The Horat-verse

"Fifteen seconds!" Samyan called after the tengu, pushing one of the monkey man's swords away with her finger.

Takai stared back at the dead man standing, "What did the Tengu want with the fortune?"

Xanth, getting over her original fright and feeling the urgency of Samyan's words, bumped Takai with her elbow to try and skip the question queue and scribbled somewhat of a bear into the dust. She jabbed at it furiously, one dagger pointed the reanimated tengu's way.

The tengu turned back as Xanth scurried next to Takai and began to scrimble into the dirt. The tengu simply looked up from her to Takai again. "Not us, he." The master turned to the effigy statue of Dofuzi and from it's hands pried free the scroll. "For the treasure of Dofuzi's tomb... to never... taste... death."

Yuwen's eyes were stern, his gaze shifting from Samyan to the scene through the opened doorway of the tomb...

Suiken sat up, small little fire-fly like specs of light now dancing across the halls of the tomb. "Out of practice..." Suiken. " But that should be enough. Boy was he tired however. Certainly could use a swig of sake after this day.

The spirits may yet leave these halls peacefully, despite their bloody ends. "Well..." The oni grumbled, grumpily. "We've found the Hatago Warriors prize. Was it worth it, do you all think?"

"Clearly not," Namari said, curiously prodding the living corpse with the end of her sheath. "You have precious few moments left. Why don't you be a good tengu and enlighten us?"

"Five seconds," Samyan announced, pushing Yuwen's other sword away with her finger.

Xanth couldn't really do much other than point at the bear even more aggressively.

Namari ran through the doorway and joined Xanth and Takai, stopping a few feet from the tengu master. She poked him with her sheathed blade and from over his shoulder he turned to the three adventurers, the others watching from beyond them. The tengu stared back. "He'd meet us in one day's time... in Ginori. In exchange for all the riches of Dofuzi's tomb... our employer promised us... life." The tengu closed his dead eyes. "But to live like this... is a fate... worse than... death."

The tengu's legs crumbled from under him as his minute ran out. Like sand kicked at the beach his body broke apart. The scroll rolled forward, toward the legs of the three warriors...

"Yaaaaay," Samyan cheered flatly, clapping all six hands together as the top half of her kimono fell around her waist. "Yay Samyan, Samyan is the best. This is a good thing that I did, I'm helping solve the mystery of the useless hole. You should all congratulate me by telling me your names. I'm Samyan."

She looked over at the rabbit beastwoman. "I know this one already. That's L'i'l Runa." Her eyes flickered toward the Byeonsu girl. "You're Temari?" Then the furred monkey. "And Hakkai."

A fist hit the ground, blasting the image of a bear away. Xanth stood, kicked the scroll away, and went to go be depressed in the corner. The dog barked and ran after it, mistaking it as a game of fetch.

She sat down and scooted towards the wall, facing it. She never was one for meditation but her head was aching with worst case scenarios and this wasn't the worst time to attempt it. She sniffled and wiped her face, smearing tears and sweat together, and took in a few preparing breaths. She could hear the chatter behind her she couldn't join even if she tried. She gave her nose one last rub before settling her palms on her knees and closing her eyes.

"It's Lo-Muna Vanhi," the rabbit beast-woman corrected as she began to walk forward, not even looking at the Ashuran. Instead, she looked at Yuwen as she said, "You said it was was weird, Fortune? To consume the fallen? Well, what do you call Samyan's actions then?"

In mere seconds, Lo-Muna snatched the scroll from the dog, petting it in exchange. The small human seemed upset, another promising lead almost fizzled out.

"We eat for survival. What is the need to raise the dead?" Lo-Muna asked as she opened the scroll. "What was the need for this attack?"

"RaIsInG tHe DeAd," Samyan mocked. "I just looped his residual chi through his mind and heart chakras to temporarily restore higher brain function. It's not like I turned him into a labor drone."

"That being said," she mused, looking thoughtfully upward. "I'm surprised he retained his motor function. Usually a parlor trick like that wouldn't do much more than get them talking. I guess the guy was tougher than I gave him credit for."

She blinked owlishly as she noticed Ro-nuna unfurling the scroll. "Oh, let me see!"

"Perhaps, these are secrets best read in fresh air," Suiken suggested. "We've disturbed the dead enough as it is. It's time to let them rest."

Samyan blew a raspberry.

Lo-Muna looked upon the scroll. Even old she could tell the parchment was woven with gold. Ancient words no eyes had yet read save their author’s greeted her. Speaking of... places she'd never before heard of.

"Yoink!" Yuwen's arm abruptly pulled the scroll from out of her paws. He rolled it up before stuffing it in his robes. "Alright, mission complete!" Yuwen began, clasping his hands together and wondering through the group. He paused, turning to Samyan who stood nearby. His eyes darted to her voluminous chest and the cleavage covering cloth wrap and then back up to her face.

"Suiken's right." Yuwen muttered, choosing to ignore the dangerous ashura and instead marching toward the end of the chamber, back to the passage they'd walked down. He stopped by Ginchiyo who was still out cold on the floor. He knelt and with a grunt flung the woman over his shoulder. He twisted his head back at the others as he carried the body. "It's time to go."

***

The harsh sound of a whistle rang out across the town-square. The fires had been put out and civilians had begun to re-emerge from their houses to assess the damage. The sky above remained dark as night but was turning blue in anticipation for the morning sun a few hours off from the horizon. And surrounding the collapse leading to the catacomb was a formation of green armoured prefects. Ro stood in command, the whistle falling out of his mouth. Sounds had come from below. Someone was near. "Attacking tengu! Your comrades have fallen! Emerge with your weapons sheathed and yourselves ready to surrender!" He called down.

There was a few moments of silence before Ginchiyo's body was thrown up, landing with a thud on the side of the pit. A hand grasped a ruined edge beside her. Yuwen Fortune rose up from the, having climbed his way out and bringing Ginchiyo along with him. "Hello boys!" Yuwen nodded at the prefects surrounding him. "Don't worry," He added, wiping dirt off his brow. "We won."

Ro's eyes twitched in disbelief at the adventurer. "Whose we?"

Yuwen smiled before and turned behind him, waiting for the others to emerge from the pit...

"Yeah, who's 'we' monkey boy?" Samyan echoed, climbing up behind him. She poked his side with her bottom left hand. "Tell me your name already." A murmur rippled through the crowd of prefects at the sight of the Ashura.

"The uh...ah, adventurers who dared defend this small town won, I'd wager," Suiken offered as he too climbed up from the pit, his breath sparse. "We could use a hero's welcome, if I'm being honest. Or at least the best rooms at the inn for free."

Namari climbed up with Shuin and her face immediately transformed into a scowl when she saw the prefects.

"Don't point your weapons at me, you ungrateful mongrels," she snapped as she threw her hand on her hilt, fearlessly advancing toward a spear wielding guard who shuffled an awkward step back. Her attention snapped to Ro. "Your men are fouling the air. Move them."

"Hey," a familiar, soft voice sounded from behind Xanth, "We're leaving."

Takai stood behind the woman who he had met briefly and fought together with. Her dog sat beside her, seeming to glance up at him with a large, droopy gaze. He awkwardly shifted to one foot and then the other. It wasn't clear to him what had happened in the battlefield but he figured from her crude drawing of a bear in the dirt that her large bear friend had gone missing...or worse. Takai wasn't always the best with emotions, but he moved closer to Xanth and spoke with genuine kindness, "I'll help you find her. We all will."

Xanth startled out of her 'meditation' to face Takai. His words brought her warmth, and her decision to isolate herself in a corner away from the rabble that had started their victory march out this cold place suddenly made her feel foolish. She rubbed at her red eyes, well aware of how much of a sulking little girl she must have seemed to them. The dog licked her face and she pushed him away from her, a little grin forming. She bounced back onto her feet and turned her grin to Takai, forming a sign with her hands that she extended to him. A thank you.

---

Two scrambling paws emerged out of the hole, followed by a big slobbery head. The dog yelped and scratched at the ground, sank back a little, then was shoved up by something and took off galloping circles around the hole in celebration. Xanth sprang out the hole behind him, muddy paw prints marking her exhausted face. She looked over the not-so-warm welcome to the band of heroes, and a thought came to her mind to change it. The thought was showering Prefect Ro in her nose collection.

Takai followed after Xanth, clambering up the hole into the open air. Though it was still full of the stench of smoke, it certainly beat the smell of blood, death and dirt. He breathed a deep breath and surveyed their situation, spotting Prefect Ro and his lawful goons surrounding them. Takai's tail stiffened and the monkey suddenly dove toward the big blue Snow Oni to hide in his shadow.

At Samyan's poke Yuwen's back went straight, like a cat upon hearing a bird. His head rotated on his neck until he faced Samyan head on. "My name?" Yuwen replied, unbelieving that she hadn't heard it. He smiled widely. "I'm Yuwen Fortune."

"Hey! I know you, monkey!" A prefect called as Takai tried to hide in Suiken's shadow. The green armoured prefect pulled off his helmet, revealing light brown hair and a freckled face. In his hand he wielded spiked club one of the tengu had used in the attacks. He looked at the snow oni and the beastman and rose the club, as if to bring it down upon Takai's head. But, instead, he simply handed it forward. "You were the one who said you'd help Fortune back when this all started, and here you are!" The prefect laughed. "Would you... I mean, I know it's dumb but, perhaps... sign this club? Just as a souvenir?"

Around the prefects the villagers had gathered, watching in admiration as the heroes emerged.

Takai cowered with his eyes closed under Suiken, but an eye opened at the prefects unexpected response. The monkey man straightened and cleared his voice, clearly nervous, but nodded and took the club from the prefects hands, "U-um, oh, yeah uh, sure!"

As he signed the club a voice called from the gathered crowd, "Hurrah! The Heroes of Poyo! Hurrah!"

Positive shouts and calls followed. The townsmen of Poyo began their Emperor Day celebrations once again, setting off firecrackers and cheering Yuwen Fortune's gathered group of ragtag individuals. Even those who were injured joined the crowd and clapped, and those who were mourning were just thankful to have not lost more. Takai glanced to the crowd to see the familiar voice that started the cheering, to Ruo, the small human girl jumping up and down and clapping. He grinned at his friend and handed back the club to the prefect. They were the saviors of the night.

Having heard the cheers of jubilation rather than the hateful screams of persecution, Lo-Muna leapt out of the hole. She landed near the others, her eyes falling on Yuwen. She could still feel the scroll being yanked out of her hands and her ears pointed to the side and back, the most obvious sign of her displeasure. She tsk'ed in annoyance but softened her glare towards Yuwen into a more appreciative look on her face for the cheering crowd. She relaxed as she basked in the glory, knowing there was a high chance it would be over quickly.