Kuni Kaymar
Crab Clan
Crab Clan * Damiyo * Shugenja * Witch Hunter * Jade * Earth *
Posts: 162
|
Post by Kuni Kaymar on Feb 4, 2011 11:44:52 GMT -5
Kaymar concentrated, and forced the earth kami to do his will. Sometimes communicating with them was like trying to move through quicksand, they were notoriously slow and sluggish. That's where sheer determination came in, and once you knew the way to make the earth kami realise you were actually there, well, almost anything could be accomplished. With a grunt from the Kuni, the ground seemed to swallow him.
--
Moving past the Phoenix and through the ground Kaymar led the way to where the rockfall was on the map. After several minutes he arrived in the right location and made a snap decision, making to look into the unmapped area.
The section was a dead end. The skeletal reamins of three crumpled corpses were strewen across the floor, having been thouroughly ransaked. At a glance the Crab could tell two of the corpses were some form of oni - although with how old they were (and without the use of his precious lab) it was not obvious what had killed them. The other corpse was Rokugani, although little reamined of his belongings.
The other side of the cavern was almost blocked off, with only a crawl space exiting into the system beyond. The cultists had not had it all their own way however as it was obvious there had been a very recent addition to the rockfall and that it had caught at least one cultists as it had come down - the arm sticking out from the mound of rocks was a testiment to the fury of the earth.
Kaymar emerged from the rock, and cast his gaze over the remains.
|
|
|
Post by tadakasan on Feb 4, 2011 14:18:36 GMT -5
Tadaka slowly followed the Kuni, obseerving as he went along. Things were different than he had imagined they'd be; he certainly hadn't expected to find Oni... Looking at the other two corpses, he could tell the differences, noting the Crabs' success. It made him wonder how the Maho Tsukai were planning to get out from the far depths of the cave that they were in...
Following, he popped up next to Kaymar, waiting for the Witch Hunter's opinion, knowing he likely knew more about remains than he himself ever would.
|
|
Kuni Kaymar
Crab Clan
Crab Clan * Damiyo * Shugenja * Witch Hunter * Jade * Earth *
Posts: 162
|
Post by Kuni Kaymar on Feb 4, 2011 17:52:16 GMT -5
(ooc, and time to make up an oni ) "Nathlak no oni. " whispered the Kuni, keeping his voice low. "Well, spawn at least, had it been the true demon it is very likely the only corpse here would have been the Kaiu's." Kaymar pointed to a corroded metal badge, displaying the personal mon of the Kaiu Damiyo. Evidence, however it was evidence that was unlikely to last as when the Kuni reached down to recover it, it fell apart in his hands. The body language expressed Kaymars displeasure, even if he didn't speak of it. "The cup isn't here. If it has been taken they must have crawled back and forth through that dug out gap in the rockfall, leading to the rest of the complex" summised Kaymar
|
|
|
Post by tadakasan on Feb 4, 2011 19:25:55 GMT -5
Tadaka stared at the oni, contemplating; he's never seen such an oni, but it was hardly surprising. There were as many different Oni in Jigoku as there were stars in the sky. So even having seem many in his time in Crab lands, an unrecognized spawn caused more curiousity than surprise. He looked into the gap, speaking quietly, "I agree with you Kaymar-san. Let me see if I can find out more; I will be but one moment..."
Rasaka chanted a spell quietly, eyes closed, expanding his awareless around him as he looked for thoughts, disturbances, souls... whatever the Sight might reveal to him nearby.
|
|
Kuni Kaymar
Crab Clan
Crab Clan * Damiyo * Shugenja * Witch Hunter * Jade * Earth *
Posts: 162
|
Post by Kuni Kaymar on Feb 5, 2011 2:45:55 GMT -5
The Kuni nodded, then crouched down to loose closer at the remains. As if making a few mental notes, he eventually stood back up again. When he was finished here he would have to send some eta to collect the remains - a burial for the Kaiu Lord, and for study purposes on the oni. The presence of these 6' tall spawn certinatly made it clear why the cup had never been delivered to the then Crab champion at least.
|
|
|
Post by tadakasan on Feb 5, 2011 18:39:11 GMT -5
Tadaka relaxed as he looked for the presence of souls around him... he could sense Kaymar obviously, and the corpses nearby were devoid of spirits, long since passed away. On the other side of the crawlspace he could sense a total of 9 total beings... but only 6 had souls, which meant 3 of the things that were in there were likely some of the undeadhonor guard. And that was it.
Keeping his voice down, Tadaka spoke up again, "There seem to be 9 up ahead; 3 of your companions raised as zombies and 6 others; I cannot tell what of course, but I'd take a guess and say likely mostly the bloodspeakers you're hunting. At least that would be more encouraging then some bloodspeakers and some oni anyways. Let us go see."
Tadaka dove back into the earth head first, his feet dissapearing from view as he seemingly went under and in the direction of the main cave.
|
|
Kuni Kaymar
Crab Clan
Crab Clan * Damiyo * Shugenja * Witch Hunter * Jade * Earth *
Posts: 162
|
Post by Kuni Kaymar on Feb 5, 2011 19:03:13 GMT -5
Indeed, thought Kaymar, facing an oni would not be the most favourable of the possible options presented. He stood up, and ran towards, then through, the wall in the direction Tadaka had taken.
Ploughing through the earth the Kuni began to feel himself slow down, as he felt the earth kami wishing to be away from where he was headed. Pure force of will turned the earth kami back, easing his transit again, but it did set alarm bells ringing. The elemental kami did not like their cousins - kansen. And kansen were drawn towards maho like Scorpion to a secret. Obviously the cell had started their work. Forcing his mind onto his current situation, Kaymar pushed forward.
-
Kaymar stopped. Whatever was happening was taking place just a few feet infront of him. He caught a glimpse of Tadaka and nodded, before very very slowly edging forward. Eventually he leaned just enough so he could see what was happening. The natural cavern had two winding exits - each one guarded by an undead creation. Another undead stood guard over a slight-built female in a dark-dirt stained robe. Four cultists looked to be staked to one of the walls, whilst another wandered between them chanting in a dark language while cutting what looked to be runic shapes into them. Blood slowly dripped from each of the sacrifices, collecting into glass jars.
|
|
|
Post by tadakasan on Feb 5, 2011 23:35:07 GMT -5
Tadaka too could feel the influence of the Kansen on the kami, though at least here in the heart of a mountain the earth kami were bolder than they might be elsewhere... well that and the earth kami being dim in the first place. Swimming through the earth further he could see the opening of the cave up ahead; seeing Kaymar head one direction Tadaka went around a little bit, still able to see Kaymar but able to see the cave as well.
Floating there he saw Kaymar nod to him and go towards the wall; Tadaka wondered if Kaymar was going to head in already, since the ritual had begun, but it seemed he merely wanted a clearer look into the dimly lit and somewhat smokey room. For his part, he wouldn't have disagreed if Kaymar had ran right in; it wasn't much different than what he had expected.
Swimming up to Kaymar he tapped him on the shoulder, making a motion that he was going to go around to the back of the cave. Tadaka wished he could speak his plan out loud, but he trusted the Kuni knew how to take care of the undead and maho-tsukai, so he would leave the area between the two entrances to Kaymar. Meanwhile, he steeled himself as he swam up behind the cult's leader, not hesitating as he burst out of the wall, forming a Tetsubo of Earth and charging into the leader and her undead minion.
|
|
Kuni Kaymar
Crab Clan
Crab Clan * Damiyo * Shugenja * Witch Hunter * Jade * Earth *
Posts: 162
|
Post by Kuni Kaymar on Feb 6, 2011 6:41:15 GMT -5
Kaymar burst through the wall almost exactly at the same time as Tadaka, a savage grin displayed across his face. He reached out his left hand towards the nearest undead abomination, and the earth rose at his command, surrounding the former Kaiu. Closing his fist sharply the rock compressed, crushing the undead remains.
With glee the Crab snapped his head around, locking his eyes onto the knife-wielding cultist, who seemed to have stopped in shock. The attention being lavished on him by the Kuni seemed to snap the maho-tsukai into action as he began to chant lounder, raising his knife up to plunge it into the chest of one of the bound cultists. Realising he didnt have much time, Kaymar roared "Enough!", hurling a bolt of pure jade as the knife began to fall....
The knife fell faster, plunging into the cultist and spraying blood into the air, blood which seemed to swirl in the air. Yes, the knife fell faster, but the moments hesitation had cost the maho-tsukai dear - he didn't have time to finish his incantation before the jade strike hit home, flinging the target backwards and into the wall with a sickening crunch.
The Crab had a sudden uneasy feeling however, stealing any joy he may have felt. He turned slightly and caught sight of the other undead honour guard swinging a wooden club at his left side. Eyes widening, Kaymar cursed and on instinct dived, trying to roll with the blow as it slammed into his left leg.
|
|
|
Post by tadakasan on Feb 6, 2011 15:17:14 GMT -5
Tadaka didn't hesitate as he swung his newly formed tetsubo at the lead cultist's head, trying to catch her off guard. But as off guard as she might have been, the undead didn't have any reason to hesitate. His tetsubo connected square into the zombie's chest, sending the abomination tumbling to the side with a sickening crack; as it rolled it scrambled at the ground, obviously not dead but nearly broken in half.
Between Kaymar and the sight of one of her undead minions being tossed aside, the wily cult leader quickly caught on to the attack. Not breaking her ritual, she none-the-less weaved in another spell, stealing some of the blood that was in the air which seemed to quickly form a misty red bubble around her. Tadaka cursed inwardly and the tetsubo dissapeared; something as mundane as that wouldn't be able to break the barrier. Looking overr to Kaymar he say his partner get struck on the leg by the third undead's club...
Deciding to deal with the heart of matters, he started chanting to cast the most powerful void spell he knew, black energies crackling around him in a shield as he kept casting, obviously casting some thing drawing on a great number of the kami...
|
|
Kuni Kaymar
Crab Clan
Crab Clan * Damiyo * Shugenja * Witch Hunter * Jade * Earth *
Posts: 162
|
Post by Kuni Kaymar on Feb 6, 2011 18:37:05 GMT -5
The undead Kaiu stood over the Kuni, raising it's club as it mindlessly saught the end of the witch hunter. Kaymar gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain in his leg - he had other more pressing issues to consider. As the club fell, the Shugenja almost laughed as he dropped back into the earth. The undead stopped as it tried to percieve where it's victim had gone. Not spotting the Crab, the undead began to head to Tadaka.
Kaymar rose from the earth behind the abomination, favouring his right leg heavily. With a grunt of power, the man with the streaked facepaint called forth the earth kami again. They seemed more unresponsive, as if...Kaymar glanced at the Phoenix briefly... with a roar of sheer determination the Crab forced a handful of earth kami to do his bidding, trapping the legs of the undead and holding it in place. An exhausted smile started to creep onto the Crabs painted face before he fell to the ground, controlling his decent to not hurt his left side. With a struggle, he swung his satchel round, looking for something, anything, to help the Master of Void should something to awry with his spell.
|
|
|
Post by tadakasan on Feb 6, 2011 22:55:19 GMT -5
What happened next wasn't so much something with Tadaka's spell as it was something with the maho-tsukai's; With Tadaka chanting a complex spell she had decided it was now or never. As Kaymar fought the undead that was next to him, the one Tadaka had struck with a club had managed to flop over to the dead cultist and take his knife. The zombie plunged the blade into the last tied up cultist who screamed in agony as the knife tore a long gas in his front side, the zombie practicaly pulling the blade down through him.
The leader saw the spray of blood and she smiled wickedly, the blood moving quickly like a snake over to the pool on the dias in front of her, finishing her spell just before Tadaka could finish his spell; Too busy to realize or act, Tadaka put the last incantations into his spell, oblivious as to what was going on in the small room...
|
|
Kuni Kaymar
Crab Clan
Crab Clan * Damiyo * Shugenja * Witch Hunter * Jade * Earth *
Posts: 162
|
Post by Kuni Kaymar on Feb 7, 2011 12:35:44 GMT -5
The scream of the cultist tore Kaymar away from his scrolls, his eyes hardening upon seeing the situation. The undead had started to crawl towards the defenceless Tadaka - and who knew exactly what the leader of the cultists had in mind. Pulling a scroll out of the satchel the Crab attempted to stand, dragging himself up with the support of the wall. He needed to distract the cultist - to give Tadaka time. Concentrating through the pain, an Earthen Tetsubo appeared in the Kuni's left hand - and the Crab started to hobble forward, using the tetsubo as a walking stick. There wasn't much left in him, the Crab realised. The difficulty in forcing the earth to do his bidding was becoming more and more difficult. More and more taxing. His strength failing he moved on sheer willpower alone.
Holding the scroll in his teeth, oh how his sensai would have raged seeing that, Kaymar did the first thing that came to mind. He threw his satchel towards the female. It wasn't an accurate throw, and to be fair it wasn't even close. Even if it had been, Kaymar knew it wouldn't break through the barrier of blood surrounding her - but it did cause the fool woman to flinch in surprise. The crawling undead sensed the attack on it's master and turned back towards Kaymar as the Crab read his scroll, words slow and sluggish.
Rocks closed around the witch hunter, forming an earthen armour. He knew he was about done, but the Kuni had one last trick. The armour might not weigh anything to the shugenja - the earth could be kind - but it still had mass. As the skeleton got close enough to swipe, Kaymar did the last thing his tired limbs would let him - he fell ontop of the undead. The weight of the armour landed square on the former Kaiu - crushing and breaking bones. The undead was gone, but so to was any strength the Crab had left.
|
|
|
Post by tadakasan on Feb 7, 2011 17:13:17 GMT -5
The woman flinched but it was too late; the blood in the air seemed to be absorbed into the cup, seeping into it as if the ancient object was a sponge. Just as the was happening and Kaymar landed in the undead, Tadaka finished his spell; Kaymar could make out the red mist around the grinning cultist turn the color of the night sky even as she stared at the cup in triumph. Her eyes seemed to register the change as Tadaka quietly spoke, "Be one with the Void, and never trouble the realms again, abomination."
Kaymar's ear's popped and he could hear the muffled sound of the woman screaming, the misty bubble seeming to arc with dark energy bfore collapsing in on her, her body disitegrating into a mist then dissapearing altogether, the screaming fading into nothing. The cavern was silent, the undead having stopped moving and cultists all dead. Tadaka leaned against the wall with the effort of pulling the Void against the resistance of the Kansen an strain needed to be able to unmake someone. Taking a stick from his back he chanted softly, the thing returning to it's memory of being a walking staff. He walked slowly only to Kaymar, kneeling down, "We seemed to have survived the ordeal. Are you able to move?"
|
|
Kuni Kaymar
Crab Clan
Crab Clan * Damiyo * Shugenja * Witch Hunter * Jade * Earth *
Posts: 162
|
Post by Kuni Kaymar on Feb 7, 2011 19:17:21 GMT -5
The earthen armour crumbled into dust as it fell off the prone Crab. Raising his head to meet the Master of the Void Kaymar mumbled "I believe so Tadaka-sama, but it may not be quickly."
After a moment to gather himself the Kuni pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around the cavern. "And here I was hopeing" his voice still weak "to take one alive for questioning." Kaymar's voice crackled a little as he said this, as close to a laugh as he could manage. Kaymar's thick tone suddenly became serious "I thank you Master of Void. I thank you on behalf of my Clan and on behalf of the souls of the Kaiu we have laid to rest." looking around the Crab continued "I would say more, but perhaps this is not the best of environments to do so."
|
|