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Post by Shiba Kaigen on Jun 13, 2014 10:56:43 GMT
Kaigen eyed the temple with the healthy distrust of a man who believes in the Celestial Order and is thoroughly convinced that it is out to get him.
The first monk Kasumi encountered was a young-ish man with a muscular build, and whose shaven head seemed a newer development than his callused hands.
"Greetings samurai-sama. What have you there?"
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 13, 2014 12:41:01 GMT
"Greetings," Kasumi said, as clearly Kaigen wasn't going to, "we've found a baby abandoned along the road some hours ago and we wanted to know if you could take care of the child?" She didn't know which order this was, but if they had the room and the possibility to look after young children, they would. And while a monk's life was hard, it was still better than dying of dehydration along a road.
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Post by Shiba Kaigen on Jun 13, 2014 19:49:39 GMT
Several other robed, shaven-headed figures filed out of the monastery, apparently curious... although Kaigen grew noticeably more on-edge.
The monk moved closer to look at the child... and just as Kaigen drew his sword, called out, "It's him! Kill them both!"
The lead monk made a grab at the child in Kasumi's arms, while the others prodiced an array of weapons- tantos and kama from under their robes, while two picked up bisentos from behind the monastery gates.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 14, 2014 10:25:14 GMT
"What," Kasumi asked as he barely kept the child out of the monk's hands. She was hampered by the fact that she was carrying the child so she first had to get some distance between her and the monks, as she didn't want to kill them needlessly. Using her horse's mass, she pushed out until there was some distance. "Stop it all," she shouted with a voice used to shout orders on the Kaiu wall, "what's going on here?" It woke the child which started crying, but there was no helping that.
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Post by Shiba Kaigen on Jun 14, 2014 16:10:41 GMT
The monks- if that was what they were- did not reply, instead raising their weapons and charging.
The leader, who had been approaching Kasumi, produced a pair of kama from under his robe- and was suddenly a great deal shorter as Kaigen stepped in and removed both of his legs below the knee with his first swing, then took off his head with the backstroke.
The other paused as their apparent leader fell to the ground in four pieces.
"Answer Tsuruchi-san, or answer me. It's all the same from where I stand."
Kaigen's voice was calm, level- in fact, almost bored.
The armed men advancing on them looked considerably more nervous- despite outnumbering the samurai by six to one.
The pair with bisentos gave a cry and charged Kaigen.
"Have it your way."
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 14, 2014 19:18:24 GMT
Kasumi had taken her wakazashi instead of the katana as she had only one hand free and the smaller sword was easier to handle with only one hand. She kept her own body and her horse between the child and the monks and only defended herself, but she still managed to take out two monks. "What the hell is this," she shouted again, hoping that with some of the monks taken out, the others would grow a brain and start answering. Or maybe the problem was the monks themselves, she tought.
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Post by Shiba Kaigen on Jun 15, 2014 2:52:20 GMT
Kaigen sidestepped the first bisento with less speed than certainty, then stepped into the arc of the second and carved the monk down with a graceful upward stroke which managed to be quite spectacularly messy.
He then scooped up the dying man's weapon and used it to sweep the legs from the other. The man gave an undignified shriek, which terminated abruptly as Kaigen thrust his katana through the man's ribcage, collapsing both of his lungs.
And then the Phoenix felt the kama strike his armored back. It was like a message in a secret language. It told him where the next dead man was standing.
Reversing his grip, the gunso thrust back with his blade, gratified by a pained cry as his blade took the man through the stomach. Tearing his blade free of the fourth man he'd killed in less than a minute, he deflected an incoming strike with a tonfa by removing the hand holding it, then kicked the screaming former wielder in the midsection, dropping him the ground where he made a highly effective stumbling block for his fellows.
Without missing a beat, Shiba Kaigen kicked him again, this time in the throat as he charged over his downed foe, hacking down another two monks in the process.
Having gone from twelve men to three in the blink of an eye, the remaining monks turned to run- not into the monastery, but down the road. Kaigen dropped one of them with a thrown kama, helpfully provided by one of the dead. The other two ran with all the speed panic could lend them.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 15, 2014 14:59:54 GMT
Kasumi let them run and looked at Kaigen. "What the hell was that," she asked, "I know there are monks, like those of Osana-wo, who are fairly militant, but this is something I've never heard. I think it's best to move on to Kyuden Seppun and see there if they know more."
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Post by Shiba Kaigen on Jun 16, 2014 4:33:43 GMT
"No."
The Phoenix bushi, covered in blood, strode up to the monastery gates.
"These men were here. Presumably, answers are also here."
He paused at the threshold.
"Tsuruchi-san... I believe I have found the actual monks."
The courtyard was defiled by a stack of dead bodies, stripped of their meager robes.
Whoever their attackers had been, they had killed the monks first.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 16, 2014 17:25:21 GMT
Kasumi entered the monastery as well. "There's a Ikoma Warden post about one hour back," she said, "let's go there and warn them. It happened on their lands. And I would like a Shujenga to have a look at the child. A Kitsu if we can manage it. I don't know why those guys wanted to kill the child and I want to find out."
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Post by Shiba Kaigen on Jun 17, 2014 1:53:41 GMT
"You go. I'm going to find an eta to move these bodies."
He gave a vague wave.
"And those scum outside as well."
And maybe those two who got away might double back and I can make them pay.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 17, 2014 9:55:21 GMT
Kasumi nodded and moved off as quickly as she could, reaching the post in about one hour. The Chui leading this post immediately assembled a patrol of wardens to check things out, leading himself. Kasumi also managed to get some milk and some more linen as she was keeping the child for the time being. At a more sedate pace they rode back towards the monastery and Kaigen.
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Post by Shiba Kaigen on Jun 17, 2014 17:18:50 GMT
By the time they reached the monastery, Kaigen (or more accurately, the eta he had found cowering nearby) had cleaned up much of the mess. The bodies of the monks were laid out in orderly lines, awaiting the torch.
The men who had killed them, by contrast, were in an ungainly pile, all of them minus their heads, which sat apart, in case any of the Lion might recognize them.
Kaigen had mopped the worst of the blood from his face, and sat in the courtyard, going over his gear and maintaining it.
"Welcome back."
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 18, 2014 10:05:26 GMT
Kasumi handled the introductions. "Ikoma-san, this is Shiba Kaigen, gunso of the imperial legions. Shiba-san, this is Ikoma ryota, Chui of the Ikoma Wardens." Then she turned to the Ikoma. "As you can see there are the monks, killed by ..." A wave of her hand towards the pile of corpses. "... those, bandits. Although I've never heard of bandits attacking a monastery. They wanted to kill this child actually. I don't know why, but I intend to have the child looked over by a shugenja. Preferably a Kuni and a Kitsu if I can manage it."
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Post by Shiba Kaigen on Jun 18, 2014 20:20:06 GMT
Kaigen gestured to the severed heads.
"Any familiar faces, Ikoma-sama?"
Ryota frowned and peered into each dead face.
"No."
"They fought with a variety of weapons, mostly small ones that they could hide under the robes they'd stolen from the monks."
Kaigen nodded toward the bisentos.
"And those."
The Ikoma scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Tsuruchi-san tells me two of them escaped."
"Regrettably so."
"Hnh. Anything else?"
"While the eta were moving the bodies, they also found some... hair. Apparently these men wore samurai top-knots priors to posing as monks."
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