Homelands (Guan Yu)

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

After a ways into the lands beyond the bridge, signs of warning and hostility began to appear along their path. In the first area of such grizzly trophies, there were tall stakes with various representives of the forest races driven into them. The maker had no discrimination in race, for there were demons and fairies too. Judging from this variety, it was difficult to judge the perpetrator's own race. Keeping herself ready for a surprise attack, Tomoe kept the group advancing along the road in spite of the grotesque warning signs. Of course it had a certain effect on her too, but the priestess maintained her posture in the face of all this.

Further into the trail, another type of sign began to appear. Gibbeted into cages were more humanoids, left out exposed to the elements and abusive creatures of the wild if they didn't expire from starvation or some other reason first. Before they could move forward there was a sign of life from one of the satyrs, the half-goatmen of the forests. Maybe this one would still be able to speak with them and give some kind of idea about what this gruesome road was hiding on it's way. With that in mind, she sought out some way of getting him out and into a talking condition. It was a shame that her skills did not reach into the realm of healing yet, they would have been useful to know in the current situation.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

As the shrine maiden approached the cage, the crows each looked at her, appearing so bold as if to size up the newcomer. They swiftly decided that the Easterner was not prey, rather a predator, and took wing. The carrion birds didn't go very far before landing, though, just out of her range, dispersing to the other cages or waiting in the fields for her to leave so that they could take another crack at their helpless food source.

Tomoe quickly discerned that freeing the satyr from the cage would be no easy feat. The lock and the instrument itself were of quality make, even quality materials. She also discovered that the goatman could not see her. His left eye was pupilless and did not stir with recognition as she approached, his right eyelid was crusted shut. All along his body were scars from the constant assaults of the birds, and worse. He had obviously been tortured for quite some time before being sealed away.

"I won't tell you anything!" He attempted to shout out as she touched his prison to inspect it, alerting him to her presence. His voice had obviously not been used much as of recent, however, and instead it came out as a low, rasping noise. "Just kill me already and be done with it." It was quite obviously a case of mistaken identity.

The shrine maiden quickly surmised that she would need to lower the cage to the ground to make any progress on it. It was easy enough to make that effort with three of them. As a group, the cage was disconnected from the wooden pole that it hung off of and gently laid upon the ground, standing up. There was still the matter of actually releasing the goat-man. "I can try removing the lock but it will take time... Evil might find us..." Shenron offered. Kei said nothing, watching their surroundings.

Realization struck the satyr at the hunter's words. "You're... not an enemy?" He wheezed between words for air, almost too weak to vocalize himself. His earlier words had obviously been held aloft by a stone resolve and a readiness to die. "Who are you? Why have you come?" The goat-man asked, still staring off in a random direction since he couldn't see any of the trio.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

After the leave of the crows, Tomoe and the group started to see how they might be able the to get the satyr free from his confinement. It looked pretty hard, with the surprisingly strong and durable build of the cage. "Oh... that looks bad..." the miko thought as she saw the goat-man's eyes. Well, maybe that made him easier to deal with. The satyrs were pretty famous for their womanizing lifestyles after all. But that was not something she would hold against them, or this particular mistreated one for that matter.

Despite the protest that came from the prisoner, the group set upon lowering him down from the position so they could possibly free him. It was a bit of work, but nothing they couldn't handle, and soon the cage was down. Shenron's suggestion seemed to change his mind about them as the alien lizardman eyed the lock. "You can do that? Alright, go ahead." the priestess gave her approval on the situation since Kei was on the lookout for possible dangers. While the hunter tried to get the thing open, Tomoe herself kept talking to the satyr, who had clearly mistaken the group for the captors. "No, I am not. I am no-one's enemy until there is reason to be. Tomoe is my name, I'm a shrine maiden from the East. We are travellers, on our way towards Acheron for differing reasons. There's no real other reason besides that. What's going on here? From the looks of things, it looks like someone is planning a genocide in the forest. While my companion gets you out, can you tell me about this gruesome road and why it is like this?" the easterner talked to him, keeping herself as non-threatening as possible, not wanting to cause any further fright or trauma.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

"The humans who have taken up in this region... They're responsible for this scene of carnage." The satyr explained, even as Shenron began work on the lock. The hunter utilized his razor-sharp claws in an attempt to remove the device by a combination of force and manipulation of the object, but it was time-consuming and looked very tedious. "They claim to rule this land... Woe to those who disagree. They're brutal, vile monsters in a person's skin. I've met hostile demons with more compassion than these humans." The satyr spat on the ground outside of his cage.

"I was here to investigate after some nymphs went missing in the area. I regret to say that I found them," the weary satyr explained. "Some had been slain, their heads mounted on pikes on the western road. The dead ones were the lucky ones. The others were raped, enslaved, and used for breeding." The satyr went silent and Tomoe was sure she could see horror in his eyes. Shenron noticed too but continued to work on the lock.

"The humans here look down on those not of human birth. The children of the nymphs were used for slave labor as their mothers were. Their increased growth rates were a curse, as soon as they were of age they took on the other abuses that their mothers had, as well." The goat-man's eyes searched for Tomoe, looking out to where her voice had come from last and simply hoping that he was facing her. "These humans have no love for women of their own race either. They view them as little more than livestock, to tend to hard work and have more human children while the men go off and conquer. But it was a game to degrade those non-humans. It was a coming of age ritual to overpower and rape them."

"One night, after being tormented by the horrible things that I witnessed, I decided to make an attempt to free some of the enslaved folk. I managed to steal the keys and undid them from their shackles... But it was a trap. I had been spotted several nights before, apparently, and they were simply watching me to see what I would do. Not more than a few steps to freedom and they sprung an ambush, capturing all of us." The satyr gave another weary sigh. "I was placed in this cage, their punishment for the crime of spying and subterfuge against their realm, they told me. I was forced to watch as those I had sought to free were impaled on the stakes, one by one. Seeing them was the harsher punishment."

His tone changed as he concluded. "You should leave me here and flee. It is what I deserve for what I've caused. If you're caught, you'll surely be enslaved like all the others. It's not worth it. Take this information and bring back an army to purge this place of their taint." As he continued to recommend they flee, however, Shenron finally managed to break the lock free, allowing the cage door to swing open. But the satyr couldn't stand or see, he would almost need to be carried to freedom.

"Company." The warning came that suggested they might not have the time for that, as eight men visibly approached the group from down the road. Five, fanned out behind the three, wore hardened leather armor and helmets with iron-plated bucklers and iron swords. Three wore iron chainmail of fine make over padded cloth, with hardened leather covering any area that their metal armor might not cover, all with greatswords. Two of the leading men had helmets on, the one in front did not.

The group was still about twenty feet away by the time the miko had noticed them and Tomoe might be able to better prepare herself for their arrival. Their weapons were sheathed and they appeared to be approaching in order to speak to the group. Given the nature of their surroundings and what the satyr had told her, however, it was very reasonable that the miko might not share their apparent inclination to speaking.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

The miko remained silent as she listened to what the satyr had to say. There was further oppression and hate happening in the wilderness, and by humans even. It was not a surprise to her in any way, humankind had always been all too eager to kill or subjugate the different species. But this one seemed a particularly severe case of the whole thing. There was no cure for such people, even in the shrine maiden's all-loving, absurdly positive mind mind. They should avoid these people at all costs, no good would come from a meeting with such horrid individuals. As the lock was cracked open, the miko did a quick check-up on the satyr. "No, I won't leave you here. It's not a reason to let you get eaten by the birds if you failed in a task like that. Many of us fail on different things. Like I did back then..." the events of the tower from a few years back briefly returning to the easterner's mind. "We'll get you out of here with us. Somehow, we need to get around these lands..."

But before further action could be taken, a group of the oppressors appeared from the surrounding wilderness. They were well-armed as expected, and there were many of them, with varying weapon styles to account for as well. This would be harder than your average bandit group, but Tomoe had no intention of speaking with such hateful, misogynistic individuals. While there still was enough distance, the shrine maiden got herself ready, beginning to bring out the power within. They had to fight their way out from this encounter and flee, staying here would bring no good to anything at all, only further grief.

(Prepare with that ever-useful 10-point aura. Them hateful individuals going down.)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 54/74, PP = 48, EP = 60/70, Status = Battle Aura [10]

Rolls

Spoiler

Tomoe uses Battle Aura! X = 10!

Kei draws her sword and uses a mystery buff of her own!

Shenron uses Full Defense

Knight #1 casts Blessing! X = ???

Knight #2 charges at Kei and attacks with slay!
Resistance Check: Kei wins by 1.
Attack: Automatically misses.

Knight #3 charges at Shenron and attacks with much the same.
Attack: Misses by 6. Wow, Shenron's XP upgrades have really paid off. >.>

Soldier #1 and #2 attack Kei.
Resistance: Both fail, attacks automatically miss.

Soldier #3 and #4 attack Tomoe.
Attack: Both miss completely.

Soldier #5 attacks Shenron.
Attack: Misses. Go Shenron, go!

4 Sneaky Riflemen pop up from Tomoe's earlier failed perception checks and begin firing on the group.
Stealth: Nobody spots them in time.
Attacks: Automatic Success.
Damage: 20, 16, and 40 after AV and Sneak Attack. Shenron goes down. 20 damage on Tomoe. Armor at 18/25 TP.

Satyr gets tired of this shit and sneak attacks Knight #1 with his bare hands. Or horns, in this case.
Stealth: Success.
Attack: Automatic Success.
Damage: 33 - 18 = 15 * 2 = 30 damage.

ROLLS. EVERYWHERE.

The helmetless man grinned wickedly at Tomoe as she charged her powers. He appeared to prefer that they not talk. His face bore three scars, one vertical across his left cheek, one horizontal across his right, and another diagonally between both eyes. Black hair hung to shoulder length, smooth and well groomed. Most striking about him were his eyes, the shrine maiden noticed. The man's blue eyes were cold and fierce, they looked at the shrine maiden as though she were something less than a person. She could tell through the orbs alone that he was not a man of justice. At least, not of any justice accepted outside of the fields of the dead that she stood in.

"Seize the licentious tramps. I don't care whether the lizard lives or dies." He commanded of his men with a voice as cold as a glacier. The satyr beside Tomoe began to tremble in fear. "That's the one..." He whimpered like a broken man. The goat-man didn't need to have pupils for Tomoe to be able to read that he was reliving every torment that had been inflicted on him. "He's the one who did all this..." Tomoe could feel spiritual power coming from the cold man and reinforcing her enemies even as the satyr spoke.

The field burst into action. Kei withdrew her second sword. As her hand leaped outward with the blade in grasp, it felt like a fierce wind had enveloped the area around the red-haired woman. The two greatsword wielders moved first and fastest, their weapons pulled out and held overhead as they charged at Tomoe's allies. Shenron caught the overhead swing with both sets of razor-sharp claws. Lizardman and human struggled against each other, neither gaining much ground as the hostile swordsman sought to drive his blade into the hunter's thickened skin, but, with a sudden burst of effort, Shenron managed to throw the weapon back and send the knight off balance. He had no time to follow up as two of the leather-clad soldiers attacked him, though he batted away their weapons with ease.

The warrior who had made for Kei made no progress at all. The carmine-eyed woman didn't even need to raise her blade in order to halt his weapon. Fierce winds whipped against the greatsword and kept it from falling on her. Two more of the footmen attempted to aid the attacker in his effort but had little luck breaking through whatever the traveler was utilizing as a shield. One soldier made for Tomoe but, with her heightened abilities, a simple sidestep took her out of the way of his clumsy downward swing.

Unfortunately, the trio's success in the battle was not to be complete. There were more enemies out there, watching them. As the riflemen raised their heads in the grass surrounding the pathway, the warrior priestess wasn't sure how long they had been surveying her comrades and her. All four of them took quick aim on Tomoe and fired, there was no way she could dodge...

But she found she didn't need to. A wall of green flesh had taken up the empty space between her and the oncoming projectiles. Not one, not two, but three shots hit Shenron, instead of Tomoe, and he grunted and spasmed with each projectile embedding itself in his flesh. On the third, he fell over, unmoving, leaving a fourth to graze the miko. The hunter was down and in bad shape.

With the tragedy that had occurred before her, Tomoe could be forgiven for not noticing that the satyr had disappeared. Indeed, with the blind goat-man's surprising capability at stealth, she could be forgiven for not noticing him slinking away and for not realizing he was missing until he gave a war cry. The satyr gave a bellowing shout. If Tomoe looked toward the source, she would do so just in time to spot the faerie delivering a punch to the cheek of the helmetless man. Hard. It staggered the black-haired man, the force sending his head turning away for a brief moment. He raised his hand to his cheek in disbelief, spitting blood and a few teeth on the ground. The blow hadn't been enough to stop him, though, as he growled savagely at the satyr and drew his sword to engage the goat-man. The satyr had managed to open his crusty eye just barely, he was in no condition to fight, but he still managed to growl in return, holding his own fighting stance.

Most of the men were in front of Tomoe and Kei. The black-haired man and the satyr were facing off twenty feet ahead of the miko. She would be able to slip by those in front of her to get to the leader with her increased speed, though some of the underlings would surely break off to fight her. Shenron was on the ground to the miko's right and the riflemen were likewise to her right, about forty feet away. The pikes and cages were no cover from the riflemen, but they were no hindrance to the shrine maiden closing the ground between them, either.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

There would really be no talking, the satyr's stuttering and the cold command issued to the soldiers confirmed as much. So, this one was some sort of leader or head torturer among the group of bigots. It was likely that he was no actual human among the other things, a mere look at his eyes revealed that to anyone as clear as day.

A further release of spiritual powers signalled the beginning of the battle, both Kei and the icy commander getting some grooves on with their respective powers. Despite the fact that her companion had not told about her abilities, Tomoe was relieved that she too had some power to boost herself and match the rigours of the battle with some spirit alongside the brawn. It seemed to be a pretty potent defensive power, a wind-based one that could keep most average soldiers away from the user. Suddenly, the name of the sword school that the fellow eastern warrior had mentioned made a lot more sense to the miko. It was most likely based on this particular ability, along with the way of the two swords. Shenron too seemed to be doing pretty well, his pair of claws holding the heavy blades of the two knight-types at bay.

But it would not go their way fully. Another group of opponents appeared from the nearby tall grasses, sporting rifles that were already firmly aimed at the trio. There was a loud bang, the flashes pointing at Tomoe's direction all too clearly. Would this be it for her? There was no time to protect herself from them, even with the powers of her aura active. Before the hit came though, there was an interception by another, green individual. Shenron had managed to throw himself in the way, absorbing the bulk of the rifle fire with his sizeable form. One bullet still grazed the priestess, but the fall of the hunter hit her harder than any of the projectiles could have. Now this was personal. There would be no mercy to anyone in the group of opposition. The heartless bastards had shot down her most trusted partner in this cruel land, and would now pay for it.

Briefly looking over to the side where the satyr was, she could see him too putting up resistance. Good. They would not go down to these bigoted fools without giving them all there was to give, even if it was the tiniest punch or blade scratch. With a quick analysis of the situation, Tomoe saw that she had a clear path to the leader man. There would be attacks from the others, but they would get to her only after the commander was laying on the ground in two neat pieces of man. After that, the rest would follow suit. Setting sights on the cold man, the priestess slinked past the opposition, aiming to tear apart the leader while there still was a chance.

(Zoom onwards, combine Slay with DFTD for a total of +92 to hit and 1d12+186 damage. Using Supreme Might here as well as Slay might be a very bad move, so leaving that out.)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 54/74, PP = 48, EP = 50/70, Status = Battle Aura [10]

Rolls

Spoiler

Attack: 15 + 78 + 30 + 6 + 4 - 20 = 113 vs 100 = 55 + 15 + 30. Tomoe hits.
Damage: 99 - 18 = 81 * 2 = 162. D-E-D, dead.
Tomoe easily wins her terrify check against the soldiers without blessing to bolster them, the knights are another story.

Kei: Triple Jab, full defensive fighting.
Attacks: 3x Hit,.
Damage: 38 - 9 = 29, 40 - 9 = 31, and 39 - 9 = 30 damage.

Satyr: Full Defense.

Knight #3: Blessing X = ???

Knight #2: Attack Kei.
Resistance: Knight wins.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 54 - 13 = 41 damage.

Riflemen 1 and 2: Attack Tomoe.
Attacks: They miss pretty badly.

Riflemen 3 and 4: Attack the Satyr.
Attacks: Both miss. Good thing they're too far away to receive blessing.

The miko rushed forward like an avatar of vengeance. Her sword cut through the air, her hair trailed, her clothing fluttered. She was upon him. Before she could strike the killing blow, the cruel warrior's sword came up and met Kuchinawa to produce a violent discharge of sparks. The two fought against each other, the justices of the miko versus the injustices of the man before her. Even with her fantastic display of spiritual power, her opponent was no slouch, the black-haired man pressed back just as hard fueled by his own strength. The two stood, locked like that for several long, tense seconds, neither body giving way to the other. Something did give, though. His sword.

Kuchinawa, as if sensing the injustice before it, began to bite into the steel of its own opponent. A centimeter at first, then further. The man glared at her with icy eyes, searching for a way to escape from the fate coming to him. Seeking a path to avoid true justice. The Easterner would not give him that chance. With a sudden, violent burst of force, the ancestral blade of her shrine finished cleaving through the lesser weapon and the warrior behind it. The ferocious momentum of Tomoe's attack took her a few steps beyond her opponent. She could not see the destroyed blade falling to the ground, first the metal and then what remained of the handle. The shrine maiden did not watch as the black-haired man fell to his knees, a cascade of red running down his lower body like a waterfall, but she could hear the thud as he fell face-first into the dirt path. One source of evil had been extinguished from the world.

The satyr took a second to spit on the fresh corpse. He opened his mouth, presumably to congratulate the priestess, but was cut short as another hail of gunfire erupted on them, the riflemen trying to take vengeance for their leader. The goat-man was forced to duck and cover on the road as bullets whizzed overhead. Tomoe did not need to move at all, she knew in her heart that they would not hit her, there was no way she was going to fall to rifles without inflicting more retribution for all the suffering these men had caused.

The shrine maiden's cool combined with how swiftly their commander had fallen gave the soldiers some pause, which Kei took advantage of. Her blade swung out in a three-step pattern, leaving bright red trails across three of the soldiers. One of the greatsword-wielding warriors shouted out; "Avenge the commander!" Tomoe could feel spiritual power collecting in that man, not unlike the kind that had been in the man she had just defeated, perhaps even more powerful than it had been in the dead man. With the enemy rallying at the memory of the man she had just slayed, breaking them might prove to be difficult. The other, apparently emboldened by his comrade, rushed at Kei, breaking through her wind defense entirely. The sudden burst surprised the carmine-eyed warrior enough that she could not block in time, only let herself be thrown back to avoid being cleaved in half as his sword tore the carmine-eyed woman's skin.

The score was one for one. Kei had taken a vicious wound but was still standing, if breathing much harder. The satyr was ragged and picking up his head from the ditch he had dove into might very well mean it being shot off. Tomoe was in the best condition of the group and in the best position to continue subtracting from the enemy's number.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

The lesser men had no chance in hell at stopping Tomoe's advance through their ranks. Before they could properly realize that, she was already going for the commander behind them. The man showed that he would not be killed just like that, surprising the fiercely determined miko with his block. The two blades struck against each other, a competition of bodies and wills following the clash. For a few long seconds, neither of them moved, the forces meeting at the blades not budging each other in any way.

But the clash would reach a conclusion in another way. The shrine maiden might not be a physical superior for the cruel commander, but there was something superior on her side. In the battle of blades, Kuchinawa's ancient might and superior craftmanship proved itself over the man's lesser sword. At first it was slight, which the bigoted fool sought to escape somehow. This was something Tomoe would not allow. With a strong step forward, she shattered the opposing blade and cut through the man in one overpowering motion. After such a furious release, she was forced to take a few steps forward to catch her balance, the sounds coming from behind confirming that she had defeated this particular purveyor of injustices and taken out one threat to the unity that the world might eventually share.

With her initial charge an astounding success, the easterner turned, flicking off the filthy blood from her sword as she did so. There was a rifle volley aimed in her direction once more, but now that the cowards had lost their surprise capabilities, there was no hurting her with mere pieces of lead. The opponents that had not been struck motionless with fear were going for a more organized resistance, apparently still pretty much able to hold their own without the commander to guide them. One of them even whipped out the same power that the dead man had used for a moment. This particular one would be the next to go then, the priestess knew fully that power-wielding opponents were usually the most dangerous ones. She was a prime example herself, not that there was anything feeble in Kei either. After seeing the fellow warrior get hit, the determination only increased in Tomoe's mind. This was getting seriously dangerous, and needed to end as soon as possible. With that, she made way towards the spirit-wielding knight, not wanting to see any further harm being brought on her companions.

(Smack that bitch up by using a light application of Supreme Might, reduce only 6 points from to-hit for a strike of +100 to-hit and d12+98 damage. Then hope for killings and cleave onwards if possible.)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 54/74, PP = 48, EP = 50/70, Status = Battle Aura [10]

Rolls

Spoiler

Attack: 9 + 78 + 30 - 6 = 111 vs 111 = 45 + 36 + 30. Fuck it, Tomoe wins.
Damage: 5 + 98 - 18 = 85 damage. Down he goes.
Terrify: Tomoe wins handily against the soldiers, they don't quite flee, however. Wins against the other knight, too.

Kei: Take sweet, sweet revenge.
Stealth: Kei wins.
Attack: Barely hit.
Damage: 11 + 55 - 18 = 48 * 2 = 96 * 2 = 192 damage. Dead.

Satyr continues hiding in the ditch.

Soldiers attack... themselves in order to avoid capture.
4 out of 5 manage to kill themselves. The last one will manage it next round unless stopped (or aided in his efforts)

The riflemen, noticing that things are very much not in their favor, flee, and are a total of 108 feet away from Tomoe and company.

The priestess continued her rampage against the elites of the force that had attacked her. The second warrior, she found, put up just as much of a struggle as the first. His blade lashed out to catch hers, much as his dead commander's had. Tomoe was ready for it this time, though. She gracefully twirled away from the blade-lock and swung again. Her opponent was so unprepared for the fluidity in her movement that he had no time to reorient his sword to catch her next attack. Kuchinawa cleaved directly through his exposed neck, removing head from shoulders and coating her white robes in the bigot's blood.

The other elite looked on in awe, his defense dropping for only a split second. But that was all the time Kei needed, with a shout of anger at the wound she had received, her tasseled sword jumped into the air and came down in a wicked arc. It caught the man's armored shoulder and continued through his torso in a diagonal curve, stopping just past his ribcage. By the time the carmine-eyed woman withdrew her weapon from the dead man, he looked every bit as bad as some of those that had been tortured in the fields around him.

The five soldiers backed away as the last of their leaders were dispatched. The fight was over, Tomoe was sure of that much, their will had been broken. But there was more to it than that. They stopped, in a final act of loyalty, and one gave a nod to the others, who nodded in return. The five men turned their swords on themselves. Four of them slit their own throats rather than risking capture or death at the miko's hands, dying quickly. The fifth jabbed his sword into his own abdomen, slitting himself open. He was dying too, albeit in a slower fashion. The riflemen did not share their comrade's devotion and began to flee, making good distance, though the warrior priestess was likely more interested in Shenron right now than any of the others.

The lizardman was breathing very shallow, lying face down on the dirt road. It was difficult to say what she could do for him at the moment besides bandaging his wounds. The alraune had some magical talent and might have been able to aid him, if she was still close. Or, the satyr might have some information on a nearby source of healing for the hunter. The goat-man, in the meantime, removed himself from the ditch he had been forced to take cover in, lest he be shot full of holes. He said nothing yet, though, instead waiting for Tomoe to decide what to do about the soldier, the hunter, and the fleeing humans.

(Tomoe receives 8 experience.)

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Again, Tomoe came in with the same cut she had used on the commander, this time swinging at the elite knight with the spiritual powers. The skilled man was able to catch her attack, but the priestess would not be stopped. Taking a step to the side, she broke away from the battle of blades and followed a spinning two-step pattern, bringing Kuchinawa in with an almost complete circle strike. The knight was not prepared enough for such a maneuver, his sword too heavy to come in and parry in time. The relic blade mercilessly separated head from man due to this shortcoming, the fool's blood unfortunately staining the miko's pristine robe as it fountained from the neck stump that remained. Before the fountain effect could completely stain her, the easterner kicked the body away from herself with a contemptuous "hmph".

Turning direction towards the other battlers, Tomoe was just in time to see Kei eliminate the last remaining knight with a rather gruesome strike almost all the way through his body. Even then, the miko thought it to be entirely deserved. He would make a suitable addition to the grizzly scenery that surrounded them. Then, it would be time for the remaining bastards to die. But the cowards had apparently been frightened too much by her merciless combat that they took their own lives, cutting their throats without too much hesitation. Only one of them failed to instantly leave the world of the living with his stomach cut, but this was aided by a vicious one-handed slash from the priestess, sending him too away from the world of the living. The rifle bigots failed to summon up such courage though, and fled the scene with their cowardly weapons. Despite the desire to get her blade into these heartless scum, the shrine maiden realized that they were too far away to be caught in any reasonable time. The bloodshed had finished.

Letting the spiritual stream stop, Tomoe dispersed her aura and went over to Shenron's side. The alien lizardman was still alive, but looked to be in a bad condition. Getting out the remains of her old robe, the shrine maiden began to bind the wounds on him after lifting him off the ground somewhat. As she did it, there were questions aimed at the satyr, now up from his hiding spot. "You know any places nearby where we can get healing? He would need it..." she asked among the first aid work that was being done. There was another option too, but that was still on the list of no-no in the miko's mind.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 54/74, PP = 48, EP = 40/70, Status = Fine

The grisly business of ending the other soldier concluded, Tomoe's attention turned to Shenron. "There are some among the slaves who might be able to aid him, but we would need to save them first," the satyr offered in response to her question. It was easy to see that the goat-man wanted to ask why Tomoe cared for one of the invaders, but did not. It would have been disrespectful to after what Shenron had done for the warrior maiden. It occurred to the shrine maiden that a healer for the fey, himself, might be necessary, as he stood on wobbly legs and drew pained breaths.

But her lizardman companion was worse still. She bandaged his wounds using the scraps of her tattered robes but, without equipment for it, disinfectant, or anything else on hand, there was little she could do for his overall health. He was tough and the miko doubted that Shenron would die there yet, no matter how thick his skin was, he would not be able to truly help her or recover without proper care. "I was not able to take all of the captured with me, though after what has happened I can't decide whether they were the lucky or unlucky ones," his tone was morbid and he glanced at the field of the dead as he spoke. "You're strong, though, more than they had accounted for. We might be able to free the others and find help for him at the same time." The satyr did not shy away from the word 'we', he obviously intended on seeing the work done if Tomoe went with that.

Shenron, however, would need to be taken to safety and maybe even left with a guardian, if she took that path. The alternative, of course, was to try to find and deal with the alraune, though that option might have seemed less appealing than freeing slaves from a horde of bigots with only a half-dead satyr to help her.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

"Should have guessed it, even more fighting..." the miko almost sighed as she got the makeshift bandaging done. Still, there would be further attention needed if Shenron were to recover back into full fighting condition. It was turning out to be a huge hassle, this. "I swear, I'm going to re-learn those healing skills that we picked up at the shrine. Then I don't have to bother anyone with my inability..." Tomoe thought in the back of her mind as she looked at the lizardman once more. This was not a decision she was comfortable in making, given the stakes that were on line.

After a brief but still long-seeming moment, she reached a decision."Even with my supposed strenght, there is a pretty low chance of us making it against a whole small army of soldiers. The numbers will wear everyone down in time. I think we are better off retreating for now. We have to resort to this other way, even if it is against my conviction to deal with such dirty individuals." the priestess announced her choice of path to take. "But... once we are at full strenght again... we will come back and get your friends out. They need not suffer in slavery of such heinous beings. At times like this, even I sometimes doubt if humanity deserves to get help against these aliens..."

Feling like she was talking too much and going on useless tirades, the shrine maiden stopped herself shortly after that. This was not the time for such thoughts and arguments. Urging the rest of them near, she asked for them to keep bodily contact with her while the miko herself kept one palm on Shenron's muscular form. Remembering the bridge, she focused on the power of Instant Transmission once more, hoping to find the alraune there once they arrived. This might just end up being the worst decision she ever decided to do, but the alien lizardman was not someone she was willing to leave behind in that condition.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 54/74, PP = 48, EP = 34/70, Status = Fine

Stats

Spoiler

Tomoe pays 6 EP for Instant Transmission.

Tomoe manages to immediately set off an Alarm spell as she arrives.

The miko received a solemn nod from the satyr for her promise. At her request, Kei and the Satyr kept contact with her, the goat-man carefully keeping his hand on her arm rather than anywhere else, and the crimson-haired woman doing much the same. With her own connection to Shenron secured, Tomoe channeled her energies and imagined the bridge. She and her group appeared at the rickety old thing in a flash, right around where the alraune had been standing previously.

But the alraune was not there. Any alarm at her not being there would be short-lived, however, as Tomoe heard very loud snoring. Following the noise, she would find that the "bridge" alraune was napping in a particularly lush area of grass nearby, having completely abandoned her supposed post. The shrine maiden would also find that she was dreaming quite vividly.

"Ooh, that's nice~ Yes, right there." The purple-haired plant-woman cooed in her sleep. "Mmm~ They're so big and soft. Don't be so nervous, Amaryllis-chan, I won't bite... hard." She tossed and turned but her tentacles were even more active than the rest of her, slithering around her green body and leaking blue sap. Tomoe would never get the chance to interrupt her lewd dreams, not before the warrior priestess tripped an unseen alarm.

A repeated beeping noise filled the area, loud, piercing, and likely to draw attention to any around. The alraune appeared ready to sleep right through it, though. "Just five more minutes. I'm having a really good dream," she whined softly. The alarm did not respond to her words and continued to blare for several more minutes, with Tomoe, Kei, and the satyr completely incapable of finding a way to shut it off. The traveler eventually simply resigned herself to the noise and plugged her ears with her thumbs.

Right around the time that a headache was beginning to set in from the noise, the perverted plant's eyes groggily opened. Unfortunately, for the miko at least, the first thing she noticed was Tomoe. Any slowness in her movement vanished instantly. The alraune hopped up, as sprightly as could be, and pounced at the unprepared maiden. The shrine maiden was strong enough to keep herself from being knocked to her butt by the motion, but not quick enough to keep herself from being wrapped in the hug with her arms pinned to her sides. "Amaryllis-chaaaaan~! You're back again! I thought I'd lost you forever!" The alraune nuzzled her cheek, and, well, her entire body, against Tomoe's own as she embraced the Easterner. The beeping persisted.

The perverted alraune couldn't even be pried away from the the miko by Kei and the satyr combined. If Tomoe was slightly weaker, the hug might have crushed the air right out of her. And it continued for several minutes, with the miko's companions eventually giving up entirely in order to replug their ears and her perverted assailant's hands becoming just a little too friendly with her back. One thing that the shrine maiden did learn from the experience, beyond the impressive extent of the clingy plant's upper body strength, was that the green woman smelled very nice. The sweet scent of a freshly-picked bouquet of flowers became stuck in Tomoe's nostrils.

But, perhaps thankfully, all things eventually came to an end. Doubly thankfully, the nonstop beeping came to an end as the alraune waved her hand and dismissed the alarm after pulling away from the busty shrine maiden. "What brings you back so soon? Was it my pretty face~? Did your loins ache for me like mine did for you~? We were clearly meant to be, Amaryllis-chan!" Despite her words, the plant-woman didn't seem to believe the former two any more than the miko did; she still held a certain hope in her golden eyes at the last one. In the end, the Easterner did not have to answer, a short glance at her ragged companions offered the alraune all she needed to know about the group. At the sight of the satyr, she finally left Tomoe's side.

"Oh my! Poor, poor Mister Goat!" She exclaimed as she swayed toward the injured satyr. "That's not my- mmmph!" The satyr was cut off as he, too, was crushed in a hug, his face ending up buried in the alraune's impressive cleavage. The act didn't seem to bother the goat-man much, beyond the sudden and violent loss of oxygen as he suffocated in a pair of large, pert alraune breasts. In truth, he seemed more bothered, and vaguely disappointed, when she stopped and attempted to do the same to Kei, a sentiment which the traveler shared as she shooed the plant away. The strange, strange plant went much more gingerly about the hunter, kneeling beside him and carefully running her hands across his chest. After she had surveyed the damage, she stood up and faced Tomoe. "I can help, Amaryllis-chan~" The green woman explained in a seductive tone that Tomoe probably appreciated none too much. "But there will be a price!" And here it came...

"I will require a kiss! And a picnic for two!"

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

With everyone in contact, Tomoe focused on her power, picturing the bridge they had passed earlier. She didn't use this power all that much really, but still was familiar enough in it's use to not fail in any way. And in a blink, they were there.

After a second or two spent in an alarmed state of mind, the miko found the supposedly missing "bridge alraune" not on her earlier ""post", but on a nearby patch of tall grass. It had gotten boring to her, or the night-time sneaking had taken some energy out from the green woman as she was napping the day away quite uncaringly. At first, Tomoe thougth nothing of the scene. But then, her given nickname was brought up in sleeptalking, the context as perverted as most things that this plant spoke aloud. By then, she was beginning to feel like going back to the scene of the battle and taking on the bigoted horde.

But it was maybe a bit too late for that. When she had stepped forward, a magical sensor of some sort had gone off and started beeping obnoxiously, surely waking any sleepers and torturing the ears of others who happened to be in the vicinity. This was a pretty darn effective ward for the sleeping plant woman, who was slowly roused from her naughty dreams by the sounds. Initially slow, that was. Then, she happened to lay eyes on Tomoe's form as the first thing upon awakening. Before she properly knew it, the priestess was getting hugged quite powerfully, the sight of her causing a rapid reaction in the alraune. Despite the combined efforts of both Kei and the satyr, the alraune could just not be moved from her clingy hugging, the miko herself shrugging at them and shaking her head briefly. Better let her snuggle, this weird creature. If something had to be taken as positive in the whole experience, there was the pleasing smell of flowers that most likely accompanied all of these plant women. This one at least was no exception to the rule.

Eventually the green woman did let go, having had her fill on the huggy action, simultaneously ending the infernal beeping that seemed to relieve all of them. There was some further nonsense spoken by the alraune, but Tomoe herself didn't manage to speak up before the plant was already going to other places as she saw the miko's companions. The satyr had no chance against the glompy plant, ending up between her breasts in short order. At least Kei saved herself from any embarassment by shooing the hug machine away before any glompage happened.

Finally, it was time for a look at Shenron, who still remained on the ground. As the expectations in her mind had predicted, Tomoe got a positive reply from the alraune. She seemed to have skills in the arts of healing as well. And the other prediction was not off in the slightest either, there was a demand of affection in return for this healing service. The whole thing caused a huge inner battle within the shrine maiden's mind, the two precious things being balanced in many different ways and perspectives in the mental turmoil that followed. But eventually, it was the well-being of her companions that came first. This whole thing would have probably happened sooner or later anyway, so better pick the choice that had at least some likeability in it. Despite the general perversion, the alraune seemed not all that terrible a being, even though Tomoe's mind was against the idea of demanding others their bodies in payment.

"Fine... We'll have it your way..." the priestess said, gaze dropping to the ground as she agreed with the demands, most likely dissappointing Kei with the agreement and losing some of her respectability. "But... You'll heal Shenron first... once that is done... then I will fulfill my part..."

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

The way the plant-woman's smile reached from ear to ear after her acceptance only reinforced the miko's desire to go fight the bigots instead. Perhaps surprisingly, Kei didn't seem to lose any respect for Tomoe's choice. The traveler had remained silent and distant, which was less than could be said for the alraune. "Worry not, Doctor Wistaria is on call!" Whether or not she was named after the wisteria-like appearance her hair had taken on or it had happened the other way around was a question that would have to be vocalized to find an answer. "I'm an untrained nonprofessional!"

She continued to beam even as she cast a relatively minor spell, one which left her surprisingly (somewhat) clothed. She wore a white, unbuttoned coat. A coat that seemed to miss the point of clothing entirely, as it only covered her back, sides, and to her nipples, leaving everything between the dark green peaks, from her sternum to her crotch, uncovered. That wasn't the full extent of the change, as a round metallic disc appeared on her head at the forefront of her ring of flowers. She leaned towards Tomoe and raised a hand to the side of her mouth before whispering to the miko in a conspiratorial manner. "Don't worry, I'm not actually wearing anything~ It's just a spell, I'm still naked." She concluded with two winks too many, which was to say that she winked twice. And, even if the warrior priestess had found some solace in the perverted plant's nudity, she couldn't have afforded a second check without being noticed since the green woman had whispered so loudly that Kei had heard and the satyr was trying to determine if he could see through her clothing.

Without a further word, which may have been to some gratitude, Wistaria bounded away to kneel beside Shenron again. She placed two green hands on the lizardman's chest and began to cast. The effects were immediate. Bits of metal popped free of the wounds, tearing the bandages that Tomoe had applied and causing them to fall free, before his thick flesh closed behind them. He didn't wake up, but all could be sure that he was going to make it. The "doctor" confirmed as much. "He'll be fine. Next up, Mister Goat~" She proclaimed with a seductive smile aimed at the goat-man. He didn't complain about her nickname for him that time.

About five minutes later, she was done with the satyr. Although Tomoe had never seen a healer choose to nearly suffocate a patient between her breasts in order to cast healing spells on them before. The fey man had passed out from the lack of air, but he was okay and laying face-up on the soft grass. Kei went a bit more smoothly, with the alraune respecting her space. Similarly, for once Tomoe's plant stalker respected her space, healing up the shrine maiden's own wound with nothing but a light touch on the afflicted area. Perhaps she was simply able to contain herself with the promise of a picnic ahead. A possibility that was reinforced as she finally swayed up to Tomoe and brought up her payment.

"There, all done! Now, about my price~?" She asked, leaning forward with her eyes closed and her lips puckered.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Tomoe watched from the sideline as the plant woman moved in to do her job, the plainly visible eagerness only making it more uncomfortable. All the comments and the clothing made her increasingly embarassed just by being near the alraune, the comment about the conjured clothing and nudity finally causing her to facepalm at the whole thing. "Oh god, that was bad..." the priestess thought, managing to keep the verbal indications of her shame into a simple sigh.

Still, there was no doubt about the healing abilities at work. After Shenron's wounds, all the rest of them followed suit. Though the method of healing that the satyr was subjected to was questionable at best, Tomoe made no move to stop it. The goat man seemed quite happy after all, despite eventually passing out from the lack of air. Healing Kei went pretty much like expected, the earlier shooing most likely still fresh in the alraune's mind. And as unbelievable as it was, there was no pervert antics when it came to the miko's own graze wound from the rifle bullet. But then again, there was this so-called "picnic" coming up...

Eventually, everyone was more or less alright again. Shenron was not conscious yet, but was stable and free of the wounds that had gotten him into the situation in the first place. Then, there was the demand of payment from the alraune, who was already waiting at full readiness. Getting prepared was much harder to Tomoe herself, who hesitated for a time before approaching. Her own part of the kiss was very awkward and unexperienced, but she did it nonetheless, not sure how much the other side would like the whole experience.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

The twitching of the tentacles behind the alraune likely did little to assuage Tomoe's nerves. But, in the end, nothing came of them as the shrine maiden moved forward to plant her lips against the plant's own. No, it was the alraune's hands that she should have been watching out for.

As soon as their mouths had met, the alraune stealthily peeked one eye open. Then, with opportunity on her side, she seized the miko by the upper arms and leaned her backwards. As quick as a flash of lightning, Tomoe found herself upper body cradled in her partner's arms, leaning dangerously toward the ground with Wistaria's support being the only thing keeping her from landing back-first on the earthen floor. From a third party's point-of-view, if they were to judge by positioning, she might have looked like a lovestruck maiden that one might see in a picture or a story, grasped firmly in the arms of a lover that had rescued her from some tower. Only in Tomoe's case she wasn't being rescued and her prince was perverted, and, well, a plant.

The eastern maiden quickly determined that the plant-woman's lips were lush and soft and that her tongue was no different than the miko's own. She determined it in great detail as Wistaria all but ravaged her mouth. The alraune seemed to take Tomoe's inexperience as an invitation. She tasted and explored every inch of the maiden's mouth that she could get at, frequently taking breaks to attack the Easterner's tongue with her own. The sordid act continued for a minute before Kei began to clear her throat, but all that this garnered was more passion on the part of the alraune as she deepened the kiss.

It was another minute before even Kei turned away, blushing at the brazenness of what Wistaria was doing. Another minute entirely had passed before the alraune finally allowed Tomoe out of her arms and, more importantly, to breathe. The "doctor" beamed widely at the shrine maiden as the two broke away. "Ooh, that was fun~ Was it good for you?" She purred. Before the miko could respond, Wistaria pulled a blanket-covered basket out of what appeared to be thin air and, for all intents and purposes, given what else the alraune had accomplished, might as well have been thin air. "Ready for our picnic? I know a perfect little meadow near here. Nice and private~ Oh, wait, let me change into something more appropriate~" The green woman gave a snap of her fingers and was promptly naked again. "Okay, all ready~!"

Kei's palm smacked into her own face and remained there as if the two were drawn by magnets.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

As if having to go and kiss with a near complete stranger was not hard enough, the alraune had apparently decided to make it even harder with her twisted ways of chivalry. The meeting of lips was turned horizontal almost immidiately, Wistaria's weird leadership approach making the whole thing considerable precarious for the feet-swept miko. For a time that was all too long for Tomoe's comfort, the two of them remained like that as the plant woman appeared to be savoring the taste and feel of her lips and mouth, causing a level of blushiness to appear on the already lightly red-faced easterner. Even Kei's throat clearing was not any kind of obstacle in the whole scene, totally the opposite really, only making the act last longer than before. So, the enjoyment proceeded for another minute or so. It was like a dashing knight and girl story, except not really.

But shortly afterwards, it did seem that Wistaria got her fill from the first part of their exchanged services as she craned back once more and lifted Tomoe too as they returned to the vertical heading once more. Gasping for breath slightly in the aftermath, the priestess was prodded with another question that she could not get to answer before something else happened. Maybe that was for the better, since admitting a small liking to the alraune might only serve to urge her onwards to even bigger perverted heights during what was going to happen in just a few moments. The part that the miko was definately not looking towards...

After seeing some further antics being performed, the shrine maiden's second sigh joined with Kei's facepalm, making a combination of embarassment sounds. Wistaria was beckoning her onwards to the next phase, so Tomoe had to bid a brief farewell to the others for now. "Set up a camp or a watch spot in the vicinity and see after those two in my stead. I'm going to take care of this matter, it can't be helped..." she briefly asked from Kei, giving up Kirin and the quiver of arrows to the red-haired kinswoman. "If food becomes an issue, then you can use my bow. But... I'll get this over with now..." the miko continued, massively nervous as she left the companions behind and went along with the alraune's lead towards the spot of their "picnic".

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

A nearly imperceptible frown graced Wistaria's features at Tomoe's comments, but quickly vanished. "There are a few fruit trees nearby that you might forage from, should you get hungry!" She offered. Kei gave a very brief nod to Tomoe and the alraune both before accepting the gift of Kirin and arrows. Her carmine-eyes narrowed, as if to ask if Tomoe was really going through with it. The perverted plant-woman did not notice, however, and smiled widely, just at things in general, but her mirth didn't quite reach her eyes.

Still, she was obviously very anxious to be off. Grabbing onto one of Tomoe's wrists with her free hand, she pulled the miko off. It was, all in all, a very brief trip. The alraune had even allowed the warrior priestess her limb back halfway through. They cleared a fair amount of grass, the occasional tree, until they came to a point where the ground dipped into a steep enough ramp to force both to use some caution. The grassy ramp led all the way to the side of the river that had been so threatening while crossing on the bridge. Following the decline into a meadow, the waters seemed downright tame.

And it was a nice little spot. The grass was fairly low and not a chore to walk through, for the most part it felt warm to the touch from bathing in the sun. There was a solitary tree that provided a length of shade to rest in, the tree itself situated a short distance away from a grouping of other trees. Wildflowers were in bloom, a wide variety of colors. And the entire place had a symphony to it. The gentle flow of the water was audible on the air, the brief wind blew through, rustling the grass and leaves as it did so. It was a hard contrast to the scenes of gore and violence that Tomoe had stumbled upon earlier.

Wistaria chose to set up under the shade of the tree, spreading out the, of course, checkered blanket on the cooler grass. She spread out an impressive portion of vegetables and fruit. Red apples, peaches, juicy oranges, bananas, grapes, cobs of corn, carrots, celery, broccoli, and more were all in abundance and readily noticeable, there were a few much smaller portions of cooked fish. It was a wonder that she could fit it all in the basket. But, Tomoe realized as her plant-like stalker reached into the wickerwork container yet again, there was more. The alraune produced a jar of red liquid and two clay cups, offering one of the cups to Tomoe and preparing to pour some of the liquid if the miko accepted.

"What do you think, Amaryllis-chan? I did this all for you~" she asked with a wide smile. So far, the picnic was proving to be just that: a picnic.