Starring:
Shuuren, Katama
Date: March 5, 2015
Summary:
Shuuren is summoned to assist a summon clan, and Katama goes with him.
"Poachers of Giants - The Summons"
Marketplace - Tea Village
Early evening in the Land of Tea, and the Daimyo is currently walking around the marketplace to check on work in reconstruction. Of course, there is a dual purpose here in making sure that none of the remnants of Silence or other gangs are making further attempts at laying traps inside any of the buildings. Simple nods are used to communicate back and forth with his guards as he moves, though each manner or quantity of nods seems to have a different meaning. Still, all seems well thus far for the evening. There are even signs of cheeriness around the town as the place seems to be getting back on track for the greatness he is leading it toward.
Katama was wearing a mutable cloak and a hood, obscuring her face. She had come to stretch her legs a bit and mid visit had decided she would like soemmthing to eat. Thus she had ended up on the street where Shuuren was. She blinked a few times as he came closer, eyeing those bodyguards for a moment then bowing deeply, appropriate for a traveller randomly running into the Daimyo. Under the cloak she wore a tunic with a belt and leggings with boots. without the cloak she would appear to be a well bred lady looking for something int eh market.
Feeling the approach of Katama, Shuuren looks over his shoulder then turns to face her. He offers a light bow of his head in return to her bow then blinks as he detects something new. A moment later a woman's scream is heard from around the shop, causing him to turn that way and flicker in a hurry. What he finds, however, is a small bat flapping around and a woman standing up against a wall with a hand on her heart. Once he realizes she's alright, he shakes his head and looks back to the bat, blinking again as he notices it actually flying toward him, but not maliciously. It actually holds something in its claws, a small scroll that it drops into his hand and then flies back off into the night.
Katama smiled as Shuuren acknowledged her then turned to pay the merchant for the fruit she'd bought. That was when the woman screamed. She was hot on Shuuren's heels to
see what was the matter. When she saw the bat Katama rolled her eyes inside the hood. It was just a bat for crying out loud… But she turned curious crimson eyes on Shuuren as the bat flew to him with a scroll in claw. The body guards did not allow her too close without Shuuren's express permission of course, but she was there, waiting for orders if any were forthcomming….
Turning back toward Katama, Shuuren would wave the guards off to send them back to their posts. He then opens the scroll and reads over it curiously, scanning each bit of information. "Interesting," he says as he scans it over a second time for any details he might've missed. Once that's done, he closes it back up and then steps over to where Katama is. "It seems there is a village that requires my medical expertise to deal with an epidemic they're suffering. Best go quickly before it spreads outside their populace." With that he'd start back toward the palace to go gather some supplies.
Katama watched the bodyguards give them space and waited politely as Shuuren read the scroll's message. Kata's reaction to a possible plague was just a secon'd hesitation during which she looed Shuuren up and down as if judging him. Finally she nodded. "I am prepared for a journey." No need to dawdle she thought. But as she followed Shuuren closely she asked more details. "What kind of epidemic is this? My medical knowledge is rather limited."
Shuuren casts a glance back at Katama as she speaks, lifting a hand to signal for her to wait. Once they've reached the castle, he'd quickly move back up to his office, closing the door behind them and beginning to gather supplies from a closet. "The village we're going to is not a human village. It's a place we won't event be allowed to know the true location of until we prove that we can be trusted," he says as he lays out a scroll on a nearby table and places some things on it from the closet. "What do you know of summon clans?"
Katama quieted when he motioned for it and followed silently. When they were alone again and Shuuren was packking Katama watched curiously. Shuuren's question about summoning clans made her furrow her brow. "Not a lot. I am aware that some shinobi have made contracts with large animals to fight along side them but that is about it. What is going on, Shuuren-san?" She was alwys ready to go on a tri so she merely leaned against the wall as she watched him putting things ont he bed.
"The bat you just saw was not a random wandering creature. It was a child of a bat clan," Shuuren says as he continues to pack. Once he's satisfied that he's packed enough things, he brings his hands into a seal to cause them to disappear into the scroll as it rolls back up. Picking it up then, he tucks it into his coat and pulls out the scroll the bat handed him. "The thing is, we're not even allowed to know where this place is until we've proven we're trustworthy. This scroll is a single use reverse summon. It'll place us directly inside their home caves… What's going on is that an unusually large number of them seem to be falling deathly ill, and they're not sure what the exact cause is. They've asked for my help to stop this epidemic before it wipes them out and find out who or what is causing it."
Katama listened to his words as she watched him packing and slowly nodded. "Fascinating. You can count on me though like I said I'm not a medic. But I can be trusted. I am afterall the daughter of a Lord." She stood up then and walked over to peer at the summon scroll, curious what it looked like, but keeping her hands off it. She adjjusted her sword belt and looked up at him as he sealed his things int he scroll. "Ready?"
"Your loyalty is appreciated," Shuuren says, nodding to Katama. "A bit surprising you're that already ready to go with me into the depths of a place no human has likely ever entered and come out alive. Be ready for anything, but remember we're there on a peaceful mission, at least until we find what's trying to kill them." With that he unrolls the scroll and brings his hands into a seal then places a hand on her shoulder while slamming the other down on the scroll.
A puff of smoke goes up around them, and, when it settles, they're deep inside a dark cave surrounded by bats of all sizes up to skyscraper size, some hanging upside down and some lying around with others tending to him. The largest of the group in here looks down at them as they arrive, a dark voice ringing out, "So you've come… human ruler. Before I take you to our leader, I must know… Are you here to help us?"
Katama tilted her head curiously as Shuuren said it was suprising that she would be so easily willing to enter a place no one had returned from alive. She shook her head. "You have shown me nothing but kindness and fair treatment, offered me shelter and food after you saved my life and healed me. You deserve a bit of loyalty." And she couldn't help feeling like she wanted to be around this man more… But this was not the time to think or speak of that…. She reached up ligthly when his hand touched her shoulder and closed her eyes. When next thhey opened, she was in the cave with Shuuren. When the bat spoke she was a bit suprised at the fact that the giant animal was speaking, but she accepted it easily enough.. There were wierder things (like the man beside her) in the world. She bowed politely, taking the large one to be of some importance in the bat community.
"Yes, I am," Shuuren answers without hesitation as he looks up to the large bat. "As a physician, this situation intrigues me, and it urges me to assist in any way I can. After all, a clan such as yours being gone from this world would be a terrible shame." The giant creature seems to mull that answer over for a few moments before finally turning to fly further into the massive caves, expecting Shuuren and Katama to follow it automatically as it moves miles inward, passing a few more sick wards on the way toward apparently wherever the leader of the clan is currently.
Katama watched the interaction between the bat and Shuuren, silent and watching with her crimson eyes. She followed Shuuren and the bat silently as they made their way deeper into the caves. The various sick wards got glances from her but nothing more. SShuuren wsa right, for a clan like this to be wiped off the face of the planet was not a good thing to allow.
Shuuren looks over at Katama as they walk, nodding as if to tell her to still be on guard. After a while of walking, they'd at least enter a room in the cave that expands out even larger than the ones before, appearing to be a throne room of some sort by the decorations and, of course, the enormous bat upon the throne of stone, which is even a bit larger than the one that guided them in. This one, however, looks much older than the rest, along with looking rather sick as well.
"So the leader has been affected as well," Shuuren says a bit solemnly as he looks at the large creature then glances around quickly to take in the details of the area.
Once the large bat has reached a spot by the throne to hang out of the way but still be able to guard the leader, his voice booms out again. "This is our leader, the Elder Bat…. Sire, the human you sent for has arrived."
Approaching the throne, Shuuren offers a light bow, simply assuming Katama will do the same. Upon rising, he introduces himself. "I am Nagamura Shuuren, Daimyo of the Land of Tea. I understand you are in need of my services as a Medical Ninja."
Katama saw that nod from Shuuren and kept her hands free and ready, though not threatening. If this went south she doubted they would emerge alive. All around them bats of varying size watched fromt he shadows and cielings oof the caves, watching the humans travel. But nothing untoward happened so when they came into the throne room, Katama couldn't help but sweeping her gaze over the large chamber, finally comming to land ont he elder bat. When Shuuren bowed so did Katama,in perfect unison. She remained behind and to one side of Shuuren as would a retainer.
"Ah, yes, the famous doctor," the gravely voice of the elder bat rings out as he looks down at Shuuren and Katama. "You have my thanks for coming as quickly as you have. You'll understand there are many among our clan that do not trust a human physician, even one claiming to come to help."
"Of course," Shuuren says with a nod, seeming to not be offended by that concept. "Simply allow me to do my job, and I'll gain their trust through my work."
The Elder Bat responds to that with a nod, saying, "Thank you… As you can see, I myself am suffering from this illness… So please make haste." With that he'd seem to get a little too drowsy. It's then that another smaller bat, about the size of a human, flies over and lands in front of them. "Forgive the Elder. He is fighting with all he can," she says and then presents a scroll that contains a map of the area around them and starts to explain a few things about the area that they need to know for their invesitgation.
Katama stepped forward a half step as the elder looked about to topple over, but stopped her movement when the other bat landed between them. She bowed her head in appology and backed up again. She had only meant to catch the large creature should he have fallen. The bat got a nod from her and then she leaaned forward to listen to all the details shown to them with the map. She looked for any possible contamination areas on the map, but nothing stood out to her. She looked over at Shuuren then, waiting patiently for his direction.
