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Post by iikagen on Jan 29, 2007 20:09:16 GMT -5
Iikagen's copper tinted eyes opened up after a particularly rough kick stirred up some dirt near his nose and forced him to sneeze fiercely. He exaggerated the motion by turning slightly and lifting his feet straight out into the air for a second before collapsing back on himself. He focused his gaze up on Heishi who'd taken a quick step back at the seemingly pointless pectacle.
"Aahhhh," The islander said, crinkling his nose, "Thank you for waking me, Master Heishi... I was lost so dreep in that dream I feared I would never wake up!" Iikagen rolled to his knees and hopped up to his feet. "Can't remember what it was about exactly, but I recall there being large breats.... Yes, that was definitely part of it. I also remember the most exquisite-"
Heishi's groan of annoyance cut Iikagen's story short and he soon found himself being pushed toward the main trail. As he forcefully marched ahead of the disgruntled young archer, he looked back over his shoulder and called out to Kasen. "I'll take that piece of jerky now!" he called to the leader. He didn't get a verbal response, but he saw the Yuu-yan flick his wrist and send the piece of food spinning through the air. Iikagen, with uncanny reflexes, took one quick step to build momentum and leaped forward while turning himself in the air. The throw had obviously been intended to go over the Igni's head, but Iikagen managed to catch the piece of jerky in his moth and then land rolling backwards, coming into a crouch while dirt covered the back of his shirt. He smiled broadly at Kasen and chewed down the meat with a broad grin.
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Shortly after nightfall, and guided in the darkness by the lights of the city ahead of them, the Yuu-yans had marched the Igni on his ostrich-horse to the front gates. Birdy was secured snugly by a pair of ropes between the much larger Fire Nation mounts. It almost made the Igni think of a parade, what with the stunned onlookers lining the streets and the procession of warriors in face-paint. If his hands weren't bound he surely would have been waving to the citizens of the fort-city. Their expressions ranged from curious to shocked, and Iikagen loved all of it. He smiled and nodded to the men and winked and smirked at the girls. Under different circumstances he might have enjoyed this grand entrance even more.
And yet, in the back of his mind he kept the fact that he was still being brought here likely to face his death. His eyes, so happily glancing over the crowd, were also scanning every last possible route of escape should he sense his captors' attention begin to slip. He was familiarizing himself with the lyout of the city and counting guard positions along the walls. And ever was he testing the strength of his bindings. The opportunity had not yet presented itself, but he knew that time was no longer a luxury. He would have to make his move soon...
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Post by kasen on Jan 30, 2007 20:57:25 GMT -5
Kasen was tired and annoyed. The Igni had finally gotten to him, bowing and winking and smiling like he was a spoiled cat. He wasn't being captured to be served tea in the fortress for Agni's sake! He was being escorted for a trial and death, not being paraded around for the sake of appearances. Luckily for Kasen's and most of the other Yuu Yans sanity, there was less than a ten minutes ride to the fortress, and riding through the city was light and easy going.
Kasen took a deep breath, calling out to Heishi. They had come to the gate to the fortress. It took a few minutes, but finally the large doors creaked open and allowed the Yuu Yan inside. Kasen charged the two Kyuuga to look after the mounts and the packs that were attached to them, including the ostrich-horse, while he and Heishi took the Igni into the cells.
He was thrown in one of the spare rooms, and guards were set to patroll the hallway. It was a densly crowded place, full of miscreants and criminals awaiting trial or death or some other form of punishment the Yuu Yan didn't concern themselves with. The metal doors had a small window to allow a sliver of light inside and there was a small flap that food was pushed through.
Kasen sighed again as he reached his pallet, informing the Colonel of his return and promising a full report tomorrow. He fell asleep almost instantly, the henna-like dye still on his face as his head hit the familiar pillow of his cot.
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Post by iikagen on Jan 31, 2007 20:38:00 GMT -5
"Well this isn't anything like the inns I've heard about," Iikagen complained as he was shoved through the door of his room. The guard behind him was a rather muscular man, though a few inches shorter than the lanky Igni. After shoving him into the tiny eight-by-six foot room, he quickly stepped back and locked the door, leaving the islander in silence. "Could I trouble you for a glass of water?" he called out to the receding footsteps of the Fire Nation man. When at last he could no longer hear him, Iikagen smirked and bean inspecting his cell.
The walls were lined in metal and the door was bolted heavily from the other side. All he had in there with him was a small wooden bench for something to sit on and that was it. On the opposite side of the door was a small window lined with bars. The opening was perhaps big enough for a slender man to fit through, but the bars would have to be removed sompletely to do so. Otherwise, there didn't seem to be a way out past the guards. Iikagen hummed to himself as he sat down on the bench and began to go over his options.
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Midnight came. The fort was beginning to lock down, though the city a short distance away was still abuzz in some places. The taverns had yet to close and the streetlights were still lit. The guard of prison was going over his final rounds and preparing to switch shifts with the night watchman. However, as he started pacing down the hallways and peaking through the bars on the doors to make sure the prisoners were asleep, he heard a loud cracking sound from the cell on the other end.
"What in damnation is that Igni up to?" he muttered to himself, starting off toward Iikagen's cell at a quick trot. By the time he got there, the sound had stopped and he pulled open the slot in the door to look through the slatted opening. His eyes widened in shock.
"There's no way..." he breathed, studying the seen before him. The bars of the window on the far wall were bent and twisted all to one side and the prisoner's black sarong was tied around them. A piece of wood had been looped in there, apparently taken from the bench by the look of the splintered mess on the ground. By twisting the length of wood like a crank he had tightened the loop around the bars until they had bent completely out of shape. But then.... how did he fit through such a small hole? It was impossible! And yet, as the guard sent a good 20 seconds looking into the room from every possible angle, he couldn't see the islander hiding anywhere.
"Gah! Curse that bastard!" the guard spat as he fumbled through his keys and opened the door. He pushed the portal in cautiously, holding a heavy tonfa in one hand. He slowly took a step into the room and looked around...
Just in time to have a pair of legs descend from the cieling and clamp on either side of his head. The guard yelled, but the rest of the Igni followed and flipped backward, pulling the guard's head forward and down.
Iikagen planted his hands and contracted his stomach to bring the guard in a full frontal flip before landing painfully on the jagged, splintered wood of the bench. Iikagen was left sitting on the guard's chest and he quickly dispatched the man with a quick flurry of punches to the jaw. Breahing heavily, but grinning at his success, Iikagen stood up and rubbed his shoulder. "Took joo long enough to open de damn Door!" he said to the guard, spitting on his unconscious form for good measure. He dragged the man against the wall and then retrieved his set of keys. He also took, for future use, the man's helmet and his overshirt.
Iikagen stepped out of the cell and locked the guard in the room before starting down the hallway, unlocking every door along the way. Within minutes he had roused every scoundrel and unfortunate debter on that floor, as well as a man who he inferred was an earthbender because of his green clothing, lack of shoes, and iron shackles covering his hands and feet. "Taste de freedom, my friend," he said to the man, "I t'ink joo can help me...."
With nearly a dozen convicts behind him, Iikagen led the rag-tag group through the prison which had been primarily shut down. A night watchman was making his rounds on the floor below, but the group managed to subdue him before he could raise any alarm. At the bottom floor, Iikagen came across a room that stored the belongings of the prison's occupants that were acquired at the time of capture. A few moments of search found his chain and travelling pack, which still held his blowgun. He grinned at how smoothly his escape was going until he finally heard a shout of alarm. Across the room, the light of a flame turned the room a shade of orange until the prisoners swarmed the unfortunate firebender who'd made it. In a panic, the convicts ran for the door and spilled out onto the open ground of the fort. Sentries called shouts of alarm and instantly the sounds of combat ensued.
The earthbender ran that way too, determined to fight his way out, but Iikagen snagged him by the collared and wagged his finger in a gesture of disapproval. "Let de fodder serve deir purpose," he said with a grin and pulled the earthbender in the opposite direction. He found an ground floor room with a window and turned that into an exit. Still pulling the earthbender in his wake, Iikagen pointed the man toward the stone wall that surrounded the fort's perimeter. As they neared, he heard sentries on high shouting word to the guards that they were escaping.
The earthbender didn't need any prompting to bend a hole right through the base of the wall and in seconds they were outside the fort. The earthbender continued to run like a madman until Iikagen grabbed his arm and yanked him to a stop. "Close de damn hole!" he barked at the man who, nodding stupidly, complied with the order and then continued running. "Follow me to de town," he instructed the bender as the two quickly darted through the open terrain for the woods around the fort. The earthbender didn't seem to be listening and he kept running through the woods in the wrong direction. "Joo hear me!?" he called to the man again, but he did not stop running.
Iikagen watched him disappear from view, cursed, and then directed himself toward the city. The loss of that bender as an asset was... regrettable, but he figured that he'd be fine anyway.
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Post by kasen on Feb 4, 2007 15:16:21 GMT -5
Kasen awoke to the angry face of Heishi baring down on him, facepaint and all. He was shaken from his sleep and nearly thrown to the floor, not comprehending Heishi's muted threats and muffled yells from behind the changing screen. Kasen wondered why he was so stiff and realized he had only slept for two hours, and was still in his full Yuu Yan regalia. Sighing, he rubbed sleep from his eyes and stood, walking over to Heishi.
"Damn Igni. I swear more trouble than it's worth. Stupid Admiral can't keep track of his own son, stupid guard had to open the stupid door. Stupid Igni had to open all the other doors. . ."
"Are you serious?!" Kasens's cry came from over the unabashed mutterings of dissent from Heishi as he changed. "They're all out?"
"Every last one." Heishi growled, running over to the door and quickly snatching up the two bows, throwing one to Kasen as the older boy scrambled up.
"Get Isau, Teruo and Sulak up quickly! He's the fastest- he'll be needed if we want to catch the Igni before he reaches the city." Kasen yelled, heading to the quick war-lizard stables, waking the hostlers to prepare five of the reptiles. Ten minutes later, Heishi had assembled the Yuu Yan in question and Kasen rode out on the frilled mounts.
"Let's go!" He ordered, and the other four archers quicly got on their mounts, strapping their legs in, allowing them to ride solely with their knees.
"We need to catch him before he gets into the city! There are spare nets and ropes in the saddlebags, so any other criminal we come across we should also attempt to aprehend!" Kasen said, repeating his orders. "Am I clear?!"
A low roar of assent came from the Yuu Yan assembled. Kasen jerked the reighns of his war-lizard and it raised up on it's hind legs, then sped forward with a hiss through the open gates of the fortress. The city was only a mile or so away, and Kasen wasn't too confident on thier chances of capturing the obviously athletic and wily Igni.
This time we won't hesitate to cut off a few tendons. He thought as the wind whipped against his face, revealing his bright amber eyes, narrowed and accentuated by his paint. He won't know what hit him.
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Post by iikagen on Feb 5, 2007 0:10:12 GMT -5
Iikagen was halfway to the town nearly four minutes later when he finally slowed his pace from a full sprint. His breathing was deep, but he was in fine shape and hardly exhausted. The wily Igni put his back to a tree for a moment and rubbed the bottoms of his bare feet on his shins to brush off a few clinging pieces of the forest floor. He had put enough ground bewtween himself and the fort to feel safe for a moment. Any pursuers hoping to catch him would have to circle around from the gate on the adjacent wall and then pick up his trail. In the darkness that would be hard enough, and even after that, they'd have to make a choice on which tracks to follow where he and the earthbender split up.
The thought made him grin, and he was glad that he and the other man had run in a line behind each other to make their tracks harder to distinguish. Though, in the off-chance that some one did possess the skills to track him at night, he decided he'd throw them for a loop. Taking one last breath, he peaked out around the tree trunk to make sure the way was clear and then started off quickly at an angle away from the town, about the same direction the earthbender had taken.
Iikagen made sure his steps were very deliberate, yet avoided stomping an obvious trail. He continued on that path for a little while before he crossed a felled log. Iikagen hopped atop it and stopped his run. Reaching into his pack he pulled out his chain and gripped it with the barbed end swinging. He sent it into a small, rapid spin as he looked aroun for a suitable anchoring point. Within a few seconds he targeted a low-hanging, sturdy branch on a nearby tree and he looped the barbed end around it with a well-placed shot.
The Igni pulled the length of chain taught and swung to the tree and climbed up onto the branch. He unhooked the business end and coiled up the chain and then made his away along the branch. Leaping to the next tree and then climbing away across its branches and into another, by the time he came down he was nearly twenty yards away. He dropped to the ground and resumed his run towards the city's edge with all haste.
Iikagen had come to realize that even if he gave any direct pursuer's the slip with that clever little trick, there was still a chance they could have sent riders to the city directly in order to cut him off. He must have had several minutes of a headstart by the time any effective chase could be organized, but a komodo-rhino on a paved trail covered ground faster than an Igni running through the woods on foot.
With that thought in mind, Iikagen increased his pace even more.
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Post by kasen on Feb 19, 2007 20:03:50 GMT -5
They reached the city in record time, the walls that reared up to meet them posing no problem to the agile Yuu Yan mounts as the lizards scaled nearby trees and then jumped inside the boundries of the city. It was lucky it was late, the only light coming from bars and lanterns strung throughout the streets, or surely some innocent civilian might have been crushed under the nible feet of the war-lizards.
Kasen looked over his shoulder to the other four archers.
"He's bound to either be here, or come here. Make sure you find him and bring him down. Call for backup if you see the Igni or are in trouble, he's probably liberated his weapon from the guards, so be careful."
Heishi snorted.
"An Igni with a chain. Don't make me laugh Kasen."
Kasen glared at Heishi. "I'm not laughing! Be on your gurad Saburi, lest your head end up on the chopping block instead of a bald one."
That shut Heishi up, and the archers split up to patrol the edges of the city, glad that the night hid their actions, as surely they would attract all sorts of unwanted attention.
Kasen himself strung his boy and guided his war-lizard through the catacombs of the city, steering the lizard with his knees, leaving his hands free to rest tensely on his weapons.
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Post by iikagen on Feb 19, 2007 21:06:18 GMT -5
Iikagen slowed his pace down as he came to the edge of the treeline. He remained carefully hidden from view of the few remaining sentries on the wall as he made his way along the perimeter of the city. There had to be a way in somewhere.
A slight rumble in the ground frozen him in his tracks, and Iikagen pressed himself tightly to the darkest side of the nearest tree. The Igni snuck a glance around the edge of the trunk toward the source of the noise and he caught sight of a handful of swift-moving creatures about the size of komodo-rhinos, but considerably more slender, approaching the wall about a hundred feet down from his position. They approached the gate, but didn't even wait for it to open and simply bound over the wall off of a nearby tree. Iikagen raised an eyebrow at the sight of the giant lizards, having never seen such creatures before. His However, he did recognize the men riding them, and a smirk played across his features.
"My turn to do de huntin'..." Iikagen thought out loud as he turned around and rand swiftly along the edge of the wall in the opposite direction that the Yuu-yan's had come. He continued along, staying in the shadow of the trees until he finally came to a point where a large tree was particularly close to the wall, right near a tower on the city's Southwestern corner. Grinning at the find, Iikagen quickly scaled the tree using both his chain and his own innate agility. He finally came to a thick branch that extended towards the wall, coming within spitting distance of the rampart. Inching out as far as the branch would support his weight without bending too much, the Igni found a suitable holding point and then turned his attention toward the wall. There were only a few sentries spaced very widely along the wall, and at the moment, none of them were within earshot of that location.
Taking measure of the distance one last time and readying his chain in one hand, Iikagen began pumping his legs and sending the branch he was standing on into a bouncing motion. It took several moments to gain some momentum, but eventually the displacement of the branch gre to the point where its end was whipping back and forth. Iikagen grinned at his success, using the branch above him for balance. One more cycle and on the downstroke of the next one, he pushed himself forward, planted his front foot and shoved off as hard as he could.
The upswing of the branch lent a great deal of momentum to his jump, and he must have covered nearly 20 feet. However, it was still short of the distance to the wall, and so his chain came into play. Swinging a very quick rotation in the air, Iikagen managed to throw the barbed end forward to loop around a flag pole on the far side of the rampart that sported the Fire nation insignia. The chain caught just before he started to freefall, and the yank from the weapon swung him hard into the outside of the wall. The Igni, so accustomed to climbing trees on his home island, deftly cushioned the landing with his feet and scrambled the short distance to the top of the wall and onto the walkway. Within moments he'd unhooked his chain and slinked his way over the inner ledge of the wall and onto the rooftop of a nearby house.
That section of the city apparently housed the lower-class citizens. Fortunately, that meant that the rows of homes and apartments were lined closely together with awnings hanging out over the streets. It only made Iikagen's life easier as he began trekking across the rooftops, keeping to whatever cover he could find and keeping an eye out for those Yuu-yans. He needed to find whatever part of the city was still active, and possibly a drink....
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Post by kasen on Mar 8, 2007 20:17:51 GMT -5
A few tiles slipped, the mud-like clay clattering to the ground, shattering as the brittle ceramics hit the ground. The sound echoed through the empty street, but Kasen didn't care. All the noise would do was cause someone to come investigate, and maybe that someone would be the one he was looking for. A glance back across his mount revealed a boring scene; A few fat merchants in nightrobes.
Kasen snarled, another thing slipping through his normally calm and composed demeanor. He yanked his reighns hard and the war lizard gave a small squeal of protest, skidding to a halt on one of the roofs in the market district. Where would a fugitive go to avoid detection? He would like crowds - at night?
The Yuu Yan was sure of one thing - That he wouldn't find the Igni casually strolling through the market district. He might be in the nobles quarter, but Kasen doubted it. Thieving was probably not foremost on Iikagens' mind. Kasen turned his mount to the crowded sector of the city, causing his lizard to rear onto its hind legs, then jump to an opposing buiding, making a few more brown tiles to fall to the ground.
This time, Kasen didn't turn a hair, instead turning his amber eyes to glare at the district that glowed a dull red in the moonlight. The lanterns were out and lit but it still didn't aid Kasen in his search of the roofs surrounding the near-slums of the city. If the Igni was anywhere, the crowded streets and allyways would be perfect for hiding and avoiding the Yuu Yan.
Maybe the Igni might have been able to outrun or out-manuver the young members of the archery team on foot, but with their mounts, it was obvoius that the favor was with the Yuu Yan if Kasen or the others ever found him.
Kasen's teeth ground together as he neared the district, a few more tiles crashing to the ground, joining the many crashes of bottles and sake cups as he encroached on the crowded streets, the moon too dull and not full enough to make out a lot of the skyline.
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Post by iikagen on Mar 8, 2007 23:12:34 GMT -5
Iikagen eventually came to a point where the streets became wider and his speedy run across the rooftops was brought to a pause. Up until now, the residential area he'd been in had consisted of tightly-packed, two-story apartments, but the buildings were beginning to change slightly. A few taller buildings were spaced around the inner section of the city, must of them clustered near the center plaza that he had passed through earlier on that night. There were also numerous streets lined with shops that had closed for the night. The only noise was a distant sound of carousing men off in another section of the city. A dim glow on the surrounding buildings of that area made it like a beacon to the Igni, who had heard of such "red light districts" during his time travelling.
By the things he'd heard, it sounded like his kind of place. And anywhere where there was a crowd would e his haven at this point. However... as he thought about his pursuers who were already within the city walls looking for him, he realized that they might very well anticipate his destination. As a foreigner in this new land, he had no way of knowing how legendary the Yuu-yan archers were to the Fire Nation, but he'd seen enough thusfar not to underestimate them.
Iikagen swept his gaze around the rooftops and down the street in either direction, checking to see if the Yuu-yans were nearby. There was no sign of them, so with the agility of a jungle cat, he gracefully slid himself over to the edge of the rooftop and rolled his body over it. He caught the lip of the roof with his hand and placed the barb of his chain on the edge while he supported his weight. Then he let go with his hand and slid down the chain, controlling his descent with his feet clamping the chain. When he reached the bottom, he gave the metal links a quick flick up the wrist to dislodged the hooked end and recoiled it deftly into his grasp.
The Igni began a quick but careful trek through the city. He stayed low and moved in the shadows, crossing open ground only after he'd picked out every concievable vantage point and assred himself that there was no one watching. It wasn't until he had just crossed the main street of the city and was slinking through the alley between it and the next street when he heard the scuffled of scaley feet. Without so much as a second thought, Iikagen dropped flat to his stomach and rolled to the side, pressing himself tightly against the corner of the building beside him, partially hidden by a crate near the mouth of the alley. It was presumably used as a table to showcase the goods of the shop housed in the building, but Iikagen didn't much care at the moment.
Several moment's later, the reptilian head of a war lizard crossed into Iikagen's line of sight. The beast seemed somewhat agitated as it stalked down the road, its head swiveling around spatically as its nostrils flared with each sniff. It passed by the alley without noticing the Igni, though, and as its rider came into view on its arched back, Iikagen couldn't help but contain a smirk. Mounted in a saddle with his bow in hand and an arrow resting on the string was the young upstart Heishi who had shown him so much contempt during their trip.
'Payback's a b*tch,' he thought to himself, slowly getting into a crouch as the Yuu-yan passed by. Without wasting any time, the islander slipped to the edge of the alleway, quiet as death. He glanced down the way Heishi had come, assuring that there would be no immediate back-up and readied his chain to throw. He spotted a small piece of a roof shingle on the ground beside him and picked it up. He spared one last peak around the edge of the building before he coiled his arm and then tossed the piece of debris.
The tile struck on the edge of the rooftop of the building across the street, making a clattering noise as it hit and making even more noise as it fell. Almost immediately he heard the scuffle of the war lizard as it shuffled ts feet to swing itself around to face the source of the disturbance. Heishi had turned in his saddle, bow drawn back and his eyes searching frantically toward the rooftop on that side of the street.
A shame really, that he didn't look the other way...
Before he even realized the diversion, Iikagen had launched his chain at the archer. The throw had been a litte wide, but the way he yanked the chain during its flight had corrected his aim and looped the barbed end through the bow and the string. The hook coiled around the taught string and with a quick yank, cut it clean through. The bow's unexpected recoil tore it right out of Heishi's grip and his eyes widened with surprise.
Iikagen wasted no time in following up his initial attack. He charged from the alley, sprinting full towards the war lizard, now swinging the other, weighted end of the chain in a tight circle in his hand. Heishi dropped his arrow, nearly useless without the bow, and grabbed for the reins instead. He yanked them hard and forced the war lizard to bring his snapping jaws to bear against the charging Igni. However, as he came within a few paces, Iikagen lashed out hard with a downward swing of his chain and caught the mount right on the tip of its snout. The war lizard hissed in pain and recoiled just momentarily; long enough for Iikagen to side-step its muzzle and get within striking distance of its rider.
Worry was written plainly on Heishi's face, though he didn't seem to have given up completely just yet. His hand was reaching for a hilt at his waist where there was strapped a shortsword. Iikagen registered the moment in a heartbeat, and the moment he passed the war lizard's mouth he planted his nearest hand on the ridge of the creature's neck. Kicking off with his inside foot, he hurled his legs up and twisted his hips, using his planted hand for support. He pulled half a roll in mid air, and by the time his outside foot had rotated around, it connected squarely with Heishi's forearm as he was beginning to draw the sword free. The kick forced the archer's arm down, resheathing the blade and stopping his attack. And with his other foot now coming around, Iikagen shoved out with it and caught the young archer full in the face. Heishi's nose was almost crushed by the Igni's dirty instep, and a black footprint was clearly visible across his features.
Iikagen swung completely over the war lizard's neck from the momentum of his attack, landing facing the opposite direction. He looked back quickly at the stunned archer who seemed to only be remaining upright by the straps that fastened him to the saddle. "Welcome to de jungle!" he proclaimed, pulling out Heishi's sword from his scabbard and cutting free one side of the saddle. The other straps loosened, and with some effort, Iikagen pulled the nearly senseless archer to the side until his saddle had swung completely around and he was now hanging upside-down from the war lizard. Iikagen grinned widely and smacked the war lizard on the haunch to spur him into a run down the street. The beast whipped at him with his tale in anger, but he ducked under it as the creature started away.
Very satisfied with his handiwork, Iikagen tossed aside the Yuu-yan's weapon, reclaimed his chain, and took to the dark alleys once more.
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Post by kasen on Mar 11, 2007 18:28:19 GMT -5
Kasen kicked the sides of his mount viciously, barely seeing the fight on the roofs between Heishi and Iikagen. He didn't know what happened, but as he heard the familiar footsteps of a war lizard below him, he steered his own lizard onto the ground, jumping down right in front of Heishi's runaway mount.
"Heishi!" Kasen quickly unstrapped himself and ran over to the other war lizard, now stamping the ground irritably. Heishi had curled himself into a ball as best as he could, crossing his arms over his chest and pulling his head closer to the belly of the beast. Even though he had tried to minimize the amount of his body being dragged across the roads, his back was cut and torn, his shirt ripped to shreds from the round stone street. Kasen unsheathed his own sword and swiftly cut Heishi loose, grabbing him under the arms as he fell from the saddle.
Heishi coughed a few times, spitting up blood, leaning lightly on the now slightly calmer reptile.
"Stupid . . .Igni." Heishi said, glaring at the ground.
"Which way did he go?" Kasen asked gently, his feelings conflicting between helping his friend and finding the convict. Heishi could be treated at a later time, but time was of the essence when dealing with fugitives. Heishi shook his head, a few bangs falling into his dark eyes.
"Couldn' tell. . .Not on roofs. Alleys." Heishi spat, slowly leading his mount to a small stall. Kasen watched the Subaru and nodded.
"Alright. I'll get the others and we'll spread out from here." Kasen said, drawing an arrow and walking back over to his own mount, picking up his bow from where he had dropped it. He slung it quickly over one shoulder, digging in a pouch for a rag. Wrapping the cloth tightly around the arrowhead, Kasen dipped it in a small double-fired jar that held oil. Holding the arrow in his teeth, the oil-soaked end farthest away from his mouth, he struck flint and tinder together, a small spark insantly setting the rag alight.
Bow string drawn tight, Kasen shot the flaming arrow into the air, a signal to the other archers. Flashy, yes, but it got the job done. In less than five minutes, the other three Yuu Yan had assembled again.
"He's in the alleys. As soon as you see him shoot up another arrow and we'll be there as quick as we can get there. Prepare the arrows now and just be able to light them quickly. Keep the flint close and your bow closer."
Kasen said, checking the straps on his war lizard again. He looked over at Heishi who was digging around in his pants. Kasen frowed. What, in the name of Agni, was this boy doing? Heishi walked over to Kasen and held out a small leather bag. The mounted boy took the bag cautiously. A small jingle came from the bag, indicating coins.
"What's this?"
"Those are my lucky coins." Heishi said, his face perfectly serious. "I have them on every mission. I want you to take them and give that Igni hellfire for me." He said, crossing his arms over his chest, wincing as he tried to put on a tough face for the others.
"Where do you keep these?" Kasen asked, narrowing his eyes at the bag.
"Well the uniform doesn't have any pockets so-"
"You put these in your loincloth?" The elder boy asked, suddely glad that his left hand had a covering over it, not wanting to imagine what the bag he held in his hand had touched.
"Well. . .Yeah." Heishi said, shrugging. He ignored the near-disgusted look on Kasen's face and continued. "Anyway, take them and make sure that Igni remembers who owns this town."
Kasen sighed. "Fine but don't expect me to keep these in my pants."
"Fine." Heishi nodded going back to the stall he had placed his mount. He looked back at Kasen kicking his mount into a gallop, the others spreading out after they had secured rags to an arrow during the conversation between Heishi and Kasen.
"Don't forget!" Kasen yelled, causing the others to jerk their reigns. "We aren't the Yuu Yan for nothing! We shoot to kill!"
With those words Kasen began his search of the city, going into alleyways and out the other side of the street, his agile mount scaling the walls silently and swiftly.
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Post by iikagen on Mar 12, 2007 11:16:23 GMT -5
In the minutes following his encounter with Heishi, Iikagen was operating under a very simple strategem; "If your enemy knows where you are, Don't be there." Assuming that the battered Yuu-yan had enough senses about him by the time he was discovered in order to tell the others what happened, they would know a general location of where to look and specifically from where to expect an attack. Thinking along those lines, Iikagen started quickly along the streets avoiding any areas lit by lanterns. He was making a path in the general direction of where he recalled the Red Light District to be.
When he finaly came to a road from which he could see the slight bustle of carousing men around the taverns and brothels, he figured he was close enough. Iikagen stopped his advance and looked upward. The rooftops, at least along one side of the street, went on for a good distance uninterrupted away from the area. A good escape path, the Igni decided.
Iikagen found his way to the side of one of the buildings and scaled the side, finding handholds on a few ledges and using a gutter pipe that ran down the side of the building to finish the climb. The islander crouched atop the roof, looking around for any sign of those nimble war lizards but saw nothing immediately. He decided to wait them out. A wise hunter let his prey come to him.
Iikagen moved his way along the slanted, tiled rooftop. It wasn't like the flat expanses of the residential area he'd been on before. These were more traditional and ornate, making a more difficult surface to traverse, but the high center ridges provided much-needed cover when facing an archer. The crafty Igni moved himself around to the side of the roof that was facing the Red Light District. He figured the Yuu-yans wouldn't be passing directly through the busy streets on their mounts and would likely be coming from behind or the sides. But more importantly, that side of the roof was shadowed from the light of the moon. Combined with the slate grey shirt and helmet he still wore, the ones he'd stolen from the prison guard, he blended in quite nicely. He kept himself pressed flat against the tiled roof, making a mental note that some of those ceramic pieces were more shifty than others, and kept his eyes and ears trained for the sound of any approach.
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Post by kasen on Mar 24, 2007 15:13:46 GMT -5
The swift patter of lizard feet on the ground pounded a hard tattoo in Kasen's ear. He narrowed his eyes, the oil that dripped off the arrow head flying past his face. He had rigged his glove so that if he snapped his fingers a small spark would appear. Suddenly he kicked his mount and the lizard jumped up onto the roofs, heading towards the lower district of the city, passing over the streets easily as Kasen hoped to reach the crowded region faster. Suddenly a small movement on the otherwise motionless rooftops caught his eye, and as he changed his lizard towards that direction, saw an outline, a shape moving.
Of course! With the Yuu Yan hunting the streets it was only common sense that the Igni would head to higher ground. No one else would be on the roofs at two in the morning.
His eyes narrowed as he swiftly snapped his fingers and Raised his bow, shooting a flaming arrow into the air, the arrow knocked in the fletching so that it would whistle as it climbed. It would undoubtedly gain both the Yuu Yan's attention and the Igni's so Kasen needed to act fast he quickly discarded the flint and iron, letting the small pieces drop down to the streets below.
His mask became twisted as Kasen growled, his eyes narrowing as he watched the small outline, a good hundred meters away. The other Yuu Yan had to have heard and seen the arrow, but they were undoubtedly farther away than he was close to the Igni, as he had just a second before shot the missle.
He drew an arrow and quickly knocked it to his bow, aiming at the Igni. He was bearing down on the lanky man, and was now only about fifty to sixty yards away, his war lizard running quickly, but leaving Kasen enough leeway to turn and steer the mount with his knees.
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Post by iikagen on Mar 25, 2007 22:24:06 GMT -5
Iikagen heard the whistle of arrow fletching before he saw the light of a flame. Immediately he rolled from his spot against the roof in order to dodge anything that might have been heading his way, but when he saw the arrow was aimed harmlessly into the air, he realized it wasn't meant for him. With a quick glance, like a prarie dog poking its head from its brrow, he looked over the top edge of the roof towards the source of the arrow and saw a war lizard approaching quickly.
"Bastard," he muttered, figuring the Yuu-yan behind him must have caught sight of him before he got into position. It was a shame, too, because he had thought himself quite clever for finding that particular hiding spot. In any case, he shrank back down behind the raised center edge of the rooftop and looked ahead of him. There was nothing but open air over the street and seemed too far to jump. He was perhaps 25-30 feet off the ground and a fall from that height would likely break a bone, or at the very least hinder his movement with a handful of sprains and bruises.
Thinking quickly, Iikagen made sure his feet had good grip and bolted towards the side of the roof while the Yuu-yan was still far enough away to make it a tough shot. He ran and leaped over the much shorter gap between the roof he was on and that of the next one over. The roof was similar in shape and met at a high point in the middle, providing a barrier between him and any arrows as long as he kept his head low. The Igni crossed that roof in two heartbeats, but he could now hear the approaching war lizard and knew he'd be in dire straits soon. Iikagen reached the end of that roof and leaped to the next one, nearly stumbling on the edge when a loose ceramic tile slipped out of place under his feet. He kept up his frantic run and made it to the next building which was a story higher than the one he was on.
The clever Igni realized, judging by the sound of the lizard's claws on the rooftops nearby and the speed with which he'd seen him approach that if he even took a few seconds to hoist himself up to the next rooftop, he'd be stationary long enough to take an arrow to the back. Instead, without breaking his stride once, he leaped out and hooked his hand on the gutter that ran down the building's front corner. With that to anchor him, he swung out and back in, flattening himself against the side of the building that faced the street.
Iikagen found a shallow ledge he could support himself on, and immediately put his back to the wall of the building, looking for his next place to run. As was, the archer in pursuit would have to find a way to lean out over the edge of the roof to get a glancing shot at him, or else drop back down to the street in order to shoot at him from the front. If he stayed on those rooftops, there was almost no clear shot...
Unless of course, his friends began arriving from directions with better vantage points.
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Post by sekar on Mar 30, 2007 13:43:26 GMT -5
Sekar smoked his pipe and looked at notes on the Igni people and medical texts. An empty bowl laid abandoned, as Sekar looked at the scrolls, smoking his eyes flickered to the pages of various texts now no longer really reading them. Sekar got tired and stood up. “Oooh my back.” The healer stretched, he had to make his nightly rounds before closing completely. He walked over to a few of the rooms and check on patients. He smiled softly at a little girl with a fever and a lung infection. “I hear shouting doctor.” The little girl croaked as she rolled over. “I wonder what going on?” she asked as she fell asleep.
Sekar walked to the burn ward and took out an aloe-sweet balm cream when Bulan and Sarumi walked in. “Sekar! We just heard news! There was a prison break. We need to stay on our toes. None of the girls are leaving to night.” Sekar groaned nodded. “Very well, just let me handle my work, and I’ll stay on guard with my needled. The ones laced with opium.” Sarumi walked out leaving the Raven Healer to do his work.
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Post by iikagen on Apr 21, 2007 11:09:16 GMT -5
The sight of a second war lizard turning onto the street a few blocks down gave Iikagen the impetus he needed to do what came next. There was a Yuu-yan behind him but blocked from view by the bulk of the building he was perched on, but he'd find a clear shot soon enough. He could have possily broken through one of the windows on the ledge he stood on, but then he'd be surrounded.
The only escape route left to the fugitive Igni, though most people would have never considered this particular path an 'escape,' came in the form of an open window on the building across the street. He was standing level with the third story of the building he was on and the open window was on the second floor of the one across from him. The only thing between and that portal to relative safety was a thirty foot wide space of empty air over a cobblestone street that seemed oh-so menacing at the moment...
In the space of a heartbeat, Iikagen decided on a plan of action and put it into play. Throwing his hands up over his head and shoving off with his feet, he hopped up and hooked his hands onto the edge of the rooftop above him. His strong forearms kept him anchored and he let his feet swing out for a moment before coming back to kick off hard against the face of the building. This the momentum from that kick, he tucked himself into a ball and then pulled hard with his arms. The end result was that he flipped backwards as he hoisted himself up onto the roof into a crouching position. And though he didn't see it, he certainly heard the thud of an arrow hitting the siding of the building where he'd been standing a moment before.
Without wasting a heartbeat, he unhooked his chain from his side and then exploded into a leap from his crouch. As he was in the air, he sent the barbed end into a hurried spin and whipped it at the decoratively carved wooden beam protuding from the rooftop of that building across the street. With an equal amount of skill and luck, the weapon dug into the wood, at least tentatively, and provided an anchoring point for him to swing toward the open window.
An arrow whizzed past him from behind him and thudded into the face of the building just above the open window. And an instant later he felt a sharp pain above and behind his hip, though he ignored it as best as he could. Iikagen neared the bottom of his swing and was within reaching distance of the open window when the temporary hold of his chain-hook failed. The barb tore off a piece of the wood and Iikagen found himself suddenly drifting off-target with nothing to do but brace himself for the pain.
Iikagen tucked his legs, but still the middle of his leading shin took the majority of the leading impact from the bottom edge of the window and sent him into a tumble as he entered the room. The unfortunate Igni grunted with the pain of hitting first the window, then a hardwood floor, and then finally the opposite wall. He heard the clutter of shaken glass and metal on the impact, but the moment he didn't really care. He still had the presence of mind to do ne more thing before he could rest. Wit the determination of a hardened warrior, he forced himself to stand, feeling as though his battered leg would give out any moment, and staggered back toward the window. Careful to stay out of sight, he slammed the shudders closed and then fell into a heavy lean against the side wall.
At least, breathing heavily, he looked around tyhe room and realized he was not alone.
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