Achiko joins Ihrin in stealthily flanking the behir, whose attention is currently drawn by the orc, cobra and fox in front of it, making it a prime target for the backstabbing rogue and ninja...
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Achiko of the Yellow Reed Koga Hexagon ninja clan blinks in wide-eyed interest as the kitsune with a princely bounty on his head introduces himself... Wow! So that's what a forty-thousand-golden-tael kitsune head looks like...
Letting Mwikali deal with the loud 'front liner' Wulfgar turns toward the Ninja asking quietly, "Achiko, by now the Emir will be aware of our presence, do you know of a second entrance to the throne room? Possibly a secret bolt hole that he would use to flee? With all of our 'supernaturally sent help' it may behoove us to watch the back door." Achiko thinks a moment, then nods, and replies, whispering in Wulfgar's ear (and lightly touching his chest)... Remember the outflow tunnel at the Safi Monastery, Wulfgar-San? There is a similar passageway that leads from the dungeons below the Arena of Death, down a tunnel and out a cave outside the walls of Marrakech, on to the desert... The Emir might try to escape by this secret way...
Achiko speaks up: I have already found the emir, honorable Desert Jackals. He is currently in his throne room drinking gaveh and awaiting word the return of the dark elf... He grows impatient and worried...
In Flamel's crystal ball, riding on a brown mare, is a slight, black-clad woman of Asian ancestry, a pair of Japanese wakizashi short swords crossed on her back...
There are seven newly acquired harem girls here in the harem chamber, which have been calmed and reassured by Achiko, the female ninja having spent some time as one of the emir’s concubines. Achiko greets the Desert Jackals with a bow as they fly onto the balcony and in through the windows of the harem chamber. She addresses her new masters in Japanese-accented English: These women are the emir’s new harem, honorable Desert Jackals... They have been informed that their cruel master is about to die, and that their sad fate will soon change, and they are eager to be liberated and join the Free Port of Sati under your lordships! She bows again, proudly gesturing to the motionless corpse of the eunuch guard, and adding, The emir’s eunuch has been silenced, Masters!
"Also do you need me to come over and help heal? I saw Vanna go down and as for our Deadly Lotus I have yet to see her after that last attack" As if awaiting a cue, the “Deady Lotus” appears out of thin air next to one of the remaining two ghasts, thrusting her wakizashi into the gray, undead flesh, dealing slashing damage!
Suddenly, Achiko appears out of the shadows next to a ghast, thrusting her wakizashi at it......opening a gash in the corrupt flesh for slashing damage!
Achiko hurls a shuriken, , missing the drider mummy... Seeing Wulfgar chase after the drider mummy, the ninja gives chase as well... and falls into the pit with Wulfgar when the stairs fall away! She takes the fall a little more cat-like than Wulfgar... but is still pierced by the spikes! AAAIIIEEE!!
Unable to see as far in the dark as the assimar Northman next to her, but sensing him tense up his muscular frame in shock at some ghastly sight, the ninja whispers urgently to Wulfgar: What do you see, Wulfgar-San??
Achiko moves to Wulfgar’s side by the far archway and peers into the darkness down the stairs... Hearing the chittering and scraping in the depths, she raises her wakizashi defensively and glances at the Northman beside her...
Wulfgar detects a few floor tiles that appear looser than the surrounding tiles, as if they might be pressure plates. Achiko examines the tiles and scans the overhanging ceiling and nearby walls, confirming Wulfgar’s suspicion... Hai, Wulfgar-San... These are trigger plates for darts that fire from there... She indicates a series of barely-visible dart holes in the wall of the hall... Working carefully with a set of fine tools she produces from hidden pockets in her black outfit, the ninja attempts to disable the dart trap...
I... I think it is disabled, but... I am not positive... I’m sorry...
Seeing that a peaceful parley has been quickly arranged by the Fey Lord Perpireen, Achiko relaxes and appears out of the shadows, weapons sheathed, and a look of bemused curiosity in her lovely almond-shaped brown eyes... The Fairy Daimyo never ceases to amaze me...and amuse me...with his antics!
Dismounting quietly, the ninja pulls her horse back behind the party and stepping behind it, vanishes from sight!
Achiko’s eyes (the only part of her lovely face visible above her veil and below her hood) sparkle with pleasure. I am at your service, Honorable Wulfgar-San! She bows deeply.
Emerging from shadow, Achiko slips a garrote around a thrall’s throat and chokes him unconscious, letting his body gently slip to the ground... In Japanese: Sweet dreams, chump!
At the postern gate of the monastery, Achiko invisibly scales the wall beside the gatehouse like a spider, briefly appearing at the top behind a sentry’s back before vanishing again and dropping down silently into the courtyard... Slipping like a shadow into the gatehouse, she tosses a pair of jingle bells into a shadow in the courtyard, drawing the gatehouse guards away from their post to investigate the distraction. She uses the winch to raise the postern gate, allowing half the gladiators and harem girls to rush out of the shadows and into the courtyard!
Achiko volunteers to scale the wall and open the postern or main gate, whichever Altin prefers. I can do it unseen by the thralls, Altin-San. Shinobi means “invisible warrior”! Koga Hexagon Clan shinobi are the best at infiltration and sabotage!
Achiko bows respectfully to Lord Perpireen. Among the Koga Hexagon Clan, you would be considered the supreme shinobi—invisible warrior—Perpireen Daimyo! She then looks expectantly to Altin, and bowing respectfully, says: I request honorable Altin-San’s permission to scout the keep and underground environs with Altin-San and O’Reillyu-San!
Altin pulls aside Achiko and O'Reilly. "Right. If we're going in together, we need to know what each other can do," he murmurs urgently. "For myself, I have magicks that can do a range of things. I can create noises to distract enemies, hide us behind illusions if we cannot completely evade the foul creatures, disguise myself to look like one of them, and allow us to speak to each other in virtual silence over a good distance. I can also deaden all sound in an area. Furthermore, these," he points at his slippers, "let me pretty much walk on walls. I'm sure both of you have tricks up your sleeve. If we don't want to end up as evil bloodsuckers, we're going to need all of what you've got. So. What have you got?" He leans back slightly, looking at the pair expectantly. Altin-San, I can sneak as fast as you can run...and I can vanish into thin air! Demonstrating, Achiko makes a kanji symbol with her nimble fingers and suddenly disappears from sight!
Achiko bows to Wulfgar, saying: Hai, Wulfgar-San! It shall be as you command!
Achiko winks down at Cutpurse, grinning ear-to-ear behind her black scarf...
Moving slightly with the music, watching the dancers and then the fey beast speaking to Mwikali, then the other fey beast show up, speaking to the little lord. He looks up to the moon, then around the campfire, noticing Achiko sitting alone. Grunting, he rises to he feet, crossing near the fire he goes and sits by her. "Once we reach Safi, what will you do? Will you sail to Portugal and book passage back to the east, to your island?" I must think on that, Wulfgar-San. I... I am torn between loyalty to two clans... The Koga Hexagon Yellow Reeds, my family in Japan... and the Desert Jackals, my family here... She looks from the stars to Wulfgar, and smiles sadly. With our traitorous brother Hisao dead, I can return home a hero... But I feel that my destiny might be calling me to remain with you and the others... To be a hero here in Africa... I cannot be certain, and it is difficult to decide, Wulfgar-San.
Achiko sits quietly, listening to the beautiful music made by Altin and Miranda. She stares at the campfire and occasionally up at the stars in the night sky. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes tear up.
I see our assistance in taking down the prey was unnecessary...
No. I’m afraid we were too busy fighting to note coordinates.
The sword has gone to the sea with my treacherous brother... I have been slave to Arabs since they bought me from the pirates...
I came from my homeland in Japan, very Far East, Wulfgar-San... Six years ago... I was sent on a mission to track down a renegade, a traitor of the Koga clan who stole a sacred sword and fled to Europe... He was my brother, Hattori Hisao... He betrayed our family! But he met a fitting end: he was eaten by a great sea monster during a naval skirmish when the ship we chartered caught up to his ship... He had fallen in league with a band of mercenaries called the Lucky Fools... We boarded their ship, the Hippocampus, and fought a bloody battle! Sharks and the sea monster were drawn to our ships by the blood in the water... Sea monster snatched my treacherous brother off the deck of Hippocampus and swallow him whole! My fellow ninja and I jump overboard when we see our mission complete, and swim to Lisbon in Portugal... We try to charter ship back to Japan, but were tricked by dishonorable pirates, who sell us to Arabs...
The ninja returns from her scouting mission and reports to Wulfgar in English: Gate guarded by two men... I put them to sleep with poison shuriken! Gate now open, Honorable Wulfgar-San! She bows to Wulfgar, her dark eyes smiling over her black scarf...
Achiko leaps off the bed with the other end of the silk comforter rope, and climbing out the window, repels down the palace wall into the garden below...
The female ninja quickly springs upon the bed and snatches up a silk comforter...
Bowing to each of the adventurers, the Asian woman speaks in accented English: Much obligated to your service for freeing me, honorable ladies and gentlemen! I am Achiko of the Koga ninja clan, at your service! I am skilled in infiltration, reconnaissance, sabotage and assassination. I await your orders!
One slave gladiator is a young Asian woman wearing black silk garments and a hood and scarf over her nose and mouth, a pair of oriental blades sheathed at her hips, and a bandolier of star-shaped throwing blades across her chest...
Realizing that her vendetta against Hisao is a lost cause without her three companions (and probably so even with their help), Achiko grunts in frustration and hurls a smoke bomb down at her feet, vanishing in the resulting cloud of yellowish smoke.... The ninja of the Yellow Reeds bend with the wind, and flee to fight another day.... Within seconds, all four have melted into the shadows of the nearby tree line, leaving no trace of their passing save a few drops of blood and the quickly dissipating whisps of smoke from Achiko's smoke bomb....
Hisao's old wakizashi vanishes from sight.... Seconds later, the ninja reappear--Achiko standing in a defensive posture with a smoke bomb in one hand, ready to create a diversion (or perhaps poison her foes), wakizashi in the other; Gokei tumbling away from Alphonse toward the shadows of some nearby trees; Kazuo slowly backing away from the fight; and Musashi cartwheeling away with Hisao's old sword in one hand and his own in the other....
The ninja become invisible for several seconds as they argue in their native tongue.... Gokei, clutching the scythe wound dealt him by Alphonse, in Japanese: He's right, Achiko.... We cannot win this fight! Let us take his sword home and consider our mission a success! Achiko, also bleeding and panting in pain: No, Gokei! Do not be a coward! It is dishonorable to accept failure! Kazuo: It is foolish to fight a losing battle, Achiko! I'm out. Musashi: As am I! I'm taking his sword and leaving....alive!
Foereaper bites deep into the ninja behind Alphonse! A jet of dark blood sprays out of the wound as Alphonse rips the holy scythe blade free of his foe! AAAIIIIII!!!!
Crit confirm confirms, dealing an extra piercing!
The other three ninja appear out of the shadows of nearby trees to join their leader in assaulting Hisao's comrades.... Ninja-to at Paddy, flanking misses! Ninja-to at Alphonse, flanking stabs for piercing plus precision damage! Ninja-to at Alphonse, flanking stabs for piercing plus precision damage!
Achiko thrusts her ninja-to at Paddy but misses the nimble rogue.... In Japanese:
Spoiler: I'm sorry, Hisao.... You must die!
The female ninja dodges Paddy's thrust....
Futile attempt to perceive what even the gods would have trouble perceiving fails.... The greeting stab comes out of nowhere, accompanied by Hisao's query.... EEEEAAAAHHH!!! shrieks Achiko, out of pain and surprise as much as to let her companions know where their quarry was.... Anata ga kazoku o fuwatari, Hisao.... Anata ga penaruti o s!*%te imasu! Spoiler: You dishonored the family, Hisao.... You know the penalty!
Hisao sees a familiar figure.... He is almost certain it is Achiko, a female cousin who always begrudged Hisao's natural talents and the ease with which he seemed to grasp the training of the senior clan members.... She was always jealous of Hisao's aptitude....
Ninja death squad initiative
Approaching within striking range, the ninja of the Yellow Reeds clan emerge from behind nearby foliage and trees lining the road....
Paddy spots two more black-garbed figures stealthily shadowing the party along the rooftops on the way out of town.... They remind him in garments and other features of Hisao....
The ninja of the Yellow Reeds clan leap from rooftop to rooftop, following The Lusty Fools at a discreet distance, but close enough on their trail not to lose sight of them....
Another sneaky ninja stealthy on the rooftops Another sneaky ninja stealthy on the rooftops Another sneaky ninja stealthy on the rooftops
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