannot go anywhere without the head. Let's find it and get it back."
Dudel and Kim Wan started walking in the direction of the subway station but Young Nam stopped abruptly.
"Wait. I want to know what's going on here before I go another step. What is this MOMA you keep talking about, and why is that head so important,anyway?"
Dudel smiled and turned to Kim Wan. "Is he always like this?"
Kim Wan looked disaprovingly at Young Nam.
"Always."
Dudel laid his hands on Young Nam's shoulders and said, " I promise you you will have the answers to all your questions, and soon. Just trust me a little longer"
Young Nam nodded, looking chastened. "All right."
"Let's go then"
They reached the subway station, where there was a long line of people waiting to go through the turnstyles.
" Look" Kim Wan whispered "there he is...and he's got the head."
"I see" said Dudel,looking grim "I should have known...

[TheBo]

"Paloma Varga Weisz!" cried Master Duduel. "Drop that head immediately, unscrupulous wench!"

Kim Wan hit the side of his head with his hand repeatedly, as if to clear his ears. "Wench? Did he say wench?"

The person holding the head of Chosun turned, revealing a plain, undecorated and long face. It wore black men's clothing, cut close to the lean body which, just barely, revealed a woman's smallish bosom. It laughed, a deep, throaty, inappropriate laugh.

"But she is dressed as a man does in this odd place!" As he said the words, it was as if the scales fell from Young-nam's eyes. There were hundreds of women dressed in what he mysteriously knew were called "trousers"--all around them, openly flaunting their immodesty. He felt cold shock close around his throat. Many were covered with make-up that would have brought a blush to the cheek of the most brazen strumpet.

"Well, now, that makes choosing a mate more fun..." murmured Kim Wan in an amused tone of voice.

"Silence!" cried Master Duduel. "We must stop her!" They rushed toward the metal turnstyle just as Paloma Vargas Weisz pushed through--shoving aside many people of better quality, in Young-nam's estimation--all the while the Master muttering, "I've got one of those darned passes somewhere...I don't know what was so wrong with the tokens, they were easy to hold onto..."

As they slipped small papers into a slot in the turnstyle and Duduel and Yi walked through, Kim Wan felt a heavy, cold hand descend onto his shoulder. "Excuse me, buddy, where d'ya think yer goin' wit' the big knife?" Kim whipped around, expertly pulling out his sword as he did so, only to be faced with an obviously official personage with a very small musket in hand. "Everyone get DOWN!" he shouted. Citizens fell to the ground in a great mass, screaming in terror.

"Officer." The man looked to his left, into the eyes of Master Duduel. "I think you should know..."

[roxelanahybrida]

"...that we are with..." he pulled out a flat piece of metal and showed it to the officer.
The man looked shocked. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't..."
He turned to the people who were beginning to stand up. "Move along you people" he said gruffly, "nothing to see here. Go on, go on"
"But" he said, "what's with the clothes, and the...swords? Are those real?"
Dudel shook his head. " Weren't you informed? How terrible, that you were left out of the loop. Well we must go now, officer. Have a good day."
The three companions headed down the stairs. "What did you do to him, that he just let us leave?" asked Kim Wan.
"I can see the officials in this place are lamentably lax in their duties" grumbled Yi Young Nam, as he inspected some grafitti on the wall.
"Don't blame him. I showed him the badge of a certain important government agency...oh and I put him under an enchantment, him and all of those people. They'll have forgotten the whole thing by nightfall"
"Did you say enchantment? Are we also, by chance, under an..." Young Nam said, but his words were drowned out by a monstrous roaring as a train pulled into the station.
"I suspect" said Dudel "that woman is going to the same place we are, but we must arrive there before she does, and take the head from her...hmmmm...I think we should get off, maybe two stops from now and catch a cab...but fares are ridiculous these days, so I don't know..."
As Dudel though out loud, Young Nam whispered to Kim Wan "I like this less and less. We need to leave."
Kim Wan chuckled. "My man, I have two ideas. One, is that I'm dreaming. The other is that I'm not. If I'm not, we have to see this thing through to the end. How will we get home otherwise?"
"This is our stop. Let's go" said Dudel. He sprung nimbly up the steps and stepped onto the curb. He waved his hand at one of the oncoming vehicles and yelled"TAXI..."