[EE 16] - The Rear Guard (Open)

[Nozomi]

The mission had entered the crater. And, at this point all that remained was to wait, to pray and to hope. There were, however, orders for those who had been tasked to remain behind. There were the youngest and most vulnerable who would need protection, but the supply and escape route had to be guarded. Those had been Shinjo's orders. With any luck, the ritual would be the focus of things as the best and finest of the empire were present at the edge of hell. With even greater luck, few or none of them would die before whatever horrors came out of that hole in the earth.

Phi, however, could only take solace in this simple duty. She was here to guard and watch over the supplies with those who remained behind. She had a grim look on her face as she watched, but she rested a hand on her bow, ready to pull and draw the string over it at a moment's notice. Anyone else with her was welcome to speak, but for the moment she was keeping quiet, listening for any sign.

(OOC: This is open for those who are posted to the rear guard duty, which is those who are not participating in the core events inside of the Crater. I do not believe any special events are intended for this group, as Jigoku's focus is on the ritual and the rescue team, so fighting should be minimal to non-existent and may be assumed unless the mods say otherwise.)

[Bayushi Umeno]

Umeno sat on the seat of a wagon, and gave a a grunt of greetings as she saw Phi lost in thought. "Decided t' join me in my eternal vigilance at these damn wagons tonight, eh? I thought you'd be going into that pit for sure."

[Nozomi]

"It wasn't where I was ordered to go, and ... I'm honest enough to admit I'm scared beyond my wits end of going down into that place," she said, though for more reasons than even she was willing to admit to her newfound acquaint... friend? Yeah, she could call anyone in this rotten hell hole that survived a friend, she figured.

...maybe not Nanzi. wasn't sure about Kinsen. But anyone else, sure.

"And in the end, while they're off being heroes, someone has to make sure the way out of this hive is still open, right?"

[Bayushi Umeno]

Umeno gave a low laugh. "I suppose. I don't mind the duty, I'm used to it by now. Not scared of the other options, but it is what it is."

She paused to take a bit of a bit of jerked fish. "Mmm... so where's your boyfriend anyway?"

[Nozomi]

"He's... where he needs to be," she said, remembering what Sora had told her. She had to be careful about this. She had to be very damned careful about it, because the price if it ever became known what had happened, what the truth was? Well, she trusted Sora in this, and she'd need to talk to Shinsei tonight once this was done. "I'm trying very hard not to think about it because I'd rather be keeping him out of trouble right now. Still, you really are a fearless woman. I wish I had that much courage, but this place has definitely put it to the test."

[Bayushi Umeno]

She shrugged a bit. "Oh, I know fear well enough Phi. Don't think I'm fearless. Just... not something I want to rule my reactions and what I do. This place might be weird as anything I've ever seen and more, but I can't exactly go back, gotta keep going forward."

Umeno still wondered about her non-answered question, but as always with Phi, she wasn't about to pry.

[Nozomi]

The truth was that answer was as good as she could give. Right now, Shinsei and the kami were down there as far as she knew, so her worries were following after them. But she had her assigned task, and she was going to stick to it, at least until she heard something that forced her hand. "Well, you've got most people fooled. You're as cool as a cucumber fresh out of the ground most days. I just pretend to be," she grunted. "And the sooner we can go back the sooner we can go forward, one way or another."

[Bayushi Umeno]

"Well, hopefully we'll be ready to head back in the morning, or at least start, no matter how this evening turns out," Umeno commented. She paused, then gave a slight smirk. "Assuming we all survive."

[Nozomi]

She grunted. "You, Umeno, are a positive ray of sunshine in a gloomy world. Not that you're wrong... Personally, I hope we break camp. Get a little further from this place, but ... they probably won't be up to it after all they're going to see." With any luck, whatever the rats had in mind to try would actually work and they might have the hole plugged. Might improve her dreams a little. "In the end, I guess it might be better if we had the time to rest before we left."

The alternative wasn't exactly great, after all. It involved a lot of running for one's life.

[Miyako]

With all the decisions made as to those rescuing the Kami Fu Leng, praying and doing shaman-stuff for closing the Hell-hole, and standing in the defensive circles to defend the shamans and priests, Miyako took to guarding the camp and the supplies, and she was certainly fine with that. For all that she had been told of this place, danger lurked around every corner and could appear at any moment, and she thought her sharp eyes would find great use in watching over the rear to ensure no danger would encircle them as all went about with their various missions and tasks.

Donning her straw cloak and hat to try and ward off some of the black rain and keep it from sticking to her skin, and with bow in hand and spear nearby, she took to the watch around the supply wagons, checking not only around them but occasionally bending down to more closely inspect underneath them. She went around each wagon once, then did so a second time just to be sure, trying to randomize the order of which wagons she visited when she did so. With that done, she walked over to the wagon where a couple of the others were gathered.

"All clear for the time being at least," she announced, giving a nod of her head before smiling at the two of them, face softening a bit. "How are you both this evening?"

Investigation: 21

[Bayushi Umeno]

"I'm a realist, what can I say?" Umeno commented dryly. She nodded at the tribeswoman as she walked up, feeling a bit informal with all the bigwigs off on other duties.

"Just got done beating up, like, twenty something goblins," she said smoothly before giving a low, sharp laugh. "Jus' kiddin'. We're good, blessedly bored for right now. Wouldn't mind a little daring-do, a bit of blood shed, but I had my fill yesterday, so a bit of a reprieve's welcome. You alright too?"

[Miyako]

She nodded her head. "Ha! About as alright as one can be, at least, considering this place." Though she laughed at the joke, the tribeswoman's eyes still looked over to the right for a moment, just to be sure there was nothing there. "Trying to keep this damned rain off of me too - nasty stuff, this water coming down, unlike anything I've ever seen before. Other than that... keeping eyes and ears open and hoping everything goes well out forward. You ever have that feeling where you think, are almost certain even, that hours have gone by when it's really been no time at all that's passed? I feel like that's how this night is going to feel, just... feeling like forever until we hear of what has happened," she added with another nod.

[Bayushi Umeno]

Umeno gave a small shrug. "Just gotta find somethin' to pass the time then. Wagon's've got coverings, so that's where I'm taking my watch. Could join us and pass the time with talkin', even if we all have to keep our eyes and ears open."

[Miyako]

"Sure thing... plenty of eyes and ears as-is with how many I've seen about between here and the camp. One shout of the alarm and you'll have a dozen people swarming this place in no time - whatever goblin trying to sneak into here certainly won't be crawling back home," she said assuredly as she found herself a spot underneath the wagon covering. Though covered, she didn't take her hat of right away though, instead waiting for the water to roll down so she wouldn't get any stuck to her face trying to remove it.

"Had your fill yesterday, huh? What did you end up coming across?" she asked curiously.

[Nozomi]

She nodded to Miyako when the woman approached, listening to the two of them and chuckling lightly, shaking her head. "I think... I've had my fill of strange little creatures one way or another. A fill for a lifetime." She had her minds on a few other things at this point, and that didn't make her all that willing to encounter such creatures. "But if something comes, I suspect the three of us can handle it at least. Yeah, though... I heard you were in the team that had the run in. Mind sharing with the rest of us? You were there with the Nezumi weren't you?"

[Bayushi Umeno]

A slight shrug. "Dunno what it was. Some sorta thing from Jigoku I suppose. Large man sorta thing with fire and acid inside it that exploded once we'd dealt with it. Horns, sharp teeth, claws, the works. Took a good bit of smashing before it exploded, took out one'a the nezumi when it did. Rest of us made out all right, though Ayumu had t' be carried back."

[Miyako]

"Most unfortunate that one of the Nezumi had fallen. They have had it tough out in this area, but even with so much of their home destroyed they stand and fight until the bitter end rather than turn tail. When sheltering from the hot rain a couple days ago I found myself with some of the others at a Nezumi camp with many wounded, monsters on the prowl on the horizon... we tended their wounds, helped them sight out and kill that which roamed near the camp, convinced them that they might help our cause here. It was a bit eye-opening and gave me a newfound appreciation for all that they fight for and the ferocity with which they do. I wonder what will become of them and this place if the hole is closed." She did not want to think about what might happen if they failed in that endeavor, but some flashes of that passed through her head as she tilted it back to get more of the ick-water to roll off her hat.

"I hope he's okay," she added about Ayumu. "I have spent much time talking to that one, learning and practicing the Shinjo's signs as well as helping in witnessing and documenting the strange and new plants in the jungles on our way down here - I think he wants to put together a book or something of such things since there are no clan-tribes or tribe-tribes living this far and some of these plants many may not even know are out there. It reminds me that I owe him some parchment pages of my own... hope you weren't too beat-up after all that. Thing sounds horrible, whatever it was."

[Bayushi Umeno]

"Well, we found and brought back his weapon... was called Matt I believe. The Nezumi I mean," Umeno added, chewing a bit more jerky. "Ayumu's all right, same with Xia. We all got healed up good, even if there might be a few scars."

[Miyako]

"Matt, Matt... mmm, I cannot recall that one readily, unfortunately. But I am sure the Nezumi appreciate having the things returned of one that fought so bravely," she said, nodding her head slightly. Believing the last of the water was off her now, she slowly and carefully lifted her straw hat off of her head, set it off to the side, and shook her head a couple times to loosen her hair that had been bunched underneath it.

"That's good. Xia herself seems to know much on such things, as she and that Togashi man with all the tattoos did wonders tending and mending the Nezumi. Wouldn't mind learning how to do that myself sometime. All I know is how to find an herb and maybe smash it up real good and that's pretty much it. And that sure didn't do me any good these past few restless nights," Miyako added, shaking her head as a flash of her nightmares came to mind.

[Nozomi]

"I'm going to freely admit. I'm no good with their language. It took me two weeks to get Ch'Chit's full name right," she grunted, shaking her head. "And I barely saw the big one around, though I got the feeling he was an older one, tougher, grizzled. But good. His weapon should get to see use again. Take down a few more of the fuckers before it ends its days too." She had no idea how long that weapon might be around. It might outlive them all.

"Talk of library's fine. I'm sure a few people'd probably appreciate it. Just gotta make sure this all survives to get to that point, though... if it goes well in there, we're a big step closer."