BZPRPG: Kentoku Archipelago

IC: Sora

Sora shrugged.

"Anyways, I'm guessing we just dash in using our masks, each grab an egg, and dash out? Who should be the diversion?"

IC: Vazaria. 

"Whichever one of us the dragon decides to attack first?" 

IC: Sora

Sora shrugged again.

"That works."

IC: Vazaria. 

"So.... should we stop stalling and just go for it?"

IC: Sora

"Alright. Nests are... That way. Death or glory." Sora activated her Kakama for what might be the final time in her life and raced into the metaphorical crucible.

IC: Vazaria.

Here goes nothing.... she activated her Kadin and flew low to the ground, aiming towards the nearest egg.... 

Ic: "Zuto Nui, I come to you in my time of greatest need. 

Goddess, grant me discipline and courage to maintain the Honor of me and my realm; grant me knowledge and power to keep Order among my people and instill it in my enemies; and grant me wisdom to know how and when to exert my Power."

...

I tightened my clenched hands in earnest and pleaded with my deity personally. Rituals didn't seem to suffice my mood and I pressed my soul to commune with Her as much as possible. 

"And if this is all a punishment for transgressions, please... tell me what we have done to displease you, Zuto Nui, and forgive us. I beg of you. Just... help me."

IC: Higashi

"So, ya fightin' or what?"

IC: Ageru Tamachan (Mahuika Hall)

Finally having reached Mahuika Hall, Tama placed Sarala in the stables, and started walking towards the hall proper.

The Ageru's 'Capital' was ever so impressive, she had to admit that, but today she didn't have time to admire it (not even ironically).

She needed to see her family, and probably someone else, too...

OOC: might as well push the envelope a bit before Ghosthands posts...?

IC: Sora

There! The nest was there; it was now or never. Sora deactivated her mask and stopped just in time to reach for an egg...

IC: Vazaria.

She saw Sora diving for one of the eggs and landed beside another, bending down to carefully pick it up. 

IC

Even as Sora and Vazaria each stooped and removed an egg from the nest, an unmistakeable sound echoed across the mountain: the cry of a Kanohi Dragon. Looking up, both Dasaka saw a dark speck against the sky high above—small, but getting swiftly larger. Or rather, closer.

Evidently, Mommy was on her way.

IC: Noshima

"Thy Imperial Majesty's imperfect servant is of the mind to inquire upon thy holy state" spoke Noshima softly, her feet lightly tapping against the temple floor as she moved to kneel behind her liege, her head lowered in respect.

She had come to the temple to pray for her own clan's future prosperity, but it appeared as if her Empress was of the same mind regarding the state of the Empire.

IC: Vazaria.

Oh....that's not good.... Picking up the egg, she called out to Sora, "Incoming!" 

IC: Sora

And here comes the inevitable... Having already picked up her egg, Sora activated her Kakama again, dashing down the mountain slope. 

.:Watch out for the forest near the base of the mountain. Remember when we passed through that? You should be able to fly over the trees though.:.

As for Sora herself?

Well...

...

She kinda didn't want to think about that.

IC

Even with the distance her Kakama had put between her and the nest, Sora could feel the ground shudder beneath her feet as both Menti heard the deep boom of something massive dropping to earth. No sound came from behind them for a few seconds; perhaps the mother dragon was checking her nest, instinctively knowing that something had happened to her eggs.

Some believe that the Kanohi Dragons have psionic powers of their own: scholars have theorised that the dragons' strange wingless flight is the result of a form of Mindarm, and that the mother's uncanny connection to her eggs and young is more than mere instinct. This is pure conjecture, of course, as no Dasaka in recorded history has been able to study the elusive and supremely deadly creatures up close and live to tell about it, but neither Sora nor Vazaria could shake the feeling that the mother dragon was acutely aware of their thievery.

A moment later they both knew she had noticed the missing eggs: they heard a terrifying roar, equal parts rage and anguish, echo down the mountainside. It sent shivers of fear down both Dasaka's spines, but as they sped away from the dragon nest they could at least take reassurance in the fact that everything was going as planned...

...until they heard a second, answering roar. It was deeper than the first, and more guttural. A heartbeat later it came again, louder, closer. The earth shook again under the weight of a huge creature's landing.

The egg-thieves could handle one Kanohi Dragon, they thought: after all, Mommy could only follow one of them.

But they hadn't counted on Daddy.

IC: Vazaria.

.:If we survive this, I want a pay rise...:.

IC: Sora

Oh dear...

.:If the two dragons split up and chase one of us each... I would say try to outmaneuver them but...:.

Sora was running, with Kakama active, egg in hand, making a beeline for the forest below and not daring to look behind her. She could only pray that there would be a relatively thin spot of trees close to her. If she had to navigate her way through thick shrubbery, with a dragon (or two) on her tail...

IC: Vazaria.

.:We could try to lose them in the trees...:. she kept flying, not looking back. 

IC: Sora

.:Sense of smell, remember? And I'm pretty sure we would be the ones getting stuck in the trees. They could just knock them over or burn them down.

IC: Vazaria.

She hated having to use ideatalk so much, but it was necessary now, .:Well, do you have any better ideas?:.

IC:

Of the five Dasaka two were Menti, both wielding wicked looking crystal halberds, and the other three were Dashi with large butcher knives. None of them looked particularly pleasant or amused by the presence of the the Vilda and Mashtet.

One of the Menti, this one sporting a black thunderbolt design on her clothing, stayed back while the other four converged on Robalta and company.

The other Menti led the Dashi onwards.

"Scum like you want here on Sado? Trying to steal another part of the Rora's empire like those retched Dastana?" the hoarse-voiced Menti said.

"It's settled then" Kulrik exclaimed with a friendly slap on Shuuan's arm. "We get inside that door, find the Key inside and return to Sado for a quick break. Which means the only problem is finding our way inside. Ideas?

[iki, Geyser Field]

I pouted when Kulrik slapped my arm.

“In public really.  Kulrikky, let’s save that for later, shall we?  Anyway, I’d love to help--why don’t you stick your pretty little head in there for a bit longer and give me a better description ?”

IC:

"Wha- public - what are you talkin- never mind. Fine, I'll take a quick flight in there and let you know what I see" Kulrik said with a dismal shake of his head. 

Activating his Kanohi Kulrik shot into the air and made a quick loop de loop as he enjoyed the rush of the wind. Steadying himself Kulrik slowly descended into the pit of the geyser. There on the wall was large obsidian stone, circular with a rough diameter of his height. It extended a foot off the wall though how it didn't get destroyed by the rhythmical burst of boiling water escaped Kulrik. He ran his hands on all sides of the stone, looking from some sort of hinge or groove, but he couldn't find any. 

Frowning, the Vilda First Son gave the stone a light push right in the centre. If he wasn't wrong, it depressed a fraction of an inch.

He flew back to ground level, still floating a foot of the ground as talked excitedly and relayed what he'd found.

"We've got a way in!"

IC: Maripi

"#### off." Maripi said matter-of-factly. "Or we'll make you."

Ic:

"... I doubt I will fit," Jiyu stated with a frown, peering down into the geyser.

IC: Raiyo's eyes widened, and she was paralyzed at the sight of drawn weapons. This was not what she had left the Vilda manor for. Her eyes leaped from the five aggressors to Robalta, and to the three Mashtet sellswords that were now their bodyguards. Wait, now there were just two; only the two Menti were there, the Datsue seemed to have disappeared...

Askha thumbed her saber out of its scabbard, and her hand tightened around it in preparation for a quick-draw. Her eyes darted between the two Menti with halberds and the three Dashi wielding cleavers. Well, she knew their dayjob now. Probably. Didn't recognize the clan specifically, though. She looked at the hafts of the halberds; the wood was not unlike the forests on Hanaloi...

"So wait, who's the scum here? Us Mashtet, because trust me when I say that's not the first or the last time I will be called that, the Vilda here, or all of us in general?"

IC:

Zyla thought she could hear some kind of noise coming from the mountain.

Any other time, she wouldn't have really thought about it.

But it wasn't as though she had anything else to do right now. She still didn't have the nerve to try and do business with the Ageru, what with the political climate and all.

So she started moseying on over to the mountain.

-Void

IC: Maripi

.: Logic won't work on these morons:. Maripi transmitted to Askha. .: Let's fight them and get it over with:.

IC:

.:You might recall, sis, that you're my guard. Why would I be trying to make my own guardian underestimate me?:. The Toroshu pointed out, smiling cheerfully. .:When did you get back, anyway? You hadn't been home when I left.:.

IC:

The sight of a Toroshu is noticeable anywhere; and particularly on a little dustball like Iki. So, as the two of us came into view of the ferry back home, I swore that I could see the eyes of the ship-hands grow to the approximate size and shape of small moons as they started falling over themselves to get the ship ready for sailing.

.:According to the custodians, I got back just after you'd left,:. I answered, unsheathing a knife and tossing it, blade-over-hilt, in my hand. .:Fortunately, two First Sons, a Toroshu, and Plangori Shuuan don't exactly go unnoticed easily.:.

-Void

IC:

"Don't worry Jiyu, you haven't put on that much weight since the Rora's party. A bit of wriggling and you'll make it through."

Kulrik looked to the three other Menti around him, thinking.

"Why don't Shuuan and I each take an arm, and Seigyo can hang onto my back? Then we'll just fly straight into the door and push it open."

"The lot, in general" Scar snarled. She raised her halberd, taking an offensive stance and preparing to strike."'Bout time we started cleaning up the Empire from all the trash, isn't it girls?".

The others grunted in agreement.

Then Scar and the Dashi rushed at the Mashtet-Vilda group.

IC: Halberd, and cleaver. Scar was the problem for now, her reach greatly outstripped Askha's short saber. Ignoring her saber, the Mashtet sellsword sidestepped. She smoothly vaulted over an abandoned merchant's stand.

"You want a mess? Come get one!" the sellsword shouted, flipping the table at the attackers, sending abandoned cups and baskets flying.

Letting out a high-pitched squeal, Raiyo threw her arms up. She felt something brush her from behind, and nearly jumped while turning to face it. Nothing was there; she did catch a glimpse of Somei, who had her hands clasped in a meditative position. The Datsue nudged her head towards her, lifting her illusion for Robalta and Raiyo.

IC:

Her halberd clanking loudly against the cobbled ground Scar swore at the far more nimble Mashtet outcast. She swung it back up to an attacking position than stretched out an arm. Focusing her Mindarm abilities, she sent the table flying backwards in an attempt to pin Ashka.

Braided kept her distance from the fight and watched one member of the opposing group disappear. With a small grin, she probed the area with her Willhammer-trained mind. She immediately find the Sighteye and dug into her conciousness with dozens of mental barbs.

The three Dashi ran at the Vilda flailing around their cleavers. 

"Move!!!" Robalta yelled, pushing Raiyo to the side. She summoned her own powers and attacked one of the Dashi to keep her at bay.

[iki, Geyser Field]

I frowned, looking at Jiyu.

“Your arm is injured, we shouldn’t risk hurting it more.  In would make more sense if one of us grabbed you around the middle and the other one took you under the armpits.  If that’s okay with you, of course.”

IC: Shards of pain erupted from Somei's mind as the Willhammer dug into her consciousness. Her illusion dropped, leaving her standing in a merchant stall clutching her mask.

.: Ooh, one of them is a Willhammer... could use help here! :. she transmitted, sending along an image of the three Dashi with knives.

Askha was only half-surprised when the table halted in midair and shot back. As she caught it with her own Mindarm powers, she staggered back under the strain, before tossing it at the three knife-wielding Dashi. The Menti frowned as she faced Scar, drawing her falcata. Heavy blade for heavy work.

.: Got it covered, old lady. The other is a Mindarm. Maripi, :. she Ideatalked, using an image of her partner rather than a name, .: Make sure the Vilda are safe, then get the Willhammer. This one's mine. :.

IC: Maripi

Surging forwards with Kakama-enhanced speed, Maripi attempted to whip one of her Manriki around the Menti's halberd's length, intending to pull it from her grasp, while simultaneously sending a blast of kinetic energy at her using Mindarm.

IC:

The wooden table slammed into the three advancing Dashi and knocking them to the floor.

With her opponent's temporary lapse in concentration Robalta surged past the Dashi's meagre mental defences. In an instant the Datsue could feel the malleability of the mind in her hands. Just a few forceful commands, nothing too harsh and... there. That particular crazed Dashi wouldn't be bothering anyone else for the rest of the day.

Scar deflected the telekinetic attack with a burst of energy of her own, but before she could respond she was struggling to keep hold of her weapon. 

"Poxy 'shtet! " Scar spat at Maripi,and with a great heave wrenched the halberd back firmly in her grasp. She started backwards to a distance her long-reached weapon would be better suited for, and readied to strike again.

The Willhammer, still removed from the fight, took a deep breath and began aiming her energies for another attack against Maripi.

The two Dashi that still had their wits about them slowly picked themselves up, their anger inflamed by the hurt they'd suffered, began running at Raiyo.

​"I wouldn't want to be the one grabbing him by his armpits. I rather like breathing..." Kulrik muttered slightly to himself.

IC: Raiyo ran towards Somei, but tripped over her own legs. As the knife-wielding Dashi advanced on her, she covered her mask with her arms, praying to Zuto Nui.

With the Willhammer's pressure removed, the Mashtet Datsue regained her composure. One of the Dashi was just sort of... wandering off, but two remained. Tightening her grip on her staff, Somei reached out her hand, concentrating. She gripped one of the Dashi with Mindarm, her hand straining as she lifted her, and threw her into the other.

Maripi had Scar well in hand. Askha turned her attention to the Willhammer. Looking around, she selected a Saihoko's chair, telekinetically whipping it at her before running, falcata raised for a strike at her midsection.

IC: Kaede

"... I feel like something's going on."

OOC: any active Hogo guards?