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Homelands (Guan Yu)


Tassadar

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(Hafnium knows the drill, and I think he had something planned for you, so I'm not going to put anything here so as to not step on his toes. Have at it!)

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

Hafnium

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

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

The shrine maiden had wandered for a long time upon leaving her shrine, many years even. At first it was for adventure, one that she found, partially. When her part in the incident at Argent Vale had played out, she wandered to protect those that needed her most in the area surrounding the ruined village. Now, as she traveled down the road that would be the first step on her journey to Acheron, she was wandering for adventure again.

It was not a normal adventure, however, the task she had found herself set in was of the utmost importance, one that might reinforce the faltering side of justice in the fight against the aliens who would despoil the entire world, having already begun the process to the best of their abilities. She was accompanied, as always, by Kuchinawa, her katana. More recent additions to her entourage included Kirin, her bow, and Shenron, the companion hunter that Tomoe herself had named. All had loyally followed her on the trip, none would ask any questions, two couldn't, though Tomoe still was not entirely sure about the lizardman's standing when it came to the task of repelling his own kin. Still, after she had gathered her weapons, companion, and the supplies necessary, she was off.

It was several days before shrine maiden encountered her first bit of evidence as to what type of adventure it would truly be. Two days passed by without incident as she made her way on the road she had been pointed to, walking in peaceful silence through the day and sleeping in relative comfort by night. It was on the third day that Tomoe encountered a scene all too familiar to her due to the many common folk that she had saved from such degenerates during her time spent near Argent Vale. A single woman was being accosted on the road by eight bandits. Three of the men wielded crude slings, staying well out of reach of the woman being accosted. One particularly large man wielded a cruel looking two-handed axe. The remaining four wielded clubs and swords of poor quality as they surrounded the traveling woman. Of the eight thugs, seven were incredibly poorly dressed and armored, in mere rags that Kuchinawa would slice through like butter. The man with the axe, presumably the leader, was the only one with real armor on, a shoddy iron breastplate that seemed too small for him with a cracked helmet. All seemed to have greasy black hair and were generally filthy, although Tomoe could not see the leader's features through the helmet.

Tomoe noticed that the woman wasn't completely defenseless, despite being outnumbered. Although the miko could only see her back, the warrior-priestess could see that the traveler had two swords on her left hip, both had long red tassels connected at their pommels. The girl, from what Tomoe could see, wore a black haori draped over her shoulders, reaching as low as the back of her knees. The garment had intricate and carefully stitched red flower patterns across it. The theme of red seemed to extend to her hair, which was a brilliant shade of the very same color and tied into a high ponytail.

They were on a simple dirt road, surrounded by grass, with no nearby cover. No dialogue had been exchanged since the miko arrived on the scene and the thugs looked like they were preparing to attack. The shrine maiden was tens of feet away from the group, none had noticed her yet, and probably around forty feet away from the farthest melee target, a bit more than seventy away from the slingers. Shenron looked to Tomoe as if awaiting her orders.
 
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Guan Yu

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

The beginning of her trek had been quiet and uneventful, with the exception of the necessary needs to get food and set up resting spots. This Tomoe was thankful of, but now it looked like she was needed. There was a commotion on the road, looked like another bandit ambush. Ceasing up her singing, the miko headed towards the scene to make her presence felt.

The harassed female immidiately grabbed her attention, dressed in the familiar styles of the East. Even more than that, she wore her blades in the fashion of the Eastern warriors. Who knows, she might even be a familiar person, if the fates were favorable towards her. With careful steps, the shrine maiden approached the scene, getting Kirin from her back. As she closed, Tomoe nocked an arrow, drawing the string back patiently as she took aim at one of the slingers. She would probably have one clear shot before she would need to switch into Kuchinawa and melee, but this was hardly anything she was worried about, the sword being a much more familiar and strong tool in her hands. Seeing Shenron follow in her steps from the corner of her eye, the eastern warrior gave him his instructions, loudly enough that they would get aware of her presence. "Get to the girl and keep her safe. If some of those scum try to approach, give them a taste of your claws. You can do it, Shenron." she said, finishing aiming as she let the arrow loose at one of the slingers.

(Approach and shoot at them scummers)
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Tomoe: HP = 49/74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

Rolls
Tomoe: Bow Attack against a slinger.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 48 - 1 = 47. Dead. Tomoe would terrify the bandits but is not quite close enough!

???: Sudden Strike against a thug.
Attack: Hit
Stealth: ??? wins.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 43 - 1 = 42 * 2 = 84 damage. Dead.

Shenron: Moves and makes it into range of the girl but can't quite attack anything yet.

Two of the remaining melee thugs attack ???.
Attacks: Miss & Miss.

One of the slingers attacks ???.
Attack: Miss.

One of the thugs attacks Shenron.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 25 - 8 = 17.

The leader move towards Tomoe, reaching her but not quite being able to do anything this round.

The remaining slinger fires at Tomoe...and apparently rolls both a twenty and max damage.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 35 - 10 = 25. Armor destroyed.

A single nod signaled Shenron's understanding of his orders. He went charging into the fray even as Tomoe loosed her arrow. The projectile flew true, striking one of the slingers directly in the throat. He clutched at the new object protruding from his body, as if trying to wish it away, before stumbling backwards to the ground dead. An efficient kill. Between the bow maiden's call, attack, and her arrival on the scene with Shenron, the bandits initially stood in shock. Their leader was at a loss for words at the coming of the miko with her hunter companion. The axeman didn't necessarily need words, however, as he charged directly at Tomoe herself. Although the thugs did so reluctantly, their leader's mad dash towards the miko seemed to give them enough courage to attempt to fight.

The lizardman appeared to consider attempting to intercept the charge but was beset by a particularly enthusiastic bandit, intent on taking his pound of flesh from Shenron. A shoddy club rained blows upon the lizard but they were barely more than scratches on the alien creature's thick hide. During the confusion, the traveling woman acted. Her sword all but jumped out of its scabbard, cutting a deadly arc through the air in that same fluid motion, aimed for one of the dumbfounded thugs. The vicious implement sliced through the arm at his side and a good part of his midsection, severing him at the forearm in the process. With a similarly violent motion, she pulled the weapon free of the bandit and took up a defensive stance with her blade, leaving the man to drop to the ground in shock. Two of the remaining men charged at the bloodied woman but none could land a blow on her.

One of the two slingers tried to fire into the melee but was so intimidated by the prospect of hitting allies that he ended up launching his projectile harmlessly over everyone present. The second had no issues targeting Tomoe, although he had to move a bit closer to get range on her, who was still clear of most everyone save the charging axe-thug. The payload of his crude weapon struck her directly in the chest. The miko quickly discovered that the projectile she had been struck with was incredibly sharp, unlike the rocks normally launched from such tools, nearly destroying her robes in blow. It was also painful, more than enough to give a normal soldier pause. Tomoe was quickly becoming a veteran of such conflicts, however, and was barely even inconvenienced by the pain.

It was a good thing, too, as she was about to be in melee with the leader. Shenron and the traveling woman were near each other, further ahead on the road, fighting off the remaining three thugs. The two slingers were still well away from either melee and looked intent on taking potshots at any target that suited them.
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

The battle seemed to flow remarkably well, pretty much how Tomoe had envisioned it to go early on. Movement, a few attacks, the death of two bandits. Despite Shenron taking a slight beating, she was confident about their ability to push the battle to a victory, especially with the seeming skill of the other woman. She looked to be a potent bladewielder as well, her entry blow cleaving a man halfway through, even with his arm there to hamper it somewhat. Then there was a setback, a surprisingly sharp sling projectile hitting the shrine maiden right to the chest.

Despite the little cry of pain, Tomoe was not too phased about the bullet or rock colliding with her. There was now a giant tear going across the chest of her robe though, somewat exposing her and removing any protection the minor enchantment the fabric had granted it. Not one to lose attention in battle, the miko gathered her wits instantly at the face of the situation currently played out. Not seeing any point in archery at this point, she dropped her bow to the side, reaching one hand behind her back to grab a firm hold on Kuchinawa simultaneously. Taking a step forward, she brought down the blade in a devastating draw-cut, grabbing the sword with her other hand along the way and hoping to take out the leader in front of her with a single well-placed blow. This would surely have an effect on the morale of the remaining ruffians if it succeeded.

(After dropping the bow, take a swing at the bandit leader with Death from the Draw and a 12-point Supreme Might, for a nice lil' cut with +70 to hit and 1d12+74 damage)
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Tomoe: HP = 22/74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine
Rolls
Round 1

Tomoe: Crank the Murderosity to 11.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 75 - 20 = 55 damage.

???: Defensive Stance

Shenron: Attack a thug.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 39 - 1 = 38 damage.

Two thugs attack ???
Attacks: Both miss.
??? Counterattacks: Both Hit.
??? Counter-damage: 42 - 1 = 41 and 50 - 1 = 49 damage.

One slinger attacks ???
Attack: Miss.

Thug attacks Shenron.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 39 - 8 = 31.

One slinger attacks Tomoe.
Attack: Miss.

Axeman attacks Tomoe.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 31 - 3 = 27 damage.

Round 2

Tomoe: Attack the axe-thug again.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: Doesn't matter, guy's dead for sure.

???: Attack now-fleeing wounded thug.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: Not going to bother rolling, damage modifier alone kills him.

Shenron: Finish off another thug.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 41. Dead.

The rest of the thugs flee as their leader has fallen.

Tomoe's sword came out in a deadly flash, the enchanted blade aimed to end the axeman's life in a single motion. The attack ended with the blade burying itself beside her target's shoulder. It was a blow that should have killed him, but some sort of unnatural resilience seemed to keep the brute upright. The shrine maiden quickly withdrew her blade, ready to make the second attack that would end the apparent leader's life and break his followers' morale. She was interrupted, however, by the sound of more dangerous projectiles coming straight for her. The skilled miko narrowly dodged out of the way of another sharpened hunk of iron. That small distraction was enough to cost her. The nearly dead bandit's axe came soaring in before she could adjust to dodge a second time, it struck her in the upper leg, causing even the veteran priestess a noticeable amount of pain. The weakness that had come from having a sword driven through him had dulled her opponent's ability to strike back, at least.

Meanwhile, ahead of her current battle, the traveler and Shenron continued fighting the other thugs. The woman in the haori danced between a pair of clumsy strikes and rewarded the poor attempts with an elbow to one's nose and a painful slash to the other man's midsection, even as a piece of metal flew over her head. Shenron took another hard swing but paid it back in kind with his dangerous talons. The thugs were injured and wavering, Tomoe knew that one more cut would break them and send them fleeing. She lashed out again with Kuchinawa. This time it saw the man who was already teetering on the edge of death fall. At the same time, Shenron had finished his opponent with another attack, sending the bandit into the dirt to join the rest who had fallen there. At the sight of their leader and another of their group falling, the remainder of the ambush broke and began to flee. The traveler did not seem to accept the outcome fully, however, lashing out at one with her sword and adding him to the death toll.

The battle had all but ended, though Tomoe could attempt to pursue the retreating stragglers if she desired. Ahead of her, the red-haired woman seemed to be considering just that. Shenron stood easily, eyes perhaps just a little too focused on the exposed parts of the priestess, despite the beating he had taken up until that point. The hunter seemed intent on following Tomoe's orders to protect the woman right up until the shrine maiden had issued another order to him. The traveler did not seem overly bothered by the fact that a lizardman from the very same group that had invaded the world was nearby. If she didn't wish to follow the bandits, it was probably as good a time as any for Tomoe to speak to the woman she had aided and take care of her own wounds.
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

With confidence, Tomoe brough her brilliant blade down upon the apparent leader of the bandit posse, feeling it cut into his shoulder with a familiar sensation. But much to her surprise, the edge got stuck just past the shoulderbone, not deep enough to be fatal. The man stood nonetheless, barely kept alive by some show of supernatural resilience, demonic influence or chemical condition. Who knew what these kinds of human waste had to boost their abilities? Still, the miko quickly withdrew Kuchinawa from the dent it had left behind, maneuvering to avoid another slinged projectile before readying a killing strike.

The critically wounded man had other ideas however. As the combat swirled nearby, he brought in the axe with a powerful swing, catching the shrine maiden's leg with it before she could back away from the sweeping weapon. Despite the moderate amount of pain she was introduced to, Tomoe did not falter in her task and laid the bandit leader low with her second blow, tearing his chest open with an upwards slash. This seemed to have done the trick, and the remaining lowlifes began to scatter, a few of them getting destroyed by both the woman and Shenron before they could get away from the stage of the battle. Seeing them flee, the priestess eased up from her battle tension, lowering her blade. "Let them go Shenron. They know not to come back after this beating." she spoke out to instruct the alien lizardman. She might have attacked them to defend the woman, but Tomoe saw no reason in attacking the fleeing enemy. The lesson had been handed out.

Upon inspection, the eastern warrior noticed that the wound on her leg was nothing too serious. Still, it would require patching up, as did her robe. Ignoring her exposure for a slight bit, Tomoe picked up her bow from the ground, only to set it down with her pack at the edge of the forest and near a sittable rock. "Curious to see another Easterner here. My name is Tomoe, a middle-ranking miko." she spoke up to the woman, seeking to exchange her torn robe to one of the two spares she had in her pack and wrap up the leg wound with a strip of cloth while speaking with the stranger. Despite the damage on her clothes, her bandage underwear had survived without harm.
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

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

"Yes... Tomoe." The hunter responded with another nod, returning to his customary place by the shrine maiden now that the fighting had officially come to an end. The traveler had finally turned towards Tomoe, allowing the miko to get a good look at her. While the haori, which the red-haired woman was wearing more as a cloak than a jacket, was eastern, the garment she wore under it was much more western in nature. A gray dress with long sleeves, the skirt of which ended just above the knee, nothing hiding her legs from the bottom of the garment all the way down to her straw sandals. The woman had a slight tan, likely from time in the sun. The traveler's eyes were only half-open but Tomoe noticed that they were carmine in color.

"What a hassle, not even these roads are safe from lowlife trash any longer," the woman complained to nobody in particular before focusing on the warrior priestess. "Tomoe, is it? It's good to make your acquaintance," she offered a small bow. It wasn't quite an act of deference, or even necessarily respect, but a polite gesture that saw the carmine-eyed woman bend forward slightly at the hip before returning to her full height. As she continued, the traveler removed a cloth rag from inside her top and began using it to wipe the gore from her still-exposed blade, even as Tomoe sat down take care of her own clothing and wound. "I'm Kei, former heir to the Tornado School of Swordsmanship. I'm the last survivor, too. It's part of why I'm so far from Amazonia." Kei replaced the bloodied rag and sheathed her sword at the end of the last statement, as if to punctuate it.

It didn't take long for Tomoe to finish her change of clothes. The damage to her leg was barely anything more than a superficial wound, she had it wrapped and cared for in only slightly more time than it took to redress. Shenron waited by her side patiently, though he kept an eye on Kei as the miko finished her work. For her part, after her sword was cleaned the traveling woman busied herself by dropping a pack off of her back and rifling through it. Eventually, she pulled away from the pack with two spheres in hand. "Here, take this," Kei called out in warning as she tossed one of the two items, an orange specifically, to Tomoe. "It's good to keep your energy up after a workout." Beyond that, the woman simply stood in the middle of the bodies as she began peeling her own orange, awaiting further questioning or conversation from the miko.
 

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The woman was a curious mix of eastern and western styles, now that Tomoe had the proper time and attention to analyze her. There was the look of a experienced warrior about her, and somehow her eyes gave the miko an idea about a playful personality, yet this was proven a false assumption when she eventually talked. " Pleased to meet you. The roads haven't been safe in the two years I've been guarding the region. Just between me and Shenron, keeping them all away would have been folly." she replied to the woman as they exchanged bows, the shrine maiden having a more honest thing in hers. Still, she paid the fellow warrior no mind and seated herself to exchange clothing. Once her torn robe had been removed and a less protective set of clothing applied to cover her body, the priestess could fully give her attention to the travelling warrior. Kuchinawa too needed some attending to get the bandit blood away, so Tomoe followed in Kei's footprints so to speak, producing a cloth from her pack to remove the blood of the filth from the brilliant blade.

"The Tornado school? I think I've heard of your school sometime, though it is a few years in the past when I did. I'm from the Serene Blossom shrine myself, known by few, at least to my own knowledge. Maybe that is for the best." she replied once Kei talked about her almost destroyed school. Having said that, she sheathed the sword in her hand once more, now ready and presentable. With barely a warning, the slightly tan woman chucked her orange at Tomoe, who catched it smoothly. "Indeed. Fatigue catching up with you has the potential to be fatal. It only takes a slight break of concentration or condition to lose your life and leave the world with regrets." she agreed with the warrior, accepting the fruit and digging into it, tossing the peels into the forest behind her. Nature would take back it's own, some animal would benefit from the leftovers. While she snacked on the sweet fruit, the priestess saw it fit to ask what this other out-of-place woman was doing there. "So, if it is not too rude to ask, might I inquire about your presence here? Are you looking for revenge or something similar? Myself, I used to be on a journey of discovery around the world, but currently I'm not sure what to do with the world's pitiful state. One part of me says to seek help from potential forces against this invasion destroying humanity, the other points me back towards the shrine to see if my sisters are... still alive."
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

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

"There's no revenge left for me to seek," the haori-wearing woman answered with a shrug. "I've gone from village to village, hoping to settle down somewhere. Some have been openly hostile towards me, some have politely shooed me away. Word of advice, don't trust the ones that will let you in freely with a smile on their faces. They're the ones that will seek to rob you of everything they can take from a woman before dumping you somewhere, if they don't keep you." The woman took a few wedges from her orange and ate them at a leisurely pace before adding; "Not that they succeeded with me. Anyway, now I find myself traveling to Acheron in the hopes that I'll be able to settle down there. Or at least I was, until these lowlifes accosted me." Kei moved to lazily nudge one of the bodies with her foot, as if checking to see if the thug was still alive. The tan warrior had no noticeable interest in sitting down or removing herself from the corpse-strewn path, even as she snacked on the spherical fruit. She performed the same check on another bandit and the leader, though didn't bother with the slinger or the man who was less an arm. Whenever she averted her eyes from her task, it was usually towards the miko. The other fighter seemed uninterested in attempting to bring the hunter into the conversation.

As the conversation progressed, Shenron, for his part, alternated between glancing at Tomoe, watching Kei, and keeping an eye out for any other trouble, not caring to add to the dialogue anyway. "I can't offer you an answer on the state of your sisters, I'm not familiar with the Serene Blossom shrine. Amazonia, as a whole, is in chaos. Being secluded might have at least offered them a chance." The condolence lacked the tone of something that was intended to calm the shrine maiden's worries, though it was stated as a fact, which might have accomplished something similar. Kei raised an eye in curiosity as she continued. "As for seeking help, are you an emissary from one of those groups that's looking to save the world, or something? And, if you don't mind me asking, what force do you think would be able to push back the invasion?"
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

"So it's a home... the nearby region is pretty much abandoned, as my two years spent here have proved. Pretty much nothing but these scummers trying to make some kind of permanent residence in the devastated towns and villages. Usually the enraged animals or bands of minor aliens drive them away though. As for the others, I've had no contact with them. But hearing about that thing you mentioned is something I'll take to heart. People have been reduced to this level then..." the miko gave away what she knew about the surrounding areas in return of the fair warnings and information Kei was willing to share. The warrior's unfamiliarity with her shrine was not something she wanted to hear, but not surprising at all. Hoping that there was some truth in her words, Tomoe turned her mind away from the shrine and her sisters for now.

Afterwards, as the priestess got up from her rocky seat and took a few steps closer, she was inquired about her possible alliances and representation. Casting her gaze down to the road, Tomoe replied in her usual honest fashion, though uncertainty was clear in her words and mannerism. "No... I'm not part of a group. I'm completely on my own here. Well, not totally perhaps." she started up, taking a brief glance at Shenron's lizardly form before somehow managing to meet Kei's eyes. "This operation is purely and utterly me and Shenron. It is an absurd idea to think, I can understand that. But I have have to do my part for this world, for what it has given me so far. As for the forces that might stand against the aliens, demons are one, despite their... unsavory habits that I've heard of. I'm not entirely sure how one could contact the angels and similar, fey stand as one part too. But for some reason, the demons are first in my mind. I've had an inner conflict going, to see them at Acheron or to head towards Amazonia and my shrine. It's hard to make up my mind..." the busty miko finished, sighing as she couldn't help but think about the sisterhood again.
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

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

For several minutes there was no answer from the woman. Shenron, however, seemed to take some pride in being denoted as the miko's ally. As far as Kei was concerned, it was difficult for Tomoe to discern whether she had insulted her, the traveling warrior was mocking her, or if it was something else entirely. Without words, the other woman casually tossed the remnants of her half-eaten orange away. She stretched languidly before retrieving her pack. For a moment the warrior priestess could have been forgiven for thinking that the red-haired woman was just going to walk away without another vocalization. It was only after Kei seemed ready to return to her journey that she finally turned to the miko and replied. "I won't lie, it is pretty absurd." Despite her casual insult of the warrior priestess's goals, the traveler adopted a small smile of respect, one that seemed to reach her half-closed eyes in earnest. "But it's good to have a goal. It keeps you strong. You'll need to be strong to survive in case these sorts of plans don't manage to save the world."

Kei continued to stand passively on the road, fully prepared to continue her journey, carmine eyes watching Tomoe. They flickered with something beyond the respect present in that minor compliment she had offered. "Well, miss miko, is your duty to the world or to your sisters first? It's a question that you need only to answer to yourself. I've only just met you and can't understand the magnitude of your choice or help you with it. But if your decision takes you to Acheron seeking help," the warrior's smile widened almost imperceptibly as she spoke of demons and helping, "then I'd very much like to travel with you. It would be less boring than making the trip alone."
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

At first in seemed like Kei would leave the scene now, having just heard of Tomoe's impossibly grand goal. For a few seconds, the priestess thought it would be better that the other warrior left and forgot what she had said, still being awkwardly unsure about herself despite the strong words she had just shared. Kei's initial gestures served to further this mindset. But the eventual faint smile gave the miko her relief, as the tan woman had apparently somehow accepted her impossibilities.

Only a few seconds after, Kei was giving her further questions to ponder pretty casually as she stoof on the road. "That is such a question. I love my sisters so, I've lived with them for the majority of my life. But... if the world itself is taken over and reduced to some alien place, I think there won't be a shrine and sisterhood left. Well, at least not in the current form..." Tomoe replied initially, a terrible image of her beloved sisters being reduced to hosts for alien children flashing through her mind. "It does seem I need to visit Acheron. I can't think about this simply from the view of my own interests. Focus on the big picture instead."

Having said that, she moved to the road and next to Kei, grabbing the warrior's hand with both of her own. "It will be a pleasure to make this journey with you. Hopefully I won't be a burden to you in your search for a home."
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine
Rolls
Stealth: Enemy wins. The approaching party is spotted by the bandits.

Suddenly incredibly tired. Hope I haven't derped this up too much ;_;.

"My, my. You'd think that I was a hotshot or something, with that attitude." The woman's smile widened, her half-closed eyes didn't visibly change in the slightest. Kei made no moves to pull her hand away from the miko, regardless of any vocalization that might suggest an intent to do so. The traveler's hand was soft, in great contrast to how she had treated the fleeing thugs. "I'm sure this little journey will prove perfectly enjoyable to me as well." Shenron strangely eyed the woman his mistress was holding hands with but it wasn't exactly easy to read an alien lizardman's face, as such Tomoe could only guess at why he was eying her. "Let's get going before the daylight burns away." The shrine maiden could, of course, make any reasonable preparations before hitting the road again. Assuming the miko finished up and prepared, they would be off in short order, with Tomoe, Shenron, and Kei walking side by side by side down the road to which would eventually see them to Acheron.

Of course, where there was one group of bandits there were often more. More specifically, there were several thugs that Tomoe was familiar with from earlier leading even more of the lowlifes her way. Not more than fifteen minutes after setting off they were endangered again. This time the threat came by a group of thugs who were joined by a brute that looked very big, very dangerous, and very angry. "Looks like quite the savage beast has shown up," Kei commented offhandedly at their new predicament. She did not draw her sword yet. Shenron changed his stance, dangerous claws at the ready.

Tomoe had easily spotted what her two companions were preparing to fight, it was impossible to miss the hulking monster. It looked as though it had been a human at one point in its pathetic life, though now it was more muscle than anything else. It easily stood at three times the height of Tomoe and countless times her width. His, for the shrine maiden could safely assume that it was a man, arms and legs were as round as tree trunks and made of human flesh. Worse, he had a large iron club, easily several times larger than Kei and Tomoe combined, that he hefted around with ease. Perhaps stranger still, a thug not unlike the leader that Tomoe had slain to rout the earlier ambush was riding the juggernaut, hands on a few strange chemical flasks. Flanking the monstrosity on all sides were thugs, seven in total on the ground, two of them using slings. Unfortunately, the bandits noticed her party before Tomoe could organize any sort of sneak attack. It was with a call of "it's them! get them!" that the group began to charge at Shenron, Kei, and her from further down the road, the tower of muscle leading the vengeful rush.

"I say two of us should handle the lowlives and one should handle the big guy. What do you say, Tomoe?" Kei offered a tactical analysis that may or may not have been of any worth. While any target or plan was entirely open to her attempting it, Tomoe was capable of aiming at the brute's rider , if she could get in range of him, though it was hard to say what kind of overall effect that killing him might have. Plus, to get into melee range of the rider she'd almost have to try and climb the monster...
 

Guan Yu

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Tomoe did let go from Kei's hand after giving it a friendly shake, if for nothing but to estabilish a travelling companionship in her own mind. She had always been a strangely polite person, but wouldn't try to make any further deal out of it. "Yes, let us do so. We still need to find a spot safe enough for the eventual rest, doing that in the dark of night could be hazarduous." the miko agreed fully with the fellow easterner, knowing from her two years of experience how dangerous the forest roads might be at night-time. After making doubly sure that she was carrying everything, the beautiful priestess joined up with her companion to begin their journey.

But their trip was not to begin in any easy manner, for barely ten minutes had passed before another disturbance was up against them. A group of even more bandits were intent on harassing them, the familiar faces among the crowd likely looking for more than that with them after the initial beating. But more worrisomely, there was a huge hulk of a creature among them. The thing's massive size and club reminded the easterner about the tales of ogres back at home, though the lumbering creature was not red and drunk enough to be one. As if this giant wouldn't be enough of a trouble, there was also a man riding on it's shoulder, brushing up on vials with strange substances inside them. The suspicious chemicals looked like something Tomoe did not want to come into contact with, though it might prove to be inevitable. There were a few common thugs and two sling-wielding marauders tailing the big beastie, but the giant was what she had to worry about in this encounter.

"That's fine with me. The ogre-man is mine." she replied after Kei's suggestion, letting the two of them have a go at the small-timers. She would most likely need all the necessary aid in this bout however, and the miko closed her eyes to focus, a few sharp breaths summoning up her inner power that manifested itself in the form of a white aura of power. The priestess usually tried to make do without using this power, but this was a time of need in her mind. If the hulking brute managed to take one of them out, it would be hard for the remaining two to carry on and win, so the power had to come out this time. With the power brought forth, Tomoe took a few steps forward so she could be in position to attack once the opposition was closer, unsheathing Kuchinawa this time. Her draw technique would be hard to pull off against the man riding the hulk, so she would forego doing it this time.

(Draw blade and move a little bit forward after a massive 14-point Aura for +42 bonuses, giving the boobalicious miko the following stats: +118 to hit, 1d12+104 damage, 98 dodge and 67 speed)
 

Hafnium

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Battle Aura X = 14
Rolls
Tomoe activates Battle Aura for 14 EP, giving her a whole lotta boost.

Kei moves forward and uses a two-handed sudden strike on a thug.
Stealth: Kei wins.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 71 - 1 = 70 * 2 = 140. Dead.

Kei gets a free cleave attack against another thug.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 49 - 1 = 48.

Shenron attacks using defensive fighting against another thug.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 30 - 1 = 29.

2 of the remaining 4 thugs attack Kei.
Attacks: Hit & Miss.
Damage: 20 - 13 = 7.

2 of the remaining 4 thugs attack Shenron.
Attacks: Both miss.

A slinger attacks Kei.
Attack: Miss.

A slinger attacks Shenron.
Attack: Miss.

The alchemist halts the brute in order to pour a strange concoction down his throat.
Brute gains Transformation. X = ???

Kei's smile only widened as Tomoe claimed the harder fight for herself, the traveler's eyes even opened, respect evident in the woman's carmine eyes. As the shrine maiden empowered herself with her spiritual aura and moved forward in preparation to meet the ogre, Shenron and Kei moved at her flanks in order to prevent the thugs and slingers from intercepting the warrior priestess. Kei broke off to the left at the sight of three of the men charging, aimed at Tomoe.

"Hey, hey. Your opponent is going to be me." It was the only warning she offered before her tasseled sword was drawn from its scabbard. It was up in the air in a flash, pointing directly toward the heavens, and then it lashed back down to the earth, both hands firmly on its grip, increasing the viciousness of her strike. The cut nearly cleaved her first target in half lengthwise. The barely armored thug had no chance of surviving the wound, he fell to the ground with his eyes wide in terror. A second man was so shocked at the haste at which his comrade was slain that he couldn't even raise his weapon in time to block another cut which left a red trail across his torso. The third man was a little less frightened by the dangerous woman, however, and swung his club at her. She caught it with her arm, emitting a small grunt of pain, but did not flinch away from the blow. "You're both going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to live. The warrior woman didn't bother to move a muscle as a rock flew past her head.

Shenron went about his task without a word, eyes narrowed dangerously as he sought to protect the miko's other flank. He moved to the right, intercepting the other two thugs that would have threatened Tomoe. While the traveler had been flashy in her violent assault against the lowlives, the hunter was completely pragmatic. His vicious claws struck out at one of the men, leaving deep gashes in his flesh. The two attempted to strike him in return but the lizardman deflected the flimsy clubs with his thick forearms. He dodged just far enough to the side to ruin the aim of the slinger who had taken him as a target. None would get by him to threaten the miko.

The shrine maiden's challenge was, perhaps, more dangerous than the ones faced by either of the other two. She and the brute were mere feet away from each other. As the giant raised his fist to attack the glowing miko, however, the armored thug on his back yanked his head back and poured one of the concoctions down his throat. While this ruined the brute's ability to strike at the eastern warrior, the short reprieve probably wouldn't outweigh the dangerousness of whatever had been poured down his throat. Tomoe would need to finish the giant quickly or things might get very dangerous.
 

Guan Yu

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Even with her power now active and providing her with a huge advantage against common enemies, the liquid being applied to the hulk was somewhat unsettling, even if it had prevented her from facing the first attack. The miko's companions were doing good against the mooks, Kei suffering a minor clubbing to her arm but otherwise pulling through in quite the admirable style with her disheartening kill of one thug. Shenron too proved his alien sturdiness, catching the cudgels of the criminals with his heavily-muscled forearms after tearing a set of bleeding clawmarks into the opposition. They performed the task of shielding Tomoe's sides with aplomb, clearing away the attention of the slingers as well.

But the quite literally bigger issue was facing Tomoe directly, this huge ogre of a person and his druggie rider. Somehow, the huge person made the shrine maiden feel sorry about the whole situation. Something in her had her thinking that the brute might not be doing this of his own will. Still, something needed to be done or there would likely be serious consequences for her party. Taking what would most likely be a massive risk, the priestess ducked forward gauge at the possibility to pull out a forward roll under the giant man to try and get herself behind him, then climb up the wall-like back and stab away at the chemical enthusiast up there. Or if it looked too dangerous, she coud just try and do it from the more hazardous front side of the beastly giant. The rider would need to be taken down first. Somehow, Tomoe needed to reach him.

(Try that darn climbing up the critter, despite it most likely failing harder than trying to down a concrete wall with a packet of eggs. Adventure ho!)
 
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Hafnium

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 42/70, Status = Battle Aura X = 14
Rolls
Tomoe attempts to climb the thing!
Grapple: Success.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: Uh, I don't even really need to roll this. Dead.

Kei: Continue murdering folks.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 62 - 1 = 61. Dead.

Free cleave against the wounded thug.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 49 - 1 = 48. Dead.

Shenron: Defensive fighting against the other wounded thug.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 38 - 1 = 37. Dead.

The ogre loses his transformation and goes into a berserker rage now that his rider is dead, attacking everyone and everything.
Target: Rolled a 2, in this case everything is one of the slingers.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 42 - 1 = 41. Barely survives!

The rest of the thugs rethink their odds and begin to flee again, leaving Tomoe, Kei, and Shenron to deal with an uncontrolled ogre!

The brute raised its club to smash the shining miko before him. By the time its over-sized weapon had crashed into the ground, however, Tomoe was not there. The empowered shrine maiden had seen the strike coming as if it were in slow motion and, using her greater speed, rolled under the attack and the giant who had launched it. The woman went climbing up the ogreish man's back and he could not reach her, not having the flexibility to bring his arms behind his back. The alchemist turned and drew his sword, intending on fending her off, but the warrior priestess was too fast. Kuchinawa cut through the air and the thug's neck as if they were made of the same material, causing the man's body to slump off of the ogre and fall to the ground. Consequentially, his death meant that nobody held the giant's reins.

The giant seemed to notice this and rejoiced in it, in a noticeably bloodthirsty way. He shook savagely, Tomoe couldn't hold on and fell to the ground, landing with a roll that allowed her to avoid any damage to her person. On her return to ground-level, the easterner noticed that Kei and Shenron had slain three more thugs. That tidbit didn't make it any less dangerous as the ogre flailed about, striking a slinger with his iron weapon and sending him flying a few feet away, landing in a heap. The remaining bandits realized that they were outmatched and, as they had before, moved to flee, leaving the trio to deal with the brute.

It was very unlikely that the shrine maiden would be able to pursue the bandits while the brute still lived, if she wanted to at all. Tomoe did have the advantage of turning it into a three versus one now, at least, even if the one was a fifteen foot tall murder machine that had recently been unleashed.
 

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Calming herself in the face of this giant, Tomoe saw him raise the gargantuan piece of iron for a first strike. In her heightened state of power and awareness, she was more than ready for it and flipped underneath his legs with a well-practised combat roll, in spite of the unpleasantness of going near his crotch area. As the club thudded against the ground, the busty miko had already moved away, climbing up the hulk's back with sword in one hand to reach the rider and rid him of control. Before the ruffian had any real chance to bring up his blade, Kuchinawa had already separated his head from the rest of his body, sending the chopped body part stumbling back to the ground. With the return of her sword to a proper balance, the shrine maiden slapped the remaining body down as well, unwittingly taking away the restraint from the enormous man as well. Without the rider there, it went berserk. With a furious shaking, the giant managed to send the priestess away, who landed safely with her usual rolling maneuvers and was instantly ready.

With a quick look around, Tomoe saw that her partners had managed to finish off a few other minor opponents with their combined efforts. The remaining thugs had fled again after the giant raged, not taking their chances after it clubbed a slinger to a bloodu pulp. But it was still there and a threat to the miko and her two partners, so would have to be dealt with. "My apologies..." Tomoe mutttered from under her breath as she stepped forward, preparing a killing strike against the hulking person. There was some dissappointment in her mind about having to kill this once-man, but it looked like he was beyond salvation.

(Combine max-point Supreme Might and Slay for a rather nasty strike, +78 to hit and 124 damage with Supreme Might, doubled into 248 with Slay)
 

Hafnium

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Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 28/70, Status = Battle Aura X = 14
Rolls
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 4 + 124 = 128 - 20 = 108 * 2 = 216. Dead. D-E-D, dead.

Tomoe gains 4 XP for this and the last encounter!

The ogre did not seem to give much heed to Tomoe's apology, or maybe he simply didn't understand it. Whatever the case, he raised his club to strike the miko. It was already too late for him. The shrine maiden jumped forward, bringing her enchanted blade up and swinging it down with the added momentum of her leap. Kuchinawa cleaved into him lengthwise, slashing through leathery muscle and bone as if they weren't much more than paper. By the time the monster's weapon had reached its apex of its attack, he was already doomed. Even as she stepped back from him, Tomoe could see the determination in the brutish man's eyes to carry out his final act, the impotent rage as he tried to bring the weapon down to smash the shrine maiden. Yet at the same time, the light was quickly fading. Before he could do anything else, the brute fell backward onto the ground with a heavy thud, dead.

As he fell, Kei came strolling over to Tomoe's side. The traveler's tasseled sword was already returned to its scabbard. The red-haired woman's hands rested on the back of her head as she stretched. She let out a low whistle at the ogre's corpse. "You don't see that every day... Nice attack, Tomoe." Shenron returned to the warrior priestess's side in silence, though the hunter's eyes seemed to scan Tomoe with some concern for her safety. The shrine maiden could spot the fleeing bandits in the distance, she had finished the ogre with enough time to trail them if she desired. Otherwise, she could continue on. Regardless of what she chose to do, the sun was still young in the sky and there appeared to be plenty of time before nightfall. The miko could vaguely remember a nearby village, as well, based on a bit of information she had gathered before beginning the journey to Acheron.
 
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