@Imuri: Aki-Kirei frowns for a moment. She seems genuinely confused. "'my friends...?'" She looks at you with her brow knitted, but seems willing to let it go. "Eru is learning an object lesson in trust. She has failed the first test very badly and must be made to see the error of her ways."
"I trust you understand. I am certain Yohuro Sensei would not quickly forgive a sloppy or inattentive student, yes? She came to us willingly, knowing of her family's connection to our House, and having met my sister and I briefly in the past, though not knowing fully into what sort of agreement she was entering."
The two of you are entering the City House district, passing outdoor cafes and shops that are still open even at this late hour, hoping to catch some late business from everyone leaving the palace. Aki-san picks up again; "Indulge me a moment, Shoto bushi, I will show you a painting like you have never seen. It is in my uncle's shop, down this street." She indicates a well-lit, though somewhat deserted, side street.
@Azami and @Yohei:
The jade warrior continues the attack, nearly felling one of the thugs and wounding the third. They all strike back, but are unable to tag the dancing, swirling warrior who is clearly their better in battle.
Two have spun to face the two of you as you approach.
Targeting the nearest two opponents, Yohei steps forward and fires off a blinding flurry of arrows. As the Jade Warrior notices his presence, Yohei grins and says loudly enough to be heard over the sounds of battle, "Hey buddy, hope you don't mind, but we figured we'd even the odds a bit!"
Yohei:
Yohei's lethal accuracy with his bow causes the two gaijin on the ground to open their eyes wide in surprise as one of the thugs falls dying to the ground, two arrows having punctured his lung.
Both the deputy and inspector are clearly dead, their bodies are already horribly rigid and pale, as if all their blood had been drained and rigor mortis had set in long ago.
@Tokine
What could have done this?
appears shocked
eyes the Inspector's last message (or is it?)
The go pieces were not put in that order by the Inspector; you know him well enough to know that he had a habit of fussily arranging his pieces so they always aligned with the upper-right corner, and these have all been placed dead-center with unerring accuracy.
Tokine turns from the corpse of her friend to look at San Pen, an equal amount of bewilderment on her face."Swampgas...Deathmarsh Swampgas... likely from Enhathlad..very rare...expensive choice of execution...but...but..where is their blood? What would remove their blood?"
AC: 18 (20 -2 for charge)
HP: 64
Action: Charging to I7, attack grey-clan ninja. +2 to attack, -2 to AC
Azami rushes forward, bringing her katana down in an arc; the ninja manages to avoid the brunt of her blow, but the blade still finds purchase.
The Shoto scion allows himself to be steered naturally toward the alley, maintaining a friendly smile and preparing himself for the unexpected.
Direct answers: no, no, yes, yes. Basically, if a Sera wanted to kill a Shoto, they would have to be SUPREMELY sneaky about it. Same goes for any other House wanting to knock off a member of any other House. If they were to do it, it would have to be done in such a way that their hand could not be seen moving the chess pieces or there would be severe repercussions. Any real fighting is done politically, and then in the most veiled way possible. So in this case, the odds are that she wants to show you a painting. WHY is a very good question, but if she was gonna have you killed, she'd be way more subtle about it, and probably wouldn't be around when it happened.
Looking down this street you see plenty of spots where an ambush could occur, but that could be said about most any street in the city. You do not spot anyone waiting for you, nor do you spy any traps.
@Yohei and @Azami: The Jade Warrior continues fighting and takes down one of the thugs. Whoever this warrior is, he's smooth; he once again dodges all attacks. The grey-suited thugs seem strangely focused on him, though the one that Azami just sliced does not hesitate to swing back at her, but the gaijin ducks back out of the way at the last possible second.
Kyras slowly steps up the stairs, apprehensive in his approach despite the assurances of peace from the strange fox spirit. He shakes it off, telling himself that it is in the nature of the Dragon to mistrust others, not his own. The strange beast had not loosened its grip on him since he awoke, and each incident like the last only made it stronger.
The Fury had called it "The Awakening." What plans did the Black Dragonflight have for him? A million questions swirl in his head, their answers holding such dire stakes for him. If the actions of the Fury and her allies were anything to go by, the stakes were much higher than he could have ever guessed. His mind clear of the Dragon's voice, he vows to himself to stay true to the man he knows himself to be, to not let the Dragon consume him. Every day, the struggle is greater than the last, but he knows that he cannot fall, not when he is so close to finding his answers. Not when his sister is within reach.
The burning smell of the unarmed young man lingers in his nose. Kyras feels great regret at the boy's death, even shame, but puts the blame squarely on the Dragon. 'I wasn't in control of myself. The Dragon had its grip on me. I'm no more culpable than if I had been under magical compulsion.' He desperately clings to that thought, the guilt weighing on him.
The floorboards creaking under his feet, Kyras makes it up the steps. Almost tentatively, he pushes a half-open door open. Sitting on the floor is a strange sight indeed. A humanoid fox looks up at him, calmly drinking tea from a delicate cup. Kyras raises an eyebrow at the strangeness of the situation, but is not particularly surprised. "Strange things happen in the Empire," he murmurs to himself.
Stepping forward, Yohei continues his ranged barrage at the ninjas, this time focusing on the ninjas in combat with the Jade Warrior. His first shot overcompensates and misses, but his second arrow hits the grey ninja directly in the temple, lodging itself in his brainpan. He falls to the ground and Yohei fires a third shot at the ninja directly behind him, sinking an arrow into his chest.
@Daveth: Ghar shakes his head. "This place isn't good at info gathering..." He leans in. "...I am. Let's just say you're kind of a hot property, and staying busy and out of the city for a little while would be in your best interests."
Daveth smirks a bit at Ghar's response, and while it was not exactly what he'd wanted the man man an excellent point with this 'black dragonflight' after him on some level being away from the ciry for a bit would probably be for the best, as well as he needed to get past there blockade he could mark down where he could easily move in and out of the city just in case things really god bad. "Fine then, I'll take the job." Daveth said with a nod as he grabbed the sac of gold putting it into his own bag as he stands up "Anything else about this job that you feel like sharing? You said I'm 'hot property' so who exactly is after me aside from you."
shows Tokine the marks on the ankles
These are bites marrks from a vampirre- inflicted while the parralysis prrevented theirr movement.
They deserrved betterr.
We must see if our guarrds surrvive- they may be overrmatched.
returns outside to where the guards entered the smoke cloud
Imuri goes to see the painting. As his training dictates, he looks out for ambushes. He may be able to trust the Sera in this setting, and she may be capable of defending herself, but his instincts are to be aware - too much violence inside the city today to let his guard down.
I would be honored to share a moment of art with you, Sera-chan.
@Daveth: Ghar stands up. "Me? I'm not after you. I'm just after the right tool for this particular job, and at the moment...you're it. You die, I find another." He shrugs. "But I don't like doing things twice, so, don't die, okay? You've got five days. Get any help you want, if you want help, but you pay 'em yourself."
@Kyras: Vu sets down her cup and motions towards a tatami mat on the floor opposite herself. "Please, have a seat." The fox spirit pours you a cup of tea and it smells magnificent. Its delicate, floral scent is strong and present without being cloying. Once seated, you realize Vu does not look good; she appears ragged and harried, some of her fur is clumping and two of her tails droop. Her teeth are stained. "I believe I can guess why you are here, Dragon." she says in her uncharacteristically raspy voice. "But I can't tell you where your sister is, or where exactly she went, even. I can only tell you what she was after." She pauses and sips her tea. "Her magic had begun to manifest, you know, just like yours; scales, visions, a powerful...other she felt she couldn't control. You feel it too, don't you? I can see it written on your face, its shadow hovers over you even now, hungry and waiting." She shudders. "She sought to learn how to control her abilities, but in searching, alerted certain forces to her existence. The Black Dragonflight was bad enough, but that's not what I'm talking about. She was planning an expedition to Mount Shih, there to seek the Tomb of the First Emperor, whose wizard it is said lives there to this day, awaiting the rebirth of his liege, so they may return to power in the Land's time of greatest need. She was seeking his tutelage, or, lacking that, information on where she could get such tutelage..." Vu trails off. She has begun to shiver. "Suffice to say she found him. She awoke...terrible things on that mountain. The three vampire ninja, seven construct samurai, and...other things that should not be that now haunt our city. But he would not teach her. He instead gave her three opals, and a drink of water from an ancient fountain. She left, then, in search of the Lich Queen Firliadeth, Countess de Vestrille. She took the road north, and that is the last I saw of her." Vu has begun filling a pipe with an odd substance you don't recognize. "That was one year ago, and one day."
@San Pen: It does not take you long to find Tokine's escorts. Just 100' away, down a couple alleys and around a couple twists and turns, they are both lying face down on the ground, each one has a shuriken lodged in his shoulder. You're about 10 feet away, and can't tell at this distance if they're alive or dead.
Kyras drinks the tea, its smell driving away the lingering odor of the young man he had burned to death in the grip of the Dragon. He closes his eyes, pushing the beast deeper inward, then begins to talk to Vu. "How well did Bethayne control it? I fear its power over me sometimes, especially when I have to give into it willingly to survive." He takes a deep breath and another sip. "What happened to you? You look terrible."
Not wishing to linger, Tokine will follow her friend. Her mind racing, as it seems someone has a plan that she is just on the edge of seeing.
Upon reaching the alley, she lays a hand upon San Pen's nearest arm. In a low whisper, "Careful my friend, in case the viper lingers. He may think darkness his friend, but that makes no matter."
Tokine will scan the alley and roof edges, her darkvision cutting through the natural shadows.
@Tokine: peering into the shadows and around corners, you spot only the usual creatures of the night; a pair of mice are sniffing around some trash behind a restaurant, and a fat raccoon is waddling up to join them. Some bats fly over.
There is a low moan, and the two guards begin slowly to pull themselves up, shaking their heads groggily as they do so.
@Kyras: Vu gives a little sniff. "Hasn't anyone ever told you it's not nice to point out a lady's flaws?" She takes a long pull on her pipe. It gives off a sickly-sweet smell. She sighs as she exhales. "I don't get out much anymore. Not after the mountain, not now that I know what's out there. Not after what I've seen. Your sister, she knew what she'd done. Came back only long enough to put everything into storage and then took off. She didn't ask any of us to go with, knew we'd say no. But her control...she had no control. It was as if the nicer and sweeter she was naturally, the more ferocious the dragon was when it was in control. I remember her face, I remember how the scales would become visible beneath her translucent skin as her eyes turned that hideous shade of yellow and she became too dangerous to stand by, radiating fiery heat out from her person. I remember watching her aura change subtly, watching the struggle, fearing every time that that would be the time she would not win..."
Tokine will step forward and pull the shurikin free from each man, carfull not to cut herself in the process. These she will examine later.
She then hums a soft calming tune and warm healing flows into the two men.
"When you are able, please report on what happened here. Then hurry back to precinct house and summon the inspector from the neighboring precinct. This assassin has struck two officers in the office back there."
AC: 20
HP: 64
Action: 5 foot step forward, two attacks on our friend.
Seriously...I have not rolled over a 10...in so long...
Azami steps up to the ninja, using the motion of her dodge of his attack to drive the katana into his side. As she dislodges the blade, her second swing is lost in the ninja's recoil.
<--hit
@Tokine: As the calming blue-white glow of Shelyn's healing grace flows out of you and coruscates around the two men, they begin to scream and shriek in pain and surprise. Both jump to their feet then and spin to face you, doing so far, far more quickly than any human should be able to. Their eyes are glassy and have a faint greenish glow to them and their faces are gaunt. They open their mouths and, horridly, their jaws distend and drop down three full inches further than a normal human mouth should be able to open, revealing hideously sharp little fangs where their teech should be. They hunch ferally over and glare balefully at you, holding their hands in front of them, which have now sprouted wickedly sharp-looking talons. You hear rapid footsteps, and behind you you see two more of these creatures charging up at you; one in the clothes of a waitress and the other clad as a busboy.
Tokine:
San Pen:
Nightchildren:
The two former guards dive in, growling and slashing, but their wild attacks cannot penetrate the Xorn's tough hide, and the graceful and quick Tokine deftly avoids the attack.
@Azami and @Yohei: As Azami's katana finds its mark, the Clan Sera warrior lands another blow on his final opponent, but does not yet manage to bring him down. The ji-ninja has a panicked look, but keeps fighting, his sword going wildly off to one side and missing badly.
AC: 20
HP:50 of 50
Channel 5 of 9
"San Pen..? These are not my men."
Dodging the initial attack and hearing footfalls behind her, Tokine shifts toward the alley hoping to get room for her naginata. As this distorted creature closes with her, she gives her weapon a shake. The bells resonate with a dull glow that builds in intensity as the creature reaches for her.
But the creature reaches forward and tries to knock her weapon aside. At its touch, the glow fades from the bells.
Continuing forward towards the battle, Yohei flashes Azami a smile as he turns and fires an arrows into her ninja, dropping him to the ground. As he moves to fire a final shot at the last remaining grey-clad weakling, he is unable to catch the Jade Warrior's eye, but lands an arrow in her ninja's neck, felling him as well.
Once all of the ninjas are dealt with, he lowers his bow and says, "Well, that was fun. Care to tell us why these losers were attacking you buddy?"
Kyras nods as Vu informs him of his sister's action and what it had set in motion. "The merchant said that only you could open the storage unit for me. Is that possible?"
AC 22
attitude = pissed
Horror whelms my thoughts-
Have I abandoned Cho's body to this unworrthy fate?
attacks the adjacent fiend almost absently
@Kyras: Your question seems to startle the ragged-looking fox spirit. "Wh-the st-storage unit? Ah...er...but of course! Open it! Right!" She fumbles about in the pouches on her belt and produces a key. As she leans over to hand it to you she refills your tea. "Here, let's just finish this cup, shall we? Then we can go."
"It's not terribly far from here, we can arrive before dinner...say, you going to the Palace tonight? Not my thing, really, but I'll be at one of the after parties."
Kyras takes the offered tea, drinking it more quickly than is polite. The amount of tea the people of the Mists drink will never cease to amaze him. He barely is able to down even a portion the average one of them can drink. Maybe they'll stop calling him gaijin if he can match their tea-drinking.
'Why even care what these backwards insects think of you? You can rule over them, as is your birthright.' The Dragon whispers in his ear, its lust for power never sated. Kyras forces it downward, where it belongs. He, the man, is in charge. The Dragon will never be anything more than a wild creature in need of a leash.
"Good. Let's be on our way then. I had an invitation to the dinner, but some snotty palace guard confiscated it." His anger bubbles to the surface as he thinks of her accusations. 'Who does she think she is, accusing me of collusion with the Fury? What does she think she knows, jumping to conclusions like that?' The more he thinks about it, the angrier he becomes.
@Azami and @Yohei: The jade warrior spins gracefully to face you. She pulls down her face mask and you realize it is the noble Sera Zhongyi, eldest daughter of Clan Sera, and one of the very best young warriors in the Empire. It is generally agreed that she will be a general someday if she wishes it. She is also the chief rival of both Shoto Imuri, eldest son of Clan Shoto, and Motomo Mayu, eldest daughter of Clan Motomo, a House only recently granted land and arms.
Her obsidian eyes flash under the torchlight in the courtyard, but she says nothing to either of you. She instead spins on the balls of her feet to face the two silver-clad gaijin, and helps them both up. "Noble guests, it is to our shame that an attack has occurred here and you have come to harm. It is lucky that I, warrior-chief of Clan Sera, was here to provide aid and protection." Giving the two of you a sidelong glance, she continues. "It is also most fortunate that warriors such as Azami-san and Yohei-san cannot ever be caught off their guard. You see the power we here wield. I do not know what these...useless thugs were attempting to do, but it shall come to naught before the might of my House...and...the palace guard." The gaijin make a terrible attempt at bowing, their form all wrong and their depth wildly mismatched, but they are thanking all three of you profusely. One of them, a weathered woman in her 50s, narrows her eyes as she looks at Azami, like she recognizes the crimson-haired samurai. She seems about to speak, but instead shakes her head and begins walking back into the palace.
Captain Takagami walks up. "The enemy is routed. I cannot imagine what they were possibly thinking making so bold and pitiful an attempt. Even if this was just a feint, it was poorly executed. Nonetheless, we are sweeping the grounds. " The captain gazes levelly at the short but powerful Zhongyi. "My Lady." He says, and bows low. She returns his bow in the sparest manner possible, then turns without a word and heads back toward the palace, her steps light and eerily silent. The captain arches an eyebrow at her back. "...you're welcome..." he mutters.
The captain grunts dubiously, then speaks to you, displaying the good manners and respect that make him so beloved to all the warriors in the guard. "Yohei, with your leave, I have positioned the rest of your squad around the perimeter, one in each watch tower. We'll need them there if another attack occurs, or if this was just the decoy assault. Can the two of you sweep the woods to the north? I want to make sure there is nothing else out there."
Kyras's eyes turn red and black for a brief moment as the anger grips him. As Kyras fights back to regain control, the Dragon's cruel laughter echoes in his head. 'You are mine, Kyras. You were mine as you slept, unable to resist me. Why don't you just give in and admit that you enjoy the power I've granted you?'
Kyras grits his teeth, forcing himself to take a deep breath. As he regains control of his emotions, he lets his breath out. 'I am the stronger one, Dragon. You are nothing without me, not the other way around.' His eyes returned to their normal green, he looks back at Vi. "Sorry about that. Will you be ready soon?"
As Sera Zhongyi reveals her identity, Yohei moves to greet her, but narrows his eyes when she completely ignores him. 'Hmm, Sera-sama is too good for us eh?' He lets her give her little speech to the gaijin, smirking a little when she is forced to make mention of the Guard's assistance, but warmly accepting the thanks of the silver-clad emissaries. 'At least somebody around here appreciates some help!' he thinks as he returns the crooked bows of the newcomers.
When Captain Takagami arrives on the scene, Yohei gives a casual salute and flashes a glare at Sera Zhongyi as she snubs the Captain and walks away. After the woman is gone and the Captain speaks again, Yohei agrees with the his assessment of the attack, "You're right Cap, these grey-clad goofballs were pushovers. Still though, good thinking posting my boys in the towers, they'll keep the Palace safe. The woods huh? Sounds good to me," Turning to Azami, he asks her with a smile, "Up for a walk in the woods Ito-san? The stars are out and your company is always a pleasure."
The mask reveals Sera Zhongyi, and Azami roots herself to the ground, eyes narrowing as Yohei steps past her to greet the warrior-chief. Her grey eyes survey the dead ninja, and sweep back up to Sera, meeting her sidelong glance as she begrudgingly notes their presence. She had hoped to vanish this group on her own...is she posturing for the guests? Azami is about to open her mouth to respond when she notes the older lady eyeing her; she stiffens and turns her attention to Takagami, bowing her head in deference to him. Her eyes flicker to Sera Zhongyi as she spurns her Captain, considering. I would ask them what happened from their point of view, but such threatens to dishonor Sera Zhongyi's account. Still...
As Takagami leaves, Azami sheaths her katana, the corner of her mouth quirking slightly upward at Yohei's manner. "My company is pleasing for you, Yohei-san, only because my silence allows you to hear yourself better," she answers dryly, but steps up next to him.
"The woods seem conveniently out of the way," she murmurs before starting in that direction, obviously assuming Yohei is walking with her.
@San Pen and @Tokine:
The fury of the paired enemies is too much for the advisor and the curator to duck and weave around, and the vampiric beasts land vicious slashes with their sharp claws, drawing blood. As they do, they all inhale deeply and lick their lips in hungry anticipation, eyeing the cuts they made with naked hunger.
@Imuri: You walk down the street with Aki-san, and it is quite pleasant. It is early enough that there are still people strolling together on the streets but late enough that their numbers are not excessive. Still, it gives you pause when on this quiet side street you see a pair of men coming towards you. Before they can get within earshot, Sera Aki-Kirei stops in front of a well-kept little art store. There are a few paintings in the window, but you can tell the one she intends to show you immediately, even before she points it out.
It is a painting of...well you're not certain what, exactly. Primitive elves, maybe? Four very tall figures are seated at a circular table, in 3/4 perspective. All are clad in rich cloth and silk and brocaded fabrics. One is dressed entirely in shades of green, one crimson, one midnight blue, and one all white. They all wear masks of some sort. On the table are documents, but you cannot read the writing, or else the artist made up words and only wished for the idea of a document to be put forth. The lines of the furnishings in the room they are in are beyond exquisite, but the colors...something about the colors just takes your breath away. It is as if they are things alive, and after a few moments you would swear you could see the figures in the painting breathing...
...you are startled when a smooth male voice says "Good evening Aki-chan, always a pleasure to see you, 'little sister.' And who is your companion? A noble of Clan Shoto, I see. Greetings, samurai, I do not believe I have had the honor of making your acquaintance." You turn and see that the two men you noticed earlier are standing nearby, both clad in the distinctive jade and celadon gi of Clan Sera warriors. They are both older, and you recognize them, but do not know their names. They are either caravan guards, then, or perhaps captains, often on the road, or you would have met them in inter-dojo competition by now. They both bow quite respectfully, and there is no insolence in their tone.
@Kyras: Vu gives you an intense look for a moment then shakes herself and stands up. "Yes, yes, come with me, please." The fox spirit leads you out of her flat and down the back stairs, through winding alleys past more strange stores, some of which look actually rather intriguing. At length she comes to a cartage building belonging to Xun Roi Bao. You're beginning to feel rough -- light-headed and heavy-footed. Must be your wounds. Vu fumbles with her keys for what seems like an awfully long time. Someone...someone needs to quit spinning everything around. Things won't quit turning. Vu has opened the metal door to the storage room and you are hit with an awful smell that makes you instantly nauseous. You feel yourself tumbling forward into a soft darkness, and you fall on your face on the cobblestones. Who knew cobblestones were so soft? It must be a secret. If anyone else knew then everyone would just be...be...lying...in...the...stre...stree...
As blackness overtakes you, there is a shuffling in the dark over your shoulder. You hear Vu say "I'm sorry Kyras, but this is for the best. I'll say 'hi' to Betha for you." There is a booming *K-WHANGG* of a metal door closing, and you black out.
@Azami and @Yohei: While walking in the woods you notice a couple odd things; there are footprints heading out from the city and walking past the east wall that don't belong to the gangsters you just got done putting down. Also, there is campfire smoke rising above the trees, and camping in these woods is expressly forbidden, for rather obvious reasons.
With a growl, the Dragon comes to. His fury wells up and bubbles out of him, snarling at Kyras's stupidity. 'Idiot child! Allowing something so obvious and treacherous! That fox will burn for a thousand years, begging for me to allow the fire to consume her! I'm going to wear her tails as a scarf...'
"Alright then I'll get it done as fast as I can." Daveth says giving Ghar a nod before heading off towards the closest exit out of the city so that he can see for himself just how much of a presence this Black Dragonflight has outside of the city.
AC: 20
HP:35 of 50
Channel 5 of 9
"You are a mockery of beauty. Here is a taste of the real thing." Tokine lets her love of life and art flow out and assault these creatures of shadow.
She then steps back into the mouth of the alley (Q-7) to try to keep these creates in front of her.
Before bending down to study the footprints, Yohei looks to Azami and nods towards the smoke, "Looks like our pleasant walk in the woods may be interrupted, my friend. Stay sharp."