Soulriders 5.0: Legend of the Unending Games

Dawn is just breaking as Umi, Fuu, and Ukyo reach the docks. Wet, wounded, and thoroughly miserable, the bushi and the former captured elves trickle off the boats, going to report to their respective commands.

This leaves the terrible trio alone with two dock workers around to lug all their 'liberated' gear around..

"We should go and see Okina-san first," Umi decides, looking at Ukyo and Fuu for confirmation.

"Yes, we will need to report the failure of our mission," Fuu says, sounding depressed. "And perhaps he will have information on this 'Lord's Tomb' for us..."

"Our mission didn't fail," Umi protests. "It's successful completion has merely been delayed."

"Perhaps so," Fuu says with a wan smile, "But can we afford such delays?" She sighs, "I only hope Hikaru is having more success..."

"Let's hope so," Umi agrees with a nod. Turning towards the two dock workers, she asks, "Can you help us carry the weapons to the castle?"

The dock workers spare a glance to the rather large pile of swords (and a wicked looking spiked chain) before shrugging, and producing a cart from somewhere, then loading up all the goods.

Ukyo coughs, showing the the time Fuu's makeshift cure has been working is coming to an end..

"We should hurry," he says. "Things are moving too quickly for us."

"Indeed," Fuu nods, leading the way towards the castle.

A short while later, the group reaches the castle. After the formalities are done with, all the captured weapons and junk are stored away in a holding place, and the three are soon in front of Okina..

"Talk to me," he says.

"We were too late," Fuu reports, "Shigen seems to have the ability to teleport at will, and he moved Sakura-sama to another location before we even boarded the ship. We did rescue the ship's crew, though it seems a good number of the Gaijin 'diplomats' chose to side with the Fey'Ri for gold. We taught them the error of their ways, however.

"From what we could gather by interrogating one of the Gaijin, it seems Shigen spoke of a 'Lord's Tomb', and is likely to have taken Sakura-sama there. The name is unfamiliar to me, however..."

"It's also possible that the object this Shigen is after is at that Tomb, and he merely let that information fall into our hands," Umi adds, frowning. "Perhaps, he expects us to get it for him before appearing in a suitably impressive fashion?"

"The Tomb of Lords?" replies Okina, raising his eyebrows. "I can't imagine that what is there would interest him.

I've heard of it, of course. It's an ancient tomb where the original founders of the Elves on this continent sleep their eternal rest. Their names have been lost to history, however.

Why he would want to go is beyond me. However.."

He flinches. "To open the Tomb, it is said that three elven maidens, pure of heart and strong of soul-"

Ukyo can't resist a snicker, which he then (pretty successfully) tries to disguise as a cough.

"-must bind their strength to open it."

Umi shoots Ukyo a dirty glare, before facing the older elf. "Okina-san, you've heard our report. May I ask how the situation in the city is, and whether there's been any word yet from Hikaru?"

Okina pauses. "Hikaru hasn't come back," he says. "Neither has Toshi. We fear the worst.

As for the city.. it's been quiet. Nothing unusual has occured in your absence."

"Hikaru would pull through," Umi states with confidence. "And we've all seen Master Toshi in action."

"Unless the entire Matsu camp dogpiled them," interjects Ukyo.

'Do you want to die that badly?' Umi thinks in agitation, before forcing a smile on her face. "Hikaru would say that justice will prevail, if she were here."

"Except she isn't," replies Ukyo.

Umi turns her back on the annoying gaijin, ignoring him. "The fey'ri and gaijin aboard the ship had a few magical items," she tells Okina. "Perhaps we could ask the shugenja to divine their purpose? We can guess at some of the enchantments, but that's... unreliable at best."

Okina shrugs. "Of course. You'll need to pay them, of course; but that can wait."

"Thank you, Okina-san," Umi says with a bow. Straightening up, she gives Okina and Fuu an apologetic glance. "Since there's no immediate danger or any news from Hikaru, there was something I wanted to do in the city. If it's alright...?"

"Hmm? Of course," replies Okina. "You wish to go alone, I take it?

Just try to get some rest. If Hikaru does not return by noon, we will have to take action, regardless."

"Of course," she replies, "though I believe in Hikaru and Master Toshi fully." Giving a wave at Fuu and still ignoring Ukyo, she leaves.

Fuu, Okina, and Ukyo are left by themselves..

"I think I will get some sleep," remarks Ukyo, standing up. "Would it be too much to trouble you for a room?"

Okina shakes his head. "Ask one of the guards to direct you to the guest rooms," he replies.

Ukyo nods, and departs, leaving Fuu alone with Okina..

Elsewhere...

Hikaru is awoken from her slumber by some blunt prods to her midsection.

"Get up, bitch," she hears from above her, her vision betraying her with an almost drunken haze..

Hikaru winces both at the pain in her ribs and her head, looking around groggily for the source of the command.

Not feeling good at all about the fact that hers was the deciding vote for the group to split up, Fuu decides to excuse herself. "If you will pardon me, Okina-dono, I believe I should meditate before we commence planning our next action."

Bowing, the fair haired elf leaves Okina, returning to the room assigned to her earlier.

Fuu meditates, while Umi is out making a killing on finely-made swords..

<->

A Matsu bushi is standing over Hikaru.

"Come on, up," he says, reaching down and pulling her to her feet. "We're moving."

Umi heads to find the masked mage, curious whether he could help her make her sword better to prepare for the rematch with Shigen.

The Masked Mage is at his almost-empty stall. He looks at Umi as she approaches.

"Welcome, welcome! What services of trade can I aid in the facilitation of today?"

"I have a sword," she says simply, materializing it in her hands and showing it to him. "I want to make it better. Would you be the man to talk to?"

"Nay," replies the Masked Mage. "I specialize not in the enchantment of weapons, but the trade of them.

I could certainly take the weapon and take it to one who could, however. That will take some time, though."

"So if I had an enchanted weapon, I could bring it and have you find a buyer for it?" Umi nods. "Alright. Do I need to know what the enchantment on it is, or would you be able to tell on your own?"

The Masked Mage shrugs. "I would take your word for it. However, if the buyer discovers you are lying, you will have to pay a fine equivalent to your losses."

Umi smirks. "The shugenja examining the item in question would have to answer first... to me."

She nods to herself. "Okay. How long would it take to find a buyer, you figure? And a seller, if I wanted to get a better enchanted rapier?"

The mage shrugs. "Anywhere from a day to a month."

"I'll be back later, then," she says, "with the weapon I want to sell, and to talk about the one I would like to purchase."

Umi blinks then, suddenly recalling something Fuu had mentioned to her in passing during their trip to the capital. "Oh! Would you happen to know where in the city I could purchase boots of elvenkind?"

The Mage ponders, then reaches into his cloak and produces a small card. "There's a house near the castle that deals in this sort of thing. Produce this card and tell them I sent you."

He gives you directions to the house..

"Thanks," Umi says gratefully, and takes the card, before bidding the mage farewell and following the directions to said house.

It's a fairly simple house, with a closed door and an exquisitely tended garden..

Umi knocks on the door, and waits for a response.

"Go away!" comes a womans voice, which nonetheless sounds beautiful regardless of it's tone. Like that of a siren, or possible an elven courtier.

"I was sent here," Umi says, frowning as she describes the one who sent her over. "I have this card he gave me, and told to show you...."

The door is flung open, revealing a dishevelled-looking female elf wearing a rediculously long cloak that's far too big for her.

"Oh! That masked moron sent you, did he? So what do you want?"

"I want to get a gift for a friend," Umi says, showing no outwards reaction to the other elf's appearance. "Boots of elvenkind, to be precise. Would you be the person to ask?"

"That I would," replies the elf. "But to recieve something, you must first give something of equal value."

"Okay," Umi says, finding it reasonable. "Could you elaborate?"

The elf pauses. "Uh.. well.. actually, I don't know. I don't really own this place, it belongs to my sister.

But boots! We have many boots. Made by elves! Boots of Elvenkind!

I think a few of them are magic, too!"

Umi brutally slaughters her urge to mimic the other elf, nodding instead. "May I speak with your sister, then?"

"Oh, no. She's gone off to some gaijin land for the year. She left me in charge!" replies the girl, brightly, her earlier discourteousy forgotten.

"Great!" Umi replies just as brightly. "Could you show me the magical boots you have, then?"

"Well, uh, sure!" replies the girl, shrugging.

A few moments later..

"Well, apart from the ones I'm wearing, none of them are magical," she replies, apologetically. "These ones are great, though, they're all sneaky-sneaky!"

'Sneaky-sneaky?' Umi thinks in bewilderment. "Do you think I could try them on and see for myself?" she asks.

"No! They're my boots," replies the elf. "You can have any of these ones, though! They're really good, only 10gp!"

"Well, I suppose if you want to keep them, no matter how much I offer you for them, it's fruitless..." Umi says, sighing.

"Not so!" replies the elf. "If you find me another pair of magical boots, I'll trade them in!"

Umi raises an eyebrow. "Where could I find another pair of magical boots, though?"

"Don't know, don't care," replies the elf, flippantly.

"Right," Umi says, suppressing a sigh. "I'll go and look for them, then."

Saying goodbye to the other elf, she heads back to where that masked mage is.

The masked mage is still there. Upon seeing Umi, he says, "Ah, get the boots you wanted?"

"Seems like I need magical boots -- any kind of magical boots -- to get the ones I want," she says, sighing. "Would you happen to have a cheap pair, or know of another place that sells any?"

The Masked Mage produces a pair of boots.

"These are magical," he says. "They help you jump. I'll sell them to you for 1600gp."

Hikaru staggers as she is pulled roughly to her feet. Still blinking as she tries to shake off her headache, she stumbles after the Matsu bushi.

Outside, the Matsu camp is all packed up, and the army is on the march. "Get moving!" somebody says, and Hikaru finds herself being shoved forward after the army..

"Might as well try them," Umi replies, nodding. "Come to think of it, would you have something that would make me a bit faster if I wear it? That could've made a difference in the past few battles I was in."

"Fleet of foot or quick of hand?" replies the Mage.

Hikaru almost trips as she's shoved forward; still walking, she casts a glare back at the bushi who's behind her.

"Quick of hand," Umi replies after thinking for a couple of minutes.

"I have a belt that might do that," he says. "4200, though. Dosn't come cheap."

"I think I have enough," Umi says, taking it out and counting off 5800 gold, settled in stacks, a hundred coins in each.

The Mage Nods. "A pleasure doing business with you," he says, handing over the items in question.

Umi nods herself. "A pleasure, yes. Would you be so kind to tell me when you'll be here next, so I could place my order?"

"I don't know if I'll be here again," he says, shrugging. "It's getting dangerous for one of my profession."

Umi snorts. "We'll protect the capital, and those in it. And now, I must be off. Thanks for the help, again."

Nodding at the mage, she heads back to the house where she could try to get those boots for Fuu.

A short while later, Umi walks out, a new pair of boots in hand..

Umi smiles to herself, and decides to visit Fuu back at the castle.

While Umi is walking back to the castle, she sees about four gaijin horsemen galloping out towards the gates.

They're dressed for battle; wearing breastplates and carrying swords, shields, and lances. The expression on their faces can only be described as 'grim'.

Umi double-checks that she wears her new belt and that it sits right, before picking up her pace, heading to where she had left Okina and Fuu earlier.

Okina is still there, leafing through a small book.

"Okina-san," Umi says, gaining the older elf's attention. "Sorry for disturbing you, but I've noticed four gaijin swordsmen leaving the castle in a hurry. Is it related to--" She doesn't finish the sentence, grimacing.

"They spoke to me," replies Okina. "Apparently, one of their own mysteriously vanished last night, along with his horse, and his mage companion. They were staying at the castle; some kind of gaijin samurai; called a 'knight' or something."

"Do we know anything about that companion of theirs?" Umi asks, a worried frown on her face.

"He's driven by money," replies Okina, flatly. "He's here to secure further trade between our nations. His retainers- those who set off after him- dislike his attitude, but must serve him out of honor.

His mage companion is no better. Knowledge might be a better pursuit than money, but not when it's used solely to perfect the casting of explosive magic."

"I see," Umi says, not really understanding. "Where do those four intend to travel, then? If he disappeared mysteriously, leaving no clues or ways to follow him, that is...."

"They'll follow his hoofprints," replies Okina, shrugging. "With most of the forest scorched, it won't be hard for them to pick up his trail. Or perhaps they have some other way of finding him.

Either way, I've sent a party of scouts after them. A shugenja is with them; she'll communicate back about what happens with a spell."

"May I ask why you're going through all this trouble, Okina-san?" A small frown appears on Umi's face. "I just... can't see the importance of a gaijin knight's disappearance of his own volition, especially during this time of crisis. Unless you think he's betrayed us and went to either the Matsu or Fey'ri?"

"You said there were gaijin on board the ship," replies Okina. "What if the Fey'ri has bribed the Gaijin before the ship left the bought? It's an odd circumstance as it is for a Gaijin lord to take off on his own without an escort. You know how some people can see them.

Given the unusuallness of the event, I thought it prudent. I'm no general. Was I wrong?"

"You hold more information than I do, Okina-san," Umi says simply. "And there's a saying... it's better to be safe than sorry. I find it true in such cases, even if I try to act the devil's advocate."

Okina nods. "True enough. Do you wish to rest now, or is there other business you wish to conduct?"

"Just to ask about the shugenja, and their attempt to decypher the workings of the magical items we brought back," Umi says, shrugging. "They could aid us, if a couple of them do what I think they do. But I should really rest, first."

Okina nods. "I believe I can discern the location of the Tomb of Lords," he says. "Be ready to travel after you rest."

"Thank you, Okina-san," Umi responds, and takes her leave, going to find a room to rest in.

Some time later, Umi and Fuu wake up.

Umi finds to her surprise that the room she'd rested in was right next to Fuu's, and waves at her friend. "I've got you something," she says, smiling, as she holds out a pair of boots. "They're real sneaky-sneaky like," she adds, a smirk playing on her lips.

Hikaru sees that everyone has assembled into a marching column, and soon she's being prodded forward, too, as the small group of maybe eighty soldiers advances through the charred forest...

..not long before the army stops, and Hikaru finds herself being shoved to the head of the column to see somebody on horseback.

It's a gaijin, in full armour (except for a helmet). He sports an extremly poncy-looking moustache, and he looks at the Matsu bushi with a bit of contempt.

Hikaru finds herself standing directly in front of the imposing (moustahce nonwithstanding) man.

"So is this to be my.. prize?" he says to one of the bushi.

"Er, no," replies a worried-looking soldier. "Not yet, anyway, Jonaquel-sa"

"You will address me as 'Sir Sorel," the man butts in, leering down at Hikaru. "What's your name, girl?"

Hikaru remains silent, merely staring at the man.

"Is she dumb as well as.. elven?" says the man, snorting. The Matsu bushi blink. "Well, she was speaking to us earlier.."

The man leers further down at Hikaru. "Speak."

The pink-haired elf frowns, but still makes no reply.

"Gibbons!" barks the man, calling over another Gaijin.

"Encourage her," he says, but one of the bushi intervenes. "The Doji monk said she's to be in good condition! Guest of honor or not, I cannot allow this!"

"Hmph," snorts the man. "This had better be worth it. I've no time for-"

An arrow flies through the air and lodges itself in the gaijins elbow. He starts in pain, and turns on his horseback towards the source of the arrow- like everyone else in the vicinity also does. Their attention is momentairily diverted from Hikaru..

Hikaru seizes her opportunity and quickly runs in the opposite direction, once again trying to dodge any possible pursuit in the forest.

As Hikaru scampers away (in complete silence), she hears a warcry behind her, along with a deep incantation, followed by a terrible, undescribable noise and a few screams..

She manages to climb a tree, and after about fifteen minutes, starts to see Matsu bushi and horsemen combing the area for her.. unsuccessfully. After a while, they all leave..

Hikaru remains in the tree, hardly daring to breathe. She waits for all sounds of the Matsu to dissipate, then drops out of the tree to head east to the capital.

Hikaru staggers back to the Capital of Cephiro, managing to make it to the gates of the city.. and is promptly greeted by the concerned face of an elven guardsmen.

"Hikaru-sama! Are you allright?" he asks, stupidly, considering how messed up she is.

"I've felt better." Hikaru replies, leaning against the city wall to steady herself. "I need to see Okina-san as soon as possible."

"Uh, ok. Do you need help or anything?" he asks, as one other bushi rushes off with the news...

<->

"Hikaru is back!" yells somebody, almost running into Umi from behind..

Hikaru looks at the slow guard for a moment. "Yes, please."

'How did this guy make it into the guard?' she wonders to herself.

"Uh, ok," he says, helping Hikaru along to the castle..

<->

"Hikaru! You're alive! We feared the worst," says Okina, signalling a Shugenja on standby to heal her wounds. "Are you allright? What happened?"

Umi grabs at the person who almost ran into her, and asks him, "Where is Hikaru?"

"Uh, she's talking to Okina in the main room," replies the servant.

"Let's go visit Hikaru!" Umi exclaims, releasing the servant and smiling at Fuu, before pulling her friend towards the main room.

Hikaru thanks the shugenja, then turns to Okina. "We managed to get into the Matsu camp, but most of their army was gone. Master Toshi went back to question one of the guards we knocked out while I searched the champion's tent. I didn't find much, and when I went to find Toshi he'd been discovered. We tried to split up to escape, but I was run down by a pair of horsemen and captured. When I came to, I was with a fairly large group of bushi headed west; the leader - I think his name was Jonaquel-san - was just starting to question me when he got hit by an arrow from somewhere. I used the opportunity to escape and managed to hide  until the Matsu stopped searching, then came back here."

She sighs. "Has there been any word from Master Toshi? I haven't seen him since I left him in the Matsu camp."

"I see," replies Okina. "We've had no word from Toshi, unfortunatley. We were hoping you could tell us.

But.. Jonaquel. Jonaquel. There was a gaijin lord who deserted the city and snuck out by himself earlier.. a party of horsemen went looking for him. Perhaps they are the ones that fired the arrow.

Either way, given what you have just been through, are you fit to travel?"

The elf girl shakes her head. "I'm afraid not. All of my supplies were taken, and I'm completely exhausted. I need to rest and eat before I'm good for much of anything."

At this point, Umi and Fuu arrive in the audience chamber..

"Hikaru!" Umi greets her, waving. "I knew you'd make it back alright. How did it go?"

Hikaru turns a weary face to Umi. "Not so well, unfortunately."

"At least we're back together again," Umi says, shrugging. "And we have a lead on Shigen." She looks around. "Say, where's Master Toshi?"

"Hikaru-chan, what happened?!" Fuu cries, rushing over to check on her bedraggled friend. "Do you need healing?" she asks worriedly, checking the girl over.

"I'm all right, Fuu-chan - the shugenja healed me before you arrived."

"I don't know where Master Toshi is, Umi. The last I saw him was when he was fighting a group of bushi in the Matsu camp."

Hikaru briefly outlines her tale once again for her two friends.

"Yeah, she looks healthy enough to me, Fuu, just tired," Umi says, as she listens to Hikaru's tale. Once Hikaru is done, the blue-haired elf nods to herself. "It seems that Okina-san's decision to send a team after the gaijin had been most insightful." She frowns, before asking Okina, "Did that team return safely?"

"No, they have not. However, soon, the prescribed time for the shugenja to send a message will be here. In roughly half an hour, I believe," replies Okina.

Umi nods. "While we wait, Okina-san, could the shugenja who examined the items we brought back tell us what they do? If they've finished by now, of course."

"Certainly," replies Okina, as the Shugenja present approaches to tell you what your items are..

OOC:

Ring of Protection +1, Spiked Chain of Wounding +1, Shock Rapier +1, Ring of Invisibility, 4 Arcane Spell Scrolls. Now that Hikaru is here, you can easily identify the spells. They are;

Lightning Bolt
Mirror Image
Web
Magic Missile

"Some of those would prove useful," Umi comments, before asking the shugenja, "How much do we owe you for the trouble?"

"Four hundred," replies the Shugenja.

Umi searches her pockets, producing half of the amount, before turning to Fuu. "Think you have 200 gold on you?"

"I believe so," Fuu says, before fumbling around in her coin bag. A moment later, she hands over her share to the Shugenja.

"So, what shall we do with these items? I don't believe any of us are trained in the use of spiked chain as a weapon, though that rapier would prove useful to you, Umi. Personally, I would like the ring of invisibility, since I had to use my last invisibility potion at the Matsu camp, and this would save me having to buy more."

Umi nods. "Fine by me. I guess the extra ring will go to me, and I'm sure Hikaru would love the scrolls we got her." She thinks for a moment. "Unless Hikaru would like to learn how to use this chain, I have a place I could sell it at, to get us something more suitable to use." Glancing at Okina, she adds, "Unless you are in need of any of these items, Okina-san?"

"I don't think anyone around here knows the use of such an exotic weapon," replies Okina. "Unless Ukyo has some talents he hasn't mentioned, which I doubt. No, do as you will."

Hikaru shakes her head. "I don't want it, thank you all the same. The only thing I really need at the moment is a spellbook, if there's one available, Okina-san."

Okina shrugs. "I'll see what I can find, but don't hold your breath," he replies.

Hikaru nods. "If that's all, I'm going to go get some rest."

"Of course," replies Okina, giving Hikaru directions to a room..

Hikaru nods and heads off to recover from her ordeal, giving her two friends a nod and a tired smile as she departs.

Umi waves at Hikaru, before asking Okina, "Was there something you wanted Fuu or I to do before Hikaru was ready for travel, Okina-san?"

"Nothing, really," replies Okina, shrugging. "Do you object to having Ukyo travel with you again, by the way?"

"He's welcome to join us, Okina-san," Umi replies.

"Good," replies Okina. "He would likely have gone in either case, though I really think it would be better for him to stay in bed.

I'm done, for the moment. Come back in a few hours and I'll show you how to reach the Tomb."

Umi bows, and with a nod at Fuu, takes the ring of protection and the spiked chain, and leaves to try and find the masked mage again.

The Masked Mage is still there, chewing on a bit of straw..

Umi approaches him, and once she gains his attention, says, "I have that item I wanted to find a buyer for."

[07:04] <C-Rat> The mage shrugs. "What is it?"
[07:05] <Misha> "A magical chain." Umi shows it to him. "It inflicts great bleeding wounds on those hit."
[07:05] <C-Rat> "It looks suitably painful," he replies. "I think I know just the person who would like this particular weapon.."
[07:05] <C-Rat> "I'll take it off your hands for 3600."
[07:06] <Misha> Umi frowns. "It's quite a bit less than I expected it to cost."
[07:07] <C-Rat> The mage shrugs. "You're welcome to look elsewhere."
[07:07] <Misha> "Perhaps we could have a trade, instead?" the elf offers. "My friend is looking for a new spellbook, or scrolls to fill a blank one up."
[07:08] <C-Rat> The mage nods. "Possibly. What spells does she require?"
[07:08] <C-Rat> "I could have the necessary book prepared by tomorrow morning."
[07:17] <Misha> Umi nods to herself, and tells the masked mage the spells she remembers Hikaru having, plus two spells she always said she wanted to learn some time, but hadn't gotten a chance yet. Thinking of something, she shows him the ring she got from the shugenja, and asks, "Could a ring adding one some protection in combat be added to the deal?"
[07:18] <C-Rat> "No," replies the mage.
[07:21] <Misha> "It's a shame," she says, frowning again. "I really want to have something for both of my friends, since it wouldn't be nice to bring something just for one of them and not the other."
[07:21] <C-Rat> "I'll throw you in a pair of fake gold earrings, if you want," says the mage.
[07:23] <Misha> Umi snorts. "I may not be a mage, but both of my best friends are. And something tells me it wouldn't hurt you to add something extra to the deal."
[07:23] <C-Rat> "If you're trying to appeal to my sympathy, you're not doing a good job," remarks the mage, dryly.
[07:25] <Misha> She shrugs. "I'm only diplomatic with my sword, or so I've been told. And I'm actually trying to appeal to your business sense. A satisfied customer brings more revenue in the longer run, doesn't she?"
[07:25] <C-Rat> "While that is true, it helps that there's little to no competition around here," replies the mage.
[07:28] <Misha> Laughing, Umi nods at him. "That's true, yes. But I might find it much simpler to go use diplomacy on the person who stole my friend's first spellbook instead."
[07:28] <C-Rat> "Perhaps you will," replies the mage. "Then again, you could end up dead because your friend can't support you well enough, hm? Or perhaps you're going alone, it really makes no difference to me."
[07:33] <Misha> "It's a shame, then." Umi shrugs again. "I suppose I'll have to keep the chain after all. Maybe I'll have my friend learn how to use it instead."
[07:33] <C-Rat> "You do that," replies the mage.
[07:34] <Misha> "Good day," Umi greets him, leaving.
[07:34] <C-Rat> The mage shrugs, and continues chewing straw..

After Umi conducts her business in the city, she returns to the castle, where Hikaru is sleeping..

Four Hours Later..

"The Tomb is located not far from the Matsu border," states Okina. "This could be inconveniant. As things stand, we know that a portion of the Matsu force is retreating, but we cannot be sure of the location of the remainder. It's plausible they're hoping to lure out our soldiers and then launch an attack on the capital."

He gives Ukyo, who is sitting nearby, a glance.

"Ukyo has advised me to send out half our army in apparent chase of this other Matsu force, but one that will double back after an hour or two. Our forces in the city should be able to hold off any Matsu advance for that long, long enough for the other half of the army to return and crush any remaining Matsu soldiers.

Given that Sakura is away, command technically falls to me. I think it is a good idea, but want to know your opinions before this."

"What of the message you were waiting to receive from the shugenja sent to track down the gaijin, Okina-san?" Umi reminds him.

"Oh, yes," replies Okina. "I forgot about it, because it never came. We have no idea what happened to them."

"Perhaps the loud explosion Hikaru mentioned hearing was caused by the mage working for the gaijin, then," Umi says, grimacing. "In any case, Okina-san, I'm not sure I see why a portion of the army must be sent to chase the Matsu off. Wouldn't it be better to keep most of it in the capital, and send several small teams to ambush and generally cause trouble for the retreating part of the Matsu army? If they could get into a good position and pick off a few of their commanders or spellcasters, our situation would be better."

She shrugs. "We know the terrain better, and these small groups should be at an advantage against a retreating foreign force. And if the retreat is a ruse, we'll find it out this way, without sending out half of our army. Which, of course, could find itself flanked between the Matsu forces, if this retreat is an attempt to lure it into a trap. While I hate to think of what will happen to these teams if the latter is true, in reality our losses would be light, and the city's safety will be assured... which it cannot be if half our forces are destroyed."

"One problem with your plan, Umi-chan," Fuu points out, "The 'terrain' is nothing but a burnt wasteland now. There will be no cover to be had for smaller groups."

"Hikaru escaped by climbing a tree. Haven't you, Hikaru?" Umi turns to look at her pink-haired friend. "And there was obviously more than one, since the party sent after her couldn't spot her there, and the group which fired an arrow into the gaijin's elbow had cover when they attacked."

"I did, but it was mostly luck. I managed to find a tall enough tree to get out of sight; since the fires, there's nowhere to hide in a tree any longer. And any cover we might have found on the ground itself was destroyed by the fire as well." Hikaru shakes her head.

"Is the alternative, which is sending half of the army into what could be a trap, better than taking this chance? For small enough groups, there should still be sufficient cover."

Hikaru considers for a moment. "It might be possible for small groups, but they'd definitely need to be cautious. It's much harder to conceal yourself in the burned reaches of the forest, although there are quite a few areas that haven't been touched by the fires yet."

"And those would be perfect for setting up ambushes," Umi says, nodding to herself. "It worked for a group of gaijin elves in the battle of Crescent City against an overwhelming enemy force, or so I've learned from the books I read."

"In any case," she continues, at not hearing an objection yet, "I'm thinking of five teams of a dozen members each, four of which would try to take out the spellcasters or the leaders in the retreating Matsu force, while the fifth one would try to track them and perhaps find out their destination, or locate Master Toshi."

Fuu shrugs. "I am just a priestess, large scale unit tactics are not my forte. I will trust your superior judgement in this case, Umi-chan."

Umi nods gratefully at Fuu, before turning towards Okina. "You have my opinion, then, Okina-san. It's not without risks, though I consider those to be minimal in comparison to the alternatives, sans just keeping the entire army in the capital. And, unlike the show of force with sending half of it to chase the Matsu for a few hours, this plan has a chance of damaging their chain of command and firepower, the latter being spellcasters. Also, valuable information might be gathered at the same time, should the teams sent uncover anything or locate Master Toshi." She sighs. "The only drawback to my proposal I can see is the risk it puts the soldiers in these teams in, but unless the Matsu have changed their minds about waging total war on us, casualties are unavoidable."

Umi frowns suddenly. "And should we send these teams, Okina-san, we might find an answer to that question as well. A force of a thousand soldiers is not quite what one would send to conquer Cephiro and expect to win against its garrison, wouldn't you say? Perhaps their plans have changed in the time since we've been to their camp on our border?"

"That's the problem, as I see it," replies Okina. "We still don't know what the goal of the Matsu army is. If it's wanton destruction, they've certainly done well.

Your plan does have merit. I can see that it will be done," he finishes.

Ukyo nods, too. "The question is, what do we do in the meantime? Go after this Tomb and see if there's something there the Fey'Ri want, join the raiding teams, or sit around here?"

"With your permission, Okina-san, I would like to have another matter settled, first. One of a more personal manner, which could affect our choice on which path to take."

Okina raises an eyebrow. "Would you be willing to share this with me?"

Umi shrugs. "I'm not a mage, so I wouldn't know much in that area, but I did find a person who was willing to accept the enchanted chain in exchange for providing Hikaru with a spellbook as early as tomorrow morning. However, I had the distinct feeling of being ripped off quite badly when I spoke to him. Thus, I think the decision of whether to try and go ahead with the deal or not should be up to Fuu and Hikaru, who would know more about this.... That decision, in turn, affects the task we'll be best suited for, since our capabilities are likely to change."

Hikaru shrugs. "I suppose I could speak to him, but if my memory of scroll prices is right I'd have a hard time replacing my spellbook as it stood. If you want to introduce me to this merchant, I can see what I can do. I'm definitely not much use without a spellbook of SOME kind, that much is certain."

"My magic comes from an entirely different source than Hikaru's," Fuu puts in. "But it's sad to say that if the retreating Matsu confiscated her spellbook, we will almost certainly never see it again. A replacement is likely the only option we have."

"Alright." Umi hands Hikaru the magical chain. "I told him I prefer to give the chain to my friend instead of selling it for his price. Make no mistake, the chain is easily worth the spellbook and then some." She smirks. "I never said my friend wouldn't try to sell it on her own. If you want to go find him and offer to swap it for a spellbook with spells of your choosing, that's your business, isn't it?"

Umi quickly gives Hikaru the directions to the mage, as well as his general description.

Hikaru accepts the chain with a nod. "I hope I have better luck than you did, then. By your leave, Okina-san." Hikaru bows and departs to go look for the mage.

"Now that this has been settled," Umi says, "to answer Ukyo's question, I think Fuu, myself and a shugenja should join one of the teams, the teams otherwise consisting of archers. We could try to set up an ambush or track the Matsu force to its destination, depending on the situation in the field. Then, the shugenja would communicate back with the capital, and tell Hikaru where she could meet up with us, after she gets her spellbook... assuming it all goes well in that area, of course. Hikaru isn't a fighter, so if Ukyo could accompany her to the meeting point we'll schedule through the shugenja's message, it would be appreciated."

Okina nods. "How far will this harrasment go? To the edge of Cephiro, I presume?"

<->

Hikaru finds the mage without too much trouble. He looks suitably pompous, wearing lots of red; red pants, red shirt, gaudy red jacket, and a red cape, along with a red mask.

"Welcome!" he says to her as she approaches.

Hikaru smiles and nods to the mage. "I was told by a friend that you might be able to help me come by a spellbook."

"Yes, Okina-san" Umi replies, "unless new information discovered during it affects our decision."

"Well," he continues, "When do you want to leave? The soldiers will take a short while to prepare."

[10:24] <GM-Type-Rat> Hikaru can quite clearly see the Masked Mage from her location..
[10:24] * Hikaru approaches the mage's stall. "Excuse me, sir."
[10:25] <GM-Type-Rat> "Yes, elfling?" replies the mage, brightening up. "Have ye a suitable offer of trade to indulge mine senses?"
[10:26] <Hikaru> "I'm hoping so, at least. I was informed by a friend of mine that you might be able to help me come by a new spellbook and a few scrolls."
[10:27] <GM-Type-Rat> The mage nods. "I see. Yes, I'm very capable of penning you a new book, assuming you're not looking for anything particularly powerful.."
[10:28] <Hikaru> "Whatever I can come by would be helpful; I suppose I should ask what you consider particularly powerful though first."
[10:29] <GM-Type-Rat> "Oh, you know, teleportation, disintegration, that sort of thing," replies the mage.
[10:30] <Hikaru> "Certainly nothing that powerful, by any means." Hikaru laughs. "I wouldn't know where to begin with any of that myself. How much do you usually charge for the book and for additional spells?"
[10:31] <GM-Terry-Bogard> "The book itself would cost about fifty gold. If you want, I can get a special book, guarded with wards and spells for five hundred gold."
[10:31] <GM-Terry-Bogard> "The individual spells vary, however.
[10:33] <Hikaru> "Hmm... I'm hoping to duplicate my old spellbook, although that would include quite a number of spells beyond simple cantrips." Hikaru gives the mage a list of the spells contained in her old book.
[10:35] <GM-Terry-Bogard> "Hmm.. that comes to about 1500 gold," replies the mage.
[10:38] * Hikaru places the chain on the counter of the mage's stall. "How much would I be able to get for this then?"
[10:39] <GM-Terry-Bogard> The mage raises an eyebrow. "I've seen this before," he notes. "3300. You could easily afford more scrolls," he notes.
[10:43] * Hikaru nods. "I thought as much. Let me think... Go ahead and remove magic missile from the list; I've already gotten a scroll of that in the meantime." Hikaru ponders for a moment. "I'd also like to add fireball, dispel magic, and haste. And would it be possible to get these spells scribed in one of the warded books?"
[10:45] <GM-Terry-Bogard> The mage nods. "That brings your total pricing up to about 3100 gold," he notes.
[10:45] <GM-Terry-Bogard> "If you want, I'll toss in this sword," he says, producing a notably fine-looking wakizashi.
[10:47] <Hikaru> "That sounds reasonable enough to me." The pink-haired elf nods. "I'm in need of a new weapon as well, unfortunately."
[10:47] <GM-Terry-Bogard> The mage shrugs. "If you come back tomorrow morning, I'll have the book ready for you," he says. "The chain, please."
[10:48] <Hikaru> "Certainly." Hikaru passes the chain to the mage. "I appreciate your help, sir."
[10:48] <GM-Terry-Bogard> The mage shurgs. "I live to serve," he replies, handing over the wakizashi.
[10:50] * Hikaru tucks the short sword into her obi and bows. "I'll be back tomorrow morning for the spellbook then. Thank you once again." With that, she departs for the palace to inform her friends of the good news.

"Once Hikaru returns," Umi replies. "In the meanwhile, could we get a description of the gaijin and his mage, Okina-san? And the location of the Tomb?"

"The gaijin had a very large moustache," says Okina. "He was always fully clad in that rediculous armour the gaijin like to wear.

I didn't see much of the mage, though. He was very.. forgettable. Very unremarkable. I think he had black hair and brown eyes, was of average height.. really, the only thing that marked him out was his complexion. One gaijin looks alike to another, however..

The Tomb is to the west, near the Matsu border. I can give you precise directions, if you want."

"The precise directions would be welcome, Okina-san," Umi says.

Okina produces a fairly detailed map of the once-glorious forests of Cephiro.

"Unfortuately, most of the native landmarks are gone, but you should be able to find your way one way or another. Given that the Matsu are retreating West and the evidence Shigen has left behind at the boat.. well, It's not an unfair bet to say they're headed there already."

Hikaru arrives back at the castle and is quiety filled in on what's going on by Ukyo..

"It's simple. Five teams are being dispatched to harry the Matsu lines," he says. "Umi and Fuu plan to join one of teams and either track or ambush the Matsu, depending on the circumstances. Given the lack of cover, I believe we will be attempting hit-and-run strikes.

At some point, we will be messaged with a location by the Shugenja, and summarily dispatched to join the team. It should take some time; intentionally to allow you to rememorize spells, I gather. We believe the Matsu are heading towards the mysterious Tomb of Lords. God knows what they want, but I suppose the Fey'Ri are the real ones driving them towards it.

Since we just don't know enough, we're stuck with this. We have the rough position of the Matsu, and apparently the elven teams can travel fast. Any questions?"

OOC: Recap time. I need to get this firmly in my head, too. >_>

OOC: Good, because I'm pretty much lost, here <_<

"I am ready to depart at any time, Okina-dono," Fuu tells the older elf, wanting to get things resolved with Sakura sooner rather than later.

"As you wish, Fuu-san. Umi-san, I trust you are also ready.."

<->

It's dark, now, and Umi and Fuu estimate they've gotten halfway to the border. They've gone out of what little forest remains and are well and truly in the scorched, razed land.

"Umi-san," mentions one of the nameless Bushi, "We've found a clear trail to follow the Matsu by. It's leading west, as we thought. However, given the freshness of the tracks, they may have reached their border already."

OOC: Heh. Talk to me if you don't get it. Cor, Umi wanted a bow? She's got a composite longbow from the armoury, and 30 arrows.

"Let's follow the trail until we know more," Umi suggests. "Part of our mission is to try and spy on the Matsu and their actions, if we can't ambush them."

OOC: Bows! Arrows! Whee!

The elf nods, and soon the chase begins once again..

The teams are spread out over a fairly wide area, keeping in touch via occasionally runners who sprint from location to location. There are several advance scouts who are scouting the forward area to alert the main group if something has happened up ahead.

When none of these scouts return at a set time, suspicions are raised, and the matter is brought directly to Fuu..

You've been travelling for another couple of hours; well on your way to the border, but the scouts shouldn't have reached it yet. It is getting rather dark, however, and it is likely that the humans may have made camp.

"Very well," Fuu says in response to the bushi who raised the matter with her, "I shall scout ahead myself. Have the rest of our group wait here for half an hour before advancing. That should give me time to investigate and meet you before you blunder into whatever it was that befell our scouts."

OOC: I'm assuming the scouts were about a mile ahead of us with my time. If it's different, I'll edit.

"Very well," replies the soldier. "Be careful."

OOC: A mile is about right in theory, but you'll be closer than that because you were marching while the scouts were supposed to be moving forward, too.

Fuu smiles reassuringly. "I will," she says, making a quick check on all her gear before pulling the hood up on her cloak and starting on a brisk pace ahead of her group in the direction the scouts went in.

After getting about 300 metres, she slows down slightly and starts making an effort to conceal herself from detection as she advances, not wanting to be seen before she sees whatever befell the advance scouts.

OOC: Just out of curiousity, would I know about any dangerous wildlife/monsters that may live in this area? It just occured to me that the scouts might not have been attacked by the Matsu...

Fuu sees.. horsemen, in the distance. They're moving about and not making an effort to conceal themselves.

OOC: Given that they burnt the forest down, I don't think there would be many left. Wolves spring to mind, however, of both the regular and dire persuasions. There's probably a couple of magical beasts wandering around, too, though exactly what they are you wouldn't know.

Fuu continues her stealthy approach, trying to get a better idea of the disposition of the enemy, and hopefully see any sign of whether the scouts were killed or captured.

Fuu can't really get close enough, because the horsemen chose this moment to bugger off, galloping to the west..

She can't find any elven corpses, however.

Taking note of the direction the horsemen are heading in, Fuu turns and backtracks the way she came to rendevouz with her group.

They were heading in a western direction.

Fuu arrives back at the elven party to some concerned looks.. "We havn't moved yet. Do you know what happened?" comes the question from one of the bushi..

OOC: You told me in IRC that I'd been gone for 45 minutes and travelled 6km (2 miles)

Fuu gives the bushi who spoke a hard look. "Didn't I order you to continue the advance after half an hour?" she frowns. "Never mind. I could find no sign of our scouts, whether they were captured or killed, I could not say. I did encounter horsemen about six kilometres ahead. They were headed West.

"Since we are now lacking in our advance scouts, I will take over that role. We will continue advancing as before, and I will return to report in every hour or if I should encounter anything of note. Give me ten minutes to get a lead, and then commence marching."

With that, Fuu turns and heads back the way she just came at a decent clip, slowing down and proceeding in a more careful, stealthy manner after 15 minutes.

Meanwhile...

Over dinner, Ukyo starts to speak.

"I wonder what the Fey'Ri told the Matsu to bring them here?" asks Ukyo, aloud. "After the last beating you gave them, I didn't think they would be so eager to return. Don't you agree, Hikaru?"

Okina is seated at the table, along with a few other minor elven nobles.

<->

After a few more hours of travelling, Fuu spots a part of Doji monks travelling across the wasteland.. they's twelve of them, none of them have a ponytail ala Shigen, and they're rushing in such a direction that they're not going to pass any of the scout troops. They're headed towards the capital, however. None of them seem to spot her, and she's a few hundred metres away from them.

"I don't know, but I suspect that the original idea for Master Toshi and myself wouldn't have worked. They were taken back from me before I got a chance to look at them, but there were two books in the Matsu champion's tent that I had taken with me. One of them about demihuman races, and the other about the ancient province of Kaisho, which one of the infiltrators mentioned. I just wish I'd had a chance to get a closer look at them before I was captured."

Moving behind a decent sized tree stump, Fuu notches an arrow and fires it at the nearest monk. Immediately after loosing the arrow, she ducks down under the stump, and then begins crawling on her belly towards another one a bit further in the direction the monks were headed. After reaching the next stump, she carefully peeks over to see what reaction she has garnered.

The arrow speeds towards it's target and slams into him. He stumbles, but doesn't fall.

Nonetheless, the group presses on instead of looking around for the culprit.

Fuu stealthily approaches to within 150 feet, then repeats her earlier shoot and move, trying to hit the same monk as before.

Rushing after the monks is difficult, because they're now heading away from her, but Fuu nonetheless manages to close distance and get off another shot, which drops the monk she attacked before.

They seem very furtive, now, and then they spot Fuu, waving their arms in a plea to stop the violence and surrender instead of returning fire or the like.

Frowning, Fuu rises from her position and approaches the monks, her bow notched and ready, but currently pointed at the ground.

"You wish to surrender?" she asks, disbelief plain in her voice.

A part of her worries that they might just be luring her closer so they can attack, and she tries to mentally calculate how long it will take for her group to catch up with her.

"We're *real* Doji monks," the leader yells back, after giving his comrades instructions to tend to his wounded companion.

Fuu's eyes widen and she removes the arrow from her bow, replacing it on her back as she quickly casts detect magic.

When Fuu is in range, she discovers that the monks are indeed mostly nonmagical. The leader is wearing some kind of magic monk outfit, however.

"We have ways of hearing things," he says. "We thought it prudent to make sure the elves were aware we were not responsible for these attacks."

"We have already discovered it is the work of Fey'Ri," Fuu replies to the leader, even as she hurries towards the monk she injured and spontaneously casts Cure Light Wounds, sacrificing her Magic Weapon spell.

"Nonetheless, we wonder why they choose to impersonate us," replies the monk, shrugging. "Where are you headed?"

"They have also been impersonating humans of the Katsu," Fuu tells him, "I believe it is simply their goal to obfuscate the real enemy and leave us paranoid - which sadly worked as I attacked you without a moments hesitation," Fuu says, her voice filled with self recrimination.

"I am scouting ahead for a small party of our army which is harassing the Matsu as they are seemingly in retreat. Although we have lost a few of our other scouts, we have yet to engage the enemy. What of yourselves? If you are headed to the capital to reassure us that the Doji are not involved, I'd think carrying a banner of truce might be advisable to prevent further misunderstandings."

The monk nods. "We were planning to, but did not expect to encounter anyone out here," he explains. "I can tell you a little of what lies ahead, if you like."

"Any information you might have could prove valuable," Fuu replies, nodding.

The monk nods. "About three kilometres away, there are roving groups of human guards patrolling the area," he says. "We slipped past them, for we feared detection.

There are numerous gaijin among their number; we cannot imagine why they have joined. However, we believe they are guarding some kind of camp. We didn't get a good look.

The camp itself is very big; and appears to be very active, even at this time of night. It's some kind of excavation, we believe. We're not sure, entirely.

We do know there is a river between here and the camp, guarded by many soldiers. They patrol the area thoroughly; if you wanted to cross the river, you'd either have to fight your way across the bridge, or try swimming across upstream, which runs the risk of detection anyway."

Fuu realises he must be talking about the River Haruko, which is known to be rather deep, rather cold, and home to a few odd predatory creatures.

While talking, she notices that the formerly-clear sky is now being filled up with clouds, which will soon blot out what little moonlight remained.

"Thank you for this information, Doji-san," Fuu nods gratefully, "I will have to confer with the rest of my detachment to decide what to do next - attacking a large fortified camp was not in our mission description.

"If you would accompany me, once we have met up with my unit you should have a mostly clear path to the capital - though once again I remind you to travel under a banner of truce to avoid misunderstandings. My people are not inclined to be particularly hospitable under current circumstances."

With that, Fuu heads back the way she came towards her group, making sure to keep her Daikyu visible so it will be clear she is not a prisoner.

It's not without a few odd looks that Fuu makes it back to her troop, obviously not expecting a group of Doji to be travelling with her so calmly. They await an explanation (as does Umi..)

"Everyone, these monks have travelled from Doji lands, seeking to reassure us that their people have no part in the attack on Cephiro - a fact we have already discovered, fortunately.

"They have also provided information about a Matsu encampment several kilometres that way," Fuu points, describing the place as it was described to her.

"Instead of traveling further," Umi tells the Doji monks, "you could stay with us until we contact the capital. It should be about time for that, anyway." She glances at the Shugenja. "Could you include this new information in our message to Okina-san and Hikaru?"

"Certainly," replies the Shugenja, but the Doji monks look a little tense.

"I understand you are going into combat?" he says, fidgeting a little.

"Kaisho? What's that?" asks Ukyo, curious.

Hikaru goes into a short history of the ancient elven province and its fall.

"Why the Fey'ri we discovered among the bushi here would claim to be from there makes no sense, though. Kaisho has been dead for thousands upon thousands of years now." The pink-haired elf shakes her head.

"How can you be sure they havn't lived that long?" replies Ukyo, covering a slight cough with a napkin.

"I..." Hikaru stops in mid-answer. "I suppose I don't know. There's no way even an elf could have survived that long, but there's so little we actually KNOW about the Fey'ri." She looks thoughtful as she considers the idea.

Ukyo shrugs. "Either way, there's little to do about it. They seem capable of anything.

Still. So many thousands of years and such little martial skill to show for it? I don't believe I've heard of them outside of just now, either, which goes to show that humans can't have encountered them often.. or at least lived to tell the tale."

"Legends and so on are all I've heard to now, and most of those are fairly vague. As for their martial abilities, I'm not in much of a position to judge. The only ones I've seen fight so far are Shigen and the two that we captured here in the capital - Shigen was no slouch by any stretch, and the two we found here were caught off-guard."

"We managed to clear the ship, and they had aid from gaijin warriors," replies Ukyo. "Perhaps they are saving their elites troops for later.

Or perhaps we only faced the Fey'Ri youth. There may be others like Shigen; perhaps many..

Oh, don't listen to me," he says, suddenly, having the shame to look abashed. "I'm not much for optimism."

OOC: 'He' says? I'll assume one of the Doji monks, I guess.

IC:
"The plan is to scout the area for ourselves, but combat may be unavoidable," Umi replies.

"If you'll excuse us, we would rather not come," sayeth the monks. "Our methods are more subtle."

"Indeed," Fuu nods to the monk, "You are here on a diplomatic mission to the capital. There is no reason for you to accompany us as we go into battle heading away from your destination."

The monks nod. "By your leave," the leader states, walking off with his party, their robes fluttering in the wind..

"By your leave, Umi-san, I feel that now is an appropriate time to send a message," says the shugenja, looking about wairly. "If I may?"

"Of course," Umi replies, looking at the shugenja expectantly.

The shugenja nods, and starts lapsing into the casting of his spell, magical energy swirling from his fingers, and eventually coalcizing inside his mouth.

He begins to whisper, inaudiably, but all can feel the reverberations of his words as they speed across the blasted wasteland towards the capital...

And soon, it is done.
<->

"Hikaru-san?" A servant appears behind her. "We've just recieved a message from Umi and Fuu; on their present location.

They also claim that a party of Doji monks was spotted; real Doji monks. Come to make sure we know they're not to blame for some of the violence in these parts..

"I've found that realism is a far better approach than either optimism or pessimism - and unfortunately, the reality is that we simply don't know enough about the Fey'ri to judge their strength very well."

Hikaru is about to continue when the servant arrives. "Hmm... we still can't go to meet them just yet, as I haven't gotten my new spellbook from the mage in the marketplace." She looks at the servant. "Could you take us to the shugenja that received the message, please?"

"Certainly," replies the servant. Ukyo also rises to accompany you.

<->

"Ahh, Hikaru-chan," says Gizen, leader of the Cephiro Shugenja. He's a creepy young man, rumoured to have a bit of a taste for young elven flesh- or any other pretty woman. Standing tall, he looks down at her. "What can I do for you this fine evening? Do you want some wine- oh," he continues, when Ukyo enters.

The two men stare daggers at each other. Hikaru can tell they are *not* going to get along..

Hikaru suppresses the urge to roll her eyes. "I was hoping to get the details of Fuu and Umi's message as well as send a reply, GIzen-san."

"I thought you might, so I wrote it down for you," says Gizen, handing Hikaru a piece of parchment.

Ukyo has taken it upon himself to wander around the room, looking at the odds and ends Gizen has found..

<->

The Message Reads;

Hikaru, we are located to the East of the Great River, which is near the Matsu lands. There are few landmarks, but the patrols are all about five kilometres away from the river, so if you stick to that approximate length, you should be able to find one of them, and they will direct you to us.

While scouting, Fuu encountered a party of Doji monks. They claim to have-"

*crash*

"Don't touch that!" yells Gizen.

"Gomen, gomen," replies Ukyo, moving on to another priceless paperweight..

"-been sent by their leader to clear up any misunderstanding we may have.

Be wary, Hikaru. There are spells that can be used to conceal magical auras. Fuu did not detect anything, but keep a close watch.

We await your arrival, but if we are forced to act, you will be informed."

Hikaru can hear Gizen casting a spell..

Hikaru massages her temples, hoping the two men don't come to blows. She considers what to reply for a few moments, then attempts to attract Gizen's attention. "Gizen-san! I'm ready to send my reply!"

Hikaru need not have worried; Ukyo had his own methods of dealing with Gizen.

*bonk* "Ow! That hurt!" complains Gizen, gazing at an apple that had just impacted his forehead. "What was that for?"

Ukyo snort, contemptuously, and leaves the room.


"Ah, yes, Hikaru-chan," says Gizen, distracted from her looks for the moment. "What do you want me to send?"

"Send this in reply: I have received your message, and I will confer with Okina concerning the Doji before I depart. Unfortunately, it will be late in the morning before I can even begin to leave, unless I forgo preparing any spells before I arrive - I have yet to receive my spellbook from the mage at all. I will come as soon as I can; if the situation changes, please try to send word so I can alter my plans accordingly. Otherwise, I will meet you near the river sometime late tomorrow evening."

Gizen nods, and lapses into casting, the magical light swirling from his hands..

After a short time, the message is sent.

<->

"Umi-san! We just recieved a message from Hikaru," says the Shugenja, relating it to her..

Umi nods, listening to the message. "So, what do you want to do, Fuu?" she asks. "Do you want to investigate further, attack, or wait till Hikaru arrives?"

"An attack against a fortified camp with our current numbers would be suicidal," Fuu shakes her head. "I will go and investigate the bridge, and what I can of the camp. In the meantime, I suggest you send word to the other groups to rendevouz with us - unless they have encountered anything themselves. I think by the time Hikaru-chan arrives we will be in a better position to judge the situation, and mount an attack if necessary."

"Alright. Would you mind if I came along as backup?" Umi frowns. "I'd really like to see the situation at that bridge for myself, and in case you're spotted, I could divert their attention."

"I'm not sure if that would be a good idea, Umi-chan," Fuu says hesitantly. "You don't have any real training in stealth, nor do you have the same magical assistance that I do," she fingers the edge of her cloak as she speaks. "While I don't doubt that you could provide a most effective diversion, I would much rather not see you throw your life away so pointlessly - besides, the chances of my being detected, much less caught, are significantly lessened if I go alone."

Umi shrugs. "Your call, Fuu. Come back safe."

"I always do," Fuu smiles before heading off towards the river. Stealthy-like.

Fuu makes it a fair distance from the River Haruko, in time to see an odd sight.

Shigen is talking to the Matsu; not in his Doji monk guise, but in his true, Fey'Ri form. His reddish skin and long red hair cause him to stand out.

He's speaking with authority; it seems the Matsu know, and respect, or at least fear him.

He turns and marches across the bridge over the great river, Haruko. Directly guarding the bridge are about twelve soldiers, with others walking up and down the river to protect it, and Fuu can make out an indetermite number of Matsu guards on the bridge itself.

A number of Fey'Ri are standing around the area. Unlike the Matsu guards (who seem almost jumpy), they are standing at consumnate ease. There are about eight of them, but they have no uniform apperance. Some have long, pointed tails, others have scales, and some have horns.

All have a pair of batlike wings, however, but they do not even carry uniform weapons. Their faces show that they are rather alert, but nobody spots Fuu.

Having ascertained the situation at the bridge, Fuu returns to her group to make a report.

Fuu starts making her way back to the camp.. but halfway there, she sees a lone, mounted gaijin, who luckily doesn't spot her. However, he is coming towards her location..

Making use of any nearby cover, Fuu hunkers down and waits for the horse to draw closer before she makes her move.

The horse *does* draw closer.. to about a hundred feet away, in fact. However, the rider looks like he's going to turn the horse around and go somewhere else. If Fuu wants to move, now is the time.

Deciding that there is nothing she can do at this range that doesn't carry the risk of the horseman simply bolting away and then alerting the encampment of her presence, Fuu allows him to continue on his way as she returns back to her detachment of the Cephiro army.

Meanwhile...

After taking posession of her spiffy new spellbook, Hikaru and Ukyo leave, alone, to travel across the wilderness towards the location of the elven scout parties.

The journey is rather long..

<->

Meanwhile, Fuu arrives back at her scout party.

Fuu tells Umi and the bushi about the situation as she saw it at the bridge, as well as her near encounter with the gaijin horseman.

"Are you sure he didn't see you?" asks the nearest Bushi.

"Quite sure," Fuu nods. "He was some way off, and I was fairly concealed. And as a human his vision would not be all that good to begin with at this light level."

The bushi shrugs. "I wonder what he was doing? A gaijin.. oh well."

<->

Meanwhile, Hikaru comes across the remnants of an elven villiage that once existed in the proud forest. The treetop houses and canopy towers have been burnt to the ground, along with all the trees. Now only blasted rubble and piles of scorched wood adorn the area.. as well as the bodies of several once-living elves, not touched by the carrion. The stench of the corpses is still in the air, and an acrid trace of smoke remains..

Hikaru wrinkles her nose at the stench. "Why destroy so much?" she mutters, half to herself. "Why not just take what they want and go?"

Shaking her head at the senseless destruction, Hikaru continues on to her rendezvous with Umi and Fuu.

Ukyo trudges after Hikaru. "Because.. they hate you. And probably everything you stand for," he says, shrugging. "They're like Ronin, only to the nth degree."[/list]

"Let's wait for Hikaru and Ukyo, and for the other groups to rendezvous with ours" Umi suggests, before turning to Fuu. "Can you estimate the amount of Matsu or Fey'ri at the bridge, aside from those twelve guards?"

Fuu considers this for a moment, "I'd say around twenty, possibly more. And there's no telling how many are within the encampment itself..."

"Well, we can't let them have it. If Shigen wants whatever's in that tomb...." Umi trails off, shaking her head. "In any case, I think attacking the bridge with the combined forces of all our scouting groups and then withdrawing to try and lure the rest of the enemy into an ambush is as good a plan as any. If you agree, I'd love to hear ideas about decent ambushes we could set up in the meanwhile."

"If we combine with the other groups currently out here, we do stand a good chance of successfully attacking the bridge without too many casualties," Fuu agrees, "But engaging the main bulk of their forces would be suicide, and it wouldn't take long for reinforcements to arrive from the encampment."

Fuu then tries to think of any natural terrain features nearby that could be used to form an effective ambush spot.

Fuu knows there's plenty of burnt-out trees that would probably be *very* effective in the dark, though not so in during the day.

<->

While travelling, Hikaru comes across something odd. There's a small fountain in the middle of wasteland that she doesn't recall ever seeing before; or ever being mentioned.

Despite the scorched land about her, it seems untouched. There's a palbable feeling of magic around it..

Hikaru studies the fountain with a faintly puzzled expression, casting Detect Magic after a few moments to try to get a better idea of what KIND of magic she can feel coming from it.

The fountain seems to be of Universal magic.

Ukyo moves towards the fountain and peers into it, interested.

"There's some writing here," he says. "Says to toss in a coin and make a wish."

"Not much, I'm afraid," Fuu tells Umi apologetically. "While the burnt out trees are ideal for ambushes right now, during the day they don't offer nearly as much cover. And I would object most strongly to us making any attempt at attacking with our current numbers, so there is nothing much we can do until morning, anyway."

"Let's wait till the others arrive first, then," Umi says, shrugging.

"A wish, hmm?" Hikaru shrugs, producing a copper piece from her pouch and tossing it into the fountain. "Suppose it can't hurt. I wish for good fortune in restoring peace to Cephiro and driving these Fey'ri out of our lands."

The fountain ripples slightly with the impact of the water.. and then vanishes into thin air! Motes of magic float where it once stood, slowly fading away, but producing an undeniably beautiful effect in comparision to the wasteland.

Ukyo raises an eyebrow. "Interesting."

<->

Eventually, night has fallen once more, and Hikaru and Ukyo have managed to make their way to the elven scout party, lead by Umi and Fuu..

"Well, this is it," Umi says, surveying their group after welcoming Ukyo and Hikaru. "You suggested nighttime as having the best chances of success for our attack and subsequent ambush, Fuu, so unless anyone has an objection, let's advance towards the bridge."

"Let's just go over things first, Umi-chan," Fuu says, holding up a hand. "Your plan is that we attack Fey'ri/Matsu forces at the bridge, then retreat so we can ambush any other forces that get sent out to engage us, correct? We still need to establish our tactics for the initial battle, what the signal to retreat will be, where we will lie in wait for the ambush, and when we will stop waiting in case the enemy is not as stupid as we hope."

"Correct," Umi replies with a nod. "We'll attack with our bows and arrows, firing thrice before falling back here, where as you've mentioned before, we could use the burnt out trees while it's dark."

She shrugs. "As for when we'll stop waiting... that rather depends on how things would go, wouldn't you say?"

"In that case I'm ready to go right now," Fuu replies.

Ukyo shrugs. "Remember, without cover, there's a chance you won't be able to effectively ambush them. A few elves could hide here, perhaps, but even with darkness as an ally, remember that while we have our numbers, that fact can hinder us when trying to hide."

"I'd prefer us to target mostly Fey'ri with our initial attack, to make the ambush more effective," Umi says. "And as for leaving some people behind for a more effective ambush... would you like to lead that group, Hikaru and Ukyo?"

"I don't think I'll be leading anyone," replies Ukyo dryly.

"That would be fine with me. I doubt my presence on the front lines would make a great deal of difference in any case," the pink-haired elf replies dryly. "Be careful, you two."

Umi nods, and assigns twenty of their party to come with them. "Set up the ambush as you feel is best," she tells Hikaru. "I would suggest keeping half of your forces in reserve nearby, if the terrain doesn't let you set up an effective ambush with the fourty of you." Turning to Fuu, she shrugs. "Seems like we're all set. Lead us to the bridge?"

The elves stealthily make their way to the river, and spread out through the blackened trees, dark shillouetes against a moonless night.

However, upon arriving at the bridge site, they discover that there are no Fey'ri present. The Matsu aren't in the practice of making the officers terribly obvious from the common soldier, and so no particularly viable targets present themselves..

Umi estimates the amount of the Matsu forces, taking under account their positions as well.

OOC: As in, how many appear to be guarding the bridge, and how many are just there, and aren't as alert, etc.

After Fuu and Umi leave, Hikaru studies the terrain for the best places to try to conceal the warriors left under her command. Taking into account that the burnt forest isn't going to offer the best of cover, she looks around for any terrain features that might serve as good hiding places for a fairly large number of people.

Around Hikaru's position are a few small hills, which could provide cover for several elves each. Also, the ground is soft, which could facilitate the digging of ditches or pit traps for the unsuspecting. The trees are burnt through and unsafe to climb; however, they can provide cover, if used wisely.

<->

Umi counts about 20 Matsu guards gathered near the bridge itself, without another 20 positioned along the river. There are more troops on the bridge itself, but they can't be easily counted without getting closer.

Umi checks for cover around her position, where she would move after firing her first arrow. Afterwards, she notches an arrow and takes careful aim at the closest Matsu soldier located along the river, ignoring those gathered on the actual bridge or near it.

Readying her own bow and targeting a random Matsu soldier, Fuu waits for the signal to attack.

A slight rustle can be heard as the other 20 elves raises their bows and take aim..

Umi lets her arrow fly, signaling the beginning of their assault, moving for a new spot and notching another arrow immedately afterwards.

Fuu releases her own arrow at her chosen target, replacing it in a fluid motion from the quiver at her hip and targetting another random Matsu.

Working swiftly, Hikaru divides her group into a number of smaller bands which conceal themselves among the hills and in a few strategically dug ditches around the area designated for the ambush. With a signal for the attack arranged (a cricket chirp repeated in a specific pattern) the pink-haired elf settles down to wait for her friends' return.

A flock of arrows washes out from the darkness towards the Matsu, clustered mostly towards the bridge itself. Some die, some are only wounded, and many are not hit at all.

Before the second volley lashes out, the Matsu erupt into pandemonium. Amongst shouted orders, varying from 'Retreat!' to 'Charge!', the soldiers seem to follow a fairly organized pattern. Those not gathered on the bridge start to rush towards the forest, gathering in small groups, lead by one or two soldiers with torches. The soldiers on the bridge itself alternate between falling back to the other side and joining the onrushing troops.

A second volley rocks out, but the sudden, too-well-organized charge of the Matsu has thrown some archers off course, so fewer casualties hit the Matsu than before.

The Matsu are getting close. Some pockets of them are rushing to areas with no elves at all; others are right on target. There are about four or five groups that Umi and Fuu can count straight off.

Deliberately targeting a group of charging Matsu that are nowhere near the Elves, Fuu notches an arrow and lets it fly at the torchbearer.

After firing her third shot, she then make all haste to return to the ambush point. But does so in a stealthy-like manner.

Umi sends an arrow flying at a Matsu with a torch, picking a group where there are no other torchbearers. Afterwards, she retreats back halfway towards their ambush point, and briefly checks the situation.

Umi's shot flies wide of her target, totally missing.

Fuu's shot hits her target square, however, and the torchbearer collapses, causing a little confusion amongst his fellows, who blindly rush an unoccupied area.

The rest of the elves pissbolt, but the Matsu are able to catch and bring a few down, judging by the screams and such.

Upon reaching halfway to the ambush point, Umi realises that the numbers of Matsu following them don't match up with the numbers that were fighting them; there's a sizable discrepency, judging by the noise they're making.

Umi tries to estimate the amount of Matsu following them, as well as their distance from her.

Umi can't guess, exactly. She can hear several pairs of boots and a few shouted voices; maybe ten? Give or take?

They're about twenty metres away.

<->

Hikaru can hear noises and human shouts coming from up ahead.. along with Fuu, rushing back to the ambush point.

Fuu doesn't do something stupid like yell out 'The humans are coming! Get ready to ambush them!'

Instead she scatters 2 handfuls of caltrops as she quietly makes her way to pretty much the middle of where the remaining elves were to have hidden and makes use of whatever decent cover she can find there, before watching the way she just came for the first visual sign of the Matsu.

Hikaru signals to her own group to prepare for their ambush as she watches Fuu run through the prepared area.

Umi retreats, heading back to the ambush area as well.

Umi, Fuu, and a group of other elves fly through the forest to the ambush point, retreating behind burnt trees, scrub, and perhaps finding themselves in a carefully constructed ditch.

Almost immediatly following, a barrage of arrows leaps forth from the bunkered-down elves, cutting down.. only a few humans. Apparently, the rest stopped giving chase shortly after Umi had appraised their numbers..

There is a tense silence in the air, every elf holding an arrow to a bow, until, some moments later, Ukyo smacks the palm of his fist into his hand.

"Damn! They must have anticipated your plan," he whispers to Hikaru.

"That or they're under strict orders to guard whatever it is they're guarding."

Hikaru thinks for a moment, then searches out Umi and Fuu quietly. "They appear to be holding their positions - do you want to try to pick them off where they stand and hold the ambush in case they break, or should we try a different tack entirely?"

Fuu considers this for a moment. "Right now they'll be at a high state of alert following our raid, but on the other hand if we wait it just gives them more time to make preperations...

"While I don't want to give up already, carrying out another direct attack might be unwise. Perhaps another approach is in order, if we can just think of a new plan..."

"Maybe they won't be expecting that, though, after thinking we'll try a different plan?" Umi suggests. "If they anticipated our ambush, then they wouldn't think we would try another similar attack immediately afterwards. And if they are guarding something they can't leave too far behind, they must have been alert from the beginning, and we still got close enough to snipe at them that time."

She shrugs. "Why not try again? This time, we'll only fire one bout of arrows, and retreat with parting shots at their torchbearers."

As she speaks, Umi checks on their losses.

It turns out to be a total of seven lost soldiers, and three wounded.

"10 casualties," says Ukyo, shaking his head. "That's a sizable chunk of our force, whereas the Matsu appear to be limitless.

Umi-san, the Matsu did not fall for the ambush this time. At least, not most of them. To attempt to same strategy is foolhardy."

"I agree," Fuu nods in acknowledgement to Ukyo, "They will whittle our force down far faster than we would theirs. And do not forget that some Fey'Ri have the ability to turn invisible at will - it would not be hard for them to ambush us.

"I think with our current numbers a direct attack will never succeed. If we wish to pursue that approach we will need to detach a sizable force from the army defending Cephiro. Our only other option would be trying to sneak past the guards at the bridge and infiltrate the camp, but even were that possible, I doubt whoever goes in would be able to release Sakura-sama and get her out of the camp without drawing the entire Matsu and Fey'Ri force upon themselves..."

"We really don't have the forces to try much else," Umi says. "Attempting to cross the river and staging a two-pronged assault on the bridge would not only be dangerous but also a logistical nightmare, and if we don't try to snipe at them to chip away at their forces either...." She shrugs. "Not much else we can do here, it seems. Should we return to the capital, then?"

"Well..." Fuu speaks up hesitantly, "There is one other option I can see..." She looks at both Hikaru and Umi for a second before continuing. "We negotiate. It's already clear that the Fey'Ri desperately want us three specifically - moreso than they would want Sakura-sama. And our mission is to rescue the Champion by whatever means necessary..." she trails off, not looking terribly enthused.

Umi shakes her head. "I don't really have confidence that they'd give Sakura-san back, even if we made this proposal. Besides, we just might be misinterpreting how much they need us." Sighing, she adds, "And in the case you're right, shouldn't we prevent our enemies from having something they'd want more badly than our Champion?"

Hikaru nods in agreement with Umi. "There's no telling what they might do if they get what they want here. They could simply turn right back around and raze the capital - there's nothing to ensure that they'll keep their word if we DO walk right into their hands, and it's certain at the very least that we'd be in no position to do anything about it in that case."

"I suppose you're right," Fuu wrings her hands helplessly, "I just don't know what else we can do, though... we have no way to successfully attack as we are, but we can't just leave Sakura-sama in their clutches..."

Ukyo shakes his head, almost shocked. "Retreat to the capital? That's almost predictable! They doubtless have scouts or spies of some kind, otherwise they couldn't have prepared such a defence so quickly.

No, think. Were you that Matsu general, what would you do? And aren't the elven soldiers better trained and motivated that the typical Matsu.. conscript? We may have suffered a setback, but surely.."

Umi reflects on the short battle, especially on its opening stages, and then goes to inquire the other participants of their strike force about various details in an attempt to compose a good view of it and of the casualties on the other side.

The general opinion is that the Matsu lost roughly 20-30 soldiers in the assualt, there are still plenty of others rushing around the bridge area, and that their own losses are to be grieved. Most elves were surprised by the Matsu charge tactics, but resolve to not break so easily should it occur again.

Hikaru thinks for a moment. "If I were him, I would have told my troops to hold their positions regardless of the circumstances. If he's wise at all, he would realize that his troops would be ill-prepared to deal with an ambush we set up on our own lands - so his best move would be to maintain a defensive position and hope to drive away any sorties we might try. He does have the advantage of numbers, so a direct assault on our part is not exactly a good idea."

"I disagree," Umi says, shaking her head. "Of course, we don't know how many soldiers the enemy has in reserve close by, but we hold a numerical advantage over the soldiers we did see guarding the bridge at present. And if retreat and negotiations aren't options, let's talk about an offensive again." She frowns, thinking. "I'm not a mage, but you two are. What if we set a small part of the bridge on fire, and then use another spell to increase it? All amidst a group of Matsu guarding the bridge, of course. Hikaru, you should be able to do that. And Fuu could use that sound spell, like the one she did on the ship, in the center of another group of soldiers. The rest of us will fire arrows in the confusion, and retreat." Pausing, Umi shrugs. "Even if they don't follow us into an ambush, we should still get a lot of them. There were only about 60 to begin with -- that we could see, granted -- and between a third and a half of them are now casualties. If we attack again, using magic this time, we just might take most of them out. Then, we could think of our next move."

Hikaru shakes her head. "I would have to be in plain sight of the soldiers on the bridge in order to be close enough to start a fire magically, especially given the nature of the wood they usually use in building bridges - I doubt it will burn easily."

"That said, I do have another idea. If Fuu, and perhaps another skilled archer could make it across the river, they could position themselves between the Matsu at the bridge and their main camp. We lead an assault on the bridge, and the archers behind the force at the bridge can pick off any runners sent to the main camp for reinforcements. If the Matsu get a chance to bring up any sort of larger force, we could spend our entire strength in trying to take the bridge - it's just too easy to defend even against a superior force. But I think we could manage it if we can cut off the force currently there from their reinforcements."

"I agree with that plan," Fuu nods, "It wouldn't be hard for me to sneak across the bridge, although anyone else would have to swim across the river, and further away from the bridge so they don't get spotted. But it does give us the opportunity to defeat them in detail without worrying about reinforcements."

"Besides the problem of timing the attack and getting enough people across the river safely, there's also the possibility of leaving them stranded. After all, while the Matsu forces on the bridge would be between us and Fuu's group, Fuu's group will be between them and the Matsu main force, or their reserves, at least." Umi thinks for a moment. "Do you really need to be nearby to start fire with your fire shuriken? That's a problem, then.... What if you only had to expand a fire created by a lit arrow?"

"What good would burning the bridge do?" Fuu asks, looking at Umi, "We need to cross it to get to the main Matsu camp, and the wood is unlikely to burn fast enough to kill any great number of the forces defending the bridge anyway."

Hikaru shakes her head. "You're thinking in terms too large, Umi. This isn't an attempt to infiltrate an assault force onto the other side of the river - while a pincer attack on the force at the bridge would be very effective, we simply don't have the means to do it. Fuu would most likely be there alone, possibly with one other archer, and her only purpose would be to pick off anyone sent to gather reinforcements. The only timing involved is in giving her enough time to get into position; it shouldn't require more than one or two archers at the most, either. If we're using main force to attack the bridge, they certainly aren't going to be able to spare more than one, possibly two soldiers at a time to retrieve reinforcements - and eliminating a single soldier from cover should not present a difficulty."

"True, Fuu can get there easily, even if only by crossing the bridge while using her invisibility ring. But if we commit all of our forces into an all-out attack on the bridge, we won't be able to sneak up on them to get off the first shot. And that would mean we'll suffer fairly heavy casualties, I believe. Even if they don't have anyone in reserve or any ambushes set up in preparations of such a plan." Umi sighs, rubbing her temples. "Why should we resort to an all-or-nothing approach so early? You are assuming that their reserves are far enough to require a runner, but what if you're wrong?"

"How is attacking like this more 'all or nothing' than your plan, Umi?" Fuu asks curiously, "It's basically the same except we take measures to prevent enemy reinforcements turning the tide. And if their camp is close enough to not require a runner, I can just come back across the bridge before we commence the attack."

"From what I understand of your suggestion, you intend to take out all of the forces stationed at the bridge, while I'd be satisfied with a hit and run attack to hurt them. Obviously, we would also need to commit different amounts of soldiers to each attack. I planned to take twenty of them along, but you're suggesting to attack with all fifty, correct?"

"Yes, but the soldiers at the bridge will have to be removed before we can do anything about the main Matsu camp itself. Any harrying tactics will just cause whoever is in command at the bridge to send for reinforcements, making it that much harder to do significant damage the next time. And without constant pressure on his forces, he COULD send a small squad to go request reinforcements - enough that Fuu couldn't take out the entire group alone. I'll admit that it does commit us to a fairly major attack, but we're going to have to remove them from that bridge entirely, one way or another, if we want to make any further progress."

"Maybe not," Umi muses. "Fuu could use that invisibility ring to scout out the area beyond the bridge, and maybe even the Matsu camp itself. Meanwhile, the rest of us could make rafts and prepare to cross the river a bit downstream."

Fuu coughs and sputters for a moment. "Rafts?!" she gestures at the burnt out remains of what was once a glorious forest. "Made of what? Soot?!"

Umi winces. "Well, there's bound to be a stretch of shallow water, at least. We could pass the river even without the bridge, and probably with better results."

"We could be traveling for a long time looking for a suitable place to cross - and I'm almost certain we would be. If there was a simple place to pass over the river anywhere nearby, there wouldn't be a bridge here in the first place. We could try it, I suppose, but there's no telling how far out of our way or how long it would take us if we did."

"Besides that, I don't see the value in attacking them from the other side of the river - even if it catches the forces defending the bridge off guard, it also puts us in the rather unenviable position of being between the fortified bridge and the Matsu camp. They could easily crush us from both sides."

"I think you misunderstood," Umi tells Fuu. "If we do cross the river, it won't be to attack the enemy guarding the bridge from the other side, but to bypass it completely. We could just proceed to the main camp to try and break out Sakura-san, or take out the Fey'ri in charge." Turning to Hikaru, Umi shrugs. "True, it wouldn't be this close. But I'd expect to find a good place to cross within an hour or two. We've waited a long time since we first got here, so another couple of hours won't matter that much." After pausing for a few moments, she adds, "Perhaps we should decide on our goal before we discuss our next course of action? Is it wearing the enemy guarding the bridge down, conquering the bridge, or something else entirely, such as proceeding to rescue Sakura-san?"

As she argues, Umi examines the burnt woods which have served as part of their ambush, to check whether making a raft would be possible from what's there. Surely there must be some usable material around....

"And that still leaves us with the force at the bridge ready to come crashing down on our flanks," Fuu points out, somewhat exasparatedly.

"Not necessarily," Umi responds. "It depends on how far the main camp is. If the Matsu now think that we are determined to cross through the bridge no matter what, or have their orders to hold it, they may not leave their posts. If they didn't chase us in this direction, why would they do it then?"

"And there's certainly no guarantee that we'll find a crossing within an hour or two's march - it could take several hours in one direction.  And if we make the attempt, we run ourselves out of the cover of darkness, whether we succeed or fail - and making an attack in the daylight will make any attempt at a surprise attack that much more difficult."

"They didn't chase us in this direction because we're going away from what they're defending, but if their camp gets attacked they'll have no compunction against racing back to defend it," Fuu says, nodding at Hikaru's point as well.

"Then I have to ask again what our goal is."

Fuu gives Umi an annoyed look.

"To rescue Sakura-sama," she says, speaking very slowly. "Which we cannot do by stealthy means. Our only chance of success is to attack them, and even that has no guarantee of success. I want to stack the odds in our favour as much as possible, and leaving our primary escape route defended by a significant enemy force, which could enter the battle at any time, is foolishness bordering on suicidal."

"We can't rescue Sakura-san with an all-out attack. The Matsu forces at their main camp outnumber us so much it's not even funny," Umi states flatly. "Frankly, does it matter whether they would have a thousand troops or a thousand plus the fifty guarding the bridge? They may not even come to help, because it's ridiculous to think that few troops would make a difference; not to mention they have to be aware to the possibility we're diverting their attention from another force operating with us."

"As for our escape route," she continues, "you're right that it's our primary one. Thus, they would expect us to take it, and it would be foolish of us to do so. If we escape, it'd be best to do it by means other than crossing that bridge, since it's the first place they would think of and concentrate on."

Sighing, she spreads out her hands. "I don't think we can come to a compromise, and partly it's because we don't have enough information. Maybe you could use your ring to go past the guards on the bridge and inspect the enemy camp so that we would know the situation better, Fuu?"

EDIT: several hundred -> a thousand (after going back to doublecheck)

Fuu looks very unhappy. "Hikaru-chan," she says, reaching into her pack and pulling out three healing potions, "Please see that our wounded are cared for." She hands the potions over to the pink-haired elf and then stalks out of the clearing, headed for the bridge.

Hikaru accepts the  potions with a small sigh. "Good luck, Fuu."

Fuu passes by a couple of advance Matsu scouts as she walks through the forest. They're being very careful, very sneaky, and she's sure that despite the average elfs good senses, they would still remain unseen (if she didn't see them, of course).

Upon reaching the bridge, she notices that the guard on it and nearby it has significantly dropped, though the guard across the other side has increased. There's only a couple token soldiers guarding the river, and they look edgy.

Well, time to go get myself killed or captured... the brown-haired elf thinks sourly, activating her ring of invisibility and hurrying across the bridge.

Fuu can count an accurate number of Matsu at the bridge; there are 50-odd soldiers, each with tense faces and being occasionally shouted at by higher-caste samurai, who are marching about in their flashy battle armour and keeping on hand on their swords.

They're arranged in a fashion to defend people coming off the bridge in a swarm; bristling naginata are arrayed at the tip of the bridge (Fuu could barely slip through), with a contingent of bowmen ready behind them. Fuu can see that they are squinting to try and see through the darkness.

One Matsu samurai in particular is very noticable; he wears a particularly elaborate helmet, and the katana he is waving around is glowing a bright yellow.

While there is a definite temptation to drop a few nasty spells on the assembled Matsu, and maybe stick a few arrows in the head of the fool with the magic katana, Fuu grimly presses on towards the main Matsu encampment. Stealthy-like as always.

Pressing on past the small Matsu guardpost, Fuu is forced to travel for about ten minutes when.. she catches up to a lone Matsu soldier, carrying a sealed scroll in one hand. He's walking along a trail Fuu has been following, a frantic look in his face (and he's a little out of breath).

Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Fuu readies her daikyu and shoots an arrow at him when she comes within 100 feet.

Fuu's magical invisibilty is dispelled by her bowshot. The arrow soars through the air and punches through his head, dropping him to the ground with nary a sound.

Even without the magic provided by her ring of invisibility, Fuu moves like a shadow in the night as she approaches the corpse, taking the scroll from his cold dead hands and dragging the body off the trail. She then opens and tries to read the scroll.

The message is simple to read.

"An elven army is approaching the bridge! We fear we may be overrun! Send reinforcements, especially bowmen and shugenja!"

Fuu crumples up the message and discards it, before resuming her journey towards the Matsu camp.

Needless to say, she does so in her usual stealthy-like manner.

Fuu reaches the Matsu camp, staying out of sight and out of mind by managing to pick a few well-placed black-trees..

The Matsu are packing up, by the looks of things. They're dismantling tents, covering up campfires, and standing around looking worried. Doji monks walk around, all talking excitedly to one another. It's a great contrast to the worried, uncertain expressions on Matsu faces.

Otoshi chances to walk by, and Fuu is struck by the profoundly disturbed look on his face. He's even muttering to himself; almost unheard of for a samurai, let alone a Clan Champion.

There's no chance of Fuu sneaking in as she is now; the guards are nervous and alert, and there are just too many.

Fuu turns and heads back to the bridge with all due haste, realising that now is most certainly the perfect time to attack, and not wanting to waste a second longer than necessary.

Fuu manages to arrive at the bridge to discover that the people there are looking very worried.

"Why havn't the reinforcements arrived?" asks one young soldier, of nobody in particular. Nobody has an answer for him.

Once more activating her ring of invisibility, Fuu sneaks across the bridge and then heads back towards where she left the other elves, keeping a lookout for the hidden Matsu she saw on her way to the bridge earlier.

The Matsu scouts are still there, still watching, still waiting, and still unable to catch a hint of Fuu's presence as she drifts by..

Fuu gets about 100 feet away from the scouts (if the bridge-scouts-elves were to form a line she'd be perpendicular to them, not on the line), notches an arrow, and lets it fly at one of the scouts.

The arrow flies and hits.. the scout in the arm. He looks shocked, yells something incoherent, and starts moving back towards the Matsu camp.

The other scouts follow suit, pissbolting at a much faster pace than their wounded comrade.

<->

Back at the elven trenches, a pained yell is heard, coming from the direction of the Matsu..

Fuu notches another arrow, and lets it fly at the retreating scouts, following along after them.

Another arrow flies through the air and sticks into a retreating Matsu scouts foots, causing him to fall over and tumble end over end, eventually coming to an abrupt stop against a tree.

Ignoring the one who just fell, Fuu targets one of his comrades with another arrow.

This arrow misses the target by a close margin. Fuu notes that she has about three or four more shots before the scouts are too close to the bridge.

Hikaru returns from administering the potions to the wounded elves, entering the front lines of the elven position at a run. Having heard the shouts from the direction of the bridge, she quickly heads up to one of the bushi. "What's going on?"

"We don't know," replies the bushi. "We just heard some shouts from up ahead. Should we investigate?"

Fuu continues harassing the retreating scouts with arrows until they get too close to the bridge, then finishes off the one who's leg she shot (and any others she incapacitated like that) before returning to the elven position at a run.

"Yes - but just a small party, we don't want to start a charge until we've heard back from Fuu."

Quickly picking out a group of four or five bushi, she leads them out into the darkened forest herself in the direction of the shouts.

Fuu's arrows take down another two scouts and injure another before she starts returning back to camp...

..and, prophetically, runs into Hikaru's little patrol.

"Hikaru," Fuu greets her friend breathlessly, "We need to prepare for an immediate attack - the Matsu are abandoning their camp!"

Hikaru nods. "Take a breather then, Fuu-chan - I'll get our forces ready to attack."

Swiftly heading back to the camp, Hikaru begins to pass word to the various captains that they need to be ready to go as soon as can be arranged.

Fuu nods, following Hikaru back to the other elves. "I have one charge left on my invisibility ring. They'll be expecting an attack on the bridge, so I will sneak across again and use some spells to sow confusion in their ranks, that will be your signal to attack. Then we need to move onto the camp and hit them while they're busy with dismantling everything."

OOC: Huh. I score 10 dumbass points.

IC: The captains start to nod and pass on orders for preperation onto their troops, who grimly start to ready their weapons.

"What's our plan?" asks one of them.