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Hi everyone. I'm very sorry for disappearing like that. I've been pretty sick for the past few weeks, and at this point don't expect to start feeling better anytime in the immediate future. Therefore I'm dropping out of all my games. (Which I had unofficially done anyway I guess.) Again, I'm very sorry I didn't say anything sooner, I just kept hoping things would get better and I'd be able to rejoin. It was great playing with you all, and I wish you the best of luck.
"She's breathing, but she won't wake up." Ruka's voice is quavering. Even in the flickering torchlight it's possible to see tear tracks through the soot on her face. Lor-Sinn's alive. Asuka's alive. Everyone's alive. The sheer relief of that has her crying for the first time in years. "Lor-Sinn, you...that thing you've done before. Where you heal everyone all at once. I know you're hurt, but could you do that again? No one's dead, but Asuka....she isn't waking up."
Ruka brings down Murasamemaru for one last strike, not wanting to take any chances. Then without a backwards glance she rushes over to Asuka. Signe's already tending Lor-Sinn...Lor-Sinn! "Signe! Lor-Sinn, is she alright?" She thinks she heard Signe casting some kind of healing spell, so maybe the tiefling is still alive? Although she's so still... Her hands are shaking as she digs through Asuka's pack, something she wouldn't ordinarily do without permission but now has to. Grabbing a healing potion, she pulls the tengu halfway onto her lap to elevate her head as she feeds it to her. "It's alright, you're going to be okay, everything's going to be okay."
In the space of only a few seconds Asuka had fallen too. Her companions, her friends were being killed in front of her and she was too weak to stop it. It was the Swallowtail Festival all over again. No. She wouldn't let them die. She would protect everyone. She had to. Ruka snatches Murasamemaru from Samton's hands and charges forward, although even in her haste she carefully avoids stepping on the unconscious tengu. With teeth bared she takes advantage of Kajiwara's distraction to swing at the decapus' back.
Ruka swings at the creature as it tries to fly away, finally landing a hit for the first time since the battle had begun. She takes a half-step forward, intent on getting within range again, not letting it away... ('No!') ...But Murasamemaru's mental shout combined with the realization that she almost stepped on Lor-Sinn's bow brings her back to her senses. She might not be much good with a bow, but she'll be no good at all if she dies now. Dropping Murasamemaru to the ground with a wordless apology, she grabs Lor-Sinn's bow and aims it at the creature.
Ruka sees Lor-Sinn fall to a flurry of tentacles and teeth. She's seen death before, dealt some of it by her own hand, and in her heart she knows the paladin isn't getting back up. Her vision blurs and her hands shake as she steps over Lor-Sinn's body. Murasamemaru is silent. Perhaps they know they can't talk her out of this, or maybe they actually agree. It doesn't matter. If you're ever able to...please tell Ameiko I'm sorry. "Get out of here! I'll hold it off!" Her swing is thrown off by the sickening sensation of her burned skin splitting, but that doesn't matter either. She's under no illusions that she'll be able to kill this thing. All she has to do is keep it busy long enough for the others to escape.
Ruka blinks her eyes open as the healing energy washes over her. She's pretty sure she's alive, because there's no way being dead should hurt this much. Not that she time to fully register how injured she still might be, because the decapus is very clearly also not yet dead. It's flying lower though now. She can't hit it through Lor-Sinn, but maybe she could roll underneath it and get to its other side? ('Do you want to die?') She has the distinct impression that if Murasamemaru could glue themselves into their sheath, they would. ('Do not go anywhere near that creature, just grab the bow and shoot it!') Right. The bow. Lor-Sinn had been saying something about that, hadn't she? Forcing herself the rest of the way up onto her feet, Ruka grabs Lor-Sinn's bow and holds it in shaky hands.
Ruka can't help but scream as her skin burns, the pain sending her to the ground. Somewhere in the back of her mind she hears Murasamemaru. ('Ruka! Ruka get up, you cannot-') It's the last thing she hears before everything fades to black.
Ruka moves forward but can't see the creature in the shadows of the tunnel. Not that she lets that keep her from shouting into the darkness. "I'm still here, beast! You haven't killed me yet!"
"Hey!" Ruka draws her shortbow as she moves in front of Asuka. "Leave her alone!" She's really, really tired of dealing with flying enemies, but she's going to do her best to take this one down. Of course, being able to draw the bow without fumbling the string would help. The arrow falls harmlessly to the ground without going anywhere near its target.
Hearing the noise, Ruka charges forward. "So it was a trap! Where did it go?" Murasamemaru in hand, (along with any other weapons she may have been entrusted), she quickly reaches the others and looks around for the creature.
Ruka isn't at all eager to let anyone go forward without her, but she has to admit it makes sense for those who don't rely entirely on weapons to test out the voice's threat. "Alright. I'll stay back here, and can hold weapons for anyone who doesn't want to risk bringing them in. If it turns out to be a trap, I'll run forward and get them to you right away."
"If there aren't any other ways through, then presumably you were taken through here. Right, Signe?" Ruka looks skeptical. "And presumably the people who kidnapped you also have weapons. Why wouldn't Pharasma have cared about them?" "This isn't exactly mimicking a voice, but..." Ruka struggles for a moment, then shrugs. She's more suited to action anyway. "I can go ahead. If Pharasma smites me or whatever, then you all will know not to follow without disarming first. If she doesn't and I start yelling about a monster, you'll know it was a trick and can come help." She's more flippant about possibly being smote than she might otherwise be. However, if Pharasma can't tell the difference between someone cautiously (and respectfully) going through an area, armed or no, and someone seeking to desecrate the place, well, what kind of a god is she?
Ruka frowns, clinging a little tighter to Murasamemaru. "I don't know much about the gods either, but I'm not leaving Murasamemaru behind. Not when we're on the hunt for a monster capable of killing an entire crew." She peers around the grotto. "Is there a way we can go that doesn't require us to go through the sacred burial ground?"
Extremely frustrated by their lack of progress, Ruka is sulking a little ways off from the people cooking the evening meal. (She had long since been relegated to cleaning duty after an unfortunate incident involving an hot peppers and an apple pie.) As such, it takes her a minute to understand what Signe is saying. "Wait. Back up a second." She fixes Signe with a glare. "There's a secret entrance that you're just now mentioning? And this abomination...what did it look like? The only monsters we've seen around here are troglodytes and a bunch of bird creatures." She belatedly realizes this might be offensive and sends an apologetic glance towards Asuka. Her embarrassment leads her to sound much more agreeable as she adds, "I definitely think it's worth checking out. Maybe it's something Kikonu didn't know about."
Level 4: +10 HP, +1 STR, +1 BAB, +1 Fort, +1 Ref. 7 skills + 2 background, mostly just continuing to max out stuff I already have. Most importantly, I took the Slayer Talent Combat Style (Menacing), which gave me Gory Finish as a bonus feat. Whenever Ruka kills something, as a swift action she can try to demoralize all foes within 30ft.
Ruka opens her mouth to protest, (we haven’t found the vaults, we still don’t know what happened to Ameiko, she could be dying), then, reluctantly, closes it again. Sam’s out of magic and nearly died himself, Lor-Sinn had just expended tons of healing energy trying to keep them alive, and even Asuka seemed less energetic than usual. And, although she doesn’t want to admit it...she’s tired too. ”A rest is probably a good idea.” Her shoulders slump at this admission of defeat, but she forces herself to start thinking of the logistics instead. ”Maybe downstairs, in one of those secret rooms we found? The entrances were hard to find, and we could barricade the doors. It should be safe enough.”
Ruka blinks in surprise as a single hit takes Zaiobe down. Perhaps they'd been doing more damage with their arrows than she'd thought? "Thanks Sam. That was..." She trails off as she remembers what she'd been thinking right before she'd grown. "Sam! Are you alright? I thought...I was worried..." She doesn't finish her sentence. Best not to say it aloud. She shifts uncomfortably, waiting for the spell to wear off. Right now she's half afraid she might step on someone if she moves. "She probably wanted the castle for herself. Once we fought Kikonu, whomever won would be weakened from the battle. She thought that was a fight she could win." Unfortunately for her she'd been wrong. As for the 'new one'... "She probably didn't get far. No doubt she'll hear us talking and realize the battle's over. Then she either comes back or she doesn't." Ruka doesn't blame her for running. It hadn't been her fight, and she'd helped them anyway.
Ruka had already dropped her bow, biting her lip as she eyes the bookshelves on the wall. It's a risky plan. She might end up doing nothing but break her own neck. But one sentence keeps echoing in her mind. "You will not take another one!" She hadn't turned around since Sam fell, focused entirely on the harpy. Lor-Sinn was closer. Did she know something Ruka didn't? Was Sam... Just as she tenses her muscles to run for the wall, she feels a brush against her leg. Seconds later the room becomes much, much smaller. She looks down at herself. She looks up at the harpy, now within reach. And for perhaps the first time, the party gets to hear her swear. "F#+$. You."
AOO:
Ruka snarls when Zaiobe attacks Signe. "She's done nothing to you!" Her hands shake slightly as she continues aiming her bow. She hadn't realized just how comforting Murasamemaru's weight was. Not until she had to fight with a different weapon, one that felt dead in her hands.
Ruka sees Samton drop to the floor and fears the worst. She can't help him. Can't shield him, can't protect him, can't heal him. The only thing she can do is try to take out Zaiobe as quickly as possible so the people who can help him have time to do so. She adjusts her grip on the bow and tries again. It's not her favored weapon, but she's used them before. She can do this.
Ruka isn't surprised when the harpy looses arrows at her, and therefore finds it easy to dodge out of the way. "I knew anyone who willingly dated that fiend couldn't be trusted." The fact that Zaiobe is flying makes her pause only for a second. Only a fool relies entirely on one weapon, and she doesn't like to consider herself a fool. Unfortunately carrying a bow and properly using it are two entirely different things.
"If by 'him' you mean Kikonu, he's dead. I executed him." Ruka's voice remains relatively emotionless, despite the weight of the word 'executed.' She considers the newcomer for a moment. Her story seems plausible enough, given the destroyed longship, and Kikonu had shown a passion for performances. It made sense he would have kept such a talented bard alive. It's good enough to extend a small measure of trust. "My...a friend of ours fell ill when we approached this castle. In her delirium she spoke of a 'third vault.' The illness seems to be magical rather than natural, so we're hoping this 'third vault' might hold some answers." She finally sheathes Murasamemaru, focusing intently on Signe. "I don't suppose you heard Kikonu say anything about where these vaults might be?" As an afterthought, she adds, "If you want to stick with us while we look, I have no objections. If you want to run away, we've cleared out most of the monsters. Just follow the blood and everything will probably already be dead." She's vaguely aware that's not at all reassuring, but doesn't have the emotional energy to care.
Ruka frowns slightly, (not that it's all that distinguishable from her normal expression), when Asuka immediately jumps forward to free the woman. Not that she has any intention of leaving an innocent in the cell, but they don't yet have any idea who this woman is or why she's there. The fact that she's imprisoned doesn't necessarily mean she's good; not all the denizens of this castle seem to get along. For all they know she's some sort of shapeshifting monstrosity out to trick them. Oh well. What's done is done. "Ruka," she answers simply. "May I ask what you're doing in this castle?" She cleans Murasamemaru while she talks, but doesn't sheathe them. Not yet.
Ruka is grimly quiet as they dispatch yet more troglodytes and search the rooms. Still no sign of any vaults, not that they've gone far. Upon entering the dungeon though, she blinks in surprise at the woman in the cell. When she stands and begins playing her fiddle, something in Ruka's heart clenches. It's not the same tune, not the same instrument, but the attitude is so very Ameiko. For a second she just stares dumbly, then an explosion of fire reminds her that yes, they are actually fighting something right now. Once again a vague shadow resembling Asuka appears behind the ogre as she shakes off the momentary distraction and rushes in from the front.
Ruka stares down at the corpse for a moment, face impassive, then deliberately turns away and begins cleaning Murasamemaru. Once finished, she carefully resheathes the sword. She doesn't want to talk about the execution, not right now, and so she sends Sam a grateful look as he changes the topic. "It's not a weapon I've ever seen before. I suppose we'll just hang onto it for now? Same with the disc, until we can figure out what it's for." She doesn't touch the pearls or the ink, (although she won't stop someone else from taking them). It feels too much like grave-robbing. "What now," she echoes Lor-Sinn. "I thought...I thought he would know what happened to Ameiko. But he didn't and now...I don't know." She bites her lip. "The third vault. That's what Ameiko said. Kikonu mentioned vaults too, so...maybe that's where we need to go. We haven't checked out those doors to the southeast yet. Maybe that's where the vaults are." Before they leave the room, she pauses briefly to down a potion. Kikonu may be dead, but there's no telling what else might be down here. She can't afford to have the wound on her chest distracting her.
Ruka swallows hard as Kikonu admits to killing Rokuro. That was...upsetting, but not particularly surprising. What has her significantly more disturbed is Kikonu's claim that he had nothing to do with what happened to Ameiko. It's what she's been holding onto this whole time. That they would find whoever was responsible and make them fix it. But if Kikonu didn't cause her sudden collapse, if he's telling the truth about not even knowing the Kaijitsu's still lived...then what next? Who else could have possibly done it? They'd come to Brinewall looking for answers, and all she had was more questions. That wasn't even counting everything else he was spouting. Five Storms? Amatatsu? She leans very slightly into Kajiwara's hand on her shoulder. It's strangely comforting. "I don't know who the Amatatsus are. But a Kaijitsu is standing right in front of you. So if you were trying to eradicate our line...you failed." She stands, although she still leaves Murasamemaru against his neck. "You already confessed to knowing nothing about Ameiko, and whatever other answers you may have do not outweigh your crimes. However, you were mostly cooperative. Thank you." Her voice is oddly formal. "As repayment, I will give you a swift death." She swings.
Ruka crouches down next to the oni, eyes fixed on his face. "You say you don't know any Ameiko. Perhaps it will help jog your memory if I tell you her full name is Ameiko Kaijitsu." Keeping in mind what Sam said about the rope possibly not being enough to keep him from casting, she deliberately places Murasamemaru against Kikonu's throat. "Rokuro Kaijitsu died here. Ameiko wanted answers about why. So we came to find them, but she was hit by some sort of magical illness as soon as she got near this castle. And you are the master of this castle, are you not? Which means you are the one most likely to know what's happened to her." Murasamemaru presses a little tighter. Not drawing blood, but it's an ever-present threat. "The only reason you're still alive is because you might know what's happened to Ameiko, and more importantly how to fix it. So I would think very, very carefully before claiming that you have nothing to say. Because if you don't, then I have nothing stopping me from decapitating you and burning your headless corpse." She's not anywhere near as calm as she's trying to appear. Killing someone in battle is one thing. Threatening to murder someone after they've been defeated, lying bound and helpless at her feet...she's far from certain she could actually do it. Only years of practice in concealing her emotions keep her voice calm and her hands steady.
"Good." Ruka's eyes are hard. "If he were dead, we couldn't ask him about Ameiko." She goes for her pack and starts rustling through it, talking vaguely in Sam's direction. "Two questions. One, do you know how to stop him from healing? And two, is there any chance of him pulling that disappearing trick again if he's tied up?" She emphasizes that particular question by pulling a length of rope out of her bag. Not waiting for Sam's response, she trudges back over to Kikonu and begins roughly tying his hands behind his back. After a moment's consideration, she ties his ankles together as well and connects them to the rope around his wrists. Then she stands nearby, Murasamemaru at the ready, and waits for him to wake up.
Ruka grunts at the blow, but it doesn't hinder her resolve. As Asuka moves beside her, she circles slightly to her right. Together they can down this demon. Her voice is very steady as she reiterates her conditions. "Surrender. Or. Die."
Three troglodytes are dead in a matter of seconds, and Ruka barely glances at the last one remaining. It too will no doubt fall to Asuka's blades and Lor-Sinn's arrows. No, she has to remember their real target. The oni, the so-called ruler of this castle, and the only one so far that they've even suspected might know what happened to Ameiko. She has to catch him before he can disappear again. She charges forward and swings at the creature. "No more disappearing! Surrender now or die!"
As her target falls, Ruka shifts her gaze to the next one in line. She feels a rush of energy to her muscles as Sam touches touches her shoulder and nods her thanks to him. Then she steps forward. Asuka is already behind this one; it should be easy prey.
The stench coming from one of the creatures had been bad enough. With four of them in close proximity it's all Ruka can do to keep from losing her lunch. As Asuka moves up beside her, she's momentarily startled to see another Asuka also appear behind her current target. Oh yes, she did say something about making a copy of herself to distract an enemy... With a grin that immediately turns into a grimace as she's reminded exactly how bad these things smell, she lays into her target with renewed vigor.
Ruka's initial disappointment at having found nothing through the north door is replaced with satisfaction as Lor-Sinn's choice finally leads them to their quarry. (Or so she assumes. It's too dark for her to actually see him, but that voice is hard to mistake.) Without hesitation she charges at the nearest troglodyte. She's able to push past the stink without losing her lunch, but her watering eyes make it hard to actually see where to hit.
"Shall we pick a direction at random?" Ruka has no idea which way to go. Probably one of the three rooms with regular activity, but which one?
On a whim she points towards the double doors to the northwest. "How does that way sound?"
Ruka sighs a little as the spell runs out and her muscles start to ache again. "That was nice while it lasted. The spell I mean, not the fight." She'd feel bad about killing a creature that was so obviously outmatched, but a look around the macabre displays quickly cures that. Did she preserve these things alive?! Definitely for the best that the creature wasn't around anymore. "There's the courtyard with the wrestling creatures. Sam, any idea what those were? Not sure it's worth bothering them if we don't have to." Ruka sighs and rubs her forehead again. "This place is way too big, and I keep getting turned around. I don't think we've explored the entire floor, but I'm not sure." "If everyone's good to keep going, I guess maybe head downstairs? I still think that's the most likely place for Kikonu to have disappeared to."
Ruka's shoulders relax slightly as Sam's spell makes her muscles feel normal again. "Thank you." She spends a few seconds studying the small creature, trying to get a feel for how they will dodge, then swings.
Ruka pauses, then backs slowly back into the room. Once the door is shut again, she asks, "Anyone have any idea what those things are before we talk to and/or fight them?"
"Agreed." Ruka still feels a bit wrong, but she wants to get through this place as quickly as possible. She does smile slightly in response to Samton's amusement at the flaming arrow. It is a wonderful piece of work, and likely to come in very handy. Otherwise she continues scowling and occasionally rubbing at her temples to ward off a headache. She'll take her normal place at the front of the group as they go through the secret door.
Ruka stares at the creature in disbelief for a second. "...I would have preferred the frog." Her disgust makes it difficult for her to focus, and Murasamemaru swings harmlessly over its head.
Ruka raises her arm to prevent anyone from moving past her. "There's something there, under the water. Make sure you're ready for whatever it is before we move closer." Once everyone seems to be in position, she holds Murasamemaru in a ready stance and approaches the pond.
Ruka rubs her forehead. "Going up and down stairs has just led us in circles. I feel like Kikonu would have gone downstairs, but right now I think we should just pick a floor and stick with it." Pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to ward off a growing headache, she pushes her way through the double-doors.
Feeling extremely foolish, Ruka seats herself onto the throne. "Um, yes. Kikonu, we hereby claim this castle?" She waits for a minute, shifting uncomfortably, then gets up while shaking her head. "I don't think he's here. Let's just keep exploring, we'll find him eventually. We haven't checked out that room to the southeast, have we?"
"Let's go to the throne room, put Ruka on the throne and claim the castle for ourselves. Since Kikonu doesn't seem interested in defending it." Ruka does a double-take at this. "Wait, put me...what? We don't want this castle. Do we?" She's sore, annoyed, and very confused. "Although...will me sitting on the throne summon the oni? I mean, I guess it's worth a try?" If he has any pride at all, he'll probably show up just to try to kill Lor-Sinn and Asuka for their insults. Which might work? At least maybe it would make him actually fight instead of constantly going invisible and teleporting away. "So long as he tells us what's wrong with Ameiko and how to fix her, he can have this stupid castle."
"Doesn't magic require some sort of fancy words? Sam always says them." Ruka inclines her head to the door leading downstairs. "I don't know how he avoided leaving tracks, but I doubt he teleported or went incorporeal or anything magic like that. If he's not in here, which it seems he isn't, then downstairs seems like the most likely bet."
"Did anyone see a door open?" Ruka hurries down after the others. "Even when he's invisible he'd still have to actually open the door, right? So he must either be in this room or downstairs." She nearly jumps out of her skin when Sam starts changing into...something. He'd said something magical first, so presumably he'd meant to do this? Which he confirms as soon as the transformation finishes. "Maybe warn us next time? That was really unsettling." Lor-Sinn has her ability to sense evil. Sam can apparently smell people now. All Ruka has is her ears, but she still strains to try and hear which way the oni has gone.
Ruka reluctantly enters the room. (Trying her best not to gag.) "So are we going in there? I'm..." She briefly ducks out for a breath of fresh air, then pokes her head back through. "...Okay with that." How can they not notice that smell?!
Ruka's nose is decidedly wrinkled, and she chooses to stay in the guard room. It's not like she'd be talking to the corbies anyway, so she might as well spare herself the nausea. She can get there quickly in the unlikely event she's needed.
Ruka's nerves might have held, but seeing Lor-Sinn and Kajiwara also fleeing spurred her into running down the stairs as well. For a few seconds at least. The effect is easier to shake this time though, and she (sheepishly) trudges back up the stairs with the others. "They are...startling. That's for certain. Hopefully there aren't too many more of those 'negatively charged energy' things in the castle."
"If there the same ones we saw before, there shouldn't be a problem. Should there? They seemed to like Asuka, and were willing to listen to us at least." Well, not really us since she hadn't talked, but close enough. "Maybe we could just ask them if they've seen the oni?"
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