Stable condition (day 8 early evening, Stables)

Moto Baatar · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:41 pm **Posts:** 304

The wounded Moto Baatar had managed to drag himself to the unofficial "Unicorn embassy" - really, a small stable where Horse was being boarded.

Horse snorted his disgust at his human managing to get himself shot full of arrows - potentially impacting feeding time. How inconsiderate! Baatar patted Horse's flank affectionately, then carefully and painfully removed his armor.

Then, laying down on the straw in the least uncomfortable position he could find, Baatar waited to see if the peasant boy he had sent would be able to locate the healer.

--
46 wounds taken (Crippled)

Mari · **Joined:** Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:43 am **Posts:** 702

'This way, Samurai-sama!' the boy's voice sounded from around the corner as if they were literally tugging at the arm of someone else. A moment later, a woman emerged in the entrance of the building and gave the boy a zeni, shooing them away just as she stepped through the doorway. She was kind of hard to place, really. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height, average build. Frankly, it would have been a miracle if her own mother picked her out of a lineup. Dressed in an off-white, plain and somewhat threadbare kimono under a straw hat and straw cloak that dripped rain water down, she was wrinkling her nose the moment she walked into the stables.

Horses. Filthy, smelly creatures.

And that was when she caught sight of the Moto. She froze there, staring at the severely wounded man, bandaged and bloodied from his encounter with the archers of Toshigoku, and her eyebrows climbed nearly into her forehead. One hand twitched and her lips pulled into something very close to a sneer as she visibly fought for emotional control.

You manure-brained, half-witted, purple-blooded sack of hogs vomit! What in the name of Jigoku did you do, what were you thinking?!? Here?!? The Kami forgive me, but of course the first man to hire me has to be one of you filthy barbarian scum.

Her eyes widened and just at the last second she remembered to bow, the absolute bare minimum a fellow samurai was due. When she spoke, her voice could have chipped ice. "O-Samurai-sama, this humble servant of the kami was requested. I am Mari. May this one please have the pleasure of being informed what has transpired?"

Moto Baatar · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:41 pm **Posts:** 304

The Unicorn gave the ronin a bloody grin, returning her bow with a casual nod, the best he could manage from his prone position.

"Ahh, good, you're here," he replied, his voice a little low and wheezy from his wounds. "I got into an argument with a Lion war band about what a horrible person their leader is. It ... turns out they don't like that." He gestured three times, each time indicating a serious puncture wound. One was particularly deep. "Arrows," the Unicorn mansplained unnecessarily.

"I saw the sign saying that you're the best at this sort of thing, so I'm glad you could come."

--
46 wounds taken (Crippled)

Mari · **Joined:** Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:43 am **Posts:** 702

She rose from her bow and her eyes narrowed, the visibly icy disposition in her demeanor not improving while she approached the Moto with the caution of someone unsure if she was nearing a viper. He was clearly not dying, so that was good. He'd live long enough to get to healing one way or another, so she wouldn't have to... wouldn't have to... wouldn't have... She shuddered and the twist in her lip darkened as she knelt down nearby and pulled a medical kit out along with a pair of scrolls, regarding him with obvious displeasure.

She didn't speak immediately. Her head canted around, taking in the full extent of the room. If she saw so much as a single solitary soul she would snap at them, "Leave us. I require privacy," her voice like a whip. Once she was sure that they were in privacy, her gaze whipped around and she practically growled.

"Sign? What sign? This is the first I've heard of... it doesn't matter." A quick shake of her head. She'd look into this sign rubbish soon. Bloody peasants. "You decided in your infinite wisdom to pick a fight with multiple Lion, Lion who I will assume were Toshigoku spirits? Without sufficient backup?!? Were you trying to have your mangled corpse haul itself to the shadowlands, or did that possibility not enter your mind, Unicorn-sama?"

Oh, the look in her eyes was scathing. She was very obviously aware of the Onyx Bargain.

Moto Baatar · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:41 pm **Posts:** 304

"I was trying to, uh, send a message. It...seemed like a good idea at the time," the young Moto admitted, sounding chastened.

Mari wrote:

Were you trying to have your mangled corpse haul itself to the shadowlands, or did that possibility not enter your mind, Unicorn-sama?"

"Wha--?" The Unicorn's eyes widened, and he quickly looked around, just as Mari had, to see if anyone had overheard. "Keep it down! How do you know of such things, uhhh, esteemed healer person?"

Mari · **Joined:** Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:43 am **Posts:** 702

Her eyes narrowed again as she unfurled one of the scrolls, a simple and well known prayer to the water kami, who were blessedly not squabbling like bickering children as her beloved earth kami were at the moment. There would be no headaches in calling on their aid today. One of the advantages of the rain, it seemed. Removing her hat and setting it and the cloak to the side, she listened to him and frowned.

"How do you think I know, Unicorn-sama? I was not asked when they sold us anymore than you were. Having to put my own cousin to peace was the last straw. I am on Musha Shugyo," she nearly spat out. "And I expect to remain one that for the rest of my living days, but that does not change one whit that you and I share the exact. same. price. One that I imagine you did not ask for anymore than I did." She would at least give him that. Who would ask for that idiotic bargain?

There was vicious bitterness in her tone as she said it all, though. None of this was pleasant for her to discuss, but of anyone in the empire he was probably the only person in town who would understand it.

Moto Baatar · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:41 pm **Posts:** 304

"Oh..." the Moto said faintly, in dawning comprehension. "Yes, the Big Bosses decided that, I had no say either. I'm...sure they thought it was a good idea at the time."

Then, realizing how he had repeated himself, the young Unicorn began to laugh bitterly - but he had to stop, it hurt his punctured lung too much.

"I'm Moto Baatar," he said at last, remembering his manners.

Mari · **Joined:** Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:43 am **Posts:** 702

"No, the Lords never consult their servants. That is the way of things. The emperor giveth, and the emperor taketh, and thus the will of heaven is proclaimed. Your lords decided, and thus we are where we are." Her tone was wooden, colder, sadder. There was something she was holding back in her words, but she stopped there, clamping her lips shut and shaking her head. "I admit I came to Lion lands to avoid my kin and the Unicorn. There are fewer of you here. Seeing the color brings back memories of different times."

She picked up the scroll and glanced out of the corner of her eye at him, snorting. "As I said, you can call me Mari. Who I was no longer matters. That person is dead now. Just a wolf baying at the heels now. Hold still. Neither of us needs you dying on us from internal bleeding." And, without asking permission... considering that this was exactly what she had been called here to do? She started to pray.

( Path to Inner Peace, Void - 5 wounds healed )
(OOC: Don't worry, she's got another cast coming.)

She frowned when the spell went forward. Her concentration wasn't what it should have been. It took all her force of will to get the water kami to bend. "Hmmmph. I will need to offer another prayer. That barely did more than close the wounds," she grunted. "I apologize. I am not a water priestess like the Iuchi."

Moto Baatar · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:41 pm **Posts:** 304

"That actually helped quite a bit," Baatar lied through gritted teeth. "I shall be back to riding in no time." He managed a ghastly smile.

--
41 wounds taken (Injured)

Mari · **Joined:** Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:43 am **Posts:** 702

She rolled her eyes and muttered 'bushi' under her breath like it was some sort of curse. "Yes, yes. Now please hold still. This will only take a moment." And, when she began to pray this time, the water spirits were far calmer, more willing to obey her summoning and do her bidding. Perhaps she'd just been trying too hard earlier. she would want to meditate later to still her mind. Either way, the amount of healing energies that moved through the space between them was significantly stronger than it had been before, sealing wounds, rebinding muscle and bringing stability to the body.

She settled back and breathed out a little in relief. "That should handle any possibility of infection and see you in fighting shape on the morrow," she said, her tone still pretty chilly, but soothed comparatively. "Were any of the arrow tips poisoned?" She had begun to roll one of the scrolls up, suspecting that he could handle this level of harm now.

( Second Casting was much better - 25 points healed )

Moto Baatar · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:41 pm **Posts:** 304

The tension in the young bushi's body eased as the second spell took effect, and the flesh knitted itself together as if by magic. Color returned to Baatar's face and he managed to sit up.

"Oh--! That's much better," Baatar said this time, and this time it was more obviously the truth. "Yes, I expect there will be fighting tomorrow. If you have the time, could I get you to take another look in the morning?"

Mari wrote:

"Were any of the arrow tips poisoned?"

"Poisoned?" he echoed. "I don't think so, but I didn't think to taste them." That was how you checked for poison...wasn't it?

"Here, please let me give you something for your trouble, Mari-san," he said, fumbling a heavy coin out of his kinchaku pouch. "You've been a big help."

--
16 Wounds taken (Nicked)

Mari · **Joined:** Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:43 am **Posts:** 702

"If you've managed to skirmish with spirits of Toshigoku already, I would say that is almost a given. The next day, maybe two. It depends on where the main body of their forces is," she agreed, grunting and folding up the scroll to Jurojin along with the other. "I don't recommend licking an arrow that has found its home in your flesh to test for poison. It's unsanitary and blood is not something to be toyed with lightly. If you were poisoned, I suspect you'd know by now, and you did say they were Lion. Not exactly their style."

While she was putting her scrolls back into her satchel, she noticed the offering. For a moment, she thought about doing the refusals, but no. she reached out for it to take it. This was just commerce, and as much as she knew etiquette, she wasn't going to sit on ceremony with a Unicorn at a time like this. "Thank you, Moto-sama, but don't give me too much credit. I am doing both of us a favor. If either of us die in this town, there will be far greater problems." She glanced to check the currency before pocketing it.

"Forgive me, but ... I do not dislike you, or like you, -sama. But what our superiors did will stick with me until I am in my final reward. Jizo has it in his heart to forgive, but I am no bodhissatva. I generally try to avoid your kin as a rule. I can check in, if we are assigned to similar stations tomorrow. We will all be better off if you are fit for duty."

Moto Baatar · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:41 pm **Posts:** 304

With little idea of the value of either money or magic, the Unicorn had handed Mari a gold koku.

Mari wrote:

"Forgive me, but ... I do not dislike you, or like you, -sama. But what our superiors did will stick with me until I am in my final reward. Jizo has it in his heart to forgive, but I am no bodhissatva. I generally try to avoid your kin as a rule. I can check in, if we are assigned to similar stations tomorrow. We will all be better off if you are fit for duty."

"I can't blame you for feeling that way," Baatar admitted. "And it does look like there will be fighting tomorrow. If the worst happens, and the city falls... well, you've done me a good turn. If you need a fast ride out of town, look for me, if you like, and if I'm still alive. Or look for my horse, if I'm not. Unicorn horses don't know who's on musha shugyō."

Mari · **Joined:** Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:43 am **Posts:** 702

How very like a Unicorn, she supposed. But, she'd put it to good use one way or another. She certainly wasn't handing him change. A koku could get her closer to some decent gear.

She chuckled softly. "I do not know that everyone in the Unicorn would feel the same way," she murmured softly while looking out of the room towards the rain and sighing. "And you should be aware... that little thing we share? It's going to get out eventually. They're all going to know. If you value someone at your back on the field of battle... find a way to warn them, even if just circumspectly. I may be damned... but I intend to go out on my terms."

Moto Baatar · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:41 pm **Posts:** 304

"Yes, I suppose the secret will get out sooner or later," Baatar admitted. "But I'm not sure telling people is a good idea. I don't think these eastern samurai types would...understand. For what it's worth, I'll try a little harder to avoid being the one who gives it away."

Mari · **Joined:** Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:43 am **Posts:** 702

"If at all possible, my intention is to serve in reserve forces. It's where a healer and shugenja belongs. The rest of my abilities won't be sufficient to help the main fighting force, so with any luck it won't be an issue." Not that she was all that sure that she had a whole lot of luck left. She frowned.

A sigh. "How... did you find out?" She didn't bother to say what. It would be obvious considering everything. For her, it had been the orders and her cousin.

Moto Baatar · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:41 pm **Posts:** 304

"Well...it's not a very happy story," Baatar started to demur, but after a moment of thought, he began to tell the tale.

"You know how there used to be a Kitsune family?" he asked rhetorically. "Well, once they joined the clan, I was one of the riders sent to bring them back to New Unicornland. But you know these easterners - half of them have never even sat on a horse, and few indeed have skill enough to rival a Unicorn toddler."

"So sure enough, one of the poor Fox guys fell off his horse and broke his neck," Baatar continued. "You... you know what happened next. We were all shocked, and the Kitsune were just about ready to turn around and head back to their forest, until one of the Iuchi explained what had happened and why, and reminded them of their duty."

"Those poor Kitsune," Baatar recalled, shaking his head in sympathy. "They didn't sign up for this either, and had even less say in what happened. But they stuck with us once they understood."

"After that, well... we took the time to teach the new guys how to ride a horse properly, and we were all a lot more careful riding the rest of the way back," he concluded.

Mari · **Joined:** Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:43 am **Posts:** 702

If her countenance could have gotten darker, it would have. The firmness in her lip and the anger and resentment that burned in her throat were there, her fingers clenching. Baatar wasn't to blame. Baatar wasn't to blame... Baatar wasn't to...

She breathed in and out, doing what was obviously a meditative pose before she spoke, and the gravel of it was choked with emotion.

"No, Moto-sama. We did not sign up for it. And we were not a part of it until the Son of Heaven said that we were," she said in a tone as dead as dead got. "I might have heard of that story. There were different villages. My cousin... rose after committing Kanshi. It was perhaps the greatest insult to what they had done imaginable. To have performed such an act and see it profaned by what happened seconds later. They were the last to do it. None complained when I said that I wished to travel the empire as a wave-woman. To learn for the sake of my duties. But they knew the truth. Even Kanshi was denied us, the death of understanding. I could not follow my cousin. None of us could, and so some bowed their heads, and I took off my mon."

Moto Baatar · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:41 pm **Posts:** 304

Mari wrote:

My cousin... rose after committing Kanshi. It was perhaps the greatest insult to what they had done imaginable.

"After kanshi? No--!" Baatar echoed in horror. But he believed it.

Mari wrote:

I could not follow my cousin. None of us could, and so some bowed their heads, and I took off my mon."

"Well, the Kitsune gained our curse by taking the Unicorn mon," Baatar reflected. "Perhaps you removing the Unicorn mon will let you evade our doom? But everything I know about curses and dooms could fit into my belt pouch with room to spare, so... who knows."

Mari · **Joined:** Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:43 am **Posts:** 702

"Yes. He passed before his head could be removed. It's common enough... but now a very real risk." She sighed. She honesty had wanted to believe what they'd been told, that their souls weren't forfeit, only their bodies, but her next words said what she felt about it in her heart of hearts.

"Once it sinks its claws into you, it will not let go. To believe otherwise is how so many have fallen in the past to its merciless, inevitable grip. It toys with half-truths and false promises. Nothing so simple as a name change would do such a thing, and the son of heaven, unknowing of what happened I am sure." Her voice sounded bitter enough that it was obvious she questioned that. "ordained it, so it is by the servant of heaven's will. Defying such a thing... would require power beyond mortal ken. No, you and I are both in the same plight."

"As for that old fox... she's dead now. A wolf ate her on the side of the road, but they say you are what you eat." She snickered a little. Had to laugh sometimes.

Stable condition (day 8 early evening, Stables)

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