(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 9)

[Kilgamayan]

Do you want to get that done quickly by slashing the ropes, or do you want to untie people and keep some of the ropes intact on the chance we can bag us a tengu prisoner?

[Oldmansour]

Ooh, good question.

If Murasa's as tough as I think she is, we might just be able to take one or more of these tengu for our own purposes. That'll give us the bargaining chips I was hoping for back in the corridor, and make our position much stronger.
We should try to save at least the majority of the rope. At best, I think we can hope for two prisoners, one of them's gonna get away, I just know it. We won't need ALL this rope, just enough. Plus, I'm not clear if they took ALL our gear, or just our weapons. If we still have our pack, we have our own rope, as well.

Of course, this is all assuming their pet ghostbuster doesn't waltz up the stairs next post and trap Murasa, but hey. We can hope.

[DracoOmega]

>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?!"

>As you do a double-take at the apparently spontaneous combustion, a flash of realization hits you and you find yourself loudly questioning the redhead's sanity instead.
>"Just a dumbass!" she growls through gritted teeth as her bindings continue to smoke and smolder.
>The tengu who leapt aside from Murasa's anchor turns instead towards Chisato and lunges at the constricted human.

[Oldmansour]

>In the hopes that we don't simply faceplant, try to put ourselves between good guy and bad.

[DracoOmega]

>In the hopes that we don't simply faceplant, try to put ourselves between good guy and bad.

>In what manner do you wish to attempt to do this?

[Oldmansour]

>Since we really only have one means of movement available, hop. Hop in between the human and the thief.
>Or roll, in the event we simply fall over in the attempt, and our faceplanting doesn't cause the pirate to double over in laughter.

[DracoOmega]

>Since we really only have one means of movement available, hop. Hop in between the human and the thief.
>Or roll, in the event we simply fall over in the attempt, and our faceplanting doesn't cause the pirate to double over in laughter.

>With a grunt of irritation, you haul yourself upright and try to hop towards the space between Chisato and the tengu. You can barely shift your feet enough to make a solid jump, and fresh pain shoots through your leg as you spring clumsily off it, but you do manage to propel yourself in that direction despite your bindings. The landing, however, is considerably worse. As you come down awkwardly on your injured leg, the pain of your takeoff is redoubled. You let out a sharp hiss and your footing falters beneath you - not by much, but given your already precarious balance in this situation, it is enough. You feel yourself tumbling forward and make one last frantic attempt to spring for your target before falling flat on your face.
>This hop is even more awkward than the last and leaves little hope of avoiding a bodily landing with the ground, but you do manage to pass in front of the tengu as she closes in on Chisato. She lashes her hand out and bats you aside, sending your already doomed flight into a spin. You try to twist your body to avoid landing on your head and mostly succeed in this, though you bang your shoulder painfully against the deck instead and roll over onto your face.

[Oldmansour]

>Swear.
>No sense lying here, try to regain a vertical base.

[DracoOmega]

>Swear.
>No sense lying here, try to regain a vertical base.

>You swear and try to haul yourself upright. This is much easier said than done from this position, with all of your limbs thoroughly restrained and your right leg increasingly out of commission on top of it. Its bitter throbbing grips your awareness tightly and refuses to by brushed aside, even in these urgent circumstances. You try to twist your other ankle around for purchase as you roll to face the sky again and pull yourself into a sitting position at least. But with the way you're tied, there's no way you're getting back on your feet without some work and maybe a surface to prop yourself against.
>The tengu is upon Chisato now and lashes the pommel of her sword at the still-grimacing sailor's head. With a shout wrought of an indeterminate mix of anger and pain, the redhead falls to the side away from the blow and rips free of the burning ropes at her wrist. As the tengu quickly moves to strike again, Chisato flings the still-burning remnants of her bindings at the pirate. Though her attacker twists aside from the smoldering projectile, one end of the lump of destroyed rope brushes against her clothing and you see it catch flame as well.

[Kilgamayan]

> If we spun around on our backside with our legs sticking out, could we conceivably make leg contact with the tengu?

[DracoOmega]

> If we spun around on our backside with our legs sticking out, could we conceivably make leg contact with the tengu?

>You're a little out of range for this, though you could try to twist and roll in her direction, and then do this.

[Kilgamayan]

Out. Use your best judgment.

[Oldmansour]

>Until we either get free or find something for support, a mouse does what a mouse must. Plus that idea's one more than I had anyway.
>While the tengu's distracted by fire, attempt to wiggle and roll towards her, and lash out at her legs with ours.

[DracoOmega]

>Until we either get free or find something for support, a mouse does what a mouse must. Plus that idea's one more than I had anyway.
>While the tengu's distracted by fire, attempt to wiggle and roll towards her, and lash out at her legs with ours.

>You twist your constricted body to the side and roll in the tengu's direction, but before you can bring yourself around to kick at her, you feel her foot connect hard with your own ribs.
>"No one said you could go anywhere," she cries, cringing a little. You hear Ishi start yelling into her gag with renewed vigor and struggling against the turbine strut enough to make clanging noises.
>"Tough shit!" Chisato yells, though her own voice is tight with pain.
>You hear a heavy woosh, followed by a pair of thin clattering sounds. Murasa's voice follows after her own projectile. "Get the hell off my ship!"

[Oldmansour]

>So much for being on fire.
>Bite her ankle.

[DracoOmega]

>So much for being on fire.
>Bite her ankle.

>She wasn't exactly immolated by the attack and you don't imagine it would be hard to put out with a couple moment's effort.
>As her attack rolled you back over, you aren't going to be able to attempt this without wiggling over in her direction again.

[Oldmansour]

>Well, what's the worst that can happen, she kicks us again?
>Try and gesticulate our way back into a position where we can bite her ankle.

[DracoOmega]

>Well, what's the worst that can happen, she kicks us again?
>Try and gesticulate our way back into a position where we can bite her ankle.

>Well, she does have a sword, at the very least. Dodging that would be more fluke than anything else, in your current state.
>You pull on your shoulder and turn yourself back towards the tengu in time to see her patting out the fire with a grimace on her face. Chisato reaches a hand down to the rope at her ankles and you see another small fire catch where she holds them.
>At the same time, you see Murasa's anchor fly wide of Sotsu, both of their positions having shifted somewhat from their opening vollies. Then Sotsu glances to her side as she reaches for another thin blade.
>"All bets are off, now!" she says smugly as she whips it through the air in Chisato's direction.

[Oldmansour]

>"Chisato, duck! Incoming!"

[DracoOmega]

>"Chisato, duck! Incoming!"

>You yell out a warning and the redhead glances back over her shoulder, then immediately falls prone as Sotsu's blade wings past the space she just occupied. Though her movement was ever-so-barely fast enough to keep the sharpened metal from digging into her, it is not enough to evade the winds that sheathe it. You see the bladed cyclone enveloping Sotsu's weapon slice into Cisato's back and score a deep line of red from shoulder blade to spine. She lets out a gargled cry.
>"Chisato!" Miyuki shouts.
>The tengu next you rounds on Sotsu. "What the hell was that?" she asks forcefully.
>Sotsu wings to the side and evades another airborne anchor without even fully looking at it. "What, you're fine with letting her play pyro over there?"
>...where's Murasa getting all of those from, anyhow?

[Oldmansour]

>Growl at Sotsu, "You better hope I don't get free..."
>Writhe over towards Chisato. If that bitch pirate throws anything else at her, she might not be able to take it. But we're a youkai. We can.

[DracoOmega]

>Growl at Sotsu, "You better hope I don't get free..."
>Writhe over towards Chisato. If that bitch pirate throws anything else at her, she might not be able to take it. But we're a youkai. We can.

>"Big words!" she says as she shifts around and dives towards Murasa.
>You haul your way back towards the redhead, moving with all the grace of a drunken caterpillar.
>Despite the gouge on her back, Chisato manages to find the wherewithal to reach back down to the ropes on her ankles and scorch them through as the closer tengu dashes back towards her. She flings those at the pirate much like she did with the first, though the tengu clearly anticipates the move this time and steps safely aside. Chisato rolls onto her side and then pushes herself back to her feet as you reach her. Blood runs down her back, and both of her hands are burned along the palms and wrist. The scent of charred flesh is thin but pungent in the air, beneath the smell of smoke and blood and burning rope.

[Oldmansour]

>What does she think she can do against that pirate?
>What could WE do against that pirate, damaged and down to one weapon we almost can't afford to use?
>... anything we can.
>"Chisato, ignite my ropes!"
>Where did that blade Sotsu threw land?

[DracoOmega]

>What does she think she can do against that pirate?
>What could WE do against that pirate, damaged and down to one weapon we almost can't afford to use?
>... anything we can.
>"Chisato, ignite my ropes!"
>Where did that blade Sotsu threw land?

>"Yours are way too tight!" she groans out as she steps back towards the strut. "You'd roast first!" The tengu rushes her.
>Several feet past where Chisato was standing, embedded in the deck boards.

[Oldmansour]

>Are we close enough to use anything to help us get to our feet?

[DracoOmega]

>Are we close enough to use anything to help us get to our feet?

>The strut itself would probably suffice, though it's a couple feet in the direction of where Chisato just moved.

[Oldmansour]

>"I'll heal!"
>Wriggle towards that strut. Or roll. Whichever one is faster.
>Except in the event that this movement would impede Chisato's motion, if she tries to get away from the pirate assaulting her, after chastising her partner for assaulting her. If this is the case, wait till our friend is clear, THEN roll or writhe towards the strut and try to get vertical when we get there.

[DracoOmega]

>"I'll heal!"
>Wriggle towards that strut. Or roll. Whichever one is faster.
>Except in the event that this movement would impede Chisato's motion, if she tries to get away from the pirate assaulting her, after chastising her partner for assaulting her. If this is the case, wait till our friend is clear, THEN roll or writhe towards the strut and try to get vertical when we get there.

>"That doesn't help us much now!" she responds.
>You maneuver your body towards the strut as Chisato retreats from her opponent, glancing quickly from one side of the deck to the other. As the tengu swoops on top of her, Miyuki pushes off her resting place and seems to try and bite at the pirate's leg as it passes her. Whatever her intent, the tengu twists that leg away from the awkward attack and uses it to kick Miyuki aside instead.
>"Don't be so reckless!" Neu rasps as the crewman tumbles onto her side.
>You feel the hard metal of the strut against your back as you roll into it.

[Oldmansour]

>Use the strut to get back to our feet.

[DracoOmega]

>Use the strut to get back to our feet.

>You push yourself back against the strut and use it for leverage to work your immobile form upright again.
>Chisato tries to duck around one of the supports as the tengu lunges at her, but it's clear which of them is quicker and only one of them is armed. The redhead turns to try and mount some semblance of defense as the tengu lashes out to strike her, but it looks like the pirate will have her choice of target regardless.
>There is a heavy whoosh as the air between the two of them is suddenly occupied by an anchor, having seemingly flown through the solid metal of the strut. The pirate leaps backward and twists aside, but you see the anchor solidly strike her wing nonetheless. And, in fact, you hear it. There is a pronounced crack - nearly a splintering - and the tengu tumbles sideways to the deck with a cry of pain.
>"Hands off my crew!" Murasa yells.