Festival of the White Orchid [RP-OPEN]

[Toku Hirotomo]

Kenpachi paused. He looked around. Kenpachi rose and bowed to Agasha Shodai. "I'm very sorry for the interruption, but I am needed elsewhere at the moment." Kenpachi moved quickly, his ono was at the bottom of the shrine. On his way back up, he saw the Chuda, staring down three men. Kenpachi calmed himself for a moment, and tried to sense the kami around him. He was no shugenja, but training with the Jade Magistrates made him able to sense magic better than the ordinary samuai. The scent of blood wafted over him and his eyes narrowed. Someone used Maho. The Chuda could have easily done so, but it was suicide as he was still competing. The men stared at the Chuda. Perhaps they were there for him, perhaps this was a trick. Kenpachi kept his peacebond loosely tied, this way he could free his sword if he lost his ono.

"Perhaps you gentlemen are looking for me, I am Toku Kenpachi, Captain of the Monkey Magistrates. Unless I have been mislead that is."

[Shoju]

The Lion Bloodspeaker turned and looked at Kenpachi. "well well well... If it isn't the monkey who just can't take a hint. Yes. We are looking for you." The bloodspeaker yelled and began a spell that would cause kenpachi much pain.

Shoju walked into the clearing and growled "ENOUGH." He quickly warded Kenpachi from the attack. "Perhaps the three of you aren't familiar with the oath that I gave. No maho will be practiced here."

The Lion scoffed. "You are a fool! The blood is LIFE! and you will not stop us!" The ronin shugenja began casting a spell at Shoju. The Peace Bonding burned clean from Shoju's No-Dachi. He drew it, and called upon the Air to speed him to his target. He cleaved the Ronin in two with the No-Dachi, and then cast a spell at his former Librarian. "You.... I gave you a second life, and this is how you repay me..."

The librarian smiled. "You are an idealist Shoju-san. Sadly, no one likes your ideals. Haven't you heard? The Hantei has ordered the execution of your emissary, and driven your forces from Toshi Ranbo!" The old man cackled. "You are NOTHING! Your power is weak because you hope to 'respect' it.!" The old man launched a bolt of energy at Shoju, striking him squarely in the chest. "We will destroy the Monkey, and then we will show you that the power you have chosen to respect has no respect for you."

Shoju was motionless on the ground. The spell had left him powerless to move. The Tsukai and the Lion closed in on Kenpachi. "Tell me Toku, Would you like to know who why we need you to die? Or would you just like to die?"

[Toku Hirotomo]

Toku Kenpachi freed his ono from his back strap. His blood was boiling, the numbers did matter to him, Monkey were used to being outnumbered. These were the men that ordered his wife's death? He needed to know. "I might be inclined to hear a story, even one I already know the ending too."

Kenpachi would stall for a little time. Perhaps the Chuda could recover quickly, he gazed at the bloodspeakers. He'd fought their kind before, this would end no differently.

[Shoju]

Shoju stirred on the ground. His mental capacities shaken from the spell. The Librarian would die by Shoju's blade and Shoju's blade alone, and he would relish the death of him. While Shoju regained his composure the Lion began to speak.

"You and yours are a thorn in the side of the bloodspeakers, monkey. You hunt us down in the name of an Empire that sees fit to trample on you as a second class citizen!" The Lion cackled. "You were a warning. Sadly, you were too thick headed to heed that warning. Now, you must die." The Lion began to spill blood on the ground. Kenpachi would feel a tinge of pain, and could feel a tinge of pain, and then the blood under his chestguard. "Yes Monkey. I will bleed you out!"

Shoju stood and sent a blast of air towards the two bloodspeakers toppling them, and stopping the spell from making the wound to Kenpachi worse. "The old man is mine Little Monkey. Seek your vengeance, and slay the False Lion. I will not stay the hand of vengeance." Shoju drew his No-Dachi to him, and called the Earth itself began spiriting Shoju towards the Old Tsukai. "You say that my respect keeps me from understanding true power. I say you are blind from the power. I will kill you without the power!

The old Shugenja sent another blast of energy at Shoju. This time he was ready, and used an air ward to dissipate the spell. Shoju kept advancing on the old Tsukai as he began to flee on the wind. Shoju stopped, and called down a pillar of flame which knocked the old Tsukai to the ground, burning he writhed in agony as Shoju walked towards him.

[Toku Hirotomo]

Kenpachi felt the pain. It would not hinder him. He nodded at the Chuda's words. Toku would have either laughed at the sheer irony of what was happening, or shaken his head that his son was forced to work together with such filth. Sorry, Father, but this has to be done. Kenpachi prayed as he ran quickly to the "Lion". Kenpachi felt the blood soak his kimono, but ignored it. He swung his ono at the bloodspeaker, but it was dodged. Kenpachi used the momentum of his swing to place a kick in the center of the bloodspeaker's chest. The bloodspeaker's momentary daze was met with Kenpachi throwing a shoulder into him, knocking him to the ground.

"You should have hid, Bloodspeaker." Kenpachi said seething with fury. "You should have found a cave in the Shadowlands and pulled in in after you. Then this moment might never have come. Instead you made the mistake of attacking me. Attacking my family. Now since you dedicated your life to the Dark Kami, I'll do you the favor of sending you to his threshold."

Kenpachi took the man's foot. The screams warmed him. "Did you try to get my wife to beg for our son's life? Beg, Bloodspeaker. I want to hear those words. Beg me for your life."

Kenpachi was growing angrier as the pain of losing his family overwhelmed him. "I know your type. Power is everything to you. Power over life and death intoxicates you. Samurai, bushido, honor, they are nothing more than words to you now." Another spell was cast. More blood spilled out, but Kenpachi moved closer, taking a hand with another swing. Darkness was taking Kenpachi as he began to hit the bloodspeaker with the side of his ono, not killing him imstantly, but slowly beating him to death. Kenpachi threw his ono to the side and drew his knife. He held it to the bloodspeaker's eye. "This is for my family, you bastard." Kenpachi drove his knife into the eye of the bloodspeaker and twisted until the thrashing stopped. Kenpachi stood, blood soaked, and looking every inch the icon of vengeance. He drew his katana, and slowly walked to the last one left alive. "I am Toku Kenpachi, Son of Toku, Jade Magistrate, and Captain of the Monkey Clan Magistrates. Submit to judgement or I will tear the heads from your bodies."

[Shoju]

[ooc] There is only one left alive. I killed the ronin. WE might have to discuss letting him live...[ooc]

[Toku Hirotomo]

[OOC] I changed the post to reflect only one being left alive.

"I want this one to suffer, Chuda. If you have any objections, I suggest you speak now." Kenpachi said moving closer. He wanted the bloodspeaker to fight, or to run. Kenpachi wanted them all dead, he would make him talk before the end. He would make him scream for death.

[Agasha Shodai]

Not long after the voice of the Chuda had been carried to Agasha Shodai's ear and Toku Kenpachi had run off, the magical tracer that the Void Master had created through manipulation of the Void to detect the so-called Element of Corruption around Chuda Shoju began whispering silently through the night to the ears of those trained in Ishiken-do. To the odd gaijin Chuda - whom had somehow been trained in the use of Void magic without the benefit of the Isawa Shugenja school; the nigh sole institution in Rokugan with the knowledge or resources on the subject - the message would mean nothing... It spoke in a series of seemingly meaningless numbers; a coded languange that referred to paragraphs, lines, and characters within in a Scroll of Isawa accessible only to members of the Elemental Council.

'25, 15, 18; 31, 30, 13.' The simple spell repeated over and over again. The Void Master closed his eyes, calling on his photographic memory to recall the two points on the scroll.

"The characters Gai and You - External Use...[/b] Agasha muttered to himself as he sipped his tea. "It would appear there's a little dissention in the ranks... If that Khadi resorts to using his own tainted magic, that would be very beneficial to the Emperor... If he violates his oath, I could gift-wrap the Chuda and make him a gift to Bayushi Senshi and swing the Scorpion to the side of Hantei. That would give Hantei a Ryuuma - a Dragon Horse - squarely between Toturi's Keima - Knight - in the Unicorn, his Kyosha - Lance - which is the Lion, and his Ginsho - Silver General - of the Crab in this game of Shogi..."[/b]

Then a thought struck the Void Master, causing him to jump to his feet...

Kenpachi was WITH Shoju. Whatever was attacking the Khadi was assaulting the father of Shodai's young friend, Hirotomo. The young Monkey Clan champion had already suffered enough; his distaste for Shoju was not enough to allow Shodai's honor to sacrifice the only family Hirotomo had left.

The Void Master deftly opened a hole for himself into the unifying force of all things and stepped through; disappearing from the sight of any non-Ishiken at the tea house and appearing withing eyeshot of the battle that was pairing the Monkey and the Snake against four Bloodspeakers. Agasha arrived just in time to watch Kenpachi slaughter a man dressed in Lion Clan garb while Shoju used fire lacking any sign of corruption to take down another that he approached as if relishing the thought of inflicting a grisly death upon.

"Submit to judgement or I will tear the heads from your bodies."[/b] Kenpachi ordered, stalking towards the prone Bloodspeaker, leaking blood everywhere.

'He's on the border of a very slippery slope... A slope that if he rides it down, he will end up no better than the very thugs he spent his career hunting...' Shodai thought to himself as he cast two Air spells in rapid succession... The first was a sonic gag - a weaker version of the same spell the Air Master of 402 had used to silence the entire region of Shiro Chuda. It would prevent the prone Bloodspeaker from casting any more magic to attack Kenpachi.

The second summoned an image of Hirotomo, Kenpachi's soul surviving son, looking at his father; a look of silent concern upon his face. Shodai had seen that look on the young man often enough that he got it down perfectly. If Kenpachi could betray his own code of Bushido before his son - or rather the extremely lifelike illusion thereof - then it would be clear that the Jade Magistrate might be beyond the hope of saving...

For Hirotomo's sake, Agasha Shodai remained silent; Kenpachi needed to decide for himself if avenging the past would be worth sacrificing any future he would have with his soon-to-be-married son.


((OOC: It's the Rokugani equivalent of the angel on one shoulder, devil on the other! ;D))

[Shoju]

Shoju turned and looked at The Monkey. "Kenpachi-san. You are an honorable man. The betrayal of this one runs very deep. Deeper than the murders of your family. I showed him mercy. I gave him the ultimate gift. And he has taken that for granted. The pain of the loss of your family is nothing I would have been party to. This one will suffer Toku-san, but it cannot be by your hand. If what he says is true, then no matter which brother should win your war, they will need the guidance of the sons of Toku. Shoju sensed the air spell, and grinned. He had thought his words had fallen on deaf ears. Let me take this one Monkey. Let me take this one, and I give you my word that he will suffer greatly for his misdeeds. Shoju turned and looked at Kenpachi. In the Shadowlands Toku-san, there are far worse punishments than death.

[Toku Hirotomo]

Kenpachi rose his ono. They killed his wife. His son. They needed to pay. They needed to be punished. He rose it higher, then thought he saw his son. Looking at him. Kenpachi wavered for a moment. Then the Chuda spoke. Kenpachi looked at the bloodspeaker, a hollow shell of a man. Kenpachi screamed and sheathed his katana. Kenpachi looked at the Chuda. "Then take him, Chuda-san. I think I am finished here."

Kenpachi looked, but his son was nowhere to be seen. A trick of the light perhaps. As he walked past the Chuda he spoke in a soft whisper. "I owe you a debt, Chuda-san. I will not forget that."

Kenpachi walked to the Void Master and gave the man a wain smile. "I believe my business is finished, Agasga-sama. Once I clean up, I would enjoy continuing our discussion."

Kenpachi walked to the baths, he summoned for his spare kimono. When he emerged, there was no sign of his earlier battle.

[Shoju]

Shoju nodded as Kenpachi passed. He walked over to the Traitor, and smiled. "I promised the people hosting this event that not a single person would practice Maho while I was here. I pledged my honor upon that. You broked that promise for me. You sleighted my honor, thankfully, soon enough, we will no longer be here."

Shoju whispered a spell, and the earth itself seemed to swallow the two men. As it did, the old man screamed.

Sometime later

As Shoju arrived in Saisei, he heaved the old man across the chamber. He landed in a heap across the room. Shoju summoned several bakemono and a Tsukai. He pointed at the Tsukai, and then at the old man. "I want him broken. If he dies. Raise him and start over. You will continue this until I return."

Shoju ascended the tower, and looked over the reports. It was true. It was all true. The Hantei had refused his offer for aid. He walked out to the balcony, and held out the crystal. He began thinking of Tenshi. He wondered if he would ever see her again.

Shoju prepared himself for travel and the earth swallowed him again.

back at the tournament, several hours later.
Shoju arrived at the bottom of the shrine, moved to his tent, prepared himself, and went to Shodai's tent. He stopped outside the abode and spoke clearly to the guard. "I am here to speak with The Master of the Void. Would you please see if he has time for me?

[Tamori Koichi]

ooc: security is really abysmal in this place, isn't it?

[sprinkles]

Sprinkles sat alone. He felt the first stirring of maho in the air. It was weak. But the fact someone would dare use a forbidden art here, was a concern.
"Stupid fool will get us all killed." He decided to stay away and hope to not be blamed for this. Moments later he felt the Void ripple around him although he did not understand it. He bent the air kami to listen in on the source of the commotion.
"I promised the people hosting this event that not a single person would practice Maho while I was here. I pledged my honor upon that. You broked that promise for me. You sleighted my honor, thankfully, soon enough, we will no longer be here." Shoju of course.
Sprinkles shook his head to no one. "How is it you still cling to honor Shoju. After everything you've learned have you not learned it is merely an illusion?"
Sprinkles waited and hoped no one cared to question him concerning these events.

[Agasha Shodai]

Aug 7, 2011 22:13:35 GMT -5 Tamori Koichi said:

ooc: security is really abysmal in this place, isn't it?

OOC: Well, the fight wasn't near the shrine; it was elsewhere in the mountain range. The Festival is supposed to be a peaceful meeting of the minds; we brought just the right amount of peacekeeping force to handle that function.

[Agasha Shodai]

Agasha Shodai nodded to Toku Kenpachi, feeling a warm glow in the discovery that the man's grief and rage had not reduced him to a mockery of the man he'd been his entire life. The Void Master looked across the field to Chuda Shoju; surprised that the man had not gone back on his word when it would have been possible to disguise his own Maho use as being done by the men Shoju and Kenpachi had disabled. It left the Void Master uncertain about the undead thing before him masquerading as a mortal; the Chuda was quite unlike any other Bloodspeaker in history, that was for certain.

It was almost as if he was attempting to hearken back to the ancient times, before the fall of the Kami to Ningen-do, when man could safely use maho without being corrupted by it. But unlike then, when the 7 Fortunes had automatically shielded humanity from the negative effects, Shoju was attempting to control himself by sheer force of will, just like Tadaka had sworn to do...

Finally, without saying a word to the Chuda, Shodai teleported himself back to the Shrine.

~SEVERAL HOURS LATER~

Agasha Shodai looked up from the registration scrolls as the guard entered. "Agasha-dono, the... Chuda..."[/b] The Shiba bushi shuddered at the word. "...has requested a moment of your time."[/b]

The Void Master nodded. He'd been aware of Shoju's approach through the tracer he'd hidden on the man. "I will see him. Make sure he has restored the peace bond on his sword before you let him in though... There was some trouble in the mountains earlier and I can't be sure he's remembered to resecure his weapon."[/b]