"It's over." Hoshiko said as she continued to walk towards him. "Even if you free yourself, we won't let you hurt Saneyuki. Surrender."

- - -
Free Move: 15 ft
Stance: Defence
ATN: 24
Wounds: 0

"Only if necessary, Shiba Moriko-san." Was his cool reply, as he quickly gained ground.

Free - Five words
Simple 1 - Move 30'
Simple 2 - Move 30'

ATN 25
Reduction 3

Wounds
15/15 Healthy
6/6 +0
1/6 +2 TN

Atsumori contemplated the situation. The masked person was swathed in gluey webbing; they weren't going anywhere, but he couldn't cut them free or move them unless they stopped offering potentially dangerous resistance. Just tackling them into submission would get Atsumori stuck in the webs himself (as he had learned through embarrassing experience in the past).

If he were dealing with an ornery tiger on a research trip, this would be the time to break out a syringe of tranquilizers. Unfortunately, such drugs were tightly controlled for lab use, not really the sort of thing you brought on vacation. Atsumori sighed and tossed his web gun gently aside.

"C'mon, mate. That's enough."

In a quick, fluid movement, his hand struck toward the cultist's head... and snatched away the concealing mask.

--

Stance: Attack
ATN: 25
Reduction 3

Free action: drop webgun
Free action: banter
Complex action: grab!
D10 LA--round 5, Jiujutsu called shot with 2 CR. VP. That's not a mushroom monster, it's...!: 5d10o10k4 36

Atsumori would pull of the mask, revealing a rather ordinary looking man with glasses, his hair disheveled. Yet fires or purpose still burnt within the man as he continued to struggle.

Moriko wanted to tell Ryuu that she appreciated his words, but now was not the time, though she would undoubtedly forget. Closing the distance between herself and Mika, she hunkered down and retrieved her coiled rope, “I’m sorry, miko-san.” It shouldn’t have come to this, the Phoenix mused as she secured the girl. They were of similar age, and it felt strange to be binding her wrists as a prisoner.


——
Defence stance.
Move 20ft. to Mika.
Bind her hands.

Hoshiko followed Moriko and assisted her.

- - -
Movement: Follow Moriko
Stance: Defence
ATN: 24
Wounds: 0

"You have no idea what you have done!" the Phoenix priest screamed, fire still burning in his eyes.

Ryuu continued his advance, moving to meet up with the bound masked elder.

"Surrender or die. Only options." He pointed the tip of his katana at the elder.

LA10 - Ascension - Demand Surrender- (Willpower 3, Intimidate 1, -5 Disturbing Countenance): 4d10o10k3-5 11

Simple - 30' move forward
Simple - 30' move forward (should put me to engage with the Elder)
Free - 5 words

"I live for Gilded King!" The not so old man kept struggling.

LA10 - Ascension - GM Called Raw Intelligence (Int 2, VP +1k1, TN15, +2 Wound Penalty to TN17): 3d10o10 39

Atsumori sighed and rubbed his forehead. "For Heaven's sake, come off it."

He made as if to sweep the man's feet out from under him with his own booted foot, but couldn't get a good angle that wouldn't end with his own foot stuck in the sticky mess entangling the cultist.

--
Attack stance yadda yadda.

Free action to not believe this shit.
Complex action: be trolled by Orokos
D10 LA--round 7, Jiujutsu, 2cr knockdown: 4d10o10k3 7

This was getting tiresome. Moriko stood and whirled, marching towards the unmasked elder. “Surrender,” she spat the word out, it was distasteful, but it was better than putting a boot to his head.


——
Attack stance
Free: stand
Double move to reach the elder

[D10 LA] This has gone on long enough. (Awareness 3 / Intimidation 0, Void/Shiba Tech +2k): 5d10 16

0.3 Honour loss for low skill.

Fearing both the seemingly crazy Shiba bushi and the brutal Spider, the rather handsome cultist dropped his armsas Moriko addressed him, exhaling softly. "It wasn't supposed to go like this..."

_______

Combat over!

Participants gain 0.2 glory, their fame only diminished by the Phoenix propaganda trying to downplay the events.

“It never is,” Moriko growled. She closed her eyes for a fraction of a second, but their work wasn’t done. “Hoshi-chan, bring the girl here; Ryuu-san,” she dropped the formality now, anger blazing through her, “are you hurt?” Even as she asked, she was stepping to Saneyuki’s side, “Saneyuki-san?” already she was in fastening the nearest chain.

"I will be fine, Moriko-san." He replied to her, glad to see she was no worse for the wear.

Ryuu looked at the man. Then looked to the others.

The words of Agasha Kaori sprung to mind.

"It goes beyond that, Daigotsu-san." Kaori smirked. "Whenever we stumble upon something revolutionary or indeed, thought-provoking, one can think the person who walks out of that as someone new. The person that was before the revelation is gone. A new person has born. And that is why Shiba-kami chose the Phoenix. Or so we are taught." She looked at Ryuu, disgust evident in her eyes. "That we would remember that we must be reborn every day to truly be alive."

He did not sheathe his blade.

"There is a problem. This man is a relation to Lord Magistrate Agasha Kaori. They have similar features. Similar mannerisms. And having spoken with her, been chastised by her for investigating the missing and murdered heimin... it is clear she is covering up for these actions. We will not be able to bring him in."

"That's troublesome." Hoshi sighed as she brought the bound woman over. "It will be difficult to get any real justice here. Hopefully, we can get a better understanding of it all, at the least."

Saneyuki, for his part, remained both delirious and seemingly near-ecstatic with a wide grin of his lips, his chest rising ever so slowly. He had been tied to a rock covered with gibberish kanji scribbled with an eye-aching iridescent yellow paint.

Elder Ken laid on the ground, more dead than alive, Hana sprawled further away in the pool of her own vomit. Mika, with her hands tied was content where she was, her eyes devoid of emotion.

For a moment it seemed absurd that Moriko was just going to take the word of a Spider on this. Turning away from the insensate young priest, she sought out Ryuu’s blue eyes and came to a decision: she believed him. “We will take him in,” the Phoenix countered, “just not to the Magistrate.” Her plan wasn’t fully formed yet, all she knew was turning the priest over to his own sibling would be pointless.

"Well, balls." Atsumori responded eloquently to Ryuu's announcement. "Who does that leave, then? Is the governor out, too? Where's an inquisitor when you need one..."

Leaving the magistrate's now-unmasked relative to his sticky fate for the moment, he loped across the clearing to see if the other priest and the miko seemed like they were going to make it.

"Daigotsu-san, may I tend to our wounds?" Hoshiko asked as she brought the proper spell up on her densai.