Tales of the Fox and the Runaway

[Morris]

Gengoro sensed as Mieko voluntarily withdrew her consciousness as the shock of the realization hit her. He needed to calm her down somehow, that much was clear. Sharing the same body, he could talk to her by mere thoughts; and so he did: - "Mieko? Mieko, calm down. Thing is, I possessed your body. We got out of the cage and I knocked the monk out. We'll grab Twiggy and Junji, get out, and seperate. Alright? Don't worry."


From a practical viewpoint, this was by far the best thing he could have done. Now neither of them were truly exposed, since they had but one body, and she had the hoshi no tama within her, undrained and choke full of energy, which he could channel. They just have to figure out a compromise in controls...


"Hey, don't just stand there, get me out!" - Twigwhistle sounded up while she got a hold of the advisor ninja's head and muffled him until he was on the brink of passing out from breath deprivation.


"Oh, right." - Gengoro spoke through Mieko's mouth, casually stripping the paper-inscribed spells from Twigwhistle's cage before forcing the lock to open itself with a snap of his - actually Mieko's - fingers. His attention turned to the advisor next: - "Now then, you know what we want, don't we?"


The ninjas was gasping for air as Twigwhistle barely loosened her hold. - "Your weapons and stuff... second room to the left... the inugami is down in the cellar, and vixen's hoshi no tama is with my mistress... that's all..."


"You're smart." - Gengoro patted him on the head before promply kicking his face in with Mieko's bare heel. This made him pass out cold.


Twigwhistle got out of her prison, dusting her kimono off, letting out a sigh... and glomping both Mieko and Gengoro in her embrace. - "Thank Inari, you're both alright! I feared so much..." - she let out a couple of tears. - "And you, Fieldrunner, you're lucky you're not seperate, else I'd push you into the dirt for what you're doing! Poor Mieko, are you hanging in there?! Answer me!" - she demanded in a worried tone.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko watched as everything occurred, unwilling to take control of her body at the moment. Thus was just too strange. She'd heard of instances of possession, but this seemed absolutely unreal. Possession happened to other people, but not her. This wasn't right. She internally took a deep breath, pushing past the Gengoro's control. She seemed to sit to the side of him, both on the controls of her body. She forced herself to push through to speak. "I'm here," she murmured, still unused to how the voice sounded, "This is... Very weird. I'm definitely not used to this."


She reached around, feeling the tails once more. Yes, it still felt very strange. In her mind, she asked Gengoro, "Is this how it always feels?" It wasn't unpleasant at all. In fact, it felt quite nice. She just couldn't believe she had real tails attached to her rear. Oh gods, what did that means for her kimono? She would probably be better off not thinking about that. Shaking her head, she spoke out loud, "Let's go find Junji and Twigwhistle's jewel, then. I want to get our of here... And this, as soon as possible."

 

[Morris]

Twigwhistle could hardly help herself snuggling her face to Mieko. After the fright of yesterday, this was almost too good to be true. But she and Fieldrunner were here, and it was more comfortable than anything.


Gengoro took the backseat, letting Mieko regain her dominion. Now all he did was speak to her in her mind: - "Yep. It feels good to be fluffy. Are you jealous?" - while physically he couldn't smirk with Mieko taking the lead, it was obvious he enjoyed teasing her even now.


"Mieko, Fieldrunner..." - Twigwhistle sounded up, still sniffing. - "There's something you must know. When Junji and I got captured, Noboru appeared here at night! His ghost was right here, and I talked with him, but..." - she gazed towards the bald-scalped monk - "I think it was his doing, Noboru's soul was trapped in an incense censer and taken away. Poor Junji lost his mind at the sight! You hear me? He's nothing but a beast now! And- and the kuinochi mentioned something about a sorcerer, that they are going to transport the bodies of victims to him along with the censer... I dunno why, but we must figure out what's going on!"


Inside Mieko's head, Gengoro was somewhat overwhelmed at this onslaught of information. Sorcerer? Bodies? Censer? Noboru? As much as he wanted to hear of Twigwhistle in detail, he had to be negligient. There could be any number of ninjas in the vicinity, and time was of the essence. - "Mieko, first things first. Get our gear back, then we figure out what's next." - he recommended.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko hugged Twigwhistle back, holding her close for the few moments they were together. She had desperately missed the kitsune, and it was definitely good to have her back. Ignoring Gengoro, she listened to the girl's explanation of all the events previous to their capture. That definitely didn't seem good. Would they be able to take Junji along with them if he had turned mad? That wasn't their biggest worry for now, however, as bad as it was.


She agreed with Gengoro; getting all of their supplies back was what was most important. They'd taken her sword and armor, and now she needed to get all of it back as soon as possible. "Let's get through here as best as he can," she suggested, motioning to the door, "The quicker we get our weapons and your hoshi no tama, the better. That means we have to find that kuinochi." Good. Mieko was very ready to slaughter her. That woman had been nothing but trouble, and it would bring her great joy to cut her down.

 

[Morris]

Twigwhistle nodded in agreement. She went up to the monk, tore off some pieces of cloth and bound his hands and legs, gagged his mouth too. Gengoro urged Mieko to do the same with the ninja advisor: - "We better keep them alive. We'll need information from them later." - he reasoned. He didn't want unnecessary deaths to begin with, and he was glad if he could back it up with pragmatism for Mieko.


When done, Twigwhistle took the lead, gazing carefully around when exiting the room. Nodoby around. Strange... but not unwelcome. Has every ninjas left for some reason? She couldn't fathom.


Gengoro nudged Mieko mentally: - "I'll take your left hand for myself for the moment. If something happens, I need to be able to cast magic quickly." - this was a reasonable request on his part.


Twigwhistle found the storeroom, which housed quite a collection of armaments. Their own belongings lay scattered about, seemingly at random, but even if faintly the shrine fox could recognize the aura traces on them. She handed Mieko her armor, the pair of blunt tekkans that Gengoro bought from Hanae, and...


"What's with this naginata?" - she tilted her head. - "It has Fieldrunner's scent on it. I understand the tekkans, but why this?"


Gengoro pushed his consciousness forth, only to say two words: - "For you."


Twigwhistle turned around, slightly blushing, but smirking at her fellow kitsune's kind consideration. - "Well... thanks." - she smiled with fangs on full display and a vengeful glitter in her eyes. - "I have a feeling I'll be putting it to good use. Soon."


One thing was missing however: and that was Mieko's sword. It was not here. Gengoro pondered whether the kuinochi could have taken that for herself; it seemed plausible.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Binding the adviser was easy, but putting on the armor over their combined tails? Not so much. Mieko struggled with it, having to work with Gengoro who was currently unrelenting control of her left hand. It was awkward, and the tails stuck out beneath the armor at an uncomfortable angle, but at least they seemed relatively secure. She smoothed out any edges before picking up the tekkans, feeling them in her hands. She was at least used to this style of sword, even if it felt a bit different.


She looked very upset, however, that her wakazashi wasn't anywhere nearby. She brought her teeth and stomped her foot, eyes searching the room wildly. "Are you kidding me?!" she growled out. She had just gotten the sword! This gave her all the more reason to hang that kuinochi by her intestines. Snorting, she stepped out into the hall and peered around, waving at her tails as they lightly wiggled. How did Gengoro control these things? They reacted to her every emotion!


"We have to get down to the cellar now, before we deal with the ninjas. If there are too many of them to deal with, we might lose Junji by not being able to get to him." Even if there was the possibility he was completely mad, she felt that it would be best to at least look for him. If he was beyond saving, they would leave him. If he still had any sanity left, he would prove to be a good ally.

 

[Morris]

Using Mieko's left hand to channel his magic, Gengoro adjusted the armor, though it was akward to try and work in tandem with Mieko putting the armor up. He opened up a hole for the tails, pulling them through, then tightening the material around them just enough to not inconvenience either of them.


The tekkans, while masterfully balanced by Hanae's craftswomanship, required a different handling altogether. Sure they were sword-like, but blunt and short-'bladed', heavy. Tools for self defense and incapacitating one's foes rather than killing. In a way, this was favourable, especially now that a red mist was descending over Mieko's mind. Gengoro felt it quite palpably, and despite being mostly a pacifist, he was likewise annoyed. He paid a lot for that new sword, and now it was lost to them! For shame.


And suffice it to say, he wasn't entirely happy with her insistance to try and look for Junji right away. If what Twigwhistle said was true, she's taking an enormous risk with this, especially that Twigwhistle lost her own hoshi no tama. He pondered if he should try and stop her, but decided against it; he'll just have to prepare for the worst.


Twigwhistle tilted her head, lost in thought. - "I'm not sure that's wise, Mieko. I know you worry for him, but from what I gathered, the kuinochi wants to keep Junji alive. I'd be a lot more calmer if we could get back my hoshi no tama first, but... I'll follow after you, regardless of your choice."


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko gave Twigwhistle a mean look, her sharper features growing more harsh as she stared. She could understand why the kitsune wanted her jewel back, but Mieko had many other priorities. She tried to fold her arms over her chest, but she could only control one. She ended up awkwardly grazing her chest before letting her arm fall back down. Yeah, that hadn't worked all that well. She just settled for snorting and turning away. "I want Junji so he can rip that kuinochi's throat out and then eat her. It's all she deserves anyway."


Was it harsh? Yes. But she could hardly care less. If Twigwhistle wanted her hoshi no tama back, she could go get it herself! They would just get Junji for now and then fetch the jewel. That would make everything that much easier, after all. With the kuinochi out of the way, they would no longer have any problems. "You can at least transform, right? Your claws and teeth can be weapons. For now, let's just rescue Junji so we can set him on these stupid ninjas. I'm sick of them, and they're a manage to this town. Just kill them."

 

[Morris]

"Mieko, behave yourself." - Gengoro pushed his thoughts in the midst of Mieko's own rush of emotions. - "Venting your rage on poor Twiggy is hardly going to help. Stay focused. Direct your wrath solely on those who deserve it." - he pointed out and advised her.


Twigwhistle mildly puffed her cheeks, as was customary of hers when she felt annoyed or pushed. - "Fine, jeesh, no need to scoff at me." - she stated. She might not have shown it, but despite her own desire for vengeance, she was disturbed by Mieko's seemingly sudden delving to bloodthirst.


And so the duo-sized trio began scuffling around the compound. It went smoothly for the first few turns. Gengoro then, without consent, took over one of Mieko's ears, sharpening its reception. Just in time. As soon as he heard a faint sound of footsteps, he vehemently reached after Twigwhistle, who was taking the lead, and pulled her back. Before Mieko could have responded verbally, he covered up her mouth. - "Keep quiet and lean to the wall entirely!" - he ordained in her thoughts.


Soon, a group of four ninjas were running down the corridor, past them, not even taking notice. They were quite palpably agitated: - "Hurry, hurry! The mistress needs reinforcements against the foreigners!" - one of them dictated.


"How the hell did they sweep two whole teams out already?!" - another remarked.


Twigwhistle tilted her head. - "Someone's attacking these jerks? What took so long?! At least not all of the city folk are cowards." - she muttered.


Gengoro heeded. Foreigners? Pizarro and the crew are here?! Wonderful news! - "What a welcome turn. Shall we run after them? We could use the backup!" - he suggested.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko didn't like how she could suddenly hear so much, but she understood that it was actually very helpful to have it. She allowed her body to mesh along the wall as the ninjas made their way past them, eyes narrowing as she understood the conversation. Well, it looked like even though they'd pissed off Pizarro he hadn't gone back on his word. That was definitely good news to hear. She pushed away from the wall, staring after the ninjas as they disappeared.


"I think we should. Better to take out some of them and get help in the process." It was good that the captain was a loyal man. Otherwise, this situation would be much harder than it already was. Tightening her grip on her right hand, she hurried down the hall, making sure Twigwhistle was following after them. She followed the group until they came outdoors, on a battlement of sorts. This house wasn't necessarily a fort, but it sure seemed to be built like one.


She dove for the one nearest to her, putting her strength behind her blow. She definitely didn't mind if blood was shed today. These men deserved it, considering how much trouble they'd caused both them and the people of this town. She aimed directly for his spine, aiming to sever it.

 

[Morris]

The battlement - actually an enlarged balcony on the other side of the building that none of the trio saw before - offered a good view of the surrounding buildings and alleys, and even from merely stepping out, it was blatantly obvious: there was a battle going on. Dead ninjas littered the rooftops and the streets, about a dozen if not more, with arrow-like projectiles, throwing knives and even those many-bladed things sticking out of them. Some sailors lay dead as well, torn up by shurikens and swords. Down below, some ninjas were sparring with more sailors, one of them the bulky black man that Mieko pinched on his arm; he was literally festooned in bladed implements, holding two of those multi-bladed large weapons, displacing blade strikes and wrenching swords and meaty pulp alike with seemingly each move, grinning madly.


These four ninjas they followed were getting ready to descend from above, when Mieko decided to move in and strike. Except... she forgot about one thing. Tekkans couldn't really stab, they were thick and blunt. What she did achieve, however, was causing the ninja some truly nerve-wracking back pain as she send her over the balcony fence, earning the attention of the other three.


Twigwhistle moved in, naginata spinning. She blocked two incoming strikes, responding with a knee to a sensitive part and a staff end to another's belly.


Gengoro took on the last one with the single left hand he had: sending an overwhelming blast of gale to knock him off-foot, letting Twigwhistle knock him down. Gengoro was actually surprised at how Twigwhistle kept up her self-control after what happened to her: she fought more remorselessly than would be expected, but as a shrine fox, she still kept to her training: no taking of human life. It was relieving...


It was at that point that a sudden eruption of an explosion shook the entire building. Patched-up parts of the balcony were shaking off, Twigwhistle lost balance, bumbling into Mieko. They were falling over...


...and conveniently landed on a portuguese sailor. What are the odds? Next thing Gengoro and Mieko knew, Pizarro himself was walking out from between the crumbling rooms, full of sulfurous smoke and spreading fire, holding a contraption in his hand that could have very well passed off as a hand-portable mortar cannon: - "AHH-HAHAHA! Them that die be the lucky ones! And there'll be plenty of luck going around today!"


Gengoro's previous optimism turned to a mental frown, since he inevitably got reminded: Pizarro was crazy.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko wasn't happy that the sword hadn't killed. It only resulted in what would have been a decent bruise, had the women survived. Her face screwed up in anger, but it didn't last long when they were thrown from the building. Luckily they weren't hurt, but it still was an uncomfortable fall. Pulling herself up, she took note of Pizarro. Well, it was good to see him. As terrifying as he was, at least he was helping her out. She turned on her heel, looking at the crumbling building behind them. Crumbling...


"Ah, hell!" she exclaimed. Junji was still in there, but now there was the possibility he'd been crushed by rubble. She couldn't have that! She needed him to tear that kuinochi apart! These tekkans were of absolutely no use to her, since they couldn't kill or maim. Perhaps if she cracked them over someone's head hard enough. Shaking her head, she turned back to Pizarro. "Good to see you! I'm glad that you ended up coming after all. I was worried you would leave us."

 

[Morris]

"Ahoy, Mie...ko?" - Pizarro tilted his head as he took notice of her unusual appendages: namely, the four tails of Gengoro. - "Fox-man? What in the blazes...?" -it was official: he didn't understand anything anymore.


"Guys, you alright?!" - Twigwhistle leaned out from the balcony. - "Gosh, I'm so sorry! I'm coming down!" - The sailors beheld the white vixen with suspicion, but as she descended with a nimble leap and helped Mieko up, they knew there was no cause for alarm, despite the sizable polearm she sported. - "By the way, who is this whackjob and these... strange people? You seem to be acquainted..." - she took notice as Mieko greeted Pizarro.


The good captain let out a hearthy laughter. - "Why, Mieko and her fox-friend made business with a friend of mine, for a sword. But the ninjas harassed her shop, so I invited her, plus her business partners, to my humble ship! Except the young lady damaged my wares, and I sent her off. Then I sent someone to fetch them, but the ninjas got to them. Eh... But now we're here! Ohoho, what a lovely conclusion this is looking up to be!"


Twigwhistle's eyes gleamed up. Pizarro was a bizarre figure, and his accent was grotesque, but he definetly left an impression. - "So, lemme' get this straight. You engineered this all along! You knew they would be targeted non-lethally, so you used the property damage as an excuse to send them out without raising suspicion, then traced the ninjas back here and acted on the intel! You're smart!" - she complimented him.


"Actually... that was the original plan, but kicking them out was heat of the moment." - Pizarro confessed sheepishly. - "Erm... nevermind that though! We're doing a sweep, and should get going. But first, Mieko... if that's you... when did you get tails?"


Gengoro felt an unpleasant sting of pain, as the black warrior pinched into one of his tails to check if it was real. Karma was getting around today, it seemed.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Well, looked like Pizarro had never planned to actually leave them alone at all. Mieko couldn't help the huge breath of relief that overcame her at this knowledge. Had they not had the captain come around, they would likely be dead in there in a short matter of time. She felt the sting of pain as the sailor grabbed her tail, and she whipped around to quickly shoe his hands away. "Ah, that hurts!" She hoped she never crushed either of the kitsunes' tails like this when she touched them.


Turning back to Pizarro, she gave a sheepish look. Actually, this would be rather embarrassing to explain, wouldn't it? "That's actually a very good question, ahaha!" She awkwardly giggled, eyes slipping away as she briefly gazed about the house. "Um, Fieldrunner, the other kitsune? He, uh, had to possess me so we could get out. We're stuck together. It's actually really weird." How would anyone feel if they knew they had another person inside of them?


She shook off any unsavory thoughts and just gave the captain her best smile. "We need to get back inside of here soon, however. We're looking for another friend of ours. He's, ah, a dog of sorts. We need to make sure he's okay, and then we need to find the kuinochi. Do you think you could help us with that?"

 

[Morris]

"Now you know why we don't let people play with those." - Gengoro cheekily remarked in Mieko's head.


Pizarro gave a confused look. This country was getting weirder every visit. Possessions? Like ghosts? Resulting in tails? This was an odd development... but at the very least Mieko and company were alright. Twigwhistle made quick introductions: - "I'm Twigwhistle, shrine fox of Inari. It's a pleasure to meet you all, noble foreigners."


"Uh... you're welcome. I'm Pizarro." - he greeted her back. - "But now, back to business." - with that said, he turned to Mieko: - "Of course girly, we'll help you find your doggie. And put that worthless harpy outta' her misery!"


It was at that point that said 'harpy' interfered. She leapt from the balcony, descending like fanged lightning, implanting her heel to the black warrior's head from behind, knocking him down to the ground. Before she even landed, she launched the weighted chain, crushing the head of the sailor who cushioned Mieko's fall. Landing on the tip of her toes, she turned towards the remaining companions...


Through Mieko's eyes, Gengoro took notice of two things. One was that the kuinochi now carried on a belt a sidearm, which seemed most familiar. Mieko's brand new wakizashi! And more disturbingly, part of her skull mask was cracked, something appearently hit it and some pieces fell off, revealing a bald-shaved head, alabaster skin and... an eye with a pitch black iris. Had he possessed his own body, Gengoro would have gulped. Frankly, that look in that bloodshot black hole was frightening: a glimpse to what lies within. Deep, all-consuming, self-servient, self-justified malevolence.


Pizarro dropped his big firearm, drawing two blades, one from each side. Like against Mieko: rapier and longsword. Twigwhistle dashed to the kuinochi's side, naginate whirling in her hand.


And yet, the kuinochi's gaze was fixated on Mieko, and her alone. - "YOU. AND THE FOX." - each word exited her mouth like she was belching vomit... then suddenly, she chukled, and the insanity in her eye deepened. - "A fight that might be worth my time."


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko gripped the tekkan in her controlled hand tighter, teeth gritting as she stared at the kuinochi with pure hatred. This woman had caused her so much trouble, and she was more than ready to rip her apart limb from limb. She could only think of all the ways she wanted to kill the ninja. What would hurt the most? Perhaps chop off her arms and make her struggle to run away. Sever her spine so she couldn't walk. Stab her over and over again, but never anywhere vital. She wanted to drag out the torment just like the kuinochi had done for her.


The woman's ungodly appearance would make it all that much easier to kill her. She didn't even appear human anymore. No remorse would be involved whatsoever. Mieko snarled deeply, bracing her tekkan and swishing her tails around. "I can't wait to murder you," she hissed, beginning to circle around the woman, "For as much pain as you've caused me, caused all of us, I think it will be a lot of fun." Suddenly, she dashed forward, still unaware of the tekkan's abilities. She could not cut as she wished, and no doubt this would prove to anger her.

 

[Morris]

If it wasn't for Gengoro's foresight and personal experience, the kuinochi would have torn into Mieko right now, in the opening; her kusarigama's sickle-blade was launched by the chain, at an angle that would had been near impossible to block by the tekkan's short reach, yet the force behind the sickle would have delved deep into Mieko... had Gengoro not pushed her arm to the side, and the sickle bounced off the sturdy iron rod.


To give Mieko time to recover, Twigwhistle and Pizarro alike pressed on the offense. The kuinochi retaliated against the foreigner with the flail, landing a powerful hit on his chest... or rather, his breastplate, leaving a sizeable dent as he was knocked back, his armor shaking like a temple gong. He gritted his teeth and spat as he forced himself back to his feet. The kuinochi was impressed by his fortitude, but could not afford to lose focus against Twigwhistle; unable to reclaim either end of her weapon in time, she blocked the naginata's blade by the chain, which audibly fractured under the strike. She tried to kick the kitsune away, but she anticipated that and leapt back.


The kuinochi tore off the half-broken chain with her hand, discarding the flail and grabbing into the sickle... then drawing Mieko's stolen wakizashi. - "Those who cannot preserve their gifts do not deserve them. Why don't we see if I am worthy?" - she voiced her challenge.


"Mieko, keep distance!" - Gengoro 'shouted' in Mieko's mind. - "Use the tekkan to deflect while I cast my spells!" - he suggested.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko was glad that Gengoro was moving her about, because she was fairly certain neither of them would have survived that blow. She was somewhat blinded by her fury, so she needed to quickly regain some control over herself before she was killed. "Got it!" she called back to him within her mind, "But look at her, using my weapon. Who does she think she is?!"


Indeed, that had her blood boiling. That wakazashi had been specially made for her, and it was even a gift by Gengoro. Did that kuinochi think she could just use it like any normal blade? She'd show her! As much as she wanted to go on the offensive and start hacking at the ninja, she knew she needed to keep back lest she get cleaved. So she set to blocking any strikes that came to her, as well as offering Twigwhistle some extra guard. The naginata was thin, after all, better for striking than blocking.


She spun around the white kitsune, much like back on Pizarro's ship, raising her tekkan to deflect one of the kuinochi's swings from hitting Twigwhistle. A quick glance at Pizarro showed that he seemed to be doing fine, and he had his sailors on his side. She seriously doubted she would need to help him. The man had years of experience on her, after all.

 

[Morris]

Mieko and Twigwhistle made an efficient counter to the onslaught of the two blades the kuinochi now carried, with Mieko's sturdy weapon misdirecting and the vixen striking overhead or from the sides. With Pizarro jumping back to the fray as well, the kuinochi was soon on the defensive. Using her agility, she slipped out from the group's trap, focusing her efforts on Pizarro, only to find out she was evenly matched. Just like against Mieko, Pizarro abused good positioning of blade reach and backed it up with muscle bulk. The kuinochi tried a most ancient and time proven method to imbalance him: a kick in between the legs.


It didn't work. - "OUCH!" - she yelled out, most inelegantly as she broke a toe and nearly tumbled to her back in pain. - "The HELL are your balls made of?!"


"My man-parts?" - Pizarro laughed out. - "Flesh. But the suspensor? Quality multi-layered spanish steel with organic wool padding! SUCK ON IT!" - he commented as he began his attack anew.


"...foreigners are weird." - Twigwhistle blinked for a second, before shrugging and leaping back to the fight.


Gengoro in the meantime busied himself (well, Mieko's arm that is) to conjure multiple foxfire orbs. He sent one flying towards the kuinochi, who was nearly backed to a wall. She hastily put her hands together, her fingers moving with unusual intricacy...


She vanished in a puff of grey mist.


"What the-?" - Twigwhistle blurted out.


"Witchcraft!" - Pizarro stated, unaware how close he was to the truth.


Gengoro blanked out, trying to comprehend what happened... then the realization clicked, and he forcefully lashed out, Mieko's body yet again turning where her left hand went. The kuinochi was just about to plunge Mieko's own wakizashi into her from behind; this way they just barely evaded the blow by an inch, and Gengoro answered the cowardly attempt with a gale blast from a foxfire, coupled with a blinding flash.


The kuinochi was tossed to the air, and as she landed she literally spinned on her legs as she steadied her landing. - "Clever." - she stated, steadying herself again.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Pizarro's method of covering his most vital regions may have been pretty strange, but it sure seemed effective. Mieko's armor helped cover her well too, but perhaps she'd have to ask the captain later where he managed to get all of his metal. It would certainly prove useful in later fights. She had turned her attention to the kuinochi once they'd backed her into a wall, raising her tekkan to strike the woman down. However, she suddenly disappeared. That wasn't normal.


She was pulled sharply to the side as Gengoro took over her muscles, causing her to briefly choke from the sheet force. It was well-placed, because she barely took notice of the ninja getting flung away by the kitsune's well-placed magic. Mieko turned back on her, blade raised as she tried to anticipate the woman's next move. "You should just give up now. It will save all of us a lot of trouble. You're no match against us."

 

[Morris]

"Am I now?" - the kuinochi chuckled yet again. - "You thought you'll win this by luring the foreigner into my place? Hardly! I have the vixen's jewel, I have this lovely sword of yours, I destroyed the inugami's mind, and even if I lose here, we'll set up our place elsewhere. Ah, and in the meantime, when this is over, that foreigner will have the privilege of watching his ship burn!"


"Whatever do you mean?" - Pizarro gritted his teeth in anger.


"Did you truly think I didn't keep tabs on ALL of you? I dispatched a group as soon as you and your fellow barbarians left for the city! You have left the poor ladies on board, all on their own... more bodies on your conscience, butcher."


Pizarro showed a disapproving frown. - "Pot calling the kettle black. Also: you really don't know the women I work with."


...


Meanwhile, at the ship, Ginni was laying a beatdown on an assailant. - "This is for coming in uninvited!" - she smacked the ninja's head against the table. - "This is for making a mess in the kitchen!" - she smacked the ninja down again, before raising him up by his clothes off the ground: - "And this is for waking up poor little Hanae during her naptime!" - and with that said, she proceeded to press the ninja's face into a small bag's worth of black pepper.


Xiulan, casually clearing a kitchen knife that she lifted out of another unwelcome's guests back, tilted her head. - "Ginny dear, I do not appreciate that you're smearing such dirt into my spices."


"MMMMPHHHRRRHH!" - the ninja voiced his opinion while he suffocated.


"Oh, sorry, Xiulan. I got carried away. Silly me!"


...


"...aaanyhow." - Pizarro sharpened his blades on each other - "Unless you start running, I do believe we are going to make sushi outta' you."


"Think again." - the kuinochi stated, and holding her left middle- and index finger together, she pressured a specific point on her right arm... and much to everyone's surprise, her muscle mass started pumping itself out, in an unnatural manner, her somewhat loose clothes turning form-fitting, stretched by the sudden expansion. - "Now then. Losers first."


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko felt a brief worry when the kuinochi mentioned trying to burn down Pizarro's ship. However, the captain seemed like he wasn't that bothered at all. Well, she did suppose that everyone on a ship should learn how to defend themselves. The women would definitely not be an exception. As long as they could handle their own on the boat, then she would be worry free. Instead, she would focus her attentions on the kuinochi and imagine all the lovely ways to maim her.


However, such imaginations were short-lived as the ninja began... Growing? There wasn't an easy description for what was happening to her arm. It seemed to be bulging in the confines of the clothes, rippling and looking quite like the biceps of one of the sailors. Certainly not an arm fit for the slight frame of the kuinochi. Still, such a shock wasn't about to stop Mieko. She braced herself, beginning to gently pace about the ninja.


"That means you, right?" With that, she dove forward, aiming for her side. The kuinochi would likely be much stronger now with that hideous arm, but the girl had other plans. Like when she was sparring against Pizarro, she suddenly changed the trajectory of her weapon, instead going off to the side and spinning on her heel, giving Gengoro an opening to blast the woman with foxfire.

 

[Morris]

It was most fortunate that Mieko changed her position in the last fraction of the moment, else the kuinochi's now absurdly enlarged arm would have splattered her in half with her own wakizashi. Instead, Gengoro took the opportunity Mieko presented for him, and several of his foxfire orbs manifested into incendiary sparks and miniature bolts of ligthning, setting the kuinochi's clothes and nerves afire.


The effect proved, brief however; the bulging of the kuinochi's body didn't stop. It spread further, down her shoulder, her chest, into the rest of her body, sinew enlarging, and the newfound mass was seemingly unfeeling; all she bothered doing was taking a roll on the dirty, dusty ground to put out the flames quick, before Twigwhistle attempted to strike down her enlarged frame. She did hit one of her arms... to no effect. With all her momentum, she barely made a surface cut. Before she could even gasp in surprise, the kuinochi followed with an upperfut of Mieko's wakizashi, effortlessly breaking the naginata.


"Damn her! I bought that for Twiggy just yesterday!" - Gengoro cringed inside Mieko's head, but there was no time for relenting. Pizarro rushed to Twigwhistle's defence, only to get his rapier torn away by a sly manouver of the sickle, and his other sword barely held the upcoming strike from the wakizashi. He won't hold out for long...


Gengoro was trying to think. - "We need to get your sword back, wrench it out of her hand." - he concluded. Normal weapons were no longer effective, and for Mieko's sake, he didn't want to risk going all-out with his magic... yet.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko gritted her teeth as Twigwhistle's naginata was split. The kitsune was now utterly defenseless, considering the kuinochi still held her hoshi no tama. They needed to gain the upper hand fast or more lives would be lost. Deaths that could have been prevented. She nodded as Gengoro's words echoed in her head, eyeing the wakazashi. "But how do I get close enough?" she mused back, pacing around the ninja as she tried to think of the best strategy to fetch the weapon. Could she just charge straight in? That seemed dangerous, and most likely suicide.


She would need to grab the blade and the kuinochi's hand. It would hurt, but it was the easiest way to get the weapon away. Dropping her tekkan, she dove toward Twigwhistle's broken naginata, grabbing the spear and angling it in her hand. Quickly, she moved for the kuinochi, diving under the swing of her scythe and jabbing the naginata against the woman's hand. "Try to cut her fingers or wrist! Anything to loosen her grip!" she instructed to Gengoro, switching the blade to him as her hand reached back, grabbing the blade of the wakazashi.


The metal bit into her skin, causing a sharp pain that the both of them could feel. Mieko winced, twisting her wrist to get a better grip before sharply tugging. The sword cut deeper, just short of tendons, but at least she had a better grip on it. It was up to Gengoro now to loosen the kuinochi's grip enough where she could pull the sword away.

 

[Morris]

Pizarro was caught unawares by the ruthlessness of the onslaught, but he quickly compensated for the loss of his weapon as Mieko distracted the kuinochi, namely by grabbing a piece of heavy debris and smacking it against the kuinochi's back, imbalancing her. Twigwhistle took the opportunity, dashed behind the now monstrous sized woman, leaping at her from behind, trying to claw out her throat. Her nails barely scraped off some skin as the kuinochi headbutted her off.


Gengoro was almost in an impossible situation thanks to Mieko's rashness. They would have probably stood better chances if they hit the kuinochi's wrist with the heavy, blunt tekkan, but there was no way out of this now. The naginata's blade in hand, he imbued it with his foxfire, channeled through the metal, its stabbing point heated up immensely. It was now or never...!


He managed to push the blade into the wrist, but couldn't get a good enough angle to hit the artery or the central nerves. The kuinochi landed a strong sweep against Pizarro, sending him sliding several meters on the ground, and having punctured a hole underneath his armpit where the breastplate could not cover him. She let loose of the sickle and now grabbed Mieko by the throat, ready to crush it. Gengoro was losing his own grip; as Mieko grasped the wakizashi's blade, something happened. It was an onset of weakness, of debilitation... like some venom. The wakizashi was not mere metal. It had power! And they were the first to suffer under it.


"First, Noboru... then your hounds... and now, YOU." - the kuinochi sounded up gleefully. - "It's a shame the Fukui are a clan of weak vermin, or else I'd feel actual satisfaction now!"


Suddenly, however, a loud bang was heard, followed by a cloud of sulfury smoke... and a heavy cast iron orb lodging itself into the kuinochi's arm. - "OWW! F*CKING OWW!" - she screamed, letting go of Mieko and the wakizashi as well. Pizarro came forth from the stenching smoke he created, holding that odd device he threatened Gengoro with before. So that's what it could do. Twigwhistle herself beheld the phenomenon with fright, like it was a display of dark magic.


"Now's our chance!" - Gengoro proclaimed.


@Cottontail