(Fire Damage: 3d6 = 10
Firebolt's Reflex Save: 1d20+18 = 38)

He's drunk. There's no way Firebolt could have moved that fast - even if he was sober. Right? But he does, diving out of the way of the fireball with the grace of a cat. A very, very sober cat.

---

(INITIATIVE!

Firebolt: 2d20.hi+19 = 38
Toshiba: 2d20.hi+20 = 38 TIE! Toshiba wins due to having the higher bonus.
Sidewinder: 1d20+12 = 32

We know the drill, people. Wicked Dance stance! Blade Flurry attack!

Toshiba's Attack: 1d20+10 = 13 Uh...no.

Firebolt is no longer flat-footed!

Firebolt tries to disarm Toshiba, to get a grip on a weapon for himself.

Firebolt's Disarm: 1d20+15+4 = 20 Error'd!
Toshiba's Disarm: 1d20+10 = 20 Just enough to resist!

Gonna go ahead and spend that action die to make it a critical failure. Firebolt is Stunned for one round!

Sidewinder uses Quick Draw to draw two Sparrow gonnes, then attacks twice!
Sidewinder's Attack: 1d20+11 = 14 Miss!
Sidewinder's Attack: 1d20+11 = 30 Threat!

Would be pretty lame not to activate that. Yeah...something something paper tiger, huh, Firebolt? Let's see the damage on that one. Actually? Let's throw another one on top for the damage, give Sidewinder's Core Ability a workout. (AD added to blackpowder weapon damage rolls are doubled.)

Sidewinder's Damage: 3d6+2d6 = 18 MURDERATED!

Well. That...that certainly...that certainly was a fight.)

---

You know how in the theater productions, a good fight can last for half an hour? Trading blows, trading quips, portentous talk of destiny and vengeance and honor? Yeah, it's not one of those. In fact it's over before you finished reading that first sentence. But let's afford ourselves the luxury and look at it in slow-motion to see what actually happened, yes?

There's no denying that even a drunk Firebolt is still exceedingly fast, and the half-second he's rushing at Toshiba is actually a complex dance of move and countermove between two fighters who've gambled their entire life on being quicker than the next guy. Every shift of weight alters the trajectory of their inevitable collision. You know that phrase, moment of truth? This is the moment of truth. This is when the two of them realize that who they are and what they've done in the years leading up to this point does not count for shit, because it's all coming down to this: whoever's still standing five seconds after this is gonna be the winner, and there will be no prizes for second place.

But Toshiba has the bulge on Firebolt in one minor, but important way: dude's had more than one lifetime to hone his knife skills. Whether it's luck or technique or just something that is part of the Blue Oni's Deal, his trusty flat knife leaps to Toshiba's hand straight out of its sheath and starts its inevitable twelve-inch journey to Firebolt's guts. Basic disemboweling strike. There's maybe twenty million people in the Empire whose bowels would get dissed by this. Shame Toshiba's fighting the one it won't. Firebolt doesn't so much dodge it as he just...doesn't let himself get hit by it, and if that sounds confusing you know exactly how Toshiba feels in that briefest of moments between "I'm gonna hit him" and "Wait why didn't I hit him?", which shortly leads to an "Oh fuck!" as Firebolt's grin comes on. There's now a weapon in his reach. Who it belongs to and whose hands are on it, well, that's just a technicality - his hands shoot out like mantis grasping for its prey. Again, those twenty million people in the Empire? Would be totally fucked right now. But Toshiba's that one in a million ninja who don't play it like that; igniting his boot boosters again slams him instantly forward into Firebolt, knocking the wind out of the brigand's still delicate chest.

Firebolt stumbles backwards against a pillar, clutching his empty hands against his chest - and he has just enough time to look up and see Sidewinder draw two of Ueki's fancy "Sparrow" spinning-chamber gonnes. The first one shoots wide, but the second drills Firebolt right through the sternum, blowing his heart all over the fine upholstery behind him. Firebolt's eyes fly wide open as the brigand realizes the moment he's always feared has come, but it wasn't supposed to be today, it wasn't supposed to be here, it was...it wasn't supposed to be this way. There has never been a particularly large amount of thoughts going through Firebolt's head, so it's little surprise that this is the last and only thing on his mind when he breathes his last and slumps down. One more "best of the best" in Ikishi's employ dealt with.

"Told you to watch that mouth," Sidewinder mutters, and the way he twirls both gonnes before holstering them again, it seems like this has been a very important thing for him to say.

That's when the screaming and shouting starts, because, you know, gonneshots. And that table is more than a little bit still on fire. This is the kind of thing they're talking about when they put "incidentals" on your bill.

Sidewinder, however, doesn't really care, being way too satisfied with the outcome of that little showdown to admit any worries about what Madame Kiki's gonna do to them for this. He looks to Toshiba, who's just securing his blade again, and smiles a little.

"Let's get this piece of shit out of here," he says. "Oh, and if anyone asks: let's call the first one a warning shot, eh?" He shrugs. "Just seemed like the courteous thing to do."

Not so far away, Takao begins his own dance of death.

With a few quick strides that belie his armored bulk, Takao steps into the midst of the ninjas.

(Takao: Move 45 feet to stand over Yoshi

Attack the biggest ninja with Think Ahead trick and All-Out attack -4: 1d20+23 = 34
Damage: 1d10+5+8 = 17 + 1 for every two points by which I hit
add AD to drop him if necessary:d8 = 2

If he goes down, CLEAVE!
Attack the next ninja with Think Ahead trick and All-Out attack -4: d20+23 = 33
Damage: d10+13 = 22 + 1 for every two points by which I hit
add AD to drop him if necessary:d8 = 2


If he goes down, CLEAVE!
Attack the last ninja with Think Ahead trick and All-Out attack -4:d20+23 = 36
Damage: d10+13 = 19 + 1 for every two points by which I hit
add AD to drop him if necessary:d8 = 7
)

Mizu flashes blue out of the saya, slicing off the hand that is holding Yoshi's blade and continuing straight to cut a thin line across the throat. The sword continues its high arc over Takao's head before coming down on his right side and cutting the ninja there in half from shoulder to hip.

The backstabber has a mere moment to open his eyes in shock as Takao flicks the blade back towards the upper left, and that expression is frozen on the face as the head tumbles to the ground. The body collapses as Takao flicks the blood off his sword and resheathes it.

He bends down to Yoshi and picks him up by the shoulder. "Can you walk?"

(OOC: I am assuming that these are all mooks and that they won't make a DC 20+ damage save. I'm happy to rewrite anything that I got wrong.)

Quote:

"Let's get this piece of shit out of here," he says. "Oh, and if anyone asks: let's call the first one a warning shot, eh?" He shrugs. "Just seemed like the courteous thing to do."

Toshiba slings the dead gonneman over his shoulders, grunting with the effort. "Thine actions were perfectly neighborly. Please, after thee," he smirks.

<burn notice voiceover>
When you're an infamous bandit, you don't stay and clean up fires you may have allegedly started. You walk away in slow motion and say "Sorry about the mess", flipping them the dead man's coins.
</burn notice>

Toshiba's plan to just walk the fuck out with a bloody corpse over his shoulders, throwing dead man's coins at anyone who would dare complain, works out...

(Toshiba's Sneak, in what has to be one of the worst abuses of the very concept of stealth yet seen: 1d20+22-4 = 19
Guard's Notice: 1d20+10 = 29)

...well, it could have worked out better. Probably. The burning booth he left behind probably didn't help.

Toshiba's not sure where the four burly men with shaved heads and dark kimonos came from, he certainly didn't see them coming in, but here they are, blocking the way back to the stairs.

"Sir," one of them says, "I'm going to have to ask you to stay where you are and drop the body."

---

MikeS wrote:

Not so far away, Takao begins his own dance of death.

With a few quick strides that belie his armored bulk, Takao steps into the midst of the ninjas.

(Takao: Move 45 feet to stand over Yoshi

Attack the biggest ninja with Think Ahead trick and All-Out attack -4: 1d20+23 = 34
Damage: 1d10+5+8 = 17 + 1 for every two points by which I hit
add AD to drop him if necessary:d8 = 2

If he goes down, CLEAVE!
Attack the next ninja with Think Ahead trick and All-Out attack -4: d20+23 = 33
Damage: d10+13 = 22 + 1 for every two points by which I hit
add AD to drop him if necessary:d8 = 2


If he goes down, CLEAVE!
Attack the last ninja with Think Ahead trick and All-Out attack -4:d20+23 = 36
Damage: d10+13 = 19 + 1 for every two points by which I hit
add AD to drop him if necessary:d8 = 7
)

Mizu flashes blue out of the saya, slicing off the hand that is holding Yoshi's blade and continuing straight to cut a thin line across the throat. The sword continues its high arc over Takao's head before coming down on his right side and cutting the ninja there in half from shoulder to hip.

The backstabber has a mere moment to open his eyes in shock as Takao flicks the blade back towards the upper left, and that expression is frozen on the face as the head tumbles to the ground. The body collapses as Takao flicks the blood off his sword and resheathes it.

He bends down to Yoshi and picks him up by the shoulder. "Can you walk?"

(OOC: I am assuming that these are all mooks and that they won't make a DC 20+ damage save. I'm happy to rewrite anything that I got wrong.)

(Now, now, let's be fair and roll Initiative first.

Takao: 2d20.hi + 14 = 24
Killer Bees: 1d20+10 = 17

Yep. All that's left is to see where the Damage Saves take us.

Bee #1's save against DC 24: 1d20+10 = 18 FAIL
Bee #2's save against DC 26: 1d20+10 = 16 FAIL
Bee #3's save against DC 28: 1d20+10 = 15 Noooooope.

Goodbye, standard characters, we hardly knew ye.

Takao's Medicine: 1d20+5 = 15 JUST SO!)

Yoshi's beyond walking, and beyond answering Takao; the old warrior's wound bleeds heavily, though a quick course of pressure slows it down from "Stay with me, damn it!" to "He needs help, and fast". Takao heaves Yoshi up into a carry position, and then...then there's a groan behind Takao, making a sound much like a majestic soaring dragon that's just now realizing that a whole herd of sheep plus two barrels of rāyu is a meal better left to young drakelings with less delicate guts. Aural signatures of in-drag-estion aside, the groan heralds the collapse of the path that got Takao into this mess, as the ancient wood making up the entrance portal finishes being tinder and instead seeks bold new opportunities as rubble. On the plus side, free new skylights in the thatched roof! The sudden collapse pushes a wave of ash and smoke in Takao's direction, as if to add insult to injury.

Did I mention the whole place is on fire? Because the whole place is on fire. Just thought I'd make sure to mention that. It's kind of a big deal.

---

The heavy door that Shira pulls on with all his might refuses to budge for a second, and then when it does budge he most certainly wishes it hadn't; the door is all that shields him, Kirika and Yukio from the sudden gust of flame that shoots through the opening, pulling the breath from their lungs as ash and soot fill the air. With his arm held up to shield his face best as he can, Shira rushes into the flames of his private chamber. Kirika rushes right behind him, arm up to shield her eyes from the flames.

(Kirika takes 10 Fire damage.
Kirika's Reflex Save: 1d20+6 = 23 SUCCESS!)

The flames lick at Kirika's and Yukio's kimonos as they pass the narrow opening of the hidden door that was concealed behind a wooden wall panel, which is now on fire - much like almost everything in the room. The only good part is that the soot in the air is cutting down the blinding glare of most of the flames, and while the hidden tunnel's sudden addition of oxygen has stoked the flames again, it also keeps the air breathable - barely.

"Himiko!" Shira cries out between coughs as he flails around aimlessly, searching for the door out. "HIMIKO!"
"She isn't in here!" Kirika shouts. "We have to keep moving!"
"Over here!" Yukio shouts, kicking through some shoji to reveal the hallway to the weapons room. That hallway, then, is only mostly on fire. A deep groan echoes from the roof above the sleeping quarters.
"Run, Lord!" Kirika says, pushing Shira in front of her.

Shira stumbles with Kirika for a few steps towards Yukio, who finally pulls the two of them towards her into the hallway. The groaning intensifies behind them, and fire starts raining down from above as the roofing material disintegrates ahead of the structural beams breaking under their load. Together, the three hurry through the hallway, where Shira makes short work of the shoji blocking the other end with a swift cut from his sword. The weapons room is similarly ablaze, and with it a cumulative seventeen millenia of family heirloom scrolls, weapons and armor. The danger of the fire seems swept entirely from Shira's mind as he stops forward and takes in the destruction, coughing a quiet "No..." to himself.

(Kirika's Notice: 1d20+12 = 31)

Kirika's eyes are drawn upward by a faint whisper between the crackling of the fire, and so she finds a figure crouching in the rafters, dressed in yellow and black. The ninja regards her cooly, not moving an inch despite the flames rising along the walls and threatening his perch.

Quote:

"Sir," one of them says, "I'm going to have to ask you to stay where you are and drop the body."

"That booth caught on fire somehow," Toshiba replies. "We should all evacuate the building."

For a moment, Takao felt like he was forgetting something. Hmmm.. unseasonably warm, smell of smoke... oh yeah, the house was on fire.

He did not stop to pry the old samurai's blade out of the dead and chopped off hand, but instead hastened to make an exit from the burning building. But then, on second thought, he turned to Shira's quarters, because that's who he had set out to find from the beginning.

His luck and the rafters would have to hold for a moment longer.

(Takao takes 10 Fire damage.
Takao's Reflex Save: 1d20+10 = 18 NO WORRIES)

Just as Takao was almost starting to forget that the mansion is ablaze, the flames gently reach for Takao's face to remind him. Very considerate, that. Huffing against the effort of carrying Yoshi through the ash-filled air, Takao ducks the latest bursts of fire and muscles his way deeper into the mansion, where navigation has been greatly simplified by blazing flames blocking off most paths. Working his way through a bathroom and a kitchen, Takao finally picks his way to Shira's quarters, where several large beams have already fallen to the floor, though the roof is not sufficiently burnt away to actually let the room air out the smoke a little - which would be great, if the fresh air didn't keep feeding the flames and make the walls look like they're about to tumble down next.

(Takao's Notice: 1d20+16 = 19)

With the inferno around him almost blindingly bright and searing hot, Takao is quickly forced to conclude that a) Lord Shira is not in the visible parts of his chambers and b) if he was in one of the blocked-off parts he's charcoal by now, a fate that is just waiting to inflict itself on Takao and Yoshi, too. Fortunately, the far wall of the living room is cracked open, not by fire damage, but by design, revealing the open metal door hidden behind the deceptively crafted wood panels. Takao can't see anything beyond the doorway against the glare of the flames around him, but that's possibly the least concerning part of this situation.

---

This is not the first time a booth has caught on fire at Madame Kiki's. In fact, to judge by the enforcer who peels off from the group, politely shoves past Sidewinder and retrieves a bucket from a well-disguised utility cabinet, they probably have it on the price list somewhere. As the enforcer fills up the bucket from a water tap, their head honcho clears his throat.

"Sir," he says, "either we handle this...or the police."

---

Kirika raises an eyebrow. "Might want to come down before you burn to death," she calls out to the ninja.

The ninja's reply is to scurry along the beams, heading for the nearest rooftop hatch to escape the inferno. It is now that Shira looks at him, too, and even through the smoke and the mask and the glare of the flames, the glint of anger in his eyes is all too easy to see.

"FACE ME, VILLAIN!" Shira screams, sword in hand.

(Kirika's Notice: 1d20+12 = 24)

Kirika's eyes quickly scan the surrounds for a piece of rubble that is not on fire, and fall upon a piece of wood (good) roughly the size of her head (okay) that's still smoldering (eh, alright).

(Kirika's Attack: 1d20+12 = 27 - 4 = 23

Kirika grabs the debris and beasts it into the air at the fleeing ninja. Not quite a headshot, but it impacts him squarely in the side and causes him to lose his footing. The ninja tips off the beam and barely manages to hold on with one hand as he dangles down, now (just about) in reach of a sword from the ground.

"You going to come down now?" Kirika asks.

The ninja's answer is to try to scramble up again, but in the process, he loses what hold he still had on the beam and falls to the ground - landing, just so, on his own two feet. Gazing around the inferno, he reaches behind his back to draw a dagger.

"It's too late," he coughs. "You soddin' fools be wanting to get out of here proper quick, 'fore the whole bloody place comes down."
"Not before Ryusei drinks your life!" Shira shouts back as he closes the distance. "Face me, dog!"
And Kirika steps between them just as quickly. "Hold on, Lord," Kirika says, and looks to the ninja. "Killer Bees, yes? Last I checked, you had a bad history with arson, something to be avoided."
Yukio squeals as a gust of fire erupts from the hallway you came through, signalling the complete collapse of the mansion's inner chambers. The ninja looks between Shira, Kirika and the rooftop hatch. "I won't hop the twig with you bunch of loonies," the ninja says. "It's a fair cop and I'll sing any tune you want, but let's take this outside, eh?"
"Take him," Shira growls to Kirika. "I have to..." he coughs, "I have to...save what I can..."
Kirika nods, and puts a hand on the ninja's shoulder - moving him between Yukio and herself in the process. "Let's go, then."

With united powers, Kirika and Yukio manage to kick open a door leading outside, and the gust of fresh and cool spring night air is an immediately relief from the acrid heat of the mansion's interior. As they move forward, it becomes obvious that the ninja is hobbling along with them, probably with a twisted ankle or some similar malady. Outside, Shira's staff and servants are running about in what is really a quite orderly fashion, considering, trying to organize a bucket brigade with water from a nearby well, but the effort - fine as it might be - seems doomed to failure.

"Lord Shira's not following!" Yukio says. "Get him, dearest. I've got this one."
Kirika nods, and hustles back inside to Shira's side. "Lord, what can I do to help?"

Shira's answer is to toss stray pieces of armor and weapons in Kirika's direction, as his arms pierce the flames again and again in a bid to rescue his heirlooms from the flames. The sleeves of his black suit have already all but burned away, and as he labors and hacks up sooty air, it becomes obvious that he is beyond pain or even thinking of his own life. Kirika quickly hands the heirlooms off to waiting servants, but when she sees Shira's skin start to burn and blister, she grabs him by the shoulder and tries to pull him away. "Lord, your arms!" she cries.

(Kirika's Athletics: 1d20+16 = 31)

Shira doesn't budge - doesn't exactly fight back, either, so single-minded is his attempt to fight the flames. Kirika is reduced to grabbing him around the waist and heaving him onto her shoulders. "No!" he cries, but it's hard to hear over the groaning of the roof above them.

(Kirika's Reflex Save: Kirika uses Cagey to automatically succeed at this save.)

LEFT rings in Kirika's ear as she picks her way to the exit, where servants already stand, stretching out their hands to pull them out of the flames. And so Kirika steps left, narrowly avoiding a flaming beam that slams down from above and sends a new spray of fiery sparks and ash into the air. With a final heave of effort, Kirika throws Shira off her shoulders and to the waiting servants, who pull him away while Kirika stumbles towards safety. She's still seven paces away when another beam comes down, blocking the entrance and sending the servants away screaming. Lungs filling with acrid smoke, Kirika is forced to take a knee and cough as she feels flames climbing up her back. And then...then something grabs her, and drags her with, and no sooner does Kirika feel the cool air on her face again that she's thrown to the hard ground, where she quickly catches on to the idea that she should roll about to douse the flames on her kimono. Lying on the ground and sucking in fresh air, she opens her eyes to see Yukio standing over her, herself breathing hard and bent over with hands on her thighs.

"I got you," Yukio breathes. "I got you, dearest."
"Thank you," Kirika gasps, laying on the cool ground for a moment. "Thank you, love." She sticks out a hand for a help up.

Yukio helps Kirika to her feet and claps her on the back. Behind them, Shira Mansion has all but finished burning to the ground, with only the main hall still standing, though fiercely ablaze. Shira himself is on the ground next to the pitiful pile of salvaged history, frantically sifting through it and trying to comprehend how much of his legacy has just gone up in smoke, when a girl's cries fill the night.

"Father!" Himiko cries, being led by a figure wrapped in a heavy cloak that Kirika recognizes as Kagemaru affecting the best disguise he could quickly muster. "Father!"
"HIMIKO!" Shira shouts, tearing off his mask and scrambling to his feet, running to meet and embrace his daughter. "Himiko, my precious," he cries. "I am...I am..."
"Father," she cries likewise; there are no words, and so the two stand in the night.
"What a bloody lovely picture," the injured Killer Bee mutters, sitting on the grass next to the commotion, which earns him a swift kick in the side from Kagemaru. "Ow!" the ninja cries, but Kagemaru's glare silences him. He rushes over to meet Kirika and Yukio, who are just about done catching their breaths.
"Hey," Kagemaru says. "Did you see Takao? Or RZA?"
"Neither," Kirika says.
"Were they here?" Yukio asks.
"Takao went inside to do the big damn hero thing," Kagemaru says, nodding to the burning main hall. "Told me to stay here, protect Himiko. Last I heard RZA was recuperating in Himiko's chambers, so..." He looks to Kirika, then back at the inferno they just climbed out of. "That's the way you came, right?"
"No, we came through the relics hall," Kirika says, and looks back at the remains of the mansion. "Which means..."
"Takao hopefully got RZA out," Yukio finishes.
"Well," Kagemaru says, "now he just has to get himself out."

Takao steps towards the metal door, and then he realizes that he had forgotten something even more urgent: RZA is in Himiko's quarters, and probably not in any shape to get out by himself, either. But even a strong man like Takao is not able to carry two full-grown men through a burning building.

He makes the quick decision to take a look through the metal door. If it looks like a secret exit to a place where he might leave Yoshi safely, then he could do that and rush to find RZA. If not, he would have to head back through the flames anyway, and perhaps there where other exits that he could use to deliver Yoshi to safety.

Even weighed down by Yoshi's unconscious form, Takao races through the house like a spring down a mountain, imbued by the power of Mizu. He just wishes that the sword would make him as immune to flames as its name suggests.

"Send the bill to Lady Ikishi," Toshiba says, then turns to Sidewinder. "We do not need the corpse with us, do we?"

(Takao takes 15 fire damage.

Takao's Reflex Save: 1d20+10 = 16 BARELY!)

Huffing and puffing through the raging inferno, Takao makes a sprint for the metal door, dodging flames all the way. There's no way he can see into the darkness beyond with his eyes all but blinded from the smoke and intense light and heat, but he can feel the cool draft of air rushing from the dark - whatever is behind here is no mere hidden room, but a tunnel, and Takao takes a few steps down the stairs before putting down Yoshi on the ground. Then he looks back the way he came, at the fire and the flames.

This is crazy. There is no other explanation. He's going crazy.

(Takao's Athletics: 1d20+19 = 28)

"RZA!" Takao cries out, all but choking on the ashes that seem to want to envelop him in their suffocating embrace. A warrior must trust his instincts, and it is on instinct alone that he stumbles towards the inferno that used to be the wall separating Himiko's quarters from the rest of the house. He steels his courage one more time, then takes a step back, springs forward and throws himself through the burning frame of the shoji.

(Takao takes 15 more fire damage.

Takao's Reflex Save: 1d20+10 = 19)

Takao's Notice: 1d20+16-4 = 29)

Once more the flames try to claim him, try to snatch him back, but Takao is still one step ahead of death even if the landing finds him on his hands and knees. He crawls as fast as he can, falling reeds from the roof thatching breaking over his back, as he spots what looks like a fallen body underneath the smoke and ash, with just a glimpse of yellow and black clothes on him. Had he unlimited time, Takao might have taken more care, and had the air been clear he might have checked more thoroughly, but as it is it takes a tremendous amount of effort to just heave the body onto his shoulders. All Takao has to do now is get up off his knees and walk out.

Get up and walk out.

Get up.

Seven Hells, get up!

(Takao's Resolve: 1d20+12 = 31)

"KYAAAAH!" Takao shouts, forcing the last of his breath from his lungs as he wills his body to obey him. Every staggering step is a hard-fought victory as he stumbles through the flames, now utterly blind as to where he's going, and no longer feeling his own breath, let alone any signs of life from the body he has risked everything to retrieve. The only thing he can still feel is the heat on his skin turning to chilly cold as the surface burns settle in, and when he hears the groan of the roof above him finally giving way, it's all he can do to throw the body off his shoulders and forward before a beam comes down on him.

---

The switch cracks across his back as Takao stubbornly clings to the horse stance, balancing a bowl of water in each outstretched hand.

"Seishin Dageki recognizes only the truth of the sword, the truth of the mind, and the truth of death," Master explains as he walks around Takao, cracking the switch over his belly. "The truth of the sword is that iron cuts flesh. The truth of the mind is that will commands flesh. The truth of death is that time destroys flesh. All other things you believe to experience in this world are either echoes of these truths or mirages. Embrace the truth of the sword and you will fear no battle. Embrace the truth of the mind and you will feel no despair. Embrace the truth of death and you will be at peace when your time comes."

Crack!

---

(Takao's Fortitude Save: 1d20+7 = 15)

The only thing Takao can still move is his right hand, but it is a stubborn hand indeed, and where it fails to find purchase in the wooden floor it makes the same, digging nails into the boards as Takao's muscles strain to drag himself just an inch or two forward, enough to free his other arm and let him push off the floor. His body is shaking with an attempt to cough out air that is no longer in his lungs, but with another pull, he manages to crawl out from under the collapsed beam. His vision would be swimming if he could still see anything, but he crawls forward until his numb hands bump into something soft. Takao's attempt to get up is cut short when that something soft moves out of his way, and a hand grabs onto his wrist and pulls him along. Using the momentum and pushing off a toppled wooden column in his way, Takao fights his way to his hands and knees, and his swollen face quiets its protest when it feels the rush of cool air over it. Being dragged a bit more, Takao almost tumbles down the stairs when his attempt to move forward find him setting his hand in thin air, but the same hand that pulled him this far holds on to him and keeps him from rolling over the prone form of Yoshi a few steps below. With a grunt of effort, the metal door is closed behind him, putting a strong barrier between them and the fire at the cost of plunging them into utter darkness - not that it makes much of a difference to Takao, who now struggles to reopen his eyes.

"You mong, bloody-minded...bastard," RZA coughs.

---

"Eh," Sidewinder opines, apparently unconcerned by the goings-on around him. "I'm not letting this particular desperado go, considering. We went to a heck of a lot of trouble to do him in, I don't rightly regard the matter as settled until he's good and buried on my watch."

(Toshiba's Bluff: 1d20 = 5 bzzzzzzzzzzt)

"Oh, we'll sort out the bill...in court," the head honcho says, then turns to one of his underlings. "Get the cops."

Said underling speeds away and heads downstairs, presumably to follow orders and attempt to enlist the assistance of local law enforcement.

"Hold on," Toshiba tells Sidewinder. Then with an effort, he half-shoves, half-throws Firebolt out the nearest window before following the corpse, his Oni armor's boots flaring to life once again. Not for flight, as 2 men taxes the ancient magics, but a chance at a soft landing is all the ninjas need before making their escape with the body of their foe.

It's a quiet night out - well, not quiet in the sense that there is no noise or commotion, because, you know, downtown, but everything's nice and orderly and chill, people wander around the street going about their business and getting themselves some pleasure bathed in the colorful lights of dozens of gas lanterns.

Then Madame Kiki's second floor blows open with a shuddering noise as the Blue motherlovin' Oni thunders clear of the building on a trail of smoke and fire, skidding across the cobblestones with a body slung over his shoulder. The crowd obligingly presses out of his way as he comes to a stop, but lest anybody play this off as just part of the show on Main Street, Toshiba gets a eye- and earful of Lady Ishikawa's police, coming in hot with horse carriages topped with handcrank sirens.

"Oni!" Sidewinder calls from behind Toshiba, then climbs a momentarily unattended conveyance and grabs the reins for a little Grand Theft Horse Carriage action.

---

Kirika turns to the other Killer Bee in attendance.

"How about it?" she asks. "What's your clan doing here?"
"What's it look like, Swordsaint?" the Killer Bee says. "We torched the place. It was good money."
"And here I'd have thought you'd have learned from the many other arsons that ended with your fellows dead and on fire," Kirika replies, subtly moving between Shira and the ninja. "On whose coin?"
"Are you having me on?" the ninja says. "Big guy behind you. He had us get started the minute he left. Told us to try not to kill anyone."
"What?" Kagemaru and Yukio say in unison.
"Now listen here, you dog," Shira says, roughly pushing Himiko away to confront the ninja. "You will tell us the truth, right here, right now!"
"I don't know your damage, guv'ner," the Killer Bee says, "but don't try to act all surprised, that wouldn't gull my auntie."

Himiko cries out as she hits the ground, but Kirika helps her up. "What did he sound like?" Kirika asks. "Did he sound like this man?"
"Nah, he was putting on a fake voice or something," the Killer Bee said. "Don't ask me why, I mean it's dead obvious. Same clothes, same guy, 100%."
"The white-sashed swordsman," Kirika says.
The Killer Bee shrugs. "Yeah, sure."
Kirika looks at Shira. "I think it is time to tell me what Ikishi did to you, Lord - for your own good."
"I told you!" Shira insists, eyes fixed on the blaze. "There is none of that...that trickery involved. I am..." He trails off. "I am...I am not...not her toy..."
"Lord," Kirika says, putting a hand on his shoulder as she brings Himiko back to him, "what did she do?"
"Nothing!" Shira shouts, ripping free of Kirika's touch.

In his fit of anger, the pain of the burns on his hands and arms seems forgotten, and with this anger he seizes what's left of the black top of his outfit and rips it off, desperate to be free of it.

"I don't know what's going on," he says, and then he turns around to face Kirika again, presenting his bare chest - and an enormous scar running straight over his sternum. "But somebody will pay for all this!" he shouts, completely oblivious to what he's showing off.
"...Lord?" Kirika asks, as Yukio gasps and her hands fly to her mouth, and even the Killer Bee looks away. "Where did you get that scar?"
"...what scar?" Shira asks.
Kirika touches the huge, jagged scar. "This scar."

Shira looks down at the scar like he's noticing it for the first time. He roughly pushes Kirika's hand away, but then runs his own blistered hand over his chest. His mouth opens, but no words come out.

"Do you remember what battle this was from, Lord?" Kirika asks. She looks to Himiko. "Do you recognize this?"
Shira continues to say nothing; his mind seems to be fighting itself to a draw. Yukio leads Himiko to her father, and the blind girl gingerly runs her hand over the scar.
"Father?" she whispers. "What happened?"
"...I don't know," Shira finally chokes out.

Then, with a final, terrible groan, the flames gnaw their last on the mansion, and the main hall falls in on itself, completing the final step from burning building to heap of smoldering rubble. Himiko's head snaps to the sound, and she almost leaps out of Yukio's reach before the warrior woman pulls her back.

"Takao!" Himiko cries, struggling to free herself from Yukio's grip to no avail, though not for lack of trying. Finally, she relents and gives up, her legs no longer holding her up, and it's all Yukio can do to keep her from falling to the floor as she sobs.
"He's made of stern stuff," Kirika says. "He made it out." She clears her throat. "But this fire, Lord," she says, turning back to Shira. "I said before, I knew two people that share your visage. One, High Lord Shira, who respected my family and my father, and the White-Sashed Swordsman, who taunted my name and wants me dead. Do either of those sound familiar?"
"I...I am...I am both," Shira says. "I am...I am Shira Isamu. I am..." He turns back to face Kirika. "I...I did this?"
"Do you remember facing me in the forest?" Kirika asks. "Where you held Hiro Homi hostage?"
"I..." Shira begins, but his mouth falls open again without emitting any words. "I...I...no. No. I don't remember it. But..." He looks down at the remains of his shredded and burned suit. "It...must have been me."
"And Kusanagi, the gonne-man, do you know where he is?" Kirika asks.
"No," Shira admits. "No, I..." He looks to Kirika. "I shall try to be honest with you, Kamura, and I am well aware of how this sounds, but...I know that I have done things for Sumiko, in this costume, worked with her...band of miscreants. But...I do not recall this confrontation with you, or laying hand on Homi-dono, or..." He holds his head, and the pain in his arms seems to finally register. "I do not...I do not make requests lightly, and I am loathe to beg, but...it seems I need help." He looks back at the smoking ruin that used to be his home. "Before...before I do something else like this."

Kirika walks up and puts a hand on Shira's chest, closes her eyes, and concentrates.

(Kirika's Sense Motive: 1d20+18 = 36)

Kirika's hand feels the subtle variations of Shira's heartbeat, the breath being drawn into his chest and expelled again. Her skin crawls as she pushes her awareness deeper, and when she does feel it, she almost recoils in shock.

There are two heartbeats in Shira's chest.

Kirika's eyes snap open, and she takes a step back and looks to Yukio, eyes wide. "Uh...uhh..." She looks to Kagemaru. "I need you to look for...a second heartbeat. In him."
"...are you shitting me?" Kagemaru says.
"No," Kirika says, and looks at Shira. "I'm not."
"O-kay," Kagemaru says, then looks at the assembled group. "Uh, you might want to look away. All of you."

Kirika doesn't look away, and neither does Yukio.

"Suit yourselves," Kagemaru says. He concentrates for a second, and then - his robes fall to the ground empty to the sound of wooshing wind. For a few seconds, no sound is heard, then the wooshing comes on again, and again, seeming to pass through Shira each time. Finally, there's another woosh, and Yukio flinches away when Kagemaru steps out of her shadow as a fuzzy outline of a pitch-black, vaguely man-like shape.
"Gods," she mutters, while Kagemaru calmly picks up the robes and throws them over his ill-defined form, resuming his attempt to look like something at least human-adjacent.
"Good news," he begins, "I'm getting better at controlling the shadowwalks. Bad news, there's...well, I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to have a stone in place of your heart." He looks to Shira. "Not that I'm judging."
Kirika looks at Kagemaru with surprise. "Not two hearts? Just one, made of stone?"
"Uh, yes," Kagemaru says. "Why do you think I triple-checked?"
"Did you feel two heartbeats?" Kirika asks.
"I was going too fast to feel any heartbeat," Kagemaru says. He looks to Shira. "Sorry, buddy. You need a surgeon with a scalpel and a saw."
Kirika looks to Shira herself. "Lord, do you remember anything about this?"
"...no," Shira says. "I...I think I'm...I'm going to sit down," he adds, turning away and stumbling off towards what looks like a nice, dry patch of grass.

Kirika turns her attention to Himiko. "We will find a way to fix this," she says, her hands on Himiko's shoulders.

Himiko says nothing; after a moment, she pushes away from both Yukio and Kirika, then - haltingly - walks after her father, eventually finding him and sitting down next to him.

"Just when I thought this couldn't get any more fucked up," Kagemaru mutters.

Kirika walks over and takes a knee in front of the father and daughter. "I know a woman - Yu - that might be able to help. Do you know her?"
"I...I think I do," Shira says. "I will...I will come with you, if you think you can help." He looks at the rubble. "There's nothing left," he says.
"That's not true," Kirika says, gently pushing Himiko into his arms.
"Leave us be, Kamura," Shira says. "Please."
"Yes, of course," Kirika says. "I will summon transport." She bows to Shira. "By your leave, Lord."
Shira nods. "Let it be done," he says. "And...Kamura? I'm...I'm sorry."
Kirika nods. "Everyone deserves a second chance, Lord."
"So I would like to think," Shira mumbles.
"I know, Lord," Kirika says. "I know."

"Konoko!" Toshiba shouts as he climbs aboard the carriage, pumping the name with as much... strange connectiveness as he can muster. "Do you know where you're going, Sidewinder?"

Takao lies on his back and enjoys the cool for a moment while RZA coughs his complaints. Then he begins to laugh, deep and heartily, despite the pain that this causes his burnt face and entire body, until he is finally cut off by a fit of coughing himself.

"Well, at least you're not calling me 'sunshine' anymore! I suppose it was worth it," he chuckles.

A few moments more, just lie down a few moments more, the earth is nice and cool...

With a groan, Takao sits up. Nothing seems broken, and the burns will heal, he's sure. It's not like he started out handsome, and the stubble will regrow in time. "Can you walk?" he calls over to RZA."We have to get Yoshi to a healer. The other 'Bees carved him up bad."

"Why are you keeping on wearing that outfit? Didn't they dismiss you or something? I almost left you to the flames. Maybe something with a snazzy red or so?" RZA can clearly tell that this is an attempt at winding him up, and Takao doesn't do this kind of thing often. The brain must still be short on oxygen.

Then Takao stands fully, limps over to Yoshi, and shoulders him once more. "Let's go."

RZA's cough shortly turns into a hacking laugh along with Takao. "'Bastard' it is, mate," he says. "You are proper soft in the noggin for coming after me, but Gods bless your barmy soul."

With a few more yelps, RZA struggles to his feet. "My one an' others gave me a right meeting, they did," RZA says. "I can walk like I can see, which isn't straight. I'll just smell the Godforsaken and wobble after your crispy arse."

To be fair, there's not much in the way of getting lost in the tunnel. The stairs just keep leading down, deeper into the earth and away from the blazing inferno up top. Yoshi does not respond to being heaved onto Takao's shoulders, but there's still a heartbeat somewhere in the old retainer's chest, so he might just pull through. If this tunnel leads anywhere, that is.

With the topic on RZA's outfit, he laughs again. "Those are my colors, you daft bastard," he says. "Used to be we didn't play both sides of a contract, but they're the assholes who started that, not me. You tell them to get new jackets."

A bit more light banter later, the tunnel curves and flattens out, leading the banged-up trio into the White-Sashed Swordsman's underground lair. Takao's eyes fall first on the medical supplies in one of the small alcoves that could be used to further stabilize Yoshi, while RZA's gaze is fixed upon the center pool and the steam engine boat within.

"Now ain't that bit'a Friar Tuck overdue!" he says. "You know how to steer that one, bastard?"

---

"Why, you picky?" Sidewinder shouts back at Toshiba as the cart they're in lurches forward from its twin horses getting spurned into action by their new riders. Within seconds, Sidewinder's standing in the driver's seat and tugging the reins left and right and left again, dodging the cart through the parting masses while the cops follow in hot pursuit. "'cause I ain't picky!"

"Kiiiiiiiii!" comes a cry from above, and Toshiba looks up at the night sky to see his hawk-eagle Konoko glide in from behind them. For once, she's not even slinging a spring hare in her claws - well, she probably did have one and had to drop it, and Toshiba can already foresee that this bit of sacrifice will have to be repaid later. As it is, Konoko's first course of action is to dive towards the lead police carriage and try to wreak some havoc on them.

(Konoko's Attack: 1d20+7 = 20 HIT!
Konoko's Damage: 1d4 = 1
Pin's Damage Save vs DC 10: 1d20+6 = 14 SUCCESS)

Konoko dives in between the horses and the carriage itself and gets to work on the connecting pin that holds the horse harnesses in place. Her first peck isn't much to write home about, but persistence might pay off.

"Outta my way!" Sidewinder cries, taking the cart over a canal via a pedestrian bridge - pedestrians that seek safety by diving into the cool waters of said canal, which is rather safer than standing out in the open. "How's it looking back there?" he adds between bumps.

Well, the police are gaining on our intrepid heroes. That's how it's looking.

---

Affording the wounded and confused Lord Shira a few moments to come to terms with recent events gives Kirika a few moments to embrace her love and consider her next move, but it's not too long before the distant sound of hoofbeats resolves to a trio of horses being ridden hard by one High Lady Ishikawa and two of her police lieutenants. Ishikawa barely lets the horse come to a stop before sliding off the saddle and to the ground, stomping up to Kirika - and giving her a small bow before she starts talking.

"I see you've beaten us here," she says. "What happened?" She looks at the mansion. "Is there anyone still inside?"
"Not that we saw," Kirika replied. "But there is a...situation with Lord Shira." She gestures towards him - and the enormous scars splitting his chest in half.
"...I'm going to need a bit more of an explanation for that," Ishikawa says, gears in her head already turning as she tries to correlate what she sees with what she knows about Shira.
"Ikishi replaced his heart with a stone," Kirika says. "And...well, he's been doing things he doesn't remember doing."
"Oh," Ishikawa says. She looks past Kirika to see the wounded Killer Bee trying to find a restful position for his injured leg. "Is that the arsonist?" she asks.
"One of them," Kirika replies. "It was a job for hire - by whom, we don't know." She looks back to the burning wreckage of the manor. "...if you could, keep an eye out for a friend of mine. We don't know..." She sighs and looks back to Ishikawa. "If he made it out. Takao."
Ishikawa nods. "Takao Shinmen in the middle of a blazing inferno. That's the first thing that makes sense tonight. I'll have my men keep an eye out when we search the wreckage, but right now...there is not much to do but wait for the fire to go out." She looks at Shira and Himiko. "Anything else I should know before I signal for reinforcements and a pickup? If not, I think we're all better off in the comfort and safety of the Hall."
"On the contrary - my Lady - I think it is best if Lord Shira and I retire to a place where we can understand his condition more fully," Kirika says. "Somewhere secluded - and where no one knows where we are.
"At least one person will need to know where you are - me," Ishikawa says. "Where is this secluded location you speak of? A Shadowwatch safe house?"
"High Lord Nikochi's residence," Kirika replies.
"High Lord...who?" Ishikawa asks.
"High Lord Nikochi," Kirika replies. "Appointed to the department of magics and mystical wisdom. Hiro knows who he is."
Ishikawa thinks for a moment. "Nikochi...oh! That old crook." She does the physical motion of pinching the bridge of her nose even though it just lets her fingers tap on her mask. "Okay. 'High Lord Nikochi's residence', where is that?"
"North north-east of the city," Kirika replies.
"There's nothing north-north-east for miles," Ishikawa says. "Nothing except for..."

Her eyes narrow.

"Let me just get this straight. You're telling me that the Killer Bees - who usually keep well clear of the city except for one specific exception I've made - burnt down Shira-dono's home, and he's had his heart replaced with a stone, and in order to fix that you're going to seek the help of a madman who lasted all of few months as a High Lord and now lives in what I can only assume is a hollowed-out tree stump inside a foggy bog so treacherous that about a dozen travelers were reported missing each year before people realized that they should never ever go there? Is that about the size of it?"
Kirika nods. "Because we suspect Shira is the leader of Ikishi's murderers without his knowledge or will."
"You 'suspect' this," Ishikawa says.
"He doesn't know how, but it is true," Kirika replies.
"Okay," Ishikawa says. "Okay. Let me be honest with you. I'm dealing with a series of very strange events and I have no explanation for them that I like, so let's just say that I am not unreceptive to what you're telling me insofar as it provides the best coherent theory even if it invokes elements of mysticism I am not comfortable dealing with. So if I believe all that, and I'm not saying I do quite yet but I'm not dismissing it out of hand - I still need you to explain to me why what you're going to do there can't be done in the safety of the Hall of Justice."
"Because Ikishi's control has not been broken," Kirika says. "And I do not know what else she has done to Lord Shira - what else he might become. It might be too much for the Hall to handle, and I would prefer doing this in seclusion, just in case."
"My principal concern is ensuring Shira-dono's safety against any further attempts on his life," Ishikawa says. "I can't do that if he's out of my sight." She thinks for a moment. "I'm coming with you."
"That -" Kirika starts.
"That is not negotiable," Ishikawa says. "Either I watch him in the Hall of Justice, or I watch him in your bog hiding place."
Kirika sighs. "I suppose this is not an argument I will win."
"I appreciate you seeing that," Ishikawa replies, a little smirk audible in her voice.
"I'm coming, too," Himiko throws in, and Ishikawa looks to the side to see Shira and his daughter standing close by.
"Himiko, this is too dangerous for you," Ishikawa says.
"That's my choice to make," Himiko replies.
"Himiko, the swamps are very dangerous -" Kirika tries to say.
"I don't care," Himiko says. "My father's life is in danger and I won't part from his side."
"Himiko," Ishikawa tries, "as your teacher I've always tried to emphasize to you that you can do whatever you set your mind to, but..."
"But now that it actually matters, this is no longer true?" Himiko replies before turning back to Kirika. "Look. I know that meeting my mother alone was a bad idea, but this is...a different decision. Facing her was...selfish. Being with my father on a journey he might not return from...that is all a daughter can do."

Shira says nothing throughout, just squeezes his daughter's hand tight.

"I am just...I don't know who your father will be when we are done, how he will act while we do it - and what might happen in between," Kirika says, taking a knee in front of her. "Believe me, it's important to...to remember your father as he would want to be remembered - if it comes to that."
"It is important to remember my father as he was, not how he or I wished me to see him," Himiko replies. "Truth," she says to Ishikawa. "There is nothing more powerful than truth, is there?"
Ishikawa thinks for a moment. "All I know is that I cannot claim to be your teacher if I will not let you make this choice," she says. "If it is your decision to come with us, then I will not stand in your way."
Kirika looks at Himiko's unseeing eyes, then to Ishikawa, and then back to Himiko. "Fine," Kirika sighs. "Let's all go. Let's everyone go, then."
"I'll go get Yu," Kagemaru offers, disappearing back into shadow before Ishikawa has a chance to turn around and look at him. All he leaves are a pile of rags.
Ishikawa slowly turns back to Kirika. "When this is over," she says, "you owe me a lot of explanations."
"The question is whether or not you'll believe it," Kirika replies. She bows to Ishikawa. "My Lady."
"I'll be with you in a minute," Ishikawa says.

As she wanders off to her horse and fetches a few signal fireworks from the satchel, Yukio walks up to Kirika, concern on her face.

"Do you...do you think we can help him?" she whispers.
"We have to try," Kirika says.
"We do," Yukio says, placing her hand on Kirika's hip for a quick half-hug. "We'll figure it out, dearest."
Kirika leans back for a peck on the cheek. "And I suppose you're going to insist on coming too."
"If you want me to," Yukio says. "But I know you'll be alright, I'm not a great admirer of swamps, and someone should try to find out what the ninja knows."
"It's not a matter of want," Kirika replies.
"What is it a matter of?" Yukio says.
"What's needed," Kirika says.
"Do you need me to come with you, then?" Yukio asks.

Kirika closes her eyes for a moment and thinks. Her honored ancestor (and noted daredevil) Kaede Kamura looks back at her with a wordless "C'moooooooooooon doooooooooo ittttttttt" kind of expression, as she so often does.

Kirika opens her eyes. "Yes, love," she says, and flashes an awkward smile. "I need you."
Yukio smiles back. "The ninja will have to wait, then."

In the background, Ishikawa sparks up a fuse on her fireworks, and two rockets scream up into the night sky above the rolling smoke, exploding in brilliant blue and yellow. Signals sent, she secures the saddlebag again and walks back to the group.

"Alright, my people will be here to take over soon," she says. "Are we ready to go, then?"
Kirika sighs, and slides an arm behind Yukio's back. "I guess we are."

(I'd roll for Initiative, but I'm pretty sure Toshiba would win, so let's just get to it. Half action move, half action attack on the pin...

Toshiba's Acrobatics: 1d20+15 = 28 Safe!

Toshiba's Attack: 1d20+10 = 29 THREAT! Let's go ahead and activate it.

Pin's Damage Save: auto-fail!

Policeman's Ride check: 1d20+2 = 11 Oh dear)

Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to admit that, in a given situation, their bird might have the best idea. Toshiba casually leaps off the back of the carriage as maneuvering his armor's flaming boots has become second nature to him, blazing a fiery arc through the night that sees him come down on the pursuing police cart with pinpoint precision. The dumbfounded driver can only stare as Toshiba quickly whips out one of his knives, takes a knee and strikes true at the hinge pin Konoko was working on, popping the brittle metal in two. In moments, the horse team - already spooked by Toshiba's approach rip the reins from the driver's hands and make a run for it, leaving the cart to careen literally uncontrollably down the narrow road. Toshiba and Konoko leap back into the sky half a second before the cart's oscillating course intersects with a vendor stall stacked high with watermelons. The resulting crash fills the air with fine reddish pulp and wooden splinters as the cart tips on its side and slides to a stop, blocking the narrow road. As the banged-up policemen emerge from within, the hijacked carriage makes good its (momentary) escape.

"Darn tootin'," Sidewinder whistles as Toshiba rockets back onto the carriage roof and climbs down to the 'shotgun' seat up front. "That got real ugly real fast. You still in one piece?"

Toshiba nods. "I think we've stirruped enough trouble for one day," he puns. "Time to rein it in and dump this carriage somewhere more stable."

"Let's patch Yoshi up first," Takao replies as he gets to work. "Why don't you put some wood in that stove. I think that's what it needs to go."

(Medicine: d20+5 = 13, goes to 22 thanks to the Keeper class ability)

Within a short amount of time, Takao has patched up Yoshi as good as possible with the existing supplies. He puts Yoshi down on the boat and looks at all the levers and dials.

"Hm. Maybe there's a paddle here somewhere? Or we could start testing what the levers do. Looks like some of them even have labels."

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses," Sidewinder comments, smirking.

A quick glance behind them confirms that the utter chaos left behind by the overturned police cart has not spontaneously turned back into a high-speed chase, and the reinforcements arriving at the scene seem to care more for helping their friends and securing the scene than picking up the trail. Sidewinder brings the carriage to a stop next to a small dock, then jumps off to intercept the approaching night watchman. One tossed bag of coin later, the watchman decides that it's time for the part of his patrol inside the warehouse, while Sidewinder drags Firebolt's corpse from the carriage, releases the horses from their reins and spooks them away. With the carriage finally empty, he conscripts Toshiba into a display of raw muscle, tipping the carriage over its side and sending it splashing into the canal below. Not one to stand and watch his handiwork, Sidewinder slings the body over his shoulder.

"I'll get him back on a boat or something," Sidewinder says. "I wouldn't rightly mind if you help me row, but I reckon that they'll follow a fire trail in the sky after those little stunts of yours - and you alone are a damn sight harder to catch than the three of us."

---

Fortunately, the secret underground lair seems well-equipped for emergency surgery - needle, thread, cloth, various tinctures and even well-thumbed copies of comprehensive medical textbooks are at hand. Takao can't help but notice the slight irony - it was probably Yoshi's hand that dressed his master's wounds down here many times. In any event, Takao works through the pain in his own body by rote routine, packing the wound and dressing it until he's satisfied that Yoshi's bleeding has stopped. The old samurai may need more time to recover, but he seems out of immediate danger to his life.

With RZA's help, he carries Yoshi to the boat and sets to deciphering the controls while RZA stokes the fire.

(Takao's Knowledge check: 1d20+8 = 17)

Casting his mind back to a previous ride on the boat, Takao recalls seeing Firebolt mess around with some valves on the boiler itself. Reason suggests that the valves on the big pipes leading to the cylinders might be the ones - well, Takao tries to open them up, getting some water and then a whistle of steam that encourages him, but the engine itself doesn't want to move.

Back to the levers up front, then. Takao squints at a label besides the biggest: VORWÄRTS NOT - VORWÄRTS VOLL - VORWÄRTS HALB - VORWÄRTS LANGSAM - HALT - RÜCKWÄRTS. It's currently resting in a notch next to the HALT part. Seems obvious enough, then. He puts the lever to VORWÄRTS LANGSAM.

"Something's happening!" RZA says, and Takao turns back to see the engine start to crank over very slowly while the open valves continue to spit steam. The boat barely shudders in place.

"Valves," Yoshi mutters, immediately getting Takao to crouch down next to him and strain to hear. "Valves," Yoshi repeats.
"They're open all the way!" RZA says.
"Valves..." Yoshi says once more, drifting back into unconsciousness.
"You think he -" RZA asks, getting a nod from Takao. With a shrug, RZA cranks the valves closed a bit, and almost immediately the engine picks up more speed and pushes the boat forward, making it tug at its mooring line. "That's the ticket!" RZA cheers.

"On it," Toshiba replies. "One merry chase, coming up." He ninjas over a few blocks so his takeoff point is more removed from the boat's location, then arcs in a broad flight over the city before heading lower to lose prying eyes.