---Go with your squad and let Taj-san handle it.
You give a politish...bow to Taj. "I'll stay with my squad then. Thank you for your help Taj-san."
"Don't mention it." He says leaving.
Sora looks at you and Yukiko.
"Let's move," she orders brusquely.
You follow after her, staying as close behind her as you can and being sure to follow her lead on matters of stealth. That's just basic sense - let the Scorpion be sneaky.
Sora doesn't use words to guide you, but hand movements, looks. Once or twice though, she does just grab you into an alcove and covers your mouth while guards walk by.
You don't feel all that happy about that, not the least because you think Sora has better features than you, as evidenced from the way her chest felt against your back.
Focus Megumi, you aren't just thinking about other things because you're nervous and a little scared. No sirree...
"Sakura, calm down, remember your training," your Grandmother barks in your ear sounding miffed as usual.
Somehow the familiarity of her disapproval and the automatic mixture of resignation, shame and irritation at her comforts you though. You know that she's berating you, but the fact that it's her voicing the reminder helps you to focus on the mission.
As Sora leans slightly against the door, she leans back and makes a series of hand signs to Yukiko who nods, and then whispers to you, "Two of them. One's a guard, the other is maintaining the weapons. They both seem to be on punishment duty. Draw your sword and take your stance. I need you to kill the guard when he comes out."
You nod, and carefully and ready Sakiyarumei for the one cut you need.
Sakiyarumei rolls 1d10=8 ??? Activated
The world flows away, as the moment comes into the focus, one action, one strike, one kill.
Distantly, you note Yukiko saying something in Ivindi.
The guard comes out, a tall lanky man, and instinctively, you move.
There's no thought as the blood paints the walls in an artistic half circle. No thought as Sakiyarumei literally splits a man in two.
You flick the blood off of your soul in a perfect chiburi, just as your sensei had taught you.
"That actually wasn't bad," Grandmother's voice floats in your mind. Approval? That's new.
As the world speeds back up, you observe the scene in front of you. Sora and Yukiko are moving in tandem with each other. You watch as the lithe Scorpion grabs the weapon polisher and holds him down as Yukiko grabs his head and twists it around. You hear the crack, as the man's head actually turns in a full circle, before collapsing.
Damn, she's strong...
They drop the man and quickly move to grab their weapons. The two move so much in sync that it's eerie, as they take jars of oil and pour it over everything. This must not just be the armory but their main store room, you realize somewhat belatedly as you stand there just watching, naked blade in hand.
With a nod, they walk out of the room. Sora takes one of the hall torches and tosses it behind her. The room erupts in flames.
"Move," she hisses at you as you have not yet moved even to sheathe your blade yet, entranced as you have been by the grace and symmetry of their movements and now the savage beauty of the fire.
Hurriedly, you make sure your blade is clean, sheathe it and follow after the two women as they move away from the fires. There are several times when again, you must duck into alcoves as people begin running to investigate said fire.
It's not too long before you find yourself at the exit that Taj had mentioned. Moving outside the temple, you can see one guard turning to shout a warning. The words are cut off abruptly before they begin as said guard finds an arrow in her throat, courtesy of Sora. By her grimly satisfied air, you get the feeling of her saying mentally, 'Well, now we're even, bitch.'
Taking one last glance behind you as you hear alarms and everything else go to shit behind you, a part of you thinks you should go look for Taj...but no, you made a commitment.
Yukiko takes the lead now. Apparently she is somehow just being better at finding things than Sora. The feeling of rocks poking into your feet isn't a pleasant one, but it is better than stumbling around blindly. Your hands scrape against stone once or twice but you'll be alright.
Just like Taj said, halfway up the mountain is a cave. You go inside, but you can't see anything at all without the moonlight to guide you.
Carefully moving farther inside you're stopped by Yukiko kneeling down, and beginning to chant something, it doesn't take long but long enough that you get worried. You faintly hear the sound of water for some reason. Eventually she holds aloft a ball of flame no bigger than her hand. Its light isn't much, but it's enough to see by.
Shugenja...no wonder the Fortune's love them.
Yukiko leads you and Sora to source of the water. A small dock with a boat waits for you.
Guess this is a good way to escape... it'd be hard to follow someone on a boat in the mountains, you reflect to yourself.
"Huh...more clever than I guessed," Sora says, sounding vaguely surprised.
"We should wait on the boat and be ready to cast off," Yukiko replies evenly.
Again, the two move without needing to talk or co-ordinate, and it's hard not to envy their closeness. You had that once...a shake of your head as you remind yourself, not without regret, that Desire is a sin...even if with him it had been more than just Desire...still a sin.
One you're usually happy to indulge in, but not this kind of desire. This kind hollows you out from the inside.
"So I suppose the next question is, how long do we wait for our erstwhile rescuer?" Sora remarks, leaning back.
"Well, I guess we wait until my friend here gets bored. I've convinced him to stay a while so that seems a good way to measure," Yukiko answers serenely.
And so you wait. It doesn't feel like long but just long enough for you to work up the nerve to ask one of them something, when you hear a noise from the cave.
Someone running frantically and a shout.
"CAST OFF NOW!" It's Taj, and he sounds...terrified...that bodes...well frankly, that bodes terribly.
You freeze, not sure if you should do it or not, but Sora has no hesitation as she slips the rope holding the boat to the dock.
Taj skids to a halt on the dock, an old man with gray hair on his back. He tosses the man at you, and you just barely catch him, the boat rocking as the force of his landing pushes the boat well away from the dock.
Looking past him you see…
Death...that's really the only way to describe it... your mind breaks and cracks at the sight. The primal part of you in tune with the Earth screams out a warning, you find yourself scrambling away or trying to, the old man holding you tight. So you're forced to watch, your eyes unwilling to blink as you can't run away. To blink is to let it come for you, to take you and destroy you.
So you watch as Taj turns and faces a creature that you can only name...no, you can't even name it. You are no wilting flower unsure of what death is - you've faced it, you've given it, you understand death and you certainly don't fear it.
But you fear this creature, in the pit of your soul you fear it, and you feel the terror it inspires gnawing inside your mind.
You watch as Taj's twin short curved blades swing at the beast, swing and seemingly bounce off its skin, watch as it's head twists and turns into that of a tiger, an enormous tiger as four arms erupt out of its side and restrain Taj .
You watch, horrified. as it eats Taj bit by bit. The man is brave, he doesn't scream at the first bite or the second, only when his liver is torn out of his side by monstrous fangs, does he begin to scream in agony, a wail that you swear will haunt you into the next life.
"C...cut the light Yukiko."
You hear Sora say, sounding nearly as frightened as you.
Yukiko doesn't, apparently feeling like she owes Taj that much.
As the river current takes you away from the scene, you can only whimper in relief as you no longer see it, no longer hear Taj's screams.
You did rescue your comrades after a fashion...but whether you'll forgive yourself for feeding someone to that...thing, you don't know.
The old man on top of you shifts a little, a soft snore escaping to let you know that somehow he's asleep. How can he sleep after watching his comrade get eaten alive? You focus on him, trying to put that out of your mind.
[] Check on the old man, see if you can't wake him and find out what his name is at least.
[] Try to talk to Yukiko, maybe you do need prayer now of all times.
[] Try to talk to Sora, she's...she's your commander, she can help right?
[] Just stay there, shut your eyes and think of your father hugging you to make it all better.
[] Write in
(Megumi has 3 void points left)
