Qi Lung Onigashima Ch 2

===> COH <===> 7/20/2019, 8:32:40 PM <===
QI LUNG: ONIGASHIMA CHAPTER 2

Underneath Chinatown - Ebon Dragon's Nest(#3634RM)

	This cavernous subterranean space is old. Older than the warehouse above. More akin to a natural cave than a man made tunnel, it's then perhaps not that unusual that there's an aura of primordial power here. The temperature of this room drops several degrees from the one above, leaving the space perpetually cool and slightly damp. The Yin energies in here - cold, dark, overpowering - they run /strong/. Like a heavy pall draped over a tomb, the Yin touches /everything/ inside the space.

	In the center of the cavern? A circular pool, about ten feet in diameter, filled with a still and placid black liquid. The pool betrays no clues as to its depth.

	The space is sparsely furnished - A small altar. A pair of cots with pillows and blankets. A large wooden steamer trunk. A stainless steel medical table. And off to the side, a table and two benches carved of the same stone that makes up this cavern.

	*** PLACES ENABLED ***

	The light of the Deadlands reveals that the whole space is entirely and thoroughly suffused with roiling Yin energies. Black blood of the earth bubbles up with the chaotic energies of the primordial Ebon Dragon Egg. No Ancestor Spirits dwell here, despite the obvious attraction that such a space might hold. One is inevitably likely left to wonder ... why?

Contents:
Kurumi
Mr. Lao(#17421)
Obvious Exits:
Office <Of>


	Danny had sent word to Kurumi that he had an opportunity to make a return to Onigashima, to further explore the mystery of whatever was plaguing the denizens of the island. Patiently, he waited for her in his lair. Unsure of what dangers they would face, he had also invited Hana (and company).

	"...Does visiting that place ever become less nervewracking? It feels like a great production every time." Hanako arrives with Lian in tow, having stolen the taller woman's hand to lead her toward the group. Danny is offered a bow when Hana comes close. "This is Yong Xiaolian... We can trust her, and I am responsible for educating her. I thought her talents might be useful to us." Hana will relate this clearly, head bowed. "I take full responsibility, of course."

	It doesn't take long for Kurumi to show up with her cloth wrapped kanabo, the lure of another trip to Onigashima and smashing whatever fucked with the place into a million pieces is too strong. If anyone is going to fuck with Onigashima it's going to be her, damn it. There is something slightly different about her, but it's hard to place. It's not the barely simmering anger over the island's situation, some deeper change seems to have been wrought in her. She's dressed in her favorite outfit, or at least the one that has been bonded to her so that it can shift when she does as she takes a place around Danny's pool and waits.

Lian, once she's introduced, makes a bow of her own; the practiced eye would have no trouble noting it's a bit lower than Hana's, certainly enough to be obvious to anyone paying attention. "If I can be some use," she says, her English having a very distinct British flavor to it, "of course I'll be happy to do so."

	Danny is dressed in his ceremonial vestments. A thin, grim half-smile as folks arrive. "Straight into the Sunless Sea this time. I've latched onto a byway, but am not sure how long it'll last. Its a bit unstable, so. Time is of the essence." He motions for everyone to come close and hold hands. Then? He drops down into the inky waters and takes everyone along with him.
	"You'll have to tell me more about that rotating accent of yours-" Hana is beginning, having clutched one of Lian's hands and one of Kurumi's. And then they are being pulled into the inky depths and through to the other world. Any words are lost by the rush of water.

	Everyone will be pulled through the waters and unceremoniously coughed up onto the shores of Onigashima! (Stamina checks vs 8, 6 if Yin attuned. Success = no effect. Fail = nausea, Botch = heaving up and stunned for 1 round!)

	Danny rises from the briny brackish waters and takes long look around. It looks like they landed on the right island! That's a relief! "Keep close to Kurumi. Last time we were here, things ended in a bit of an intense place."

Lian was /just about/ to open her mouth to reply to Hana's question -- or rather comment -- about her accent, when she was pulled into the dark waters along with the others. A good thing she didn't, or she certainly would have been more disconcerted by the passage. As it is, while she's a little green around the gills after emerging onto the island's shore again, she is at least not throwing up, and that's /something/.

	Hana holds Lian's hand tightly, and when the other is starting to waver she wraps her arms around her gently to keep her steady. Hana too is a little green about the gills, but she doesn't let it affect her. Not after this many visits. Instead, she breathes slowly and deeply as she looks around. "Kurumi and I can keep the group safe," she agrees with Danny. "Just what /are/ we walking into this time...? It sounds like things went- poorly. But I suppose I should have expected that."

	"The island's denizens were under some sort of yin spell. Jin snatched the ritual scroll and it released them, or seemed to," recaps Danny!

	"The Oni may or may not have lingering effects. Also? They may or may not be happy we came back after setting them free." A frown from the maoshan, "And I think I'm down to /one/ single peach."

	"Well, hopefully if they take exception we are able to calm them down," Hana replies quietly. She gives her head a faint shake. "Lian, if you think of anything feel free to say. Otherwise... Well, at least it shouldn't be a boring lesson?"

	Kurumi hits the beach with no ill effects, perhaps even in better spirits after the trip. The return to this island has brought a certain excitement to her demeanor. She cracks her knuckles and unwraps the cloth from her Kanabo, an octagonal steel club about five feet long with spikes on the business end, "If they want to fight, then we fight. It's what Oni do. Oni respect only strength."

"Not much chance of that," Lian says to Hana, with a South Boston inflection to accompany her slightly rueful smile. "But if anything that might be useful springs to mind, I won't keep quiet about it." It's fair to say there's a hint of apprehension or a bit of curiosity in the look she gives Kurumi -- or maybe both.

	Something catches Kurumi and Danny's attention off in the distance. It might be a small plume of smoke? And the sound of ... drumbeats?

	Danny squints and then points out a direction. "As good a place as any to start?"

	"We may as well follow the drums, I guesss," Hana replies. SHe tilts her headslightly, listening tgo saee if that is the direction Danny picked. "Or in any direction, if you prefer." She nods once. Hana's gaze then follows Lian's to Kurumi and she gives a slow nod. "Kurumi is Oni. Don't let her scare you, I doubt she would eat a friend." Hana will be content to head in whichever direction Danny prefers.

	Just as the party appears to be making ready to head in a direction, there's a sound of snapping twigs and such and something springs out towards the group! A three headed dog, big as a horse! Waves of psychic energy radiate outwards from the beast! (WILLPOWER vs 6 - fail means Fear Stunned for 1 turn!)

	Danny blinks as the three headed hellhound attempts the psychic assault! A hand dips into his sash, and he pull free a small phial, quaffing the contents! Discarding the glass phial he looks to Hand and Lian. "Make ready, let Kurumi take point."

Of course Lian is somewhat taken aback by the sudden appearance of a giant three-headed dog, a creature out of Western mythology. That's hardly surprising! Fortunately, however, taken aback does not translate into 'paralyzed with fear', and she falls at once into something that looks like a modified xingyiquan stance. A defensive xingyiquan stance, granted! But it's certainly better than standing there gawping.

	"Yama-inu," mutters Danny as he takes up a position at Kurumi's flank. "Channelers of death."

	Kurumi glares at the multi-headed wolf creature with the look of an apex predator, she is not impressed. Releasing her focus that hides her power she begins to grow, skin taking on a slight reddish hue, small horms emerging from her forehead. When it stops, she is almost seventeen feet tall, perhaps more interesting like something out of an urban fantasy her modern looking clothes have grown with her, as well as her kanabo which is now closer to the length of a street lamp. Kurumi grins at the feral canine and launches into an attack.

	The Yama-inu's three heads each begin to work up growls, but it doesn't appear to be making any moves yet.

	Danny makes to position himself between the devil wolf and Lian, ready to defend Lian, or assist Kurumi as necessary.

	The streetlamp sized bludgeon wielding Oni lays into the devil dog. ... and entirely annihilates ONE of the great beast's heads, rendering it into a bloody smushy pulp, and cauterizing the remaining stump with the electricity.

	The massive Oni girl lunges forward towards the wolf demon, as she does the massive steel club arcs up into the and begins to cracKurumile with electrical power. In fact her entire body begins to crackle with electrical power, fire of the gods as Kurumi brings the kanabo down on one of the creature's heads with a sickening crunch and the sound of sizzling fur as the electricity courses through it. But that is apparently not the end of it yet as the weapon bites unnaturally deeper, spikes digging their way in as they seek soft internal bits to puncture.

	Hanako glances back at Lian and gives her a brief nod. She takes a deep breath and holds it for a couple of seconds before raising both hands. She's drawing some sort of sigil in the air with the movmeent of her hands as she inhales, and flames explode to life, outlining her in azure and brilliant white. Hana throws a kick and there's a cascade of fire and fury toward the wolf-like creature that scorches the air around it and sears the hair from skin. Somehow, it manages to do little more as the creature seems to bat the conflagration aside.

Danny watches as Hana doesn't quite manage to finish off what Kurumi left behind. A breath is taken, and then exhaled, even as he performs a kata - Still the FLuttering Wing. Tai chi in a fight? Regardless, the movement allows his Yin chi to project towards the beast, rendering it ... stuck in time like a fly in amber. There.

The Yama-inu was focused on the brackish waters and beach behind the group. And when Lian turns to take a peek, she spies an Oni that comes into view. Smaller than Kurumi, and more pink than red. But an Oni nonetheless.

The other seem to have this well in hand. Or, at least, that's what Lian's line of thinking is, and, to be fair, she does have some reason to think that. But the fact that this creature wasn't so much focused on /them/ as on something /behind/ them is not the sort of thing that ought to be ignored. So, while Kurumi and Hana and Danny assault the creature, she takes several liquid steps to one side while backing up, her body bladed so neither the dog nor the shore are /entirely/ out of her vision. And -- oh dear. "Behind us!" she calls out ... in Cantonese, rather than English or Mandarin, but hopefully the meaning is clear. Meanwhile she's readying for the Oni to attack her.

The Yama-inu is stuck in time. The Oni, makes no move to attack. Though she doesn't look too happy. Making her way over to join the group of strangers, she asks a question. "Have you come to help us? We can't free the others. They're still stuck." She pays no mind to the dog gore. She's seen it all before, from the non-plussed body language. Though the fact that its stuck in time does garner a glance or two before she takes stock of the group. "The wizard hasn't returned, however, so. There's that."

"Do you know... How we might assist you in freeing them?" Hana asks slowly. She is still wreathed in flames for now, glowing slightly as she turns toward the newest being. She follows after Lian, that blue coruscating glow dying off as she travels. "I would be more than willing to help you."

	The small Oni, a youth likely given her lack of horns and smaller size, offers a frustrated shrug. "There's me. There's one other. We've been trying to enact a ritual but." She kicks at the sand. "We need a third." Her eyes flicker to Kurumi. Kurumi gets lots of looks, of course, it's part and parcel of who and what she is, but.
Kurumi has partially disconnected.

	Kurumi seems ready to hit the demon wolf creature again, she glances at Danny, "How long is it going to stay like that?" before looking over her shoulder towards where the Oni girl has appeared. "Tell me more of this Wizard and this ritual." she never lets the wounded demon creature out of her peripheral vision though.

Once Lian registers that the newcomer isn't a threat -- indeed might actually be helpful -- well, that's a whole different ball game, so to speak. So while she doesn't actually /relax/, she at least isn't obviously aggressive. Much less hostile. She even makes a small, pro-forma sort of bow.

	Danny considers. "Three minutes. Maybe five." Then he turns to look at the other Oni, along with everyone else since it seems to be the thing to do.

	The Oni youth eyes Kurumi. "He came and left the scroll in our cave. It poisoned our chi. Everyone became stuck in sleep. Then the scroll was stolen, and I and one other awoke. He's the one beating the drums."
	"We should at least hceck out the cave. I guess the drums were to call for someone who might be able to help...?" Hana hazards that guess, relaxing visibly as the conversation continues. ANy tension has leakedo ut of her, and the fire is gone. It leaves behind only Hana's personal warmth. SOmewhat elevated, perhaps, but harmless.

	The young Oni nods. "Yeah, but. The Yama-inu." She points as the beast looks as it's beginning to stir. "Bring along the leftovers. Grandfather will be hungry."

	Kurumi nods in agreement, it's hardly sporting but she brings her kanabo crackling with electricity down upon the frozen in time Yama-Inu to attempt to finish it off. "It looks like the peaches were not as effective as they seemed?" she asks curiously. Once the three headed demon wolf has been vanquished, she will proceed to begin dragging its battered carcass in the direction of the caves.

	The Oni youth leads them over through the trees and towards the caves that serve as the home for the ogres. But, true to her word, everyone but her and an elder Oni are stuck in some kind of stasis. The elder arches an eyebrow when Kurumi appears, then hoots and hollers, banging on his drum. "The maiden has returned!"

The walk is a good opportunity for Lian to have a better look at the environment surrounding them, and a peculiar environment it is, at least by her standards. All the way, her head is slightly cocked to one side and her brow furrowed, as though she's listening for something, or perhaps listening /to/ something.

	There's a small camp, with all manner of ritual accoutrements set out. Wind! Fire! That sort of thing! But true to the Oni youth's word, they seem to be short on the Oni-power to properly enact the ceremonial magic. "The maiden has returned," crows the old Oni. "Now, we have the Daughter," he points a black claw at youth, "The Crone," he points at himself, "And the Maiden!" MAIDEN??? KURUMI??? Danny blinks but rolls with the flow. What good is an island full of sleeping Oni! They should be running wild and free, banging on each other and generally wrecking mostly harmless mayhem!

===> Log ended by user <===> 7/20/2019, 11:34:02 PM <===