Plunderin' Booty (Open/Dungeon)

[Chosokabe Nanami]

~* Numa Castle, a haunted place where the souls of the dead were trapped and demons from Hell roamed about? Nanami initially scoffed at the idea, but standing here before it, she could hear the rumors about the screams were in fact, true. But there had to be a logical explanation for it all, right?

~* Normally, in situations that made her nervous, the girl would pull her pistol out and twirl it around. But right now, she was out of a pistol, only having her two curved blades. She didn't know if she was willing to venture into this place alone, but she figured the rumors would attract other adventurers here at some point or another, so she opted to wait.

"I wonder if the treasure here is worth plundering..." She mused out loud, but hey, it sounded like the adventure of a lifetime.

[Constantine Lawrence]

The dawn of the day had found Constantine crossing the swamps of Satsuma. Someone had told him that a treasure may be found in the abandoned castle of Numa, and many had come to here and not survive to tell some tale about it. Basically he had no problems on endangering himself for something that does not seem to be true, and the extent of treasure there seems to foot the bill to build a ship back to England, so he decided to cast his lot on this place.

The swamps of Satsuma were very miry, and the insects around here were sweeping towards Constantine, but it did not matter for him. As he inched forward towards Numa Castle, there was an increasing chance that treasure trove might be real, as were its guards, evidenced by the number of bodies lying on the swamps. Constantine thought that for the bodies to become numerous, the guards should pack a punch, and the plunder greater. After some hours, he finally reached the legendary abandoned castle of Numa. As he moved closer to the castle, he noticed a woman also near the castle. Maybe she was also there looking for the treasure. But how could she withstand the forces of the guards that has swallowed too many travelers?

He then moved towards the woman and spoke. Notwithstanding his lineage, his Japanese sounded almost perfect, but sometimes an English accent appeared now and then. "Excuse me, miss, are you also looking for the treasure in this castle?"

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina had heard from the men at the pirates cove that there was a haunted castle located deep in the swamplands of this country. They told her that none had ever come back alive, but that there was probably a big treasure to be found inside. Jina decided she was going to take her chances, she was tired of this small blade and eating only rice. She wanted a real treasure.

"Whaa--"

The bodies littered the ground in the swamp, so she was shocked when she saw that there were two people actually standing outside the battle. They didn't appear to know each other, but she figured if she was going to plunder the castle (especially with all of these corpses laying here), that if she could team up, that would be best for all.

"Are you two here for the treasure?"

[Wakeshima Shoji]

The man thought it was a lie about the screams and death, but was pleasantly surprised upon realizing that those whispers among fearful villagers and boasting (or just as fearful) fighters were true. The agony immensely amused Shoji, and he wanted to take a part in it. To find the source. But the mouth-watering promise of immense treasure and power... well, Shoji's greed drew him more to that... at least, for now.

Shoji was grinning nonchalantly as he strode over to the castle. Upon entering, he saw three people and blinked. And two of them... why, they were women. While keeping his distance and remaining in the shadows, his crimson eyes glinted as they gazed over the two women's forms hungrily, tongue licking lips like a predator. But the psychopath's desire for wealth right now overcame any carnal lust at that time, pushing it to the side. No, Shoji wouldn't try anything. Not now. Not with these women. He was a high-functioning monster, after all. Shoji knew enough that he needed help to get this wealth and power with all of the rumours about this place. There would be no backstabbing or atrocities, at least from his person.

Why, he would be the perfect samurai! A reliable, charming gentleman.

Commenting on the man's words, Shoji went on to say, "Why else would this lovely maiden be, or the other, or... why, any of us? Obviously, we are all wise and filled with desire, willing to work hard for wealth," he said as he strode forward into sight. Shoji seemed nothing besides kindhearted, his expression warm and cheerful. The swordsman laughed heartily, in amusement, brows arching upwards as he added, "Or fools with an insatiable greed, willing to die for a hopeless quest for that same wealth."

Toying with his dagger, Shoji then tilted his head and smiled widely, saying in a false (but convincing), almost endearing nervousness, "I would like to think that an insatiable greed doesn't have to constitute idiocy, though. And that this adventure will prove fruitful and that we will all prosper. Haha~"

[Morei Hideyasu]

- Stepping over bodies, Hideyasu would make his way towards Numa Castle. He heard the rumors, and had also heard of treasure in this place, items of great power that could possibly grant him more strength. He did not know if this was true, but it was worth checking out. Discovering his brother, Haji, was alive and well on his way to becoming a most powerful fighter, Hideyasu did not want to become overshadowed by his baby brother.

- Upon arriving at Numa Castle and being greeted by screams, the poker faced assassin would wander towards a group of four who had already congregated here. It seemed that none of them knew each other, and were all here for similar purposes. Two girls, one a pirate, and the other seemed foreign. She in particular piqued his interest. Then there was a western man, and another who seemed far too 'charming'. Something about him bothered Hideyasu, and he made a point to keep an eye on this man.

- The white haired boy stood there silently. The pirate woman seemed in charge of this rabble, she must have come here first.

[Chosokabe Nanami]

~* Nanami turned around, surprised. She wasn't expecting people to start showing up in swarms. She blinked as one person appeared after the other, until a total of four stood in front of her. All seemed like they were here for the same reason. There was treasure to be found.

"That treasure is in fact, what I seek! And this seems like a jolly good crew to go searching for it!"

~* The pirate smiled happily, hands on her hips. She was glad she wasn't doing this alone. Seeing one other girl, she noted that it wouldn't be a complete sausage fest. There was a creepy guy who talked a lot, a white haired dude who thought he was too cool to join into the conversation, and a... westerner! Nanami peered at him for a moment in awe, she loved westerners. Ironically, she had no idea that guy was a part of her father's forces.

"Well then, shall we be off?"

~* She would say after a moment of staring, starting to walk into the castle. As she opened the door to slip inside, she would shout something behind her.

"Name's Nanami, by the way!"

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina, seeing that the other woman was cheerful and a pirate, she felt more than comfortable in her presence. 

"Zhuo Jina, call me Jina. You're a pirate?" Jina had been taken to this land by the Japanese pirates who attacked the city where she and her husband had been living (if only briefly). She smiled, loving the new life. She was able to be more carefree, and had taken quite a liberty to do so.

"I was brought here by pirates." That was pretty much the end of the conversation on her part. She wasn't particularly ready to reveal herself fully to these new people.

"Anyway, glad I'm not doin' this alone. I've heard some pretty nasty stuff about this place." She was rather impressed by the timing of all the separate people who showed up at once. With this size of a group, they shouldn't have too much trouble getting to the treasure. Though-she feared-splitting it would be a problem.

[Constantine Lawrence]

Constantine was somewhat surprised by the number of people who seek the treasure in this castle. And apparently, as the woman spoke, they are all here for the treasure. Looks like he'll have to reconsider on getting a ship constructed. The plunder might not be enough for the five of them.

"The name's Constantine, family name Lawrence," he said to the party. At the other woman's thoughts about the place being nasty, Constantine just pointed at the corpses at his back with his staff. That should be evident that there are guards in the castle somewhere and they should be alert. Constantine's katana had already been drawn on his right hand, and he held the staff on his left hand.

"I am ready to go, but I'll wait until the other people are," Constantine sighed. The other person seemed that he was too focused on wooing the women that he might not be ready when disaster strikes in.

[Wakeshima Shoji]

Another came up from behind Shoji and the man glanced backwards, knowing he was there even if the other didn't speak. Shoji's brows arched momentarily from seeing his white hair, but it wasn't a huge shock with his pink-haired goddess. The white-haired individual came across as a broody type, and Shoji ignored him for now, turning his head back around to face the others, grinning all the wider.

Despite how he came across, Sho was rather perceptive and took in everyone. So there were plenty of pirates, huh? That was interesting, especially since Shoji hadn't come across that many. There were the occasional who would appear at the parties of the wealthy patrons, but that was about it.

Looking over the group, he took them all in, making observations and mental notes. Two female fighters piqued his interest and Shoji would have to suppress his dark desires, but with the prospect of power and wealth, it was certainly plausible. One was a foreigner, which was interesting in and of itself, but he wasn't the first (nor would be the last) Sho had come across. And the last was certainly the quiet and dark type, only one of which Shoji could relate too. There was only one who appeared capable of range, and Shoji hoped she would be enough. Due to his height and build, the man suspected he would be at the front, and he didn't particularly have an issue with that. In fact, he rather enjoyed it, and he hoped whatever was in the castle bled.

After everyone introduced themselves, Shoji bowed, smiling warmly. "Wakeshima Shoji, ladies and gents."

Glancing over at Jina, he smiled at her and said, tone familiar and even kind, "There is no need to worry yourself, Jina-chan. We will be alright. Everyone seems tough here~"

Shoji wasn't so sure about his words, but he hoped at the very least everyone could hold their own. Either way, he lied and would continue to lie, because that was simply what he did. What he had to do, being what he was.

Turning towards who seemed to be the leader of the group, Shoji spoke to Nanami while walking behind her, "I know I am ready to go, Nanami-chan. How would you like our formation to be? I would suggest bringing me to the front, and perhaps you in the back with those handy cannons of yours, and then Constantine-san and Jina-chan will be at the flanks? As for the lone rogue, perhaps the middle as well, I would think."

[Morei Hideyasu]

- Hideyasu listened to everyone introduce themselves. This group seemed alright, for the most part. He concluded that as long as darkness was ample inside Numa Castle, his shadow blending abilities could only aid them. He was born being an assassin for the Hojo, doing their dirty work.

- The pirate wielded a unique and heavy weapon, and he noted that she would be the only range of this group, thus she needed to be protected. He would devote his time to making sure she was safe then, as well as the other woman. He was a bit weary of Shoji, to say the least.

"Morei Hideyasu."

- He spoke, introducing himself as well. He would follow behind the others into the castle silently at this point. As he listened to Shoji's plans, he couldn't help but agree that it was an ideal formation. Although, him in the middle wasn't something he was used to. He could at least branch out and protect anyone who needed it from his positioning. Hideyasu normally worked alone, but something told him he would need their aid, and to that end, would help them. His run-in with Takehiro had taught him much.

[Chosokabe Nanami]

~* Nanami nodded happily as Jina asked if she was a pirate. She wasn't outright ready to state she was the daughter of a daimyo, especially around a bunch of strangers, as she felt that her ransom could potentially be more than the treasure of this castle could amount to, so she kept her last name hush hush for now.

"Jina. Constantine. Shoji. Hideyasu. Got it."

~* She made sure she got all of their names right, struggling a bit with Constantine. She personally took a liking to Jina and Constantine at this point, being foreigners and all. Hideyasu's hair wasn't anything new to her as her father had unnaturally white hair too. And Shoji seemed a bit creepy but didn't seem like a bad guy... She frowned at being called Nanami-chan, but she had to admit that this Shoji person's plan wasn't all that bad. "Well, I guess we could go with that. None of you seem to have any guns on you." She spoke, pointing to the cannons on her back.

~* She took a look around, noticing three paths they could take from the entrance.

"Left, middle, or right...? What do you guys think?" She mused, placing her finger on her lips as she tilted her head. She figured it'd be best to go together for this kind of thing.

[Constantine Lawrence]

Constantine did not seem to care about Nanami's introduction without her family name. If this should be maintained a secret, then why not respect her wishes for it to be secret? He himself should not present himself as someone working for Chosokabe Motochika, as the reputation of the man seemed not so good.

Pondering about the words Shoji had spoken, that should be a good idea since currently only Nanami was effective on ranged combat, and so, they had to protect her at all costs. On that aspect Constantine knew that he could effectively block any guards' moves for an enough time that will enable Nanami to shoot her cannons, but pondering about the corpses, he hoped that he could last long enough.

Looking towards the three doors, Constantine said, "How about going for the left door?" There was nothing that could back up his feeling about the left door, and so he decided to drop that suggestion when there are many votes on the other doors.  

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina couldn't sense any particular right or wrong direction. She too figured it would just be best to let the others decide. Jina didn't want to be put in a position of blame later if the situation went sour.

"Whatever feels right sounds good to me."

Jina spoke to the group as a whole, attempting to take careful note of their names. She wasn't totally sure where she would fit in the formation since she tended to be better at close range. The corpses made her nervous since she knew that more than anything, she would have to take careful note not to get hit by any of the guards.

[Wakeshima Shoji]

There were three paths, and Shoji stopped, brows quirking. Interesting. It seemed to split up so early in the game would be unwise, and the better option was to work together and remain as a team, especially while they were uncertain as to what was ahead behind each door.

Pursing his lips, the tall man would tilt his head and add his input, "I'd personally say go for the middle, but... either way is fine with me."

(Get good gear and items to equip, and take out the toughest section, before heading for the traps, which is geared for range, me thinks~? :3)

[Morei Hideyasu]

- Hideyasu took a glance at each of the three paths. There wasn't any indication about which door held what, but he wasn't exactly expecting any signs to point them to the treasure anyway. He had heard Constantine's and Shoji's suggestions, and wasn't really partial to either choice. If he wanted to add further conflict on which way to go, he could simply suggest the right path. But he wouldn't.

"Any is fine."

- All he had to do was keep himself and his comrades alive. That said, he wondered if there would be any resistance in this place to begin with.

[Chosokabe Nanami]

(OOC: Flipped a coin for the path decision. Make sure you have consumables or anything else you need before stats lock.)

~* Nanami looked back and forth between the doors. Left. Middle. Right. Middle. Left. She had no idea which way led where, and wouldn't pretend to know. For all she knew, one of the paths could lead to some freaky things, like undead warriors or demon chariots from hell! Heh, that'd be something.

"My gut instinct is telling me..."

~* Nanami began to walk towards the middle path, pushing the door open.

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina quickly hurried after the lady pirate. More than anything, she knew that if we only had one person with a ranged weapon, she had to be protected. It was NOT a good idea for her to go in first, so her intent was to stop the woman and let one of the men proceed ahead.

Jina tapped the pirate lady on the shoulder, "How about you stay towards the middle of the group? You're a precious asset to this team."

Jina hoped the woman would listen, knowing that things may not end well for any of them if the other woman was injured early on.

After speaking, Jina did a quick armor check and made sure that everything was in order.

Was she really ready for this? 

[Constantine Lawrence]

Constantine stared as the other two males in the group did not went forward, and one of them seemed to suggest that they go for the middle door. The female pirate seems decided to heed the male assassin's suggestion as she walked towards the middle door. That made Constantine very irritated at the male assassin that he would take his flute and halted the female pirate with it.

"As that male suggested," he said to the woman, staring heavily at the male assassin as if reprimanding him of not going first, before looking at the woman again, "you're the only one who could defeat enemies from a distance, and so you need to be in our rear. I'll go there first. Middle door, right?"

With that, he moved forward, pushing the middle door lightly with his flute.

[Oda Nobunaga]

[OoC: Participants LOCKED. Stats LOCKED. Items LOCKED. Put your stats in your next post, items and faction bonus included. ADHERE TO THE POST ORDER, FROM HERE-ON-OUT. The order is:
1) Nanami
2) Constantine
3) Jina
4) Shoji
5) Hideyasu
Do NOT break it.]

As Constantine's flute touched the door, it ripped open and the group would be pulled inside by a dark energy, each member being lifted off the ground and thrown into the chamber. While they were in the air, they would be hit by a cloud of smoke, which smelled of death and decay. The chamber was large, at least twenty feet high and eighty wide, though the length of it was hard to tell. Bodies of the dead lined the walls and floor, and as the group would hit the ground, the dead would let out shrieks of terror and pain, standing to their feet and charging at the group!

If the group tried to run, they would find the path behind them was blocked off, sealed by a powerful dark energy that could not be broken through!

[OoC: Middle Chamber Initiated. Survive the gauntlet, take the chest, and run. Do not lose a single member of your team. Defeat as many enemies as you can. You will be graded on your kill count.

+15 Zombie Soldiers:
Str: 15
Dex: 9
Con: 15
Wis: 10
Spr: 5]

[Chosokabe Nanami]

(OOC: STR: 13 (14 +4) | DEX: 19 (25) | CON: 8 | WIS: 15 (16) | SPR: 5 (6)
)

"Woah, what the?!"

~* Nanami would freak out as they were all suddenly pulled in. Either this castle was freaky-deaky or Constantine's flute was just crazy. Being sent through the air, the pirate girl was met with a most terrible stench before hitting the ground. Groaning in pain, she didn't have any time to see if everyone was okay, the sound of terrible shrieks piercing the air. Looking up, it looked as if the dead itself were coming back to life!

"WHAAAATDAAAAFAAAAAAQ!!!!"

~* She would roll to the side, aiming her cannons from here as to not hit her own teammates, firing two cannonballs straight for the group charging them. Meanwhile, she was kind of majorly freaking out.

[Constantine Lawrence]

Strength: 13 | Dexterity: 13(18)(19) | Constitution: 8 | Wisdom: 8(9)(19 on a body of water) | Spirit: 8(9)
Weapons to be used: Warrior's Shinobue (+4 Str, +1 Spr), Short Katana (+2 Str)
Consumables: Mochi, Roasted Meat Skewer

Constantine was somewhat surprised by the turn of events after he tapped the door. A black vortex just swept him and his comrades into a room that seemed to be out of this world. The smell of rotting flesh gave away that there are many corpses here, giving Constantine an impression that this must be the guards' barracks, and they were efficient in killing anyone that went inside.

"Be alert, this might be a slugfest," he said, activating his stance. And his doubts became correct as some of the corpses animated and charged at them. Without a word he charged towards the bandits, using his flute to parry the attacks while using his katana to decapitate them.

[Zhuo Jina]

Strength: 16 (Items: +1 Weapons:+2/ +2 stabbing)
Dexterity: 16 (Items: +1 Weapons: +3/+1)
Constitution: 7 (+5)
Wisdom: 16 (Items: +1)
Spirit: 8 (Items: +1)

Primary: Advanced Rapier +2 Str +3 Dex
Secondary: Katar +1 Dex and an additional +2 STR when stabbing.
-x3 Mochi: Heals most minor wounds obtained in the current thread. +3 Con for two posts.
-Onigiri: Heals all minor wounds obtained in current thread. +5 Con for 5 posts.
____

Jina was pulled through the middle door by a dark force and the stench of death seemed to slap her in the face as she was rushing through the air. She squealed a little bit when she hit the ground but she had trained herself on how to fall properly. She rolled with her body, making for a soft landing. 

It wasn't too long before she heard the sounds of the corpses coming to life. Knowing she had to act quick, Jina drew her sword and attempted to focus her eyes in the dim light. She could see a few soul-less creatures coming at her and she would attempt to puncture each in quick succession through the heart. She wasn't sure how these creatures died, having never encountered anything non-human before. She did figure though that it needed it's heart so survive, so that was what she tried first.

Her sword would pierce through the skin and straight out the other side of the creature's body, if the hits landed. Because of the thin nature of the sword and her recent weapon upgrade, the blade should slide cleanly in and out of the rotted skin.

[Wakeshima Shoji]

{ Str: 20 (26) | Dex: 20 (22) | Con: 10 (20) | Wis: 17 (19) | Spr: 5 (7) }

Was Shoji on drugs? He didn't recall taking any that day, but there sure did seem like a trip. While he probably should have been, Shoji really wasn't too alarmed, going with the flow, and as he fell, the man rolled and got up partially. As he was kneeling, the smell of death and decay filled his nostrils, and the man smirked. In fact, his smile turned into a grin at seeing the skeletons rising up.

While for most this would have been a bad trip, Shoji felt like partying. Hard.

"Time to dance~"

Rising up, he grinned like a wolf, extending his right arm, while his left holding the katana was drawn back. Making sure not to get in the way of the canon fire (and running straight into someone's blade lol), Shoji charged straight forward. He would rush and attempt to stab one in the chest, before spinning around and attempting to decapitate another, before trying to elbow another enemy in the skull with his free arm (well, depending on where they are all positioned and if my rolls don't royally suck this time around. He'll just attack whatever he is able, if at all. lolol! xDDD)

[Morei Hideyasu]

(OOC: STR: 12 (13) | DEX: 13 (19) | CON: 8 | WIS: 8 (10) | SPR: 10 (12) | +2 Str when attacking, +3 Str when stabbing | Can shadow blend | Onigiri x2, Valentine's Chocolate x1)

- Hideyasu would be surprised as he was suddenly pulled into the door with the rest of the group. The stench of death and blood would greet him, and while he was familiar with it, it was never something he really got used to. Climbing up to his feet afterwards, and being met with the shrieks of the dead, his eyes widened a bit. He had been an assassin most of his life, and his duty had always been to kill. Never in his line of work had he seen the dead come back to life like this, and he couldn't help but wonder if conventional means would even work here.

- Gritting his teeth, he would run along behind Nanami to get on the other side of her, making sure to provide protection for their ranged fighter. From this side, he would blend into whatever shadows he could find, and slice at the necks of any undead who strayed in their direction, planning to decapitate any and all of them.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Nanami: uFR9LKad

Constantine:

Jina:

Shoji:

Hideyasu: ����