Session One; Killing Grounds

Now that they knew the plot, Kyuzo checked his hand to see if they were correct in their assumptions. Apparently so. The calligraphed  kanji had changed once again, this time reading, “Fix the problem.” That was easier said than done, he had already considered many methods to stop the duel as soon as they discovered there was foul play. Even if it wasn’t the next task in this ‘game’ they were playing, he wasn’t about to let an honorable iaijutsu duel be perverted by a murderous plot.

“Okay, let’s stop this from happening.” Kyuzo said. Shiba and Matsu nodded in agreement, setting off in their own way to figure out a fix for their problem. Daigotsu didn’t move. Of course not.

Kyuzo leaned close to the Dragon’s chair, getting a better look at the scorpion dagger. Perhaps if he removed the weapon… He brushed at the haori, it didn’t budge. He tried to pick up the dagger without moving the haori, again to no avail. When his hand got close to the object it hit some sort of invisible wall. A thin layer of air that prevented him from moving or touching anything that wasn’t part of this world. So much for that idea.

“Hey, this lady has the Dragon’s sister.” Matsu called out. She was standing in front of the Scorpion woman they had discovered earlier.

“What was that? How do you know that?” Kyuzo demanded.

Matsu shrugged. “I just touched her and I heard her think it. She thought, “If anything goes wrong, we still have his sister.””

“That’s it? Where?”

Matsu shrugged again. “She didn’t say.”

Kyuzo remembered the way Shiba had managed to calm the Dragon, just whispering to him. “It seems they can hear us, try asking. Maybe you can steer her line of thought.” He watched Matsu lean in then swipe her hand through the hazy woman.

“The sister is in their tent, to the east.”

“There’s no time to lose, let’s go get her.”

“What about the duel?” Daigotsu’s question stopped Kyuzo in his tracks. Yes, the duel would still happen, and the murder would sully the grounds. Something had to be done to prevent that. Perhaps they could control one of the duelists by convincing them they don’t feel well enough.

Before Kyuzo could suggest the idea the air exploded with a high pitched whine. The unnatural sound that brought forth the darkness beast earlier hissed and screamed, filling Kyuzo’s head and suffocating any other thought. With a guttural snarl something blacker than the moonless night flashed past him, bounding towards Daigotsu. Kyuzo spun, his hand touching the handle of his katana in attempts to strike the beast down when he heard too late the furious scratching of movement behind him. He felt the thing’s claws dig into the flesh of his calf, another pair piercing his left side, and the snapping sound of its jaws missing its mark. Kyuzo drew his blade, twisting to shake off the creature and sliding his left leg behind him creating a wide stance. He brought his katana in front of him putting the blade between himself and the second black death.

This one was just like the first, a morphed misrepresentation of a dog. Slick skin and jagged body. Dark as shadows, compressed into the form of some forgotten horror. It crouched, baring its ink stained, razor tipped teeth. Kicking with its back legs it lunged for Kyuzo, but he was ready this time and easily shifted out of the way. It rebounded and went low catching the front of his ankle. The thing’s teeth sank into him, Kyuzo thrust with his katana, impaling it. Whether it let go out of pain, or because it didn’t have enough of a hold on Kyuzo to tear flesh from bone, it relinquished his ankle and scurried backwards. A blur of yellow came crashing down on the demon dog, accompanied by a roar. Hikaru, Matsu’s lion sprung onto the creature giving it the full force of those heavy paws and deadly nails. Shiba slid behind the thrashing darkness, katana already drawn, the steel sliding between its ribs causing it to move no more.

He checked to see how Daigotsu was fairing. The black was still alive with Matsu twisting a warfan and slicing away at it. Kyuzo advanced, katana above his head. Daigotsu must have seen him coming, because on the next bisento thrust the creature was pinned down, writhing to get free. Kyuzo deftly decapitated the shadow dog, putting an end to that nonsense. His calf and side were burning, the talons of the beast had surely made a mark, though not deep or threatening. It was his ankle that was the worse of his injuries, throbbing and wet from blood.

Kyuzo sheathed his weapon and sat, pulling his small pack off his back. He had learned a thing or two about medicine, a trait that came in handy at the academy. Kyuzo knew how to treat blisters, wrap sore muscles, and even treat the more serious issues that a needle and thread could stitch up. He removed his tabi and quickly applied a compress to his ankle, wrapping it to stop the bleeding. It was still useable, it was just a bite after all. Kyuzo just didn’t want to bleed out from such a minor wound on the way to save the Dragon girl.

“Let’s go.” Kyuzo said, tossing the medical kit back in his bag. “We have a sister to save.” Everyone, including Daigotsu trotted east, in the direction of the Scorpion tents.