Post by Eos Erigeneia on Jan 4, 2015 17:12:51 GMT -5
Eos was beginning to get quite a bit drunk while the sun began to set. Others may have become intoxicated earlier, but Eos had been used to drinking wines and meads on a nightly basis back when she had been perceived as a God. Despite the drink being a tribute to Dionysus, all ‘Gods’ enjoyed it. She could hold out a bit, but she had lost count of how many cups of sake she had had. She hiccuped and drank another glass, taking sips instead of downing them like before. The daemoness listed intently to his stories, quite fascinated by the whole ordeal. She stood up with excitement, stumbling a little bit in her haste.
“I want to see spirit! See, speak, learn!" She exclaimed, spilling some of her cup. She drank the rest in one large swing to prevent losing any more of the warm liquid. “If spirit attacked me, I would throw its fire right back!”
She laughed, quite a bit louder than before, and managed to walk towards the traveler and ask for more of his delicious drink. “And maybe recipe, if know, so I can show all when home.”
Last Edit: Jan 4, 2015 17:14:48 GMT -5 by Eos Erigeneia
Post by Yamamoto Kenji on Jan 4, 2015 20:04:08 GMT -5
The man found himself giggling lightly as the woman across the fire stood, spoke, and then laughed. The warm fluids from his own cup were definitely having an effect on him, but since he had started cutting back on his own intake the diminishing of clarity had at least slowed. Still, had he not been drunk himself Kenji probably have found the much-more-drunk woman across from him to be funny anyways. If nothing else, for her enthusiasm in spun tales about 'legends' and 'myths' that he created about himself. Not that there weren't rumors and tales of his misadventures, he made sure that plenty of evidence of his existance was circulated.
Kenji chuckled a bit more as he explained that urban legends and spirits don't just come meet people, but if he happened to see one he would let her know. He would continue to listen to the woman as she talked, and pour her more sake when she asked for it, but the glow on the horizon that Senbo had seen had caught his attention. He made a glance or two to the general area that she had seen the glow from as he explained that Sake was just fermented rice, and that he didn't really have a recipe to give to her.
By now the dim glow had increased and the smoke trail had crept close enough to just barely make out a group of figures, though whether they were torch-armed or bearing a larger implement of light wasn't completely clear. In any case they were getting closer, and Senbo couldn't risk a flyby since there were still traces of daylight streaking across the now clear twilight sky. If they got any closer Kenji was going to have to put his own fire out and move further into the woods. He wasn't sure that his guest would be entirely appreciative of it, but he was starting to form an idea on how to get around that.
Deciding to take a more proactive role, Kenji started telling the lady that if she really did want to meet the local spirit of vengeance, there was one way she could do so. He would say that it wasn't guaranteed to work, and that if it did there was no telling what would happen. Meanwhile he would relay details of his plan to the lady in green, who would do her own part to get everything ready. Everything needed to happen with a fair degree of precision if it was going to go correctly, and there was no time to waste.
The first thing that Senbo needed to do was seek out a pond that she and Kenji had been admiring the other day. The goal was to use it as the "Summoning" point, so it needed to look like one. All that needed doing here was the clearing of some debris from the calm waters, with a few claw marks and heating on a stone at the water's edge. After that was done, all the she-dragon had to do was wait for her partner's signal.
Post by Eos Erigeneia on Jan 4, 2015 22:55:15 GMT -5
It certainly was a wonderful night for Eos. Good food, good drink, good company, and a warm fire. The best part of all of it was that it had been completely free. She was certainly enjoying this man’s generosity, and was a little too intoxicated to even wonder about if there was some sort of catch.
Yamamoto- or Tamamoto, as she had accidently called him earlier- seemed to draw amusement from her state. He explained about how her drink was simply fermented rice, and she looked at her cup in wonder. How could something so simple be so delicious? She laughed and thanked him, before listening to his tale about how to meet a spirit. Her drunken mind was instantly captivated by the thought, and she nodded enthusiastically. She spluttered out a few words about wondering what the spirit was, naming a few supernatural things, however her words had come out in Greek. She hiccupped, not even noticing the blurring between languages. She managed to switch back to Japanese, however it was becoming much more broken without a clear mind, and asked him what the steps were. “So fun! My children would think I not right in head.”
For a moment, her mind travelled back to her children, and she felt sad. But she took another mouthful of sake as if to wash the memories away. The world was cruel, but tonight was a night to be merry. Her joy had her smiling and laughing, but the sake also began to affect her control. Her power began to seep, amplifying whatever emotion her companion felt. Luckily, she managed to keep up her human disguise.
“Let’s go!” She would exclaim suddenly, her excitement and curiosity taking over her. She would march jovially in a random direction until her companion stopped her, then would let him take the lead. A song bubbled from her, “We going to see a spirit, a spirit! Black wolfs in the set of the sun, but I throw back its fire, its fire!”
Post by Yamamoto Kenji on Jan 5, 2015 1:16:23 GMT -5
Thrilled at how enthusiastic his guest was about meeting a "Vengeful spirit", and a little worried at how fast the group on the horizon was approaching, Kenji quickly put a stopper in the bottles and started explaining a ritual that he was pretty much making on the fly. He first detailed that he could only take the woman so far before she had to continue on her own, as the spirit would only appear for one person at a time. There were a few things she would have to take as an offering as well, he went on, and then continued by telling her that a small portion of sake, a few coins, and a knife were a suitable tithe. Happening to have everything that was needed on hand, Kenji started putting them all together in a small bundle of cloth. Three coins, the remains of the sake jug they had been drinking from, and a Tanto from his own collection of blades.
Once the little offering bag was put together he would start making his way back towards the pond he had Senbo prepare shortly before. As they walked onwards he would describe the faux ritual to summon up the "spirit", and the directions to the pond he was supposed to be at. he would tell Eos to continue along in the direction they were headed until she reached a small creek, and then to follow the creek upstream to a pond. Once at the pond, there would be a large and flat stone near the water's edge the markings on it that resembled those made by claws. The stone would be warm to the touch, and the site that the offering had to be made.
The ritual itself was fairly simple. Place the jug and coins near the center of the stone, and then rest the blade before them. After that all she had to do was sit behind the stone and meditate until the spirit decided to show up, Kenji, master of legends and spiritual summoning explained. He would also say that, while he's sure the spirit wouldn't pose any harm to a mere traveler, he isn't quite sure how it will act. The lady should be careful, he explains.
Once the two reached the creek, the more masculine stopped and offered his momentary farewell. He would explain that the creek was about as far as he could lead his new-found friend, but the pond was easy to find provided one followed the flowing water upstream. He would wish her luck, and then communicate the progress to the Lady in Green, as a heads up.
Post by Eos Erigeneia on Jan 5, 2015 13:00:41 GMT -5
Doubt began to slowly but surely creep into her inebriated mind as her companion spoke. At first, she complied with enthusiasm, pocketing the coins and the knife while carrying the jar of sake. But then the realization that she would be alone began to present problems in her mind. The worry even began to give her a little clarity. She began to wonder if she’d be ditched at this pond, if something bas where to come. If she was left alone, she had no memory of which direction to go to for the nearest village, and she didn’t have enough coin to rent an inn.
Still, it sounded all so fascinating: the vengeful spirit, the warm stone, and the clawed markings. She’d never seen such things on her travels, and despite the fact the spirit might not come, she was still fascinated by the rest of it. If this stone was natural warm, she figured that worst came to worst she could sleep on it. It would be better than some of the nights she had spent outdoors. So, with the little bit of clarity the worry had brought to her mind, she managed to commit the instructions to heart. She followed her companion, giving a worried glance and a small smile before saying her goodbyes for the time being (at least, she hoped only for the time being, but she did not say that) and proceeding down the stream alone.
Eventually, she came to a pond. It had the markings, just as described. Excited, she hurried over to the stone and touched it. She flinched, it was quite a bit hotter than she’d expected it to be. So, she placed down the jug and coins, followed by the blade, and sat behind the stone. Then, she realized something that seemed slightly crucial. She did not know what the word meditate entailed. She sat there, nervous, only knowing she needed to remain seated. But do what? She tried humming a little bit, before twirling her thumbs for a tad longer. She was quite impatient, and switching between the two quite quickly. She even cast glances around her, nervous about being alone in the woods.
Post by Yamamoto Kenji on Jan 5, 2015 20:11:52 GMT -5
The more the faint glow increased in size and clarity, and the more the sun continued to set, the more recognizable the fairly large group became. The faint glinting of metal and lamellar gave them away as some sort of armed force, perhaps attempting to gain those last few steps in before the cold night's moon rose, or even planning on marching through the frost coated blades of grass beneath their feet. Whatever the case was it wouldn't matter much in the end. Once Senbo picked her partner up the two would do a flyby to get a gauge on their numbers and strength. If it looked like they were mobilizing, then she and he would make an honest attempt at determining their target based on the flags they flew, and the direction they were headed.
That came later, however. As soon as Eos had disappeared into the forest along the creek, Kenji had run back to his camp to start preparing for the coming events. No time was wasted as he donned his own black lamellar set, the man needed every spare minute and second was needed if he wanted to make it to the pond with time left to scout the area around the troops who had eventually decided on settling in for the night. Once all of the supplies and the equipment scattered about were packed up into a neat bundle and stashed up in a tree near the fire pit the ronin grabbed his bow, checked that his quiver was full, and started running.
Once close enough, Kenji slowed his run into a literal crawl. It felt strange to be on his belly and creeping toward someone who he was expecting and who was expecting him in turn, but he was the one who had planned it all out after all. After quietly and slowly creeping up to the edge of water opposite his foreign friend he would slowly get to his feet, and advance forward through the water with empty hands. If he managed to get close enough he would simply pick the tanto up, look it over for a moment, and then grip it by the blade to offer it to Eos.
Post by Eos Erigeneia on Jan 5, 2015 23:08:01 GMT -5
Eos was being very attentive… Except towards the pond. Out of fear, she had been scanning the surrounding areas, peering into the woods in case some sort of creature attacked her. She was in fact growing quite paranoid, which is why that when she turned to face the pond she was caught very off guard. She yelped out a few choice Greek words, jumping despite sitting, which caused her to roll backwards a little bit. Ignoring her ungraceful move, she got up on her feet, before realizing the man before her matched the description of the vengeful spirit. She grinned in glee, before realizing that spirits must expect respect. She bowed down so quickly that she got a head rush, and the sake swashed nauseatingly in her stomach, before standing back up straight again.
Eos was much too excited to make out any similarities between the spirit and her earlier companion, but she would still look him over with a large grin on her face. Spirits! And dragons! This certainly was a fascinating land. She even marched in place a little bit to try and work off the energy from the sake-intensified glee. She bowed again, thinking she should probably introduce herself. “I Eos!”
Only then would she realize he was holding something, and would take a few steps forward before hesitantly taking the handle. She looked at the blade in her hand, the one he had picked up from the rock, before turning her gaze back to him. “Why?”
Post by Yamamoto Kenji on Jan 5, 2015 23:09:36 GMT -5
It took a real effort on his part not to laugh or giggle at the obviously still-drunk Eos, but Kenji managed alright. When she introduced herself again he merely nodded his head out of respect. To be honest he had no idea what a spirit was actually supposed to do in a situation like this, but he was assuming that they tended not to talk much. And that they occasionally helped people out. It's not like he didn't have enough Tantos anyways, he just liked to keep a few on hand in case he needed one.
When the blade was taken the hand holding it would drop down to its owner's side, and the other would promptly retrieve the unstrung bow from it's place. The bow would be compressed and then strung, and the string plucked a few times to ensure it's stability and tension. Afterwards Kenji would offer another nod, step back towards the center of the pond, and raise his free arm into the air. The signal for pickup by dragoness.
A short pause of a few seconds was all that would have stood between Senbo and Kenji. All things considered the move was quite graceful, especially seeing as the two had never really practiced a maneuver like that before. It was going to be awkward for the both of them just holding on to one another, but a short stop back at the fire rectified that fairly quickly. The stashed cache of equipment was picked up and thrown in place on top of the old harness that Senbo had once upon a time been fitted with, but most of the cooking food was left in place, as well as a small sack full of coins.
If Eos decided to go back to the little camp, which was still set up and just lacking the previously occupying possessions, she would find the sack and now-cooked meat waiting for her just next to the still smoldering fire pit
Post by Eos Erigeneia on Jan 5, 2015 23:39:06 GMT -5
It was all very confusing.
The spirit gave her the blade and then proceeded to ignore her. She repeated her question, but he merely took out a bow and began to prepare it. This seemed like a strange action to Eos, for wouldn’t the spirit already be prepared? For a moment she was afraid he was going to shoot an arrow at her, and that she’d be forced to deflect it with the blade or something. However, before she could voice any sort of fear, he stepped back and raised his arm.
All very, very confusing.
Suddenly, something swooped down to grab the spirit. She identified it as the dragon she had seen before. The duo began to leave as Eos took a moment to recover from the shock. What was she supposed to do?
“Wait! Waaaait!” She cried out to the dragon. Was she supposed to follow it? She took a brief moment to decide, before changing shape. She had taken the shape of a bird found in her homeland, the fastest of which she could remember. The species, however, was also a resident of Japan. The peregrine falcon wrestled her way out of the kimono, sad to leave it behind, grabbed the knife in her beak, and spread her wings to begin pursuing the dragon. It was awkward flying, having the heavy object in her mouth, but if the spirit had given it to her it must have held some sort of importance.
Post by Yamamoto Kenji on Jan 6, 2015 19:03:45 GMT -5
As exhilarating as it was being flown through the air, secured only by the strength of someone already preoccupied enough with gliding through the air above a temporary encampment, Kenji was eager to get his feet on Terra Firma once more. The flyby ultimately didn't really help much in the end either, from the looks of things it could have just been a band of Ronin enjoying themselves after a job well done. He didn't know what the job was, but it certainly couldn't have been anything good, not with the present number of tents. A lot of the tents were being guarded by a central group of three or four patrolmen, but it was still more than would necessarily have been needed for any sort of lawful domestic job.
The next stop on Senbo's way was the town that her partner was at earlier that day, and whose direction the group of people had seemed to be coming from. Perhaps one of the taverns or brothels would have some information on the group, if they had passed through. It was a little bit of a long shot, to be honest, but that didn't mean that asking about wouldn't work. Or that the people hadn't passed through. If they hadn't passed through then it was no big deal, and the pair could just turn about and check around the area some more before they decided on the best course of action to take.
Senbo briefly touched down in a park near the center of the town to allow Kenji to go about their investigation, which he quickly began to do. Unfortunately the local bouncers and bartenders were a little unwelcoming, which was perfectly reasonable considering he was wearing full kit. And considering his kit was a trademark of a pretty controversial urban legend. Eventually the lone ronin made his way up to the more up-class noble/royal district, which was much more forthcoming with information. At least, judging from the damage that had been done since earlier that day, when Kenji had fulfilled the unusual request of delivering a chamber pot full of random crap. The missing royalty and incapacitated guards was a pretty good indication of what had happened, and now the lady in green and her partner in crime knew why those tents were being guarded.
With little danger of being detected by any of the townsfolk, Kenji's own second half swooped in and allowed him to get onto the harness she wore. As the two took off and headed back in the direction they came from they planned out their attack. It wasn't the best of ideas to go in swords a' blazing, but if she could land close enough for he to move up and take care of one or two of the sentries it would give enough wiggle room to cause some chaos. The first goal after infiltrating the camp was to secure the captured royalty, since they weren't complete dicks like some of the others that populated the island. Once that was done it was just a matter of how much trouble he could cause the group before having to bail out, or allowing some to leave the area mostly unscathed. Letting some of them go might complicate things later down the line though, so that was a less desirable outcome than it normally would have been.
Regardless, they were close enough now to where Kenji could dismount. Quivers and bow were grabbed from the bundle of gear on Senbo's harness, as well as two tantos and his Daisho. The naginata would have been a bit much in the current situation, so it was left behind. With the quivers, tantos, and daisho strapped in place, and with bow in hand, the saboteur cracked his neck and started moving up on the camp and his first obstacle through the thick, somewhat tall grass.
Post by Eos Erigeneia on Jan 23, 2015 16:00:41 GMT -5
The Peregrine falcon made quick work of locating its target. It took Eos a moment to strip down, change her form, and take to the air. Due to such, the spirit was far ahead of her. However, it was a simple task to find it, as it’s creature was a very large thing. Even in the fading light, she could make out the dark form against the sky. So, she flapped her lovely wings and trailed behind. The creature had larger wings, and could travel further, but it eventually stopped. When it did, the falcon used the chance to fly frantically fast to catch up.
When the falcon noticed that the creature was not accompanied by the Spirit, she waited patiently in a tree, keeping a careful eye on the steed. Eventually, it swooped back down to gather the Spirit, and took off once again. The falcon, of course, followed suit.
Soon, the Spirit dismounted from the great beast, and the falcon followed. She landed on the ground, and changed back. Ashamed by her nudity, and her lack of planning (for she did not think to try and bring the kimono in her beak, or to simply take on her true form), Eos hid behind a tree. She could see the Spirit moving forward, stealthily. So, she whispered. “Spirit?”
Post by Yamamoto Kenji on Feb 1, 2015 1:55:36 GMT -5
A feather dropping on a bed of silk would have made more noise than the long arrow being drawn across Kenji's well oiled and tightly strung bow. His turn was as swift and deadly the legends of yore, but his discipline was just great enough to stop him from loosing his messenger upon the otherworldly creature behind him.
The 'spirit' un-knocked his arrow and frantically gestured for the familiar woman to get down and/or go away, the chaos that would ensue shortly was no place for her as far as he knew. Getting foreigners killed in his messes was not a habit of Kenji's, and he had no intention of letting it become one. If she honestly wanted to creep around with him he wasn't in any position to stop her, and he doubted that he could for some reason, but things might get more complicated if she was discovered and the camp's alarm was sounded. Hostages would need to be extracted in some other way, which would probably involve some clever bow work and some sharpshooting.
Post by Eos Erigeneia on Feb 1, 2015 2:14:56 GMT -5
She jumped at the Spirit’s apparent surprise of her appearance. She had assumed the Spirit was an omniscient being, like the Gods of Greece. Of course, the people has assumed she had been a God, and she lacked omniscience (and Godlyness of any sorts). But this was a Spirit. Perhaps the stories and Gods from home were as different as the cultures between the two lands, or perhaps the Spirit was simply a lower ranking being, not one to gain omniscience. Still, he did not seem to be worried about how she had gotten there so fast.
The Spirit made frantic gestures, and Eos quickly fell to the ground in an ungraceful nude heap. Feeling as if she were being called, she crawled forward with a face redder than autumn leaves. Her mind was still clouded by the sake, but she had become more rational with all the excitement and exercise. Still, it made her slightly careless, and she fell on her face while crawling. She gave the Spirit some distance, sitting down with her knees to her chest and her ankles crossed, trying to cover as much of herself as possible. She hoped that the Spirit did not notice. They were above earthly desires, right?
Her mind flashed to Zeus. Well, maybe not…
Ignoring her predicament, she waited. She felt like she looked useless, but she truly wished to assist this Spirit in its tasks. Or at least learn why it appeared to her. She remained silent, noticing the Spirit’s weapons. She mentally reprimanded herself for speaking earlier, when it was obvious he was trying to remain silent.
Post by Yamamoto Kenji on Feb 3, 2015 0:40:31 GMT -5
A finger was placed quickly and quietly at the snarling lips of the stoic wolf mask, and then the same hand slowly unfolded in a gesture to stay put for the moment. The owner of the mask quickly continued on his way up to the edge of the camp, where the first of his living obstacles was quickly dispatched with a long shafted dart to the throat. The resulting body was quickly dragged backwards through the ground cover by the nearly serpentine figure that had taken it down, until both living and dead bodies reached Eos.
One last quick series of gestures indicating the clothing and weaponry was now Eos' to use was offered before Kenji vanished into the grass of the area once more, moving onward to free the local captives.
Unfortunately only one person could be brought back to safety at a time due the limitations of Kenji's very human strength, but eventually everyone was rescued with little more than a few grunts and some careful maneuvering. After all of the royal population that had been spared was saved, the surviving Yamamoto unstrung and packed his bow away. There wouldn't be any further immediate need of it, not when his Daisho would suffice more than adequately.
With swords drawn, Kenji entered the camp one last time for the sake of causing general chaos.
Dreams were cut short by the cold bite of well oiled iron razor, throats slashed, hearts ripped, lungs rended. There was no room for mercy in Kenji's own damaged heart for these people, these marauders who made their living by blindly following the bidding of some unrighteous leader, lording over false power with a gauntlet of bone and iron. The rest of the camp would burn, incinerating any who was unfortunate enough not to wake up in time to escape the devastation so typically caused by their midnight and almost unseen assailant. Kenji always left markers pointing to his work, to ensure that he was properly credited with his deeds.
Post by Eos Erigeneia on Feb 3, 2015 18:17:49 GMT -5
Curiosity was beginning to overcome the daemoness. She watched the Spirit’s finger eagerly dashing to his lips, as if the frightening wolf was suddenly tamed and wished for the finger’s gentle kiss. The finger retreated from its lover to motion at Eos to stay put, which she did, her ankles still crossed and her knees still pressed firmly to her chest.
While he was gone, Eos began to be fearful. She highly disliked being alone, especially in the dark. Everything always made her jump, and it was why she tried her best to keep near villages while she travelled. The sake must have kept the fear out of her mind before, but it had worn off too much. She wished the Spirit to be done with his work.
The Spirit did not take long, and soon reappeared with bodies. Eos let out a small noise of surprise, before stifling it in her mouth, by covering her face with her hand. She couldn’t risk more noise. The Spirit set out to depart again, but also indicated to take the items from the corpse. It was strange at just how well this Spirit could communicate, without the need for words. Gratefully, she waited until he left before scurrying over to the body. She closed his eyes and paused, saying a prayer in her head because of her sudden fear of making noise. She then apologized to the poor soul, in her head once again, before taking off his clothes. They were slightly bloody, and very loose, but it was better than nothing. Eos tore two large holes in the back, figuring that if she needed to change forms, she would like the room. She then used the strips to tie the pants around her waist, keeping them up. Taking the sword, she placed in on her lap. She felt extremely blasphemous, not preparing the body or giving it a proper funeral, but that could not be helped in her current situation.
More and more bodies reached the daemoness, but not all of them were dead. Some were quite alive, and Eos did her best to make them comfortable. She indicated to each one to remain silent, for the Spirit had not finished his work. Soon, the Spirit returned and did something different- he unstrung his bow, and merely returned with swords. This sparked worry within the gentle woman’s heart. And so, when she saw the camp on fire, she rushed towards the scene. If the Spirit had already left, she hadn’t noticed his retreat.
The fire was like an obedient child, and it all swept towards the Japanese-looking woman. She lessened its growth, and kept it a considerable distance from herself. She began calling out, hoping the Spirit was nearby and alright. She tried to keep the fire up, at least to block the survivors from seeing her, as she did not want these poor people to be terrified by a woman who controlled flame. “Spirit! Spirit, are you alright?”