Utaku Mai
Unicorn Clan
*Battle Maiden* *Paragon of Honor* *Goddamn Rockstar*
Posts: 484
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Post by Utaku Mai on Jan 16, 2012 8:42:40 GMT -5
Mai let out a yell of frustration as, once again, her blade sailed through nothing but air and smoke. She re-centered, but was forced to a quick defensive dodge as the corrupted fireball came toward her. She could feel the heat, smell the sulfur and burning silk as the flame sailed past her, singing the looser bits of hair and parts of the cording of her armor. She mentally cursed herself for giving him such an opening in the first place.
Then Ken'o spoke again, and Mai found herself no longer able to ignore his taunts.
"Do NOT speak of him! You have no right to even know his name! He was only the first of Bikami to defy you! What fate would you have had of him, or anyone else who stood against you? A twisted mockery of the life he lived, his body and soul sacrificed on the altar of YOUR rebellion? You are NOTHING compared to him!"
Her blood began pounding in her ears as she fought to keep her focus. The white-hot rage she felt at this bloodspeaker and his audacity was apparent. He had struck a nerve bringing up Haru as surely as if he'd plucked the string on a shamisen. Within a moment she was back in his range, swinging her katana with an upward motion into his chest. She heard the blade sing, indicating the precision of her cut. This one, she was sure, wouldn't miss.
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Post by Shoju on Jan 16, 2012 9:28:19 GMT -5
Shoju grinned as she charged. He moved to dodge the strike at his chest. He was able to save major injury, but the blade found hold in his left shoulder. Shoju could feel the paid as the blade entered his pectoral muscle, dug under his shoulder, and exited his back just to the side of his shoulder blade. He let out an angry yell as she hit him.
Ugh... You think that's all that I'm about? Death, and undeath? Shoju grunted, There was a level of discomfort to his face. Sometimes, sacrifices need to be made to ensure that the greater plan is served. Surely, you as a samurai know that? Shoju grabbed ahold of her hands on the katana and pulled her closer to him, driving the katana deeper through the wound. It ground against his bones, and the blood poured from the wound. The Discomfort on his face gave way to a grimace of pain.
Just like I will sacrfice the pain to have a hold on you. The grip that he had on Mai was unnatural. No matter what she did, the hand clasped over hers kept her close, as the blood from the wound ran over the Tsukai's hands.
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Utaku Mai
Unicorn Clan
*Battle Maiden* *Paragon of Honor* *Goddamn Rockstar*
Posts: 484
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Post by Utaku Mai on Jan 16, 2012 10:12:49 GMT -5
The feeling of triumph at her blade finally finding purchase was woefully short-lived. The advantage was now his, and Mai, stuck holding her useless katana at far too close of a range, was fully in his trap. She held down her fear, her childlike terror at this nightmarish monster, the sudden impossibility of her task, the shortness of breath at being held down, closed off...
She remembered the wakizashi at her daisho with a sudden feeling of hope. Surely, if her katana could cause pain, Sojiro's blessed weapon could finish him, if she could only break free to use it...
She fought against his hold as hard as she could, both physically and mentally. Her will would not be broken, not by this pathetic excuse for a man. Not by anyone. Her knuckles went white, and her teeth clenched in her jaw. She looked him straight in his eyes, her face a mask of fury. All of her natural hotheadedness, all of her grief and pain and rage, were channeled into this one impossible action.
"I am Utaku Mai, Ken'o," she said, almost reminding herself of the fact in her struggle. "The Lady of Bikami, and a sister of the shiotome. I am here to defend the people of Rokugan against all of its threats. And you...will not proceed to lecture me...on the meaning of sacrifice!"
Punctuating her last word, Mai shoved her head straight toward his solar plexus, hoping to catch him off guard and release his unnatural hold upon her.
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Post by Shoju on Jan 16, 2012 10:28:28 GMT -5
The Battle Maiden brought her head crashing down into him, and Shoju felt the breath leave his lungs as his body responded to the blow. The blow pushed him back, and the katana began to turn in the wound. Fearful of rendering the limb useless, Shoju released her hands, and the battle maiden and the katana fell back as did Shoju.
Shoju rubbed at his torso, and then used the blood pouring from the wound to unnaturally close and began to heal the wound.
Ken'o? Oh, you did speak to him. You said his name was Haru? Well.. If it's any consolation, the girl wasn't going to kill him. Shoju's expression had changed to one of irritation. But really... what's in a name Mai-san? Shoju cocked his head to the side. I've had so many[/i] in my time.[/color] He began to roll the shoulder as the mending took place, gauging it's usefulness.
I loved a former Shiotome. You remind me of her. Shoju sighed. You cannot FATHOM true sacrifice Utaku Mai. Shoju readied himself for her next attack, and took a meditative pose. Hands closed in front of him, eyes closed, dagger in hand, pointed towards the ground. Maybe, I can teach you.
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Utaku Mai
Unicorn Clan
*Battle Maiden* *Paragon of Honor* *Goddamn Rockstar*
Posts: 484
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Post by Utaku Mai on Jan 16, 2012 11:23:47 GMT -5
Mai saw stars after she delivered the blow to Ken'o's center, but the result was better than she could have hoped. Free of him, she dropped the bloody katana and unsheathed Sojiro's wakizashi. The blue, crystaline metal gleamed in the mid-morning sunlight, sending rays in all directions like a borealis. She saw how the man healed himself, heard his blasphemous use of Haru's name, his sick idea of love...and could not bear to see him breathe for one second longer. Not when so many had already died in defense of this town. Not when Haru himself was no more than ash in the wind. He would never stop, unless Mai stopped him.
She sprang forward, ready to block his dagger with her lightly armored forearm, putting herself close enough to see the threads of his kimono. She fought harder than she had ever thought possible, single-minded in her goal: his chest, his heart. A blow had weakened him there, taken his breath away temporarily. This blade...had to succeed in putting him down completely. The point moved toward its goal with a song of its own, as if the heavens were imbuing it with additional speed and surety.
She committed fully to her attack, putting everything she had, everything she was, into ending him.
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Post by Shoju on Jan 16, 2012 12:48:40 GMT -5
throughout the village
Several villagers watched with earnest the battle between the Battle Maiden and the Tsukai. The Cavalry was easily handling the few men who had been loyal to Shoju.
Senzo had remained loyal to the very end. He had toppled a pair of archers during combat, and used their stores of arrows. He had proved to be an excellent marksman. His death at the hands of a cavalrymen ensured the battle would be won.
Saiten had harassed the cavalry as best he could, but was run over quickly. His remains were quickly set to flame.
Kiga had fought until he was cornered, and fell to his knees weeping in the snow. As the Cavalry closed in on him, he just kept saying. Shoju was right.. Shoju was right.. As a rider dismounted, and began making his way towards him, Kiga took his wakizashi, looked the man in the eyes, and whispered I'm so sorry. He jumped up, and charged the man. The archers killed him before he had completed his third step.
Obutsu was proving to be a challenge. He continued to inflict injuries on many, never really killing, but the blood flowed freely. He sang a song of blood as he did. As he began making his way towards the cavalry, a small explosion rocked the burning remains of the inn. He stood tall and wide eyed for a moment, and then fell over. There was no life left to his form.
Shoju
Mai Charged, and Shoju prepared. He knew she was faster than he originally anticipated, and tried to be prepared. He moved at the last second, again, she missed his heart, but the wakizashi found purchase on his side. Shoju roared in pain, and brought the dagger down, crushing through the light armor that Mai wore, and biting into the flesh of her forearm.
The pain from the wound on his side was intense. The pain was unnatural, and near blinding. Shoju's eyes betrayed the pain she had caused him. The day, and this town are lost. But... YOU Are coming with me. Shoju grabbed her and pulled her tight against his form, twisting the dagger in her forearm as he did.
He held her tight, and closed his eyes. The earth groaned, and swallowed them whole. The descent was quick, merely a few seconds. When they stopped descending Shoju let her go, she stumbled back in what seemed like a small void in the earth.
The void in the earth was roughly like a room, devoid of light, and at most 6x6 in size.
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Utaku Mai
Unicorn Clan
*Battle Maiden* *Paragon of Honor* *Goddamn Rockstar*
Posts: 484
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Post by Utaku Mai on Jan 16, 2012 16:58:07 GMT -5
No one saw what exactly set fire to the trees, if it was cinders from a burning building, or even friendly fire from the town's archers, but the fire spread in spite of the damp pine needles and drifts of snow. The flames rose dozens of feet in the air, swallowing trees and buildings for hours before they were finally satisfied. The smoke and ash was visible throughout the Unicorn and northern Lion lands, and caused blood red sunsets visible even hundreds of miles away.
The villagers of Kibukito stood in the open battlefield as their entire lives came down around them, having no more than the clothes on their back and what remained of their pride. Stuck in the city of exiles without even a city...many openly wept at their loss, not knowing what would become of them or their families. Left here with no honor, no clan, and now no home...what choice did they have but to freeze and starve?
The Bikami cavalry battalion had other plans. Slowly, the men dismounted, procured horse blankets, water skins, travel rations...anything to make their brothers and sisters more comfortable in their grief. And then, without any order given aloud, hands were clasped, children were carried, and the wounded were set on horseback for the trip down the now-familiar path to Bikami.
Refugees and villagers alike rejoiced at reuniting with their lost loved ones. Arrangements were made within nearly every home in the village to take them in until Kibukito could be rebuilt in the spring. Their hearts were full of compassion and hope, even as the sky above them hazed with smoke and cinders.
The harvest that year had been bountiful indeed.
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Taro came separately, having given his own horse to the deeply shaken innkeeper and his youngest son.
He looked carefully around the site of his lady's final battle with the bloodspeaker, looking for any clues but finding little more than a bloody katana and frozen earth. Ren ran over the ground fitfully, pawing occasionally at the ground, but never stopping for more than a few seconds.
Taro approached the spooked animal quietly, making soft cooing sounds and being careful not to make any sudden movements until he was finally close enough to grasp her reins. Ren, for her part, looked at him dangerously but managed to calm down. After a few minutes he dared to pet her mane softly before stepping into the saddle himself and spurning her forward.
The mare's mane shook, but she dutifully followed the lead of the Utaku man back down the mountain.
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Darkness. Rocks and stone and dirt pressing in at every side. Pain, not only in her arm, but her whole body, every muscle utterly spent from the rush of battle. The battle that she, by all appearances, had lost.
No way out.
The invisible walls closed in on her, like the cloaked figures from her distant dream in Kyuden Doji. There was no sound, no light, only the suffocating press of...nothing. Her breathing was sharp and short in the stagnant air as she clawed desperately against the earthen walls. Blood escaped from her wounded arm at an alarming rate, a thick cold tickling against her arm and hand, dripping into the rock and dirt with a faint tapping. Threats, rages, screams, and finally, sobs reverberated through the room as she tried to summon the man who forced her in here. It only served to quicken her blood, hastening the inevitable.
Her head swam, and her vision filled with garish colors and shapes before unconsciousness finally claimed her.
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