Conquering the Swamp [Dungeon|Open]

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Numa Castle. Takehiro heard the place held riches untold, unlike any even in the current generation of Daimyo. This rumor, despite whether or not it held any truth, drew a large crowd of mercenaries and bandits alike, as made evident by the bodies that lay in the swamps. It seemed this harsh terrain were to serve as a graveyard, and a warning for anyone else who made the mistake of entering, that - treasure or not - your life would be on the line. Risking his life was something the mercenary was used to, so he trudged on through the swamp with no worry weighing him down.

As he approached, Takehiro could hear the screams that were mentioned in rumor. They were chilling, and were he any other man, he would have turned tail. However, if one rumor was true, it was likely the others might have been. So, he made it to the entrance of the castle, and pushed his way inside, where he would wait a while to see if his call-to-arms had attracted any others willing to risk some injuries for the treasure.

[Sanada Yukimura]

Stepping through the fog that blanketed the swamp, his spear held close by, Yukimura would come to a stop in front of the walkway leading to the castle entrance. Numa Castle. Once the home of a powerful Daimyo, now abandoned and laid to waste. The rumors alone drew plenty of attention from bandits and mercenaries alone, but very few soldiers belonging to an actual faction dared to travel to it. The screams alone were enough to keep many away, but not Yukimura.

Stepping forward, his boots making dull thumps against the ground, upon reaching the entrance to the castle, he would push the door open and step inside, immediately seeing...

"Amakusa-san? Why am I not surprised to see you here..."

[Morei Haji]

What the hell was I doing in the swamp of all places? The air was stuffy and damp, and it was quite unlike anywhere else I had traveled to, but the prospect of discovering something new was high. There were a lot of rumors going on about Numa Castle, and I was curious to see if there was any truth to them at all.

Upon hearing the screams upon getting closer, I froze up a bit, my eyes widened. So people weren't joking about that, oh boy. I debated for a moment on whether I should stay or go, and hoping Lady Luck wouldn't forsake me, I decided to go on. Approaching the entrance, I would see another man go inside, and I would follow suit, cautiously. Once I got close, I saw some familiar faces.

"Sanada-san? Takehiro?" I dropped the honorific with Takehiro after our last adventure.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

[[Yeah, just gonna have her tag along Haji. Makes sense.]]

Apparently Haji had the intention of going to Numa Castles, and with the rumours going around about it, there was no way in hell she was going to let him go by himself. She feared not the rumours herself, but fretted over Haji, and so, filling her quiver to the brim and sharpening her blades, the woman tagged along.

She remained silent, expression impassive despite the screams and eeriness. When they entered, the woman immediately halted, eyes widening. She knew all of these men, and so did Haji. What in the actual fuck?

And at seeing another who knew her real name and gender, the girl immediately went rigid. The way her eyes bulged warned and begged Yukimura not to say anything.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

"Well! Ain't this somethin'!" The mercenary chirped, scraping some of the gunk from his boots. "Good lookin' group of people, here. Ready to take on some friggin' spirits, eh?" He knew Yukimura and Hiroshi were both capable fighters, and he'd gone through hell with Haji. If there was any group he trusted, it would be this one. Fortune smiled on the lot of them that day.

"Well, don't think we should wait any longer. Let's pick a path and take it."

The three-way fork. The path to the left looked ominous, the path to the right was one you could not see down, and the center seemed to be closed off behind doors they could likely get through if they tried.

"Just make sure you're ready. No goin' back."

[Sanada Yukimura]

"Ah, Morei-san."

Yukimura would answer pleasantly, as he turned his head to look behind him at the sound of the door opening, his spear held loosely in one arm. Noticing Katsumi coming up from behind Haji, at first he was rather confused as to why she was here with Haji, but it was at that very moment, the conversation between himself and Haji came rushing to him, and then it would click. The girl Haji cared for was Katsumi.

Having completely turned to face Haji, a look of polite curiosity on his face, he would briefly look over at Katsumi and give her a barely detectable nod of his head. He wouldn't call her by her real name, only the one she told him she went by.

"I see Saito-san is with you. Did you two run into each other on the way here?"

Turning back to Takehiro, he would nod and adjust both gloves on his hands, then his grip on his spear, holding it in both hands now in front of him.

"I am always ready Amakusa-san. I came this far, and I am not about to turn back now. I vote we go down the middle first."

[Morei Haji]

I looked between Katsumi and Yukimura curiously, having no idea that the two of them had met before. The look on Katsumi's face had me guessing she really wanted her identity kept under wraps, though whether Yukimura really knew or not, I wasn't sure. Still, I did not want to take any chances.

"We came here together, actually." I would bow my head respectfully to him. The girl I had told him about not long ago was now beside me, and he happened to know her. What a weird twist of fate.

Looking back up at Takehiro, I would give my input. "I'm not even sure where to begin, so I'm good for the middle as well."

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi released a small sigh of relief when Yukimura kept her identity under wraps. Bowing her head, the petite archer nodded at both him and Takehiro.

"Sanada-san. Takehiro."

It still felt weird to not use a suffix with his name, but, as he had insisted, Katsumi dropped it. Yukimura and Haji both played along, and the girl was glad this wasn't turning into an identity crisis. Hopefully it would stay that way. While it wasn't that she didn't trust Takehiro. It was simply her deeply rooted paranoia about the matter. A few friends wasn't going to change that any time soon, if at all.

It still seemed so odd that everyone here knew one another, and yet were completely unaware of that fact. Yet the girl didn't ponder over it long, nodding her head in at Haji's explanation.

"The middle is fine by me, as well," replied Katsumi, who stuck close to Haji, dark hues searching their surroundings, taking everything in.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro paid absolutely no mind to the way the others were looking at each other. He'd been more preoccupied with cleaning off his shoes. But, they did their discussion, and that was all fine by him. So long as these people were going to be able to protect themselves.

"Alrighty, middle it is. Triangle formation - Myself at the front, Yukimura and Haji, you two in the back. Keep Hiroshi in the middle. The bow will be important, and we don't know what we're going to come up against." With that, he would proceed to the door, putting a hand against it. Once the others were in position, he would break it open and enter.

[Sanada Yukimura]

Nodding his head slightly to Takehiro, he would take up the right side of the triangle, leaving Haji to form the left. Once the others were in formation, he would follow after Takehiro after he had broken the door down, his spear held in front of him, in a ready position. His eyes roving back and forth, there was no telling what laid ahead of them, so it was best to be ready and keep his guard up.

[Morei Haji]

Following Yukimura's example, I would take the left side. I would draw my sakabato, keeping it at the ready. While it wasn't sharp, it definitely packed a punch if I aimed at the right places. I wasn't expecting much more than bandits in this place, and it wouldn't be too much of an issue I felt. If worst came to worst, I would flip the blade around and use the sharp end, but only should the situation call a dire need of it.

I would look towards the others, and follow once the formation was set.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

"Yes, sir," said the woman as a natural response.

Removing an arrow and with her bow in hand, Katsumi slipped in-between the men so that she was in the middle, her already petite form crouching down and moving forward accordingly. One could never be sure about rumours, but from what she had heard and her intuition, she had a strong feeling that there would be more than bandits ahead. She wasn't sure as to what, and monsters were rather far from her mind considering her practical nature, but Katsumi was definitely uneasy.

[Oda Nobunaga]

[OoC: Participants LOCKED. Stats LOCKED. Items LOCKED. Post order must be followed.

Path: MIDDLE CHAMBER. Your objective is to slay as many monsters as possible, retrieve the Daimyo's treasure, and making it back to the entrance. More enemy deaths will yield better rewards for the players. You can not lose an ally. Death or incapacitation of one member of the party will lead to failure for the entire group.

- Bronze: Defeat 15 enemies
- Silver: Defeat 30 enemies
- Gold: Defeat 60 enemies
- Platinum: Defeat 100 enemies

Good hunting, and good luck.]

Upon the door breaking down, a blast of wind would rush outward. While it was not enough to blow the group backward, they would surely be startled. The smell of death and decay would fill their lungs, and the sounds of screams would intensify, growing louder with each second. Suddenly, all noise would halt. The wind would dissipate, leaving only a small breeze, coming from the entrance to the castle.

Inside, the room was dark, but not so much nothing could be seen. Chains hang from the ceiling, several of which were holding skeletons by their necks, dangling above the doorway. Bodies, old and new, could be found all across the floor, which was stained with blood and mud. At the far end of the room, a large doorway could be found. That was their goal.

The group would feel something tugging on them, but it was nothing physical. A force, perhaps something spiritual, pulled the group into the chamber, and suddenly the door Takehiro broke down was blocked off by a wall of darkness. Candles all along the wall lit up, perfectly illuminating the room. The bodies of the dead soldiers on the ground slowly started returning to their feet, each one armed with katana. With deathly screeches, they charged the group.

[OoC: 10 Dead Soldiers

Str: 15

Dex: 15

Con: 20

Wis: 15

Spr: 5

Post stats in your next post.]

[Amakusa Takehiro]

[OoC: Str: 17(24+2)
Dex: 17(20)
Con: 16(28)
Wis: 14(16)
Spr: 12(14)]

As if pulled by some mystical force, Takehiro stumbled into the chamber, surprised. The sudden blast of air and spiritual pull sent chills down his spine, but he quickly recuperated. His eyes were hurt slightly from the sudden change in light, though it would be difficult not to notice the reanimation of the dead.

"What the hell..."

Keeping formation, Takehiro would proceed forward in two bounds, sweeping his spear forward in a low, wide arc, tugging back if it were caught in one's leg. His aim was to knock the corpses on their backs.

[Sanada Yukimura]

His eyes narrowing as a blast of wind rushed outward, the smell of death and decay would fill his lungs, making Yukimura cough slightly, as the screams would intensify in pitch with each passing second, causing him to wince even more. But just as fast the sounds and wind came, they would suddenly cease, leaving only a gentle breeze. That was never good.

As if some mystical force was controlling him, he would be yanked forward after Takehiro, stumbling in after their fearless leader. His eyes narrowing to just slits from the sudden illumination of the room, he would grip his spear even tighter as the bodies on the ground came to life, screeching and charging at them.

"What in the name of Amaterasu!?"

Mimicking Takehiro's course of action, Yukimura would sweep his spear in a low but tight arc, to try and sweep the soldiers off their feet and onto their backs, making it easier to take them down.

(OOC: Yukimura's Stats:

Str: 16 (21, +2 when attacking)
Dex: 16 (19)
Con: 16 (22)
Wis: 15 (17)
Spr: 12)

[Morei Haji]

I would be pulled into the room by some unknown force along with the others, and looking behind me at where the door originally once was, I noticed that it had disappeared into a veil of darkness. It was all too familiar from my adventure with Takehiro before.

I turned to see what got the others all fired up, noticing that the dead around us had started to come back to life. "What in the actual..." Takehiro and Yukimura had started to sweep their spears in a low arc, and I would draw my second katana. Holding the blade towards the enemies, my arm would arch backwards before throwing it, blade first, towards the enemies behind the ones the other two began to knock down.

[[ OOC: HOURS LATER BUT FORGOT TO ADD MY STATS. Strength: 14 (+9)

Dexterity: 12 (+1)

Constitution: 13 (+12)

Wisdom: 11

Spirit: 18 ]]

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Due to Katsumi being in the middle and much shorter than the others, the wind barely seemed to hit her. But the smell did and the girl wrinkled her nose. Death was a smell she was familiar with, but this was decay, rot. It was absolutely sickening. And the screams caused the archer to wince visibly, a single hand covering an ear.

"What in the hell?"

Her gut twisted more and more until Katsumi was sure she would be sick, and her eyes searched around in paranoia. Bodies were everywhere, of all different states, and she jolted. Something didn't feel right in the least, and her worries were entirely justified.

There was a tug and a pull, and the petite woman took a small step back. Lights suddenly lit up on their own accord and the dead on the floor... why, they began to rise! A yelp escaped Katsumi's lips, for she had never seen such a thing before. She was a person of reason, of logic, and this was the furthest thing possible from any of that.

Oh, why did they ever decide to go here?!

The corpses began to rush them and the others quickly went into action, and Katsumi, swallowing roughly, followed suit. Drawing back her string and taking aim, the archer fired at the bodies further back, before reaching back and grabbing three more arrows. Working through her nerves, wanting to prove herself and to simply stay alive, the woman released her breath and quickly fired again. If she would be permitted, Katsumi would fire the other two off.

Strength: 14 (+2) | Dexterity: 25 (+3) | Constitution: 17 (+13) | Wisdom: 14| Spirit: 5

[Oda Nobunaga]

Takehiro: mwJLT9Ti

Yukimura:

Haji:

Katsumi: ���

[Oda Nobunaga]

[OoC: Starting off with some low roles... delicious.]

Takehiro: Takehiro was able to make two of the undead stumble, and he managed to rip off one's leg from the pull! Two were open targets, if he wanted to go for them, but, being at the front, he was also the most likely target for the rest of the undead!

Yukimura: One of the undead caught Yukimura's spear as it was swung toward him as it cut into his leg. He held himself firm, tugging on Yukimura's spear and pulling him into the fray, swinging his katana down toward the samurai's forehead!

Haji: The undead he threw the blade at caught his weapon, spinning both blades he now held in an intimidating sword dance! He shrieked at Haji, sending gross spit flying all over the boy's face, and he then charged at him, aiming to impale him with both blades!

Katsumi: Katsumi had no clear targets! She was able to get a single arrow off, getting one of the zombies in their arm, but the undead felt no such pain! If she tried to fire her other two arrows, she was in danger of hitting all three of her allies, unless she moved!

[Amakusa Takehiro]

In two quick motions, Takehiro would whirl his spear in two circles, looking to cleave both of the downed zombie's heads off. Whether or not he succeeded, he would charge the nearest two zombies, sending explosive punches toward their faces.

"STAY BACK!"

That was to his team, and not the zombies.

[Sanada Yukimura]

(OOC: Curse you and your low rolls! *fist shake* >,<)

As Yukimura was pulled forward, he would try to push off with his back foot and evade to the side while attempting to rip his spear free, hopefully dodging the zombie's katana and avoid getting his head bisected vertically. Wasting no time, with an almighty roar, would try to sweep his spear back towards the zombie and decapitate it, before following Takehiro's order and staying back, covering Katsumi and Haji as best as he could.

[Morei Haji]

The dead man caught my katana, suddenly performing some kind of sword dance. While the prospect of a dead guy dancing in front of me was humorous, I felt a chill go down my spine due to the danger that all of us were in. When he shrieked at me, I was greeted WITH DEAD GUY SPIT ALL OVER MY FACE. EWW. FUCKING GROSS.

"So uncalled for!" I shouted back at the dead dude, wiping the spit from my face to see him running at me with both blades ready to kill. I would sidestep to get out of the way, gripping my sakabato and swinging it with full force at the monster's neck, sharp edge of the sakabato facing him. I planned to decapitate him and get him out of the way.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi hit, but it seemed to matter not. These were the dead, and a simple shot in the arm meant nothing. The girl grit her teeth, unable to get any good aims as the others were ahead and in her line of fire. Moving over to the side where the line of fire would be clear, still trying to stick further back, Katsumi removed two arrows from her quiver and, if able, would fire twice, hoping to hit two of the undead targets.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Takehiro: 5e8zBXpz

Yukimura:

Haji:

Katsumi: ���

[Oda Nobunaga]

Takehiro: The two undeads' heads would roll from their bodies, having been cleaved off! However, the mercenary had barely any time to react as he was struck across the face by the hilt of a blade, and knocked to the ground! Two undead stood above him, aiming to impale him with their blades!

- 2 Undead

Yukimura: The samurai was indeed able to pry his blade free, decapitating the undead warrior! However, before he could follow Takehiro's orders, arms wrapped around him! One was under his left arm, sticking it straight out and hindering the joint, and the other wrapped around his neck, putting him in a chokehold! His spear fell to the floor!

- 1 Undead

Haji: Haji barely avoided the blades, getting a large cut across his stomach! Fortunately the cut was small enough so his insides wouldn't spill out. He was also lucky enough to decapitate the undead warrior, though he would quickly find himself tackled and pinned to the ground, being headbutted by another ferocious warrior!

- 1 Undead

Katsumi: She was able to get a shot off, with her comrades falling and her stepping to the side. One arrow soared straight into one of the warriors' heads, sending him crashing to the ground! Though, her legs were suddenly burdened with the heavy weight of another foe, and she was tackled to the ground as well! Her bow fell far out of reach!

- 1 Undead

Total KOs: 5