Road To Strangeness <Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom>

[xun]

"Stop bleeding so loud," Xun told the little man he used as a human shield. Then again most men were normally 'little' compared to Xun.

"It's hurting my ears," growling as the man whimpered and futily struggled. Pained with at being held in an uncomfortable headlock by Xun and having a knife protruding from his back while he was used for a human shield. Knife weilding comrades trying to wade around him. Any mistake they made would fatally wound, if not kiil him.

Knife in one hand and human shield wrapped in his other arm, Xun shuffled backwards slightly off course from the direction of Yao. Xun, unable to see the headman and his two bodyguards waded into the fray while he slam his back into the nearest wagon carriage.

With no one to attack him from behind, Xun cautiously sidled down the wagon's side towards the ostrich-horses. Thrusting and waving his knife when opportunities presented themselves. Hampering the advances of seven men that tried to stab him.

"Hah! Yaah!" Xun yelled at the ostrich-horses as he neared. Attempting to put them into a run. Hopefully offering the two some aid. Stabbing into the flanks of the closest one with the knife in his hand.

[gengoro]

Another man went down as Xun killed one more. He only had six more on him.

"So, you both seem really competent in your skills," Yao commended, "However, your time is up. Guards, leave with the merchandise. I'll catch up later."

The two elite guards as well as the thugs left with some hesitation, but left with loyalty. They had no idea why he wanted them to leave with the other two alone, but they trusted him.

The guards left as Yao stood in front of them with his dao in hand. Gengoro continued with his defensive stance, confused at what was going on.

"Your thugs are quite loyal Yao," Gengoro said, "That is most unusual for a gang. you must have a loyal following, or they just listen with fear in their hearts."

"Fear is the only way to ensure loyalty," Yao spat, "Without fear, a kingdom will fall, even if it is a criminal organization. Without fear, your men will eventually betray you."

Yao looked over at Xun, smirking at the human shield and knife in his hand.

"Xun, you amaze me. Using only of my own dead men as a personal shield? If there is one thing you should know is that a dead shield is a useless shield."

With a quickness of the gods, Yao took on Xun with a sharp and quick thrust, piercing the shield as blood slowly leak from the body and going for Xun's heart.

[xun]

Xun attempted to pull back, both him and his human shield as Yao approached. Quicker than expected, Yao was on top of him. The lead hood's dao already piercing into the body of his once living human shield.

Xun jerked the freshed corpse upwards by the neck while he loosened his grip. Intending to throw off Yao's aim.

"And you surprise me in failing to notice," Xun responded in those scant, desperate moment. "That a shield is still a shield!" Lifting his left leg Xun kicked the skewered corpse as the point of Yao's dao was coming through the man's back and reaching for Xun's heart.

Let's try this again then, Xun expediantly drew two earlier plundered makeshift knives from his belt. Rather than go at Yao, Xun instead reached back towards the head of the wagon cart. Flipping one knife over he plunged shiv into the flanks of an ostrich-horse. Hopefully the attack on the animal would cause it to stampede or at least raise enough ruckus to give himself and Gengoro some breathing room.

[gengoro]

The ostrich-horses were just pecking at the ground until strange human decided to stab at their flanks. They took real offense to that. They started to screech as Xun's knife went into the flanks. This put them into a panic as they charged forward toward Yao. Gengoro was trying to figure out what Xun was doing, but soon found an advantage that he could soon exploit.

Yao was almost on the verge of attack when the ostrich horses charged toward him. He sidestepped out of the way to ensure his safety. He however, did not quite move fast enough. One of the flanks of the ostrich horses brushed his shoulder. This put Yao off balance as he landed on his butt to the ground.

This turn of events caused Gengoro to charge forward for the full advantage. He slashed down at Yao with his full strength. What Yao started as confusion soon turned to caution however, blocked with his blade and proceeded to defend himself as he got back onto his feet to continue fighting.

[xun]

Damn!

Xun's brow furrowed deeper. He knew the stampeding ostrich-horse would likely not trample over Yao as he hoped. But with the brief opening that Yao being knocked over allowed, Gengoro's gamble should have succeeded. Instead Yao had managed to block the attack and was now trying to get back on his feet.

Xun's nostrils flared in outrage. Outnumbered and surrounded as they were, any advantage found in their favor was needed.

Damn you too Kynagen! You coward! Cursing the little bounty hunter who had disappeared when he was supposed to be aiding them.

"Give me a hand buddy!"

With quick hands and in frustration Xun grappled one of the dead men nearest him. Stamping both feet in unison he heaved the fresh and still warm corpse over his head. c0cking his arms back Xun stamped one foot forward. With a growl the dead body held above him was heaved forward. Flung directly at Yao.

Don't fumble this chance as well Gengoro!

[gengoro]

For a common thug, Yao was a very decent fighter. Of course, he wasn't no ordinary thug, but an actual leader. He knew what he was doing and he knew how to back it up in case bad things happened.

Gengoro continued to go toe to toe with Yao, leader of the gang. He actually broke a sweat fighting this guy.

From the corner of his eye, an odd attack came through toward him. Xun threw a dead body toward Yao in order to distract him. The body ended up connecting with Yao as he was unbalanced for a second or two. This was Gengoro's chance to deal the lethal blow. Gengoro yelled fiercly as he plunged forward his sword into the heart of Yao. Gengoro could've imagined how much blood he was preparing for, so he closed his eyes.

However, he underestimated Yao. He regained his balance quickly and used his sword to deflect Gengoro's lunge, then did a quick snap kick to Gengoro's chest without him looking. This caused Gengoro to tumble back onto the ground. As Gengoro stopped rolling, he grasped for air and clutched onto his chest from where Yao's foot was planted.

"Unbelievable," Gengoro thought, "Who would have thought that a common thug like Yao could fight so well. I've underestimated him. I won't make that same mistake again."

[xun]

"I thought you said you were a soldier," Xun sighed. Refusing to droop his head as some of Yao's men were slowly enclosing them despite the wounded ostrich-horses' ruckus. Any other time he probably would have.

I'm left to wonder if you didn't desert and was just kicked out of the army, Xun thought as watched Gengoro kicked aside.

Or maybe they just purposely ran off and left you behind., casting his current judgement of Gengoro to reflect the present Fire Nation military as a whole. Seeing as how this man was being put through his paces by what Xun percieved to be merely a common street thug of no real skill.

"Enough of this!" Xun spat at the ground and then charged forward. Running off to the side as he headed towards Gengoro and Yao he purposely confronted one of Yao's henchman.

Twisting at the waist he avoided a thrust with the man's makeshift knife, himself retaliating with an underarm punch to a gut that forced him to drop it. Bending low to grab his legs, Xun leaned his shoulder into him and soon enough the unlucky man was slung over the lawman's shoulders.

Xun growled as he charged towards Yao while Gengoro picked himself off. With hands clenched about the legs of his burden Xun swung the man off his shoulder. Yet instead of throwing the unlucky sap at Yao, he swung him like a club in an overhead smash.

[gengoro]

The fog of the fight enveloped in Gengoro's vision. That sense of sight where everything turns grey and sound becomes distorted with a high pitch hum. That hit to the gut knocked some wind out of him.

He picked himself back up slowly as he continued to fight. Blood was seeping out of his lips from ealier encounters. The haze of battle clouded his sight as he raised his sword into a defensive stance. He couldn't see it coming. Yao almost had him. A coup de grace almost spelt his doom.

As Yao was aiming for the neck of Gengoro's, he felt a large and heavy blunt object hit him from behind. A body of one of his henchmen struck him as Xun put all of his force into swinging his body. This made Yao more vulnerable as he was struck unbalanced.

As Yao tried to regain his balance, the fog of war lost itself from Gengoro's mind. As he snapped out of it, he saw an opening. Gengoro had to move quickly in order to pull it off. While still in the defensive position, Gengoro lunged forward with his sword and straight for Yao's heart. It made contact as the sharpness penetrated into his body. His corrupted crimson flowed from his body and tainted the ground under him. Yao stood to one knee to look at the sword that nearly killed him.

"I would pull it out for you," Gengoro exclaimed, "But with the serrated edge inside of you, it would just tear your insides, making your death even more painful."

[xun]

"He's gonna die anyway," Xun scoffed. Pivoting on one foot as he gauged the rest of Yao's scattered band of miscreants with two more shivs in hand.

"So pull it out anyway," he said callously. Certainly he had his misgivings with Gengoro. A Fire Nation soldier now deserter which caused enough discontent with Xun as it was. Losing his ancestral home to the likes of them for one. Murdering his fellow countrymen causing another problem with him, though the men were all criminals. Many of them would likely have been executed once tried for their crimes. But given who this Yao was... the crimes he likely commited, once a confession was extracted of course, not including trying to murder an officer of the law just now. It was more than likely that this bleeding ganster would be sentenced to death anyway.

Gengoro's carrying out of Yao's eventual death sentence merely saved time and legal work. So why bother saving the doomed and dying man from any further pain?

"Pull your sword out so we can make a run for it!"

And so I can run you out of town later.

[gengoro]

Yao has been defeated. The mighty blackguard has been slain. All done by the efforts of Xun as well as a wandering ronin.
Gengoro pulled out his sword from the belly of Yao. He couldn't believe what has happened to him. Has he been slain? He coughed up blood as he failed to get to his feet. He smiled at the both of them sinisterly as he pointed out to Xun.

"Do not think you have won," Yao pointed out, "There are plenty of us in this city. You can't rid of us all."

His hand dropped to the ground; signifying that he no long lived. Gengoro wiped the blood off of his blade. The shine of the steel wasn't as luminious as he wanted after the fight, but he cracked a small smile. He turned his attention toward Xun one last time.

"Please give the old man my regards," Gengoro told Xun thankfully as he bowed. He walked away slightly from Xun, but then thought of something. He contemplated what he wanted to say, but wasn't sure if he wanted to say it.
He turned around to face Xun again, but instead with a warning.
"I know you don't like me," Gengoro told Xun, "I can understand that. Perhaps if we were to meet again, we would be enemies. We could fight each other if that would make you happy. Until then, may good fortune be upon you."

He bowed one last time to Xun as he sprinted into the whirling sands that blew into the streets, not knowing of his destination nor his next job for him to live off of.

Gengoro has left the thread[/u]

[xun]

And like an arrow Gengoro was off, Xun left standing where he was with flared nostrils and clenched fists. Around him the remnants of Yao's hooligians indecisively milled about and meandered away. Save for the carriage of misbegotten loot, there was nothing left for them. The only way to reclaim it was through Xun who was unattentively guarding it as Gengoro ran off. Each of them likely wanting the other to fight Xun so they could claim it while too wary to fight the massive man themselves.

"And if we do not see you again," Xun threatened to the already disappeared Gengoro while the last of Yao's men eventually departed the scene "I will see to it you are still found. Even if that means letting the jade spooks find you."

Turning to the carriage, Xun had made his mind up about Gengoro. A supposed deserter. The Fire Nation striding up to the walls of Ba Sing Se again. It was too coincidental to his musings. "Whether it be the Cultural Authority's spooks or myself finding you again, my good fortune will be having you in chains," Xun intoned to no one around him.

"Spy."

Xun Xue Xola has left the thread