Blood is spilled in Toshi Ranbo! (Open RP)

[Komori Yukio]

Warai walked wearily down the hallway with Yukio, as ever, near at hand. He was glad of her company, friends seemed to be in all to short a supply of late. At this particular moment though, he just wanted to reach his quarters and sleep. Despite his apparent calm, his appearance before the throne had been nerve wracking for the young champion, and he had just spent several hours enticing spirits to send rather lengthy messages to every corner of the Empire. Still, it had all been necessary, and Yukio had of course lent her emotional and spiritual aid, but he was now exhausted, and just wanted rest.

A servant passed by, head bowed in deference. Warai barely took notice, servants were everywhere in Toshi Ranbo it seemed, but Yukio eyed the small slight man as he passed. Something about him bothered her but she was not sure what...

Suddenly, the man whirled and pulled a blowpipe from his sleeve.

Warai-dono, look out! she cried.

The weary Bat whirled in place just in time to see the man blow a dart. With a whisper and a flick of his hand, a small gust of air deflected the projectile. Had he not been so drained, the projectile would have been sent back to strike down the assassin. In his exhausted state however, the dart was only sent slightly off course and scratched Warai's exposed right arm. Yukio responded as well, causing a much stronger gust to blow the would be assassin down the length of the hallway to crash against the far wall. Behind Warai, doors slid open revealing more apparent servants, all brandishing knives. Warai spun fluidly, his eyes cold. You wish to play with knives? Fine. With a slice of his hand, the first new assailant was slammed against the nearest wall, a large gash in his side. Another upward chop and the next assailant was opened from belly to throat.

Then something happened. Warai's head began to swim and his vision blurred, and he stumbled awkwardly. He was unaware of anything except a burning sensation in his right arm. Then there was another sensation. Pain. In his stomach. The blur began to fade into darkness.

Warai-dono! Yukio cried. Then she screamed. Not a scream like any normal woman might make, but a sound that could pierce the darkness between realms in a language that only the Komouri knew. The surviving assailants fell to their knees clutching their ears.

It did not help them...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ooc: First let me say that Warai is not dead, but he is severely injured, and will be comatose for some time (this is because I will be in the process of moving and won't be posting for a bit.) Anyone coming to investigate will find Komori Yukio cradling the unconscious Komori Warai, whispering prayers over him. They are surrounded by what appear to be five dead servants, two with large gashes and three with blood poring from their ears. Their are four knives scattered near the bodies, with a fifth embedded in Warai's stomach. The wall farther down the hallway is damaged as though something hit it with great force and there is a small bit of blood near the top of the impact, though no body. A dart can be found in the wall at the opposite end of the hall, which has an odd odor to it if one thinks to smell it. If asked, Yukio will relay the events above while demanding that help be brought for her Champion. If pressed further, she will say that she believes the attack was an attempt to silence the Champion who had so publicly stated his belief that someone was manipulating events from the shadows. If anyone cares to look, one of the "servants" does have what appears to be a list of innocuous items, much like a shopping list for a kitchen, on them which, if inspected closely seems to have a faded watermark of some sort and smells faintly of citrus. (I won't step on any toes or plans by giving too strong a hint, though I know full well who I think is behind this and other recent events...) Yukio and most of the small Bat embassy, will take Warai back to Kyuden Komori for further treatment and recuperation the next day (short of the Emperor ordering her not to.)

[Yasuki Chad]

The Yasuki Daimyo and his bodyguard Koji rushes from a side room off the hall, his katana brandished. He is slightly taken aback by the scene in the hallway but masters himself quickly.

"Koji alert the Seppun there has been an assasination attempt. Then lockdown this area of the palace upon my authority until they have a Magistrate here."

He kneels next to Yukio although he keeps his blade in hand.

"What happend here? Does he live?"

He does not appear to have recognized the Bat Daimyo.

[Komori Yukio]

(ooc: OK, I've mostly finished with the move, so I'll pick this back up...)

Komori Yukio looks up with tear stained yet stern eyes, and immediately recognizes the Yasuki daimyo. Hai, Yasuki-dono. Warai-dono lives but just barely. He was returning to his quarters after several hours of entreating the spirits for aid, when these would be murderers dressed as servants ambushed us. He slew these, she indicates those with slashes, while the air kami sent another down the hall there at my request. She motions down to the damaged end of the hallway. However, in his weakened state, one managed to slip under his guard and injure Warai-dono as you see. She looks down shame-faced, I... I panicked and called on the power of our ancestors, with the results you see. Please, Yasuki-sdono, we must get Warai-dono back to his quarters where he can be attended to properly!

[Yasuki Chad]

Chad looks down the hall when she gestures, clearly grasping one assassin is still about. He turns back to Yukio.

"Komori-san, I need to you focus.....look at me... LOOK AT ME," He forces her to meet his eyes. "Warai-dono is bleeding badly. I need you to keep pressure around the knife while I carry him."

With some effort he Lifts the Bat Champion off the ground, having to sheath his Katana to do so.

"Please, lead the way"

[Komori Yukio]

Yukio nods her head, and with some apparent hesitation, slowly grips the knife.

This way, she nods in the direction that Chad had come from.

As they carefully make their way down the hall, they pass an open doorway, apparently leading into a large pantry of some sort. Finally reaching the far end of the hall, to which Yukio indicates that they should turn left, the dart in that wall becomes apparent.

(ooc: stopping at this point to let you interject or any others that are interested but missed it before the opportunity to join in )

[Yasuki Chad]

Yasuki Chad pauses for a moment as he notices the dart. Lacking time for anything more elegant, he pulls it from the wall and shoves it into his pouch of koku.

[Hida Mei Xing]

Mei Xing had been headed back to her room from the dojo, satisfied with her tetsubo work. Sweat beaded down her forehead from her dark neatly braided hair and she was glowing with exercise. The commotion down the hall, paired with the familiar voice of the Yasuki daimyo was enough to make her break into a full run, tetsubo at the ready. There was blood in the halls, and only Yasuki Chad standing there, putting something into a pouch.

"Y-Yasuki-sama," she stammered, dropping into a bow. "What happened here?"

[Yasuki Chad]

At those words Yasuki Chad turns, revealing a badly wounded man being half carried by the Crab, and a ashen faced woman both in Bat Colors.

"Mei Xing," he says, looking past her. "The Bat Champion has just been attacked. One seems to have survived. Did you pass my Yojimbo or a servent just now?"

Without waiting for her to answer he says, "Keep your weapon ready, guard us as we make our way to Warai-dono's quarters."

[Hida Mei Xing]

Mei Xing's features hardened until she was suddenly very much a Crab bushi. She hefted her tetsubo into the ready position. "I have seen no one Yasuki-sama. Lead the way, and by my honor and my life I will keep you all safe."

[Yasuki Chad]

The four samurai make their way through several hallways devoid of people, an oddity in the palace as there was always some servant or other around or courtiers chatting. Yasuki Chad could not shake the growing sense of dread as they moved. There should have been Seppun everywhere by now. Warai's unmoving body seemed to get heavier and heavier by the second and Chad honestly did not believe the man still lived. Yukio seemed in a shock, both because of her lord's near death and likely because her hands were covered in his blood. She didn't look like a battle-trained shugenja, that's for sure. Still, Hida Mei Xing's fortuitous appearence ment they would not be wholly defenceless when the next attack came. No Crab survived past Gempukku withough learning to fight.

"This door, Yasuki-dono," Yukio said as she gestures to a door at the end of the hall.

[Hida Mei Xing]

Mei Xing stationed herself at the end of the hallway, scanning the corridor they just came from the one they approached thoroughly. A servant or two scurried quietly down the hall, bearing trays of tea and sake. One look at the stern Crab woman with her tetsubo drawn was enough to induce looks of fright.

"You there! Tell the Seppun there has been an attack on the Bat Clan Champion. MOVE!" All semblances of the polite Crab woman melted away and left a taciturn warrior in her place. She kept an eye on Yasuki-sama as he helped the shugenja and wounded man inside.

[Komori Yukio]

A few weeks later, word spread of the death of the Champion of the Bat and of how the spirits raged about Kyuden Komori making travel impossible. Many have become paranoid and refuse to trust any servants but those they consider their own.

Elsewhere, Yasuki Chad's coin pouch begins to give off a foul odor. Emptying it he finds the previously forgotten dart, now heavily decayed and corroded and smelling horrible, as well as several coins that appear to have been affected the same through contact with it.

ooc: For the actual death see rokuganee.proboards.com/index.cgi....ead=1074&page=1

Read more: rokuganee.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=spihq&action=display&thread=1004#ixzz1UsmvDRW5