2377/A Miko in Halloween Town

A Miko in Halloween Town
Date of Scene:	04 June 2015
Location:	Fall
Synopsis:	The first multiversal wielder of Higeki follows her instincts to Fall, on a mission to slay monsters.
Cast of Characters:	Bahamut, 797

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Higeki (797) has posed:
    Far from the only place in the Fall region of the Multiverse to claim the name, welcome to Halloween Town. A town of the macabre and monstrous, generally good-natured but with that sinister angle that makes the season so much fun. A town of tall Gothic-style homes clustered around a hilltop. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, all sorts of creatures that call it home.

    Extremely out of place is the Japanese priestess currently walking up the road from the base of the hillside. Such an unusual sight that the vampire who runs the town's radio station felt like talking about her for a while. His zombie sidekick made some crack about a monster exterminator asking for directions.

    Pausing beside an aging stole wall, Korimara Saeko shades her eyes from the autumn sun and peers up the hillside, letting out a little breath. Subconsciously, her other hand rests on the hilt of the sword she carries.

Bahamut has posed:
     It might have been a wisecrack, but when the dragon called Bahamut heard it as he patrolled the nearby ocean loop, he headed this way. Just in case. He knows the creatures here, disturbing though they may be sometimes, are good-natured. So, if someone is here hunting them, he is going to put a stop to it.

     His sharp eyes spot the priestess in the town from far above, where his flying form might look like some kind of large bird. That is, until he starts diving. Twin contrails form in the wake of his wings, and he pulls up only when it seems he might crash into the ground. He uses gravity and the counterforce of his quick turn to come to a stop a few feet above the ground, then drops down with a slight groundshaking and a growl. Then, he looks at Saeko. "Greetings." he offers, in his deep, booming voice. At 15 feet tall and obvious metallic body, he might strike an intimidating figure as he rises to his full height after the landing, then crosses his arms over his chest.

Higeki (797) has posed:
    The miko pauses, squinting up into the sky. When the shape descends and grows so much larger than expected, she shifts her hand to shield her face with the billowing sleeve of her haori. This deflects dust and the wind thrown up by the great dragon's landing, though the woman still wobbles in place from the tremor sent out by the impact.

    When she lowers her hand, it rests on the hilt of her weapon, the opposing hand sliding down to support the scabbard. A defensive posture, by all accounts, though the fire in her eyes is plenty indication that she's not going to simply back down.

    "You are not a creature of this village." Her head inclines just slightly, "What do you want?"

Bahamut has posed:
     "I might ask you the same thing, my lady." the dragon says, a slight smirk on his face. "You are not a creature of this village either. You are far to beautiful. And, there was a report of a monster hunter in the area. As this area is one of the few where such monsters live peacefully, it is my duty to defend these creatures."

     He rumbles deeply as he looks Saeko over, then eyes that sword. "You have the trappings of a priestess. Someone like you might mistakenly attack these creatures believing she were saving others from them. If such a thought is in your head, I suggest you toss it aside. If someone attemps to harm the innocent souls here, I will be forced to defend them."

Higeki (797) has posed:
    "I am not," Saeko states evenly. The statement is pretty obviously true, given the disparity between her Eastern trappings and the European theme of the region. "My reasoning is--" When he mentions words like 'peaceful' and 'innocent' there's a very clear reaction, a tension that grows more each time such terms are brought up.

    "Monsters are incapable of innocense," she states, anger creeping into her tone, "It is what makes them monsters." Her grip on the sword at her side tightens, fingers flexing with the creak of leather, "Peace is only what they do when they are not murdering. Extermination does their wretched existence a favor."

    Over the entire speech her expression hardens and her posture grows gradually more aggressive. Clearly a subject she is passionate about. "I have no desire to harm a dragon. But what lives in that village is nothing that needs protection."

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut listens to the girl's argument, then chuckles. "You are judging by appearance, but by your own words it is their actions that determine whether something is a monster. These creatures do not harm anyone anymore often than humans do. There are good, and there are bad, but not everyone in this town is a monster by your definition. And, if you kill those that are not monsters simply because they appear to be monsters, then you will have become the monster."

     The dragon's gaze is intense as he speaks, and he seems to be quite serious despite the slight grin that remains on his face. "You have spirit. It is a good quality. On my world, we have true monsters. If you wish, I will unleash you upon them. They are lost souls, jealous of the living, and with every person they kill their ranks increase. They would be much more worthy of your wrath than the monstrous, but good, creatures that live here."

     As Bahamut finishes that little speech, he lowers his arms and flexes his hands, causing the large talons that make up his fingers to scrape and clatter against each other. A wordless warning that if she does not accept his terms, she will have to harm a dragon. Or the dragon will have to harm her.

Higeki (797) has posed:
    "You don't understand," the woman mutters tensely, "Why else would they be called monsters if they were not monstrous! They bide their time until the time that they can strike with the least chance of retribution. But if your native world has such problems, I will be happy to rid the world of such corruption--"

    Her sandals dig into the road. Kicking off, she dashes closely, hurling up a spray of dust to either side. At a crucial juncture she hurls a foot forward, ducking low. Her hands move and there's a glimmer of light reflecting off a perfectly black surface. The sword, having left its sheath, carves a smooth arc through the air in an effort to remove the closest thing of Bahamut's to the priestess.

    "As soon as I purify /this/ ground and the misguided guardian that presides over it..!"

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut is big. And slow. There is no way he is going to dodge such an attack. But, the reason he is so big and slow is his thick metal plates that constitute his hide. He brings his arms together to block the attack, and a growl escapes him as a small chink is cut into his arm. "You are the misguided one, my lovely priestess. Monstrous in this case applies only to their appearance, not their attitudes."

     But, even as he attempts to reason with Saeko, he moves to counter-attack. He brings a hand forward and gestures toward Saeko, and the air around her crackles with energy a moment before a powerful lightning blast attempts to engulf her. "Thundara!"

Bahamut has posed:
     As Bahamut gestures, a trickle of red flows down his arm from the chink in his armor. He growls lightly as he notices it.

Higeki (797) has posed:
    The dug-in foot Saeko lead with is used to spring herself back, sweeping her sword in a swift arc and driving it back into its scabbard, along with the telltale crimson mark along its edge where the blade had tasted blood. She has no further words, having evidently come to the conclusion that reasoning is impossible.

    When her sandals touch the roadway again, she crouches slightly in preparation, only to suddenly be struck by lightning. There's a shriek of surprise and the blast drops her to one knee, smoking.

    Shifting, teeth bared, the priestess returns to her feet and swiftly draws her sword again. As it emerges, the blood is gone, replaced by a purple glow that slings off the blade in a vertical slash of malevolent power. Without re-sheathing the sword, Saeko hurls herself forward with a shout, following the vertical energy wave with a dash that forms a cross shape with the initial attack.

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut growls again as he sees evidence of blood magic. As the womand dashes in toward him again, he doesn't try to dodge or stand to take the attack. He flaps his wings and charges toward Saeko. "You leave me no choice!" he roars as he flips, taking the hit on his back and causing a few more chinks to appear in his armor.

     His flip served two purposes, however. The second was to bring his taloned feet around in an attempt to pounce the girl. His taloned hands are also prepared in case he misses with his double-kick. "What makes you believe that these creatures are monsters worthy of execution? You cannot judge these creatures by the same standards of those on your own world!"

Higeki (797) has posed:
    The horizontal slash performed during Saeko's charge hurls her entire body into a spin, rendering her rather difficult to pin down even with such huge talons. However, she doesn't get out from under the King of Drakes unscathed. There's a splattering of crimson across the dirt path, and when she touches down, she cries out and collapses into a tumble.

    When the woman wobbles to her feet again, fresh blood stains her previously pristine white haori, dripping out of her sleeves and running down the edge of her weapon, with its faint violet glow. Breathing softly, she swings the blade around and slides it into the scabbard, then shifts her stance to place the scabbard behind her hip, hand hovering over the hilt. At this angle, the wound is clear-- Her back has been slashed open quite severely, and yet she seems to be ignoring it.

    "The last time we trusted monsters not to be monstrous, everything I cared about was destroyed. Why should I extend trust to their despicable kind again?"

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut rumbles as he catches himself after his flip, then stands tall again. "Because, these are not the monsters you trusted. They deserve a chance to prove their good will. If you judge every race by the actions of a few, then you will always be filled with hatred, always ready to take lives for revenge on someone who has not wronged you."

     Bahamut raises his taloned hands again, and the air around Saeko grows colder quickly. "Blizzara." the dragon growls before ice explodes around Saeko. "I do not wish to take your life. If you leave now, I will forget your actions today. And if you like, I invite you to my temple. There, my priestesses can help you with meditation techniques designed to cleanse the mind."

Higeki (797) has posed:
    When the air chills, Saeko releases her sword's scabbard to raise her arms, shielding her face when ice explodes around her. There's a sudden, pained shout from within the maelstrom, an octave that hadn't come out of her before. Previously her noises had only been in surprise or anger--not pain.

         Your path is now clouded by doubt. Is this not the justice you crave?

    "Hnng.."

    Disappointing.

    When the mist of the icy spell clears, Saeko has fallen to her knees, clutching her tattered haori around herself. Though alive, she quivers in pain and cold, murmuring, "...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

    The sword she was wielding, for some reason, is gone.

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut growls as he hears that cry. He does not enjoy inflicting pain, especially on misguided young women. When the dust clears and she is on her knees apologizing, he approaches her. "There is no need to apologize. I know all to well the tragedy that prejudice can cause."

     When he notices the sword is gone, he looks around, then snorts lightly. Perhaps it is a summoned weapon? Regardless, he crouches near Saeko, then holds out a taloned hand to her. "Here...let me help you. I also know the pain of loss. You may rest at my temple, and we can discuss what has happened to you."

Higeki (797) has posed:
    The woman flinches when spoken to, though slowly recovers. The offered claw gets her attention, eyes opening numbly to regard the dragon's hand. Wincing with the motion due to her injuries, Saeko reaches out to rest her hand in that enormous palm, unsteadily regaining her feet.

    "...Perhaps it is time for some inner reflection, yes. I am Korimara Saeko."

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut does not really grip that hand, since that could be dangerous. Instead, he kneels down and lowers his head to place a kiss on the back of it. "Korimara Saeko. I am Bahamut, King of Spiran Dragons and Aeon of Bevelle. But, Bahamut will be fine." He grins.

     He spreads his wings, then rumbles pleasantly. "Would you care for a ride?" he asks.

Higeki (797) has posed:
    "...I believe I will need it," Saeko admits faintly, "Like this, I will not make it anywhere on my own, much less an unfamiliar place such as your ... temple." Staggering a little, the woman tightens her tattered haori again, "..It will take time to recover my strength."

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut nods, then carefully gathers the woman into his arms. He rumbles as he looks her over. "We have healers as well. Do not worry. Just hang on tight." he says, then spreads his wings. He pauses though, and rather than taking off, he looks down at her again.

     He starts to ask about the sword, but considering the power he saw it display, he figures if it is lost she may be better off. He looks to the sky, then with a few flaps he is off and soaring. He holds Saeko firmly, to ensure she does not slip, and keeps her in a classic hero carrying a damsel position.