Hunters Moon - IC

[Keeper]

The cat-woman blinked her yellow eyes at him as she mulled over his words.
"There is a time and place for such a discussion, Bujo, and this would not have been my first choice," she said suddenly spinning away from the huge spirit, her clawed hand gripping the hilt of her wakazishi tightly, but the distant sound that had taken her attention was no threat and so she relaxed and turned back to face her companion.
Bujo too had heard the noise and was poised, ready to re-enter the fight once more, but on seeing the tiger turn away from the threat he too then relaxed.
Moon laughed, a little giggle, as she saw the expectant look cross Bujo's toad-like face.
"You are rude, obnoxious, stubborn, wilful and extremely pig-headed," she said to him like a teacher berating a naughty child. "But, you have also proven yourself to be strong, brave, loyal and somewhat unorthodox and I like that. Of course, I will put in a word!"
Moon smiled at him and almost laughed again as Bujo straighten himself up as best as his hunched form would allow.
"RIght! Lovely!" Bujo said a little surprised. He'd expected something a little less positive.

Moon crept forward. "Hyun is this way, I can smell him!"
Bujo grunted and slowly hopped alongside her keeping a watchful eye for hostile figures in the fog.

"Bujo?"
"Hmmm?"
"Can i ask you something?"
"S'pose," he grunted.
"If I did more than put in a word for you, if I did something that would, possibly, not only reduce your sentence but exonerate you from it altogether, would you be willing to show me continued loyalty, even though you might be released from such an obligation?”
Bujo’s brow furrowed. “What?” he asked in his gruff, impatient tone.
“As you know I have been sent here alone, against all of the normal practises of the beast court, without a sentai. I would like you and your little dragon friend and Mr Tails to join me, be a part of my sentai?”
“Our sentai,” she corrected herself. “You have all been so instrumental in helping me with my endeavours that it makes sense to make our alliance formal, if somewhat unorthodox.”
“Your choice, completely, and I have no idea how the courts will take it, but that’s their problem not ours. What do you say?”

[arcanus]

The Dokkaebi leaned back, his face slightly confused and puzzled "Did you say be part of a Sentai with you in place of my sentence?"
The Tiger Woman nodded, Bujo looked dumbfounded which made Moon smirk it was an amusing thing to see, he shook his head and muttered to himself for several moments, whilst she tapped her foot impatiently there were more pressing matters.
"Why yes" he explained "Its perfect, the Court would be unlikely to release me unless it was for a greater purpose, so my answer is yes Lady Tiger, thank you"

He noted her expectant look "Oh of course, yes Hyun, right" he said lookng around "Ah one thing before we get to things!"
Pulling a small inkpot from a hidden pocket in his waist band Bujo dipped his claw and raised it towards Moons forehead, he hesitated waiting for her permission, a nod and he proceeded to scribe three characters gently across the short white fur on her head.
"There thats tidied things up" he nodded appreciating his own work

Moon immedately felt a change, as if various scattered pieces of a puzzle had fitted together in her head and crucially her eyes, concentrating her vision almost immedaitely passed beyond the wall but with no pain or ritual from the expeience, she did however grimace seeing the death etched across the spirit echo of the village.

"Right" he said “lets get on with this!”

[Keeper]

Moon grinned at Bujo.
"Please, Fist, my ward is in this direction. I can sense him. I would ask that you cover and protect us as we close in," Moon said.
She drew her blade and moved off in the direction of Hyun.

[arcanus]

The pair moved silently and ghostlike through the fog, the Dokkaebi moving first and quietly intercepting wandering clay corpses as they found them.
Thye reached one of the northernmost storage huts a large cylindrical building some two stories high made from wide planks of hardwood, the smell of sewage, salt and blood was heavy in the air.

Both of them could see dark wisps drifting through the air left by nothing pleasant, quietly they made their way to the open doorway peering inside.
In the dim light they could see great mounds of salt, gutting tables strewn around and stone floor slick with liquid, their attention was quickly drawn to a hunched figure crouched upon one of the tables watching the largest area of the floor adjacent to doors on the other side of the hall leading out onto the wharf.

Bujo noted Moons head gesture disappearing outside to act as sentry, Moon could tell the crouched figure was the the source of the dark presence, looking at what it was watching she could just make out ghostly forms that seemed to be sweeping down from the air towards the floor and then flying up into the shadows of the roof space.

[Keeper]

Moon grinned sighed quietly, fighting an internal debate. Everything in her told her that she should erupt into her full beast form and pounce on this vile creature, and yet the teachings of the beast court say that she should offer some semblance of civility towards even the most wretched of foes.
It was a hard debate, fought quickly within her own mind. A quick glance back to the door, to the silhouette of Bujo standing guard.
Her back was as safe as it could be.
She sucked in breath and eased down from her Sokto form and became the young Asian girl once more.
Then her thoughts finally settled on the shadowy diving creatures and she thought of them diving at a scared Hyun.
Again the rage within her flared and the felt the beads heat up.
But instead of trying to suppress the rage she allowed it to sit there simmering just off the boil, ready to reignite and fire up.
With that, she drew her blade but kept it inoffensively by her side and stepped out, searching every inch of the building for Hyun.
"It seems we have a bit of an issue," she said calmly and confidently, announcing herself to the foul creatures within.

[arcanus]

Dark bitter chi, swirled around the large wooden building, so thick she could almost see its black trails in the gloomy light.
The thing crouched upon the cutting table was dressed in traditional mandurin garb, the dark energy and smell of the centipede flowed from him like a cloud of flies.

As Moon stepped out announcing her presence, she spotted Hyun laid chest down in the layer of dank water that slicked the stone floor, the spectral things swooped down and each time took a portion of his chi, his lifeforce was very weak, a faint glow at best.

Not taking her eyes of the thing she got a look at him, for she thought it was probably a him, it was of short stature, its small eyes completely black a slight flicker of light to them, its skin was seemingly made up of small round pebbles whiched with its occasional movement.
It had a sly grin showing small needle like teeth and curved horns that ran from its temples around the sides of its skull, to complete its hellish visage she noted long white claws at the ends of its fingers that were easily a foot in length.

With a casual gesture of a finger the spectral things retreated up into the rafters and still grinning it cocked its head to one side regarding her.
Her rage simmered below the surface as waves of its tainted energy rippled from it.

[Keeper]

The creature hiised as Moon stepped forward, her blade still drawn, but passively down by her side.
She ignored the protest.
"That," she said nodding towards her prone friend, "is a Hyun. And Hyun, is my friend and under my protection."
The creature grunted as though that information was irrelevant.
"The issue I spoke of is this. You and I are currently at odds regarding Hyun's situation, and that disagreement is likely to lead to us entering into a confrontation that will lead to one of us dying. I am sure that you are confident that you would emerge victorious, whereas I feel that I would most definitely win. But I dare say that both of us would suffer from the encounter."
The creature looked baffled at the girls monologue. Unused to being engaged in such a calm manner the beast remained suspicious.
"The way I see it, you and your…" she paused looking for the words. "Horde," she settled on, "have had your fill here today, and some have perished for the experience. I suggest you retreat now, before this escalates further." The emerald courts will not be told the full circumstances and retaliation unlikely. Proceed with your current course then that will not be so."
All through the discourse her gaze remained fixed on Hyun, but she monitored her peripheral vision at all times.

[arcanus]

As it hissed Moon could sense the waves of dark chi flood from the creatures form, she winced as it was choking.
In the languid manner of a cat stretching itself out of sleep it extended a leg down to the floor then the other, contorting its arms and unfurling its immensely long claws.

Moon felt its presence crash into her spirit senses almost like a physical blow as if a huge door had been swung shut in her face, however she noted shining oriental characters flitter down her torso, the creature cocked its head puzzled and she heard a voice at the edge of her thoughts.
"Greetings Hengeyoki, it is auspicious to meet you, your offer is most welcome in happier circumstance!"
It looked solemn eyes glinting with malevolent light
"Alas the strength of the Jade Yoke is so strong, too strong, I would much rather fight those that have imprisoned my kind for eons but that is not today"
She noticed that within the monsterous scaled counternance he looked somewhat sad and defeated
"No bit one of us is to leave here, if the fate of your charge is anything other than oblivion, I am sorry"

With that he darted at her

[arcanus]

The two creatures movements became a blur, the Jiangh Shi's the faster its scaled fists a blurry of blows that no mortal could see.
Moon hopped and weaved knocking aside its first blow with her swordhand, twisting her body away from the second whilst the third finally got through her defences and caught her on the jaw, the strength of it sliding her back across the wet floor.

She immedaitely darted to the side, following its motion as it swept in an arc keeping its distance but closing for another attack, as it caught her gaze its eyes shone and it snarled, clawing fear rolled over her however Mother Tiger growled back and she shook it aside.

As the two sept past each other Moon's blade flicked, the spirit within it awake and singing a pure noise like that of a tuning fork, as the two parted adopting a stance facing each other she noted that her swipe had nicked its scaled cheek, a thin line of black blood weeping from the cut.

[Keeper]

Moon

Moon's breathing was slow and steady but a bead of sweat that ran down her forehead belied how much physical exertion she had just been through.

She braced herself for another assault, noting that the creature did the same thing.

Glancing at Hyun's prone figure she knew she needed to do something quickly.
She relaxed, submissive, a posture of defeat.
The creature grinned, sharp teeth glistening in the dim light.

Moon burst into action, her blade darting this way and that, a feint here, a thrust there, all looking for an opening in the creatures' quite formidable defences.
Try as she might, the creature countered her, it's experience shining through against her training in swordplay.

Frustration built, manifesting itself in a sloppy riposte which gave the creature an opening that it readily exploited, as razor claws bit into the flesh of her back.
Moon cried out, stumbling forwards.
Again the creature struck, catching the off-balance woman as she tried vainly to regain her position after its first hit.
Luck more than anything else put her out of striking distance and she shuffled further back to give herself time to recover and respond.
"You bastard," she growled as it seemed to grin at her.
Oddly, the blood running down her back seemed to give her some comfort as it was not a gush, just warm tickling trickles which signified the wounds weren't too deep.
Once more she darted forward, her wakizashi slicing relentlessly.

This time Moon felt the contact, felt the surge of power from the blade as it struck the creature.
It hissed, backing away, evil eyes narrowing in pain and anger.
She saw it tense, and was ready for its counter attack, a giant swing of its clawed hand that would rend flesh from bone if it struck.
But the attack was slow and Moon easily defended it away, hovever, that was when its true attack struck. Not claws this time, but something hit her like a freight train, throwing her small frame clear across the barn where she smashed through a partition in a shower of dust and splintered wood.

The impact knocked the breath from her and she lay face down in the straw, aware that she was leaking blood from more places than just her back now.
Everything seemed fuzzy and her chest hurt. Movement was slow and she struggled to roll over onto her sore back.
The creature was on her, its hiddeous form looming menacingly.
Glancing from side to side Moon spotted her sword, too far away.

Long sinewy fingers reached out for her and grappled her hair and a leg. Almost effortlessly it picked the young worman up soliciting cries of pain, and slammed her down onto a large shard of wood that sliced through her fragile body, bursting out of her just below her ribs.
Moon cried out in agony, the pain like nothing she'd felt before.
Suddenly thoughts of Master Ho-Lin, and aging man who lived, way up in the Himalaya's and who had mentored her as a child came into her mind. He looked disappointed, as though she had failed some simple task.
Moon felt a tear trickle down her face and she blinked away those that threatened to follow it.
Focus returned and she saw the creature was no longer concentrating on her. It had moved buch to Hyun.

Moon growled in frustration and anger and tried to stand but she was pinned and the pain too much to bear.