The group arrived in Ryoko Owari bright and early, and spoiling for a fight. Mir was still in a bad mood over being kidnapped and the samurai had not really been presented with a challenge by the guards. The Strong Arm Firemen had a reputation for being tough. While under the rule of the Scorpion Clan, Ryoko Owari had long ago disbanded the official firefighting organization. Local groups had popped up to take over this vital job, and over the years they not only became involved in less legal activities, but they often had to fight each other to maintain their ‘turf’.
When the group arrived at the HQ of the Strong Arm Firemen there were already a good number of people waiting in the area to watch the fight. No small number of those wore the red kimono of the Fire Eaters. Despite the public nature of the challenge, the purple plumes of the Thunderguard were notable by their absence.
When the group has dismounted and walked over to a spot across the street from the HQ of the Firemen. They were not left waiting long, either. ‘Matsu’ Shigeto marched out, with six tough looking guards in partial armor. Also with him were two unarmed, unarmored men, one with the red cloth of the Strong Arm Firemen, the other dressed in loose blue pants, a mask obscuring his face. Water themed tattoos decorated his entire upper body.
“You should have accepted my deal, Verick-san!” Shigeto yelled out “I tried to be reasonable but you just wouldn’t listen! It’s a sad day when Lion must fight Lion, but you have brought it on yourself and I…”
“Shut up and fight!” Verick cut him off, charging the mass of Strong Arm Firemen, his katana slashing at the startled Shigeto but missing.
Volar sighed as he watched this and Toshiro looked over “Weren’t we going to let them come to us?”
But Shigeto’s long-winded pomposity had overcome Verick’s patience and the battle was on. Kaz and Toshiro had to run forward to keep Verick from being totally surrounded. The Fireman Shugenja summoned an earth elemental, which Mindra countered with a Dire Ape of his own. As savage animal clashed with moving earth and stone, the blue clad Shugenja uttered a spell and smashed his foot against the ground, a shockwave spreading, rippling under the group though only Toshiro actually fell down.
Kaz hacked his way determinedly to Verick but was stopped short and surrounded by four of the firemen and attacked from all sides. By the time Toshiro rose, the other two firemen were on him, and one of their heavy swords staggered Toshiro with a critical blow.
Verick took a hit from the faux Lion and was forced to retreat to Mir for healing while Mindra covered his strategic repositioning by rocking Shigeto with an Ancestral Vengeance. Hasted now, Volar blurred into action. An ice dome was slapped down over the Fireman Shugenja and one of the thugs next to Toshiro. Then a Stinking Cloud billowed up from the ground, overwhelming the other fireman thug on Toshiro and barely missing the burly Crab. Though the effect was unintended, it also cleared out an area of the crowd watching, as some collapsed and more run from the mist’s stench.
Stone and earth flew through the air as the giant ape gouged his claws into the elemental. But he was suffering as well, the hammer like blows of those stony fists leaving the ape’s face bloody, one eye swollen shut. Mir’s sleep spell on the firemen around Kaz failed. Shigeto chased Verick but the Lion Cub whirled suddenly, catching Shigeto perfectly and flashing through his throat, blood spurting through the air. But a chanting near Shigeto preceded his wounds healing, even as Mindra healed Verick’s wounds.
Mir prepared her familiar with a silence and invisibility purge and sicced Thrush on the invisible Shugenja, ready for him this time.
The Fireman Shugenja freed himself from the dome of ice easily, burning through it with sheets of flame from his hands. The revolting stink of the cloud in the area didn’t overcome him but he did have to circle around the HQ, removing himself from the battle for several crucial seconds.
“Isn’t that kind of strange? Firemen that have a Fire Shugenja working for them?” Toshiro commented while hacking down one of the firemen around him.
“Maybe...he...started the fires...they stop! Now fight!” Kaz replied from 20 feet away, ducking under a slash from one of the four men around him, and then coming up with a drawing stroke that opened up the firemen directly in front of him.
A Hold Person from Mir stopped another of the men around Kaz, while her Thrush flew back and forth over the battlefield, now and then pausing as the tattooed shugenja popped into view, forcing to run to another spot to go invisible again. And always he returned to Shigeto to heal him up.
One after another, Kaz fought his way through the firemen around him, until they were all dead. Though he didn’t have a chance to join up with Toshiro. The Fire Shugenja had appeared around the corner of the HQ and immediately summoned another Earth Elemental to hammer Kaz. The Dire Ape and Earth Elemental pounded away on each other, until finally a rending slash of the Ape’s claws ripping the stone creature into gravel. Then a bolt of electricity crackled over the area, striking down the ape as well as the last thug fighting against Toshiro. Volar wasn’t always so careful with spells when the ally was a summoned beast.
The tide had turned against Shigeto though, and it went even worse when Volar turned Verick invisible. Toshiro circle around to cut off Shigeto if he tried to flee while Verick invisibly tormented the fake Lion with fast strikes and retreats. Kaz was slugging it out with the Stone elemental and holding his own, but that could not last. The invisible Shugenja chanted a spell and Kaz suddenly felt his thoughts racing, his intelligence growing by leaps and bounds. Ideas and concepts that hade given him trouble for years were suddenly so clear. The fact he barely had the strength to lift his sword didn’t seem all that significant.
As soon as Kaz said “This is a truly astounding turn of events.” Volar and Mindra knew something was wrong, and Mindra went to help the Crab, who was now having no trouble anticipating the rock creatures clumsy attacks. It was in hurting the creature that he was coming up short.
Driven to distraction by Verick’s sneaky attacks, Shigeto finally turned on the only target he could see. “Come out and face me like a samurai! Don’t hide yourself like a coward!” Shigeto shouted out before missing an attack on Mir, an unarmed, unarmored girl. A brave man indeed. Shigeto didn’t last long after that, Verick’s precise strikes cutting down the fake Lion while Volar cast a web that cut off the two Shugenja from the battle. Wisely, the two fled, leaving the battlefield to the group.
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Only now were the Thunderguards showing up on the scene. No doubt, the position of guard in Ryoko Owari appealed to the cautious type of man who was most interested in living to collect that pension. Toshiro, Kaz and Verick all made their statements to the Thunderguards, all referring to Shigeto’s previous clumsy attempt on their lives and describing what happened in the battle. Once the statements were done, the Thrush that had been perched on Verick’s shoulder flew away and before everyone present Verick suddenly vanished, as he passed out of the area of the thrush’s invisibility purge.
The Headquarters of the Strong Arm Firemen was a three level building and while others distracted the guards, Verick snuck into the building for a look around. The first floor was pretty plain, a large common area with postings of what businesses were in good standing and what businesses should not be protected. Predictably enough, very few businesses were on the unprotected list. The upper floor led Verick to a strongly bolted door. But first Verick took a moment to search Shigeto’s personal rooms, finding a secret compartment containing the manual ‘Dueling Secrets of the Crane’ as well as a stash of gold.
Verick managed to pick the lock to the heavily reinforced door and inside he found boxes of gold. Boxes and boxes of gold. Far more than he could possibly remove himself, even if he wished to. But his escape was soon blocked by Thunderguards moving in to take possession of the building.
Two guards were immediately posted to the strong room door while others spread out through the area. Under the guise of searching for the invisible Shugenja, the others in the group managed to bully their way inside. The Thunderguard rank and file were not samurai and were reluctant to try to face down Toshiro. While Mindra, Toshiro and Kaz went up to the top level to search, Mir and Volar managed to create a distraction while looking around. Enough for Verick to slip out without being caught. The guards did notice the door move, but Mir and Volar were quick to bring up the idea the place might be haunted, as well as a reminder of the other invisible people. This went well enough until a voice was heard downstairs “What the hell is going on around here? Why is this area not secured?”
Stomping up the stairs was a Thunderguard in full armor and insignia. His glare snapped the guards back to attention at their posts and then he turned his attention to Volar and Mir. The conversation did not go well. At first he wanted them out of the building NOW. But once they started suggesting they didn’t trust the Thunderguard not to steal from the place, the man grew very calm indeed. His hand resting lightly on the hilt of his katana as he stated ‘I am Shinjo Dairu, Commander of the Thunderguard. You will tell me who you are. NOW.”
The icy anger of his reaction surprised Volar and Mir a little. They had always been careful in the past not to get into this situation with a samurai. Luckily in this case, Dairu knew they were with Toshiro, once they introduced themselves. Giving orders to the guards to make sure the elf and the woman did not leave, Dairu stalked upstairs to find Toshiro.
He found Toshiro checking out a hatch on the ceiling “I think someone just went up this way.” He commented before Dairu grabbed his attention.
The conversation was blunt and to the point. This time, because Toshiro’s ‘friends’ were strangers, Dairu would give them a pass. But Toshiro had better let his friends know if they again failed to show him respect, he would simply kill them. Toshiro did bring up his own troubles and concerns with the guards, but more carefully and Dairu did at least listen to him. Dairu said he would look into it, but reminded Toshiro to talk to his friends. It may very well save their lives.
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Outside, it was some time before Verick rejoined the group. He had run far from the scene before the invisibility ran out. Then with more natural stealth and cunning, he had donated the gold stolen to a local orphanage.
Kaz was ready to talk to the rest. With a gleam in his eyes Kaz said happily ‘I’ve got it! I know exactly where Kurocha must be hiding. Remember, he’s the reason why we are here. I’ve been thinking about it and I have a good guess what he’s even hiding. And where! It’s all so simply, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. It’s…um...” Kaz got a puzzled look on his face then sighed, “Damn I need a drink. What was I saying? It’s all…blurry.” The spell that switched Kaz’s strength and intellect had worn off at just the wrong time.
Volar and Mir weren’t happy with the encounter with Dairu. “Looking into it probably just means it’ll be forgotten.”
“I doubt it.” Toshiro chimed in “It’s like any close group. Against all outsiders you stand up for your own. But I’ll bet behind the scenes heads will roll.”
Before the group could leave the area, three Thunderguards approached them. The lead introduced himself “Hello, I’m Shinjo Toru. These two guards are under my command. We’re going to be your guides while you are in the city. I know you’ve had some troubles previously. Don’t worry about it. I’m Shinjo Dairu-sama’s nephew. You can trust me.”
That didn’t encourage everyone but it was a good as they were going to get. By then it was lunch time and after a brief stop for noodles and sake, the group was ready. They had only one clue left they thought was worth chasing. The torturer had said Kurocha was related to a Shosuro from the past, who was now a ghost in an older temple to Shosuro. They had nothing to lose checking this out…
Next! Ninja Cadets and Ghosts!
