The Day of Thunder

Ohta had had a quick breakfast during the chaos and gone immediately to get ready. She may not have been a Thunder, but she had her place. And as she rode into the Village on Kinboshi, it seemed it was good she had gotten her bow and armor so soon.

Sora stood in front of one of the homes, hackiing down any effigy that got close with ruthless efficiency. His swordsmanship wasn't particularly pretty, but every strike seemed to remove an effigy's limbs, at the very least.

In addition to the names on his armor, he had daubed others onto his face and hands with ink, the crude characters memorializing, among others, Enrou's dead family, Nazni Ai, Wu Zhe, Ryoshun Nao, Ryoshun Yukara, Hisomu Tadka, and others he had only come to know or care for in the past week.

But you would have needed to guess the nicknames to make full sense of it.

That said, the fact that he was singing an old Hikary war song without even running short of breath was a message in and of itself.

Tadaka had found himself at the villagers' houses. It made him feel good to see his Clanswoman and Sora safe.

With a quick strike of his blade, he slew an effigy that had "You know who" written on it. Tadaka smiled. Got you this time, you bastard.

Loss. Failure. Alone. Death. Suffering.

Not today, shitheads, not today!

But Sora had to admit... one thing about the ritual still worked for him.

It was fun cutting these things apart.

Ai had a mission to make sure that Akari made it and if she was one of these things, join her father.

An effigy falls out of a space between buildings, an arrow having sheared the stalk binding head to body.

A wide-brimmed hat follows, trailing the rangy form of Otomo Akutou.

He glances about, sees the others there assembled, and he grins as he touches his hat-brim.

"Mornin', all," he says. "Gettin' some exercise, too, I see."

~~~~~
Relevant attack roll: https://sakkaku.org/r/12489

Reiko Ohta wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 3:21 am

Ohta had had a quick breakfast during the chaos and gone immediately to get ready. She may not have been a Thunder, but she had her place. And as she rode into the Village on Kinboshi, it seemed it was good she had gotten her bow and armor so soon.

"It's good to see those lessons still are remembered." Reo notches his own bow and sends arrows into the creatures with a casual ease that belies decades of practice.

Jiyo Sora wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 6:10 am

-snip-

"I mean, it does bring back memories. Not all terrible ones. There's a reason why that, for all the horrors, I still remember the trip to the pit. Compared to the goblins...well, I'll not jinx us quite yet."

Hisomu Reo wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 12:17 pm

"I mean, it does bring back memories. Not all terrible ones. There's a reason why that, for all the horrors, I still remember the trip to the pit. Compared to the goblins...well, I'll not jinx us quite yet."

"And there's something to be said for a fight that needs fighting."

There was a bit of a pause, the swarming effigies in the area seeming to have been at least momentarily obliterated by the massed combat acumen of the samurai.

"And Fortunes know, I'm actually pretty good at this part..."

Jiyo Sora wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 12:20 pm

"And there's something to be said for a fight that needs fighting."

There was a bit of a pause, the swarming effigies in the area seeming to have been at least momentarily obliterated by the massed combat acumen of the samurai.

"And Fortunes know, I'm actually pretty good at this part..."

"I've spent a lot of time behind a desk lately. And there's no shame in that, Hisomu knows that we need to keep things organized. I know it does a lot of good" Reo can't help but crack a smile on his normally stony face. "It's nice to stand outside of the shadows every once in a while. To feel the sun on you, the wind in your face."

Twang

"And a hunt I do not need to feel guilty about"

Hisomu Reo wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 12:45 pm

Twang

"And a hunt I do not need to feel guilty about"

"Exactly.... no matter what I do to these things, I don't feel bad about it."

Akutou fades from view.

A few moments later, another effigy comes flying out of another alley. It hits the ground and breaks apart.

Jiyo Sora wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 12:47 pm

Hisomu Reo wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 12:45 pm

Twang

"And a hunt I do not need to feel guilty about"

"Exactly.... no matter what I do to these things, I don't feel bad about it."

"That's because this is not a fight, this is a purge."

Ohta's dai-kyu was almost a foot taller than her, but she pulled it's draw back with ease and thunked an arrow into another of the effigies.

"And protection, Reiko-san. We're protecting others. Always a good reason to fight..."

Nanzi Ai wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 10:50 am

Ai had a mission to make sure that Akari made it and if she was one of these things, join her father.

She hears a scream from nearby that sounds very much like her.

Canary wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 3:12 pm

She hears a scream from nearby that sounds very much like her.

Time to be a big damn hero for one… before she was a big damn hero for all, she rushed through the village struggling through the chaotic melee to make in time.

Makime for her part was more busy trying to organize the chaos. Directing samurai and villager alike. It was a near disaster for her as the divided attention saw her caught unawares while try to stop an effigy.

"Come on you lot! Your Day of Reckoning has come! And good people are bleeding and dying to get you out! Some of them your own!" She shouted while pulling her cloak over the wound, it wouldn't do for anyone to see her bleed. "Fight damn you! Gather your children and your elders! FIGHT!"

Sora, having enjoyed his brief bull session, went back to work screening the homes of the villagers.

They were trying to help Doji, after all, and they'd actually gotten along for a bit in his dream, and anyway, the Boss loved his sister.

So.

Back at it.

A wave of demons rushed towards Sora from his flank… Eyes burning bright with malice and bloodlust.

Then suddenly there was a light that burst in between the creatures and the Imperial babysitter.

A blade that shone like the sun cut through the approaching demon mass… Lopping off heads as if cutting through paper.

At the end there was only one visage standing… Not a dark one… but one that shone brightly in the streets.

She turned and smiled at Sora… before raising her sword again for more foes that arrived.

"Showoff!"

He hated to admit it, but it was good to fight beside her. It just felt... right.

Akutou emerges from between two different buildings.

He clambors atop one, flattens himself to the roof.

His bow twangs again and again.