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Chu looks at the corpse on the ground in a calculating way, this entire day he had seen omen's protending to something occuring. These omen's screamed of something bad though and he hoped today would not be his last. With measured movements he focused his Ki, summoning forth invisible barriers of focused Ki to shield him from harm. He finished by focusing one more time and bringing forth into being a floating plate of force that hovered over his arm. Hopefully this will be enough...
He pulled Kotei no kiba from its protective cover and made his way quietly down the alley. He tried to use all of his senses in case he was walking into a trap, the storm though made his ability to detect scent a lot more difficult as all the wetness made once dried foulness reek with new life. Drakness and shadows however could not deceive his sharp reptillian eyes.
@Chu: You glide down the alley and peer around the corner, no one seems to notice your presence or passing. A single terrified ruffian sprints by you, his face cut open quite badly. He is weeping for his mother. You peer carefully around the corner and see a tall, gaunt figure surrounded by thugs and peasants. Several shattered corpses lay on the ground. The figure in their midst is a humanoid about 7'6" tall and quite slim, and clad entirely in rich midnight blue clothing and studded leather armor with flat black studs. Their face is covered by a mask similar to what fencers wear, giving you no indication at all as to what they look like. You also notice that not a single inch of skin is showing; they are covered head-to-toe in either cloth or armor.
At first your concern is this lone, painfully thin figure with no visible weapons is being assaulted by some kind of local street gang, but as you watch you realize the opposite is true; the gangsters are trying to escape this figure's wrath. It strikes with its hands and with magic, and is possessed of impossible speed and strength. You witness it striking a half-dozen times in the span most could only attack once. It is the single most fearsome combatant you have ever seen in your entire long life.
Somewhere a hound bays.
Nonplussed, the Shoto samurai continues. We live in a world based on honorable testimony, Bethany Erodel. You posed as the Scarecrow when I arrested you. You were protected by the Plum Blossom crime syndicate. The Imperial Guard would waste none of their time listening to your petty defenses given those facts. How much less so if a scion of a great house - a future daimyo they will have to curry favor with - is your acuser?
Imuri does not blink. He does not waver or show any opportunity for mercy. His features do not soften as he waits for the woman to offer her response. WHen she opens her mouth to speak, he barks harshly.
The truth, Bethany Erodal. Or your head. And be more respectful of your surroundings than your brother.
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Bad Omen's indeed... Chu watched the figure lash out at those surrounding him and forced down the feeling he should recoil or flee. The sheer power of this being's fighting ability was beyond anything he had witnessed before, but its clothing and mask were something he had seen before.
In the living paintings the Curator had shown him. This being was dressed like the Chan, the mask, the clothing. It was both a stroke of luck and a portent of Chu’s doom, as a servant of the Emperor this could not go unchallenged. He focused his thoughts at one of the still standing peasants’ and connected telepathically with the man. In the brief moment their eyes meet the man’s mind is bombard by a simple suggestion, one that sounds more reasonable then his current plight. You want to go to the Temple of Cultural Exchange and tell the Curator what you have witnessed here. Tell them that Adviser Kage sent you, GO QUICKLY!
When he broke eye contact with them, Chu raised his voice as loud as he could as he roared over the sound of combat and the cries of the injured. He raised Kotei no Kiba to emphasize his point, Chu was calm and confident as he faced down what was likely the being that would end him.
I am the Emperor’s servant, I fear no enemy while in His service and the threat of death will not deter me from performing my duties…
Tokine smiles and lets out a gentle laugh. As she bends down over the map and picks it up, she looks up at him. "You are very far from Hell here."
She takes a moment to taps her bells to find the right pitch (and takes a bit of Luck 3/8) as she always benefits from having a choir around her.
She straightens and sings a short refrain from one of her prayers, once in Celestial, and then again in the language of the Empire. She smiles a bit, pleased with the addition effect the portal seems to provide the acoustics of the room. "You are the furthest you can be from hell within the Great City, for you are within the Temple of my mistress Shelyn. You are in the back room of the Temple of Cultural Affairs. And it is no punishment that brought you to me, but a blessing, for I am in need of a guide to the undercity....so perhaps we should speak of redemption. For there is no sin that cannot be forgiven if one's heart wishes to be remade into the most perfect form it can achieve."
She glances down at the map as she continues, "A friend of mine lies wounded in the City Under, as you called it. He sought to fight enemies of the Emperor that gathered down there. He fell and his soul is now in peril. His companions' desperate escape brought them here, with the creation of this portal."
Tokine now looks up again at him. A sad grim and determined look to her face. "Tonight I intend to go down...there. To seek him and to serve the Emperor. To fight the Plum Blossom. If you or your map could be of any service, the blessings of this Temple can be yours."
She then deflates a little, and pours it on thick, "No. I'm sorry." She holds the map back out to him, in a sadness laden voice. "Here, I do not mean to detain you, I only wished to learn where this might take me...and to help you, if you do believe you are cursed. But it seems you have a busy and important job and likely can't spare to help, as these portals are probably opening up all the time and that must keep you very busy...but perhaps later you can report to the Emperor where I had gone and where they might find my body, for even I am not clear on that." And here she looks again at the map as if she can not make heads nor tails of it (which in all likelihood might be true).
@Imuri: At your last sentence, Bethany suddenly gets very quiet and very still. She seems to take careful stock of her surroundings, the guards, the healers, making no attempt to guide the movement of her eyes drinking in every detail. In the end, she gets down on her knees and prostrates herself before you. "What truth, Lord of the Shoto, do you wish me to speak? You have but to ask."
@Chu: The carnage continues unabated. If the figure in blue hears you, it gives no indication of such. A couple of burakumin-looking thugs look at you in terror, clearly assuming their death is near as they are now trapped between the blue-clad killing machine in front of them, and an agent of the emperor behind them.
Thankfully, the peasant you communicated with nods quickly and takes off at a run in the direction of Nagano-san's temple.
@Tokine: The map is impossible.
Even if you had a day to study it, or two days, or a week, it would still be an impenetrable mass of tiny lines and tinier notes, written in an indecipherable hand in every possible margin. You see horrifying depictions of dense labyrinths and twisting rivers, vast prisons and weird caves and large, monster-inhabited chambers.
However, one thing you can immediately glean; the City Under appears to be at least as large as the City Above, if not larger.
The construct seems to regard you dubiously. "I...what? I...yes, I must continue to do my...duty...wait, a 'friend', you say? Would this 'friend' be of your house? Would his rescue be of great value to Clan Nagano?"
Tokine smiles warmly, "He is of the utmost importance to me. He is not of my house as Clan Nagano is but a small, yet very influential house. But Clan Nagano would be in your debt for your assistence."
She hands the map out to him and bows. "Your work is most delicate and intricate. Thank you for allowing me see it. But it is clear I am need of your expert eye to be able to put any of this knowledge to use."
@Tokine: The thing gurgles nastily again. "It doesn't help that nothing stays still down there. This map is fine, but it's just a reference; something the wizards will use to make the real deal. To really find your way around Under you need an Atuned Map. But who knows where one is?" The thing snatches the map back and continues to maintain a minimum of 5' distance from you.
"If this...person...is that important, I can get you a start, but I can't accompany you. It's not my fault! I am Compelled. It's my duty, you understand. First, you don't want to enter here. I don't care who came out, this is not a door to go in. You should enter through..." it consults its map "...probably the Dragonfly Mill. In the lowest sub-basement of that old place is a proper Portal. It's one of the least well-guarded because the Mill itself is in such disrepair. Oh and it's haunted. There may or may not be other things in there, too, I can't remember. But that's your best bet, and will take you to one of the safer parts of Under. Safer for your kind, anyway."
"I see...it seems I am in your debt already. Thank you. But now for you. How can I help you? You say you are compelled. This obviously does not seem to be a job you enjoy. You say you are in the service of the Emperor, but does then someone hold you against your will in this service? I go to the palace tonight, is there no one I should inquire about on your behalf."
She nods toward the map, "You have a gift with that map, but art should not be coerced or produced in chains. Allow me to help where I may. Clan Nagano owes you that much, and as you point out, I might not be around tomorrow to repeat this offer."
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When the blue clad killer didn't respond, Chu unleashed all of his telepathic ability. The presence that the others had felt had been only a fraction of what he was capable of. As he released the holds on his powerful abilities, it was like unleashing the monster he truly was and with a devastating heavy force as he uses all his will to crush this immensely powerful warrior. In an attempt to stop it from massacring these foolish thugs.
As the thugs stare at him in terror, he looks at them with a savage glare. "Surrender and move aside you fools, run and I will hunt you down. You though, Chan or whoever you are I wish to speak to you..."
The whole situation is foreign to Azami, and while she listens, committing his words and explanations to memory, any deeper symbolism feels just outside her ken at this moment. At his directive to deliver the message, she nods; Azami rises to her feet to offer him a small bow.
"The honor is all mine, Captain Takagami-Sama." She gives Kyras a look indicating they should follow the guards and the Captain out for this important ceremony.
The gaijin woman seems to have learned her lesson much more quickly than her arrogant brother. Shoto Imuri allows her to remain bowed for a second, forcing silence and humility on her until he feels the moment has had long enough to take. He remembers his teaching.
Too little power, Imuri-san, and you will damage the welfare of your future daimyo. Too much power, and you dishonor your forebears.
Imuri speaks softly, in an even tone meant to remove no menace from his words. You are researching events of some magnitude. Somehow, you involved yourself in the Scarecrow's organization. I know of the Telestari, I know of the goals of the Black Dragonflight. I know your brother searches for you, and that the worthless kitsune, Vu, has both attempted to murder your brother and professed loyalty to you. I know about the hounds. I know there are tunnels below the city being used by nafarious elements. What I do not know is what connects these event, or which side my house and the Empire should fall on. Give me facts that do connect these things. If you are truly not a criminal, you will live to see your brother and may play a further role in events. If there are lies or treachery, you will die a pawn of the Spider as we set things right. Have no doubt that if I must have you killed before you embrace your kin, you will be found in a way that shames you and implicates him.
Imuri lets her absorb the demands and threats. He then kneels to her. All this I tell you as a loyal servant of my house. I bear you no intrinsic ill will. We Shoto are not so naive as to reject a stone dropped during play. I wish for you to rise and play your part if you have value to us. But if your destiny is the unmaking of our way of life, you will fail, and you will be the humiliation of all you hold dear.
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Kyras is uncharacteristically quiet as he and Azami walk out, seemingly lost in thought. Trailing behind the doomed captain and the guards, he turns to Azami and addresses her quietly. "Watching the game of go made me recall my youth. My father brought Bethany and I a set to play when we were young children. He played us, and we played each other. I never really had any head for it, but Bethany was so talented. She was always three steps ahead. Except for when our father abandoned us. She couldn't have seen that coming. They had a game going at the time, one that was never finished. My point to all of this is to let the people who are skilled at the game play it, because they can't predict everything. Everyone who plays will fail to predict something. Those who manipulated this outcome may have predicted your reaction, and mine too. But I bet they didn't predict our reaction, Azami-san." It is the first time she has heard him use the traditional title, usually intentionally eschewing it as he stubbornly clings to his gaijin ways. "Because we are going to get through this, together. Together, we're going to be stronger, more unpredictable than we are apart. We're going to get through this, and they'll never see us coming." It is clear to her that he speaks regarding her dismissal as a guard, not the Captain's apparent impending demise; without understanding exactly what his plan is, Kyras knows that he at least has one.
@Tokine: The Envoy lets out a long, terrible gurgling sound, like an underwater fart. It backs towards the portal, wobbling its head in confusion. "H-help?! Me?! No, no, I need nothing. I was given to the emperor by Bal-Zat and it is his bidding I shall do, in the hopes to one day meet the subject of my quest, and subdue him in the most painful manner I can imagine, and take him to The Tower, as I am Compelled. It is why I was created. Then...then I..." The creature stops talking and stows the map. When it speaks again, its voice carries the same acerbic nastiness it initially did. "I have given you the assistance you sought, surface-dweller. I am honor-bound as a servant of the emperor to warn you not to venture Under without a native guide, but no attempt shall be made to stop you if you press on anyway. Farewell."
With that, Envoy Six moves to leave.
@Chu: The thugs and peasants do their best to peel away from the whirling blue killing machine in which they are trapped. This time, when you shout, the lanky creature seems to notice you, as if for the first time. It drops the struggling burakumin whose throat it currently is crushing with a thud onto the cobbles, where the man lay gasping and flopping like a fish thrown from a river.
Your magic washes harmlessly over the spectrally thin figure as it moves with an unsettling ease and grace, swooping over to you. It begins speaking in a completely unintelligible but impossibly beautiful tongue, the syntax and rhythms hypnotizing and alluring, sounding like magic to your ears, though this is no arcane tongue you know of. A blast of pure thought swirls around the surface of your mind, surprisingly (and intimidatingly) strong telepathy; ::timenolongerindarkswimpurchaseouttakestockstasisnightsmellsearthofcolding placefansentelealalarietentufaresmeingthallahenhurtblindtheairneeddwelleraq uaticswimmergraceaquaticthefleshscalemealthefindswimmer::
It is making a strange swimming motion with its hands, like it's miming a fish.
This is a Telestari. A creature supposedly extinct for thousands of years. Now it is before you, in the flesh.
@Kyras and @Azami: Kyras's conversation lasts until you are both outside, in the rain again, the roar of water hitting stone and slate nearly deafening by now; this storm just keeps getting worse.
The walk to the ceremonial gardens is utter misery. Literally hundreds of soldiers and guards have come out to pay the captain respects in the only way they are allowed, by showing their presence on his last walk. They may not speak, they may not cheer. They watch glumly. The water on their faces could certainly be mistaken for rain soaking through their helmets and bandanas.
Everyone is quickly chilled by the icy precipitation and biting winds, yet the garden, through some magic or other, remains strangely peaceful. It is as if even mother nature's fury pays respect to mother death, especially in this, one of her holy places.
The Ceremonial Garden is walled in by tall hedgerows and has a pair of winding paths that loop in the middle, making an infinity sign in reference to the current emperor's House. Deerchasers sit sadly in overflowing ponds, the rock garden and flowers all hopelessly tossed about by the storm. The captain sits, and his Second takes his bag and puts it down a short ways away. The sword is drawn. There is a high whistling sound, and an arrow plunges horribly right through Takagami's chest, drawing gasps of stunned fury from all of you present.
"Who dares..?!"
"The dishonor..!"
"Where? Who?"
The captain is helped down by a member of the party, his mouth moves as if he is trying to speak, but eventually his breath stops and his eyes flutter shut.
Captain Takagami has breathed his last.
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He let shock of this new revelation wash over him as he focused his mind, the powerful telepathy he encountered had shook him to the core but now he had its attention. He didn’t know if this was a boon or ill for him, at least it wasn’t attacking the peasants anymore. He focused his mind at the still standing thug. {Forget what I said, escape while you can, help the others while I distract it!} He didn’t know if the thug heard him but Chu didn’t have much time to think about it as he raised his hands in a defensive posture.
”I don’t know why you assault the Empires Citizens, but you will have to deal with me now Telestari.” As the strange language baffled him he shook his head at the creature. ”I do not understand your language.” Chu tries to speak a little in each of the languages he knows, hoping to get a reaction from the Telestari.
@Imuri: It seems to you that Bethany Erodal, while not attempting any sort of deception per se, is also not completely on the level. Her show of obeisance is the well-practiced routine of an experienced courtier or spy or bard. So while it is clear that she is being honest with you in her willingness to answer questions, her spirit remains unbroken, so far.
She looks at you intently, her brown eyes searching yours, shining with wit and cunning and intelligence. After a considerable silence, she nods. "I do not know if I possess the facts you seek, but I will tell you what facts I have. The tomb of the first emperor is empty. The Chan lives, and wishes his empire back, and more. This is why The Black Dragonflight fights."
"The Black Dragonflight are tools of the Chan."
@Chu: As soon as you begin to speak in Draconic, the Telestari answers you in the same language, though it is still "speaking" telepathically; ::ah serpent...ah so slow...i forget...please...the gate...do not attack as these ones did...you have much life left...do not force me to take it...i seek the gate of the west...i need the swimmer to live, need the Candaru...please, do you know...::
You are close enough to the fencer's mask that covers its face you almost fancy you can see fine, elegant, somewhat elven features under there, but it's impossible to be sure. It's probably just a trick of the light.
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The Telestari words were not lost on Chu and he took no offense to him, it was clear he was outmatched. He quickly focused his mind and relaxed his posture in a single graceful movement, as Kote no Kiba cam to rest along his side, he bowed apologetically to the Telestari as he spoke telepathically in draconic. {Fighting is ingrained in me but knowledge is what I actively seek and is my true calling. Forgive the thugs of their ignorance, they know not what they do or who they antagonize, and my deepest apologies for my own poor judgement. I admit that I do not know of the things you seek but I could possibly lend assistance in finding out where they are. Firstly will you accompany me so we can speak further? Secondly Who or what is the Candru?}
The mark signals a new depth of involvement in Imuri's mind. Has the Emperor seen fit to use gaijin in order to maintain secrecy? Are the destinies of those he has fought with these last days so strongly intertwined?
His demeanor softens. Bethany Erodel-san, I appreciate that you are a warrior of means in a strange land. These are trying times, and you have been a participant for longer than I have, despite my loyalty to the Empire as it exists today. I will keep my promises. If you mean well by the standards of my family, you will not be judged for your subterfuge. If you mean ill for my Empire, I will oppose you, and strongly.
He steps back into the doorway and nods at two servants. With a brief flash of sign language, he posts guards and summons fruit and tea. WHen he steps into the room again, he closes the door behind him.
I am careful because of the events happening, but I will not be inhospitable to a potential ally. Speak with me plainly while breakfast is prepared. I will tell you of your brother, and why I dared to be taken captive for his sake.
"Wait Envoy-Six....that seems so odd to say...do you not have another name, a prior name?"
Tokine makes no move that might make him move away. "But perhaps I can help you? You are compelled by this Bal-Zat to search...to search for someone that walks the shadowed path, if I understand your earlier comments correctly. I know much of what passes in the City above..let me help. You are not compelled to refuse my generosity, no matter what cruel things this Baz-Zal has done to you, who ever he is."
She pushes her luck, feeling that Envoy-Six was not always as he is and can use some help, but also feels that she is on the edge of something important.
Before they get outside:
Azami's head angles ever so slightly towards Kyras as he begins to tell her a tale from his past, still staring forward as they follow the Captain through the halls. Their movement filled with the heavy protocol and tradition such solemn events, even though Azami has a thread of hope from Takagami. His low voice recounts the youthful game in the tone of a parable-- the way bards sing stories of the history of the world to draw one's eye to its current state-- and Azami finds herself hearing him in tandem with the slamming rain on the roof tiles, a cadence of verse created among the clomp of stiff boots across the marble hallway.
Until she hears ...our reaction, Azami-san, causing her to actively turn her gaze towards him with surprise he can easily read in her eyes; it is an unguarded moment of expression as the rest of his words sail past the stony wall of her defenses – defenses already compromised by the morning’s strangely intimate discussions and the impending loss (or perhaps not—so much is veiled in mists right now) of a respected and beloved leader, and one of very few friends.
So it is nearly as much a surprise to Azami as it may be to Kyras that, when he finishes with his steadfast assertion, a smile rises like dawn on her mouth.
“No. They won’t,” she echoes, and perhaps it is not too much to hope that such a bond be possible.
Her smile becomes a gritting of teeth, a press forward to cut through the storm. The teeming rain immediately pummels them, slicking her red hair to her head and face. The braid creates a convenient wick to allow a rivulet of water to slide down her neck past her armor; soon, all her underclothing is just as wet as everything around her. Seeing all those who stand along the path causes brief self-conscious turmoil inside –she should be among them, not walking as part of the procession.
Entering the ceremonial garden, the constant battering roar dies down, and Azami takes a place off to the side a respectful distance away. Her grey eyes seem to be made of rain as she watches the blade lift...the wind seems to almost pick up...
No. That is not the wind...
The horrid thunk through Takagami's chest followed by the outcry of those assembled has her already running forward to the captain, arriving soon enough to see the rain wash away the toxic evidence. Whipping around to look for the assailant, Azami is forced to shield her face immediately as she turns right into the bellowing storm- a point the assassin likely took into account as he let his arrow fly.
@Chu: ::yes...will walk...the Candaru is the Candaru...is...swimmer...in water...aquatic life...scales...fish? fish....i seek the gate of the west...so hungry...Candaru...::
@Imuri: Bethany nods. "I can certainly appreciate the need for caution, the desire for care. I thank you. Please, may I ask a question?"
@Tokine: The construct stops at the door in the floor. It doesn't turn around. "A...p-prior...? There was a time...I believe...when I was referred to as , but that was...very long ago. If you can find this person, you will know him. He wears the shadows as a cloak, surrounded by the very dark itself. I was...made in an attempt to apprehend him, but I must admit it may not be enough. If I meet him some day, we shall see. Bal-Zat made me, gave me to the emperor, many years ago. The things I have seen..."
Over the wind and rain, Kyras can barely see anything. His eyes remained firmly on Takagami, though, when the arrow flew into his chest. His hands instinctively draw his sword immediately. He whispers to Azami, hopefully so only she can hear. "Was this part of the plan? What did they pass to his hand?" He summons all his fire and frustration, gathering the Dragon's magic towards himself as instinctively and naturally as drawing breath. His feet lift off the ground, just a few inches, but he breaks free of the bonds of gravity.
Deep inside, the Dragon smiles.
Tokine's voice takes on a kinder lilt to it. "You are not..this...this thing of metal." She emphasizes with a waves of her hand up and down his height. "You are a Child of the Sea...a Living Wave. Why?....Why are you held in such an apparatus?...away from the sea? I have a sacred pool here, can I not at least offer it's expanse before you must leave. Surely, Bal-Zat has not decried that you may not be rewarded for your help. To keep you so long from your true nature, that is not service,....that is torture...."
She lowers her voice. "If you wished, I could arrange it so that the pool were empty and available at certain times...if that would ease your suffering. It could be our little secret....you know, this portal might need to be checked on an a regular basis and it would calm me greatly to know that you were keeping track of it so that nothing might spoil this temple and the wondrous fountain and pool we have here." She looks back toward the way she came, thinking she can hear the faint splash, where she sat in meditation not that long ago. "Consider that I am compelled to reward you for helping me. Your reward shall be me reuniting you with what you are. My compulsion does not interfere with yours...it is just as valid. Afterwards, you may rejoin your quest and Bal-Rat will be none the wiser."
She steps back into the doorway and holds out a hand..."Come. Accept the help that is offered, reclaim your name <<aqua gurgle>>, if just for a moment."
The fruit is delivered quickly andImuri pours the tea himself. I do not anticipate that we will be fast friends, Bethany Edoral-san. But you should know that I risked my life to find why the Syndicate, and believing them to be in league with the Black Dragonflight, wanted your brother. When I purposed to capture the Scarecrow, I was not aware it was you. Even when I discovered your disguise, I had only suspicions. You have much to answer for, but the mark on your arm, and my promise to your brother, means I will treat you with respect until your actions force me not to. Please ask your questions. But do not forget I have you here to obtain answers, and to address another dilemma.
He pours the cups and separates the fruit, then offers the gaijin woman her choice of cup and palte. Once she chooses, he eats and drinks lightly to demonstrate there is no poison or sleight of hand.
We have much to discuss, and much to do, and perhaps even allies to rescue, Erodel-san. Please donot hesitate.
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Chu nods as he slowly begins to understand. He would scold himself later for not keeping up on his studies of ancient history and languages. He felt woefully inadequate in trying to converse with the Telestari. If he were quick enough however, he would be able to learn what he needed to and maybe more, much more, for the sake of the Empire.
The storm no longer bothered him; the wind and rain were mere annoyances to his deep thought. He had to get to the Great Library, and start researching as soon as possible. {I understand more now, the dialect is very ancient and hard to understand at first. Times have changed greatly since your kind last walked this land, man things are different and some knowledge was lost to the far corners of the explored lands. I am taking you to the library, must hold the key to what you seek, but it will take time to find it. I am Kage, Chujitsuna, Adviser to the Emperor of the Mists. What is your name ancient one?}
Azami's eyes scan to Takagami's hand, then back to Kyras, the out to the gardens, trying to discern from where the sounds of struggle are coming. Through the pelting rain, even standing next to each other, she is wroth to say anything more to draw suspicion in case this is part of a greater plan. The magic done back in the Palace, the messages the Captain had, the interruption of a ceremonial suicide by poisoned arrow --did these things connect?
Instead, she gives a curt shake of her head and a baffled shrug, truly uncertain whether this was plot or treachery. "Which one?" she asks response to Kyras mention of passing something, casting a glance towards the ceremonial party. Were they undermining the Captain's plans, or were they helping him? This was a game of Go that had progressed too far for her to see the past --how the pieces came to their places--or the future-- how the strategy might be already laid out for a win. She was an insufficient player, asked to sit at a table of champions.
Or perhaps she was just the audience to the game. That, too, was possible.
"I do not know that we should take action. What would it gain?" she says, leaning closer to not have to raise her voice in the storm. Yet, he seems taller; Azami's eyes dart down to see Kyras floating; her brows rise - that's a new trick.
Swiping plastered red hair from her brow, Azami gives him a serious look. "Don't go so far that I can't retrieve you."
@Azami and @Kyras: after a few moments of confusion one of the Tengu archers points off to the outer wall behind you. "Assassin on the wall!" You turn in time to see a guard, blood pouring out of his armor, plummet off the high outer wall into the courtyard and a shadowy figure jump over the wall to the outside, towards the city.
At the same time, there is a rumbling of some sort from the other direction, also outside the outer wall. The guards on that side immediately sound the alarm. "OGRES!!!!!" goes up the shout.
@Imuri: Bethany waits patiently for you to finish, acknowledging you with a short nod. "Of course. I would expect no less. The same ties that bind the Empire also hold it up." She takes six blueberries from a plate and after a moment's contemplation begins to eat them one at a time, displaying surprising delicacy for a westerner. "I have only one question I wish to ask, for I will not presume hospitality I am yet to earn. My question is this; Is Vu dead?"
Imuri affects a look of concern at the gaijin's question. I am unsure. I know that your brother threatened to kill her to force her to explain what happened to you where you were abducted. When I left with you, Vu was alive and unharmed. However... the Shoto scion produces the small silk bag with the milky kitsune eye. It is possible one from the Syndicate kidnapped a daughter of a great house and intends to exchange her for your safe return. The message to initiate that offer was this. I cannot confirm the kitsune's life at this time. I can tell you that samurai dispatched to kill her before she could complicate my plans were unable to find her. It is possible we can save her and the Sera courtier, if we are motivated to do so. This Vu is loyal to you? Because your brother claims she tried to kill him.
Lifted aloft by invisible wings, Kyras pauses for a moment, desperately wanting to rocket after the assassin. He reaches down and grabs Azami by the hand, pulling her feet off the ground. "How's this? Assassin or ogres?" Wherever she directs them to go, they will arrive there together.
Dangling a few feet of the ground amid the pouring rain is the least possible comforting position in half plate armor, and certainly, it was not expected. Her head cranes to look back where the call regarding ogres has risen up. "Assassin, for now," Azami calls back to him, reaffirming her grip in his. It takes everything in her not to flinch at the rise through the air.
With Azami dangling below him, Kyras flies upwards and towards the assassin. Faster than a jog, but not half as fast as a full dead run, Kyras hopes to spot the assassin from their higher vantage point. Flying seems to him the most natural thing in the world, as if he has been doing it his entire life. His mind flashes to the dream he had two nights ago, where he flew over the countryside and the dreams during his long slumber. How similar, yet how different, this is. He scans the cityscape for the assassin, hoping not to lose him in the rain.
@Chu: The Telestari makes a strange motion with its hands. ::...you may call me Deilaavenaada Calinor...or as close as you can manage...please, i...:: The slim and graceful creature suddenly stops and points up in the sky. Distantly, through the gray curtain of the rain and sleet, you see two figures rise into the sky. It is impossible to tell who they are at this distance. Whoever they are, they are flying more-or-less in your direction though they are quite a ways away -- at least a quarter mile, probably more.
::...there...that is him...we must hurry...:: And with that the Telestari bolts off toward the palace.
@Imuri: Bethany thinks for a moment. She looks at the bag but does not open it, eyeing it dubiously. At length, she speaks. "Vu is loyal, but she is also a fox spirit." Another long pause. "I regret that I must save her. She knows a secret. She knows where the Snow Bud is, and more importantly, she knows the words that must be spoken to the guardian of that plant. We must get to the Snow Bud and destroy it, and render the soil infertile such that it does not grow again. In this matter, we may be assisted, but only if we hurry. We must leave before dawn tomorrow on this mission. If we leave any later, the Uniter will beat us there. He must not retrieve it, or we will all wish for death in the carnage that will come."
@Tokine: Envoy Six stops and stands, stone still, before the portal.
"I...you would...but...NO! No this is FOOLISHNESS! I have WORK! I must GO! BAH!" And with that the strangely elegant and lightning-quick creature sprints down the stairs, choking back a strangled cry. It smacks the open/close lever on its way down and the stone door grinds quickly shut.
As the *BOOOOOM* of the door shutting reverberates through the hall, you hear an amused voice speak behind you; "Bravo, Madame Curator. Such things should be dismissed to go about their work. A filthy lot. Now. When did this new door appear?" Turning to look, you see Izumi standing next to another envoy of the palace, this one a tall and haughty male elf, clearly caparisoned as an official census-taker, here on palace business. Your assistant shrugs helplessly.
@Azami and @Kyras: You can track the assassin much more easily from your height, but they are keeping up a decent pace, and heading for Market Street which butts up against the back half of the restaurant district and its tangled maze of alleys and tiny cross streets. If the assassin makes it there, your odds of catching him or her go down considerably.
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Chu had not been trying to waste the ancients time, he knew he would need adequate materials before he could find what the Telestari was looking for. As he focused on burning the Ancient ones name to memory he found himself shocked out of his thought by its sudden exclamation. Looking up at the figures he sighed quietly with pleasure. For once something is going more easily this day! This was easier then I first thought...
He tried his hardest though to keep pace with the Telestari as they quickly made their way to the Palace. He would quickly convince any guards of their need for haste and make sure they stayed out of their way as they tried to catch up with the flying figures...
Kyras can't see a thing through the rain, which blinds him as he tries to continue to fly upwards and towards the assassin's position. Hopefully Azami can follow him from her vantage point, with his body shielding her from the worst of the rain. If they are lucky, the assassin will not look up, or at least not notice the two soaring figures in the darkened sky.
Perception 1
Perception 2
Azami notes a wide cross street that runs diagonal to the street on which the assassin is escaping--perhaps they could intercept him there. Dangling as she is, she calls up, "Kyras! We need to get there." She points, but also attempts to twists her body to face the direction she needs him to go; it wrenches her wrist in his, but she knows he will feel the torque.
Kyras follows Azami's direction, soaring through the air as quickly as he can to head off the assassin. He shouts to her over the rain as they descend towards the street. "Get ready!" With that warning, hopefully she is prepared to keep running when her feet hit the ground. As soon as he feels the pressure lessen and hears a few taps of her boots, he lets go of her wrist and flies upwards again. Hopefully if Azami can stop the assassin's momentum, he can cut off any escape route through the air.
Azami easily makes the landing, even in the pouring rain; her natural athleticism is perfectly suited to such feats of physical improvisation. Taking up a position behind a shop that is en route, the now-former palace guard listens intently, trying to make out footsteps over the hammering rain and hail.
@Chu: You are able to keep up with the long-legged Telestari, but just barely. You see the flying figures descend, then just one rises back up.