LOG: Qi Lung: Hand of the Dragon

===> COH <===> 3/29/2019, 9:37:00 PM <===
Mr. Lao>
	Word would have spread among the shen conerning tonight's visit to the dragon's nest by two of the Eight Most Perfect Immortals. The event would take place deep within the bowels of the cavern, past the pool and the space Danny had rendered habitable.

	The dress code for the evening was ritual dress, or lack thereof, as appropriate to everyone's particular culture. One Most Perfect Immortal would be a big deal in and of itself, but two? Two was occasion for at least a little bit of pomp and circumstance!

	Jin is of course in the cave because Jin is always somewhere in the Sorcerers orbit. She is oddly enough dressed in traditional Thai clothing and an over abundence of gold. (https://stock.adobe.com/images/thai-dancer-in-traditional-costume/181880700 cause i'm to lazy to desc)

	Danny did his best not to pace, and to have cold mind. He had been submitting is reports timely, and accurately. Had the Immortals come to chastise him for a lack of satisfactory progress? Would they have scrolls worth of criicisms and complaints? Who could say! It was good that Jin was near.

Hung finds himself lurking inside the dragon's nest, again. Word of these visiting 'Immortals' have caught the Kindred's interest, and completely disregarding tonight's dress code because ritual dresses or robes aren't for gangsters! Instead, Hung will be donning his usual streetwear clothing, but in an all-black fashion. Black sweatshirt, black (dark grey?) oversized trousers, and black & red sneakers for this 'special' occasion!

	The gauntlet/shroud in the ancient chinatown cavern that houses the ebon dragon's nest has always been perilously /thin/. The ambient Yin chi from the Shadowlands is usually felt down here, further exacerbated by the inky pool that serves as a nexus to the outland realms. But tonight? This deep into the ancient cavern? Tonight is /different/. Not only Yin chi, but Yang chi floods the space, setting everyone's Awareness a-buzz! (OOC: feel free to +gain pools of mystic energy) The sound of a gong will suddenly ring out, signaling the commencement of tonight's main event!

 	 Maybe Emi heard word on the streets some uppity noble beings needed a dog and pony show - so she wore a traditional black and white kimono. She would of totally gone gangster like Hung, but she didn't even know what that was. So traditional clothing it was, as the Fox-Girl looked at Mr. Lao. Not trying to be caught non respectable like that dragon. When in Shentown - Shen.

    Danny looks to Jin, his silver eyes holding a small bit of concern within them when the gong sounds. "Showtime," the mao shan murmurs to the Laughing Rainbow before he turn to face towards the darkness of the far end of the cavern.

	Jin is far less concerned about the impending arrivals of immortals then Danny is. After all she is likely not even on their radar and if she is well she has already climbed out of hell once. She instead reaches out and brushes off Danny's shoulders, "Smile, people apparently like it when you show your teeth in a friendly manner.

	In a rare turn of events Kurumi seems to have actually decided to heed the missive about dressing up, maybe she just wanted to try a new look it's hard to say. In lieu of her usual mini-skirt and crop top though tonight she is wearing a traditional kosode-style kimono, with her hair pinned up on top of her head. The kimono is done in reds and blacks with scenes of Oni from one of the thousand hells on it chasing the tormented souls consigned to eternity there. At first glance it appears she has gone all the way and applied white make-up to her face and blackened her teeth like a Maiko, except the makeup seems a little too perfect and one is left to wonder if she just cheated with her shapeshifting abilities instead. Though she fails to achieve the classic flat columnar ideal of kimono beauty thanks to her very modern chest she still manages to pull off a fetching modern 'curvy' version of the traditional aesthetic.

	Even given the ceremonial mask that Danny wears, the furrowing of his brow will be evident upon Jin's reminder to smile. Smile? How could he possibly smile at a time like this?! Still, the Thrashing Dragon was better than he was at navigatng social niceties and so he would do his best to heed her sage advice. When he turns and sees his friends and companions have come - Emi, Kurumi, Ying Yue, even the newcomer Hung, he relaxes a little. Things are always better when faced with friends!

Ying Yue is keeping her distance from Jin, not because she has and problem with her per-se, but she is keeping her distance. She wears a dress tonight, not traditionally formal, just one of the ones that Tora helped her find. She stays near the edge of things for now, watching the others.

	There's a stillness in the cavern, back in the endless dark. But then? There will be a flash of bright flame! Followed by an implosion of said flame into a dark void! Before the two opposing forces finally achieve a corruscating and uneasy equilibrium, the one coming into view before blinking out of existence for the other, again and again in a seemingly endless cycle.

	Finally? From the flame, steps forward a red robed feminine figure wearing a mask of red jade. From the darkness steps forward a black robed masculine figure wearing a mask of black jade. The two Most Perfect Immortals have arrived! Phoenix in red. Dragon in Black.

	Danny whispers to folx, all and sundry. "The masks," he says with a nod towards the jade artifacts the Immortals wear. "Are for our protection. They wear the mantle of divine authority. None can view the visage of the august personage in jade without confronting wave soul."

	Kurumi leans against the wall of the cavern engaged in decidedly un-courtly behavior. She may have managed to dress like a lady of the Heian Court... or maybe just the legendary courtesan Jigoku Tayu... but when she blows a bubble with the gum in her mouth it just ruins the entire air of dignified courtly menace.

The sight of familiar faces joining in for tonight's event is a welcome one for the Kindred as well. These guests of theirs, these 'Immortals', intimidate the youngin somehow- even Danny has that worried look embedded in his eyes. Gulping, Hung braces himself as the mix of flame and darkness blends in, until it reaches a state of balance, and two figures step out of the portal. Hung does a quick glance around to take note of his surroundings before his eyes land on the two masked figures. Black & red, at least he's got the dress code right!

	Jin has her preferences and she shows it dipping low to the scarlet figure and yeah pretty much ignoring the representation of Yin save for a very stiff and polite greeting. She nudges Danny just a little as she rises back up.
Ying Yue stands there watching in her pretty blue dress. Well not exactly hers, but she wasn't asked to return it, so she is wearing it tonight. White and blue, she's sort of the opposite of the gathered colors. She is attentive, if quiet, tonight.

	Phoenix Immortal says, "Daniel Wu Lung, divine emissary of the Xian Lung, mao shan to the local middle kingdom, servant of the Jade Throne. Step forward and present yourself to your superiors."

Dragon Immortal says nothing, merely watching the small crowd with unblinking eyes behind his mask of black jade. He does clutch something in his hands, roughly the size of a hand mirror, wrapped in black silk.

 	 Oh hell no, Emi wasn't going to stand in the front. You could barely get the fox-borne Kitsune in a Kimono let alone be etiquette to other creatures. Now there was some crazy jade mask wearing immortals wanting to be all friendly and cozy with them. Not this time. Peace out... Walking up to Kurumi, Emi said, "Hey big sister. I'm hiding behind you.", as she walked behind the Oni. "Nice Kimono.", she whispered and ran her hand over the kimono she wore. Comparing the two designs mentally.

Ying Yue stands there watching in her pretty blue dress. Well not exactly hers, but she wasn't asked to return it, so she is wearing it tonight. White and blue, she's sort of the opposite of the gathered colors. She is attentive, if quiet, tonight.

Phoenix Immortal says, "Daniel Wu Lung, divine emissary of the Xian Lung, mao shan to the local middle kingdom, servant of the Jade Throne. Step forward and present yourself to your superiors."

Dragon Immortal says nothing, merely watching the small crowd with unblinking eyes behind his mask of black jade. He does clutch something in his hands, roughly the size of a hand mirror, wrapped in black silk.'
You paged Mei with 'lol, a cheongsam or something nice and formal. doesnt have to be too specific'

	Danny clears his thoat, "I am your humble servant and honored to receve you and your tidings. These are my compatriots and fellow defenders of the local middle kingdom," he says, gesturing to everyone gathered here.

	Steping into the area, Mei is dressed in a red cheongsam and bows when she gets there. She'll be quiet and watch, her eyes wide as she tries to figure out what exactly is going on. (Dress: https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1FMftOVXXXXa2XFXXq6xXFXXXB/224070637/HTB1FMftOVXXXXa2XFXXq6xXFXXXB.jpg)

	Phoenix Immortal continues. "The fate of Qi Lung stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all." A pause as the Phoenix looks out at the rest of those who Danny indicated and have gathered in the deepest depths of the cavern for the ceremony. A long pause and then, "The Jade Throne smiles upon the efforts of the local shen to preserve the outland realm of Qi Lung from the depredations of the Yama Kings." The Phoenix looks around again before fixing her gaze upon Danny. "The Yama Kings have also taken note," she says with a frown. Another pause, and then a pronouncement. "As such? The Jade Throne, in its most perfect benificence, has come to a decision regarding the efforts taking place here."

	Dragon Immortal steps forward. "We bring a guardian from heaven to this part of the middle kingdom," he intones. "But the guardian demands sacrifice before binding himself to this place and to your struggles." A pause. "Daniel Wu Lung - do you accept the challenge?" He extends the item wrapped in black silk to Danny.

	Mei steps forward slightly as she is indicated as part of the group by Danny and she will bow again politely when the immortal's gaze glances over her. Otherwise, she will remain quiet, and in rapt attention, although her expression looks slightly worried at the mention of sacrifice and she looks to Danny to see what his expression is.

	Danny, dressed in his ceremonial mao shan vestments, offers a nod and steps forward, accepting the gift and the challenge. He lets the black silk enrobing the item to drop to the floor, revealing a featureless mask of pefectly carved lavender jade. The mask will be donned and then? This? This is where things get interesting! The gauntlet/shroud/barrier-between-worlds suddenly drops and vanishes! Like, to 0! Nothing-nada-zilch-zip stands between the space in the cavern, and the Yang and Yin realms.

	Why does this matter? Because through the absence of a barrier-between-worlds, comes a dragon-spirit! Serpentine in nature, it looks to measure roughly 18 feet from snout to tail. Oily black scales, a maw of pale jade fangs, eyes of red fire, and claws of pale jade on its fore and hind legs are some of the more salient features. The dragon-spirit uncoils and rears up to its full length, towering ominously above Danny. Then? A gong sounds out, the sound deafening in the cavern, and two beings, man and dragon-spirit, charge at each other like a scene out of some crazy bootlegged anime or ripped straight from the pages of a manga!

	Kurumi swallows her gum after blowing another bubble, not terribly concerned since her stomach handles far worse quite regularly. She smiles at Emi, before in the gum's place she withdraws a small bottle of sake from one of her kimono sleeves. Yes, Kurumi snuck in alcohol, which she begins drinking as she continues watching the show.

	Jin looks down at the barely visible black dragon tattoo'd on her upper thigh and waist then at the large one hovering over Danny. She then slinks back as she notices the most important thing here.....Kurami has booze and she drifts into her orbit. "Share."

Hung turns and sneaks away from the main 'show' when Danny steps forward to receive the gift, whatever it actually is. And stepping away will prove to be a good choice for the Kindred because, not long after, the whole environment will just transform as the Gauntlet/Shroud within is literally ripped apart. Not excluding the fact that a duel is occuring as well, and the Kindred is/ for sure/ unwilling to get himself involved, nor accidentally find himself in the middle of it. A dragon against a mao shan sorcerer, place your bets! Upon seeing Kurumi with that precious liquor of hers, Hung walks over with a slight grin on his face. "Care to share?," he whispers, then turns to watch the on going fight.

	Drifting away from the others, Mei watches with wide-eyes, and then goes stock still as the two head together in some weird charging manga thing. "Holy shit.", she'll murmer.

	Its over with nearly as soon as it starts, really, the ritual combat between the dragon-spirit and the immortal mao shan. The mao shan was /never/ a physical match for the dragon-spirit. The great mythic beast crashes down upon Danny like so much thunder and lightning and torrential rain from heaven, swallowing the mao shan whole in its gaping maw. Having consumed the mao shan, the dragon-spirit coils and uncoils, savoring the delectable victory!

	Phoenix and Dragon Immortals look at the victorious dragon-spirit, then at each other before looking out at the crowd of shen. The dragon-spirit towers over all present and then opens his mighty maw to let out a roar. But then? He vanishes in a sudden flash of Yin chi! The bright flash is soon subsumed into shadow and darkness, and in the dragon-spirit's place stands Danny, his skin glowing with the fire of a thousand suns. The mao shan's form flares brightly as he collapses to his knees, and then stepping forth from his body comes the dragon-spirit, the two beings now tied as one, spiritually speaking.

	"I," says the dragon-spirit to all shen present. "Am Mr. Lao. Your goals, are my goals. Your fight, is my fight." (OOC: The party has unlocked Companion 5!) Awwww, the kaiju has adopted the local fauna! Totes adorbs!

 	 Emi steps in front of Kurumi as if to beat off wild dogs. "Only if Kurumi shares with me first. I've been waiting in line.", Emi offers with a giggle as Jin and Hung approach. Apparently there was a pecking order to these beggars of sake! As Emi purrs sweetly, "May I have some first big sister?", swaying her body sweetly in the Kimono.

	Mei looks shocked as Danny is literally eaten, and goes still, her eyes glancing at the immortals with worry. Then there is that brilliant glow and Mei raises a hand to shade her eyes. When the dragon-spirit steps out of Danny's sudden form, she'll just continue to look shocked, one shock after another, she's going to need to try to figure out how to deal with this later. Her wide-eyed gaze flicks to the dragon-spirit and then to Danny and back again.

	Kurumi takes another long drink from her sake bottle before offering it to Emi. "That was kind of cool." she says from her chosen leaning spot, she doesn't seem overly intimidated by the dragon possibly because her true form is about the same size. 17' Oni can be difficult to impress.

	Danny does his best to catch his breath and rise up to his feet. As if a dragon-spirit walking through the broken barrier-between-worlds wasnt enough? Something else wicked this way comes! From a nihil in the shadowlands? Comes the Venerable Ancestor of the Wing Kong! The ancient wraith moves forward, slippered feet not even touching the ground as he floats forward on black wings behind his billowy cloak. "The Most Perfect Immortals have brought it to my attention," he intones. "That our champions were sorely outnumbered by the mercenearies in Qi Lung." A pause as the wraith's dead whiteless eye look out onto the crowd. "100 mercenaries? 500? And a Garuda-lich?"

	The Venerable Ancestor pfts, and spectral energies suddenly surge from him, casting his majestic cloak open to reveal a portal of howling black winds and swirling inky shadows. "The Wing Kong offer up our best to join the dragon-spirit. When the five fingers of a hand come together for a single, unified purpose, the hand becomes an object of unwavering power. The warriors of the Wing Kong are no more," he intones in a sepulchral death-rattle. "Long live the Hand of the Dragon. And you, Daniel Wu Lung, shall lead them and bring me glory eternal so that the deeds from this day will rattle the very pillars of heaven!" And with that, a host of warriors garbed in shadow come rushing out from the Ancestor's cloak. Hundreds of them, in a seemingly endless rush of bodies. The shadow warriors move silently, with strength of pupose and clarity of intent, crowding the immediate space in the cavern. The best of the Wing Kong are now the Cult of the Dragon! (OOC: The party has unlocked Neteru aka _Mummy zealot warrior cult_ 5!)

	Jin waits her turn in line for a drink as she watches Danny and the Dragon she no doubt will make jokes later about it though. She sighs softly, "There is going to be no living with him now." She shakes her head and take a long drink when the bottle reaches her before passing it off to hung.

More things. Ying Yue watches from the side. This quest she was recruited in to is turning in to more and more of a war. A couple of fights she can deal with, but if they are to need those things, well, she might be getting out of her league.

	Mei will just take a few steps back, perhaps to get out of the way when all of those begins appear from the ghostly creature. She'll look surprised yet again, yet again very silent.

 	 Emi chugs from the Sake bottle before handing it over to Jin. The woman wiping the back of her mouth as she did her best to stand up and not lean against Kurumi. She was being called a warrior of Heaven which was odd. But in the end who cared, the wheel was turning and none of this would last. She just wanted to kill people or things and spirits. It didn't matter what - just as long as things died. But meeting a Yama king would be cool.

	The gong is struck again, echoing in the chamber and sigifying the end of the formal ceremony. Never again will the champions of Prospect's middle kingdom be so unfavored by the odds. The other side had 500 mercenaries and a garuda-lich? Well, the locals now have a dragon-spirit and a fanatical cult of shadow warrior zealots numbering in the hundreds. Perhaps even a /thousand/ strong. Prospect's chinatown was well on its way to earning a place as a proxy for one of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven! The gauntlet and shroud slowly begin to slide back into place.

	The Venerable Ancestor vanishes back into a nihil. The two Most Perfect Immortals eye the mao shan with the lavender jade mask and his companions. "This is all the resource we can spare for this part of the middle kingdom. Good luck with the outland realm," they say in unison before vanishing back into the mix of flame and shadow that brought them here.

	Danny carefully removes the lavender jade mask from hsi face and makes his way back to the group in hopes of finding /some/ booze that wasn't already consumed! Tonight was a red letter night! Everyone lived! Time to celebrate!

"Right, I'll get in line, whatever," Hung says, most likely referring to the Kitsune beside him. A flashing of bright light suddenly catches his full attention as soon as he turns, witnessing as Danny and the dragon-spirit he was fighting just mere seconds ago are infused into a single entity. Mr. Lao, of course! He must be the dragon-spirit, the guardian of this cave all along. And when a wraith just fades into existence out of nowhere, malevolent as it is, Hung's body will visibly recoil in shock, his face expressed in awe and his mouth gaping open. "Whoa, look! Look!" The Kindred points to the portal, as hundreds of zealots pour out of it and crowd the entire cavern with their overwhelming numbers. By now, Hung is /surely/ intimidated, evident when his eyes glow a dim red and claws jutting out of his fingernails. He takes a few steps backwards, placing himself in a defensive stance in case these 'zealots' are about to do anything funny.

	Bowing a final time as the Perfect Immortals vanish, Mei will bow politely and then straighten, her small, thin hands running along the fabric over her stomach and hips in a smoothing gesture. Kind of like a nervous tic, or maybe just to make sure she's in one piece. She'll remain still, although glances around at the others to see their reactions.

The white haired dragon-girl in the blue dress passes by hung as she starts to move towards the exit. "Put those away or someone is likely to take it as a threat and eat you." This is probably Ying Yue's humor at work, but given what she is, biting people might be a little funny for her.

	Danny looks to Hung with a lopsided grin, "Hey now. Those're our redshirts. Er, blackshirts. Browncoats. Whatever. But now, now, I think we have some work you can do."

	Kurumi blinks a few times looking a bit surprised and somewhat annoyed as her small bottle of sake is passed on to someone else instead of returned... and yet it seems she was either prepared for this or just planned to drink more, probably the latter, as she pulls another bottle out of her other sleeve! Kimono sleeves are great for hiding things. Though her eyes still trail after the first bottle as she opens the second. Armies and warriors are all well and good but an Oni's love for sake is a well documented thing and Kurumi's only concern in this war is that she gets to amuse herself fighting strong opponents.

	"At least we can rest a little easier knowing we've esouces to guard the homefront while we're offworld," says Danny, offering Mei a reassuring smile before hitting Jin up for booze.

The red glow fades away and his claws retract, Hung staring at Ying Yue after her remark, scoffing. He crosses his arms over his chest, then gazes over to Danny when he was addressed by the sorcerer. "What work?"
Ying Yue gives a smile over to Hung at the look that she is given, showing her white teeth. She may not be all that big in this form, but size for someone like her is deceptive.

 	 Emi snatches the bottle back and returns it to Kurumi who is already drinking out of a second bottle. Clever girl like a raptor. As Emi then takes another big swig and seals the Sake bottle with still some left. Totally not sharing with Danny because he was the hero of the story and making Emi's life more difficult. Silly Mummies. The young drunk Kit handing the first bottle back to Kurumi. She didn't want to be eaten. Keep the Oni drunk.

	Danny shrugs, "Keeping the Wing Ko -," Danny corrects himself, "the Hand of the Dragon sharp and occupied. On /this/ side of things. We can begin making plans tomorrow night. If you were interested."

	Giving a return smile to Danny, Mei will seem to relax slightly more, although the only indication of that is just a barely perceptive relaxation of her shoulders. She'll watch the others with a thoughtful gaze, but otherwise, remain silent.

"Uh, what? I don't get it, man. Just straight to the point, please?" Hung itches his skull, not sure of what Danny meant by keeping things 'occupied'. "Like, be a commander or some shit? Guard the cavern? I can't tell."

	"Mr. Lao can take care of the cavern." Danny leans in to speak conspiratorially with Hung. "But yeah, we can't let the Ancestor's soldiers sit idle. So I'm asking you to help me keep things moving and busy." He looks over at Kurumi, Emi, and Ying Yue. "Mo' money, mo' problems," he offers with a lopsided grin. The whole evening has taxed him, more than a litle, but he's trying to take everything in stride. "Thank you all for coming in case things got pear-shaped."

	Watching Danny quietly, Mei will tilt her head slightly and then looks over at Hung, "Haven't you ever seen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? They're like Shredder's Foot Clan, right?" She'll grin and then suddenly begin to move, following behind Danny. "I need to get going, but this was amazing. Can I talk to you later?", she'll ask him respectfully.

	Danny gives Mei a nod. "Sure. Come by during feeding time for Mr. Lao?" Because feeding a big scary dragon is easier when someone else is around to report out in case you get eaten! Though technically, Mr. Lao had already eaten Danny the one time...

With his gaze directed downwards, seemingly in contemplation, Hung emits a brief hmm as he ponders. A flick of his fingers as he raises his head up to Danny, nodding. "Fine. Deal. Tomorrow night, you said? I'll be here for sure, then," he says in approval, a slight grin plastered on his face. "Yeah, I guess I can help you keep your... 'homeboys'," he says as he scans the crowd of soldiers, before continuing. "- organized. No biggie, dog. Can't be harder than handling them youngins at the hood, right? I mean shit, those fools are a reckless bunch, but they all go tame when I speak up."

	Jin has found a place to lean as Danny talks to the others her expression for the moment unreadable.

Ying Yue moves towards the exit herself, as she's not needed here. She shakes her head after listening to Hung talk. "His words just melt the mind..." She comments, walking away.

	Danny gives Hung a nod, "That's the spirit. If nothing else you can help me play sorting hat with them so we figure out exactly what we're working with here." Danny offers a grateful wave to Ying Yue as she departs. "Safe journey into night!"

Mei bows to Danny and Hung an then towards Kurumi and the others before she'll straighten and turn to leave. Although her expression pales a little when Danny mentions 'feeding time' for Mr. Lao. "Of course, I am happy to assist.", she'll say, although her expression says the exact opposite. "Tomorrow then, shifu." She'll exit then with a glance towards the warriors.

	Danny nods, then looks back to the zealots and 'dismisses' them back into the recesses of the cavern. Maybe it would be a good idea to figure out just how far back it went, and where! So uch to do, so little ti- oh wait! He's an immortal shadow sorcerer with all the time in the world! Scratch that!

===> Log ended by user <===> 3/30/2019, 12:16:16 AM <===