User blog:Redknight910/WWYD A Mamono in Distress Spazerz

Okay, that's it. I've heard the stories, even saw some of the remains of this guys 'battles' myself on the road. But this is beyond rediculous now. I step out of the crowd, making a quick incantation that lifts the man into the air, and away from the joro. He looks around, then glares at me.

"Let me down, foul monster, and I'll show you what happens to those who interrupt my work!" He shouts, trying to reach for his sword.

"Not going to happen, loudmouth." I say as I flip him upside down, his sword slipping from it's sheath to clatter on the ground. "Now, I'm going to hang you on that post over there, and let you think about this paranoia of yours." As I say it I feel something strange, before a mighty pulse sends me back into the crowd.

I then hear the sound of metal striking the ground. Looking up I spot the knight on one knee, grabbing his sword before looking at me. If I thought his face looked feral before...

"I'll slaughter every last one of you for this assault! I knew you were plotting my demise, and now I'll make you pay, starting with you!" He charges the crowd, ignoring everyone else screaming in terror, and I can feel the dent whatever ward he has put into my spirit energy. I roll out of the way of his blow, before being kicked a few feet. I try to get up but a gauntlet slams into the back of my head, leaving my vision blurry and my stomach reeling.

I use another quick spell to slip backwards, barely avoiding another chop aimed at my throat. Rolling with the momentum I stand again, but my balance is still off, and I'm shaky. I look up to see the knight once more charging me. Then there's a rope around his legs. Looking around I see an ushi-oni holding onto the thick rope.

He growls and slices the rope, rising and cursing at the ushi. A pair of nureonago reach him and engulf him, holding him as he tries to cleave them into pieces. I witness where his armour's wards are as another burst of force sends them both splattering into the street. Runes across his armour light up in a deep red moments before the pulse begins. The two slimes begin reforming after a moment, but the lunatic is now ranting, and I hear the familiar sound of an incantation. Before he can finish the spell a large ceramic container is hurled at him, He slashes it without breaking the chant, but loses it when his face is splashed with saki.

As he shakes the alcohol from his face a large hammer comes down. He steps to the side before it hit's him, and tries to counter the attack. The red oni sways to the side, letting go of her hammer and rising barefisted.

"You need to calm the fuck down!" She shouted at him, but he'd since stopped listening to us, so lost in his paranoia. He charges the oni, and I focus a simple strike I hope will make a difference. With a series of quick motions and a word or two for focus, I cut the straps of his chestplate. As it falls to the ground he stops dead in his tracks. He whirls around and looks at me, the first hint of anything but anger on his face. Just the slightest trace of fear enters his eyes, before the mad zeal returns in full force.

"Die, mage!" He screams, before a quick few words launch a ball of flame at me. I try to avoid it, but the thing moves to follow me, striking my shoulder and burning me. I try to put it out, but the flames continue to burn. Then suddenly they go cold. I look and see the blood red flames turn blue, then vanish. With awe I turn to see our towns high priest, an inari with seven tails, walking calmly towards the knight.

"You have hurt many people Sir Ingurous." She calmly states as she approaches.

"I only strike first! All of you are trying to kill me, and I must strike first to keep myself breathing!" He rushes the inari, but she throws out a hand and a bolt of blue fire launches at him. He doesn't even try to dodge it, and as it strikes, runes embedded in his armour light up, before fluttering and vanishing. His armour took most of the power from the spell, but some of the flame still reaches him.

He roars in rage and continues, before a second bolt strikes him, this one not stunted by the armours overloaded ward. He stumbles another few steps, then collapses.

"Take this man to prison. Gag him and remove his armour." Several people quickly came to follow the inari's order, gagging him with a cloth and stripping his armour. She then turns to me with a smile.

"I must thank you for dealing with his chestpiece." She turns to the piece sitting on the ground. "It held more runes than the rest of the armour combined, and even my magic would have struggled with penetrating it's defences." I nod.

"Thank you for your praise ma'am." She laughs quietly at the title.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"No thanks are needed from you. Though we are all lucky the armour's enchanter didn't think to brand the leather." She helps me to my feet, then looks at my shoulder. "You should come to the temple and have the priests look at this. It will need some time and care to heal."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I will, once I've examined a few things." She nods, her ever present smile widening a touch.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Very well, I shall have some of the others prepare for you." With that she returns to the temple, tails waing hypnotizingly behind her. After breaking myself from their sway I look over the discarded armour. The runes are all very well made, as is the armour itself. Then I investigate the sword.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">The blade is also runed, but clearly by a different hand. I can't tell much of what the runes mean,they are flawless, and the only one I can translate turns to 'madness' in the common tongue. Who would make such a weapon, and why they would eludes me, and I decide to place a ward around it to prevent anyone from taking it.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">I then go to the temple. There are a few inari waiting for me, holding wraps and bowls of water. They wet and then wrap the bandages around my shoulder, the cool water refreshing on my seared skin. They also insist on removing my shirt before they begin. As I'm sitting there, letting the pleasant feeling of the bandages sink in a shirohebi approaches me.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"The high priestess would like to see you." She says with the same calm smile as everyone seems to wear here.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Why?" I ask, confused. There were very few reasons for the high priestess to see anyone.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"She wishes to know what you learned. Of the madman's armour." With that she leaves.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">I leave the room I was in and approach the alter where the high priestess is meditating.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"So then. The blade was the source of his madness?" I freeze when she speaks.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"H... how did you know?" She sighs as she rises and turns to me, her tails are oddly still.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Because it was likely made by Muramasa, a man who created blades to battle the cursed swords of old. But they were corrupted by his own greed, and their purpose became to kill all which they encountered. I will have one of my servants destroy the blade, as they cannot be cleansed." She turns to me, and her smile widens slightly. "While I would be hesitant to destroy such an ancient relic, the only way to purge them was lost with the death of Masamune." She breathes a deep sigh, then turns back to the alter.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I would thank you once more for your part in this. If ever you require aid, simply utter my name, and I will send one of my servants to help you." She began a soft, almost unnoticable chant after that, and I took that as my sign to leave. As I step outside I see a battered unagi joro sitting on the steps.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Are you okay ma'am?" She spins immediately, and then rushes me, embracing me in a deep, slimy hug.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I'll be fine. All thanks to you." She lets go of me and slides herself back, and I wipe the slime from my face. "Sorry... I got a little excited. I just wanted to thank you for what you did." I blush at the compliment.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I didn't really do much. It was mostly the others who protected me." Her face changes to a smug grin.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"That they did, but it was you who challenged him in the first place. Without you they would have just scattered with everyone else." My blush deepens as I try to accept the compliment. "May I invite you to dinner? I would love to thank you properly for saving my life." I eye her curiously.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"You aren't going to put any... special ingredients in my food, are you?" Now she blushes.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Um... maybe? Tell you what, if you can guess what I've put some into tonight, then I'll cook you something without it, deal?" With a smile and a sigh I nod.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"It's a date then." Her blush deepens and she nods, then makes her way down the stairs. I guess I'm not getting much rest tonight then.