3107/The Horrors of Illusion and Healing

The Horrors of Illusion and Healing
Date of Scene:	27 September 2015
Location:	Asian Plains
Synopsis:	A ninja follows after Yari from a mission, and uses illusions to put her under. Sanary Rondel comes to rescue the Au'Ra ninja!
Cast of Characters:	691, Sanary Rondel

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Yari Takane (691) has posed:
There's no shortage of villages that put Yari at ease in the Asian Plains. Her mission? Steal an important scroll full of ninja secrets from an obscure clan of ninja. Hidden amidst forests and traps, Yari barely managed to get her way in even with every skill she had, past the normal citizens, and into the shinto shrine that makes up the lair of ninja.

It had been too easy. Stealing away with the scroll, she made it past the village, and to a neighboring one. The big scroll in her pack, walking around like a normal traveler, the Au'Ra only notices something wrong by the time she's at the inn of the town during the middle of the night.

Despite being able to walk right in, there's no sign of an innkeeper. Normally, that would set her off, but the sheer stress and magic she's been forced to use has made her weak and wary. And so, she fell into a bed, closing her eyes.

When they open, there's a tall, willowy asian woman in a white kimono with an oddly warm smile on her face as she pulls a small beaded necklace back to her hand. Nothing restrains Yari, but her entire body feels heavy.

The ninja, thankfully, had been smart enough to hide the stolen scrolls beneath the planks of her room's floor. The white-clad woman leans over, and gently strokes her cheek with a matronly look.

"Poor, poor little spy. Sent for such a task. But it's alright. Falling to Suki's ninjutsu isn't something to be ashamed of. Just give me the scrolls back, and I'll let you live as a servant to the Genso family. It won't be a bad life." She promises, her blue eyes locked onto Yari's own.

She manages to weakly call out a name, her radio offering a set of coordinates in the rustic, strangely empty village.

"San...ary!"

When Sanary arrives, she'll find a far more grisly sight: men and women of the village, all seemingly having killed themselves, or fallen afoul of each other in a sudden chaotic murder spree. Shocked faces all abound, and the residues of ninja magic lay everywhere. Powerful magic at that.

And it all points to the inn where Yari is trapped!

Nor is all well: shadows in the darkness seem to form, of white-kimono'd figures lashing out! These mere shadows alone don't do much damage, but they catch from the least expected angles, and there's dozens of them! Can Sanary weather this illusive ninja assault?

Sanary Rondel has posed:
    

     Sanary hasn't been expecting this week to be any more relaxing than the others. After that mess at Brockton Bay, she's just glad to have a small reprieve! At least, until she gets that distress call and those coordinates. A clearer look at the name and replay of the voice, and... Well.

     She can take a break later. The healer arrives in the village looking ready to take on an army on her own: She's got her heaviest armor on along with her gunaxe, charge blade, bell, and a satchel full of thermoses attached to her back and sides in various places.

     She's also striding into the village with a giant floating manta ray behind her. Tellingly, those bodies don't really even bother her too much. If those bodies hadn't been there before, she certainly looks as if she'd be ready to put them there now. Being so focused on that path to the inn does work against her, however, and she's caught off guard by those kimono'd figures. The healer staggers a bit as the multitude of attacks find the weak points in her armor, drawing blood, and it doesn't look like she's even trying to avoid them!

     Not that she really plans to, anyway. She can heal it off later! "Take care of the stragglers!" She barks out an order to Forneus, the manta ray nodding once before hanging back a bit to ready ice blasts at anything that comes near it or tries to escape. The healer, meanwhile, whips that bell forward in a (mostly) smooth motion, fumbling with the instrument a bit before channeling energy into it and swinging it around her in a wide arc. Those swings send powerful shockwaves out around her, and the healer seems hellbent on doing more damage to everything around before they can take her down.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari's eyes have rolled into the back of her head at the invasive illusions being forced into her. Sweat rolls down her cheeks, her breath heavy, quivering as she fights against the other ninja.

"Shhh. Why fight? Doesn't it...hurt?" The enemy ninja shoves a thin needle into one of Yari's fingers, right into the bone. Her scream of pain echoes throughout the inn, and nearby, only giving Sanary more direction.

Four more needles slam down in turn.

The illusory clones fall to the Forneas' icey blasts, rendered to mere smoke. The last group of the distractions are utterly ended as Sanary rings her bell, causing a minor earthquake to flow through the ground! They all poof, and better still, the Inn proves it isn't exactly up to code. It shakes, rattles, and the torturing ninja scowls.

"...You have allies? They'll fall to me too!" She places a hand on Yari's forehead, and then she's up, quivering in pain with every movement of her body. An arm from the white-clad ninja, and she's being shoved forward with a kunai to her throat.

Up the stairs, the ninja waits with her ensorcelled target, Yari's eyes wide and breathing as though lost in a torturous nightmare. Images of old battlefields run through her mind, dead friends, and old phantom pains assaulting her as she relieves the very worst times of her life over and over.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Letting the healing energy course through her as she continues onwards to the inn, Sanary keeps the bell gripped firmly in that same hand while reaching for the shield. Forneus follows not too far behind the Confederate, although it's clear that he's content to stay further behind. He's not nearly as durable, after all!

     Or angry. Sanary is very, /very/ angry right now. So angry she's... Looking eerily calm by the time she actually gets to the inn. Sure, it's a little hard not to stomp holes through the floor as she's ascending, but it's not like she's going to pay for any of it. Plus, she's got bigger things to worry about.

     And once she's up there? She's swapped the shield with the blade, and her calm anger fades in favor of concern briefly when she spots Yari with that pained look in her eyes. It fades quickly, however, as that focused glare is aimed right at that white-clad ninja moments later.

     "You. One chance. Give her back and I make it quick." She doesn't even wait for a response before starting to move forward already, fully intending to close the gap between them instead of giving any space for a dramatic staredown.

     Forneus, meanwhile, just waits outside. He's not about to fit indoors, anyway.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
"Ah-ah! Get too close, and this cute little lizard loses her pretty voice! It screams so well, you know?" Comes the ninja, almost predictably backing up, using Yari as an Au'Ran shield!

"Maybe if you tell me where the thing she stole is, I'll give her back." From the tone of her voice, it's unlikely, even if Yari was able to give Sanary that information right now.

Then the white-clad ninja narrows her eyes. Her free hand moves, and then for a moment, the world shimmers.

Forneus might detect magic in the air.

The stairs suddenly seem impossibly long for Sanary. No matter how fast she runs or walks, how many steps she takes, each one makes the distance between Sanary and Yari longer. Every footfall heavier, each more difficult. Yari's eyes grow frightened with every step that draws them away from one another.

"Sa...nar...y! Help me! Please..." Comes Yari's voice, weak, pathetic.

And then the ninja laughs, and runs that blade across Yari's throat. The dark-skinned Au'Ra falls down the stairs as if in slow motion, an agonizing tumble that descends before Sanary, only to land in a crumble right next to her.

Her eyes stare into Sanary's as the light slowly fades in them.

"Why...why didn't you..." She mutters, gurgling with her throat cut, before she grows still. The light around the gunaxe-wielding Confederate seems to fade with the life in Yari's body, slow enough to be pure torture.

A white-clad figure, her powers so focused on one individual, fails to note the sudden gasp from Yari as her senses slowly return to her. A kunai is raised, and swung down towards Sanary's face, only to hit flesh. The Au'Ra tumbles forward, that knife embedded in her single good hand, blood splattering across Sanary's cheek before there's a dull thud behind her.

"Tch. Must have been lovers or something. Too bad. You die here, brave warrior."

The ninja pulls out another kunai, ready to deal with Sanary in turn.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Yeah... No." Sanary's definitely not in the mood to talk or even exchange witty banter, it seems! She's just marching forward with her weapons in hand, staring DEATH and DESTRUCTION at the white ninja despite the distance appearing to just get longer. How is that even possible? Whatever it is, the healer's not all that concerned as long as she can eventually get there and pound the woman's face in!

     She does halt when she sees Yari coming her way with that gash in her throat, however, and her eye widens in shock as the Au Ra tumbles closer. Catching Yari, there's actual fear in her eye as she cradles the Au Ra, desparately directing healing magic into that wound to try and keep her alive.

     "Come on... You're tougher than this! You can't just..." She trails off when it appears that her lover has died, and the healer just kneels there with a bewildered look on her face. How could she have failed in /another/ rescue mission already? And with someone that actually mattered to her, no less? Sanary doesn't snap out of her trance even as the Forneus tries to blast ice through a window, trying to get the healer's attention.

     It's not until that slash to the cheek, the warmth of the blood spilling down her face, and the sound of Yari landing behind her that she's finally brought of it. The healer hurries over to the Au Ra to direct even more healing energy into her neck, not looking clearly enough to see if it was even there in the first place. After a few moments, she gets back up with her eye focused on the ninja once more.

     Sanary doesn't respond with any words, though. The only evidence that she's even angry at this point is her resumed marching, her silent fury propelling her forward with the blade in hand and the shield left behind with Yari. Her movements are a little different than before, however: Her movements are much more efficient in bringing her forward as quickly as possible, no doubt the result of their training together! Except instead of trying to avoid potential incoming blows, her intent is primarily to just go through the ninja instead, armor and weapon and all.

     And yet, the blade doesn't appear to be aimed towards anything that would be considered a vital organ...

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
The initial healing magic fades to nothingness, at least until Sanary finds the true Yari falling her way down the stairs. There's definitely bruises and a fractured bone or two from the hard landing, but there's no wound to her throat.

Still, the healing helps, and eventually opens her eyes as the spell upon herself is broken.

The white ninja, eyes wide, stumbles backwards.

"...You...how did you manage to break my spell!? Get away!"

She screams, starting to run up the stairs from the force of nature that is an angry Sanary. She might have the speed to get away.

But something sharp slices across her ankles, and she falls to her knees. Yari's tail is straight, a kunai slamming into the wall behind the ninja.

"I...believe in you...Sanary." Yari mutters, before she devolves into pained gasps. But she's alive.

The ninja stumbles, and with Sanary looming, the all she can do is put up her hands, and quickly lose her right hand to that weapon falling upon her, and then into her shoulder! She screams aloud!

Despite the blood, it seems, the fallen ninja is going to do little more than writhe and try to kick at Sanary.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Relief washes over Sanary as Yari speaks up, some of that dread fading from having seen her lover die so easily after her own failure. Not all of the dread fades, of course, as that image continues to linger in her mind, repeating and repeating as a constant reminder of what could have been had she not been under the effects of a spell and still failed that same way.

     Here, though? That reminder only serves to fuel her simmering rage at that ninja, and that opportunity given to her by Yari does not go to waste. Driving that blade in, Sanary leans in close to that ninja's face and grins darkly. "You said I was going to die here. So do it."

     After she says that, a strange thing happens. The 'healer' lives up to her name as healing energy starts to flow from her hand past her weapon and into the ninja's arm. Assuming she's not some sort of ethereal being, it could even heal that wound with the blade still inside!

Then she rips it back out, and thrusts it at the ninja's other shoulder.

Then she heals it again. More ripping. More healing.

Once to the legs. Once again with healing.

An armor-covered forearm scraping back and forth against the ninja's face. More healing.

     MEANWHILE, Forneus actually manages to wriggle his way into the stairway, halfway floating and halfway stuck with his massive wingspan next to Yari. "Shall we be off, madam? She... May be here a while."

     Sanary opens up her satchel to pull out one of the five thermoses. Inside each one? Ether for magic restoration.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
The ninja is healed, blade still in her arm, and she howls as it's ripped out. Her hand goes for a kunai. Again, a strike, and she drops it. Then the wound is sealed. One more strike. She falls unconscious momentarily, only for the healing pain and another strike. Her legs. And then her pretty, pretty face.

The poor ninja is left somewhere between awake and unconscious, her entire world pain. She's begging at first. Even that just devolves into screams.

Yari, shaking off the nightmares, finds her arm around Forneus.

"No. Up the stairs first." She offers weakly, trying to use him as a flying crutch. Once they get near Sanary and her victim, there's a cold glance to the ninja.

Yari's not one for torture, but being assaulted by her worst nightmares, then turning the same on her love?

"...Normally I'd toss you a blade to end it all with. But you earned this."

Then she makes her way to the room, picks up that hidden set of scrolls, and she's slowly trumping back down.

An awkard pause near Sanary.

"...Take your time. Ergh...meet back up in the Citadel when you're done. Sanary. Thank you." Despite the no doubt copious blood, she leaves with a kiss to the other woman, weak and spirit-sundered as she is.

Mission dubiously accomplished.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Forneus hesitates for a moment before complying, bringing Yari up as best he can. Who knows how he even flies being a freaking manta ray with a tiara? Such are the mysteries of the Multiverse.

     Sanary doesn't even notice those scrolls being picked up right away, only looking over when she hears Yari coming back down towards her. "Will do. Don't worry. I'll make sure to bring her back alive." She smiles faintly at that blood-soaked kiss, reaching upwards briefly to put some more energy into both Yari and the demon before sipping more of that ether. One thermos down, four to go!

     By the time all is said and done, the ninja's wrists will have been forcefully healed to the front of her face, and her knees attached to her chin. Unfortunately for her, she hasn't been killed yet.

     That really is for Yari to decide.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
The ninja, at the end, is just a whimpering creature horridly pulled into a ball, barely able to speak. Yari scoffs.

Unfortunately for the ninja, she put Yari Takane in a bad mood. They need more intel on whatever scrolls that village might have. And after this, they both might need a punching bag.