Taking the enemies in Tanawe prepares for battle.
= 19
= 15
The whisper of steel on leather fills the air as the students draw their weapons.
"We must help, Ukira-san," Arata exclaims, his katana in hand. "He is heavily outnumbered." The young samurai is right; there are nearly a dozen of the black-clad warriors stalking towards the Dragon.
Heizo nods in recognition of the gathered wards before drawing his own tanto. Even for a courtier, he was not formally skilled in combat; the knife he had drawn was primarily for grooming purposes, and the machi-kanshisha pipe he carried was a gift received from past deal with the Kaeru of the City of the Rich Frog, and was primarily used as a conversation piece. He normally traveled with his Clan's bushi, or at least a ronin yojimbo when circumstances demanded it.
"This is not my usual area of expertise," he says grimly to his peers. "I know that I have not known any of you quite long enough to ask such a thing, but even if I fall, Ayano-chan must return."
Suana focuses on his own breathing for a second, trying to keep his heartbeat low and uniting his mind with his sword.
-A sakura lief
Carried by the Autumn wind;
My metal friend strikes.
Takeya had an idea of what was to come, but that meant nothing now that they were here. Takeya draws his blade and centers himself.
Moving to the right of Ukira Tanawe puts his hand on the hilt of his katana, ready to draw as soon as the first enemy comes closer.
Determining the number of assailants in but a breath, and concerned for both her fellow samurai and the students gathered thus far, Miyuki wastes no time, pulling a scroll from her sleeve and praying to the Fortunes for help.
She gestures one perfectly manicured hand forward, and kami respond to her call in a frenzy of activity, the air itself churning and rolling, battering and smashing the faceless warriors attempting to charge into the building.
"Well then, this is something I can do rather well for a change" Kitao unsheathe his katana in a fluid motion and takes an aggressive stance.
The ferocious torrent sends the warrior things tumbling across the ground, like drunk men aboard a ship at storm. With a shout, the students rush to attack the disoriented enemies and defend their peer.
^.^
Seeing an opportunity, Takeya moved behind the wind almost as swiftly as it had been created. He brought his blade down upon the first enemy in his path with grace and precision.
"This breeze will be the last thing you feel aside from my steel. Enjoy it while you can."
-Posted with Wayfinder
The moment to strike.
The thought and the action become one.
All his ancestors become one with Suana, and they strike together.
9+6+7=21 at -10 ATN. Assuming it's a hit...
Damage=13+9+8+2=32
Seeing an opening as the warriors have been knocked prone, Heizo lunges toward the nearest one and attempts to plunge the tanto into his vitals.
Looking at the enemy fallen down... Tanawe hesitates for one moment. What is a duelists worth if he attacks a fallen enemy.
But then remembering his place his shoulders tighten and with a lighning fast strike he attacks the enemy.
Kitao begins to hack his way through the enemies to reach his target.
Attack nearest enemy -10ATN
10+10+8+2+7= 37 total
10+8+8+6+3 = 35 total
Watching her handiwork be taken advantage of by her fellow samurai, Miyuki nods, stepping back so they can do their work.
Whilst one hand holds her fan, the other one rests on her wakazashi, just in case.
The samurai sweep through the broken enemy ranks, cutting the shadowy warriors down like wheat before the scythe. Takeya, Kitao, Suana, and Tanawe each cut down their opponents, but Heizo fumbles with his knife.
The faceless samurai regains his feet and swipes out with its katana, slicing the courtier across the stomach.
Another of the faceless samurai rushes forward to challenge Suana, sword raised high.
The spirit warrior brings the katana down in a deadly arc, biting behind the Lion's shoulder pad and into his collar bone.
The rest of the students struggle to bring their opponents down.
Moving around and swinging his katana in an graceful arc Tanawe attacks the closest enemy. [ooc]one raise for damage
=37 to hit a defence of 32
= 54 Damage
Heizo sucks in air through his teeth as the blade bites into his abdomen, but fortunately it does not appear to have been a mortal wound. Pressing his luck, the courtier once again attempts to fell his attacker.
Suana receives a wound to his neck, It bleeds, but he's been through much worse. He strikes his opponent back, profiting from the fraction of a second he is lacking his guard.
=> 17+8+7=32
=> 6+3+3=12
Miyuki waits patiently, the fan in her hand not quite obscuring the tanto she holds ready there.
She watches in case any of the students get in to trouble, ready to step in and slash any of the faceless spirits if they strike anyone down.
Kitao moves with the grace of a fox, almost mocking his enemies and as if it was his natural state of being continuing to attack the nearest enemy.
10+10+9+9+5= 43 total attack
10+7+7+5+3= 32 total damage
Suana, Kitao, and Tanawe combine to dispatch the final two enemies. With those down, they are able to quickly mop the remaining shadow warriors engaging the students. As soon as the last spirit is defeated, the fog pours in through the open door to the dojo and pulls you back into the shiftless Void.
Thankfully, most of the students have sustained only light wounds; nothing what would result in anything more permanent from a scar. Ayano runs to Heizo, looking concerned.
"Heizo-sensei! You are wounded!" The young Mantis favors her right leg slightly: the opposite bears a stab wound to her thigh.
Likewise, Sachiko finds Suana. The student says nothing, but moves to aid her sensei.
Ukira bows to the rest of you. "Arigato for your timely aid. None of you are of my clan and yet you placed yourself in harm's way for my sake. It is not a favor that will be lightly forgotten."
Takeya had finished his kill, he was not going to steal glory from another when the situation was handled. Sheathing his blade the Scorpion regains his composure.
"Shichiro-kun, were you struck?"
Suana nods to Sachiko, as if trying to say he's alright. Then he talks aloud, for everyone to hear.
-So, have we found all the students? What shall we do now?
"A scratch, Ayano-chan, barely worth mentioning," he answers his ward, although he winces as he stands up straight and notes the red stain on his kataginu. "Rather, tend to your own wound; you all fought bravely and with distinction, and we can't drink to your victory if you're down with an infection, now can we?"
Suana nods to Sachiko, as if trying to say he's alright. Then he talks aloud, for everyone to hear.
-So, have we found all the students? What shall we do now?
"I believe that the Phoenix contestant, Isawa Ume, and the Imperial entry, the ronin Kohuri, are both still unaccounted for. I humbly suggest that we choose one and focus on retrieving them."
-Ah, yes, my head is working strangely in this weird realm. Let us move on, then.
Miyuki nods as she sheathes her tanto, replacing it in her volminous sleeve.
Heizo-san is correct, we should seek Ume-san, and then the Imperial contestant
She focuses on the Phoenix
Kitao smiles "Good to see unification and reunion, but the search yet continues let us focus on one first" Kitao knows the others are going to look for the phoenix student first, so he won't derail the effort, even if it's a slight annoyance of how greater clans do things.
"As you say," he agrees, bringing the image of the young Phoenix to mind.
Shichiro looks as if he's about to reply to Takeya before the scene shifts abruptly.
At first, you begin to believe that the mysterious Realm has returned you to Ningen-do, for the scene that appears before you is that of the horse-racing course in the practice fields outside the Kakita Academy in Tsuma. Long rows of empty stands await the crowds expected to gather for the event, and large targets stand at various points around the track. Almost at once, though, you recognize the faint sense of unreality in the air, and the subtle shifts in details that identify the Spirit Realm that holds you trapped.
Nearby, a row of horses are tethered to a long wooden bar, and quivers full of arrows lean against racks of unstrung bows. For a moment, there is nothing else to see, but then a shape slowly forms in the air above the far side of the track, a long, serpentine form with sharp claws on short legs and a body that seems to be composed of nothing by the starry night sky. It moves sinuously through the air, swirling down to release something on the ground at the far end of the track, then up again, approaching you as though swimming or burrowing through the gentle breeze blowing across the field.
It curves around to settle itself on the track directly before you, and two of the largest and brightest stars within it turn toward you like eyes. “You are here to race,” it booms out in a hollow voice, “just as Ume was.” The star-filled head turns to regard the shape that it dropped at the far end of the field, then turns back to you once again. “She is mine, now and forever, but I will race you, as I did her, for that is the way of this place.”
The dragon lifts a claw toward the horses. “Mount and shoot, samurai, if you wish to leave here.”
Suana is not quite confident in his horsemanship skill, but this test must be done - that's why they're here. He picks some arrows and a horse, and carefully sets himself ready.
1 Point
Suana rides to the first target, and a small rock makes his horse stumble a bit. He maintains control, though, and is happy he didn't try any fancy move.
=> 7+5+4=16 2 Points
When approaching the first target, Suana tries a shot at the very center, and manages a nice hit.
1 Point (No need to reroll since no raise was declared).
Once again, Suana is able to ride the horse without much problem. Inside his head, he thinks he might try some kind of acrobatic riding, but he knows he is not an expert rider and doesn't want to show off.
=> 9+8+7=24 2 Points
Suana shoots a nice arrow, a bit further away than the standard, showing his excellent aim.
=> 1 Point
Though he probably should gallop to the end line, Suana keeps his pace, knowing a stumble now could ruin all his work.
Searching for a horse he likes and stroking the head of it a few times before mounting the crane selects his arrows very carefully before guiding the horse.May the fortunes shine on me. I am no Unicorn.But I am Kakita... so I will excel!
raise once
Guiding the horse with his natural grace, Kakita Tanawa feels the moment of perfect clarity and his arrow strikes the middle of the target.
raise twice
Elegantly drawing the next arrow while guiding with his legs
raise once the crane waits for the perfect moment before letting the arrow find its way.
no raise
Bolstered by his successes so far the crane taps into his void and gallops the horse back to leave with flourish and jumps at the perfect moment from the horse before bowing before the dragon.
raise twice
Kitao skills with the horse are minimum, since he had never trained on them for combat, and only for traveling like most bushi would. That does not stop him from trying to find a good temper horse to ride in hopes of improving his odds.
TN 10
Kitao struggles to reach the first target, that is after he actually reaches it. Sheer determination makes him get there.
TN 5 [ooc 2 Raises, best chance to do that[/ooc]
Total = 18
Kitao dismounts and readies his yumi for the shot, slow steady aim and once he focuses on his target let's the arrow lose hitting his mark with deadly accuracy.
TN 10
Kitao repeats his fumbling and showing his terrible riding skills, something that he most likely will learn... the hard way.
TN 15
Total = 21
Kitao aims against taking a slow breath, but the hurt from his ride to get him here has put some stress on his muscles, but does not stop him from shooting another deadly accurate shot, but this one did not went through the target like the first.
TN 10
Kitao rides now without so much haste, but steady gallop and finds his way on the hrose and the finish line.
Total = +3 (Successful tests) +2 (for 2 raise) = 5
Miyuki smiles at the dragon
All samurai enjoy riding
she bows to the celestial entity
It is an honor to ride with you, and I hope that one of us provides sufficient challenge to you that you might consider releasing Ume-san
With a surety of motion and no wasted effort, she gracefully walks to the weapon rack, eyes darting across the varied offerings before selecting a bow with a pleasing dark hue. Trailing a hand over the horses she pulls herself up in to the saddle and wordlessly sets off around the track.
Miyuki rides competently but without the showmanship some of the others display, her keen eyes drive both her arrows dead centre of the targets, and she finishes the course elegantly.
With a polite nod the crane salutes the courtiers performance.
Heizo is careful to maintain a mask of stoicism as it is his turn, but horsemanship was never his forte, and he was content to leave archery to the Tsuruchi. As usual, his almost single-minded focus on commerce above more esoteric pursuits has proven a detriment.
Still, he would never shame the Yoritomo name or that of the Mantis through lack of effort, and intended to give the best showing that he could manage.
As was his custom, he breathed a prayer to the Fortunes, and began.
By the skin of his teeth, Heizo manages to maneuver his steed to the first target.
His luck endures; he takes aim and somehow manages to plant the shaft into the target.
The horse remains under his control, and he has an easier time getting it to take him to the second target.
Unfortunately, his next shot goes wide, not even anywhere close to hitting the target.
Still, Heizo is able to bring the animal across the finish line without issue.
It wasn't perfect, but neither was it a complete embarrassment.
= 25
= 15
= 24
= 21
When all the samurai have ridden, the dragon takes its turn. The celestial spirit flies with a sinewy grace, easily reaching each of the targets. The dragon does not shoot, exactly, but rather exhales a single tiny shooting star from its nebulous core, burning into the targets it hits.
For each flourish of the samurai, the dragon attempts to match with its own flight and shot, but the talent of the samurai shows through. In particular, Kakita Tanawe's trick shot on the final target proves to be the winning score.
The dragon returns to the gathered samurai. "You have proven your worth, samurai," its voice booms in your heads. "You may take the young Phoenix. I no longer require her here." The dragon lands, shifting its shape into a star-filled archway, a shimmering gate forms beneath it.
Stepping through the starry arch brings you to the dirty streets of a peasant village, ramshackle huts lining a rutted track barely worth calling a road. Some distance away, a crowd of heimin gathers around the largest house in the village, the only one with a tile roof or a stone foundation. Several of the peasants in the crowd shout angrily, pointing at something within the walls of the dwelling.
As you approach, the crowd parts for you, the peasants bowing and kneeling out of respect for the samurai in their midst. Once through the crowd, you can see what the commotion is about.
The large house, which actually has walls around its small grounds, is clearly a samurai’s dwelling, though not a wealthy one. On the wooden walk surrounding the house, an imposing woman wearing the mon and sash of an Emerald Magistrate stands over the kneeling form of Kohuri. Flanking Kohuri are a pair of dangerous-looking budoka, peasant guards likely acting as the magistrate’s yoriki assistants. They stare down at the kneeling ronin with identical pitiless expressions.
The magistrate is addressing the nearby peasants, clearly making an official proclamation. “…and so, by the authority vested in me by the Son of Heaven, Emperor Toturi I, I condemn this man for his many crimes. He will die at dawn tomorrow, whether as a samurai should or as would a dog in the streets, as he chooses.”
Bowing gracefully the crane looks at the ronin and speaks up."He must have done an horrible deed, that a personal invite is condemned to death!"