[RP] In This Life

OOC: He'll lose. It is part of Fei and Shirou's sidestory plot. Short one for Fei as well as Shirou toget my joints running again with marathon posting

Fei
Yin had gotten Shirou to go against the Black Tiger Leader. I try to not admit it, but i am worried. Even with his expert defense, the Black Tiger Leader must have some substance to back up his position. However, i cannot object against Yin's command, as i will become a hyprocrite. Silently, i stand by the sidelines and hope Shirou had not slacked on training. The only thing i can do is raise mental support and morale.

Shirou! Your life is mine and property of the Zhang Family. Do NOT disgrace my name by dying here. Understood?

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Shirou

Lady Fei had spoken, so i guess i cannot die then. It was troublesome. The time was not right yet so i have to hide it. I cannot let it be known right now, or all will be lost and the Master's effort will become wasted. No, i must preserve... even if it meant facing the shame of defeat. I eased both swords out of its sheathe and faced the Captain in my defensive stance.

Thank you for sparring with me. It is a great honour. Let's hope I will be able to learn much from it.

Manners and flattery was everything against this type of person. It would allow him to become complacent and slack. That way, I might not have to lose in such a spectacular way, nor give and reveal what i am trying to hide.
​
 
[OOC: :x3: TIPSY! YOU'RE BACK. WOHOOOOO *FANFARE* But yeah, if you're going to continue on, just conclude the battle. The Black Tiger Leader's an NPC]

Now, now, as soon as the two were finished with their words, the Black Tiger Leader wince visibly. I would have expected the flattery to make him complacent, but it seemed he took it differently. Evidently, the usual effects of flattery had just backfired, making him more guarded - more careful in his perspective.

Still, I sensed something amiss. Call it the six sense of a woman, but there was just something from Shirou that I felt was unusual - which only made it more exciting. He must have something up his sleeves, and the prospects made me edge the two into combat.

"Well, standing here and staring isn't going to do much. Get a move on."

The Black Tiger Leader charged up at this point, his sword raised in a well measured slash from the side, and rather clever footwork to spin his entire body side ways to enhance the strength of this attack.

It was just one attack alone, but it was impressive, as much as I hate to admit. The delivery was virtually flawless, truly a show of either talent, or a long period of hard work. I found my lips curving into a small smile as I watched the battle.
 
MINGZHU
---------------

As everyone gathered around to examine the blue feather, I couldn't help but feel like I had seen one like it somewhere before. Maybe it was just my imagination, but...it had been on someone's robes, as some sort of decoration, or something....I could've sworn....

“What kind of monster could've left that?”

I turned to face the shortest grunt in my party, who had posed the question, wondering the same thing myself. I had heard some terrifying stories about the Jiufeng, the legendary nine-headed bird, but I had never expected to encounter one in my lifetime, or see evidence of its existence.

"Well, um..."

The oldest grunt spoke up. “It could have come from a Jiufeng,” he mused aloud, echoing my thoughts, “but it also might have just fallen onto the body from an innocent bird passing by.”

I frowned, and rubbed the back of my neck, my hopes dropping slightly at the thought. That was certainly possible, but it felt much nicer to assume the feather was our clue, and that we could end this gruesome mission more quickly if we already had something like that to work with. Plus, the faster we found the monster, the faster we could put it out of its miserable existence, and rescue whoever it might have been planning to devour next.

Just then, I heard a faint whistle, and a stirring in the distance. I turned my head sharply, listening intently, and was alarmed to hear a sound of snarling, and a few subsequent human shouts coming from the same direction. My body froze; had another unit found the culprit?

WOOF!

My eyes widened. That certainly didn't sound like a Jiufeng.

WOOF! WOOF!

The barking was getting louder; I backed up instinctively, alarmed, and glanced around at my fellow group members, who looked just as terrified as I felt. More shouting occurred far off in front of us, and suddenly a flash of a soldier running past, pursued closely by a grey, canine blur, made me realize exactly what it was.

That belt. That strange belt that she had always worn. It had had an ornament hanging off of one side with nine blue feathers attached to it, almost in a fan shape. That was exactly where I had seen this feather before, while it was still attached to her clothing. I tensed up, feeling the rage seething inside me; that horrible...Fenfang...had been up to this, and I hadn't even gotten a chance to reach anything more than a beginner's level of fighting skills yet. I could feel my thoughts clouding over with irrationalities; I couldn't hope to defeat something like a powerful animal shifter on my own, but maybe...if I could run her down, tax some of the energy out of her....It was worth a shot, anyway.

I wasn't exactly sure where she was at the moment; it wouldn't make sense for her to be out in the daylight in wolf form, so maybe the snarling and barking was just an odd coincidence—wolves out on the prowl looking for some sort of breakfast. As three showed up in my view, as small specks that steadily grew larger, however, I realized I didn't have time to think right then, and so I turned, finding that my unit were already on the move, and started running after them.

I listened; the small pack seemed to be catching up to me, and though I was fast, I knew I couldn't outrun them forever. What could I do?....I could climb a tree, perhaps, but then I wouldn't be able to get away from them, I'd be stuck....I could drop down below the ground, but then I'd be in the same situation....

Finally, I resolved to use my camouflage spell, and started to concentrate, quite glad I had eaten my usual bowl of earth earlier that morning. Turning my head once more to check how far away the wolves were, I slipped behind a large tree, flopped to the ground on my belly, and cast the spell, focusing as hard as I could.

I felt the dirt, dead leaves, and minuscule rocks slide up over the top of me, covering first my arms, then legs, and then my back, hiding me from sight adequately enough that I ought to have blended into the landscape. It was a slightly unnerving spell to use; in my prostrate form, I couldn't tell if anyone was behind me, or standing above me, and if I checked it would remove some of the detritus that concealed me. However, in this particular case, I was safe; the wolves' paws trampled the ground next to me at a running speed, and though I realized that they might have been able to smell me if they'd tried, they at least didn't bother to slow down and check this time, which I was grateful for. Their footfalls dimmed in intensity, until finally they were gone altogether, and I sat up once again once I didn't hear any hint of their presence anymore, letting the dirt slide off of my head and shoulders.

I didn't see anyone around, actually, upon looking. No wolves, and no soldiers either. Curious, and wondering whether this was a good or bad sign, I stood up once again, brushing the dirt off of myself, and began to look around some more, hoping to find my group intact at the very least. As I slipped through the trees, cautious of my surroundings, I worried slightly that what I had done might be considered abandonment, and that I might get in trouble with my superiors. However, they really couldn't fault me for it; my intention had been, as always, to preserve myself momentarily only for the sake of being able to help others if I survived. I never thought of hiding just for the sake of prolonging my own life; I knew I was a tool, and I had no problem being used as one if my purpose was to help save someone else. It was hard to explain that to people, though, without sounding like I was just making excuses....

I heard someone's voice nearby; it sounded somewhat like that of one of the brothers who had been in my party. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but if he was addressing me, then I certainly wanted to follow him; I didn't want to be separated from everyone any longer than I had to be. I ran in the direction of his voice, and glanced both left and right as I went, trying to make sure I was alone in my pursuit of him.

And, it was then, that I caught sight of her. It was only for a second, but I knew instantly—the graceful, nauseatingly feminine shape, the pale skin, the wicked smile....It had been Fenfang, standing behind a tree, smiling at me with the same evil grin she'd given me as a wolf during that horrific experience. I skidded to a halt, wondering what I should do; half of me wanted to follow orders, and try to keep up with the group, but the other half...did I even have the strength in me to exact my vengeance now?

I hesitated for a second, then dropped to my knees, and started scooping dirt into my mouth, fueling the valuable spells that I would most likely need if I stood any chance of stopping her. I glanced up periodically to make sure she wasn't standing over me, then stood up, brushed myself off, and with a quick deep breath, set off in the direction in which I'd seen her. It wasn't a punishable desertion if I caught the person who was behind all of the crimes now, after all.
 
Shirou

Ah.... here it comes....a powerful slash at that too. A powerful attack. It seemed like the Black Tiger Captain had gone hard from the get go, which is possibly one of the worst situations i would want. It meant spectacular defeat very quickly, lest i risk ruining everything. Both katanas went to my side vertically to take the blow. It landed squarely at the cross of my blades and the ring of metal clashing metal resonated in the hall. It was a perfect strike, clearly reflecting the Captain's skill and strength. Gathering all my strength to my arms, I shoved off the blade for a second before quickly bringing both my blades down in a parallel diagonal slash. It was foolish of me to believe that it would actually do anything, as i watched the Captain lean backwards and dodge the strike with ease.

The only thing left to do is to make a facade of a genuine all out attack and get knocked down asap. Lady Fei always concentrates on fighting the enemies, so she has yet to see me in complete actual combat fully. At least i win brownie points for effort. Following the momentum of the slash, I followed with a overhead spinning heel kick, which with one arm, the Captain promptly stopped. Now locked in place with a leg in the air, i was in trouble. He gripped my ankle and with tremendous strength, threw me backwards a few meters onto my butt. There was no need to pretend. It did hurt, a lot as i slid into the remains of a destroyed table. As fast as i can, i shook off the debris and closed the distance before raining down rapid blows in a flurry of close strikes. It looked impressive and it did do something as i had greater speed, hence forcing him to defend the rapid strikes.

However, like with all quick slashing, it lacked strength and dodging one single strike gave the Captain enough time to grip his sword in two hands, and charging up a massive swing, tried to blow me away. It was the perfect opportunity to end this charade. I let the strike hit my left blade, and toe jumped a bit backwards so i was off the floor as the strike connected. With with no tether or friction to stop me from flying, i tumbled backwards once more. I stayed down for a bit longer, so that it may seem that i am down. I did not calculate one thing however.

The captain stormed right up to me and raised his sword, point straight at my chest. He was intending to kill me to vest his frustration. It was a gamble now. Surely lady Fei won't really let me die here? If i react, then this little show will be for nothing. I squeezed my eyes shut.

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Fei

I didn't have too much hopes for Shirou. After all, he was an Orange Tiger, and a low one at that. The first strike by the Black Tiger was reflexive and not forced. It meant that he at least had skills. Many of his attacks were swiftly dealt with and indeed, he did seem to be of the Orange Tiger level. One thing that did come to mind was that i had not once ever observed Shirou fighting. This might be a good time.

As he began launching multiple swift strikes, i immediately saw the issue with this tactic and at once, the Captain also noted it and fought back and threw Shirou backwards with a swinging slash. I thought for a moment that Shirou lifted himself from the ground, but i dismissed it. After all, that had no tactical advantage at all and Shirou is not so stupid. I must have mistaken it. As my retainer tumble to the ground, it seemed that the match was over when the Captain rushed forward and made an effort to impale Shirou.

Shirou!
​

If i ran now, i was going to make it in time to parry the blade. However, the moment i took one step, i felt a grip around my left ankle and as I peered down, an unconscious Black Tiger that woke up had latched himself onto me. I could not yank my leg out of his grip and in utmost anger, i stomped on his face with my shoes, its hard platform smashing his face straight into the ground. Only then did his grip loosen. Tearing away from his hand, i had been delayed too much. As I run, i knew i was not going to make it to stop the blade with my own sword or my magic.

Damn it all!

I shouted as i stretched futilely outwards.

​
 
Yin

It was a promising start, and I personally had high hopes for Shirou - though the only reason that gave rise to this was a gut instinct. That, as well as a innate desire to see the Black Tiger Leader shamed for his little misdeeds to me. However, as the battle progressed, I had to further give in to the fact that this Black Tiger Leader was definitely the right man for the job.

Shirou could barely withstand the Black Tiger's attacks, and ultimately found himself on the ground, unable to retaliate.

The Black Tiger Leader was quickly poised for the kill; I quickly walked forward, seeing Fei attempt to intercept this blow along the way, only to fail because of another Black Tiger whom I didn't bother to concern myself with.

As the blade moved on it's path towards, Shirou, I quickly executed a precise Iaido strike that knocked the Black Tiger Leader's sword off its original path. The Black Tiger Leader was stunned, but recovered his composure quickly enough, though with a grouchy expression.

"Well, it would seem you exceeded my expectations by far... But really, do be a good sport and be more merciful in a friendly match, would you?"

"Yes, Lady Kai."

I could easily detect the sarcasm in his tone, but I chose to ignore it, looking over to Shirou instead.

"You okay, Shirou? Come on, now."

Pleased with the general outcome of things, I smiled as I outstretched a hand to him.
 
Shirou

"You okay, Shirou? Come on, now."

A flood of relief washed down my entire body. I could only thank every single God that exist in every single religion that his allies came and stopped the blade. I was a slight bit disappointed that Lady Fei did not make an attempt in..... no... there she is.... stomping ....relentlessly on an unconscious Black Tiger.

Thank you, uh, Yin.

Quickly, i hoisted myself to my feet. It seems like things scrapped by, though just barely. All was still good. Yin had completed what she came here for, that is to chastise the Black Tiger, though i have my doubts in its effect. Forced submission seemed to have caused more friction than respect in my opinion, but it seems Yin and Lady Fei prefer such methods. It was not up to me to question their orders though. After all, i am just an Orange Tiger. Quickly, i sheathed my swords and ran over to my Master.

Lady Fei! I apologise for my defeat. I will train harder as to not disappoint you a second time.


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Fei

Stupid...Ingrate.... Bug.....Worthless.... Imputant... How dare you lay your hands on me! Suffer the consequences.

My heels continually drove into the back of the now unconscious Black Tiger. I was tempted to plunge my Jian straight into his back, but i resisted. It was not becoming for me to take lives, nor is it my place to. Still, i had to vent some steam and this was the best. He deserved it in any case. So into the beating was I that i had not noticed Shirou having gotten back up and now kneeling by my side.

Lady Fei! I apologise for my defeat. I will train harder as to not disappoint you a second time.

Scumbag.... Dirt....Worm..... huh? Oh... Shirou... give me one more second..... Rgh! There. Done.

I drove one more kick into his back before straightening myself out and turning to Shirou. It was expected i guess. A Orange Tiger didnt have a prayer against the Black Tiger Guard captain. I can only be thankful to Yin in saving him.

Of course. I will not tolerate sub standard retainers in the house of Zhang. Make sure the next one will not be a defeat. Yin and I will not be there every single time to save your hide!

Of course, i will not show comfort that he had survived. After all, i had always found him a bit annoying and any concern may give the wrong impression. Whatever. With what they came here for done, I guess, we were going to head back.
Well, I guess that is as good a warning as any and i do think he gets the point that you are the leader, whether he likes it or not. Shall we leave from this place?

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Renka
My fever seemed to have dropped by a good deal. The ice did miracles and it was another miracle that the sake didnt make it worse. I guess it must be my constitution. In my state, i can at the very least, move my way towards the garden and relax in the open air. No need to coop myself in the house.

Maru... Moro. Help me out to the garden.

My two little sweet cheeks came rushing out of their room and quickly, Maru helped me off my lounge chair while Moro began to grab and hold the hems of my robe.

We shall have some tea and some sweets. Since its an even day, we will have Maru's favourite, Red beam mochi.

As we made our way onto the verandah, something in the sky caught my eyes. It was rather hard to miss. I quickly began some divination and its results were ambiguous. Whatever it was, it appeared that it will cause some form of disturbance. How much of one is left unknown.

Interesting... maybe i shall look into it. Cahnge of plans Maru, Moro. We head out. Mochi next time.

It will take a few minutes for Maru and Moro to prepare. This gave me some time to observe where this myterious phenomenome will descend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kos Mos

Warning! Hostile Ship Number 14356 has begun descent due to gravitational pull. Angle of entry is 325% of recommended angle of descent. Speed of descent is at 218% of recommended descent speed. Take action immediately.

My eyes fluttered open as my body kick out of emergency shut down mode. A quick preliminary scan indicated little damage in the overall body structure that the nanomachines didnt fix. I did notice that there were several points of difference than what i had saw before i shut down. There was a gaping hole above, which showed a lack of ship that should have been there. Another gaping hole also showed that the piece of the battleship i was on was beginning to drop into the planet below.

Beginning final diagnostics..... all clear. Releasing all safety lock down....XSIDE Unit 01, Mk4 Kos Mos, online.

There was still little gravity as i stood. Slowly, i guided myself to the hole that faced the planet. It was definitely not on my planet sheets. Just as i was about to begin scanning the stars for a location, several blips appeared on my radar, followed by a burr of fast automatic weapons. It missed, but as i turned, i registered 3 bogeys. Unfortunately, even surviving against all odds of slipspace ejection, the sector which was ejected was the Independantly Manned Mechanical Special Operation Corp unit bay. Despite the looming danger, they began an offensive attack.

Loading combat directives and software. Logic data... online. All safety, offline. Initiate combat strategy. Engaging targets.

We have pierced the atmosphere and were inside the planets Mesosphere. Large pieces were everywhere, but that did not stop the now four IMMSOC units. Allowed myself to begin free falling downwards. Typically, they followed in hot pursuit, right on my tail... until i deployed all my vent flaps, causing high drag and exponentially slowing down my speed, shooting right past the IMMSOC suits but the last one. With perfect timing, my hands gripped onto its head and pulled myself in before mounting both legs on its shoulders. Bracing myself, i began pulling, the stress on the metal creaking before the mechanical head popped off. I jammed my hand into the electronics, which forced the chest hatch to open. The pilots eyes were wide with surprise and shock as I yanked him from the seat, kicked the suit planet side and let him free fall. With perfect precision, i quick drew and planted a bullet between his eyes.

One down.
Accelerating once more, i grabbed a long piece of piping and aimed myself at the next suit. Large chunks of the ship flew straight by as all four of us weave through holes and gaps in the armour plating of the battleship with extreme maneuvers before i finally caught up to the third one. As it attempted to squeeze through another gap, with the piping and gravity, i pinned the suit down before it got in position to go through. It ran straight through the chest piece, blood busting out as it punctured through the suit and through the other side of the wall. I myself weaved through the gap.

The second last one was nowhere to be seen and to my eternal surprise, it actually ambushed me as i sped by, its own heat hawk was out. I would not let myself be defeated here, just short of exiting the debris field. Only a last minute break allowed me to dodge the strike, but there was no time to stop as i brought my own heat blade from my wrist and mounting a similar position as I did with the first unit and with brutal efficiency, stabbed into its body numerous times until the unit shut down from damage. Just as i began to search for the last one, it grabbed me from behind as accelerated straight towards the surface, intending to take me with it.

We were already inside the stratosphere and i was closing my deceleration time window. However, this Suit was strong, probably an officer unit and it was relentless in its head lock.

Warning. Time until minimal deceleration point in 15 seconds. System check... weapons are online.
Tucking in both legs, i planted the heels at its hip joints and let loose with automatic shot gun blasts. The rapid succession of the guns blew off its legs completely before i pushed myself from its grip, turned and let loose once more with four micro missiles, obliterating the remainder of the suit.

Caution! Two seconds left until minimal deceleration point.
I engaged my thrusters to max. I had definitely gone past the point and the ground was becoming closer and closer. Most of the main debris had scattered across the deep ocean. Only small pieces from the last two suits and maybe a few smaller debris from the ship made it inland. I roared across the sky, and in my view, i spotted a city of sort, but overshot over it. I was still going too fast. The trees began to become bigger at a ridiculous speed.

Prepare armour lock up. All non essential system shut down. Prepare for stand by. Engage nanomachine recovery unit. Impact in 5...4...3..2..1

I felt the impact of the ground and a shuttering jolt before my core emergency shut down for the second time in minutes. I was left smoking from my descent in an unknown planet, unconscious.
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[OOC: May as well chip in a post before I leave tomorrow. There won't be much of a post from me for the next few days anyway, so yeah. Hey!]

Yin

As Shirou got onto his feet, I turned over to the Black Tiger leader. I had to admit I was rather impressed by his abilities. Maybe it wasn't much, but at the very least, he didn't lose. In fact, he seemed to have outmatched Shirou. A worthy proof of the rightfulness to his position. Smirking slightly, I said to him, ignoring my other two companions as they conversed amongst themselves.

"Impressive. I see you're not the Leader for naught."

He sheathed his blade, bowing in what must have been mock courtesy. Looking into his eyes, I continued," Now, I hope you do understand the purpose of this all. Yes. It is to shame you. But look back on your behavior and reflect upon it. You were already shamed from the moment you decided to not arrive at the Council meeting punctually.

" But this is not about shame. It's about respect. If you can't even give me this little bit of respect as Leader of the Security Council, how else would you expect me to give you the same respect?"

The Black Tiger leader took this as a cue to respond. He bowed low, saying,"Sorry, Lady Kai! We were wrong."

The other Black Tigers bowed as well, making me feel rather proud of myself in that brief instance. To have to tame the Black Tigers in this manner was nowhere close to a good start, but at the very least, earning the respect evened it up... Even if it had to be forced out of them.

I felt my lips curved into a smile as I called them to dispense with formalities. Going over to Fei and Shirou, I motioned for them to head out of the place.

"We're done here," I said, before continuing with a low, barely audible whisper. "We won't want to stay here to get attacked a second time, will we?"

Glancing over to some of the Black Tigers, whose faces held the expression of indignation, I smiled broadly. This sudden gesture unsettled them, and amused myself.

"Come on."

I calmly started towards the exit and out.
 
I trailed after Fenfang, seeing a glimpse of her here and there as I went, and was determined to catch up with her, to do whatever horrible things to her that I possibly could. I passed through a clearing, and finally had to slow down to catch my breath. I didn't like staying in the light when enemies were around, but I had no choice at the moment.

I gazed about at my surroundings, panting, and glanced up at the sky, wondering briefly whether there were any clouds building; I didn't want to be stuck out here in the rain. As I looked, I only saw a few puffs of white looming in the distance; however, a number of large, metallic-looking spots were also there, descending towards the ground at an alarming rate. I squinted at them; I couldn't tell for certain, but it almost looked as though one of them was plummeting in my direction, soaring over where the city was towards me.

That couldn't be good.

I started running out of the way, taking off far to the side of its projected path, and periodically looking up as I ran to check its position. The thing zoomed over the treetops not too far from me, and shot into the ground with a huge thud, out of my sight but still close enough to be startling. It was somewhere in the thicker trees, away from the clearing, and even after seeing a great deal of it in the sky, I still had no idea what it was. I stood where I was for a moment, bewildered and somewhat terrified, and wondered what to do. If I let Fenfang get away, I would never forgive myself; however, if this was some sort of new demon, or something that was perhaps related to our mission, then it would be wrong of me to ignore it, and I might even get in trouble with my unit leader....

Not wanting to stand there thinking for too long, I finally decided to investigate the new object. Even if I did catch up with Fenfang, I told myself, there was no way I would have been able to do anything to seriously injure her; she was far too powerful for me still, at this point. Hopefully someone else would catch her, if anyone else was on her tail; but if not, her apprehension would have to wait for another day—perhaps tomorrow, if she continued her attack on the villagers on a daily basis. With this in mind, I took a deep breath, withdrew my butterfly swords, and crept slowly towards the thicket into which I believed the strange thing had fallen.

A great deal of hazy smoke was in the air, and as I pushed my way through the vegetation, I finally saw it. What looked like a woman, with long hair, and wearing some kind of skimpy, unusual outfit, was sitting there; it appeared as though she had made quite an impact into the ground. Smoke was issuing from her, and she wasn't moving; I was sure that she must be dead, unless she was some sort of mythical being or deity, which I supposed was also possible. I had never seen anyone who looked like her before; where on earth had she come from? And what was she doing in the sky in the first place?

I took a few steps closer to her; if she was merely a dead human, I didn't exactly want to run over and touch her; that was kind of gross. However, if there was any chance of her still being alive, I had to find out somehow. Clearing my throat, and raising my voice just loud enough for only her to hear, I decided to speak up, and find out. “Um...are you okay?” I asked hesitantly.
 
OOC: Italic speech colours are thoughts/internal dialogue. Unslanted are speech. I willl write Fei and Renka later
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Kos Mos
Blip....Blip...Blip....System gyroscope stabilised. Reconnecting core...Connected...System check.... Multiple damage within main frame...fire system alignment class C damage...Rudimentary program rewrite for correction... Nanomachine repairs.... 80%... 87%... 95%... 100%. Major damage repaired. Class D damage and below exist. Require attention when in facility. Emerging from Core lockdown in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...all system engage.

As my core reconnected with the major systems in my frame, it triggered many automatic fail safes. Due to excessive use of thrusters in the last minute, steam had built up. As i opened my eyes, all my vents opened and in a loud whoosh, i felt the temperature of my frame decrease as the white smoke gushed out into the open. Immediately, as my core began to power up again, i detected an organic being within immediate vicinity. My vents and eyes were most definitely glowing through the smoke as i stepped out into the open.

Initiating scan....Female... age... approximately 14. Height... 155cm...armaments... two curved short blades, primitive crossbow.... threat.... minimal. Initiate learning program.

OOC: Her first few lines you will not understand. After that, she will begin to speak in the Byakka language in my next post. So for now, sign and body language

“Um...are you okay?”

Communications was severely impeded. I would have to begin learning the language immediately via deduction and usage in context.

I am Xeno Series Independent Driver Entity, Model Unit 01-Mk4 Kos Mos. I require assistance.

With the body temperature low enough, I closed my vents. The core glow should have also subsided. Running on preliminary scans during descent and the female in front, i am to guess that the era in which this planet is in is during its late Imperial Age, though there was a lack of technological advancement. Could there be a supplementary technological source? I did not have high expectations that the girl in front understood me, so with universal body language, i repeated myself, trying to ask for help.

I need assistance. Will you take me to the city?

I asked the girl this as i pointed to myself, made a walk symbol and pointed to the direction of the city.
​
 
(OOC: Thanks for reading up on all my details :D I'll try to do my best here, without being too specific :gonk:)

I watched with amazement as the strange woman stirred. A large amount of white smoke started issuing from her body, and through it, I suddenly saw the glow of two red eyes, and more glowing coming from other areas of her form as well. As she stepped towards me, and began speaking gibberish to me, I felt an overwhelming urge to flee; she certainly fit the description of a deity or demon better than that of a regular human. However, something told me that if I ran, I might get into more trouble; what if she had appeared in front of me on purpose, or for some sort of divine reason? Though at times I hated them, I didn't want to defy the “powers that be,” especially when I had no idea who this one was. Paralyzed with uncertainty, I stood there, unable to move, and watched as she pointed to herself, then made a hand signal that resembled walking, and then pointed in the direction of the city.

I processed what she was trying to say, though a little sluggishly. “Oh...OH,” I said finally, nodding a little. She wanted to go to the city, apparently. Either that, or she was just telling me that she was going there; but either way, I needed to get back there and try to regroup with whatever was left of my unit, assuming they had made it back. I hesitated for a second, trying to figure out what to do; then, figuring a deity might get upset if I stood there too long like an idiot, I sheathed my butterfly swords once again, and hastened through the underbrush in the direction of the city, taking a few steps and then turning around to make sure she was following me. “Uhm, it's...this way,” I called out, making exaggerated hand gestures to make sure she understood. “We'll be there in no time, um...Your Greatness?” I quickly bowed low to emphasize my humility; I often failed at using the proper respectful terms for people, and I really had no idea what to say to an entity like this. The experience itself was quite surreal, and I honestly couldn't believe I was able to say anything at all; the last few minutes had definitely been an unexpected turn of events for the morning.

I stood up straight again, then looked at her apprehensively; I made one final hand gesture as though asking her to come along, then turned, and started walking through the woods again, listening keenly for the sounds of her footsteps behind me.
 
OOC: Okay, crummy post done in the morning. Kate, take us into the city whenever you feel like.

Fei

"We're done here, we won't want to stay here to get attacked a second time, will we? Come on."

Indeed. Whatever they may be, they still are a top tier division, rather skilled with a lot of them. If they mobbed, the three of us would go down. Hopefully, the emperor decreed position would stem off any sudden attack. We quickly exited the Black Tiger HQ. I have completed the task that Yin has asked of me, but i wonder if she still needed anything or am i free to go?

Well.... that was that... went rather smoothly apart from Shirou losing...

Ehehehe... my apologises Lady Fei.

Once again, he had that happy go lucky face that annoyed me so much.

Hmph. It is not a laughing matter. In any case, is there anything you need assistance with?

Before Yin could answer, a rather familiar palanquin came into view.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Renka

The phenomenome had crash landed i assumed. From where it was heading, most likely, it landed outside the city limits. It was too far to go via palanquin. With my divinations a few weeks ago, my guess was that something of the skies will appear within the city. Perhaps this was it? Perhaps i can meet this being? My palanquin arrived and i stepped in, with Maru and Moro following behind me into the cab.

Maru... Moro, tell the porters that we head towards the East gate.

As we moved along, i heard a rather familiar voice.

Master! What are you doing out here? I thought you were sick with magic fever?

Of course it was Fei.

We sighted a mysterious phenomenome in the sky and i thought id go and take a look. Are you done with your meeting? And who is this cahrming young lady next to you?

As young as she may look, I certainly did feel a certain power eminating from her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kos Mos

“Uhm, it's...this way, We'll be there in no time, um...Your Greatness?”

The girl seemed to have understood my message. However, it seems that she has misunderstood her position, as seen by her deep bow. Perhaps she had believed her to be some celestial being, which is not so farfetched considering the era the girl was living in. I tried to relay her mistake to her.

I am not a celestial being. I am a gynoid created by Xenoside. I am created to serve and assists humans in difficult tasks and their safety... but i assume you are unable to comprehend my speech....
I am not sure if she understood, but I made a mental note to correct this misunderstanding once my language bank of this area is sufficient enough. So far, it is not so good, with only two or so lines to work with. Hopefully, once inside the city, i can gather more intel. The most i can do is follow the girl.


​
 
[OOC: Introduction for my new character. He's approaching from the West though, so unless you go from the West Gate, there won't be a chance to meet him.]

Yin

Looking at the palanquin, I opted to wait patiently as Fei addressed whoever was inside. It was rather unusual to sight another who traveled by palanquin in Byakko after all, and it made me interested to know that Fei knew someone of such standing. I mean, while I knew she hailed from some noble family...

But as I listened to her words from beside her, the words 'master' and 'magic fever' struck a deep mental note.

For her to address another as 'master' was one thing. The 'magic fever' was yet another, and throw in the palanquin mode of travel into the picture... I was starting to have an idea. Might she be the Warlock of Fire?

"And who is this charming young lady next to you?"

I smiled," Good day, I'm Kai Yin, the new leader of the Security Council, as appointed by His Majesty."

Admittedly, introducing myself in such a manner was awkward, but I wanted to know if my guess was correct. That, and the 'mysterious phenomenon' that she spoke of.

Galen

By the time I woke up, it was already day. The sun was already making its way overhead, making the day hotter - scorching, actually, considering my armor. Nevertheless, I was far too used to it. Enough to forget about shade and just sleep out in the open. Getting up, I gritted my teeth against the clinking of the armor that never failed to frustrate me, and started towards the city.

It has almost been a month now since I left the Order to wander around on my own personal journey. I would say it had been boring so far, but who cares? It definitely was better than being in the Order, where fights erupt almost everyday. It was quite a miracle that I even managed to stay long enough to be one of the Senior Black Knights.

But then again, I guess I'm used to it. Too used to so many things. Well, funnily enough for me, being used to things disturbed me. Thus began my journey. I felt I had to see the world, and I figured I could start from the nearest city, whatever the place was called.

According to some prior research, as well as affirmation by the bandits that so 'fortunately' passed me by, this place was called Byakko. Staring at the city in the distance, I started ambling, hoping to minimize the clinking as I did.
 
MINGZHU
---------------

I listened as the strange new woman said something again, but I still couldn't really understand her. I felt like such an idiot; she seemed to be expecting me to make out what she was saying, and I was failing miserably at it. I probably didn't seem like a very good servant to her; I was sure I'd be receiving some sort of physical punishment along the way here at some point. I wasn't about to let her down any further though, so I simply nodded at what she said, a bit nervously, and turned around again to take her the rest of the way to Byakko, as quickly as possible.

After a little while, it occurred to me that there were still wolves, soldiers, and...her...roaming about in the forest, so I figured rather than taking this person back to the gate I'd come from, I would take her to the West Gate instead, away from the danger. Of course, she probably didn't need any protection—deity or not, she'd survived a huge plummet from the sky to the ground—so the move was admittedly more for my own safety than anything. I didn't think it would take too much extra time though, so—

I stopped, and listened. There was a clinking sound, almost like that of someone carrying dishes, or...wearing armor. I froze, and looked left; there was the source, not far away from where we were, walking towards the city from a different direction than the one we'd taken. It was a knight, of some sort—a huge knight, over six feet tall, and clad in heavy-looking black armor and a black cloak. The person had an impressive, powerful look to them, and having no idea who they were or what their intentions were, I figured they would definitely not be the type of person I wanted to run into at that moment.

Wondering how I was going to hide with such an unusual companion in tow, I turned to look at her, and pointed up at the top of the tree I was standing behind, to try to suggest to her that we climb it. I then started scrambling up its lower branches myself, as quickly and quietly as I could, and started to feel a little more secure, until—

“AAAAAAH!”

The newest branch I had selected couldn't support me, and it snapped as soon as I had put my whole body weight onto it. I fell instantly to the ground, and landed with a painful thump, right within the most likely range of the black-clad knight's vision.

Great, I thought, wincing at my sore side as I squinted at him. What now?
 
Galen

My walk had been relatively quiet. That is, until I heard the snapping of branches, and a resounding thump. Ordinarily, I would have dismissed this as some random occurrence in nature, but I thought against it, turning my head to glance over to the source. It was then, I stopped.

They certainly didn't look hostile, so the notion of battling I immediately pushed away. I started towards them with a leisurely pace, trying to keep the sound of my armor down to no avail. Now as I came closer, I started to realize what an odd pair this was.

The girl that fell was dressed normal, pretty much in the same fashion I had noticed on the bandits from earlier. She looked to be rather young too, and generally just another ordinary girl. What was more intriguing was the other female beside her. I say female because of her bizarre appearance, which certainly didn't fit my understanding of human appearance.

Cyan hair, red eyes... And not to mention, unusually skimpy dressing. I was starting to wonder if she was some sort of demon, or Vampire - or whatever else, for that matter - and would have thought so if not for her extremely human appearances.

Looking back at the girl, I suddenly gained a revelation, realizing that I had been silent for quite a moment. Quietly giving thanks to whoever it was that made it impossible for people to see through the shadows of the Enshroud, I spoke,"Are you okay, Miss?"

[OOC: The 'Enshroud' refers to that... Well, take a look at his picture, and look at the helmet and face. Yeah. You pretty much can't see his face. That shadow, black whatever thing where his face should be is the 'Enshroud', a mark of the Black Knights - if you intend to recognize his Black Knighthood.]
 
Renka
​
Good day, I'm Kai Yin, the new leader of the Security Council, as appointed by His Majesty.

Ah, i have heard of a new Security Council Leader through the grape vine, but i had not expected someone so young. Interesting indeed. I poked my head out from the veil that surrounded my palanquin as a sign of respect, but i could not disembark.

 Ah, and at such a young age too... Falling behind the generations Chibi Fei?

I could not resist my daily jabs at Fei. her reactions were such great entertainment. It always contrasted her appearance, though it appears it only works with me

Master! I am not that old! Please do not tease!

Of course.... back on topic in any case. I guess i can walk from here. Let me down please

The bearers lowered the palanquin and Maru stepped out, opening a rather nice (and equaly gaudy, which i like) umbrella. I stepped under its shade and Moro came up too my left arm as support. As expected, Fei came to my right.

Ah, thank you. In any case, i had divined that an odd phenomenone would occur today a while ago and not too long just then, i sighted a flashing object flying through the sky. I feel this may be the phenomenone that i may have predicted so i am heading to the West gate... just to observe...Fei. You will accompany me

Yes master.

Would you like to come along, Miss Yin

I was almost certain that this being would enter the city... call it a gut feeling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kos Mos
​
As expected, the girl probably did not understand a word I said as she just nodded in the typical fashion of someone that was just agreeing for the sake of it. As we approached further towards the city, she appeared to be suddenly tense. I managed to identify what had caused this as rattling of metal, most likely armour. Automatic routines kicked in as I began to make ready for combat in defense of the girl. She scampered up a tree however and i stared blankly as i watched. there was little use in the action and as i exopected, she came falling down relatively quickly.

“AAAAAAH!”
I was worried so i walked quickly to her side, and spotted the source of the clinking. It was a man in pure black armour. Even my scanners and optics could not see past the man's helm. He stood there staring foir a while, which was awkward in my sense.

"Are you okay, Miss?"

Preliminary scanning shows a high probability of minor injuries. Scan also shows Sir as a potentially high threat target. Please remain a distance until a decision can be made whether yo are trustworthy.

 Again,most likely, the man probably could not comprehend me. So instead, i raised my hand in the universal sign of stay before i side stepped my way next to my quarry and gave a hand to her to help her whereas my other strayed and rested on the butt of one of my pistols in my waist armour.

Are you okay, Miss?

 This was said in the local dialect for test. I believed this line to have mean whether she was in healthy condidtion as i heard this from the man. What he said seemed most probable to be this. If she understood this, then it was a first step in compiling the local dialect.

OOC: Remember, robotic type voice, Kos Mos style.
 
[OOC: Just to speed things up a little, you could just have Yin follow. She would have agreed and went along anyway, and I thought it would be silly to have just one line for her. :D He took the robotic voice for an accent LOL]

Galen

The strange looking girl spoke in a tongue just as strange as her appearance. That, and in an accent which sounded horribly bizarre to me. Even given my widely traveled person, I still could not identify where exactly could this girl have came from. I was starting to imagine she was some kind of demon from beneath the earths - because of her unnaturally fair complexion - when she started speaking something that I recognized.

It was the exact same words I used, just with a different voice, and accent.

Nevertheless, I kept his distance, still bearing in mind the gesture the girl had made for me to stay away. To be honest, I didn't care less what exactly was going on with these two, but this demon, whatever, is starting to pique my interest.

I decided to take a step back, while waiting for the two to finally be ready.
 
(OOC: From Kos-Mos's bio picture, it looks like she is wearing gloves, so I didn't mention anything about her hand feeling weird; but if it's an important detail I can bring it up later. I think her skin is supposed to resemble human flesh though anyway, right?)

MINGZHU
---------------

My heart sank as the black-clad knight started approaching us; I had indeed foolishly given us away. Once they were close enough, they asked me a question; and though their face was completely obscured by some sort of black shroud, I could tell from the voice that they were male.

"Are you okay, Miss?"

I hesitated. I hadn't expected to be treated kindly by such an overbearing-looking entity; not to mention that he fit the description I'd heard once about an order of powerful black knights who always kept their faces hidden. It didn't say much about me if I was so quick to judge by appearances, I knew; but then again, I didn't want to end up dead either.

Before I had a chance to respond to him, the strange woman I was traveling with, who had arrived at my side quickly, proceeded to say something unintelligible to the tall knight, putting her hand up as though to suggest he should stay at a distance. Then, she turned to me, offered me her hand to help me up, and said something I had not been expecting.

Are you okay, Miss?

I couldn't believe it; I could actually understand her this time! Apparently she thought I was worthy of conversation in my native language after all; and she was actually calling me “Miss” too! Not to mention doing something to help me. Perhaps the divine ones weren't as haughty and superior to us humans as some people liked to say they were. Her voice was really weird, though; she sounded oddly stiff and formal, and something about her tone just didn't seem normal to me...

Realizing that they were waiting on me, I finally sat up, cringing slightly at the pain in my side. I didn't think I had actually broken anything, but I was still probably going to be sore for a little while. “Yeah,” I grunted, and reached for the woman's hand, using it to pull myself to my feet. “I think I'll be alright. Thank...you.” I realized, just as soon as I had let go of the woman's hand again, that I had just touched what I thought to be some sort of higher-level being; the thought of that was quite staggering.

I glanced back over at the black knight, who had stepped back a little, and wondered what someone like him would be doing out here. Even though he had asked about my well-being, I still wasn't sure about him. “If I might ask, sir,” I inquired, trying to sound neither tough nor timid, “what sort of business brings you to Byakko?”
 
Galen

"Perhaps it wouldn't be easy to believe, I would think," I started to respond, hesitating in doing so. "But I'm just a wanderer. All I want to do is see the lands, nothing more. And I figured the closest, Byakko, would be a nice place to start."

Well, that was pretty much the absolute truth for now. Granted, I did come around looking for an occasional battle as well, but I dismissed that as a habit of mine. I didn't need her thinking that I was some bloodthirsty person when apparently, she seemed quite uneasy about my appearance. I'm not only towering over her, height-wise, but my face is also enshrouded completely out of sight.

I believed that must have spelled 'sinister' out in full capitals for her. It didn't make me feel any better, but I continued, adding,"By your appearance, you're from Byakko?"

There wasn't any doubt that the strange lady beside the one who fell wasn't from Byakko. To be honest, I still am thinking she was some kind of demon from some bizarre fantasy place. But I definitely wasn't about to say that, considering how bluntly rude it was.
 
OOC: Yea. Black gloves with a wrist gauntlet. Her hands isnt armoured, but the top of her palm is.
​

Renka

I was pleased that Yin decided to join me. After all, it is to her best interest to scout out an unfamiliar being entering her city, with her being the Security Council Leader and all. As for me, i was just in there for the fun of it. I believed that this being would not be hostile. If it was, i would personally go out and meet and engage in it.

Master! Master! I have found us a nice place to view it from!

Perfect, my dear Maru. Let us go up.

Unfortunately for my dear Maru, she did not know what the difference between a rather...risque bar is from a normal tavern. Not that it matters. We did not come here for anything unsightly. Without hesitation, i made my way up the stairs and took a table out on the balcony before waving away the hesitant hostesses but ordered tea from the waiter. Fei followed up obediantly and stood behind me as if like an attendant while the twins played around with the plants near the railing. Yin took a seat by my side.

It shouldnt be too long. While we wait, have some tea Yin.

I poured her a cup of tea along with Fei's and lit my Kiseru and waited

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OOC: For speed issue, have your characters begin to recognise scrap words of Kos Mos' sentences from now on until i write another OOC post in regards to her fluency. Btw, only her eyes glow red when venting steam. From the vents, it is a bright blue glow

Kos Mos

My thought and learning processes began churning as i analysed both the girl's and the large armoured man's interaction. Through deduction and logic programs, i started to break down the local dialect. It was still going to be a while until i can say anything slightly intelligble to be considered a sentence, but i am confident that i can say single words that are basic and i am sure of its meaning. For now, it seems prudent to let the girl handle the interaction with the man.

After a few exchanges, i caught the word Byakko and assumed that it meant the name of the place they were in. Thermal readings and heartbeat sensors showed a still present heightened sense of alertness from the girl in which i remained where i stood, to the side in front of the girl, covering a quarter of her from the man. It was the best defensive position i could take if he decided to attack. I left my hands resting on my right pistol in its hidden space on my waist armour.
​
 
"Perhaps it wouldn't be easy to believe, I would think. But I'm just a wanderer. All I want to do is see the lands, nothing more. And I figured the closest, Byakko, would be a nice place to start."

The knight paused, then went on.

"By your appearance, you're from Byakko?"

I hesitated; my first instinct was to be completely ambiguous about my answer, however upon further thought I realized that there would be no use in lying about it. It was kind of obvious that I was on my way there, seeing as how it was the nearest city, and I didn't look like I was equipped for any sort of journey to another one. “Uh, yeah,” I answered quietly, “I am.”

I noted that the strange woman was still standing in front of me and to one side, with her hands on her pistol; it seemed she still didn't trust the man, and was trying to protect me. I still didn't understand why I was so important to her, but I wasn't about to let myself get into any unnecessary trouble, so I stayed where I was, and decided to try to get some more information out of the man before we started trying to head home again. “So...you're merely out sightseeing?” I asked him, trying not to look as nervous as I still felt. “What are you going to do once you get to Byakko? Do you know anyone there already?” I wanted to ask him whether he really was one of the famous black knights I'd heard of, but I wasn't really sure whether I should get so personal with him just yet. After all, I didn't even know his name, or whether he would even tell me if I did ask...
 
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