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Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru


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Takimaru

Takimaru

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The kunoichi's subtle move to check her target's level of protection around his nether regions went without complaint. If anything, it seemed to encourage him. "Ohh, you won't have to worry about that," he assured her. His truthfulness in this case was difficult to deny, as Ren felt him to be growing ever harder when she probed with her upper leg. Still, the area between the bandit's legs was unprotected flesh, and thus vulnerable to a more powerful strike if she cared to put forth some actual effort into it.

And so she did. "Oooohhh!" came a groan of pain, not pleasure, from the horny ruffian, and for a second his knees buckled, weakened from the sudden impact upon a most sensitive area. The feeling of emptiness shot up into his stomach, stunning him for but a second. Unfortunately for Ren, the grip of his hands upon her body didn't immediately falter, and his hold upon her breast tightened rather painfully, as his entire body tensed up in response to the shot.

But a look down would show Ren something--that the man had then fallen to his knees. In that very moment, he was at her mercy. "Uuuugghhh... w-w..." His widened eyes veered upwards, locking into hers in an odd stare meant to ask 'why'. If she killed him now, it would be a look she would never forget. On the other hand, it would be unrealistic to say that the strike would leave him stunned for any longer, and she was liable to receive his wrath upon recovery. If Ren had to act, it would be now.
 

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Whatever sympathy or answer Ren's victim hoped to see in her eyes wasn't there. Her eyes were alight with something, but what that something was hard to define. Neither her eyes nor her expression showed any sort of emotion, the only there was a kind of fierce energy... almost inhuman, as if something alien had possessed her body and had no concern what happened to it or her victim. There was no sympathy, no fear, not even aggressive hate... just the blaze of the body's “fight or flight” mechanism having chosen “fight” and the calculations that made her actions more than just frantic flailing. From the moment she had struck with her knee, all other thought had vanished, except how to carry this through to the end. Even the pain of her captor's righting grip was little more than the most minor of distractions as her hand went for her pin.

For the entire duration of the kunoichi's strike, time moved in a strange slow motion brought on by adrenaline and hyper-alertness. It couldn't have taken more than a second, and yet an entire thought process had played itself out in that time. An evaluation of her arc of movement to make sure it wouldn't be obstructed, the fact that her target was on his knees and how that changed where she could and should strike, the awareness that there was no armor where his neck met his body, the remembrance that she needed to squeeze the poison reservoir on her pin on the way down. All this and more raced by in less than a second, though she comprehended it all... and just like that, her pin was in the side of the bandit's neck.

For a moment after the strike, time froze completely. As if her brain were catching up to it's own thoughts and what had actually happened... and the expression of her victim showed he might be thinking the same thing. It would only be a moment though before everything caught up for Ren and time resumed at full speed. The fire that had driven her before had not not yet burned out, and the situation she was in now was still a dangerous one... almost immediately her arms were moving again.
“Break his grip, move away, let the poison do it's do work.”
The first part didn't even take conscious thought, though Ren was no expert and only had basic training with martial arts, breaking grips was one of the first things one she had learned. Whether that alone would be enough to buy her the time she needed might end up being another matter though...
 
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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

If there was any moment in which Ren had to act for the sake of survival, it was right then and there, and so she did. When she grasped the end of her hairpin in the presence of the weakened ruffian, Ren knew that it could only mean one thing... that she was to kill him. Someone who wasn't quite as trained might have faltered, would have found their aim to deteriorate during such a stressful moment. But hers wasn't. The final strike was far more important here than any of the buildup. It wasn't a move her trainers took lightly, and so she wouldn't either.

With a swift movement, Ren found the largest artery in the massive man's neck--the carotid. Normally one of the best places by which to check for signs of life within an individual, finding it now with the poison-filled needle in her grasp only meant that the bandit's time was to come to an end. Yet despite its relative size, the artery wasn't the easiest target to hit given the pressure of the situation. Had she hit? If the kunoichi were to judge by looks alone, it seemed as though she did... but if the man's reactions were any indicator, it was far too hard to tell. The adrenaline had already claimed him at that point thanks to the blow she delivered to his groin, and his expression turned from that of agony to rage.

"Urgghhgl, you fucking...--!" uttered Minoru, trying his best to keep his grasp upon Ren's soft bosom. However, hers wasn't so big as to make for a proper handhold, and she managed to break the hold he had before separating and creating some proper distance between them. It hurt a little, and would likely leave a bruise, but given the man's size and apparent strength, it wasn't the worst condition she could have gotten away with. Now came the chase. It would take only a few seconds for the poison to take effect if her aim was indeed true.

But the ruffian proved far more relentless than Ren had anticipated. While the girl was undoubtedly swift on her feet, even on the uneven terrain, her victim had proven himself a determined survivor, lashing out and making wild swings and grabs for her in the heat of the moment. He then fell forward onto his knees, but the will to go on drove him back up, urging him to stumble after Ren in a half-blind rage. For someone who had studied the effects of such poisons, it really shouldn't have taken that long--perhaps 5-15 seconds at most for someone of particularly strong constitution. And yet he was still moving!

However, Ren would find that it only felt like forever. As one of Minoru's hands reached for his sword, he felt his knees buckle. But this time, he wouldn't have the strength to stand. A puzzled look crossed his features as he tried to figure out why his body stopped listening to him... but then, it was too late. Finally, the poison had taken effect. A trace of purple had visibly appeared in a branching pattern around his neck. No doubt the darkness was closing around his peripheral vision, and no doubt Ren's face was the last thing he saw.

And he was dead, having fallen forward onto his face. Ren could take a moment to recover and take what she could from his body, if she could pry it out of his grasp--she would find his swords large and rather unwieldy for someone of her size, though a tanto dagger kept on his person might suffice. Regardless of what she did take, she would have to hurry to where the caravan was.

When she arrived, a heated battle had already erupted. Fumio was locked in a losing battle with the larger polearm-wielding bandit, while many of the farmers on board were trying their best to hold off the underlings with their improvised weaponry--and from the looks of it, failing miserably. Perhaps it was to be expected, as the marauding party was full of battle-hardened warriors. Even if they weren't necessarily the best equipped, they were more than enough to deal with mere peasants who would be lucky to claim half of the combat experience they had. Meanwhile, Kojiro had already cut down two men near the center of the caravan, the younger samurai somehow having proved himself actually capable of holding his own. Near the back of the formation, Akito was no exception, with three slain bandits seen in his vicinity... but more were intent on flanking and surrounding him.
 

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

“Was that really... only 15 seconds?”
In the wake of the recent exchange, Ren's sense of time had been warped. Adrenaline and stress had stretched everything out... slowed it down. What had probably taken only a few seconds had felt like several minutes... to the point where Ren had begin to doubt whether her poison were actually working. It was rare, especially with the more deadly poisons, for someone to have a resistance, but not impossible. Or perhaps maybe the reservoir in her pin hadn't been air-tight and the poison had degraded. No, none of those things, it had obviously done it's job now.
“Unless he's playing dead... I never saw the trembling the poison is supposed to cause... or maybe it was there and I missed it. No... I saw everything.”
Even now, the kunoichi's senses were in a state of hyper alertness. The colors seemed more bright, and every sound and slight rustling of the surrounding trees was taken in at an almost impossible speed. Only seconds ago those had all been focused on one point, as she was preparing to dodge sword swings and fight back unarmed and at a disadvantage. The slightest mistake, the slightest lag in reaction kind could have been fatal.
“He can't fake the purple poison lines though. Whether he had the expected reaction or not... he's definitely dead now. Anything strong enough to cause that kind of change in the skin is bad news once it hits the heart, and I struck along a quick path to it.”
The fact that the kunoichi's target didn't seem to be breathing further cemented her confidence in him being dead.

With the immediate threat having passed, Ren's sense of time was returning to normal and the frantic energy her adrenaline had given her was fading. In one sense it was a good thing, it became easier to think again, but in another sense it was a hinderance, as even that short encounter had left her a lot more burned out than she was expecting. Clearly it wasn't good for humans to function on that level all the time.
“I... shouldn't have panicked in the first place. No... it wasn't panic... I don't know what that was, but it wasn't panic... no time to worry about it now.”
The kunoichi wasn't wrong, wasn't wrong, this was still far from over, and now wasn't the time to freeze up and quit.
“...Damn. Why am I...?”
However even as she tried to catch her breath and fix partially stripped furisode, her hands were afflicted by the slightest bit of shaking and clumsiness. It was ridiculous, a symptom of nerves and stress, but it still took effort to suppress. No time to worry about that though, the next order of business was getting a weapon, the rest of the raiding party wouldn't wait for to take time for deep breathing and relaxation, and she had already wasted a good deal of time as things were.

“Definitely dead...” the girl thought as she pulled her pin from her victim's neck. Even with it's poison spent, it was still useful if she could find the opportunity to refill it, as well just being a pretty piece in general... unfortunately there was no time to do her hair back up at the moment, so it would just have to go through her outfit's mid-sash right now. Furthermore her pin wouldn't be a good weapon in open combat, time to keep searching.

Being this close to a dead body was weird. This wasn't the first time Ren killed someone, her lord had already used her to deliver poisons to guests of the castle... but those times were different. Always it was done through food or drink or some other indirect method, never did she have to see the bodies up close and never had they had a chance to fight back. The closest she had come to anything like this was having to kill animals during her training, and even then that moment of life leaving a body had always been unsettling to her. This was... much the same. Almost too similar. Part of her mind was disturbed at the act itself, yes... but part of her mind was confused almost... expecting something more... “significant”. Her gut told her it shouldn't have been this easy, even if her training said otherwise.
“Not now! Now is not the time to be thinking about this!”
Thoughts were distracting now. They begged her attention, needed to be resolved, but reality was more important than theory and feelings. Wanting to block such distractions out, the kunoichi instead decided to focus on recapturing that of hyper alertness and raw need for action that she felt before.
“Perfect, exactly what I need.”
Her efforts had paid off, and by the time she pulled the tanto from dead bandit's body, her hands were listening to her again without protest. The odds were still against her, and she'd need every bit of precision and speed she could manage. Luckily she had the right tool for the job now. Closer to a short-sword than an actual dagger, the tanto was a weapon she was good with, one that would allow her weave around larger weapons and fighters and make strikes quickly and precisely. It probably wouldn't have made a good weapon against a true master swordsman in a fair fight... but with some luck, it would be enough for some bandits not used to facing something like it.
“And without some luck I'm likely to get cut in half... traveling alone is unacceptable at this point though.”

It wouldn't take Ren long to catch up to where the rest of the raiding party was and a battle was already taking place. Along the way she had weighed her options, again re-affirming her thoughts that going after the leader would be the best course of action... if pulling it off were viably possible. She still had the element of surprise for now, but if the leader were closer to the center of the battle, it would be hard to cover that distance unnoticed, and if he were closely surrounded by others, attacking him alone might be asking to get cut down right there, even if she did bring down her target. No, if things were more complicated she would need some help... someone to help her cut her way through and cover her. Luckily for her all three of the ronin in her group still seemed to be alive.
“Akito's killed the most so so far... he's my best bet for cutting through this if I need help.”
Her eyes continued scanning for the bandit leader. If she had a direct window on him, she'd take it, if not, anyone near Akito would be her target. She still wasn't sure how she'd explain any of this afterwards, but right now staying alive was a bigger priority. Right now all that mattered was that he'd know she was on his side, reasons and explanations wouldn't matter in the heat of a battle... and her "side" would be obvious enough once she made her first strike.
 
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Takimaru

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The weapon that Ren took into her hands was of relatively poor make, having seen more wear and tear than the armaments she was used to handling in training. The cords wrapped about its hilt were frayed; its blade was chipped in a few places. Still, its overall shape and weight was familiar in her grip. When used properly, she could without a doubt use it to take another life or two.

But the fierce battle that the kunoichi came upon by the time she returned helped remind her that this was indeed a situation of survival. In the front, Fumio was too busy fending off a fierce flurry of attacks delivered by the polearm-wielding bandit leader, which in turn left the other marauders free to cut the hapless farmers down. The rest of the thugs weren't even elite, certainly not by the same standards that Kuroda's troops were. If they had foolishly thought to attack her lord's caravan, they would be met with a gauntlet of well-equipped and extremely skilled samurai. But this was a mere merchant troupe, just like any other, and the majority of those in it were civilians. Even some men who raised their hands in a plea for mercy were shown none of it, cut down in an instant by the brigands who had little use for them.

The only members who appeared to be actively spared were the other oiran, for reasons that weren't difficult for Ren to guess given the situation she had just escaped. While the cries of death and pain might have been shocking for the girl to hear first-hand, what resulted here couldn't have been that surprising, thanks to what she had already seen of the ruffians and their intents...

Despite the dire situation, it hadn't all been lost just yet. After all, the three ronin hired to protect the caravan were still fighting bravely in spite of the massive difference in numbers. Thanks to some of the wide sweeps made by his large weapon, the remaining leader exhibited no obvious openings, though many of his lackeys were. More of them still lurked towards the rear of the caravan, where Akito had freshly cut down a fourth by the time Ren arrived.

He was surrounded by three remaining attackers, but managed to keep them to one side within his range of sight... save for one more, who had crouched behind the wagon and seemed intent on attacking him from behind given their loaded posture.

A smaller man, not unlike that of the rat-like Shige in build, had his wakizashi--a short sword--drawn and appeared to be preparing to pounce. And as she closed in, she would find it to be Shige indeed, the same one who sought to tie her up in the woods. But he hadn't spotted Ren this time around, as his focus remained solely on his formidable target. Even as the kunoichi approached, he didn't seem to hear her, giving her just enough time to pick up speed in the last few steps and close the distance on him in what would most likely be a first strike.

But turning to check who or what was behind him was an apparent habit of Shige's. Unfortunately for him, he turned to see her a little too late, and his eyes widened as Ren landed the first blow. She would find her blade powering into the side of her victim's neck surprisingly easily. It also came out with relatively little resistance, telling her body that it was a good blow. Shige grimaced as blood began to pour from his new wound, and he took a few instinctive swings at the girl, who managed to move back and away from the retaliatory slashes. The expression on his face said much, words upon words that he wouldn't--or perhaps couldn't--utter at that point. All he could do was try to dispatch his new assailant. While he was fast, Ren was faster, and she managed to duck beneath a slash that was made sloppier and telegraphed under the extreme duress of an undoubtedly fatal wound. It gave Ren another opening on her opponent's side, and behind his leg. Falling to a knee, he would no longer be able to catch up with her at that point. She could finish him off, if she wanted, or let him bleed out.

Two down. It was an accomplishment that Kuroda could be proud of, but she would need many more like it to make it out of this. As Ren joined Akito, he would give her a glance out of his peripheral vision. Her bloodsoaked tanto said enough of what she had just done. "It's not looking good," stated the ronin solemnly, shifting his stance. "We may need to run soon," he explained in a calm voice.

Running? It was an odd suggestion, easily going against the tenets of what most samurai were taught from an early age. And yet the man didn't appear terribly frightened while suggesting as much. Not far from their position, Kojiro could be seen intercepting another attacker. The youth was bloodied and had sustained a minor wound or two, but continued to fight on.
 

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Whatever adrenaline or panic or energy or whatever it was that Ren was drawing on was serving her well as she engaged the first target between herself and Akito. Recognition registered in her mind as she identified her first potential victim as the “Shige” from earlier, but the fact seemed utterly insignificant for any purpose besides keeping count of the threats in the immediate area. Even with plenty of reason to make this personal or attack with spite, the kunoichi's mind remained clear and focused... as long as she was moving, she didn't feel the trembling that had happened earlier and everything seemed to move in slow motion. The dodges and strikes happened as naturally as if this were a training session with wooden weapons. Even training sessions carried risks, as the girl had broken a fingers a few times from stupid mistakes, and the mistakes here would be much deadlier... but her opponent was sloppy and her own performance was exceptional, within only a second or two she had him crouching and bleeding out. She wouldn't stop there though.

“That was a good hit to his neck, and this chipped blade probably tore as it cut to increase the bleeding. He'll be dead in a few seconds... if I'm wrong I don't need a blade in my back though, and his weapon will be useful if this one gives out and breaks.”
The thoughts happened in only a fraction of a second, before Ren could even mentally vocalize them. To an outside observer it would look as if she had taken no time at all from her last strike before she tensed up and prepared for another.
“He's down and looking up to me. Head exposed. Eyes exposed. Weakest part of the skull, even if I'm hitting bone, it's curved inwards, nowhere to deflect the force away to. The gap where the eyes plug into the brain makes it even weaker. Hit to the brain, instant death.”
It was a calculation made entirely for pragmatic ism, and despite the cruel-looking sight of the kunoichi's blade through the man's eye a split moment later, it hadn't been done out of any sort of desire to cause pain or suffering. In a life or death fight, a 100% certainty on a kill was better than 99% certainty if you had the luxury of making sure. This had been one of those situations. Wretching the man's weapon from his dead hand, she tucked it through the sash of her furisode and continued running, losing no more time than was necessary... until another idea came to her.
“Nobody's seen me yet. A backup weapon is good, but maybe I can do one better.”
Making a slight detour, she made her way over to the cart that had her stuff and grabbed a small pouch of crushed herb from her store of poison ingredients to stuff in her furisode. It wouldn't be toxic enough to kill anyone, as the kunoichi had left the most dangerous catalysts out of her collection to avoid suspicions, but it was a “spicy” one, enough to burn if it got in eyes or was breathed in. With her hairpin spent, and potentially outmatched in pure combat ability, she needed anything she could get as a hidden advantage.

“Spotted them earlier, got held up before I could get a warning get back!”
Ren's quick explanation, explained in short breaths as she ran back, seemed to be enough to convince Akito to not mistake her for an assailant. She had worried what kind of reaction she might get considering how different she looked now. No longer the delicate oiran from earlier, but armed, hair down with her pin removed, and undoubtably stained with at least a little blood. Luckily the ronin seemed able to stay focused on more immediate concerns than questioning the kunoichi, so she allowed herself fall in behind him and cover his back while they exchanged words.
“The big guy with the halberd is their leader. Don't think we can cut through?”
Even as she spoke, her eyes scanned around her, things would get bad if her and her partner got surrounded and outnumbered too badly. The ronin's suggestion of retreat surprised her, even in her hyper-alert state it caused a pang of nervousness. Even for all her training, the way Akito was handling himself made her almost certain that he had more experience with actual combat than her. Training could only teach so much, and if someone with actual experience was worried, then it would be foolish to discount that completely. Still she could sort of understand his position, even if him and herself were holding out now, the leader was untouchable in his circle of mooks, and the pair of them wouldn't be able to hold out forever once the bandits were done dealing with the rest of the troupe.

“They're not after ransoms. If we run away now, everyone except the oiran are going to die.”
Ren's voice remained calm as she delivered the grim news. It wasn't an accusation or reprimanding for cowardice, just a simple stating of the stakes. The kunoichi had no personal investment in the lives of anyone in the troupe beyond the fact that traveling alone and with no supplies was a situation best avoided... and slight pangs of guilt stabbed at her at the idea of letting the koto Kiyomi had lent her end up in the hands of a bunch of bandits. Still, the only advantage she had right now was that of information, of knowing Minoru was dead. Yet maybe there was a way to use that after all...
“If I can draw their leader out and get his attention on me, do you think you'd be able to finish him?”
A plan had started to form in Ren's head... but she would be listening carefully to how Akito responded. Nothing in the troupe was worth dying for, and if he seemed unwilling or incapable of what she was suggesting, then maybe retreating was the only option left. In a straight up fair fight, she didn't put her chances of beating the bandit leader on her own very high. It was a risk best avoided if possible, even if the cost was high.
 
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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The kunoichi's fatal blow was received with little more than a grunt from the rat-like rogue named Shige, who collapsed to the ground not long afterwards. However, it took a few seconds longer than expected for Ren to successfully wrest the weapon from her latest victim's grasp, as his grip upon it was still sturdy for some reason. A quick detour to the cart with her belongings would fetch her a good dose of ishou pepper, which in its ground form could serve as a potent irritant and thus an effective distraction towards many a would-be attacker. And there were plenty of them... as she would soon find when she finally arrived to where Akito was standing off with some of the others. He couldn't help but take a second look at her, but only a momentary one. There was certainly some things to explain, but it would be pointless to try doing so right then and there if it meant getting captured or killed.

"So I noticed. And I wouldn't have suggested we leave if I thought otherwise," he responded flatly, his focus cycling through the opponents nearby. "If we don't run, we're only going to join them. Kojiro!"

"Kinda... busy here!" cried the younger ronin. Despite the lapse in concentration, his body moved on its own in response to one of the bandits' more telegraphed movements, and he stepped forward and to the side, delivering a deep slash to the foe's midsection and causing the man to crumple forward in a bloody heap.

Seeing his fallen opponent could only boost his confidence, and a grin formed upon the young man's face. "We got this," he proclaimed, only to see something happen in the distance, towards the front of the caravan. He froze for a moment, and took a step back.

A quick look from Ren would show that Fumio had fallen, and such a sight caused even Kojiro to take a few steps back towards the other two. With the eldest of the three ronin slain, along with many of the farmers, the rest of the bandits began to make their way towards the rear of the caravan. The cries of the oiran could be heard in tune with the harsh laughter of a few thugs that simply couldn't wait, but while a few filtered into the wagons themselves, most began to move towards Kojiro. The red-headed swordsman turned, picking up his pace, and soon charged towards one of the three brigands surrounding Ren and Akito.

The clash of steel echoed through the air as the youth crossed swords with the leftmost bandit, and Akito took the opportunity to initiate an attack towards the one to the right, while keeping the middle one in mind. Ren had an opportunity to assist if she wanted, but even if she didn't, it looked as though she would be dragged into the fight anyway. The center thug turned his attention to her and ran forward, a grabbing hand outstretched with his sword arm held back in preparation to strike. Undoubtedly all three of them would need to win quickly if they were to make it out of the situation alive.
 

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The kunoichi felt her weapon-hand shake as she watched the scene at the front of the caravan, or rather she could feel it though the weight of her trembling weapon. The hand had clamped hard, and her fingers were unwilling to loosen their grip. A damn involuntary reaction that she wasn't quite sure why she was having, but one that could be problematic for more fluid movements. Luckily her mind hadn't been overtaken by the same freezing effect.
“Tch... bad move to call their leader out now, we're losing ground too quickly. Even if we killed him, it's too risky to expect that to scare the others into stopping... nor did Akito give any indication that it was a good idea. There's nothing more to be gained by continuing this fight, it's time to look for a way ou-”

Ren's thinking was cut short by the awareness that someone was charging towards her, poised to strike. While she likely wasn't as good with a blade as any of the two ronin with her, she was still probably better than these bandits and recognized a telegraphed attack when she saw one.
“One hand on the sword... the other is stretched though. It's not his intention to strike me if he can grab me instead. I might have the best opening if I let that happen. If I defend with my own blade I might provoke an actual attack. A quick strike is better here than a prolonged fight.”
In an instant Ren had forced her sword hand down, not releasing her blade, but moving it to a position that couldn't strike quickly... one where her arm would be easy to grab and keep out of the way, and as long as her attacker didn't draw his own sword, she'd keep this pose. Her other hand though, not frozen in a vice like grip around a weapon, quickly moved into the folds of her furisode and found the pocket where she kept her spiked rings and slipped through them with the spikes facing inward.

“Perfect!”
The kunoichi knew how to break grips, how to move in a way to keep her ringed hand free, and the moment the grab came, her ringed hand made a strike towards the soft spots of her attacker's face. It took only a second before she managed to twist herself free in the shock of the moment, and the moment she hit the ground she spun behind her attacker, her small frame making it easy to move around his legs, and directed a slash towards his heel and back tendon, before rising and shoving him off balance. She was done with him for now, but not done with this fight, as she wasn't the only one engaged in an exchange right now.
“One more to take care of!”
Speed was everything when in a situation like this, always keep moving, never give them a chance to adapt to you, always move fast enough so that a moment of shock or surprise is all that's needed. With this in mind she immediately turned on Akito's attacker and aimed a blow through his torso. She wasn't sure if she hit anything vital, especially with her uncooperative weapon-hand, but that hadn't been her goal anyway.
“Let's go! Leave him! They're more likely to stop for their wounded than their dead!”
With the way clear she'd break into a run, checking to see that the two ronin were following her, and once out of earshot of the bandits continue issuing orders.

“We're close to a stream!” she had pointed out. She was no expert on the area, but she wasn't completely blank on it either, she knew what maps of the area looked like and had even heard water earlier in the day. Besides, travelers like caravans needed places to rest their horses and such.
“We need to get into the water if we can! So we can move up or downstream without leaving tracks for them to follow!”
 
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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

By placing her sword arm down and in front, Ren had placed it in a position where it was all too easy to grab by the attacking ruffian. In his fury, he didn't question as to why she had done so--it was far too fleeting a moment for in-depth thought on the matter. She was just a girl, after all, and it was unlikely that she knew to fight in his eyes. His was a straightforward attempt. His intent was clear, yet understandable in a sense. The man had several pounds on Ren and more than just a few inches in height; if he could grab her knife-wielding arm and immobilize it, he'd have nothing to worry about as he overpowered her.

But the move was well-calculated on the kunoichi's part. The attacker's grip was undoubtedly strong, and she felt it as soon as he latched on to the wrist of her sword hand. However, unbeknownst to him, it was far from the only armament available to the girl. She would soon inform him of the hidden weapon in the most brutal way possible as she grabbed his face with a hand adorned with sharp, pointed rings, only to rake down so as to cause severe damage to his eyes, nose and mouth. The sudden attack didn't cause him to crumple immediately; this bandit was a resilient one indeed, and his adrenaline kept him standing and angry. Yet it did provide enough of a distraction to take his focus off of the hand he was gripping, and Ren took advantage of the window of opportunity to twist her wrist free with a swift, practiced movement. She slipped low just in time to avoid a wild swing from the ruffian, and added insult to injury by severing the tendons on the back of his leg before shoving him face-first into the dirt.

She turned to see an exposed back, that which belonged to yet another bandit, and the girl couldn't have asked for a better target. As Ren thrust her tanto forward into the man's torso, she felt it slide in rather easily before encountering a little resistance. Yet it was still enough to cause the man to flinch, buying Akito the time to parry and counter. The ronin delivered a wide stroke that just missed his ally and effectively severed his foe's weapon arm, leaving him without a proper way to retaliate. The brigand screamed and fell to his knees, clutching his stump.

With the closest threats neutralized for the time being, Ren made her escape from the gruesome scene, urging Kojiro and Akito to follow her. It didn't take much for the latter to give chase. He did pause to look back, yelling for Kojiro to do the same. Despite his initial hesitation to simply abandon his heated fight, the red-haired youth eventually broke off from the deadlock with his opponent to dash after the others, looking none too pleased about the situation.

A glance back would show the kunoichi the last two surviving members of her caravan's security detail following her. The sounds of running water soon met Ren's ears, and as she followed the noise, it soon took her to a stream--exactly as she suspected. The suggestion she gave was a curious one, but not something that Akito was unwilling to follow,Kojiro, on the other hand, looked somewhat agitated and out of breath by the time they got close to the stream.

"Wait, I--fuck! Hahh... u-uh, hang on," he groaned as the other two made their way into the shallow water. While it only came up to their knees, it did slow the group down from their run. A look back would show Ren that Kojiro was clutching at a wound on his side as he trudged along.

"This probably isn't the best time to bring it up," said Akito, "but that caravan is going to be taken for sure. We were unprepared for an attack of such magnitude. Other than Kozakura, the men will probably be killed, but... are the other oiran... like you? I've never seen a woman defeat a man with such ease."
 

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

“Shhhhh! Listen!”
Ren would pause her group upon reaching the water. It was deeper than she had expected, a sheer dropoff into the water instead of a gradual shore, and the depth would slow them down a bit. Because of this it was absolutely imperative that they wern't being followed, otherwise they'd be overrun quickly and lose the advantage of all the distance they had put between themselves and their attackers.
“Nothing...”
As the kunoichi quieted her group and listened, she wouldn't hear the sound of any pursuers, nor would her eyes catch any as she scanned back over the shore. Only a few final sounds from off in the direction of the caravan as the raid came to a close.
“They might come for us later to tie up loose ends, but for now they seem more occupied with their prizes. We'll have awhile, but we need to move downstream before they come looking for us. The water will erode our tracks and let us slip away, so we'll have time to regroup and make sure things happen on our terms.”
Her wounded companion would not escape her notice during the explanation.
“How deep?”
“Tch... don't become dead weight on me. No... it can't be that bad if he ran all the way over here with us. I'm not even hurt and I'm breathing hard from that, it's not something he could have done if the wound was serious.”
Despite her quick evaluation, she feel back to offer a support to lean on if needed.
“Keep pressure on it, try not to lose too much blood. We'll get wrapped when we're down river some more, we can't risk stopping now. We've got to be quiet and move fast.”
For the next few minutes, she would say nothing more. There were questions that needed to be answered, but she had bought herself some time to consider her answers.

“There are two ways to handle this. I still have my seal on me, I could run it against the edge of my weapon until the heat makes it appear, then use it to explain my skills and demand their help... but that causes problems down the road. It marks me as high value, both right now and if we make it to Murakumo later... as an agent of Kuroda's I become a bargaining chip they could give to the bandits in exchange for a high ransom, or someone they can warn my target about in exchange for a reward. No neither... too much of a risk. Using the seal is an implied threat, people become unpredictable when they're forced, it only works for so long before they spite you and start thinking of ways to reverse the circumstances. They already seem eager to help me... better to try something else.”
“Stop here, give me a second.”
Even as the kunoichi's mind scrambled to salvage the mess that had just happened, it hadn't forgotten about her plan in the immediate moment. There was still a chance that the bandits, if they followed her tracks to the river and saw them disappear, would catch on to what she had done. It was a slim chance, but a possible one. Luckily it was easy to plan for. Climbing out of the river she trudged a short ways away from the shore, deliberately stomping and making her tracks obvious... before grabbing a leafy branch and brushing away the tail-end of her tracks as they lead away from the river. After this she carefully stepped back in her own footprints and made her way back into the river.
“A diversion” she explained.
“They'll think we wised up covered our tracks, but they'll think they know which direction we went and waste their time looking. Lets keep going.”
A little further ways down the river she'd climb out for real, her mind settled on how to handle the next step of all this... and how to answer the questions ahead.

“I knew what what we were doing the moment we decided to run.” Ren answered grimly sitting back against a tree to dry off off and catch her breath.
“The others being like me? No... I really doubt it. Maybe they had rings or something like mine in case one of their clients got too rough, but it wouldn't have been enough to protect them even if they weren’t panicking. Oiran don't fight, they don't live a life where they have to worry about that sort of thing.”
The girl took a breath, now was the time for lies. Luckily for her, this was something she was good at, and the lies would be the easiest kind, the kind that were close to the truth anyway.
"That was the kind of life I wanted, you know. If you're looking at me expecting me to be some kind of Water Serpent assassin or something, you're going to be disappointed. The answer is a lot simpler than that. I grew up in Naoe.”

She paused for a moment, giving this fact time to sink in.
“If you make a rough guess at my age, it's easy to see where this is going, right? When I was a child growing up, the rebellion there was going full-force. In some families, everyone was taught how to fight and use weapons, even the girls... unfortunately my father was a fanatic.”
Another pause. Details would be easy to fake, even if they didn't apply to her specifically, she had seen enough of it growing up to give good answers if either of companions tried digging deeper.
“I didn't want to throw away my life on that. I wanted to do something else with my life before it was too late and forget all of that... but I guess my body never completely forgot.”
At this she realized her hand was still clutched tightly around the handle of her stolen weapon, unwilling to react to her commands to loosen it's grip. At this she turned around and slammed the back of her hand against the tree she was sitting against, the pain finally snapping her hand back to life and causing it to drop the weapon with a clang. This was not part of the act, and yet she kept going for reasons even she couldn't figure out.
“I've never killed anyone like that before... before it was all just practice... the real thing... it's supposed to get easier, right?” she asked, her voice cracking and showing some very real uncertainty now.

“There was no point in all of us dying earlier, but we have to face them again, you know that right?!”
Her voice was frustration now, and perhaps even fear. She had no investment in the lives of anyone else in the troupe... and yet... the idea of messing up everything because of some random thugs was unbearable, even if the fact that it happened in the first place was a shakingly uncomfortable.
“You want to save them, right? There's no way we're making the rest of the trip alone with what we've got on us anyway, and going back now would be pointless. Aside from our failures, by the time we managed to get together a bunch of soldiers and march them up here, the bandits would be long gone or hidden.”
What a mess this had become. The task ahead was monumental, and thinking about how to handle it was making her spin and breaking her composure.
“I'm getting ahead of myself assuming they're even going to help me... my goals would mean nothing to them even if they were aware of them... if I were them I'd be more concerned about ways of getting out of this alive than fixing it... they've got way more options than me... like...”
Her eyes darted up to her companions, as her hand went back to her weapon.
“Y-you do want to do the right thing, right?! If you're planning on trading me in to those bandits, I-I'll-- I'll...!”
She had nothing if they wern't on her side, and even though they hadn't seemed to have any ill-intent towards towards her so far, she hadn't really been looking for it either. Realizing that fact was perhaps scariest of all...
 
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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Ren's commands earned her some furrowed brows and looks of surprise from the two following her. In the heat of the moment, they had little choice but to follow her well-timed advice. But upon reaching the stream, it looked as though their pursuers had either given up... or perhaps more likely, been called back. And now it was time for answers. Though it had been done more out of necessity, she had revealed her level of expertise, which undoubtedly betrayed her role as an oiran. There were questions in Akito's eyes, but he would let her finish before replying.

"Good call with the water," pronounced the older of the two ronin, "but I doubt three stragglers are of much concern to a group that big. Unless they were looking for one of us in particular." He aimed an almost accusatory gaze towards her, as if expecting her to explain.


"I killed some of their guys, but I'm pretty sure my name isn't that big yet," Kojiro chimed in, gritting his teeth as he trudged along. "They got everyone else though, including the girls. Damnit! If only I were stronger..."


"You mean, if only Kozakura had hired a level of security appropriate for the apparent demand of whatever goods he had in the caravan. That was at least a dozen men descending on us. Normally, we'd be unlucky enough to encounter a group half that size. But we did have slightly more women than usual," remarked Akito. "Which is why I couldn't help but wonder if any of the other girls were the same as you," he added, glancing sideways at Ren once again. From then on, he would remain silent. It was Ren's turn to explain, and if she didn't, an awkward silence would inevitably pass.

But it wouldn't go on for too long, thanks to Kojiro. "It's not too deep. I just got a little careless," said the red-haired youth in reply to the kunoichi, lifting his hand for a moment to check his wound. "He just nicked me a little. I'll get him next time. I mean, we ARE going back, right? There's no way we're just going to let those guys do whatever they want! Who knows what they'll do?! Maybe we can catch them off-guard or something!"

When Ren stopped to create some fake tracks, showing a level of thoughtfulness that few others could, Kojiro could only look on in wonder. Who was this girl that he had been trying to impress? Provided, he had been sidetracked with some of the other oiran during the trip, but now his attention was back on the girl closest to him. While he could only seem impressed with her beauty at first, her skills also didn't fail to garner his interest. "R-Right! Damn, I never thought of that." He turned to take another look back. "So they'll lose us for sure this way, huh? Wow, you really are something. Even better than old man Fumio..."

His lips pursed for a moment. "Damn, I can't believe he's gone, just like that. Their leader must've been strong, or used some shitty tricks. They're not just gonna kill EVERYONE in there like that, right? I mean, they'd at least try to take the women away... right?"

Akito, on the other hand, seemed content to remain quiet. Yet the longer her knowledge went unexplained, the colder he seemed to get. It contrasted noticeably with Kojiro's growing friendliness.

But soon enough came her time to explain. It wouldn't go uninterrupted, as Akito was quick to dismiss her explanation of oiran. "I know that much. But I've also heard that Kuroda sometimes uses them as agents to keep track of those he holds suspicions against," he shot back. Kuroda wasn't one to take the secrecy of his operations lightly. How could he have known?

Kojiro looked on, wide-eyed. "So then, are you really a..."

Ren was quick to deny the allegations. Better yet, she had a well-placed excuse. Not only Akito, but even Kojiro knew of the Naoe Uprising, in which Kuroda had flexed his military capability and tactical genius to its limit. He had to; Ren's father was formidable in his own right, with many loyal followers. But for all of his effort, his defeat still meant that Kuroda's story would be the only one remaining. For as long and drawn-out of a battle as Ren might have remembered it being, in the end, there was only the victor.

Luckily, the tapestry of truth and lies she worked to weave seemed to do its part in calming Akito's suspicions, while inspiring awe in Kojiro, which he wore on his face.

However, the former looked less than enthused about the plan ahead. "You've been trained well, no doubt about it. But I don't think that alone, with the two of us, will be enough to handle that entire group. This is on Kozakura for not disclosing the proper information to us beforehand. Whatever it is they wanted from that caravan, they have it now, and we don't even know what it is--so there's no point in taking it back."


Kojiro grit his teeth and turned to Akito, protest in his eyes. "So you're just going to let them do whatever they want to the women, then?! And you call yourself a samurai?!"

"I'm not," said the older ronin, "Not anymore. And neither are you, so stop acting like one. You were paid to do a job. You failed, as I did, and you're not going to complete it like this. We'll just have to report the situation back to the capital. We won't make it back before dusk, so we'll have to set up camp somewhere here after getting dry--"

"You can go back on your own," spat Kojiro. "I still have some pride as a swordsman left in me." He turned to Ren with a more cooperative tone. "Of course I'll do the right thing. And if this coward even dares to try and use you for a deal with those bandits, I'll..."

Akito sighed. "I'm not. I may no longer be a proper samurai, but I'm not a common thug. But unless you have a proper plan, I don't see how this is going to go well. Do you even know of their hideout? Its layout? Where their sentries keep watch, and where the leader stays?"

Kojiro could only frown in defiance--but the other ronin was right. This wouldn't do without a plan.
 
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Kat

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Ren's brief moment of panic passed as she leaned back against the tree. At the very least, her companions wern't about to betray her. It was far from the best of news though, the bigger problems of the moment still existed, and her small group was already proving itself to be in less than ideal shape for dealing with those problems.
“Head hurts...”
Part of her just wanted to forget this whole thing, lay down and sleep it off like a bad ache... but for now she'd have to make due with tilting her head back and closing her eyes for a bit. Forgetting about the problem... running away... what an awful choice that would be. The girl wasn't afraid of being killed for her failure or anything, but to be unable to deal with something so insignificant as bandits was bitterly shameful and a blow to her competence that would take a long time to work off. Would any of Kuroda's other agents be unable to deal with something like this? The kunoichi doubted it, despite not really having anything solid to base the feeling on.

“I know how to deal with those problems...”
The kunoichi finally said in a newly calmed voice as she leaned forward a bit and started re-doing her hair, tying it into a tail with a bit of wrapping from the weapon sheath she had grabbed earlier.
“The bigger problem right now is whether we're all of one mind or not. I can tell you don't fully trust me... I could answer questions all day about Naoe, and you're free to look through my stuff if we get it back alive, but neither of those helps us right now. It's much quicker for me to ask you what it would even matter if I had some other agenda. I'm not your enemy, nor would anything I'd be doing even concern you.”
The kunoichi paused for a moment to let her words be considered.

“You're not wrong about this job not being your problem anymore... but there's still gain to be had for you. Should we come out on top, it would be quite an amazing feat.. heroically overcoming impossible odds... except they're not impossible. During the rebellions, Naoe was outmatched the entire time, and they still managed far more victories than anyone had expected. There are ways of evening odds like these... ways I grew up learning...”
Again she paused to let her words sink in. When she spoke again her voice was bitter, to add an emotional undertone to her next words.

“One of those bandits tried to tie me to a tree and have his way with me as if I were an animal. The only thing I want out of this is for them to all suffer for it...
If we survive, you can claim the entirety of the victory and whatever opportunity the glory brings you. I'd prefer it that way even, if you reaction is any indication, then what skills I already posses are enough to make people see me as the last thing I actually want to be... but so far, it's still a worthwhile tradeoff if gets them what they deserve.”

Another pause as the kunoichi finished up with her hair and her tone changed again. Still deadly serious, but with an almost casual matter-of-fact edge now... almost intimidating in a way, despite conveying no direct threat. Rather what it was meant to convey was that she wasn't making up or exaggerating her claims from earlier, that she did in fact know what she was talking about.

"Our window to act is small, the fact that nobody was expecting these bandits means they might be new to area and move often. If that's the case, this is our only shot, they'll be long gone by the time we could make it back to city and get proper troops to come out here...
I can't force your help, but if you're going back on your own, I recommend not making a fire when you camp out for the night. Those bandits have two leaders, a pair of brothers... or rather they HAD two leaders. I killed the other one before I got back to the caravan. If they see smoke within any sort of reachable distance, they'll probably think it's me and send a group to drag me back to settle things up. Knowing that gives you an advantage of course, but ambushes usually work better when you have a plan and aren't alone..."
 
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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Akito let out a short huff in response to Ren's attempt at reassurance. "... That's fine. As you said, Naoe spawned some fierce warriors and even fiercer battles. I can't imagine a survivor of the rebellion to be ordinary--it'd explain much... a-about you, I mean. I apologize for my initial suspicions, but I just wanted to know whether or not you were aware of any reasons as to why that kind of manpower was used to raid a simple caravan. Or more importantly, if you were hiding any. Other than the oiran themselves, I know that the goods being transported aren't enough to make it a worthwhile endeavor for that many bandits."

"Why do you gotta get so hung up over the details?" asked Kojiro. "What if they just thought it was an easy hit? Simple. Maybe they just saw us and thought we weren't as good as we really are. Serves 'em right, thoughhhh..." the youth went on with a slight grimace.

"The details are often more crucial than you think. And if you didn't already notice, they DID have enough numbers to overwhelm us, even if we're 'better' than your average sword for hire. If we weren't, then they might have needed half as many men. But forget it. The real reasons would likely be something on Kozakura's end, but unfortunately I'm not getting paid at this point. If he's still alive, however... he'll owe me a hell of a lot more than he does already."

He paused to allow the oiran to continue.

Ren mentioned the consequences of potential victory. The keywords of 'amazing', 'heroically', and 'impossible odds' seemed to make Kojiro's eyes light up. Akito, on the other hand, seemed to remain unimpressed for the initial promise of glory. But the reference to the tactics she had learned in Naoe did keep him from turning away in immediate dismissal, if nothing else.

His brow furrowed and gaze dropped when the girl went on to describe her attempted violation at the hands of the bandits. It went without saying that a nightmarish outcome would have been likely, inevitable perhaps, if not for her specific skillset.

Kojiro grit his teeth for a moment. "Those bastards! I knew they'd try something like that. We gotta hurry up and stop them before they do the same to all the other girls!"

Akito lifted his gaze to meet that of Ren's. "So you're saying we lure them into an ambush by starting a bonfire? Simple enough... though we'll have to take note of the geography around here. Plus, we'll need other ways of disposing of intruders, since we've a wounded individual."


"I can still fight," asserted Kojiro, wincing as he stepped up onto a nearby bank. The three had waded on for long enough, and a glance behind would tell the kunoichi that the highwaymen were no longer in pursuit, if they had even bothered in the first place. It gave them an opportunity to get dry. Akito removed the top of his haori, revealing a sculpted build with several notable scars--perhaps comparable to that of Isamu. Who was more formidable? It was hard to know at this point.

The other swordsman seemed content to keep his on.

"Sure you can," said Akito somewhat dismissively. "Take off your haori so that she can treat you."


Kojiro blushed slightly. "I uh, I'm fine, really..."

The older ronin then turned his attention back to Ren. "So I trust you've some knowledge of traps. Tell me what I need to gather, then, and I'll bring them right to you."

A look around would show Ren a rather lush-looking and dense forest. Wood here would likely be difficult to burn, as most of it was either moist or covered with damp moss. The type that the nearby trees provided, to her knowledge, was soft and flexible, suitable for fashioning makeshift bows. Many varieties of mushrooms and shrubs were available, and stones of many different sizes were available closer to the stream itself.
 

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"Akito would be good at this, if it were my job to find potential recruits...”
The ronin's suspicions made Ren pause for a second and go over everything in her head again. She couldn't deny that he had good points about the attack, but could they have really come for her? She didn't actually know any of the details behind how she had been arranged to be on this caravan in the first place... but surely Kuroda wouldn't have left the arrangements in the hands of someone careless. Besides, even that was the case, the amount of people who knew Ren's identity was small, and this was a region she hadn't ever operated in before.
“No... the chances of those bandits being here to intercept me specifically is low. Akito guess about Kozakura is far more likely. Besides, if they had been after me... they already HAD me earlier and didn't treat it like anything special.”
While she didn't rule out the possibility entirely, the evidence still pointed away from her being the target. With imperfect information it was usually best to act on what was most likely.

“We don't have time for anything elaborate. We need dry wood for a fire, maybe some sharp or heavy stones to tie off to some tree branches for whip-traps. We can strip stuff to tie off knots with from the trees themselves, their insides are stringy and flexible this time of year.” the kunoichi went on, ignoring Kojiro's concerns about what was happening to the rest of the caravan. Worrying about that now wouldn't serve any purpose, especially when she already knew the outcome was likely bad.
“If we're lucky, we can trip-wire the branches and the rocks. Branches with enough force will pound right the bandit's armor, or shatter the bones underneath... but we shouldn't count on that to take out more than a couple of them. After the first one, they're going to know what to be looking out for... if we're going to beat the whole group, we need to do it here when they reach us.”
The kunoichi paused for a bit to let the others follow her explanation, before holding up her bag of Isshu pepper from earlier.
“Before we were forced to run, I managed to grab this from my things. It's not poisonous or anything... but if you ever cooked with it, you'll know if any of the powder gets in your nose or eyes, it burns like a uzumebachi sting.” she went on, comparing the the spice to a type of very fierce and painful hornet. “We soak this in some water and hang it far over the fire, and when they get close, we cut it down and it burns up in a wet smokey hiss... then we cover our faces with wet cloth so we don't breathe any of it in, fan it in their faces with tree branches, and hit as many of them as we can. That's the basic idea anyway.”
This would mostly conclude her plan, except for a few finishing touches.
“We should look around though, familiarize ourselves with the area. We'll need good spots to strike when they get here, places to hide that are close since we don't have any bows and I'd rather not risk carving out makeshift ones that might fail us. Look for any rough terrain as well, or ditches we can cover with tree branches. If we need to pull a retreat, we can jump over the gaps a lot easier than someone in armor. It'll slow them down and allow us to get away.... just in case."
Her explanation and supply request finished, she would now turn her attention to wounded Kojiro.

“Stop playing tough and let me have a look. You're putting us all at risk if it's serious.” She started, referring to his injury. "If we don't wrap it now, it liable to keep bleeding, or even get infected. I might be able to help it now, but if it gets worse there's only so much I'm going to be able to do with some mushrooms and forest moss, so quit being stubborn.” at this she grabbed the collar of this haori and practically started pulling it off for him, she didn't have the patience for games right now.
“We're almost a full day away from any real healers right now, possibly more if we have to walk the whole way. Plenty of time to bleed out or catch a fever, and then you're gonna be wishing they had just cut you in half instead because at least that would have been quick.”
It was true, there was a limit to what she could do right now. Even if her knowledge was more than she let on, there was only so much she could do with what was available... and some of it might come at a high cost. Already she recognized things that would help blood clot or even help kill off the beginnings of an infection... but they weren't exactly completely non-toxic in their raw states like this, and rubbing them into a wound would be sure to cause some sickness or pain and stiffness at the very least.
 
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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"Firewood and sharp stones... right," confirmed Akito after hearing Ren's answer. "So you know how to make rope, then? I'll leave it to you." Initially, he turned to leave, but stopped as soon as the girl continued her explanation of the plan.

"Oh man, is that Isshu pepper?" asked Kojiro, eyeing the bag that Ren held up for him to see. "I tried it on a dare once... that was brutal."

"Not sure I recognize that spice... but I have been stung by an uzumebachi before--and the scar is still there. If it's half as painful, then I'd call it a solid offensive tool," said the older of the two ronin. "But that's assuming they'll approach from one side. Perhaps trapping the parts outside of the avenue we want them to travel down will discourage them from flanking us. And even though many of them are armored, they still lack masks and the sandals they're wearing are still made of straw. If you know of any other traps that can pierce the foot or strike the face, they might be worth trying."

With that, he trudged off in search for the necessary materials, leaving Ren alone with the crimson-haired youngster, who still seemed hesitant to remove his top of his own volition. When the kunoichi began to tug it off his body, his eyes widened in surprise. "H-Hey, that's...!" But despite his verbal protests, the young man found himself unable to resist for long. "Urg, fine," groaned the ronin as Ren detailed the various risks that came along with leaving such a gash uncared for.

Upon closer inspection, it was a larger wound than Ren expected--Kojiro had done quite the job at hiding it. A small amount of blood had already trickled down his side, leaving a trail that stained part of his cream-colored hakama a darkened red. While it was no doubt painful, it apparently wasn't enough to make Kojiro feel faint from blood loss quite yet. Despite the scar on his face, his relatively slender frame was relatively smooth, bearing little blemishes other than a small scar on his wrist.

A look around would show that there was no shortage of moss here, bearing a bright shade of green. Most of this, she was taught, was quite suitable for patching up a wound in an emergency--or being wrung out for drinkable water. In addition, not far from her were three fist-sized caps of puffy mushrooms, which Ren could identify as non-poisonous and edible. They could also be used to help stop the bleeding, though they were far better as food especially while still white in color. Finally, parts of Kojiro's own attire could still be used as dressing for his wound, though part of it was already soaked and crusted with dried blood.

Whichever method she chose, Ren's attempts at treating the injury were met with additional winces, but after a few more seconds following application, Kojiro's shoulders drooped slightly as he managed to relax a little. "Kuuh... you sure that stuff is clean? Ah, forget it. I figure you know what you're doing here more than I do."

He went on. "So, yeah. I was just thinking about how messed up it was for me to be the only one of us who got any injuries at all. I'm better than this, you know? I promise I'll pull my weight more next time. I didn't know you'd be so... good at this kind of stuff. It's a little weird, if I have to be honest. But I still stood by what I said. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he assured her, giving the girl a resolute look.

Looking at Kojiro would also bring Ren's attention to the trees behind him. They were thick, covered in moss... and one of the larger trunks, only a dozen paces or so from the two, appeared to have an unusual feature. It was a human hand, seemingly gripping the side of the tree. It was as if its owner was hugging their back to it, but carelessly left that part of them exposed. Were they being eavesdropped upon?
 

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

“Hmm... I was guessing their approach angle based on how they had attacked the caravan and the direction that we've travelled in. Their most likely approaches are going to be to cross the river here, or cross further upstream and follow it down.... still, lighting a fire DOES give away our position and make it easy for them to plan something else.” the kunoichi thought aloud, considering Akito's advice.
“We don't have time to trap an entire area, certainly not effectively enough to control their movements without gaps or layered so thickly that they couldn't punch a hole straight through just by disabling a few of them. If we want to control their movements, we're going to have to let the terrain do it instead. Keep your eyes open for a cave or something of the sort, where they would have no option to surround us due to a single opening and only a single possible approach direction. It would be reckless for us to cornered ourselves by actually stay inside, but if they think we've gone inside seeking shelter, we can stay hiding outside until they've gone in to find us, then we'll have them cornered instead. If worse comes to worse we might be able to set up a way to cave in the entrance and trap them inside to dig their way out and buy us some time.”
“Did I really make such an easy mistake. Imagining it in my head, their approach seems obvious... but they were smart enough to ambush our caravan in the first place, it's foolish to underestimate them so carelessly...”
The realization was a little unsettling, but there was no time to worry about that now. No plan was perfect, and dwelling on potential failings too long could stoke ones uncertainties to the point of being dangerous even when a plan did work. Besides, regardless of any of that, treating Kojiro's wounds was what she needed to focus on now anyway. Luckily as she examined the wound, she would find it didn't look fatal yet.

“There's nothing weird about it. If you had wanted to get injured more, you could have stayed behind and thrown yourself away with everyone else.” Ren answered slightly annoyed as she went to work and cut off a strip from the ronin's clean unbloodied sleeve to use as a bandage. “There's nothing to be gained from being so reckless. All it does it keep you from thinking with your head... Now hold this, I'm getting some moss to put on the wound before we wrap it, it'll sting a bit but it'll soak up the blood better than just the cloth and keep it sterile.”
Saying it out loud made her pause for a moment, and consider whether or not she was doing the exact same thing in terms of being reckless and not letting this go... no, her situation might be unwinnable in this current state, but she had to give it this final try just to be sure... anything less was just a loss of nerve that showed she wasn't up to the job. The current situation was still winnable, there was nothing to prove otherwise yet.
“One thing at a time... tree moss, mushrooms too, although they're not a very good source of energy and we're nowhere near starving ye-huh?”

The hand gripping the edge of the tree had not escaped Ren's notice, but she was no stranger to how spying -and being spied on- worked. She didn't free or quickly avert her gaze, but she didn't stare or start running either. No, those would have been obvious tells of an amateur. Instead she kept her movements looking natural an unaware... but subtly tensed to move quickly if her target took off running, and adjusted her “moss gathering” to a much closer tree than she had originally planned.
“Get as close as possible... every little bit helps... then in an instant move in, draw weapon during the approach, and pin the target with the blade in such a way that can taken out if they try to resist... be prepared to give chase if he notices before I'm in position...”
Her senses sharpened with laser focus as she prepared, although not before risking a few precious seconds to “casually” look around and see if there were signs that there might be more.
“No, one of them following me would have been difficult enough... a whole group... following us the entire way from the caravan, without any of us three noticing? Unlikely... nearly impossible. Even if they did, it changes nothing, as grabbing a hostage might be my best bet as escaping. Just need to make sure nobody is going to stop me...”
 
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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Akito didn't waste time arguing against Ren's point. It was good enough advice to seek defensible shelter, in case the three would need to stay the night. He only gave her a nod of agreement before heading off.

~~~~~​

As Ren revealed a little more of her calculating nature to Kojiro, he listened to her point with mild interest, but wouldn't allow her to have the final word in the matter. "Yeah, but I mean... a real warrior doesn't just pick up and RUN, you know? Unless he's told to by his superior. But I saw you guys leaving, and ah, well, maybe you two count as that. Still, can't help but wonder how many we would have gotten if we really dug our heels in and fought--yeah, we were outnumbered, but I saw that you and Akito were doing good too! And I dropped a few myself. Though the guy who got old man Fumio was no joke. He was huge..."

"And wait, you said you killed his brother? Was he just as big? 'Cause if you did, that's... man, I don't even know what to say about something like that." He looked as if he was going to continue talking, but allowed conversation for the time being to end as Ren stopped to gather mushrooms from a nearby cluster just beside a fallen log covered in additional moss. That was when she began to move in, as naturally as one possibly could. A brief look around would reveal no one else, surprisingly enough. The soft padding of the moss-covered ground leading up to the tree in question helped dampen the noise from any steps she might have made... it was perfect for such an approach. And as Ren closed in, she found that the hand appeared a little wrinkled, as if belonging to an elderly man. It was still gripping the trunk. Perhaps they were unaware of her? Either way, she had silently closed in before the person behind the tree could even think of running. And they didn't--they were in no condition to.

The hand, it seemed, was stuck in such a position... as was the rest of the person's frame. A corpse of a middle-aged man was stuck in place. His back was slumped against the tree, and the fingers of his left hand gripped the bark while his head was tilted upward in a silent scream. His tattered robe was half removed, enough to expose him from the waist up. A single katana, its exposed parts still gleaming, had been thrust straight through his midsection, as if advertising the cause of the unfortunate man's death. The expected traces of blood, no small amount of it, trailed down from the wound he was given and soaked his light-blue attire. The stranger's skin was sunken in enough to show that it had been a little while since his last breath, but for how long he had been there wasn't exactly clear. It couldn't have been too long. Decomposition above ground, where flies were active, could be as quick as a day or two--yet there wasn't a single maggot upon the body.

Kojiro had perked up after seeing Ren move towards the tree. Grimacing, he forced himself to stand and took a few steps in her direction, but not quite close enough to see what she was seeing. "Did you see something?"
 

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

After over a year of letting this sit here, it's time for some necromancy.
OK, I'm done.

~~~~~

“-?!?!”
Ren's movements had been swift, precise, perfect. If her target on the other side of the tree had been a person, she'd have had him pinned with her blade at his throat before he could have reacted... and indeed, she didn't fail to do that here either, but upon seeing what she had pinned, her own reaction ended up breaking the position as she darted back in shock, her instincts outpacing her more logical judgment for a moment.

“-huff, -huff... what the...?”
As the kunoichi took a moment to study the source of her shock, it became apparent that it hadn't actually been an immediate threat at all... but that didn't make it any less disturbing. Her body had been ready to fight if necessary... but even more tempted to run.
“Dead already... no danger... Suicide? Parts look recent, but the body is too fresh. Why...?”
Thinking about it just made things more disturbing.
“Doesn't matter, it clearly has nothing to do with us, or even the bandits threatening us... should be looking for anything useful to keep US alive.”
And yet even as the girl thought this and went to examine the blade pinning the copse to the tree, to take it and see if it was a useable weapon, something stopped her... a weird superstitious kind of apprehension.
“Dead is dead. If vengeful dead were real, everywhere there's ever been a battle would be cursed... and yet? Was this really self inflicted? Or is there something else here...?”
Ren didn't believe in hauntings, didn't believe in spirits clinging to this world, especially not human ones. But there were tales... things she had learned in the religious educations necessary to pass herself off as a priestess and other such roles, that whispered of inhuman spirits from other worlds finding their way here. Things that needed to be exorcised by those who had attained proper spiritual enlightenment and power.
Such things were rare, unlikely in a place such as this... and yet it was a convenient explanation for an mind trying to cope with what it had just seen. A convenient explanation, but dangerous distraction.
“Forget it, nothing useful here anyway. The weapons we have right now are poor, but for a single fight they'll suffice.”
And with that she'd set aside the questions and uneasy feeling and return to more immediate concerns.

“Someone was here long before us...” Ren answered in response to Kojiro's query as she returned with enough moss to treat his woulds.
“I saw enough to know it's improper to disturb his rest. Besides, we have other things to worry about right now.” she continued as she dressed his wounds.
“Wait on it until you think you think it's safe to move and fight, then help us finish setting up for this ambush. Look for somewhere safe to hide, because even we get a few of them before they get here, and even if we get them bottled in that nearby cave, and even if I manage to blind a lot of them with my spice-smoke, they still outnumber us. We can't afford to make any mistakes here.”
With that the kunoichi would begin setting up to start a fire, and looking for a concealed spot to hang her bag of isshu pepper, somewhere where a simple pull of a thin strand of rope or string could send it crashing into the fire below to create the burning smokescreen that would play the biggest role in this ambush.
“Remember, wrap something wet over your face, it'll burn us as much as them if we don't take precautions.”

Once all preparations were done, there was nothing else to do except light the fire and wait, hoping the would-be prey would take the bait...
 
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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

About three dozen paces down further from the tree was a natural cave of sorts, though there was a strange, silent eerieness to its presence that Ren couldn’t quite put her finger on.


"Ah," replied Kojiro. "Someone... already dead?" He craned his neck in the direction of the tree, as if to take a look himself, but enough dismissive posturing from Ren would draw his attention back to matters more important, such as the wound still plaguing him.


"Uh, alright," he continued, still doing his best to hide a slight grimace as he winced at the cool, squishy moss that Ren carefully pressed against his wound. "Iihgh... hahh. Outnumber us, huh. You’re probably right,” he started, hesitantly, looking thoughtful as if unsure of whether or not to let additional inner thoughts escape into words.

Kojiro allowed several minutes to pass in complete silence before finally giving in. “Hey… do you think they'll come for us all at once?” he asked, shifting slightly in his discomfort.

I mean, they got what they wanted, didn’t they? I'm not scared or anything just 'cause I'm a little hurt, but... alright, I guess it's kinda intimidating when I stop and think about it too much... but once the fighting starts, I tend to black out and forget about all those worries. Maybe it's 'cause I have to, pretty much." He ran a hand through his crimson locks, seemingly ruffled by the smidgen of thought plaguing his mind.


I’m just wondering if they’ll really bother with it all. If I wasn’t hurt, I’m sure I could take a lot more of them on…


No point in thinking about that now,” interrupted a voice. It was Akito. The dark-haired ronin arrived with a bundle of branches under one arm, and about four fist-sized stones cradled in the other. He tossed them on the ground for Ren.

"Took me long enough... I had to be careful that you two hadn't already set up some traps," said the eldest of the bunch. “Time to get to work.


Akito wasted no time, doing his best with Ren’s direction to set up some makeshift traps around the perimeter, but leaving an escape towards the cave if needbe. Kojiro would eventually stand and try his best to move around, but anything too strenuous or even stooping down too low would cause him to wince in pain and curse under his breath.

~~~~~​

The clearing with the fire had a bag of the kunoichi’s isshu pepper suspended above and just behind, so that it might swing forward into the direction of the expected intruders. Bandits who would try to flank Ren’s position would likely be met with several simple whip traps, four on each side, which involved a tripwire trigger causing a branch under tension with a few sharp rocks or sticks attached to impale any would-be intruder. Towards their escape route, however, the traps were less lethal and had to be activated manually. Three snares were set up in total on the back end trail. The cave itself, which lay at the end of the escape path, had not been properly inspected quite yet, but from a quick look, Ren could at least confirm it to be empty of any larger wildlife.


Afterwards, Akito and Kojiro found convenient hiding locations behind trees not too far from Ren’s position in the clearing. After preparing masks by which to protect themselves from the pepper trap, the two took up their stations and remained there, while the group’s sole female sat in front of the fire. The end of the cord used as a trigger for the isshu pepper trap lay only a foot behind her.


Hey,” started Kojiro in a conversational tone. “Are they here yet?


From Akito’s position, only a slightly audible sigh could be heard.


Then, a scream in the distance. “Gyaaaaggghhh!” a voice cried out. “Aaaghh… kuh! A fucking trap!

They’re ready for us,” pronounced a different voice, calmer in tone. “Are we still going to bother? It’s only two ronin and--


OF COURSE!” bellowed a loud, gruff bark, likely belonging to the brother of the one Ren had slain. “Like hell I’m going to let this bitch go!


Fine… eyes down, watch for triggers.


Some quiet trudging, along with the breaking and triggering of a few whip traps, could be heard, though no additional cries of agony. Someone was triggering these devices prematurely, on purpose. Successfully, no less.


Then, Ren set eyes upon the group. There were six in total. One of them, a smaller man not terribly unlike Shige in stature, had a wound upon his thigh, likely from one of the whiplash traps that had been set up. There were four of them who appeared quite formidable, decked out in stolen armor and swords. At their head was, as expected, Kotaru--a massive, hulking ruffian wielding a large glaive called a bisen-to.




Kotaru snarled at Ren. “Ah… here you are. You didn’t think I’d just let you run along, did you? I didn’t think much of you at first, but now you’ve just made yourself impossible to ignore. I see you prepared some traps for us. So, where are your two little friends hiding? Are they going to ambush us now? Hah!


A few assorted chuckles and laughs could be heard amongst his men, who drew their weapons and brandished them, as if to advertise that they would be well-prepared for any ambush. Kojiro could be heard shuffling slightly from his hidden position, while Akito remained still.


Listen,” said the remaining bandit leader, his tone hardening as he grew more serious in demeanor. “It doesn’t matter what you try to do. We’re going to kill your little protectors, and then you will most certainly regret what you did to my brother. I’m not going to make this a short, swift death for you, no… we’re going to make your life a living hell, day in, day out. And by the time this is all done, you’ll be begging me. BEGGING me, to end your life. And whether or not I’m gracious enough to give that to you… well, you’ll just have to find out, won’t you, my little flower?


He stepped forward, along with the others, just at the edge of the pepper trap’s effective range. It would work at this range, though Ren would need them to get just a little closer in order for it to really cause some chaos…


I’ll tell ya what. If they’re hiding… tell them to come out and drop their weapons. Hell, we’ll spare them, and let them head off, if you give yourself up now. After all, it’s you I want. You murderous bitch... give it up! The more you resist, the worse it'll get! Accept the punishment for your sins!
 

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Re: Deceiving Appearances (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

“So they're can spot the traps... it's to be expected though, given how little time we had. At least now I know a direction they're coming from though.”
The urge to run was tempting, there was probably still time to do so. One person moving on their own would be much quicker than a group in armor... but that would defeat the whole point. There wasn't always going to be an option to run, and some bandits in the woods may not always be the biggest danger.
“It's still an option if the ambush falls through though... but for now we wait.”

It wouldn't take long for the group to reach the fire. Six in total. Less than the kunoichi was expecting.
“This is a good thing, less we have to take out in the initial strike to even the odds.”
Even knowing that, her pulse quickened a little. Still, it wasn't the same kind of panic as earlier. There was a plan this time, and that plan was the best chance of surviving. Worrying about what could happen if it failed was only a distraction... a fatal one. Like trying to learn to fight while being afraid of getting hit. Distractions had to be blocked out, and so the kunoichi sat quietly, unmoving, as the leader went on his rant. If it was meant to intimidate her, her eyes held only a blank intensity that showed the threats wern't at the forefront of her mind right now.
“Sins... ironic coming from them...”
Instead that was the only thing to echo in her mental voice... underneath an analytical side that was already racing through to maximize this all-important first strike. She needed to draw them in closer... but moving backwards, even running, might be a bad choice. If one of them had a bow or something, such an action might draw their aim, and no matter how fast Ren was, she couldn't outrun an arrow. No... had to play on that instead... play on what the leader was ranting about. He wanted her alive... if she could make him think shooting at her, even with the intent to cripple, could jeopardize that...

“And if it's just me?”
Her voice was even, as she rose now and drew her weapon... before turning it's point towards her stomach.
“I was hoping the traps would kill at least one of you before you got to me. Waste one of your lives when you came out here just to have nothing to bring back. Or do you think I won't do it?”
At this she would step back, just a little, to draw the group closer to the fire. If she was right, if they really did want her alive, they'd approach slowly, measuredly... trying to surround her or get close enough to stop her in a single lunge before she could react, but given their sizes, she had a pretty good idea of what kind of distance to keep.
“Just a bit closer. Deep breath... then hold it, don't breathe in the smoke when it drops. Move quick and go for the necks, kidneys if they're unarmored, anywhere soft and important. Their armor is good, but it's not perfect. No armor is.”
 
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