Captured! Revelations of the Mysterious Tomb..

[Carthrat]

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.

[Ebiris]

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.

[Carthrat]

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).

[Ebiris]

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.

[Carthrat]

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.

[Ebiris]

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.

[Carthrat]

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!"

[Ebiris]

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.

[Carthrat]

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.

[Ebiris]

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.

[Carthrat]

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.

[Ebiris]

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.

[Carthrat]

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..

[Ebiris]

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.

[Carthrat]

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..