Kuro 'Archer''s page

Kuro
Spell-less Ranger/3 - Soul Knife/3
Int +4 Senses perception +7
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Defense
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AC 21 Flat-Footed 15 Touch 17 (+4 Armor, +6 Dex, +1 Deflection)
WP 32 VP 28 DR N/A
Fort +8 Ref +9 Will +5 (+2 racial bonus on saving throws against fear and despair effects.)
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Offense
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Speed 30ft
Melee +11 Mindblade(1d6+3)(+15)(S)
Melee +11 Mindblade(1d6+3)(+15)(S)
Melee
Ranged +14/+14 Composite Long-Bow(1d10+7, 1d6)(x3)(P)
Special Detect Psionics 2/day, Favored Enemy (Human)+2, Power Points 2/day, Favored Terrain(desert), Psychic Strike(2d8), Mythic Power 7/day,
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Statistics
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Str 18 Dex 22 Con 16 Int 12 Wis 8 Cha 18
Base Atk +4
CMB +6
CMD 20
Feats Two-Weapon Fighting, Wild Talent, Weapon Focus (mind blade), Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Endurance, Extra Blade Skill, Rapid Shot(Mythic), Double Slice, Extra Blade Skill,
Skills +11 Acrobatics(Dex)(4), Autohypnosis(Wis), +8 Bluff(Cha)(1), +7 Climb(Str)(1), +7 Craft(Weapons)(Int)(3), +9 Diplomacy(Cha)(1)(1), +11 Handle Animal(Cha)(4), Intimidate(Cha), +6 Heal(Wis)(2), +6 Knowledge(Arcana)(Int)(2), +8 Knowledge(engineering)(Int)(4), +5 Knowledge(psionics)(Int)(1), +5 Knowledge(dungeoneering)(Int)(1), +8 Knowledge(geography)(Int)(4), +7 Knowledge(nature)(Int)(3), +7 Perception(Wis)(4), Profession(Wis), Ride (Dex), +11 Stealth(Dex)(4), +7 Survival(Wis)(4), and Swim(Str).
Traits Threatening Defender, Honest
Drawbacks Overprotective
Racial Traits Breadth of Experience, Emissary, Eternal Hope, Urbanite, Wild Talent.
Languages Common, Elven
Combat Gear Composite Long-Bow, Leather Armor, 25 Arrows
Crystal Bow
Other Gear bedroll, blanket, small tent, fishing net, silk rope (50 feet), Masterwork Backpack, chicken(10),
Oregano(2), Garlic(2), Potatoes(10), Red Cloak
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Special Abilities
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Emissary: Once per day, humans can roll twice when making a Bluff or Diplomacy check and take the better
roll.

Eternal Hope: Athasian humans gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against fear and despair effects. Also,
once per day, after a natural roll of 1 on a d20 roll, humans may reroll and use the second result.

Urbanite: Humans gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks made to gather information and Sense Motive checks
made to get a hunch about a social situation.

Hard to Kill (Ex)
Whenever you’re below 0 hit points, you automatically stabilize without needing to attempt a Constitution check. If you have an ability that allows you to act while below 0 hit points, you still lose hit points for taking actions, as specified by that ability. Bleed damage still causes you to lose hit points when below 0 hit points. In addition, you don’t die until your total number of negative hit points is equal to or greater than double your Constitution score.

Mythic Power (Su)
Mythic characters can draw upon a wellspring of power to accomplish amazing deeds and cheat fate. This power is used by a number of different abilities. Each day, you can expend an amount of mythic power equal to 3 plus double your mythic tier (5/day at 1st tier, 7/day at 2nd, etc.). This amount is your maximum amount of mythic power. If an ability allows you to regain uses of your mythic power, you can never have more than this amount.

Surge (Su)
You can call upon your mythic power to overcome difficult challenges. You can expend one use of mythic power to increase any d20 roll you just made by rolling 1d6 and adding it to the result. Using this ability is an immediate action taken after the result of the original roll is revealed. This can change the outcome of the roll. The bonus die gained by using this ability increases to 1d8 at 4th tier, 1d10 at 7th tier, and 1d12 at 10th tier.

Distant Barrage (Ex)
As a swift action, you can expend one use of mythic power to make a ranged attack at your highest attack bonus. This is in addition to any other attacks you make this round. When making this attack, ignore the target’s cover and concealment other than total cover, and add your tier to the attack roll. Damage from this attack bypasses all damage reduction.

Limitless Range (Ex)
Multiply the range increment on all of your ranged and thrown weapons by 5 feet, and these weapons no longer have a maximum range increment for you. You can throw any melee weapon as if it had a range increment of 20 feet—this increment isn’t multiplied by 5, but the weapon doesn’t have a maximum range increment.

Amazing Initiative (Ex)
At 2nd tier, you gain a bonus on initiative checks equal to your mythic tier. In addition, as a free action on your turn, you can expend one use of mythic power to take an additional standard action during that turn. This additional standard action can’t be used to cast a spell. You can’t gain an extra action in this way more than once per round.

Armor Master (Ex)
You don’t take an armor check penalty or incur a arcane spell failure chance when wearing light armor or using a shield (including a tower shield). In addition, the maximum Dexterity bonus of light armor doesn’t apply to you. You can select this ability up to three times. The second time, it also applies to medium armor. The third time, it also applies to heavy armor.

Favored Enemy (Ex) (Human)
At 1st level, a spell-less ranger can select a creature type from Table: Spell-less Ranger Favored Enemies. He gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks against creatures of the selected type. Likewise, he gets a +2 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against them. He may make Knowledge skill checks untrained when attempting to identify these creatures.

At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), a spell-less ranger may select an additional favored enemy.

In addition, at each such interval, the bonus against any one favored enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by +2.

If a spell-less ranger chooses humanoids or outsiders as a favored enemy, he must also choose an associated subtype, as indicated on Table: Spell-Less Ranger Favored Enemies. (Note that there are other types of humanoid to choose from—those called out specifically on the table below are merely the most common.) If a specific creature falls into more than one category of favored enemy, these bonuses do not stack; simply use whichever bonus is higher.

Track +1 (Ex)
Add half the spell-less ranger’s level (minimum 1) to Survival skill checks made to follow or identify tracks.

Wild Empathy +7 (Ex)
A spell-less ranger can improve the initial attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The spell-less ranger rolls 1d20 and adds his spell-less ranger level and his Charisma bonus to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.

To use wild empathy, the spell-less ranger and the animal must be within 30 ft. of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.

The spell-less ranger can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but suffers a –4 penalty on the check.

Stealth Attack
If a spell-less ranger can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from his attack, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage. The spell-less ranger’s attack deals extra damage any time his target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when he flanks his target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 2nd level, and it increases by 1d6 every four spell-less ranger levels thereafter. Should he score a critical hit with a stealth attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as stealth attacks only if the target is within 30 ft.

Stealth attacks are possible only when a spell-less ranger is wearing medium, light, or no armor. He may only use this ability while in a favored terrain or against a favored enemy.

Combat Style Feat (Ex)
At 2nd level, a spell-less ranger must select one of two combat styles to pursue: archery or two-weapon combat. His expertise in this style manifests in the form of bonus feats at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. A spell-less ranger can choose any feats from his selected combat style, even if he doesn’t have the normal prerequisites.

With the GM’s permission, a spell-less ranger may also choose from any of the following combat styles for rangers: crossbow, mounted combat, natural weapon, two-handed weapon, weapon and shield.

The benefits of the chosen style feats apply only when the spell-less ranger wears light, medium, or no armor.

The spell-less ranger loses all benefits of his combat style feats when wearing heavy armor. Once a spell-less ranger selects a combat style, it cannot be changed.

Combat Style Options

Archery

If the spell-less ranger selects archery, he can choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Far Shot, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, and Rapid Shot.

At 6th level, Improved Precise Shot and Manyshot are added to the list of feats he may choose.
At 10th level, Pinpoint Targeting and Shot on the Run are added to the list of feats he may choose

Nature’s Healing (Ex)
Beginning at 3rd level, a spell-less ranger’s extensive knowledge regarding the flora and fauna of his favored terrains gives him a +2 bonus to all Heal skill checks made when in one of those favored terrains.

In addition, as long as he is in one of his favored terrains when using the Heal skill, he also gains the following benefits:

Long-Term Care: If the spell-less ranger’s Heal check is successful, the patient recovers hit points or ability score points lost to ability damage at three times the normal rate: 3 hp per character level for a full eight hours of rest in a day, or 6 hp per character level for each full day of complete rest; 3 ability score points for a full eight hours of rest in a day, or 6 ability score points for each full day of complete rest. The various items and supplies necessary (bandages, salves, and so on) are easy to come by in the spell-less ranger’s favored terrains.

Treat Deadly Wounds: When treating deadly wounds in any of his favored terrains, a spell-less ranger can restore an additional 1d6 hp plus 1 hp for every three spell-less ranger levels he possesses. A spell-less ranger does not need a healer’s kit to treat wounds when in one of his favored terrains and receive no penalties for not having such an item.

Treat Poison: If a spell-less ranger’s Heal check exceeds the DC of the poison by 5 or more, the patient receives a +8 competence bonus on his saving throw against the poison.

Treat Disease: If a spell-less ranger’s Heal check exceeds the DC of the disease by 5 or more, the patient receives a +8 competence bonus on his saving throw against the disease.

Favored Terrain (Ex)(desert)
At 3rd level, a spell-less ranger may select a type of terrain from the favored terrains table.

He gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when in this terrain. A spell-less ranger traveling through his favored terrain normally leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (though he may leave a trail if he so chooses).

At 8th level and every five levels thereafter, he may select an additional favored terrain. In addition, at each such interval, the skill bonus and initiative bonus in any one favored terrain (including the one just selected, if so desired), increases by +2.

If a specific terrain falls into more than one category of favored terrain, these bonuses do not stack; simply use whichever bonus is higher.

Hunter’s Bond (Dire Bat)(Ex) - form a close bond with an animal companion. A spell-less ranger who selects an animal companion can choose from the following list: badger, bird, camel, cat (small), dire rat, dog, horse, pony, snake (viper or constrictor), or wolf. If the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, he may choose a shark instead. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the spell-less ranger on his adventures as appropriate for its kind. The animal companion shares the spell-less ranger’s favored enemy and favored terrain bonuses. This ability functions like the druid animal companion ability (part of the nature bond class feature).
The spell-less ranger’s effective druid level is equal to his full spell-less ranger level.

Ranger Talent (ex) - Additional Animal Companion (Erdland)(Ex) With this ability you may select an additional animal companion. Your effective druid level is equal to your full spell-less ranger level. This second companion can be the same animal type as you first animal companion or you may select a different animal.

Form Mind Blade (Su)
As a move action, a soulknife can form a semi-solid weapon composed of psychic energy distilled from her own mind.

A soulknife must choose the form of her mind blade at 1st level. She can either form it into a light weapon, a one-handed weapon, or a two-handed weapon. Once chosen, her mind blade stays in this form every time the soulknife forms her mind blade. The light weapon deals 1d6 points of damage, the one-handed weapon deals 1d8 points of damage, and the two-handed weapon deals 2d6 points of damage. All damages are based on a Medium-sized creature wielding Medium-sized weapons; adjust the weapon damage as appropriate for different sized weapons. In all forms, the mind blade has a critical range of 19-20/x2. A soulknife with powerful build or any similar ability forms an appropriately-sized mind blade dealing the size-appropriate amount of damage. If the soulknife’s chosen form is a light weapon, she may choose to form two light weapons when forming her mind blade if she so chooses, but she suffers the standard penalties for two-weapon fighting.

Regardless of the weapon form a soulknife has chosen, her mind blade does not have a set damage type. When shaping her weapon and assigning abilities to it, the soulknife chooses whether it will deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. The soulknife may change the damage type of an existing mind blade, or may summon a new mind blade with a different damage type, as a full-round action; otherwise, the mind blade retains the last damage type chosen every time it is summoned.

The blade can be broken (it has hardness 10 and 10 hit points); however, a soulknife can simply create another on her next move action. The moment she relinquishes her grip on her blade, it dissipates (unless she intends to throw it; see below). A mind blade is considered a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and is considered a masterwork weapon.

A soulknife can use feats such as Power Attack or Combat Expertise in conjunction with the mind blade just as if it were a normal weapon. She can also choose her mind blade for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as Weapon Focus and Improved Critical. Powers or spells that upgrade weapons can be used on a mind blade. The soulknife can use feats such as Weapon Finesse that work on light weapons with her mind blade, but such feats only work on mind blades in a light weapon form.

Even in places where psionic effects do not normally function (such as within a null psionics field), a soulknife can attempt to sustain her mind blade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the soulknife maintains her mind blade for a number of rounds equal to her class level before she needs to check again, although the mind blade is treated for all purposes as a non-magical, masterwork weapon while in a place where psionic effects do not normally function. On an unsuccessful attempt, the mind blade vanishes. As a move action on her turn, the soulknife can attempt a new Will save to rematerialize her mind blade while she remains within the psionics-negating effect. She gains a bonus on Will saves made to maintain or form her mind blade equal to the total enhancement bonus of her mind blade (see below).

The soulknife chooses the appearance of her mind blade, although its shape must reflect the selections the soulknife has chosen: a bludgeoning mind blade would be blunt, slashing would have an edge, etc.

Shape Mind Blade
The soulknife’s mind blade retains the last chosen form every time it is formed until the soulknife reshapes it. If the soulknife chooses to reshape her blade, it requires a full-round action to do so. She may also re-assign the type of damage dealt as part of reshaping her mind blade if she so chooses. A soulknife can reassign the ability or abilities she has added to her mind blade; see below. To do so, she must first spend 8 hours in concentration. These cannot be the normal 8 hours used for rest, even if the soulknife does not require sleep. After that period, the mind blade materializes with the new ability or abilities selected by the soulknife.

Throw Mind Blade
All soulknives have some knowledge of how to throw their mind blades, though the range increment varies by form and the largest of blade forms cannot be thrown. Light weapon mind blades have a range increment of 20 ft. One-handed weapon mind blades have a range increment of 15 ft. Two-handed weapon mind blades cannot be thrown without the Two-Handed Throw blade skill. Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown mind blade then dissipates.

Emulate Melee Weapon (wave-blades)
The soulknife can form her mind blade to replicate any single melee weapon, chosen at the time she takes this blade skill. The soulknife is proficient with her mind blade in this form and it functions in all ways as the chosen weapon. This blade skill may be taken multiple times; each time, it allows the soulknife to form her mind blade to replicate a different melee weapon. This blade skill may not be used with the mind bolt.

Enhanced Mind Blade
A soulknife’s mind blade improves as the character gains higher levels. At 3rd level and every odd level thereafter, the mind blade gains a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus that she may spend on an actual enhancement bonus or on weapon special abilities. A soulknife’s level determines her maximum enhancement bonus (see Table: The Soulknife). The soulknife may (and must, when her total enhancement is higher than her maximum bonus) apply any special ability from Table: Weapon Special Abilities instead of an enhancement bonus, as long as she meets the level requirements. A soulknife can choose any combination of weapon special abilities and/or enhancement bonus enhancement bonus before assigning any special abilities. If the soulknife shapes her mind blade into two items, the enhancement bonus of her mind blade (if any) is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0). If this would reduce the enhancement bonus on the mind blades to 0 and weapon special abilities are applied, the soulknife must reshape her mind blade to make the options valid. Both mind blades have the same selection of enhancement bonus that does not exceed the total allowed by the soulknife’s level, but she must assign at least a +1 and weapon special abilities (if any). This penalty does not apply when using the Mind Shield blade skill.

Psychic Strike (Su)(1d8)
As a move action, a soulknife of 3rd level or higher can imbue her mind blade with destructive psychic energy. This effect deals an extra 1d8 points of damage on any attack she wishes to activate it on (as long as the attack is made with her mind blade). A soulknife may hold the charge as long as she likes without discharging. It does not go off on any attack unless she chooses to use it, and the charge is not wasted if an attack misses. Mindless creatures are immune to this damage, although non-mindless creatures immune to mind-affecting effects are affected by this damage as normal. (Unlike the rogue’s sneak attack, the psychic strike is not precision damage and can affect creatures otherwise immune to extra damage from critical hits or more than 30 feet away.) A mind blade deals this extra damage only once when this ability is called upon, but a soulknife can imbue her mind blade with psychic energy again by taking another move action. Additionally, she may recharge it as a swift action by expending her psionic focus.

Once a soulknife has prepared her blade for a psychic strike, it holds the extra energy until it is used (whether the attack is successful or not). Even if the soulknife drops the mind blade (or it otherwise dissipates, such as when it is thrown), it is still imbued with psychic energy when the soulknife next materializes it.

If the soulknife forms her mind blade into two weapons, she may imbue each mind blade with psychic strike as normal. If she reshapes her mind blade into a single weapon form, the additional psychic strike imbued into the additional weapon is lost. At every four levels thereafter (7th, 11th, etc), the extra damage from a soulknife’s psychic strike increases by 1d8.

Powerful Strikes
The soulknife’s psychic strike deals an additional 1d8 damage.

Blade Skill - Telekinetic Bolt
The soulknife learns to manifest her mind blade as a variety of ranged weapons as well as the forms her mind blade normally may take. Selection of this blade skill grants the form mind bolt and launch mind bolt class features (see soulbolt archetype). The soulknife is always considered proficient with her mind bolt. The mind bolt gains the enhancement bonus of the soulknife’s mind blade and may select its own enhancements (such as distance or flaming) as if it were a separate weapon from her mind blade. The soulknife may now also take soulbolt specific blade skills. This cannot be taken if you possess the form mind bolt class feature previously. The soulknife must be at least 4th level to select this blade skill.

Ghost Step
The soulknife has learned a potent trick that some call the ‘ghost step’; a teleportation-based principle that allows the soulknife to slip between nearby places at great speed. As a move action, the soulknife can expend her psionic focus to teleports to any location she can see within close range (25 feet + 5 feet per 2 soulknife levels). She can carry no more than 50 lbs. of additional gear, and cannot bring creatures other than her psicrystal (if she has one) with her. The use of this ability ends the soulknife’s turn. At 10th level, the this ability can be used to teleport up to medium range (100 feet + 10 feet per soulknife level), and she may teleport as a swift action instead of a move action. This is a teleportation effect. This blade skill meets the prerequisites for and functions with Dimensional Agility and feats that require it as a prerequisite. The soulknife must be at least 4th level in order to select this blade skill.

Kuro was born south of Tyr, away from the dry and anarchic north. Raised in a small community called Fuyuki, a city of people who migrated from Tyr and the rule of it's god-king. The town was able to thrive under the leadership of Kuro's Father, a Druid who was able to pull large amounts of water from the ground. It was a good life...until his father died. From that moment onward, Kuro was constantly surrounded by injustice. Whether it was the stalls that would cheat each other for a few more bits, or the slavers/drug dealers who would prowl the night, it didn't matter as there was always something. He was okay with it, it never really bothered him as he was just a kid, there was no one left to teach him that this wasn't normal.

But it change quickly one day, too quickly.

A fire, great and all consuming, broke out when he was 8. The flames rolled over buildings and sandy streets, trapping and burning everyone. All around were the screams of the tormented, cursed smoke rising to the skies as the hell on earth manifested. No matter how high was the screams or how heartfelt were the tears, the flames did not stop.

It was all meaningless, the fire consumes all. Except for a white haired boy, walking amongst carnage.

With every step he took a part of him was lost. Memories and everything he ever did was gone with each thud of his foot, his first day of Learning, gone like it was never there, his seventh birthday, his first crush, his mother telling him stories of heroes long gone, every ounce of self-worth burned to a crisp by the time he reached the center of his once cheerful neighborhood, but even so he refused to die.

He had no memory of what was happening, that was consumed by the fire.

He no longer felt anything about the hell around him, his emotions were already devoured. He only had hope left, but soon enough that was also extinguished.

His unwavering will had nothing more to sacrifice to him, but he continued his trek. Soon however, he missed a step and fell on the now barren ground, the rain chose that exact moment to start.
As he gazed to the sky above him, he couldn't feel anything, he couldn't think anything and he couldn't BE anything, but just as his life was about to end, in the place of the sky now was the face of a crying and smiling man. As the young boy stared at his overjoyed face, only one thought surfaced.

"... I wonder if I can be as happy as him someday..."

That man was Kisturugi, a Inquisitor of something he never told Kuro, his face was filled with tears, he was so happy.
It was because he saved him, he was so happy because he saved him....
Kuro so desperately wants to smile like that.

Kisturugi nursed him back to health and adopted him as his own, raising him and teaching him the wonders of Divine magic, and the horrors of the Defilers...not that Kuro was any good. Kuro was told he was absolutely terrible at it...but through pure stubbornness and stupidity, Kuro was able to awaken to his natural psychic ability.

5 years later, Kisturugi succumbed to a terminal disease. As he laid there dying, Kuro promised to uphold and accomplish the dream Kitsurugi could never do.

To become a true hero of justice. To help and save everyone, even if he knew it was impossible.

And after that, Kisturugi died, and Kuro left the rebuilt Fuyuki, traveling and searching for people to save and dedicate his life to.

after travelling around for a while, freeing slaves as he went, he ended up back in Tyr, the birthplace of his old home. it was there that he learned of the expedition that was being organized for the abandoned village of Kelmarane.

Now Kuro isn't the best when it comes to money...his almost always empty bit bag can attest to that. he almost always spends his money on food for the homeless in Tyr, cooking for them, talking to them, and bearing their burdens as his own.

Now Kuro has his next order of business. To Kelmarane...

Kuro appears as a man in his late 20's with a muscular build. Kuro has white lightly messy hair, gray eyes and tanned skin color. His eyes are slightly narrowed.

Due to the trauma he suffered during the great fire, Kuro has a constant emptiness in his personality and suffers from tremendous survivor's guilt. He feels that, as the only survivor, it is unfair to the deceased to prioritize his own needs before those of others. He has a distorted sense of values where he only finds self-worth from helping people without any compensation, feeling that the very act “helping people” is its own reward. He believes it is highly unfair that some people survive and others do not. When it comes down to receiving an injury or even giving up his life to help someone, he will do it without a second thought. The people who see this side of him are often very worried and attempt to correct his behavior, though they are unable to change his opinions.

Besides that, he enjoys cooking and cleaning, especially for other people. Its kinda easy to take advantage of his kindness, and he know it but makes no effort to change it.

When he's out and about, he goes by the name Archer, he's freed a bit of slaves, so he thought it safer that nobody knows his name.

A Gnoll stops her patrol around her camp exterior, muzzle raised into the air as she sniffs....

"...Smells like chicken... the Gnoll mumbles, moving away from the camp and through some bushes.

Once the bushes are cleared, she sees it. A campfire, still going on, with a spit roasting 3 pounds of chicken on it.
The Gnoll squeals in excitement, then going over on all fours and sliding on her knees over to the chicken, like a child.

Unbeknownst to her, a red cloaked figure slowly walks behind her, unsheathing a Machete....
The Gnoll sinks her teeth into the meat of the deliciously seasoned chicken, yipping lowly in delight. The figure raises the Machete and gets ready to bring it down on the creature.

...but he hesitates. The Gnoll, ever unaware, continues to eat the great cooking that was just 'left here'.

....slowly the figure lowers his blade and silently sighs, raising it again and slamming the blade against the Gnolls head, knocking it out. The Gnoll falls to the floor unconscious, and the figure drops his hood, showing his large shock of white hair, grey eyes' and dark tanned skin.

He grimaces, grabbing the Gnolls legs and dragging her off into some bushes before looking towards the Gnoll camp...

Kuro grimaces, the desert is a very hard place to track anything down, but somehow...he did it. Glancing back at the unconscious Gnoll, he remembers that he doesn't have all day.

dismissing his Machete, he starts to silently stalk to the Gnoll camp, pressing himself to the edge as he circles the palisade walls, looming for the best point of entry.

Seeing no other option, Kuro latches onto the palisade wall and climbs, vaulting over it and landing inside the camp and ducking into some bushes. The Gnolls laze about the camp, fighting, eating, and laughing....all around, a normal camp atmosphere.

He narrows his eyes, looking around the camp and trying his best to search for the place they keep the prisoners. Eventually, his eyes find a large wagon ment to carry animals. Through the Bars, he see's a multitude of Elves and Halflings, a few Humans as Well.

'bingo' he thinks, stalking closer as the hyena-men laugh and joke with their brethren. He moves closer and closer, heart beginning to pump harder and harder. Sadly, in his tunnel vision he steps on a branch, causing a large snap.

He silently curses as it gains the attention of a nearby sitting Gnoll. Kuro watches apprehensively as the man beast draws closer and closer, instinctivly stilling his breathing, pulling his cloak tighter against himself.

But a rock soon hits it in the head, causing it to yelp and turn to glare at the offender, another Gnoll who is cackling in amusement. Turning, it charges at the laughing Hyena and begins
a small brawl which the other occupents eagerly crowd around.

Kuro lets out a sigh of relief, this is definitely a stroke of luck....

Either way, he moves quickly behind a building, then ducks behind the carriage. The occupants see him, the children seem excited, but the adults quickly silence them before looking at him in apprehension and hope.

He nods, offering a smile to the people....it doesn't seem to help.

Regardless, he starts slinking away, towards where the biggest makeshift tent is, the Key should be there..

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His hunch was right, it WAS there...at least, a unknown key was...

But thats niether here or there right now.

He's staring down a...big Gnoll...its probably the leader if its size was anything to go by...

He ducks under another swing of the Gnolls Greatsword, the wind displaced by the weapon buffering against his face.

'This is not good....!' he says in his mind, jumping over the Gnolls cot which offers no resistance to the blade, shattering it.

It only makes the pack leader more angry, his attacks get stronger and more ferocious, Kuro can only do so much dodging and deflecting untill he's caught.

The greatsword strikes against his chest, cutting into his leather armor and digging into his flesh. Kuro stays silent, but his teeth are grit so tightly they might crack. The pain is very real....
But it also grants a opportunity.

As soon as the blood leaves his body, he grabs a handful, slamming it into the gnolls nose and eye's, blinding it and driving it into a blood frenzy at the sense overload. As it starts swinging at random, Kuro kicks off the desk and hops on the leaders back before driving his glowing Machete into the Gnoll's shoulders.

They peirce down, severing tendons and peircing arteries. Kuro immediately silences the beasts roar of pain by stuffing his arm into its sharp teeth filled mouth. The Gnoll bites down hard on his arm, easily piercing the leather and flesh.

Kuro silences his own scream by sinking his own teeth into the Gnolls shoulder, Holding on tightly. After a few more seconds, the Gnoll starts getting slower, its bleeding to much....

It starts trying to get to its breathren, but Kuro immediately pulls the White Machete, affectionately named Kanshou, out of the beasts shoulders and stabs it into the Gnoll back, right into the heart.

The struggles stop, and the Gnoll leader dies, its jaw slacking on his arm which he immediately pulls from its dead mouth.

Kuro pants raggedly, watching the blood pool aroung the beasts body, uncaring of his own viscious wounds....

He leans down and uses his good arm to close the beast eyes, wishing it good passage onto the afterlife as everyone deserves.

He has to hurry up....they'll smell the blood soon...god he's hurting....

Shakily, he reaches into his pack and pulls out a set of bandages. taking his shirt off and haphhazerdly wrapping his arm and chest, he bites his lips to silence his pain filled groans. The bandages are quickly staining red.

Moving through the pain, he wipes Kanshou off on the broken cot, before hurredly making his way back to the slave cart.

The slaves look alarmed at how wounded he is, some of them covering the kids eyes.

He's thankful that they do so, no need for them to see this. He hears the howls and yips of the Gnolls become alarmed, seems they found there leader, as the entire camp starts converging at the end of camp....

...which means he probably has enough time.

Quickly, he jams the key into the slot and lo and behold, the door opens.

"...Quickly! Go! There's a wagon of supplies in the underbrush of the Savannah...go there and get out!"

The slaves stare stupified, before pilling out of the cage and running out of the camp and into the Savannah.

.....he doesn't go with them....which some people notice.

"S-Sir! Come on!" a woman yells to him

Kuro only shakes his head
"....If some one doesn't distract them, they'll end up rounding you all up again..."

The woman turns white, looking torn, along with a few other of the slaves.

He shakes his head and motions them to get going. Reluctantly, the former slaves turn and run after there fellow escapees.

Satisfied that it's just him, he walks to the gate into the camp. Facing inward, he draws Kanshou, then his other Machete, a twin of Kanshou except it is black, Bakuya. He steels himself, fingers digging into the leather handles of the short blades. His chewed up arm screams in protest at the action, as if reminding him that he is wounded.

He doesn't turn, he stays where he is, resolute to buy as much time as he can, he wants to be a hero, more then anything. His body screams at him, begging to run and not fight. The screams only increase as the first Gnoll comes into sight, running at him with a great axe.

"Kisturugi...are you watching me right now...?"

He quick steps forward, surprising the Gnoll, running it through with both Machetes. He kicks the body off of his blades with some hesitation, clearly still uncomfortable with taking a sentient life.

"Are you proud of me...?"

The Gnolls start comming in droves, one after the other, first thing that happens is he gets smacked by a bo staff....everything after that is fuzzy.

"...I am the bone of my sword...

he unconsciously starts to recite Kitsurugi's Aria of Blades, the song he was taught that helps him summon his psychic blades. There are flashes of red and white, screaming, yelling, pain.

"...Steel is my body and fire is my blood..."

He can't feel anything, he thinks He's on his back. There's armored feet running to and fro. His mind continues to recite the Aria of blades that Kitsurugi taught him.

"...Unaware of loss, Nor aware of gain..."

The sun is fading...or is it that he's dieing....?

"...I have overcome countless battlefields...mental and physical...."

It's getting dark now......he hopes that the slaves got away...

"...Not even once retreating, not even once being victorious..."

......

"...Thus, my life needs no meaning.
This body is made of infinite swords."

--------------------

Kuro would awake a couple days later in the care of a band of clerics and paladins. Apparently they were already on route to destroy that particular Gnoll camp, it had kidnapped one of their own to sell on the market as a slave.

He was then chewed out for being a reckless idiot; the word for word response of the strong willed cleric that apparently healed him. He can't keep the smile off his face as he is chewed out, he saved them, that's all that matters.

So all in all....mission successful!