Imuri bows, wary of being instantly outnumbered despite the peaceful speech of the two young men. He bows a respectable depth, but decides not to assume their station is higher. I am fortunate to find myself
in such magnificent company tonight. Might I inquire your names, Sera-sans?
After they answer, Imuri allows his gaze to sweep from one man to the other, focusing only briefly on the movement of the shadowy figures in the distance.
Sera-chan, I am startled by the magnificence of this painting, and would ask you for an education about it. So I leave the choice to you, we can discuss this masterpiece now, or we can look into events that have some traveling across rooftops down that alley. Perhaps I can interest you in showing those who would do violence within our city the combined might of the Empire's two most deadly houses, and we can continue to discuss art over tea this week?
If the men look behind them, I will search for two things: whether the Sera warriors look directly at the events behind them (implying they knew about them already), and the updated location of all involved.
Imuri waits patiently for Aki-Kirei's answer, knowing the four of them can catch any interlopers despite a strong lead.
"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.3d6
All of the Nightchildren shriek in anger and pain as the bluish-white energy washes over them. The creature in front of San Pen shivers in place and then falls to the ground with a terrible thud, writhing in agony. There is an odd hissing noise, and tendrils of blackish mist rise from the body and are quickly devoured by the mists of the city -- surrounded and subsumed and carried up to the night sky. The man is still, then groans and begins to get up, shaking his head as if trying to clear a headache or a bad dream. "Wh...where am I?" he asks.
She then steps back into the mouth of the alley (Q-7) to try to keep these creates in front of her.
@Kyras: You awaken to the feeling of sharp teeth tearing your flesh. With a yelp you sit up straight and there are quick, padded steps moving away from you. You hear a horrid gurgling growl in between bites as the thing chews on your flesh. The smell of rot and death is thick in the air, almost choking, but you are able to keep your equilibrium and keep down your lunch. The storage chamber is pitch black, completely dark.
@Imuri: The men introduce themselves as Sera Katsuo and Sera Takahiro. Having heard their names, you are quickly able to remember where you have seen them before. You recall having met Katsuo-san at other imperial events, and remember that he is a cousin to the sisters by marriage and as such not in a direct inheritance line. Takahiro, however, is a blood cousin and you know that he was responsible for Clan Sera getting a lucrative mercantile contract over Clan Shoto. This was years ago, and all the details were never made clear to you, but you know he was involved. At your warning, both men's hands move to their katana and they whirl around, looking alertly in all directions. Aki's eyes get wide and she looks at you. "What did you see? What is out there?" Katsuo and Takahiro turn back to look questioningly at you, unsure what to do next, of if you're having them on.
@Daveth: It is a beautiful night; not as cool as usual for autumn in the Empire and there are warm winds. After gearing up appropriately, you take off.
@Azami and @Yohei:
After studying the tracks you realize they were made by a more heavily armored warrior than the ones that attacked, but also by a warrior that moved very lightly and efficiently, someone you can already tell is more worthy an opponent than the keikogi-clad fools you just handily dispatched. From the direction of the column of smoke, you hear voices. They sound like they are speaking the common tongue but they are just far enough away you can't make out any actual conversations, just a word here and there.
The Dragon, fully in control, scrambles back and lets loose a torrent of flame. The air itself ignites as the Dragon roars wordlessly in rage. For a brief moment, he sees the abomination in front of him. The flames lick the entirety of the room, illuminating it briefly. Several small wooden items catch flame, providing a dim light.
High in a corner, where the ceiling and walls of the storage unit meet, is a horrid and bug-eyed dog-creature with metallic skin. Its breath is obscene and its tongue flitters about as if it has a life of its own. It canters forward a few steps, on the ceiling, and its eyes come alight. There is a terrible...ripping sound...
...and shreds of torn time and mangled space fly over and around and through you, threatening to tear apart the very fabric of your person, but by sheer strength of body and mind you shrug it off, though if this affects the creature in any way at all, you cannot tell.
The Dragon charges forward, bringing the katana in an upward swing. Despite the awkward angle, it slashes into the creature's skin, spraying blood downward onto the sides of the storage unit. The creature wails an unearthly screech of pain. The Dragon shouts in anger, a terrible wordless growl of unfathomable rage.
Infuriated, the creature drops to the ground in front of you and makes two quick and terrible strikes with its claws, rending your flesh with its supernaturally sharp natural weapons.
The Dragon yells out in pain, "You ugly bastard, how DARE you touch me!"
He brings the katana up again, thrusting it forward into the creature's flesh. The rage gives him power, so much more power than Kyras has. The Dragon, unbridled and unhindered by the boy, is glad to be free. His face is a snarling smile of hate, his flesh taking on the appearance of red scales. The Dragon pulls the sword out of the creature's body, sadistically trying to inflict as much pain as possible to it. It drips with the dark ichor of the bizarre creature.
Pointing towards the direction of the voices, Yohei looks up at Azami and says in a low voice, "Let us advance cautiously and see what we can see of this camping party. Maybe we'll be in luck and it will just be a few gaijin unaware of our custom having a sausage roast." With a wink, Yohei turns back towards the camp and begins moving up slowly, motioning for Azami to follow.
Azami nods -a single, tight motion of her head. She holds back from Yohei even when he motions for her to follow, letting him move forward towards the camp while she draws her katana, knowing armor makes her poorly prepared for stealth. Even the sound of the katana drawing sounds loud to her ears, out here among the silent, looming trees.
Once a charge-able distance is between them, Azami begins to move forward, following in Yohei's path as best as she can.
@Kyras: The hound makes a strange motion with its outsized and alien head as you pull your katana back out of its guts, and after taking a quick step out of your reach, it vanishes.
@Azami and @Yohei: You make your way quietly through the woods, nearly a half-mile out from the palace and away from the walls guarding it and the western entrance. The woods on the paths approaching the city are not very thick, for obvious reasons, but at 11:00 at night they can still provide ample coverage. In this case, though, you have a clear column of smoke to follow, like a beacon, and it isn't long before you're able to make out snippets of conversation and the crackling of a campfire, and smell fresh meat roasting over an open fire. Taking cover behind trees, your weapons at the ready, you see a larger group of people than you might have anticipated; close to 50 men and women, all quite strong and hardy looking, but dressed in civilian clothes, are gathered around a pair of medium-sized campfires. Talk is of trade and sales; mercantile goods and land routes. They don't appear to see you.
Unfortunately, Azami steps on a large dry branch, which cracks with a loud *KSNAPCRNCH!*, causing conversation to stop and everyone to look in your direction. Before either of you can act, there is a whistling sound and four arrows come streaking through the trees from somewhere behind, two at each of you. One lands in the dirt at Azami's feet and another hits the tree Yohei was hiding behind with a resonant *THUNKKK*. The next two arrows, however, find their mark, each of you getting struck by one. Looking at the arrow, you see it is fletched with mourning dove feathers, a pair per side, letting you know these are sleep arrows of Enhathladi construction.
two arrows at Azami:
Damage:
two at Yohei:
Damage:
She then steps back into the mouth of the alley (Q-7) to try to keep these creates in front of her.
I 5' adjusted in round 1 to get away from the flanking. Round 2, 5' adjust again to get into alley. Just 5' each time, should be good.
I 5' adjusted in round 1 to get away from the flanking. Round 2, 5' adjust again to get into alley. Just 5' each time, should be good.
She then steps back into the mouth of the alley (Q-7) to try to keep these creates in front of her.
Yohei turns just in time to catch the second arrow square in the chest. Looking down, Yohei tries to bring his bow to bear, but finds he's already dropped the weapon and is collapsing to the ground.
"Huh? I...I'm gonna take a..."
'Nap.'
The arrows sinks into her just below her right shoulder blade, and Azami jerks forward with the force. There's a moment where the flesh numbs; Azami grits her teeth and shakes off the poison. Up ahead, she sees Yohei fall unconscious. Damn Enhathladi arrows, she curses.
Already, she is running to Yohei, lifting him over her shoulder without the arrow with a grunt, and turning run back to the Palace, to alert Takagami of this group. If we both fall, the danger to the Emperor will be unchecked. And then I will be back, closer to the Princess who shares my vision.
Kyras is breathing hard, winded from wresting control of his rage from the Dragon. The ugly creature just turned invisible, so Kyras reaches out with his sorcery, scorching the entire storage unit with a glut of flame. Not knowing where the creature is, he warily casts defensively. With a bit of pride, he thinks to himself that the Dragon wouldn't be capable of clear thought like that.
Both San Pen and Tokine are flanked
Nightchildren 1 and 3 attack San Pen (AC22):
Claw 1:1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 6 + 2 = 28
Claw 2:1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 2 = 26
Claw 1:1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 6 + 2 = 22
Claw 2:1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 2 = 15
Damage: 3d6 + 9 ⇒ (1, 3, 4) + 9 = 17
@Kyras: you blast flame in a huge area around you, setting more items on fire, and you realize you now have a second problem; the fire is spreading rapidly and there is no ventilation and only one way out. You did not hear any expressions of pain so you do not know if you hit the hound or not. Regardless, it does not attack for the moment, giving you a little bit of time to gather your thoughts.
@San Pen:
AC 22
attitude = less pissed, but with foul taste in mouth
Kyras coughs at the smoke. The fire doesn't bother him because of the Dragon's blood, but he still needs to breath. He needs to get out, sooner rather than later. He turns to the locked door from which he came and slams it with his shoulder.
The door doesn't give at all, but there is a little movement in the wall itself, from beyond the door frame.
You feel a strange sensation, as of your limbs getting heavier. Otherworldly arcane power is washing over you.
@Azami: As you hoist up the surprisingly light Yohei, there is a great clamor behind you. The people at the fire are running across the clearing towards you, though you have a large head start. Your legs are pumping furiously as you run at full speed through the small stand of trees, looking for the quickest way out and checking for other threats.
With the creature's magic slowing him, Kyras strains against the magical weight. His limbs feel impossibly heavy and unresponsive. Time seems to speed up around him, the flames flickering more quickly than normal.
No matter. He will simply burn his way out. Fire is always the answer.
Fly 1
Fly 2
Stealth
@Kyras: with a resounding *BOOOOOM* you blast a 10'x10' hole in the wall, sending a shower of burning and shattered timbers raining out into the empty street. There is still no sign of the Hound. Peering out you see the wide street that Lu had originally led you in on this morning. The way is clear both left and right, and you recall that you will need to go to the right for the most direct way back, or to the left to head back towards Vu's place.
The two Nightchildren by Tokine hiss menacingly and continue to press their mindless and savage attack. Unfortunately for them Nagano-san is a far more skilled warrior, and now that she has overcome the shock of the initial attack, her graceful and fluid fighting style easily keeps her out of harm's way.
On the other side of the alley, the waitress-nightchild, torn nearly to shreds by the thunderous and righteous fury of the xorn San Pen, makes a desparate lunge for the earth glider and tags him with a claw, making a small gouge in his tough hide, but little more.
After securing a spot for the smoke to escape, Kyras turns back to face the creature. This storage unit has potential answers about his sister's whereabouts, answers that he isn't ready to surrender to whatever the freakish aberration might be. If the answers aren't here (or if he had scorched them beyond usefulness), he would simply return to Vu.
And let the Dragon loose.
For now, though, he has to figure out where the hound is and kill it. Slowly regaining his breath, he turns to find the creature. Not wanting for its eldritch claws to slash him again, he warily casts a shielding spell, summoning forth an invisible force to protect himself.
HP:35 of 50
Channel 4 of 9
Knowing she could fight one or all three, she again prepares to channel her goddess' energy. She knows she is not doing much, but combined with San Pen's strength the shadow creatures are going down. Sensing each creature as a blot of ink on a fresh sheet of rice paper, she reaches out and swirls each within her mind seeking to wring beauty out of these abominations.
Azami's heart falls realizing that likely the man above is allied with the enemy. But which enemy? Does it matter at this point?
Three in front, one behind to the left, mob. Possible assailant overhead. The archers are shooting to capture, not kill, so surrendering useless. Perhaps...
SO...I know this would require at least the spending of one Hero Point. Is it even possible across several rounds?
Satisfied that the Sera are no mere distraction, Imuri steps between them with purpose. To arms, samurai! he says as his hand drops to his tsuba. Samurai, the streets ahead, Sera-chan, to the roof with me. He does not wait for agreement, accustomed to lesser samuria follwoing his orders and knowing he has the advantage of having seen his prey.
Imuri advances swiflty down the alley, choosing in advance his maneuvers to step up to a loose ladder, kick away from an abandoned cart and vault himself onto a low roof. He runs without breaking a step across the perfect clay tiles of the Cityhouse District.
@Tokine and @San Pen: The former waitress collapses to the ground, an elegant tornado of beauty and peace wrapping around her like a wet rag as she does. A wisp of shadow floats above her, as with the policeman, and then she, too, begins to moan softly and shake her head, trying to clear it. Catching a glimpse of San Pen, her eyes go wide and she lets out a little yelp of surprise at seeing the fearsome Xorn standing over her.
"San Pan! These people yet live, despite these shadows. Subdue them so I can cleanse them!"
@Imuri:
From your new vantage point on the roofs, you can see that the three shambling figures are attacking two partygoers from the Imperial Dinner. Unfortunately, this distracts you momentarily and you miss the jump over an alleyway, landing roughly on the ground. You still were not able to get another look at whatever the white-garbed figure was you saw earlier. Whoever or whatever it was, it appears to be well-hidden.
The two celadon-clad Sera samurai sail past you, their smooth and effortless gaits confirming their superb skill and training. You know that if you continue with them, you will reach the fight in the streets in just a few seconds , or you can remain, get back up on the roofs, and continue looking for the other thing or person you saw.
Sera Aki-Kirei is on the roof above you. She looks down. "Imuri-San? Is the enemy on the ground? I still have seen nothing..."
Azami unleashes a ferocious battle-scream as she begins to barrel towards the archer, intending to run knock him over as she runs past towards the Palace. Grateful for Yohei's slightness of form, she grips him tightly to her, twisting his body away from the reach of the archer as she realizes the intended maneuver will not work. Her katana comes up in the movement, hoping to deflect any attack.
@Kyras:
There is a swirl of smoke, then, and you feel the terrible slicing of razor-sharp claws across your chest and leg, and with a hideous shriek the Hound appears in front of you, moving with bizarre and terrible quickness, opening fresh rends in your flesh.
You do notice, however, that it is still losing a great deal of blood from the wounds you inflicted earlier; horrid black fluids leaking out of its abdomen onto the floor.
@Yohei: With a wrenching pain in your chest you suddenly come to, agony searing through every nerve. You are apparently being carried by Azami, and she has just come to a wrenching halt. You hear an "Oof! Wha-!" from behind you, giving you the idea she must have just surprised somebody.
@Daveth: You see Azami slip as she tries to power past one of the archers and come to a sliding stop right in front of him. His bow is already drawn, and he steps back and fires...
Daveth:
Yohei:
Azami:
Archer:
The first arrow drills Azami in the shoulder, but as the panicked archer steps back and draws out more the gaijin swirls her katana in a well-practiced Whirlwind defense against arrows, deflecting his next two shots off to her left and right where they thunk harmlessly into tree trunks.
"Zzzz...Takagami-san's birthday?...But I didn't bring a gift... Wah!" Yohei wakes suddenly to find the world slightly less upright and a great deal more mobile than he remembered it being. Gaining his bearings somewhat, he recognizes Azami-san's posterior beneath him and his vision focuses on the large armed mob rushing up from behind her. 'Ut oh,' he thinks to himself as two arrows rush past on either side, 'I think we've got a problem...'
HP 49
AC 20
Intent: Kill archer and run past.
At such a close range, the flight arrow nearly pierces through her shoulder, eliciting a growl of pain from Azami through gritted teeth; she shakes off the wooziness of the poison, although her eyelids feel inordinately heavy.
Her right arm rises and crosses her body, using the torque of her hips to drive the slash across the archer's chest, angling from shoulder to hip.