AC: Round 2 - Group 4

[Revenant]

This thread is reserved for members of Group 4. The thread will open at noon on September 7th (Pacific time) and will be closed after two weeks.

Good Luck!

Group 4
Hoytti
Tainted Bushido

[Tainted Bushido]

A groan resounded through the area as a hand clawed at the dirt underneath. The hand was pale, far too pale, though streaks of vicious black curled about them in twisting chains. The hand finally flexed into the form of a fist before the arm it was attached to twisted to a supporting position. It pushed the chest it was connected to away from the ground, which fell in dusty traces from the kimono that enwrapped the torso of the man. A second hand gripped at the head that was attached to the torso by a thicker neck. The body of a warrior was waking up and cataloguing the old aches and pains, before assessing the new ones.

The head tilted this way and that, letting pops echo through the area as the stress of sleeping on uneven and hard ground released itself explosively. A groan issued with the slight pain that such a release gave before a single grey eye peaked out from a curtain of white hair, drinking in the world about him. Hand instinctively went to the hilt of a sword almost as long as he was at his back, even as the assessment came back no threats. With a grunt he stood looking about the area.

Taka, the Dark Blade of the Ixian Knights, tasked with the military victories that were too distasteful to pursue with a virtuous force was finally awake. His eyes looking about the area as he saw he had fallen asleep on a path, though it was clearly not the one he had seen when he collapsed in the garden of Alabaster the half-fey. Still he had his No-dachi, and that would have to be enough for now, as he moved to secure the area His eyes scanning for any sign of Steppenwolfe Orlouge, half-brother of his master Sei, the mysterious Cellar Door, and Lady Erissa Tarsul, who had been his companions on the road prior.

The area about the ronin was a standard dirt road through a forest. Unlike the hedge maze that he had been forced to endure, he could see the random hand of nature in the growth of the brush and trees. That alone gave the Dark Blade a chance to relax as he continued to scout the area. A quick look didn’t reveal much beyond the path leading out of the forest to a clearing, but unsheathing the No-dachi he used it to poke and prod the nearby bushes, anticipating any form of treachery he could. After the paranoia inducing trial of the Hedge maze, complete with clones that made reuniting with allies difficult to determine, he was more than willing to let his paranoia protect him.

The sounds of twigs snapping and leaves being crushed underfoot was a thunderous boom in the curiously silent forest, and with preternatural speed Taka shifted his stance, No-dachi drawn and pointed backwards, his legs set shoulder width apart as his white hair whipped about him and formed a confusing display. One milky eye escaped the locks as he hissed in basic, “Who is out there?”

[hoytti]

Roxi, a giant worm-like animal, stirred as the magic that had put Her and her host both to sleep wore off. She she twisted within Sorish's neck then started to stretch but then froze when she hit some form of wood. She quickly looked around and noticed that Sorish and herself was dropped off in a thick bush. The leaves around her rattled as she started to race through the leaves to the top of the bush. Just as she was about to reach the surface she heard someone call out "Who is out there?" She tried to stop since she was fearful of many land dwellers, all because of their first contact being with a stupid warlord, but her momentum was too fast to stop and her head pooped right out of the bush. She looked around quickly since she knew she was already spotted then laid eyes on Taka, at which point she ducked back down under the bush. I hope he doesn't come to investigate. Suddenly she heard the rustling of branches and leaves Darn it! "Sorish wake up!"

The giant man made of Coral stirred "Five more minutes Roxi. I haven't had a good sleep since this thing started."

Roxi sighed to herself then looked in the direction of the rustling. Suddenly, two pale hands could be seen grabbing the branches just in front of them. As they spread those branches apart she lunged at the intruder, fear getting the best of her. she just missed the head the head as the man dodged. She turned towards him and said, "Stay away from us!"

[Tainted Bushido]

The ronin looked as some small creature looked out form the bush. Looking as nothing more than a long blue tendril the creature yelled at him to back off and disappeared in the brush sending a few snapped branches to the ground. Taka raised an eyebrow as the nodachi was sheathed within it’s bandages scabbard and approached the bush, pulling his hair back behind his head and attempting to tie it off with a leather thong, before he realized that he had lost it in the maze. A grunt of irritation left his lips as he realized why so many westerners kept their hair short.

The thought of cutting his hair irked him honestly.

Still he carefully approached the brush and was rewarded with the sounds of something skittering about in the bush. His hand reaching back to the hilt of his nodachi as he narrowed his eyes and carefully reached a hand out to pull the bushes aside when he saw it, the small blue like rope resembling a worm peering out at him. The sentience was almost assumed with the manner in which it moved and Taka jumped back a pace before he hissed softly in Akashiman, “Oni…”

No little falcon, not an oni. Merely something from the sea…

The words were not his own thoughts, Taka knew this much. They were the thoughts of the corruptive blood even now seeking to gain dominance in his body. The blood of the demons of Jigoku, the oni, had splashed upon his open wounds when he had fought and oni to protect a charge long ago. It was this that marked his flesh in the darkened patches, as he fought to retain his sanity while these thoughts and whispers seduced him to a darker path. It wasn’t a voice, so much as a sudden invasion by a thought that he had no inkling of its beginning.

Though, there were times he had to rethink things, for the Oni would insert dark thoughts while he was pondering.

Still whenever he was referred to as the “little falcon” he knew the oni was merely trying to seem helpful, in the hopes he would take the bait and be drawn further on the path to jigoku. His name was Akashiman for falcon, and so the Oni loved to taunt him with its tradespeak translation. As he took a deep breath to calm himself he watched the bushes before he spat out in tradespeak, “Come out of there, now. Do so slowly and I will not attack, you have my word on that much.”

[hoytti]

Roxi contemplated for a second then started to move slowly up and out of the bushes stretching her body so that she was still connected to Sorish. She looked at the man who stood before her. He definitely was a warrior of high stature. His skin and hair were white as snow he had a brown robe. His arms were covered in bandages, I hope he doesn't carry a contagious disease. then she noticed the spots coming from his back. Definitely a disease. Once she finished looking him over, she sat in a snakes striking position ready to strike at the slightest hostile move. "I am Roxi, Symbiote of Sorish Mon Larsh, Adventurer and Historian from the Sea. What is your business here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. As a sea creature you shouldn't be out of the water."

Roxi took note of the defensiveness of this sentence. She smiled as she realized that this man, had no intention of harming her, he was just surprised by her. She relaxed, "I don't really know what's going on. Sorish never really explained it to me. All I know is that we were in A mermaid city one minute and next we were waking up on a beach in a stupid forest with strange animals. Sorish said something about an Adventurer's Crown, but I didn't quite understand him. Also, a stupid companion decided it would be funny to fry us not even an hour into the exploration. now we are here and I still don't understand.

"The Adventurer's Crown is a tournament, and if you are a part of it then we are companions. Don't worry, I won't be like the last one."

Roxi looked at the man still not completely convinced but let it go since Sorish stirred. "Okay Roxi, Now what did you want earlier." Sorish started to get up but hit his head on a branch of the bush. "Ow!" Sorish held his head as he looked around and noticed that Roxi had stretched herself out of the bush. He crawled out and looked at her then noticed the man. "Hello, my name is Sorish, and this is Roxi, I hope she didn't cause you any trouble."

[Tainted Bushido]

They seem foolish, perhaps you should-

That thought was easy to cut off.

He looked as the thing known as Sorish Mon Larsh finally introduced itself to him, and took in its impressive size. It easily dwarfed the ronin, though the rather rail thin nature of the beast made it such that Taka could see most of that height was simply for show. Still he didn’t sheath the nodachi as he waited patiently for the beast to find his feet. Upon it standing Taka merely said bluntly, “I am Taka of the Ixian Knights. Let us move, perhaps the path leading into the clearing will shed some light upon our situation…”

He turned to go, not wishing to look upon the creature for much longer. It was a bit unnerving to the ronin and he had no experience with such monstrous forms. It made his skin crawl in a way that had not been done since he had grown accustomed to dwarves and elves, his time in the Ixian Knights forcing him to become used to their presence. It would always be this way, as Akashima was so insulated other than the occasional neko he had no cause to grow used to the presence of other races. It was a growing experience, and one he was not fond of repeating.

Sandals scraped against the dusty path when Taka moved through the woods towards the clearing he had earlier spied and upon reaching the edge of the tree line understood that it was no clearing he was wandering to, it was a small valley. His eyes narrowed as he studied the location before him and clucked his tongue in distaste. Such a fortress for so small a valley, it was useless.

The walls were made of a mortar shaped not unlike clay. His eyes spied nothing over the walls to prevent one from climbing, but there were people moving about the area. It would take some cunning if one were to get through in any stealthy fashion. The main gates were massive wooden walls barricading against an incoming horde and this served to further the foolish vibe Taka got from the place. His gaze remaining harsh until he spied a few buildings in a more squat fashion, designed such that they were actually lower than the walls. That gave him a bit of scale to the building as he realized why there was nothing on the walls, they were over ten feet tall, while the buildings hovered at ten feet. Anyone climbing the walls would be in plain sight to any guard watching them.

The wind swept over the ronin grabbing and playing with his kimono still tattered in more than a few places from his time in the maze. Paranoia had been a watch word in that den of iniquity, and here Taka could see the word of the day would be patience. If they rushed headlong into this they would most likely be destroyed without a chance. Perhaps a diplomatic approach would work; Taka had after all been the one to conquer Gisela, with a more political approach than the captain of the guard on station there had anticipated. He eyed a few of the slashes he had been forced to endure in the maze not yet healed by the mystical magic that saw the cuts to go with them disappear. He was frankly happy to have the haori of his kimono remain intact.

Looking back over his shoulder he gestured to the fortress complex before he said firmly, “I’ll give in to your opinion on this matter. Should we try peace or stealth?”

[hoytti]

Sorish was shocked by the idea of him even trying to be stealthy. Even with the robe that could conceal his entire figure, his height made it impossible to even move without being noticed. "No matter what kind of trick we use to try to sneak into that fortress, I would always be found out. The only option we have is through peaceful negotiation." The likelihood of us being able to enter that place peacefully is also slim. After all, this is a test created by Kenneth Stern, and if the last test was to show anything about his challenges. Negotiation will not be an easy route. Sorish looked the castle over one more time then pulled up his hood. "So, should we go and see how friendly these people are?" Taka just nodded and started walking towards the castle, Sorish followed.

As they entered the small town that surrounded the castle Sorish noticed a man who waved them over. As Sorish and Taka approached, the man called out, "Sorish, Taka, over here!" Sorish and Taka looked at each other then ran over to the man. "I'm here as a returner. Some items were lost to you last round, I'm here to return them to you. Sorish, your Donphan has a chibiball now. I'm here to give it to you." Sorish received a ball from the man. It was pure white except for a golden band that surounded the seam. "Stink en beast had been causing trouble in the tower, it seems to like you and doesn't want to leave your side. Also, A note from your sister arrived." Sorish grabbed the note. "Taka, I have your Mask and Daisho here as well." he handed the mask and Daisho over. "Good luck." Then he disappeared.

Sorish opened the letter and started reading it.

Big Brother,
I'm glad to hear that you have made it to the second round of that tourney. I was so nervous that you wouldn't make it and get depressed. Try your best to win this thing. I shall watch you and cheer you on from the tower. Go Brother! Go!
Love,
Little Sister Sanderia

P.S. A scribe helped me write this.

Sorish smiled then put the letter in his pocket. He then turned towards Taka and motioned for them to head for the gate. As they got closer two guards blocked the path. "None may enter the Fortress of Ra except Ra himself."

Sorish looked at Taka who was trying to avoid looking at Sorish. After a second he looked back at the guards. "We were sent by Ra, now let us in," Sorish said sounding official.

"Nice try rock, but Ra is the only one allowed in the Fortress of Ra."

"Seriously? Then why is there a man climbing the wall on the side?"

"Nice try giant. Now get out of our site before we run you through."

Sorish glared at the man then turned turned away from the gate and headed back up the street, There has to be another way in.

[Tainted Bushido]

Taka gratefully took his mask and daisho, checking them over for tampering before they were placed in their proper places. Even with the lack of bandages to hide his taint along with his armor taka felt more whole, more complete once Rengoku’s familiar weight entered his grip. A soft smile crept across his face as he said softly, “It is good to see you once more little one…”

Rengoku was more than just a mere blade, for it contained within it the spirit of a woman. He was uncertain as to who’s essence was bound within the blade, but he had been told when he got it, that essence was none other than the woman he had been protecting at the time. Age and treachery had befallen him that day and the truth came to light his charge had actually survived that ill-fated escort mission. With that came the obvious question of who it really was.

All he knew, was that the blade waxed and waned, seeming to add or lighten it’s burden in accordance with his actions.

He watched as the creature walked up to the gate and tried to talk their way in, and was met with what he expected. Whoever this Ra was, he was the only allowed entry, and these men were emphatic about the point. Moving back Taka sighed as he looked upon the fortress, pulling back to the clearing before he took a fallen twig from a branch and began to draw out the outline of the fortress. His eyes glanced over the drawings as he marked locations and guard patterns. Finally he had enough information and sat back sighing, it was not a pretty picture.

“Yanbo port has weaker security than this,” He replied finally. Looking down at the fortress he sighed once more before he spoke, “Though I cannot speak of the experience the guards have, we are at a loss for what to do. Do we even need to enter this building? Part of me says we shouldn’t, but with everything this tournament has thrown at us, I cannot think of any other course of action we should take.”

He jabbed a finger at the dirt drawing even as a breeze played with his hair, exposing more of the black marks on his skin, “That central building should be where we can get answers for this. That would also make it the hardest target to get into. If it were just me I would go for the central building, but I have you as well, and I am not as sure of your abilities as I am of my own.”

He then looked up at the creature before he spoke his voice blunt and stern, “What are you capable of? I need to know if I try to go head on that I will have a warrior at my back or if it would just be another suicide…”

[hoytti]

Sorish pulled out his sword ad looked down upon it. "My people receive a practice sword at eight, by twenty they learn how to harden their sword, By twenty five they have their armor and by thirty they have a steel grade Coralian sword." He jerked his head up. "I can fight in a combat of swords, but, I also have magical abilities as well, I can hold a bubble of water for a minute which is long enough to drown somebody, I can also use that same water to shoot a jet stream that hits as hard as a strong punch. These abilities are limited however and I try to avoid using them in a war zone since I'm can't move during their use. Roxi here can protect me from an unbladed attacker but when it comes to a blade, she is useless." She also can use that ability, though it would cause us trouble if I'm still in the middle of battle when the time is up. "I can fight, but," Sorish looked over at the number of guards, one hundred, all outside the wall, "our odds are stacked against us. One hundred on two. it is like fighting a war with a two man army. However, these guards look like they are just rejects. People who are their just to make it look imposing. They probably are new recruits being trained to protect more important places on this island. I think we can take them, but only if there isn't more then ten good soldier hidden among the rest." Favor probably won't look down on us. "The decision is yours Taka."

[Tainted Bushido]

Taka looked upon the map he had drawn, going almost silent as he contemplated his next action. His eyes never moved and his breathing only barely echoed behind his mask before he nodded softly, and with finality, “A frontal assault may be all we are allowed at this time. There doesn’t seem to be much of a choice here. We shall limit them to choke points and work our way to the center of this fortress. Do not advance until I call for it, and do not leave me behind…”

Rengoku seemed to lighten at the prospect of the fight that was coming as taka stood his eyes looking out over the field and the fortress it contained. The wind played through his hair as it whipped about teasing and pulling at it in a view that only served to distract the ronin. The picture was ruined when he stepped forward into battle and drew his katana keeping it at the ready.

With a cry he shouted out, “Utz!”

The charge came swift his feet rushing down the beaten road, each stepping kicking up dust. His eyes never wavered from their target even as the two guards let out a cry of alarm at the rushing advance of the Ronin. With efficient slash he lashed out killing one of the guards even as he moved, slashing down the other and standing in the path of the gate, preventing them from closing it. With the first task in their assault done he let a feral grin play behind his mask as he shouted out the return of his earlier war cry, “Banzai!”

This is what he hid behind the mask; it was not to hide the taint upon his face, or even the sweat upon his brow. There was no mystical advantage the mask gave him, only the ability to hide the disgusting smile he grew when he fought truly. The pure feeling of bloodshed often made him smile, and while he had tried to hide it when in battle, it still slipped at times. The oni’s blood calling to him when his emotions ran high and for a warrior there was no time higher than battle.

He let his soul free, unleashing his ki upon his opponents who all staggered some even coughing as they suddenly felt as if immersed in the ocean. Taka merely began the grisly task of wading through the guard of the outpost as he felt himself beginning to slip and lose all track of himself. Struggling to reign in the loss of control he focused on his partner in this endeavor to see how he could handle the rising tide.