As Kamo examines the necklace, Sakura watches with a mixture of concern and skepticism. She's always been wary of the unknown, especially when it comes to strange and potentially evil objects. Her protective instincts, both as a warrior and as Kamo's sister, compel her to speak up.
"Kamo, I don't think that's a good idea," Sakura cautions, her tone serious and slightly reproachful. "We don't know what that thing is, or what it can do. It could be dangerous, or worse, cursed." She turns her palms up and posits, "What if it turns you into a gigantic cricket eyeball?
She steps closer, her gaze fixed on the necklace with a discerning eye and whispers "Remember, not all that glitter is gold. Sometimes, it's just a lure leading into a trap. We've seen enough strange and perilous things recently to know better than to take unnecessary risks."
Sakura, poised and ready for action, surveys the scene before her with a calculating gaze. The revelry of the faceless creatures, so engrossed in their cruel entertainment, presents an opportunity for a surprise attack. She turns to her companions, her voice a low, determined whisper.
"Let's end this quickly," she says, her eyes glinting with a mix of resolve and caution. "Do what you need to prepare. We strike hard and fast."
With a silent signal to her team, she leads the charge, her blade slicing through the air with practiced precision.
Her first strike lands with a deadly accuracy, cutting down one of the faceless creatures in a swift, clean motion. However, the momentum of her attack throws her slightly off balance. Her second swing, intended for another foe, goes wide, missing its target and leaving her momentarily vulnerable.
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Sakura decapitates a foe before they even realize what is happening! The survivors begin to shout in panic!
Kamo discusses the necklace with Sakura: "Just because these cultists were using it for evil doesn't mean that the necklace itself is. I think we should use what we can against them."
Outside, Sakura proves once again that the katana is an effective argument. Kamo looks for a key place to strike, but the melee of bodies is too confused to find a good opening. Instead, he traces an odd sigil in the earth with the end of his staff. Rocks leap up around two of the enemies.
Kamo's spell wounds two of the creatures. All five of them grab their spears and move to attack Sakura!
"Kuso!" she curses loudly when struck, staggering a few steps as her armor gets bloodied.
Sakura then attempts to intimidate the faceless foes, but her efforts fall flat, failing to instill fear in them. Undeterred, she swings her katana twice more.
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Pagma sends a couple of her bombs at enemies, cursing herself for not being prepared enough when they were all bunched up.
The first one is way off mark. The pots are new, weighed wrong, maybe less water in the mix. Pay attention. The second is a tried and true fire bomb, her favorite.
She gives a woop! Rushing forward to help out with a knife.
Kamo can't seem to find an opening, so he tries to dump one of the creatures on the ground and swings his staff around to a defensive position.
Jing-De channels his inner desire for harmony and weaves it into a spell. The result is a gentle gust of otherworldly wind that extinguishes the fires of rage and lust for violence in those it touches.
Only one of the creatures resists Jing-De's spell, and Sakura and Pagma are able to swiftly dispatch that one. The remaining four faceless people lower their weapons and regard you calmly...
Sakura, poised mid-swing, halts her katana just in time, her blade stopping mere inches from the now-calm faceless creature. She whirls around, her eyes wide with surprise and confusion as she observes the sudden change in demeanor of their foes, now standing passive and disarmed under Jing-De's enchantment.
The situation has taken an unexpected turn, and she's unsure how to proceed. She looks to her companions, seeking guidance on their next course of action.
She addresses Jing-De, her tone laced with a mix of incredulity and curiosity. "You've... Held them? What is this? Are we taking them prisoner now to question?"
Jing sustains the spell and while he wants to tell his friends to finish them, saying the words - no, merely feeling the words, would be enough to undo the spell. "It takes ... a lot of effort to sustain the spell."
"Where are the prisoners?" Kamo cautiously asks the becalmed and faceless foes.
"Mugirou is holding them near his throne," one of the creatures calmly replies, pointing to a large warehouse-like building to the north that stands taller than the palisade walls. "All save the boy. Zoudou has taken him away for her ritual."
Sakura hadn't thought to just ask questions now. It's a good thing her brother was quick on his feet!
"Where is Zoudou and the boy? Where did she take him for this ritual?" she asks, preparing her katana to do some slicing.
”To the Wall of Ghosts,” the creature replies, pointing off to the west.
Sakura's expression hardens as the faceless creature divulges the location of Zoudou and the boy. The information sinks in, casting a shadow of urgency over the group. The Wall of Ghosts – the name alone sends a chill down her spine.
With a swift and decisive motion, Sakura raises her katana. She checks with her companions to ensure they have no more questions. The blade glints ominously in the firelight as she moves with practiced precision, ending the threat posed by the faceless creatures. Each stroke is delivered with a warrior's efficiency, her face set in a grim mask of determination.
As the last of the creatures falls, she wipes her blade clean and sheathes it with a resolute click. She turns to her companions, her eyes burning with a renewed sense of purpose. "We can't waste any time," she states firmly. "We need to head to the Wall of Ghosts and stop Zoudou's ritual. Meng-sung and any other prisoners might not have much time left."
Sakura takes the lead, setting a brisk pace towards the Wall of Ghosts.
"Yes, the boy should be our priority. Let's hurry!" As usual, Kamo is left trotting at Sakura's heels.
A well-traveled trail leads away from the lumber camp. It starts to the north, but soon turns west through the hills. After about six miles, the forest trail suddenly reaches a clearing in the woods, where a few fallen trees and stumps testify to woodcutting pursuits abandoned years ago. Beyond a fallen tree, the clearing’s northwestern side is obscured by a seething wall of mist that reaches fifty feet into the sky. Now and then, what appear to be silently screaming ghosts thrash and writhe through this mist, as if tormented souls were trapped within the fog. A three-tiered stone stands near this wall, while a bit further to the east of this platform stands a dome-shaped cage built of bent branches and wooden slats.
A faceless woman wielding a ritual dagger stands on the second step of the stone, with poor Kum Meng-sung bound hand and foot and lying on his back before her on the tallest tier of the shrine. The young man squirms and thrashes and shrieks through the gag he wears, but to no avail. A pair of faceless occultists stand on the ground to the east and the south, about 5 feet from the shrine’s lowest step, performing duties as secondary casters while the woman on the stone leads a lengthy. Absorbed in the ritual, the creatures haven't noticed you yet!
"We must interrupt the ritual." Kamo gestures to the dagger-wielding figure. "Sakura and I can rush her. Pagma, Jing-De, can you provide us some cover?"
Kamo and Jing-De are able to get the drop on the enemies!
Kamo looks for a good approach on the villain that he's been thinking about for hours, then charges in to attack.
Without a good opening presenting itself, he swings to try to trip her.
Motes of light swirl around Jing as he channels the power within him to command the ritualist to drop onto her knees. He points a finger at the ritualist and chains of light reach out, attempting to bring the ritualist to her knees. "YOU! Kneel!"
Zoudou succumbs to Jing De's spell, falling to her knees and compelled to remain there! The other two occultists shout angrily and try to steal your faces!
Critical Success: The target is unaffected.
Success: The target is dazzled until the start of its next turn.
Failure: The noppera-bo gains the target's face. The target's face vanishes until the end of its next turn. Until then, it is blinded, can't speak or ingest, and can't smell. The target must also hold its breath or begin to suffocate.
Critical Failure: As failure, but the effect doesn't end automatically. The target can attempt a new save at the end of each of its turns, and the DC cumulatively decreases by 1 on each such attempt.
Sakura follows closely on Kamo's heels, her katana at the ready. As Kamo engages the first occultist, drawing their attention with a well-placed staff strike, Sakura uses the opening to execute a rapid flank maneuver.
The blade of her katana whistles through the air, narrowly missing its target as the occultist dodges at the last second. Undeterred, Sakura adjusts her stance and refocuses. Her second attack arcs with deadly precision, finding its mark this time.
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Jing-De feels a familiar yet very unwanted magic wash over him. The magic twists and contorts his face, and he can't do anything but hold his breath and hope it ends soon. Real soon!
Pagma throws two bombs quickly in hopes to catch them off guard, but she threw them too fast.
Kamo's face disappears! He blindly flails with his staff, then moves it to a guard position out of pure muscle memory.
for
for
As her amazing new bomb missed AGAIN, the alchemist who should be more concerned about life and death, but instead seems to be floating on some kind of magically induced 'Okayness', groans out loud. "Kamo, I might need your help on the aerodynamics of the construc--- what in the ever helling grace of pepper and rice happened to your FACE??!??!?" the fearful pain of seeing her friend suddenly... lacking in various features comes out clearly in her tone "Sakura! They took his FACE!!"
Pagma's bombs come up short, but they still splash Zoudou with discharges of energy. Sakura moves in beside her brother, slashing the kneeling ritualist, then following up with a critical strike! As Zoudou doubles over, Kamo lashes out blindly, landing a lucky blow that cracks Zoudou's skull and lays her low! The ritual is interrupted.
As Kamo's and Jing-De's faces return to normal, the other two creatures who have changed their faces into duplicates of the investigator sorcerer cry out in despair! A sudden rumble—as if an enormous tree suddenly toppled over—rolls out from beyond the Wall of Ghosts. The surviving occultists collapse to their knees in fear and begin to telepathically beg for mercy as a vast, vaguely humanoid shadow rears up beyond the Wall of Ghosts. The shadow lunges at the wall from the far side, causing the misty barrier to suddenly flex and bulge as if it were a solid wall being pushed against from beyond.
A moment later, the shadow vanishes and leaves the Wall of Ghosts intact, but the bodies of the three occultists, be they living or dead, suddenly burst apart as immense mockeries of their previous forms climb out of their bodies, shedding the smaller frames to emerge as misshapen undead versions of themselves. Their arms hang low, nearly to their ankles, and appear to be broken in several places; instead of heads, they have moldy wicker cages filled with blood-colored butterflies. They loom over you as they prepare to attack!
The monster that was Zoudou rises to its feet and swings a fist at Sakura! The other two use the superior reach of their long, broken limbs to attack Kamo and Sakura!
"Oof! I almost prefer when I couldn't see!"
Kamo examines the creature that rose from the body of Zoudou.
He takes a whack at the creature, then Steps out of the reach of the other attackers.
Attack Roll: 22 for
"Abominations..." Pagma says in surprise and some fear as the creatures rise from the torn bodies of their former selves. "They probably meant that for all of us." their spider guardian had said these faceless ones had kidnapped them...
Her supply of bombs is getting low so she draws her dagger, ready to move up and help.
Sakura, momentarily disoriented by the surreal transformation of the faceless into these grotesque creatures, quickly regains her focus. She moves with a blend of grace and aggression, her katana a deadly extension of her will. She calls out to her brother, "Kamo, watch out for their reach!"
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Jing-De breathes in deep and reaches out with his hands towards all the life that surrounds him. Suddenly, a burst of energy washes out of him as he exhales, healing the living, and hurting the unliving.
The undead resist Jing-De’s spell but it still badly damages them. Pagma sets one ablaze with her bombs then Sakura and Kamo further damage it. With each wound, a stream of red butterflies pours out from the rent in the monster’s body before dissolving into red mist.
The monsters continue to mindlessly attack, pummeling the Yuzuki siblings.
The momentary relief from Jing-De is immiedately wiped away from the onslaught of attacks she suffers next.
Sakura, reeling from the relentless assault of the monstrous entities, steadies herself, gripping her katana with both determination and pain. The eerie sight of red butterflies emerging from the creatures' wounds and dissolving into mist only adds to the surreal and harrowing atmosphere of the battle.
Despite her injuries, Sakura's training and instincts take over. She launches into a series of swift, calculated strikes against the nearest abomination before raising her blade to parry future blows.
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Kamo swings at the creature again, then positions his staff against the oncoming attacks.
Attack Roll: 20 for
Seeing the battering the siblings are taking makes Pagma grab hold of her bomb bag. "Out, Tik. NOW!" she orders. The albino spider scurries up his master's arm to the top of her head, shivering from the anger in Pagma's voice, even though it is not directed at her spider.
She then grabs the strap, and twirls it violently in an overhanded circle, before flinging the entire remaining contents at the nearest cage head. "Watch out!" she yells to her friends (not even 100% sure of what she has left in there).
Better inventory control is now on her Todo list.
Jing-De takes another deep breath, digs his heels into the dirt as if to become one with the earth, and then exhales.
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The undead resist Jing-De’s spell again, but the most wounded zombie falls! It’s body bursts into a cloud of glistening blood-red butterflies that spiral into the air before melting away into wisps of red smoke that fly to rejoin the Wall of Ghosts.
Pagma ignites another zombie, then Kamo takes it down with a whack of its staff. As it bursts into butterflies, Sakura moves to engage the final foe, slicing it once. It punches her in response!
Armed with nothing but her dagger, the young woman knows no fear as she rushed with a war cry at the last undead.
Sakura, her breathing ragged from the exertion and pain of her numerous injuries, refuses to back down. Each swing of her katana is a testament to her unyielding spirit, even as her body struggles to keep up with her determination. Her blade cut through the air with a sharp hiss, but the pain from her wounds continues to throw off her aim.
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Fortunately, the lumbering undead proves easy to hit. Pagma and Sakura strike it, and it collapses, its body turning to butterflies then mist that flows into the Wall of Ghosts. Kum Meng-sung breaks into tears as you untie him, the boy physically unharmed but mentally traumatized by the ordeal.
Searching the belongings left behind by the monsters, you find a twisted knot of wood that served as Zoudou's religious symbol, as well as a magical dagger: Fiend's Hunger. You also discover a tattered leather-bound ledger that was once used by the lumber camp boss to track profits and expenditures, but only the first quarter of the pages contain these mundane annotations. The rest of the journal is filled with dense notes and theories about the nature of Kugaptee, the Wall of Ghosts, and the “paradise” she has come to believe lies beyond the wall. These notes are all written in a mix of Abyssal and Aklo. Since he knows Aklo, Kamo can make out some words here and there, but it's impossible to glean any insights from these notes without the ability to understand both languages.
Kneeling down to the boy, Pagma uses a spare cloth to wipe the boy's eyes, giving his head a brief hug. "Your father is safe too, Meng-sung-san." she assures the kid. Looking up to the others, "We should take him to his father, then get them out of here." there is worry in her voice. The kind of worry one has about nightmares infesting an innocent mind because bad people are just bad people.
The wall of ghosts is beautifully terrifying, absorbing the crimson butterflies as they die... Pagma worries about her own sleep as long as it is still there. "Can we do anything?" she asks the two men in their party. The sword and bombs of the two women seems inadequate for this challenge.
"Maybe if I have some time to study these knows. Half of it is written in Aklo, but I can't get through the other half, and it switches every few sentences. Does anyone know what s̱̰̳͓̀̈́͐p̸͈̱̭͈͍̫͖̘͔͙̠̼̿̐̍͐͒́ͪ͒ͭ͆̀̌i̴̡̨̫̟̻ͦ̈͗ͨ́_̶̸̧̡̥̪̳͍͓̉̿̑͒̉ͤ͒͗̇͑ͬ͠ŕ̴̡̤͜ ̧̢̲̤̘͓̼͊̄̓̾ͬ̊͒ͨí̸̴̟̭̝̗͋ͫ̉̎͗̾̈́ͮ̀͌͋ţ̵̨͕̥̝̥̠̰͎̠͕͓̤̪̺͌͆ͥ̍̋ͯͭ͛ͣͫ͛͗ͫ̇ͯͨ͛͋̌͝͠͡͞ ͖u̸̡̝̙͉̯͍̪̎̾ͦ̉̑̒̏ͭͫ̆́ͫ͘͘͜͡͠ͅͅu͈̝̯͉͛͛ͬ̃̒ͮ̂ͤ̑̚͠m̶̱͇̪̤͈͇͙͈͓̏̈́͊̽̇́ͩͦ̉̀̓͒̅ͫ͜͝͡͝ ̔̕ means?" Kamo squits at the disturbing text.
Continuing his wise practice of messing with neat items, he looks over the dagger and offers it to Pagma. "You could use this! It would be great against fiends."
"We should get Meng-sung out of here, but I think there are more prisoners back at the camp. It's been a long walk--do you think they will survive until morning?"
Researching the book isn't something Sakura understands and focuses more on the safety of the prisoners.
Sakura, her concern for the safety of the remaining prisoners overriding her own exhaustion, turns to Kamo with a firm resolve in her eyes. "We can't leave anyone behind, Kamo. It's only a few miles and every moment counts. They're depending on us."
She then turns to Meng-sung, her expression softening. "Hey, Meng-sung, how about a ride on my back? It'll be faster, and you'll be safe with us." She crouches slightly, offering the boy a reassuring smile, trying to lighten the mood and provide some comfort to the traumatized child. Once he's on her back she grabs a stick from the ground and whispers to him "Use this to smack my brother on his bottom to make him go faster every time he slows down. He will think its funny."
"My feet are like a couple smashed melons! I don't spend all day running up and down stairs as if it is fun--like some people. I'm naming my next blister after you!"Kamo grumbles, but is ready to set out. "If we have to go anywhere after this camp, you're going to be giving me a ride, Sakura."
Meng-Sung holds tightly to Sakura as you make your way back to the lumber camp. The sun has begun to set by the time you arrive.
The camp itself is largely empty, since you defeated most of its defenders already. The one exception is the large warehouse-like building in the northern part of the camp. Within, a makeshift wooden cage, apparently crafted from parts scavenged from large saws and other lumber work tools, sits before a haphazard throne made from a large root burl that’s nearly five feet tall.
A faceless man in lamellar armor slouches on his wooden throne brooding, while four others pester several prisoners held inside the cage. These four men and women are workers at Willowshore Stables.
When you make your presence known, the prisoners cry out for rescue. the faceless grunts silently scamper over to their leader's side, awaiting orders. The leader doesn't immediately attack, however. He leans forward and speaks to you telepathically.
"I am not the one who orchestrated violence against your town. Zoudou the Zealous is the one who abducted your fellow townsfolk. She should be the true target of your vengeance."
Words inside her Mind?!?? The sensation is almost like a tickling whisper. Almost making Pagma smile.
The prisoners keeps her from doing that.
"We already beat her. She turned into red butterflies which might have been amazing in different circumstances." which was true, Pagma is not fond of death, at all, but the notion of dying then transforming into those delicate crimsons was utterly fascinating.
"So she's gone. And you didn't abduct these people, so you'll let them go now?" there is hope in her voice. Hope there doesn't have to be more violence.
The man gives a telepathic laugh. "Ha! So you've killed her, then? And all of her underlings? Good, good. I haven't even enjoyed anything we've been doing here. I'm bored. I'll let the prisoners go if you promise to let the rest of us go in return."
Oh the laugh actually Bubbles through her synapsis, her lips tug for a moment toward that smile, but somehow she stops it. Pagma looks quickly to her companions, to make sure no one is shaking their heads "Yay, okay, we can promise that..." she thinks for a moment "But also promise you won't attack the town or its people. Unless provoked. Which we wouldn't do."