Kitsuki Yuushahime
Dragon Clan
This person sometimes posts things that are tl;dr
Courtier Magistrate Ambassador Daimyo
Posts: 1,140
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Post by Kitsuki Yuushahime on Mar 19, 2011 12:07:15 GMT -5
Yuushahime smiled as best she could in the circumstances, noting in her mind that her guard wasn't in the corridor as far as she could tell. She replied mischeviously to Tomatsu "you could call it that" as she worked. Being close enough, Tomatsu could see that she was combining different liquids. She put in some yellow drops from one tiny glass container into an empty one before combining it with some grey powder from the red pouch and then some green drops from another liquid container. She put all the items back into the two pouches and shook the mixture she was left with. Delicately dripping a little on her index finger, she wiped it underneath each eye. "I thought so, astouding" She exclaimed before offering some to the likely hesitant Tomatsu. "This should reduce the effectiveness of the smoke they are using. I believe this is how they can keep their eyes open in it."
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Shosuro Ichiro
Scorpion Clan
Shosuro Family Daimyo*Courtier*Diplomat*Actor*Spy
Posts: 241
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Post by Shosuro Ichiro on Mar 19, 2011 13:22:02 GMT -5
As combat died down Ichiro went to Kenta's body and searched it for spare items, a tanto a few shurikens, throwing darts, smoke and flash pellets. What he did next was the most interesting.
Ichiro turned his back towards his companions as he muttered prayers to the Kami. As he did such he removed his kimono and fan and placed them upon Kenta's cooling body laying it upon him so that it looked as if Kenta was killed while dressed in it. It didn't need to be perfect but Ichiro made it so to honor the sacrifice of his escort. In his final preparations of his guard he removed the oni mask that Kenta wore and replaced it with the one he wore. Ichiro undid the holds up Kenta's hair and laid it about as if Kenta was him.
Ichiro finally gathered his hair up as Kenta did and tied it in place. He then placed the sturdy oni mask on his face and thus the copy of Kenta he became. He stood up and adjusted his clothes looking more like a shinobi than before and made sure to test the tightness of his ties of his newer additions to his garb to make sure they did not become undone. Once satisfied he sheathed his ninja-to and grabbed another one of the attackers to make sure he had another blade for any possibility.
Calmer now that business was done Ichiro spoke his voice more hollow due to the new mask.
"Ready when everyone else is."
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Shiba Kazuma
Phoenix Clan Mod
Phoenix Clan Champion?Samurai?Shiba's Soul?Unique?Enlightened
Posts: 369
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Post by Shiba Kazuma on Mar 19, 2011 17:29:07 GMT -5
Kazuma turned to Ichiro. He was shocked that the man now looked like his dead body guard and vice versa. He knew the reputation of the scorpion clan, but this he had never heard of. He held his tongue, but took a mental note of this action. He made a mental note of this action and if he was ever in the company of another scorpion he would have to inquire as to whether this was normal or just an individual act.
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Post by Ikoma Kibo on Mar 20, 2011 4:26:23 GMT -5
Kibo raised an eyebrow, but kept in mind that the Shosoro daimyo did pray for his loyal retainer and respected his sacrifice. She knew the Scorpion would undertake expiedient actions that were distasteful, and she masked her shock well in the commotion. Indeed, Ichiro-sama was a formidable individual for many, many reasons. He sacrificed honor for a greater possibility of success, a fact not lost upon her. She looked back at Tomatsu-sama and waited to follow his lead. Grim work lie ahead if they were to escape this snare being laid out around them. She looked carefully through the smoke trying to percieve anything amiss or different enough to cause a problem....
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Kitsuki Yuushahime
Dragon Clan
This person sometimes posts things that are tl;dr
Courtier Magistrate Ambassador Daimyo
Posts: 1,140
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Post by Kitsuki Yuushahime on Mar 20, 2011 7:37:41 GMT -5
Yuushahime plied some of her formula on Tomatsu with his permission. The invisible fumes from the concoction would stop the eye watering and stinging caused by the enemy's smoke as well as reduce the blinding effect of the normal smoke caused by the fire. Yuushahime was glad to have studied chemistry in Phoenix lands when she was much younger.
She offered the mix to others but didn't force it upon them. She also watched with some apprehension as the fire was quickly spreading, moving along the paper shoji walls and doors and of course the tatami mats. It only seemed to slow down when it hit solid wood such as in the hallway or the roof beams. It would engulf their room in less than 2 minutes at this rate.
She also noticed Ichiro's actions, noting he seemed quite complacent about touching the dead. She had seen eta servants touch the dead before but never a samurai. It was a most disgusting and dishonourable thing to do according to nearly all Rokugani society. She was sure the others in the room would see him as an eta until he was resanctified and brought once more into the celestial pattern. However, Yuushahime was not concerned with all of that or getting Ichiro blessed again and the dirtiness of the dead removed from him. She didn't even care about how he disguised himself and somewhat needlessly made his dead follower look like himself (as the room would soon be destroyed) though she was impressed at his resourcefulness and him wearing a second kimono. It was to be expected for the Shosuro to commit such dishonourable actions, though usually they hid them. No, the only things concerning her was her cousin downstairs, getting out alive and investigating the incident. She also wished to avoid an incident by having any of her new companions killed. She did wish a shugenja was present though.
She waited for the Ikoma to finish her opponent as she joined Tomatsu and Hikori in scanning the corridor for opponents. It seemed to be very quiet. She could still make out the odd sound of fighting from elsewhere in the building and a lot of flames. The screaming was gone now. It was somewhat unnerving, the roar of growing flames and relative silence compared to the chaos from a minute before.
---
Elsewhere, Kitsuki Haru scanned her own corridor. She had seen some other guests run past and then heard their screams moments later after a few shots from arrows that had streaked after them. Seeing this, she had run back into the room and waited in ambush behind the old shoji screen in the room. She'd heard a few of the sliding doors to other rooms being opened by someone, though it was carefully, and then moments later it had all stopped and there was relative silence. Apart from the fire. She needed to escape and find others she knew. Where had the attackers gone she wondered?
She packed all the items she could find as fast as she could into some bags and sacks and then, praying forgiveness, took her cousin's katana and tied it to her back. She had seen Yuushahime's eta follower pack things away neatly many times but found herself hastily flinging their kimono and belongings into whatever she could. She'd then gone back to the sliding door. That was where she found herself. She listened carefully again, preparing to run out and down the stairs if it was safe. They were four doors down she recalled, frowning as she wasn't as sure as she would like. Wait... what was that?
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Post by Ikoma Kibo on Mar 20, 2011 13:04:49 GMT -5
(ooc: Domo.... Last I knew I slapped him around with the fan to throw him off balance and had figured someone else got him. ^_^ )
The curst shinobi wouldn't give up, and everyone else was more pre-occupied than Kibo realized. The cut with the sword was the feint. As the shinobi stood reflexively in place, the thrust with the now-cloed fan to the adam's apple was the actual lethal blow. It staggered, then took the fatal slash as it graped its larynx. Now, it appeared things had settled down amidst all of the initial confusion. What waited next? Perhaps all of the journeys across the empire and the concurrent battles that were waged were finally beginning to pay dividends. She'd been in similar positions before, knew how to fight, and fight very well now. She was no hunched-over historian who never left the library....
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Shiba Kazuma
Phoenix Clan Mod
Phoenix Clan Champion?Samurai?Shiba's Soul?Unique?Enlightened
Posts: 369
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Post by Shiba Kazuma on Mar 20, 2011 14:02:42 GMT -5
Kazuma noted that the battle in the room had ended and now the battle to get to Yuushahime's cousin would begin. He looked to Tomatsu and Yuushahime.
With your permission I would like to take the lead. Naginata's are great weapons for fighting in the open, but in this confined space my attack and defense options are limited.
He stepped out into the Hall. Naginata at the ready.
Which way Kitsuki-san?
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Kitsuki Yuushahime
Dragon Clan
This person sometimes posts things that are tl;dr
Courtier Magistrate Ambassador Daimyo
Posts: 1,140
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Post by Kitsuki Yuushahime on Mar 20, 2011 17:09:19 GMT -5
Yuushahime stepped into the hall uttering "left is fastest" only, as she looked up both ends of the corridor. The way to the right was obscured by smoke from the burning room and lead to the servant stairs. The way to the left led to the guest stairs. There were no bodies. Odd. Hikori joined her, his weapon ready. For her part she continued to grip her fan and wakizashi tightly. This was hardly over. The first attack had been feeble afterall. What were they up to?
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Shiba Kazuma
Phoenix Clan Mod
Phoenix Clan Champion?Samurai?Shiba's Soul?Unique?Enlightened
Posts: 369
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Post by Shiba Kazuma on Mar 20, 2011 18:41:42 GMT -5
Kazuma nodded his head and turned to move down the hall to the left. He walked along heading towards the stairwell noting that there were not any bodies on the floor. This set him even more on edge then he would have thought possible. The kept himself alert every door he passed could be a potential ambush waiting to occur.
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Shosuro Ichiro
Scorpion Clan
Shosuro Family Daimyo*Courtier*Diplomat*Actor*Spy
Posts: 241
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Post by Shosuro Ichiro on Mar 21, 2011 8:22:25 GMT -5
Haru is shocked out of her doubt as a growl is heard from down the hall. This was followed by a slashing sound and a slumping thud as Torazo sliced down a hidden assassin taking aim at the young Kitsuki. As he cleaned off his blade and watched for other attackers , Reicko and Aiko flooded forward towards Haru's room. When they get there Reicko speaks.
"Young Haru-ko, my Daimyo, Shosuro Ichiro-sama, sent me to make sure you are safe and to escort you out of this death trap. So if you have everything we should go, now.
Aiko summons forth some water to quench one wall to slow the flames as Reicko speaks.
---
Upstairs, Ichiro falls in behind Kazuma. He kept his profile low, to almost crawling on all limbs. His muscles were taught ready to pounce on the next wave of attacks. As he moved his foot falls were silent, his form was enveloped by the smoke thus making himself as invisible as possible. He was ready.
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Akodo Tomatsu
Lion Clan Mod
The Shining Lion
Lion Clan Champion?Samurai?Tactician?Loyal?Paragon of Sincerity?Defender of the Empire
Posts: 1,042
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Post by Akodo Tomatsu on Mar 21, 2011 13:46:31 GMT -5
He blushed and smiled at her touch, not many woman dared touch the Lion Champion, even with permission, at least not reputable, honorable women like the Kitsuki-san. He took a moment to recompose himself and put some steel in his spine. He spun his blade around in his hand, psyching himself up for the blood and guts that they were about to witness. He was no novice swordsman and years of experience told him, this would get gruesome before it got better.
He took one last, lingering glance at what most would believe was his pitted armor sitting on its rack. However he was truly appreciating the beauty of the Kitsuki courtier who stood in between a warrior and his armor. How he wished this night had ended differently. He turned his attention to the Shiba in the room. Lead the way Phoenix-san. I will never begrudge a fellow warrior his honor so long as that honor doesn't involve spilling my blood.
--- Elsewhere in the Inn, a few moments earlier
Mika had heard, and partially witnessed the commotion. She knew better than than to reveal her presence from her master's room or her ability at fighting. The benefits of her Ikoma Spy-master training kicked in. She retreated away from the cracked doors to the main room and opened the window across the way. She took a moment to look out of the window, and then checked her head wrappings to make sure they were fitted properly, no time to grab on to them while she was scaling the wall and she would not risk her identity being known.
She hefted herself out of the window and slowly eased herself down so she was just relying on her arms for support. With a few breaths she released her grip, falling to the ground and rolling with the impact, lessening the pain she now felt from colliding with the ground. She took a few seconds, rolling into a crouch, to catch her bearings. Sounds of fighting still poured from inn and she could occasionally catch the glimpse of two figures locked in combat in other rooms. She took stock of where she was relative to where she wanted to be and quickly realized that she was on the wrong side of the inn. If she was going to get help for her lord, she would have to reenter the inn as it was the fastest way to get across.
She sprinted towards the closed door, and dropped a shoulder down, ramming her way through the door way. Luckily for her, these doors were not well built, more for aesthetic pleasure than for sturdiness, and the flung open as she barreled through into the inn.
(Thought since people were using their NPCs a bit here, I'd throw in my own and use the opportunity to flesh her out a bit, hope everyone doesn't mind)
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Shiba Kazuma
Phoenix Clan Mod
Phoenix Clan Champion?Samurai?Shiba's Soul?Unique?Enlightened
Posts: 369
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Post by Shiba Kazuma on Mar 21, 2011 16:40:55 GMT -5
Kazuma was about to get to the stairs when he stopped. He wanted to wait for everyone to catch up before he made his way down the stairs. No sense getting to far ahead of the group for no reason.
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Post by Ikoma Kibo on Mar 22, 2011 3:31:54 GMT -5
Kibo looked carefully around as she blinked repeatedly, guessing the agent used to afftect their sight would wear off gradually- no need to worry about anything other than protecting her Lord at this point. At least others were gradually coming to their aid. Most of her retinue were either back at their homes, dealing with the Yobanjin, or entertaining themselves elsewhere in Toshi Ranbo.
Survival was the first step- stay focused on the task at hand! Then they could try anf figure out who would attempt such a bold attack on several rather influential individuals from several major clans....
Kitsuki-sama wondered why none of her stories that readily came to mind were of a more amusing nature, perhaps she'd understand better once they broke out of this gauntlet, that is, if they did. A story actually did come to mind at that moment, one involving an old friend of her Father's and his rather socially-over-adept wife and her cats, but that could wait. She looked at Tomatsu-sama with a half-smile, nodded and was ready to move forward with everyone as a team. This she knew- the only way they'd stand the best chance of getting out was to work as a team, using their combined and diverse skills....
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Akodo Tomatsu
Lion Clan Mod
The Shining Lion
Lion Clan Champion?Samurai?Tactician?Loyal?Paragon of Sincerity?Defender of the Empire
Posts: 1,042
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Post by Akodo Tomatsu on Mar 23, 2011 14:30:29 GMT -5
He made his way towards to Kazuma, stopping by Yushahime. Kitsuki-san, if you will allow me, I can protect you while we make our way to your dear cousin. I have no doubt that you are an excellent fighter, but none the less I humbly offer my services. He made a slight bow of his head. Strange time for formality he thought.
He took notice over his shoulder that Kibo was keeping a close watch over him. Good he thought, She may well make the night go smoother. Perhaps I should offer her a position as my Yojimbo. We shall see what the night has in store.
Shiba-san he barked out without turning to look let us proceed, time is not our ally.
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Shiba Kazuma
Phoenix Clan Mod
Phoenix Clan Champion?Samurai?Shiba's Soul?Unique?Enlightened
Posts: 369
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Post by Shiba Kazuma on Mar 23, 2011 17:09:20 GMT -5
Kazuma moved forward and started down the stairs. He checked each corner trying to make sure there was no ambush waiting for them. He could not get the foreboding feeling out of his gut that something was watching them and waiting. He knew many different fighting styles from his time spent training with the other clans, but all of this sneaking around was new to him. He detested it so.
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