Starring:
Shuuren, Katama
Date: March 9, 2015
Summary:
Shuuren and Katama inform the Bat Elder of the possibility of a traitor in their clan the find an assassin hiding in the far reaches of the cave network.
"Poachers of Giants - Betrayer in the Midst"
Hidden Cave Network
"WHAT?! How dare you suggest that one our colony has betrayed us?!" the voice of a giant bat booms out through the throne room, specifically the one that led them to the throne room. He stands by the throne, seething at what he feels is an accusation.
"Giichi, calm down," the voice of the Elder rings out from the throne, the bat seeming in much better health now that he's been mostly cured by Shuuren's shadow clones. "This man has healed us. We have to at least consider the possibility that what he suggests the situation is may be true."
"If I may," Shuuren says calmly, waiting a moment for the giant bats to turn their attention to him. "What I've said may not be the case. I need to continue my investigation, but I believe someone is planning to poach your clan's bodies to sell any parts they can on the black market. I can supply you with enough food to last through the investigation, but, if we don't stop whoever is doing this, they'll find another way to poison you."
Katama had stood just behind and to one side of Shuuren as he delivered the unwelcome news to the bat elder. Her hands hung at her sides just waiting for the slightest hint of agression toward Shuuren. With the lack of bodyguards she had taken up that role, or at least the appearance of it anyway. Shuuren didn't need someone of her calibre protecting him, he'd proven that the other day in the cove. He was well able to protect himself. But still, the appearance could provide a moment's hesitation or confusion and that would be all he'd need anyway so it was worth while. When Giichi helled she frowned a moment, glancing back to the elder bat then to Shuuren curiously. But she kept quiet still, a good little body guard…
The bats seem to ponder it over. Before Giichi can say anything, the Elder extends his claw to gesture for him to be silent. "We thank you for your services, kind human. Please continue your investigation."
As Shuuren turns and waves for Katama to follow, the bats seem to be arguing a bit behind them. That's when he stops for a moment, saying, "One of my clones just self-detonated to give me some information… There's someone hiding near what seems to be a secret entrance to the cave. He seemed to be waiting for something…. Let's move." With that he begins moving more hurriedly, hoping to not allow whoever's over there to escape.
Katama bowed then turned to follow Shuuren. This was turning out to be rather interesting for a field trip. But as they walked away and the bats behind them bickered, Shuuren's news made her tense up. She followed him quickly, easily keeping up with his pace despite thier difference in size. She had been watching Shuuren throughout this whole adventure, guaging him, studying him, finding new reasons to respect him. She did have one question she asked before they got too far, hopefully it would not bother him as they travelled. "Tono… Whhy did you change out of your suit?"
"Because that sort of suit is quite expensive, and we're about to be in a quite serious fight," Shuuren answers simply as he looks over to Katama while they run. As they run, he catches onto a chakra signature toward the back of this pattern cavern nook. "There," he says as he tosses out a small group of seeds brings his hands into a seal. Just the moment his chakra is focused, the seeds suddenly grow into a large group of vines that spring out down the hall to attempt to capture the man before he can escape.
Katama blinked at his response. There was nothing really suprising about his logic. Suits were expensive and so he'd changed into something else that was probably expensive but less so. She had noticed people shied away from touching him or his suit.. hmmm.. was there something to that? Bah this wasn;t the time. The man ahead of them was caught in a kind of plant cage. She sent a grin at Shuuren. "Nice aim." Walking up to the vines she tried to peer inside at the trapped man…..
"What a pain," a voice rings out from inside the cage of vines, having been caught by it. The man inside is rather large, standing almost seven feet tall and a mountain of muscle with a bald head, adorned in mercenary-esque battle garb. "So it looks like my plan has been found out. I guess we'll have to move forward with it a bit more violently." With that he breaks his arms out of the vines just enough to form handseals then slam them on a nearby wall. Out of a puff of smoke, none other than the enormous bat Giichi appears amongst the vines to tear them asunder and take off down the cavern with the man on his back. Dark laughter booms down the hallway as they move toward the throne room, intending to start from there slaying as many of the clan as they can.
Briefly knocked aside by the giant bat's flight, Shuuren smacks the wall then looks down the cavern and shows an incredibly angry look on his face. "… Betraying your own family, Giichi…. I'll be sure you both die pain," he says before picking himself up and taking off down the hallway back toward the throne room. The look on his face gets even more intense as they move down the hallway, spotting many badly injured bats that've been immobilized so they can't escape the coming massacre.
Katama blinked and jumped backwards as the man's arms burst from the cage, slamming into the wall and summoning Giichi. Katama blinked. Well, that wasn't expected. Then Shuuren.. the calm man ever composed since she'd met him, got angry. It was a sight to behold. It took her a second to stop staring at him as he picked himself up and took off down the hallway. She was fast but not quite as fast as Shuuren. Considering the great differences in their abilities she showed impressive speed as they chased down the bat and the man. It took the length of the hall for Katama to finally get close enough to reach the bat… The elder was suprised by the ruckus of course, but he would see as she grabbed hold of Giichi's ankle and slammed her own foot down to gain purchase, spinning and trying to throw man and bat into the nearest wall…
The bat lets out a massive, cave rattling screech as it is slammed into the wall, causing him to squash the giant man with him against the wall. They each land on the floor after bouncing off the wall. Just as one is probably about to make some sarcastic remark, a few seeds fly in front of them and branch out into a large group of thorny-filled roses to thrash both man and beast with the thorns and the poison that oozes from them.
"I believe we've found your traitor and your poacher, Elder," Shuuren's voice rings out from beside Katama. Murmuring is heard among the bats in the room, though, looking down the hallway, they've no way of denying that Giichi is the traitor.
"Giichi, what have you done?!" the voice of the Elder roars out in rage.
"Useless old fool," Giichi growls out in pain from the damage done to him. "You are weak, and so are those that follow you. I'll have your throne yet, and those who are willing to make our clan stronger will gather at my side while those you refuse die with you."
Katama frowned at Giichi and the poacher, just waiting for them to make an agressive move again, hand on her katana. Luckily enough Giichi wasn't smart enough to deny the accusation. So Katama walked over toward the throne, setting herself between Giichi and the elder. She turned herr head a little to speak to the elder bat, but loud enough for most to hear. "You did not call me, but I am Nambu Katama. I am not a shinobi.. But a samurai. I swear on my life this elder will not be harmed this day." A small click could be heard as she engaged her sword, just an inch out of the hilt, her free hand hovering over it, ready to draw. She then looked to Shuuren, making it plain that she answered to him, an honorable samurai looked to Shuuren for orders. That should tell the bats something while still placing protection by the elder…
The bat lets out a massive, cave rattling screech as it is slammed into the wall, causing him to squash the giant man with him against the wall. They each land on the floor after bouncing off the wall. Just as one is probably about to make some sarcastic remark, a few seeds fly in front of them and branch out into a large group of thorny-filled roses to thrash both man and beast with the thorns and the poison that oozes from them.
"I believe we've found your traitor and your poacher, Elder," Shuuren's voice rings out from beside Katama. Murmuring is heard among the bats in the room, though, looking down the hallway, they've no way of denying that Giichi is the traitor.
"Giichi, what have you done?!" the voice of the Elder roars out in rage.
"Useless old fool," Giichi growls out in pain from the damage done to him. "You are weak, and so are those that follow you. I'll have your throne yet, and those who are willing to make our clan stronger will gather at my side while those you refuse die with you."
Katama frowned at Giichi and the poacher, just waiting for them to make an agressive move again, hand on her katana. Luckily enough Giichi wasn't smart enough to deny the accusation. So Katama walked over toward the throne, setting herself between Giichi and the elder. She turned herr head a little to speak to the elder bat, but loud enough for most to hear. "You did not call me, but I am Nambu Katama. I am not a shinobi.. But a samurai. I swear on my life this elder will not be harmed this day." A small click could be heard as she engaged her sword, just an inch out of the hilt, her free hand hovering over it, ready to draw. She then looked to Shuuren, making it plain that she answered to him, an honorable samurai looked to Shuuren for orders. That should tell the bats something while still placing protection by the elder… (re)
The bats around look to Katama as she speaks, her words even earning a nod of acknowledgement from the Elder. Of course, they all do also recognize that she seems to at least hold a reverence for Shuuren as a leader. Maybe this will help them gain ground with the clan as a whole.
Meanwhile, however, Giichi manage to rend the plant life around him into pieces and allow himself and the man with him to escape. "Thank you for offering your life," the man says as he stands back up then charges Katama with a flicker as he goes to drive a kunai directly at her shoulder. "I'll gladly take it!" Giichi himself dives and glides expediently at Shuuren, intending to rend the daimyo asunder with a vicious bite.
Watching the bat come his way, Shuuren is apparently quite ready, as he almost effortlessly shifts his body out of the way of the creature's mouth while withdrawing a syringe from his coat to jab into his underbelly. Due to the sheer amount of poison Shuuren is using in this fight, he seems quite intent on keeping his promise of making sure Giichi dies painfully, to say the least.
After using the syringe, a hand slides into his other pocket, this time withdrawing a golden pill that he downs, causing a massive spike in his chakra that even Katama would feel, though this time his physique remains the same.
Katama couls see her words and actions had the desired effect. The acknowledgement of Katama's words by the elder got a nod from her and then she turned her full attention on the struggle at hand. The man's lunge at her was reacted to simply. She drew her swoord and slashed at him at the same time before leaping backwards for just a moment. Gaining purchase on the stone floor she leapt forward and slashed her sword heavily at the man, not his neck but at specific places on his shoulders.. From above her head down to one shoulder then back upa nd down ont he next. This if it hits would sever the mans tendons that allowed him to lift his arms. She wasn't looking to kill just yet. She was looking to maim… and interrogate later.
Giichi cries out in pain as the contents of the syringe begin to go through his system, causing extreme pain and hallucinations as he convulses on the ground. Meanwhile Giichi manages to use his kunai to block Katama's first strike, but the second would makes a large gash on his shoulder. He growls out as he draws a bigger knife, closer to a shortsword, and charges her again, aiming for her gut with a vicious sword thrust.
With the bat down, Shuuren brings his hands into a seal, causing vines that were created by the earlier jutsu to rise and lash out at both men, intending to do damage to Giichi while also giving Katama an edge by poisoning her target.
Katama steped forward, sweeping aside the man's blade and turning along with it. She spun, continuing the momentum that had built up from her defense and aimed for his sword arm, depending on his mucles she may or may not succeed but she waslooking to incapacitate the arm if not sever it completely…. She glanced up at Shuuren as Giichi cried out and writhed under the poisons he'd ingested. If she was lucky the man she was fighting would also have poison in his system…. She looked at the man. "Surrender."
Though Katama blocks his strike, Giichi blockers hers as well, smirking at her demand. "In your dreams," he says as he spins into a strike at her shoulder while flinging a kunai at Shuuren in the same motion.
Shuuren is able to avoid the incoming kunai, but it does manage to open him up enough for Giichi to swoop by and swipe at him with his claws to leave a set of gashes on his arm. The daimyo, however, seems to basically ignore the pain as he withdraws another syringe and jab it into the creature's leg to inejct him with more of that volatile chemicals he injected into him before.
Though Katama blocks his strike, the large man blocks hers as well, smirking at her demand. "In your dreams," he says as he spins into a strike at her shoulder while flinging a kunai at Shuuren in the same motion.
Shuuren is able to avoid the incoming kunai, but it does manage to open him up enough for Giichi to swoop by and swipe at him with his claws to leave a set of gashes on his arm. The daimyo, however, seems to basically ignore the pain as he withdraws another syringe and jab it into the creature's leg to inejct him with more of that volatile chemicals he injected into him before.
Katama would have sweatdropped had she had the time. But she didn't have the time to really respond. She turned again and tried the same maneuver, this time a touch more refined, looking to incapacitate his sword arm if she was lucky. She was keeping an eye on SHuurena nd Giichi's fight as well, though he did nto seem to need any help.
This time Katama manages to make a deep gash on Giichi's arm, causing him to let out a deep growl of pain, but he merely swaps hands, apparently able to just as easily use either hand as evidenced by his earlier attack against them both. "You're gonna pay for that," he says as he charges, aiming a strike right at her throat this time. Meanwhile Giichi is on the floor yet again, writing in pain from the contents of the syrine that have been emptied into his bloodstream.
Shuuren casts a glance over to Katama to be sure she's doing okay, which she seems to be doing just fine against the man. So he continues ahead with his plan, though it seems he's ready to end it now, as a blade of invisible chakra forms on his hand as he flips into a strike directly at the creature's heart with intent of piercing directly through it to finish him off painfully.
Katama smirked, her crimson eyes practicly glowing as she saw his blade comming for her throat. She turned, sword above her head and as he passed by, force by his momentum to stumble forward, arm outstretched she brought her blade down with all her strength around his elbow. In that moment her face showed the hard face of a samurai and a hint of distaste that she was not simply performing a clean kill…. "Kneel."
Giichi lets out a distorted screech of pain as his chest cavity is rended like butter, though he is silenced a moment later as his heart is halved and stopped from pumping blood at all. The man who was with him is struck again, this time at the elbow and thus making his other arm useless. He cries out in pain, forced to hit his knees partially from pain and partially due to the order.
With Giichi dead, Shuuren leaps off of him over to where Katama and the other man area. He moves his hands to the man's throat, causing him to fall over unconscious. He then brings his hands into a seal, creating three shadow clones around him and then handing each of them a scroll. "Mix the chemical to cancel out the poison with enough drinking water to get it to all the affected clan members. I'm going to have a… chat with our friend here to see who he's working for." With that he'd reach down and, with basically no effort at all lift, the giant of a man whose body is basically dead weight at this point up by his collar and drag him back toward the empty cavern he came from to interrogate him.
Katama felt her blade sink into flesh and knew she'd won. She stood over her victim, looking down on him with a kind of piteous look on her face. SHuuren's intervention made Katama step back a few paces to allow him space. In the meantime she wiped her blade clean and resheaathed it, turning to the elder she sank to one knee before him, bowing her head regally. "Forgive us, Elder, for making you witness such things." She looked up and asked with honest concern, "Are you injured in any way?" Shuuren would deal with the interrogation yes but before she joined him, if she was told to, she would show obeisence to the elder.
With a heavy sigh, the Elder nods to Katama, saying, "I am fine. It is a great sorrow that one of our greatest brethren would betray us, but we thank you and your master for dealing with the situation while we are yet weakened from the poison of his treachery."
Katama bowed her head to the elders words that they were alright. It was good that they had not been harmed. She stood up andbowed again. "I will go help him then. Your answers will be comming oon I am sure." And with the elder's dismissal she would head to follow Shuuren…
