(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 9)

[Oldmansour]

There's something I don't understand.

What's left to discuss? It was over as soon as that cowardly mimic held a gun to our head. All that's left is the shouting, and all I hope is that Chisato doesn't do something that doesn't get herself hurt more.

[Kilgamayan]

There's going to be something left to discuss when the pirates turn the ship upside-down and don't find what they're looking for (see fundamental theory 1).

Do you disagree with either of the fundamental theories I have posited? If not, what do you think will happen after the pirate search proves fruitless?

[Oldmansour]

They're not after the sword. They can't be after the sword, for no less than half a dozen reasons. Some metagamey, some not.
Until they say the words 'Give us the sword', then they have to be after something else. In my mind. I could be wrong, it's happened before. But I don't think I am.

But, let's say you're right. Let's say that somehow, all these pirates have somehow missed what they came here to steal, come back up and demand our sword. Then I'll leave the situation to you, because you've obviously given it more thought than I. We may be screwed anyway, in that event, but that would definately be the time for a war of words.

Except, there MAY be another option. If they ARE here for the sword, we could say to them "Okay, but if you take the sword, then take me with it. Otherwise, we all die. You get what you want, you keep your people safe, and I keep my friends safe." That's what I think I would do. And if these pirates are somehow genuinely, magically, concerned about their victims, they might take us to Val Razua themselves. Or at least as close as they can get without someone giving them the barrage of cannon fire they deserve. Or maybe they could have other means at their disposal to find a cure. Maybe they'd even offer to make us part of the crew once we were better. This obviously isn't a tengu-only party, the mimic's a youkai. Guess they welcome anyone who's useful. And we would be useful.
Oy, there's a thought. Nazrin the pirate. NOT the direction I would have thought this game would take.


Either way, if I'm right, then we could be okay in the end. We'll be left with the sword, they'll be gone, and we'll be left with damage control from that stunt you pulled with the blood. But I have a lie prepared to cover that with our friends, since the truth didn't go all that well last time I tried it.
If you're right about the pirates, then I think you're prepared to deal with it. So we have all our bases covered.
All that's left now is to wait for Draco to surface, and we'll see which one of us is right.

[Kilgamayan]

I have considered offering up ourselves as going along with the pirates, but if that's the course that gets taken, at the very least, I want the pirates to fix the damage done to the Blue Maiden. (It's worth considering that if the pirates really are here for the Mouthful Sword, then everything bad that's befallen the Blue Maiden and its crew is ostensibly our fault, and I'd feel bad just abandoning them in a rush.)

[DracoOmega]

>Guess they heard a lot of that stuff we said to Ren.
>But this isn't the time for it. Not until the pirates are gone. IF they let us live.

>They were near you when it was said, so you expect so.
>Though you decide not to bring this up until later. Hopefully, there'll be a later.

> "For a group that claims to want to avoid combat, you have some pretty handy combat toys."

>"Preferring to avoid a fight is not the same as being unprepared for one," the spear-wielding tengu says.
>"You think you get to keep this kinda reputation if you can't back it up?" the third tengu adds.
>Sotsu sneers. "And you haven't seen the half of it, if all you had to deal with was those three."
>Her taller neighbor throws the tengu a disapproving look, though Sotsu seems not to notice.

>"They... have an onmyouji with them," Neu rasps. "I think she tried... to use a... binding talisman."
>"Aw, dammit," Chisato mutters. Sotsu snickers.

[Kilgamayan]

> "Preparing to this degree makes your claims of preferring to avoid fighting incredibly disingenuous. If you had the time to do all this research about this crew, surely you had the time to devise a non-violent solution to your problem?"

[Oldmansour]

>Do we know what an onmyouji is, beyond something to make human sailors curse?

[DracoOmega]

> "Preparing to this degree makes your claims of preferring to avoid fighting incredibly disingenuous. If you had the time to do all this research, surely you had the time to devise a non-violent solution to your problem?"

>"Like just ask your captain for it?" the third says, then glaces in Chisato's direction. "Tell me how well that would have gone over."
>"Not a bloody chance," she replies.
>The tengu looks back to you. "We weren't about to take no for an answer, so there you have it."

>Do we know what an onmyouji is, beyond something to make human sailors curse?

>To some degree. You know they are specialists in a school of mysticism and divination based on yin and yang, and the natural elements. The specifics are a little outside your area, though you know that their domain includes sealing and exorcising rituals, as well as summoning and controlling shikigami, and possibly some direct elemental manipulation. How this differs from the kind of elemental magic used by magicians, you really don't know; you've never actually seen one in action.

[Kilgamayan]

> "That's because you're not trying at all. Why not attempt to arrange a trade? Whatever this thing is that you want from the Blue Maiden, make it worth their while to give it up."

[DracoOmega]

> "That's because you're not trying at all. Why not attempt to arrange a trade? Whatever this thing is that you want from the Blue Maiden, make it worth their while to give it up."

>"I think it'd be looking pretty worthwhile if I were in your shoes right now," Sotsu says.
>The third tengu shakes her head, with a sort of indulgent smile on her face. It's rather annoying to look at. "You think we'd be here right now if it were that easy?"

[Kilgamayan]

> "I think it couldn't possibly be any less difficult than researching the sleeping powder to the point of developing a counter-agent for it. And, in that vein, I think you're just making excuses for how your laziness trumps your alleged desire to avoid combat. You should tell Ren not to bitch that people see you as the people you act like if you're not even going to try changing their perception."

[DracoOmega]

> "I think it couldn't possibly be any less difficult than researching the sleeping powder to the point of developing a counter-agent for it. And, in that vein, I think you're just making excuses for how your laziness trumps your alleged desire to avoid combat. You should tell Ren not to bitch that people see you as the people you act like if you're not even going to try changing their perception."

>The tall tengu looks at you darkly. "Or how about no."
>"You'd almost think you were angry we stopped cutting you up," Sotsu says. "You ought to being thanking her."
>"Don't waste your breath on them," Chisato mutters.

[Oldmansour]

>Chisato has a point. And these are only gun fodder tengu, anyway. If there's any convincing to be done, it'll be to their master. If and when she graces us with her presence.

[Kilgamayan]

> Turn to Sotsu.
> "I can accept being bested in a fight. I don't appreciate being patronized. Frankly, everyone in your crew could take a lesson from you, since you at least don't pretend to not be an average thug."

Oh fucking fine, never mind. I'm going to bed anyway so whatever.

[DracoOmega]

> Turn to Sotsu.
> "I can accept being bested in a fight. I don't appreciate being patronized. Frankly, everyone in your crew could take a lesson from you, since you at least don't pretend to not be an average thug."

>Sotsu smirks. "I'd be more than happy to untie you and give you first shot if you really want to test that 'average' thing."

>Chisato has a point. And these are only gun fodder tengu, anyway. If there's any convincing to be done, it'll be to their master. If and when she graces us with her presence.

>As tempting as it might be to continue calling them on their hypocrisy, you decide to save your words for someone who really matters. You go back to waiting silently.

>You're not sure how much time passes. In truth, probably not much at all, but each second grinds by with torturous slowness. There is an uncomfortable air of defeat hanging over the gathering, as each person seems to have spent their defiance for the moment. You are left waiting for someone else to decree your fate - yet again! - with only simmering anger and the pain of your injuries to fill your idle consciousness. Some of your guards appear to be growing less attentive as moments pass without event, not that it really matters with you so immobilized; they'd need to be less bored and more asleep before you had any real hope of freeing yourself.
>You stretch your neck and look idly around the open deck, taking in the blood stains and splintered impacts and trying to reconstruct the events that took place up here before you arrived. There's not really much to go on, frankly. You assume the blood stains were not wholly one-sided or this fight would already be over, but you can't tell who came out on top; surely some of the tengu would have come to assist Ren's group if they'd been that quick? The open cargo hatch might suggest it was used as an escape route, but you don't know for sure that it's the only other way down. Maybe the tengu used it as a secondary access to the hold, after the topside was secured?
>As you ponder this, you catch a faint flickering at the edge of your field of vision.

[Oldmansour]

>What kind of flickering?

[DracoOmega]

>What kind of flickering?

>You glance further in that direction, towards the other side of the strut you're leaning against, and see... something rising from the wood of the deck. Its edges are blurred, and it flickers as though it somehow occupies several adjacent positions at once. It seems lit from within by a pale green light, almost sickly. ...wait, is that a hat?

[Oldmansour]

>That wouldn't, by any chance, be a sailor's hat?

[DracoOmega]

>That wouldn't, by any chance, be a sailor's hat?

>...it does look rather one, as a matter of fact. And it is soon followed by the head it rests on, unmistakable in its familiarity even as it is alien in its form. And there's something about the hollow glow in her eyes that's distinctly unsettling even if you know it's not directed towards you. She seems to be clutching a giant anchor in her hands and glaring angrily at the nearest tengu, who has yet to see her.

[Oldmansour]

>Is she making any sounds that we can hear?
>Is the other tengu looking in her direction?

[DracoOmega]

>Is she making any sounds that we can hear?
>Is the other tengu looking in her direction?

>Nothing distinct. There is a strange sort of faint hum coming from that direction, almost like a whispering too low for even you to make out clearly; you don't know if any of the others would be able to hear it.
>As best you can tell, no one but you seems to have noticed her, though you can't imagine it staying that way for more than another second or two.

[Oldmansour]

>Then we'd best get them focused on us again, hadn't we.
>Address the tengu that is not directly in front of Murasa, "So do all your targets get this treatment? The 'let us rob you and we don't hurt you' bit? Or is this boat special, somehow?"

[DracoOmega]

>Then we'd best get them focused on us again, hadn't we.
>Address the tengu that is not directly in front of Murasa, "So do all your targets get this treatment? The 'let us rob you and we don't hurt you' bit? Or is this boat special, somehow?"

>You decide to do your best to provide Murasa a distraction, addressing one of the other tengu.
>"Yes," she replies with a faint hint of a grin. "And yes."

>In the corner of your eye, you note Miyuki's head turn in Murasa's direction and the tall tengu shifts around as well. Then there is a flash of movement. You hear the air part in front of something heavy, followed by a sharp crack.
>"It's the ghost!" the third tengu cries loudly as she rises from her perch and draws her sword. Sotsu leaps to her feet as well.
>You look towards the sound in time to see the spear-wielding tengu stumble backwards and fall, as the now very solid-looking ghost turns and hurls her anchor towards the other two. "That's Captain motherfucking Murasa to you!"

[Oldmansour]

>Hope for the best!

[DracoOmega]

>Hope for the best!

>Since you don't see much else you can do to help, you keep your proverbial fingers crossed and wish the captain good luck!

>While the strength of the toss is impressive unless that anchor is much lighter than it looks, it's still not fast enough to connect with an alert tengu. The one directly in its path leaps off the ground and banks to the side as the large metal weight rushes heavily through the air towards her. Sotsu dashes to the other side and reaches into a small pouch sewn into the side of her uniform, pulling out a pair of small curved blades between her fingers. She lashes out with that hand and lets them fly towards Murasa. An oddly sharp whistling trails in their wake and you can see the air surrounding the spinning blades spin even faster than the metal itself, looking almost like a second pair of blades.
>Murasa glances towards the projectiles and grimaces fiercely. Her form flickers and blurs, and the spinning razors pass smoothly through her without so much as disturbing her pale figure; the wind surrounding them does not even appear to rustle her hair. Sotsu lets out a 'tch' and reaches back into her pouch for another set.

>You hear something near you suddenly catch fire, and Chisato immediately starts tensely muttering a nearly unbroken stream of curses.

[Oldmansour]

>How could something catch fire, nobody was using anything incindiary, and we didn't smell any ignition source. Did we?
>Look over at our human friend and see if we can see the source of this combustion.

[DracoOmega]

>How could something catch fire, nobody was using anything incindiary, and we didn't smell any ignition source. Did we?
>Look over at our human friend and see if we can see the source of this combustion.

>Well, you can certainly smell burning now!
>You glance over at Chisato and see that the ropes binding her wrist are quite obviously on fire! With her own fingers twisted around to touch them, no less. Her face is grimacing against the pain, but she doesn't seem to be letting go, either. Her dissatisfaction with this situation is quite vocal and colorful.

[Oldmansour]

>Where the-
>Wait a second, one of those tengu said she was a magician....
>That mad little human set herself on fire?
>"Are you INSANE?!"

[Kilgamayan]

I somehow feel like we're being sprung from Capture the Flag jail.

Okay. Given all the other captives are in varying states of combat uselessness, I expect Chisato will free us first. Since all our other shit got jacked, do you object to whipping out the Kurokirimaru and using it offemsively?

[Oldmansour]

I somehow feel like we're being sprung from Capture the Flag jail.

Okay. Given all the other captives are in varying states of combat uselessness, I expect Chisato will free us first. Since all our other shit got jacked, do you object to whipping out the Kurokirimaru and using it offemsively?

At this point? No. We got nothing else. Ideally, I'd like to disarm one of the pirates, or grab one of their discarded weapons if Murasa manages to disarm one, but if neither option presents itself, it's time for the katana.
However, before we draw it, I would like to gauge the extent of the pirates armaments, If any of them have a sai, a jitte, any kind of tool designed to take weapons out of someone's hands, then I would hesitate before drawing Kumokirimaru.

In either case, I think the first thing we should do, having making sure Chisato's not on fire anymore, is free Ishi.