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 Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:36 pm
Tenkai's jaw nearly dropped. Inspector, what are you doing!? We're supposed to be eavesdropping!Tenkai shouted mentally, keeping his mouth shut as he watched events unfold. Chen's actions had alerted the orcs, and now that they weren't alone they probably wouldn't be talking about anything confidential. On the plus side, it did serve as a good distraction so that the orcs would be focused moreso on Chen's presence. It made it all he more easy for the monk to hide. At the very least, Chen didn't seem to be acting hostile. To that end, he was providing a very good test of character for the orcs they were following. Their reaction would definately serve as grounds for making the right choice in how to deal with them. It was a great plan, whether or not the inspector intended it. Suffice to say, the orcs didn't seem to be vey happy campers. Killing intent was a palpable thing to martial artists, and there was a mild hum of said emotion in the air as the orcs reached for their weapons. It wasn't strong enough to have it considered as immediate danger, but it was there. It was obvious that the orcs were giving Chen a proper warning. Ecks X "Need no help from humans. Leave." See? Proper warning. Tenkai learned a lot from this reaction. The good news was that these orcs weren't extremely hostile, as other stories pointed at orcs fully intending to kill a human just for being seen. Even among those stories there were cases of orcs not even giving warning before charging in and attacking. The bad news was that these orcs obviously didn't trust humans very much. That was expected. Still, they were asking Chen to leave, so Tenkai saw no reason to strike. Monks like him preferred to reflect the bloodlust of others rather than lash out at people just for unholstering their weapons. Even if they were orcs. But there was no telling what Chen would do. The monk hoped he would back off, because then they'd be pressed to keep moving to avoid any more encounters with humans. Tenkai could track them to their source from there, but he'd have to remain even more hidden now that they'd be alert. Tenkai just hoped Chen wouldn't be too hasty. If they fought the orcs it'd be hard to find out where they were heading. The monk didn't want to fight unless forced to.
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:19 am
Iopurl watched with intrigue as the tattoos flared to life on the body of the hume. Perhaps there was some sort of enhancement magic happening here. Iopurl would have to be wary about that when the two entered combat. He didn't want to be caught off guard on his home terrain. He made a mental note to watch for the green flare, and then responded to his foe.
"Silly boy, these are times of corruption, can't you hear the forest? She weeps for what has happened to her. Even now foul creatures rest in her heart, rather than the natural chorus a corrupt one is singing through her boughs.
So tell me boy, what brings you here? If your cause isn't just, you might as well leave now, I'd hate to have to carry your body out of the forest just to bury it."
Iopurl began to walk towards his opponent, his clawed feet scratching the ground as they moved. He was currently walking on his toes rather than his feet, adding an extra inch or so to his height. His lips began to peel back to reveal his rather sharp and penetrating teeth.
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:29 am
It appeared that the orcs weren't the friendly type nor did they have an affinity for humans. He didn't think that he should get on the defensive just because they were going for their weapons. Surprisingly, they were a bit more calm than aggressive, meaning despite their impressions, they had intelligence. But just have much intelligence did they have was the better question.
"I'm sorry. I'll just leave this wheel here and you guys can fix it when you're ready."
He let the object down and turned away to begin walking back...BUT, he stopped.
"You know," he would say, turning back around to them waving a single finger. "There's something else that I will like to inform you guys about, if you don't mind me speaking."
He slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants. "I want to warn you guys that there have been reports of people and animals being attacked in these forests by a strange swordsman. You guys may or may not know this, but there is a legend known as the 'Shinigami Samurai' that dwells in these forests. It's a ghost that is lingering around, killing humans, beasts, and even orcs. I am traveling through this forest, an inspector who is investigating this manner to see whether this is the works of something supernatural or just someone playing ghost."
He raised his head up. "It's reaching the evening hours, which is a perfect time that it likes to come out. However..." He returned his gaze back down to them. "I know how to keep it away, if you care to listen to more. I'm sure you guys don't want to have your trip interrupted."
In summary, Chen was lying his teeth off. The man was so skilled in bluffing and talking his way cleverly through many conversations that nothing was off in his speech or his stature to clue others in that he was lying. Tenkai was probably going to feel odd about this, too, but he probably could deduct what was going to come from this if Chen's plan went right.
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:58 pm
The orcs simply stood there, weapons brandished, waiting to see what the human would do. When he placed the wheel down and made to leave, they seemed content and they very visibly relaxed. However, Chen's pausing made a couple of them tense again. It was likely irritation at the indecisiveness.
However, they continued to listen to the words. Once in a while, there was a grunt, a snort. A shuffling of feet, a look to allies, to the caravan, to the forest around them.
At the end of Chen's offer, the apparent lead orc looked around. It was a very, very reassuring thing.
Until he tilted his head back and roared. By explanation, when he was finished this angry expression, he slammed the blade of his axe into the dirt, and the rock that was sitting on it.
"Orcs live here! Orcs not hear of story! No orcs die from ghosts!"
Urge to kill, rising. Very, very quickly.
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 11:26 pm
"I'm sorry. I'll just leave this wheel here and you guys can fix it when you're ready."
Oh, good...he's not trying anything--
...BUT, he stopped.
"You know..."
Kuso!
The monk had absolutely no idea what Chen was planning with that story, other than the obvious reference to Tenkai hiding in the forest. What was he trying to do, blow his cover? Was this some sort of practical joke? Chen might have been an inspector, but Chen was right. To say that stealth wasn't his style was an understatement.
What was Tenkai to do? Act like a ghost? Because obviously nothing was more frightening to an orc than a Buddhist monk. Sure, Tenkai could probably fake a "ghost" using a "will-o-wisp" made of his spiritual pressure, but for all they knew the orcs didn't even know what a samurai or a shinigami were. Chen might as well be spouting gibberish. Tenkai was pretty sure the orcs cared little for Chen's chewing of the scenery either. They could practically speak complete English as it was.
Then again, Tenkai couldn't necessarily blame Chen. He was just trying to establish some sort of rapport with their target, so Chen seemed even more in favor of non-violent means than Tenkai. But Chen didn't seem to know that much about orcs. He was still using human logic and playing upon fears and superstitions humans would usually have. But orcs...
RAAAAAAAAAAWRRRHHH!!
...weren't very superstitious.
Tenkai could tell simply by the roar that these orcs feared nothing, and the head orc seemed pretty sure that there was no such legend of a "shinigami samurai". If he was some sort of shaman-warrior, then he'd have enough spiritual awareness to know whether or not ghosts inhabited the forest. Whatever Chen had in mind wasn't going to work, and it only furthered the orc's mistrust. The only way to put something close to fear in an orcs that brave was to show that you were stronger, and even then most orcs would still fight you. Tenkai didn't want to be forced to fight when it wasn't necessary to their goal.
The orcs' urge to kill was getting stronger, almost to the degree where it would be palpable to his other senses filtering through his awareness.
Just back away, Inspector! shouted Tenkai within his own mind, hoping that Chen in his psychic awareness would pick up on Tenkai's thought. And don't turn around either!
If this failed, Tenkai would have to prepare to fight.
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 8:04 am
Chen could feel the increasing intensity of hostility in the orcs. It was unnerving, but he kept his ground. If he showed even one sign of fear, he would lose his disposition quickly. He was going to have to keep his calm and remain the cool cop that he was. These orcs were angry, but that could also mean that didn't want to hear that their own kind was getting killed. However, with the fact that the orcs live in this forest was a further way for him to play on this scenario. An amateur would turn and leave right away, but Chen was skilled at this sort of thing. If he left now, like Tenkai was wishing strongly in his mind, he would spit on all his experience up to this point. Though he couldn't hear Tenkai's thoughts, he had a feeling the more laid-back monk was not liking this.
"Just wait a bit longer, Tenkai. Don't give up on me just yet."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to anger you. I understand that your kind are strong, and if I were to even fight any one of you, I would surely lose, nevertheless a ghost."
The officer was placing himself below the orcs to show them that they were superior. So even if he was lying, which he was, he wouldn't have anything to gain from trying to overwhelm them with some sort of fear, especially if he failed. This was mainly a tactic in order to play to the orcs superiority of fighting prowess, and it was something you often used against the high positioned members of mafias.
"But think about it. Have there been some cases where any of your friends or allies walked away for a moment and never came back? Do you remember any stories of orcs or people vanishing and never being found? Now I will admit, this incident has only begun recently, so I can see why you haven't heard about it yet. But I assure you, if either of us is not careful, we can become the ghost's next victims. Listen."
Chen looked about, from right to left. The sound of the crackling of their fire, their heavy breaths, and the crickets off in the distance was the only sound to reach his ears. His right hand came up beside his ear, emphasizing the sounds of the forest.
"Do you hear that?" He was pretending as if something very strange had come about his hearing. In truth, he was "waiting" for Tenkai to play his part. Even if this plan sounded risky and farfetched, it could work with the right mechanics.
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 4:50 pm
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 12:21 pm
Damnit!It seemed that Chen was dead-set on this ghost ruse. Was he trying to blow Tenkai's cover? Tenkai knew it wasn't going to help to kowtow to an orc's strength. Some orcs were overconfident, but rarely were they arrogant. Telling them you were weaker would probably cause some of them to just outright kill you for being weak. That, or they'd just ignore you as being unworthy for combat. It was pretty much 50/50 depending on what sort of orcs they were. However, Chen would simply be lying. Tenkai had never seen Chen fight, but he assumed someone with his kind of capabilities was a bit stronger than an average GPD cop. If anything, it would play against an orc's confidence in their martial prowess if this turned hostile. "Do you hear that?"Oh, perfect. Now he was giving Tenkai a queue. The monk would have appreciated a game plan before going through with this little charade. Either way, now that he was prompting the orcs to focs their attention, they'd detect the monk unless he could come up with a distraction quickly. Yare yare da ze...Looks like Tenkai would have to resort to... Tenkai Matsumoto Sure, Tenkai could probably fake a "ghost" using a "will-o-wisp" made of his spiritual pressure, but for all they knew the orcs didn't even know what a samurai or a shinigami were. Tenkai kept himself out of sight within the cover of the trees as he put his hands in close to his abdomen, as if he was holding an invisible bowling ball. Within moments, a small blue "flame" sparked into existence, growing into a floating ball of spirit energy about the size of a softball. It'd definately be enough to fool a Japanese person into thinking it was a ghost, but Tenkai wasn't looking for a cultural scare with regards to the orcs. It didn't matter what the "ghost" looked like, the strange occurrence itself would be the proof in the puffing. With a swift gesture of his right arm pointing towards the edge of the camp, the wisp of spirit energy zipped through the trees bordering the camp. It gave off a faint blue glow as it burned like a torch, and yet making nothing more than rustling noises as it went through the trees. That way the orcs would know that it was a supernatural occurrence and not some sort of trick with colored fire. Even if it failed, it'd serve Tenkai's purposes as well. It'd look like something was moving through the tree tops away from Tenkai's position, thus drawing attention away from the concealed monk. Tenkai would just have to work with whatever reaction the orcs gave.
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 6:10 pm
The orcs... it was debatable whether or not they were stupid, though they surely promoted their own intelligence. And the most of them weren't superstitions, or at all worried that something was in the woods.
However, not everyone was the leader apparent.
Both could see the faces of two of the rearmost orcs contort in thought. Mayhaps there was a story or two they'd heard, something crossing the lines of Fact and Fiction, tied in with a recent event to give the claim, however outrageous it actually was, a bit of credibility. The fact that it may or may have been earned was beside the point. The point was, one of them believed, and that one voiced his concern.
"There was Zaar..."
"Went to hunt alone, right?"
"Didn't see him again..."
Seeds of doubt had been sown amongst them. The story took root. However, count on the lead orc to be the lightning storm wanting to drown it out.
"Ah shuddup! He a'lying! Zaar come back two month later!"
"But he say he see something terrible, like a ghost or demon. Not even he able to beat it..."
The leader was losing control of the group. Intelligence showed its face again; rather than further an argument that might turn violent, he turned his massive, snaggle-toothed head to Chen and bellowed in anger and confusion.
"What do you want, Human? Orc team enough to beat stupid ghost demon!"
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 1:07 pm
Chen looked toward the area where Tenkai exhibited his makeshift "ghost" effect, which caused the detective to be glad for the monk's cooperativeness. It seemed befriending such a person was not in vain. Normally, he saw monks as just these priestly like guys who just happened to be good at fighting. But it seemed his friend was more than he seem. Even to call him a monk now would be conforming him to a stereotype. The way the guy went out and showed more personality and spirit for things made him appear more like a vigilante, and vigilantes mainly came in the form of someone who followed a sense of justice and order, but did things in their own way. Chen could relate. Even if he was a cop, he was cop who followed his own way of doing things. The flexibility of his position in the force, also, gave him such leeway. The only reason he wasn't dead or demoted was because of skill, experience, determination, wittiness, and a little bit of luck.
The cop turned around back to the group when he started to see his fruit of his efforts. One of the orcs started to show confirmation to the story and soon, more followed like a fire spreading quickly through a sea of brambles. Yes, it seemed his plan was working after all. He wanted to smile, too, but he didn't want to break his posture and ruin any effort of keeping belief.
And then the head orc just happened to be the unbelievable one, though it seemed the majority outweighed the minority. "What do you want, Human? Orc team enough to beat stupid ghost demon!"
"That's right, you are. But you alone will not be able to destroy it completely. Not without some help."
Chen reached into the inner pockets of his jacket, pulling out a folded up piece of rectangular rice paper. When he unfolded it, upon it were Chinese kanji that ran down the shape in broad black strokes of ink. The kanji translated to "The Five Tenets of Confucius," a set of characters that were part of the Confucius philosophy. It was given to him by his father a few months ago as a way to help broaden his Chinese heritage, yet Chen was a man who was more detached from his roots, so kept it away until he had the energy to open it and read it a bit. It was only now that he found a use for such a thing, and humorously it was a way to help further his value to a group of orcs. He showed it to them by hanging it in front of himself by one end, letting the rest of it hang vertically to show the Chinese characters to the orcs.
"This here is a talisman capable of banishing ghosts." Yet, another way of making fun of his heritage, by making use of the Taoism beliefs to form a story of banishing spirits. Though in this world, feats like that were common, so it wasn't as farfetched if these orcs were close to others who used magic or other supernatural effects.
"By issuing a chant, I am capable of destroying weakened spirits. The problem is, actually weakening, which I cannot do alone. Not unless I had some pretty strong allies to help. This is where you come in."
He folded the paper back up and placed it back into his coat. "I want to form a temporary partnership with you guys. A mutual relationship. You help me bring this ghost to its doom and you will no longer have a threat of orcs being killed. In addition, for added incentive, I can offer you better ways to protect yourself out here in the forest against such beings in the future. As long as you pat my back, I will pat yours. How about it?"
Chen stood there, awaiting the orc's answer. Truthfully, this alliance was going to do two things if it was made: it would first create some "respect" between both parties. And secondly, it was going to allow him to get a more "inside" look at the operation these orcs were performing. Like the underworld creeper he was, Chen was known best for operating inside the network he was investigating rather than prodding at outside influences until something happened.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:03 pm
Tenkai was dumbfounded.
It worked!? It actually worked!?
Yoshi!
Tenkai was glad he did not regret following the inspector's plan. He didn't want to have to deal with unnecessary combat in a reconaissance mission.
"What do you want, Human? Orc team enough to beat stupid ghost demon!"
Perfect.
It was just as Tenkai expected. Their leader was the stubborn kind, overconfident in his abilities. By the way he spoke and how he reacted to Tenkai's ruse, he definately wasn't a shaman. A shaman would be able to tell whether or not Tenkai's spiritual pressure was that of a living human or the deceased, even if the difference was only slight. The leader's overconfidence would prove to Tenkai's advantage once he tried to cut a non-violent wisp of spirit energy.
That was good for Tenkai, because in order to make it solid enough to be touched or to damage something, the spirit energy would need to be in a higher concentration. Maintaining something like that remote from his body like a puppet rather than a single attack would require a lot more focus, and Tenkai was trying to keep himself aware while he was hidden.
Besides, if one of the orcs' comrades had an encounter with an actual ghost or demon before Tenkai and Chen arrived, then the two would need to be on their toes if the real deal managed to show up.
...Well, that, or Zaar wasn't too bright either.
Tenkai watched as Chen continued the ruse by taking out that piece of paper...a piece of paper that looked rather familiar to Tenkai.
A fuda, huh? The monk smirked. So I guess I'm a jiang-shi now, am I?
Tenkai was used to seeing fuda, or talismans, although he was more used to seeing that had Buddhist sutras written on them for various purposes. However, the Chinese variant simply known as fu used for jiang shi (chinese vampires) were usually yellow, so Chen's gesture felt more like a Buddhist exorcism technique for Japanese demons.
Well, except for the fact that Confucius' Five Tenets weren't exorcism spells. But Tenkai couldn't read the kanji from so far away, and the orcs probably couldn't read kanji period. In the end it'd work towards getting this plan underway.
But how would Tenkai make the illusion frightening enough? Tenkai knew only two ways he could make himself look like a ghost or demon, and they were completely out of the question. Not only would it be an incredible waste of physical and spiritual energy, but using himself would make the whole point of "illusion" moot. If the orcs struck and found he was solid, they'd simply want to fight more and Tenkai would have to get serious. He had to stick to controlling the wisp.
Only thing was, how were orcs going to be afraid of a tiny blue ball of fire?
"I can do it for you..."
"Yare, yare..." thought Tenkai. "Someone's awake again..."
"Focus your spirit through me, and I'll make those green-skins drown in despair."
"Hmm...you're right. Your aura would be unnerving enough. I should have thought of that earlier."
The voice in Tenkai's head laughed with anticipation. "In return, let me taste them! Their blood...I want their blood! They may not be human but they're close e--"
Tenkai retreated his left hand inside of his robe to grasp the hilt of Muramasa in order to quiet the sword down.
"I'm doing this in order to avoid unnecessary violence," Tenkai replied in his thoughts, "You're not doing me a favor. I'm just using your suggestion."
With that, Muramasa went silent. Tenkai waited for the orcs to agree to Chen's terms and follow the wisp before following through with the plan.
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 7:00 pm
There was more murmuring, more wondering, more trying to figure out whether this man was trustworthy, whether or not there was truth in this story. However, the stranger brought things to help, and he didn't ask for anything in return, only their help. Everyone knows that ghosts and ghouls are bad... there are no altruistic versions of spirits going by that name. And so, the leader relented.
"We help... we beat this... ghost... then we are done!" It was obvious that this was a reluctant give, but a give nonetheless.
He looked back to the caravan, grunting, before nodding his large head once and for the first time, truly relaxing. He held his weapon, but the Killer Instict was fading enough for it to be comfortable.
"What, then?"
[sorry, my browser's been acting up... i would've posted sooner.]
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 10:01 am
Chen gave a nod. "Thank you for your cooperation. I promise you that you will not be disappointed by this decision."
Or maybe they will based on what happens in the future.
"Well, for the time being, we are going to have to create a trap to lure it out and then ambush it with aggression. However..."
Chen looked over to the caravan. "I can see that you guys have some transporting to do first. So, how about I help you guys get you up and going. And when you have finished your task, we can concentrate on solving this ghost problem. It's the least I can do to show my thankfulness for your help."
Ironically, they would be helping him more than they can realize, and the plans of Chen had come around full circle. Walking in here with the lost wheel as his allaby for coming into their presence, cooking up a ghost story in the instance of a finger snap, and getting the cooperation of these orcs had allowed the detective to enter into a neutral alliance that required no pistol-slapping or fist-throwing action. Man, he was good, and he felt pretty proud of himself inside. He was going to enjoy telling this story back at the station.
But like all short term plans, there was not much plotting for long term outcomes. Should he make a run for it once he acquires the information he needs? He's fairly quick on his feet for any orc to catch up. But he didn't know the forest as much as these orcs knew, so that would place him at a disadvantage. So the other option was to go along with this plan. That meant that Tenkai was going to have to fill in the unplanned parts that Chen left out. The detective felt a bit sorry for placing the monk in such a circumstance, but hopefully the rewards will outweigh the consequences. In the best circumstance, Chen wanted to succeed in "banishing" the ghost and keeping on relative good terms with the orcs. Who knows, having these orcs as allies could be beneficial in the future.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 7:27 pm
Tenkai listened to what Chen told the orcs. Was he trying to get close to the cargo for inspection before dealing with the ghost problem? It seemed like it, so the monk took it as his queue to hold his ground.
Though, it was still a gamble. For one, trying to get too close to the orcs and their business before establishing rapport by making the exorcism look credible was very risky. They could get apprehensive again, even go so far as to demand that Chen deal with the threat and thus tilt the bargain in their favor. Chen would be more of a means to an end for the orcs, and the reciprocation could be lost amongst the tension. In retrospect, a man of Tenkai's appearances would probably appear more credible an exorcist to the orc's eyes than Chen's modern outfit. After all, clerics wore robes, right?
However, if Chen were to do the exorcism first, that could end up with the same result...only faster. What need would the orcs have of an exorcist now that the ghost was gone? They surely didn't need help to move their caravan. And the orcs didn't need to be crafty to know they could simply brush Chen off or even kill him once he finished the exorcsim task. With all things considered, going for the cargo before ghost hunting would at least ensure that the orcs maintain the quid pro quo.
If things become troublesome with the orcs once Chen makes his way for the supplies, Tenkai would need to think of something quick in order to focus attention back onto the ghost story.
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:22 pm
Quote: Walking in here with the lost wheel as his allaby for coming into their presence--
The orcs seemed pleased enough with the proceedings, pleased enough to forge this temporary alliance that should make the roads easier for everyone. It went without saying that most of them believed the story enough to think that allying with a human would be beneficial, though it was just as obvious that in a species known for its brutish, small-minded ways, there was always going to be a dissenter, one who just didn't buy things like a spirit attacking a group of orcs... if not for that one's lack of superstition gained through years of wisening, then for that one's power.
Zaar had yet to release his weapon, or even sheathe it, though the others had. If Chen was still reading with his Danger Sense, then he'd see that Zaar was the only one of them exhibiting malice enough to be considered above normal. Oh, the others had a bit of dislike towards the man who came out of nowhere, but that might be just a general misanthropic aura. But Zaar... oh, he was watching Chen. His eyes lingered, his fist clenched, his body was stiff.
He wasn't yet to throw the axe, but Chen had only to prove himself untrustworthy once.
All that said, one of those long stares broke as he turned towards the caravan. While "fine" enough with letting the human aid in the offensive defense, this trap with that magical paper with moonspeak scribbles, he still wasn't comfortable enough with Chen going near the vehicle. This was apparent in his snorting, then turning to point at the orc he'd been talking to earlier.
"Go fix wheel! You two help!"
As the three grunted and went to the vehicle, he turned to Chen. "We hurry and kill dangerous spirit. How to trap? Does it have skull, to wear?"
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