Ready, Aim, Fire! (Round 7) (Hideyoshi's Messenger)

[Silkenfist]

Solemnly, the three men have gathered. For one hour they have been sitting on their mats, lost in their respective thoughts. Above them, the moon illuminates the surroundings of the temple, bathing it in a pale light. Finally, the fourth man arrives and kneels besides them.
“Imakura-damo!”
“I beg your pardon. But I had to avoid being spotted by the Samurai. In my own house”
The others nod understandingly. There had been better times for them and the recent events have forced them to sneak around their own servants. But it had to be done. All of them were local daimyo – Sovereigns to a small region, in case of Imakura only a few hectares.
“I have received word from my men. Hideyoshi is drawing forces towards Kitakyushu.”
“This matches my reports. We know what this means”
Three mouth reply simultaneously: “Korea”
“He can not succeed. This travesty has to find an end. After all, he is not more than a peasant”
“We have the means to end it. Our shinobi will have reached him shortly”
An uncomfortable silence ensued.
“You send someone? Didn’t we agree that I send one of my men?”
“I had to make sure that Hideyoshi would be stopped in time”
The men look at each other. Their faces seem startled for a second, then relax.
“Seemingly, all of us have employed someone to do this. Redundant, but at least we can be sure that his reign will find a timely end. What could go wrong?”

Throughout the history of Japan, the land had rarely found true peace. When the central government was overthrown in the 12th century, the most powerful families struggled for control of the land and the most important cities, waging war and forming alliances. The central shogunate sought control, but their attempts were countered by the resistance of the other clans and regional daimyo.
This state of unrest continued for four centuries until one of the smaller daimyo found a way to accumulate power. Step by step, Oda Nobunaga threatened other daimyo or local monasteries, bringing them under his control one after another. After years of conquering, Nobunaga controlled most of Japan and personally appointed shogun – the military leaders – for each city. Through his wars, he had taken the powers from the shoguns and brought them under a single body again for the first time in centuries.

This is another house, but the same moon illuminating it. It is the main road from Kitakyushu to Kyoto and in the time of centralisation, traffic on the roads has increased. Warden of the small guesthouse is Aki Miyahara, together with his family. The changes during the past years haven’t concerned him at all – even though he did notice the Samurai troops, travelling south. Since he didn’t own land, the tenure system could not apply to him technically. Thus, he is oblivious to the identity of his guests. Miyahara only wondered about the number of his guests...

Oda Nobunaga did not lead a peaceful life and his death was accordingly violent. Forced by his own vassal to commit suicide, he left Japan once again without a central ruler. The gap of power was short-lived though. Hashiba Hideyoshi, one of Nobunaga’s most trusted vassals returned to Kyoto to find his liege murdered. Within few days, he used the troops conferred to him to seize control of Kyoto and overthrow the murderer of Nobunaga. Following his former ruler’s plans for a unified Japan, he spent the next years gathering the land’s daimyo under his reign mostly through sheer display of military superiority. At the end of the 16th century, Japan was once again unified under a central body – but Hideyoshi’s ambitions did not stop there.

Miyahara could have recognized one guest – or at least his position. Late in the evening, one guest had arrived, bearing the regalia of a samurai, but not being completely armed to fulfil his purpose as messenger. Without a doubt, the messenger was coming from the coastal city of Kitakyushu, where a huge army had been gathered. Hideyoshi had been brewing plans to invade a Korea for a long time and was already in the finals steps of his preparation.
However, Hideyoshi’s unification of the land has brought him more than one enemy among the local daimyo. The invasion of Korea, together with the raising taxes imposed by Hideyoshi, has opposed even more daimyo against him.
Still… there has been no rebellion against Hideyoshi. The presence of the army was too overwhelming for a few daimyo to overcome. However, there were other means than open combat. Formally, the daimyo were bound to the code of Bushido and diplomatic canons among them. But there have always been delicate tasks that required doing the filthy work. Tasks that were not honourable but necessary. Tasks to be executed in the stealth of the night without anyone claiming the deed. Tasks for the shinobi.

As Hideyoshi’s messenger lies down to sleep, several concealed shapes inside and outside the guesthouse start moving. They have been given their orders and they would execute them – as well as the unfortunate messenger.


Previous Winners
Round 1: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710) DarkLightDragon (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=7519) (14 contestants)
Round 2: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27939) B-Man (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=2002) (8 capos)
Round 3: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28305) Bookman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=14935) (12 pirates)
Round 4; (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28632) Alarra (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=7141) (16 cowboys)
Round 5: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29474) Bookman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=14935) (17 cavemen)
Round 6: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30904) Deckmaster (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=10143) (20 hackers)

Possible Themes for Future Rounds

Pop-Science-Fiction (Star Trek, Star Wars)
Highwaymen (Richard Turpin, Tom King)
Fighting Jackie Chan style (Drunken Mastery & arbritary use of improvised equipment)
Royal intrigue (Roman senate, Hamlet scenario, Japanese daimyo...)
Snipers
War (England-Scotland, American Civil War, Thirty Year's)
Blaster Mages
Swashbuckling
Roman Gladiators
Jungle Fight/Amazons
Horse to Horse Combat/Huns/Goths/Mongols/Romans
Vikings
Pod Racing
Archaeologists Indiana Jones style
007 Spies
A-Team Agents


Contestants: 27

Khantalas
Gnome Barbarian
Bookman
Selrahc
Lucky
faerwain
Llama
purple gelatinous cube o'Doom
alec
Captain Fluffy
Ink
King of Griffons
evnafets
El Jaspero
Alarra
Destro Yersul
Fredricus
weebl
Captain van der Decken
Altharis
Gezina
DarkLightDragon
Lord Herman/Javie Swiftbow
Kantur
Deckmaster
Vespe Ratavo
Hivemind Ghost

[Khantalas]

In, of course.

Well, I am reminded of Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. Who cares that Toyotomi Hideyoshi is a real person?

[Gnome Barbarian]

Oh me...me pick I want to play

[Selrahc]

In. Still quite annoyed I missed the last one. :smallfrown:

[Bookman]

I'm totally in.

Need to keep a winning reptoire don't I? :wink:

[Lucky]

*Shoots Bookman*

...What? I got to change things up!

[faerwain]

Yep, no real surprise I'm in, is it?

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/wolfshonor/llamas/samurai.gif

I'd like another chance to read an interesting 1st round death scene, if I may.

[Silkenfist]

Khantalas: Ah, I see someone is familar with history. At least you know Hideyoshi's honorary name.

Llama: Uhm...with this attire, a quick death is guaranteed. The characters will be shinobi - better known as ninja.

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/wolfshonor/llamas/ninja.gif

Sorry, mate, truth be told, I'm at my friend's place and we are between board games while one of them takes a shower. I skimmed the theme and saw samurai; thought I'd get into the spirit of things.

Is the ninja better?

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

I'm definitely in again. the last one was a blast.

[alec]

Definitely in. I love this game.

[Captain "Fluffy"]

I'm in. Who knows? I might get Lucky lucky.

[Ink]

I think I'll join as well. Looks like fun.

Ooh I really like the ninja llama. I'll go ninja as well.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i244/Ink_avatars/male10v3.gif

[King_of_GRiffins]

I'll join again. I'm hoping for honest to truth ninja's here, the kind that disguised themselves as gardeners and slowly made their way to poison the local lord. Though, the action-packed western mutilation of ninjas in full black wielding katanas and kung-fu is good as well.

[evnafets]

Count me in

[El Jaspero, the Pirate King]

Sign me up!

[Alarra]

Count me in. I'll even try to be in town this time.

[Destro_Yersul]

Sure, I'll play. NINJA!

[Fredricus]

I'm in! Can't wait

[Weebl]

i'm in but will only be able to message my action. i will not be able to comment on the great story telling.

p.s: i'm gonna be the pirate in with the ninjas!

[Captain van der Decken]

I'm in again.

[Silkenfist]

I'll join again. I'm hoping for honest to truth ninja's here, the kind that disguised themselves as gardeners and slowly made their way to poison the local lord. Though, the action-packed western mutilation of ninjas in full black wielding katanas and kung-fu is good as well.

Of course.

Also, I acknowledge that Discworld's Lu-Tze is more of a ninja than any other fictional character.

[Altharis]

In! Please! I love samurai, and I'll even rp iajutsu dueling the character of your choice if you let me in.

[InaVegt]

Honor bounds me to join

[DarkLightDragon]

Count me in...

[Lord Herman]

Put me on the list.

...will this round involve flipping out and killing people?

[Kantur]

I'm in!
*Starts plotting*

[Vespe Ratavo]

Any more space?

[Hivemind Ghost]

Ooh, ooh, I always wanted to join this! Count me in!

[Deckmaster]

I am ninja, he is ninja, she is ninja, too. I am ninja, we are ninja, and I believe that you are ninja, too!

Ninja better recognize.

I'm in.

[Silkenfist]

*drool* I have 27 players? Niiiice!

[Fredricus]

when will we start?

[Khantalas]

I'm hoping for honest to truth ninja's here, the kind that disguised themselves as gardeners and slowly made their way to poison the local lord. Though, the action-packed western mutilation of ninjas in full black wielding katanas and kung-fu is good as well.

Hey, being a ninja is a suicide mission. You do it with a tanto, not posion. Higher risk of being discovered.

[Silkenfist]

Khantalas: Ninja is about being a suicide mission? Clearly, I missed a lot in class yesterday

[Silkenfist]

What is a shinobi? There have been many interpretations of the role and the deeds of them, many tainted by popular culture in centuries to come. The ninja, dressed in black, running up walls, wielding gargantuan swords and killing opponents while performing impossible leaps is imprinted in many a romanticized view. Two things however, are certain and most defining for the shinobi. Firstly, they were ordered for missions that violated codes of honour or should not be attributed to the commandeering daimyo later. For assassination and espionage contracts, they were the ones to employ, mainly because the second defining attribute: Their preference and ability to fulfil their tasks stealthily – even the name shinobi roughly translates to “One to not be perceived”.

The last lights in the guesthouse fade to black as night breaks. The messenger of the army has retreated to sleep, exhausted from his long journey and glad that the last day of it was following. He is not aware that he is the target of much interest...
From their respective rooms, two figures enter the hallway silently, dressed in light grey robes that blend with the pale light in the corridor. Other shapes suddenly appear on the roof, rappelling down from the cherry tree next to it, while even more of them scale the wall slowly.

Even though Hideyoshi could not rise to the position of shogun himself, it had not stopped him from accumulating power. Being awarded the honorary name “Toyotomi” in 1585, partially overcoming his inferior heritage, he finished conquering the nation a few years later. Centre of his operation was his fort inside the castellated city of Momoyama, inside the borders of the capital, Kyoto. Sending opposition from the smaller daimyo, he had taken precautions to protect himself from assassination attempts and gone through lengths to hold off intruders. Still he had to keep in contact with the army, he was concentrating at the coast is Kitakyushu. The invasion of the continent was about to begin and information was vital. This gave the shinobi all the opening they needed. While a direct approach of Momoyama would bear a high risk of failure – and probably too much time to be allowed into the daimyo’s quarters, the messengers were the weak link in Hideyoshi’s chain of command.

Not being perceived can be accomplished in many ways. The aforementioned popular ninja, dressed in pure black and travelling over the rooftops, is one possibility, but certainly not the best one. They might be able to elude views, but once someone would catch a glimpse of them by chance, their existence would be perceived immediately. There were better options, especially during this time. In the feudal land with its strict command structures, the highest caste tends to make the same blunders again and again. They would not believe those not being in power or in their military structures as a force, or even notice them at all. A simple peasant or wanderer could get far without being questioned – after all they were mere pawns. Many Samurai have been killed with the sickles of ordinary farmers who had just casually approached them. In order to reach the daimyo of the capital however, a different guise would have to be taken.

We pay a look into the guesthouse again, where one of those messengers is sleeping peacefully. Then suddenly, a loud dull sound directly next to his bed startles him. His trained reflexes kick in and he sits up immediately before even opens his eyes. But this was all, his attacker was waiting for. The momentum of the messenger’s movement meets the sharp force of the side of a hand, precisely aimed at a certain spot, right beneath the sternum. Violently, the Samurai falls back. He tries to gasp for air, but panic strikes him as he realizes that his lungs refuse to draw breath. Looking down onto his chest, he sees not even the tiniest bruise. With fading senses, he hears his attacker speak.
“Pressure point. Don’t take it personally, but I need your garb and could not expect cooperation”
As the messenger slumps down dead, the shinobi examines the clothing. It would be a loose fit, but it would suffice to reach his actual target. He bows down to pick them up, when he notices something from the corner of his eye. He throws himself away, dodging the throwing knife. He realizes that he is not alone. From out of the window, and from the door, several other shinobi have entered the room, eyeing each other with suspicion.
“It is over. This man is dead. You can leave now”
“Don’t fool us. You know, what we are after” Many looks are cast upon the messenger’s regalia, lying on the ground untouched.
“I shall assume we have one goal. It is my order to carry out this and I must ask you to leave and trust in my abilities to fulfil our shared intent”
“I am afraid, this is not possible. I have specific orders to adhere and my orders command that I am to dispose him.
“Well…” the first shinobi calmly picks up the messenger’s garb, folding it again and laying it under one of the sheets. “If you want to take the prize, you will have to take it from me”
From out of the shadows, several nods can be barely perceived as many hands grasp inside their cloth to reach for their concealed weapons.




Contestants: 27

Khantalas
Gnome Barbarian
Bookman
Selrahc
Lucky
faerwain
Llama
purple gelatinous cube o'Doom
alec
Captain Fluffy
Ink
King of Griffons
evnafets
El Jaspero
Alarra
Destro Yersul
Fredricus
weebl
Captain van der Decken
Altharis
Gezina
DarkLightDragon
Lord Herman/Javie Swiftbow
Kantur
Deckmaster
Vespe Ratavo
Hivemind Ghost



The round starts now and ends Wednesday, 6 PM Eastern.


:vaarsuvius:: The almighty Player Statistics thread. Check out your adversaries (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29553)

:roy:: The Hall of Fame (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1686881#post1686881)

:durkon:: The Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710)

[Khantalas]

Hey, don't make fun of me because I don't use smilies. I mean, by higher risk of being discovered, sarcasm should have been clear.

[David94]

How do you play this game? I might want to enter.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Well, I suppose darkish gray is slightly better than pure black. It's a good intro, but it gets a little confusing when you switch scenes suddenly between fight-out and overarching setting description. I like it the style of doing so, but there needs to be a little more indication or smoothness of transition for when the switch occurs, or events and descriptions need to take place entirely in order.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

too late David, we started last night, sorry. If I were you I'd just check back in a week or so, and see where we're at. But I'd talk to silkenfist, he's got last say.

[Silkenfist]

To everybody looking for a late entry: Sorry, but there is none. In all cases of precedence, I have ruled the same way and for consistency, I'll keep it. In 8-10 days, I expect our ninja to be done with each other. Check back then.

King of Griffins: The lack of smoothness comes from the fact that I write the story arcs separately, then split and mix them. You will see a good correlation between abruptness of transition and other board issues, I'm handling simultaneously :smallbiggrin:

[Silkenfist]

It didn’t take the shinobi long to react. Within seconds of the decision to settle their interests in combat, they each had retreated to the corners, or back to the corridor, trying to find a way past their adversaries. Immediately, small groups seem to be forming. Some try to retreat into the cover of the shadow, while faerwain suddenly holds up a brightly painted target instead of a weapon. And amidst the raging battle, weebl and the red-cloaked Captain find each others gaze.
Some of the shinobi however, didn’t take the events too well. Alarra, Gezina, Kantur and the gelatinous warrior had been employed by one daimyo to take care of the problem. They had deferred their mission to carry it out more comfortably later. This turn of events could have been avoided, had they acted correctly. On the clapboards of the roof, they look into the distance with Kyoto’s towers, contemplating their deed. Simultaneously, they come to the same conclusion and let themselves fall. Moments later, one splashing and three dull sounds herald the end of that group.
But they were not the only ones to consider ending their life. Evnafets has retreated to the silence of the chamber, he rented for the night. He decided to rather go with dignity than condescend himself to the wild stabbing out there. He changes into his white ceremonial robes and searches his garb for a small vial, trying to ignore the noise from beyond the door.
Cause of the noise seems to be the small group, faerwain had gathered around himself. Figuring that the others should kill each other for a while without him, he has hung his target in the corridor. Raising his shuriken, he yells out an invitation for the fellow shinobi to join him in a small game. Within little time, he has Destro Yersul, Altharis, Gnome Barbarian and the Hivemind Ghost persuaded to game with him. The sound of steel embedding itself in the painted wood rings through the corridor.
The five gamers are so absorbed in their game, that they don’t even notice the cloaked Llama that is chased behind them by a strange ninja, wearing an eye patch and shouting “Arrr” a lot. Somehow the Llama had lost its precious mask and – with its true identity revealed – provoked El Jaspero to settle an ancient blood feud once and for all. The Llama stomps through the corridors. It turns around a corner, rips open the first door and shuts it behind him. The Llama looks inside and sees a man, holding a bottle with black oil. “Mine.” the Llama shouts and snatches the bottle. Quickly, it grabs the murky liquid and smears it into its face to form an impromptu mask – then suddenly notices that the man is barely able to hold back laughter. Suddenly, its legs give way and the Llama falls to the ground. “Serves you right to steal my contact poison” evnafets smiles while from behind El Jaspero approaches with a raised sword to finish the job…
Other shinobi seem to have smelled blood just as well. King of Griffins strolls through the corridors and rooms with two tanto drawn, ready to strike. Still he has no success and it adds to his frustration that his foes seem to be hiding from him, avoiding his nervously twitching eyes and blades for good reason. He runs through the corridor, opening room after room, not seeing anyone. Finally he stops at the end of a hallway, swinging himself into a tantrum. With his blood boiling, he screams “Then…then… then I attack the darkness”, plunging both weapons into the shadows nest to him. To King of Griffins very surprise, blood is suddenly appearing on his blade – then the lifeless body of Deckmaster falls towards him. Seemingly, attacking the darkness IS a good option, when dealing with shinobi. Too stunned to react, the King sees Selrahc, Ink, Vespe Ratavo and DLD scurry away from the scene. Slowly, he retracts his weapons and moves on.
Meanwhile, weebl and the red-cloaked Captain have found each other. Their rivalry is well-known in legends, since they crossed blades many times. With deadly determination, their gazes become fixed and they walk towards each other slowly with deadly determination in their eyes. Unaware of the combat around them, they stop within inches from another.
“Van der Decken-san?”
“It ends tonight, weebl”
“I am aware of that. I would offer my room. It should be more appropriate than this mess”
“Of course.”
Together, weebl and the Captain leave the others. Behind them, the remaining fighters have engaged in melee. Khantalas and Lucky have upped the ante and constructed themselves kusari-gama – the dreaded sickles with a weighted chain tied to the handle. They blink at each other and decide to combine their superior reach to corner their opponents. Bookman, alec and Javie Swiftbow suddenly find themselves pinned to the wall, their daggers and knives being no match against their opponents. Khantalas and Lucky smile wickedly as they advance and choose a target. But before they can strike, Bookman decides, that he is not able to stand the pressure. He quickly gets to his feet and runs towards the window to throw himself out of it. The sudden movement startles Khantalas and Lucky and they both let fly the weighted chains of their weapons to grapple their opponent. Just as Bookman is about to leap, the chains wrap around his ankles, forcing him to the ground. But unfortunately for the attackers, the momentum of their attack backlashes. The force of their own blow rips the sickles from their surprised fingers, sending them flying towards each other.
Lucky blinks. Something had gone horribly wrong. His own weapon had ripped open Khantalas throat, while he was being pinned down by his blade. Carefully, he tries to get up and retreat to safety, when he sees the form of Javie above him.
“No, No, No. This is all wrong. But one inch deeper will suffice” Javie says while failing to hold back a grin. Slowly, he pushes the sickle deeper into Lucky’s chest to end the life of his foe. Satisfied, he keeps kneeling, then decides to take the other kusari-gama as his own. He searches the ground and the two corpses but fails to find the weapon. Then he hears from behind: “Searching for this one?”
Alec doesn’t even wait for Javie to turn around and plunges the blade into his back outright. He then frees the chain from the recovering Bookman’s feet and moves on.
Meanwhile in weebl’s room, the two long-time adversaries have kneeled down to start a tea ceremony, still keeping their weapons within reach. They listen to the sounds from outside and keep shaking their heads in disbelief of what is happening there.
“It is ridiculous. What are they doing?”
“I have no idea but it will cast a stain on both our names”
“Face it. Our school is dead and these dabblers will be our heirs.”
“So what do you propose? Our last battle right here inside this bloodstained heap”
“No…no battle.” Weebl produces a small vial from his cloth, gesturing to the door with it. “They use combat but they don’t understand the grace behind it. But how will one distinguish grace from brute, if brute overwhelms everything. Join me in this ceremony, van der Decken.” Weebl pours the spiced tea into the two cups, then opens the vial. A sourly scent mingles with the tea aroma. He pours a few drops in each cup, then hands both of them over to the Captain to choose one.
“Van der Decken-san, this is the path, I will go and I would be honoured if you joined me on it” He takes the other cup and starts drinking. For a heartbeat, van der Decken stares onto the poisoned brew, then comes to the conclusion that his counterpart has been right and raises his cup as well. In the solemnity of the moment, they hardly notice that the door had opened. Captain Fluffy had stormed in, sending a throwing knife flying towards van der Decken’s throat. But instead of puncturing his opponent’s neck, the knife nearly knocks the tea cup out of the hand of the dazzled Captain.
Van der Decken blinks. Right before him, weebl had just passed away, leaving him behind. Infuriated to be denied the honour offered, van der Decken bursts out in fury. Before Fluffy is able to reach for another weapon, van der Decken has gripped his staff and let himself loose on his opponent. The overwhelmed Fluffy stumbles backwards, but is quickly rushed against a wall.
“This is for something you won’t ever understand” van der Decken screams, as he smashes Fluffy’s skull with the loricated end of his staff.
Gasping for air and still being enraged, the Captain peeks back into the corridor, where the game of target practice had ended. Faerwain and his companions had riddled the target with shuriken and throwing knifes. While the others had left, faerwain goes to retrieve his target and pry loose the weapons from it. “That’s right. Just the cattle thin itself” he speaks to him self as he retrieves the last blade from the wooden plate. But just as he spoke the words, he suddenly notices someone breathing behind him. Before he is able to turn around, a chain is flung around his neck and he becomes dragged backwards. Gasping for air in vain, faerwain only hears “Not quite, my friend” before his world becomes dark
Fredricus lets the body of his opponent flop to the ground, then puts back the chain into his sleeve. There was more work to do…

Actions:
Selrahc: Timeout
Ink: Timeout
DLD: Timeout
Vespe Ratavo: Timeout
Deckmaster: Timeout
Altharis: Air
Gnome Barbarian: Air
Destro Yersul: Air
Hivemind Ghost: Air
faerwain: Air
Kantur: Self
Alarra: Self
purple cube: Self
Gezina: Self
weebl: Self
evnafets: Self
Captain van der Decken: Self
Bookman: Self
Captain Fluffy: Captain van der Decken
Khantalas: Bookman
Lucky: Bookman
alec: Javie Swiftbow
Javie Swiftbow: Lucky
Llama: evnafets
Fredricus: faerwain
King of Griffins: Deckmaster



Flipping Out: 15

Gnome Barbarian
Bookman
Selrahc
alec
Ink
King of Griffons
evnafets
El Jaspero
Destro Yersul
Fredricus
Captain van der Decken
Altharis
DarkLightDragon
Vespe Ratavo
Hivemind Ghost


And being killed: 12

Khantalas
Lucky
faerwain
Llama
purple gelatinous cube o'Doom
Captain Fluffy
Lord Herman/Javie Swiftbow
Kantur
Deckmaster
weebl
Gezina
Alarra



The round starts now and ends Saturday 6 PM Eastern. (Three days because the simultaneous schedules are killing me)


:vaarsuvius:: The almighty Player Statistics thread. Check out your adversaries (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29553)

:roy:: The Hall of Fame (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1686881#post1686881)

:durkon:: The Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710)

[Bookman]

DUDE!

I'm like totally ninjai!

[Lucky]

DUDE!

I'm like totally ninjai!
*shoots Bookman again*

Bet you weren't expecting that one!

[Bookman]

*shoots Bookman again*

Bet you weren't expecting that one!

Of course I was.

I'm ninjai

[Khantalas]

Good lesson for me: always shoot in the air the first round. No one cares about you if you don't survive two rounds first.

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

Silkenfist, have I set a record for most first round death's yet?

[Alarra]

Figures....go from five of you attacking me in one round to no one again....

[Captain "Fluffy"]

Well, that could have gone better. I'm surprised by how many suicides there were.

[Ink]

Woohoo! Wow, that's a great deal of self-killings.

[David94]

((I'm still asking for a description of how to play, even if I have to wait until next round.))

[evnafets]

Check out the links in the results post for the rules (and other info).
Its basically multiplayer rocks/scissors/paper on a grand scale




:vaarsuvius:: The almighty Player Statistics thread. Check out your adversaries (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29553)

:roy:: The Hall of Fame (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1686881#post1686881)

:durkon:: The Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710)

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

darn, went from being in the final five last round to being knocked out in the first round this time. I see I will have to change my tactics for the next session. If I'd stayed alive one more round I could have qualified for player stats. Oh well, there's always the next one. Suprising seeing our reigning champ out in the first round too.

[Fredricus]

I survived!

[Lord Herman]

Why do I always die in the first round? Curse you, alec! I didn't even get the chance to flip out properly!

But the description is great, as always.

[Kantur]

Figures....go from five of you attacking me in one round to no one again....

I can't speak for the others, but I felt sorry for you after that...And I wa doing it since no one else had by then and I knew you wouldn't expect it...

[faerwain]

I can't speak for the others, but I felt sorry for you after that...And I wa doing it since no one else had by then and I knew you wouldn't expect it...

Yep, similar to me. The "Loved by everyone" title was too much tempting:smallwink: ..but I was quite sure that you would shoot yourself the next game after this experience.

Silkenfist, outstanding. Just when I thought you couldn't top yourself anymore with your descriptions. And listing the actions afterwards is a good idea.

Unfortunate that I'm out already, but dying after a game of shuriken darts with the enemies is at least stylish. Only too bad I was stabbed before the sake and the wasabis were served.

*http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q235/faerwain/Faerwain.gif ghost sits on the roof with an ethereal bottle of sake, watching the show*

[Selrahc]

Woah... it started? :smallconfused:

I honestly had no idea. Sorry Silkenfist.

[Captain van der Decken]

That was awesome.

I really did expect more people to attack me..

[Gnome Barbarian]

Wow I surivived the first round...Woot

[Deckmaster]

Gah! Dammit. My strategy of doing nothing in the first round has failed me again! Although it worked perfectly last time.

[DarkLightDragon]

Hm... I used to get really pissed when I kept losing the other games, but then realised that winning the first one is special, because there will me more of this game but not a first one, so yay for me!

[Silkenfist]

About 2 hours left for you to submit actions. Still lacking some.

[Captain van der Decken]

Are we ready now?

[Silkenfist]

The small guesthouse at the road to Kyoto is filled with action as the remaining shinobi fight for their prize – the disguise and verification needed to fulfil their actual task. Twelve of the skilled fighters were already killed in the process while the survivors struggle to get rid of their opponents. Just two of them don’t participate in this effort. Vespe Ratavo and Altharis can be found dozing under one of the cherry trees outside the house, waiting for the others to kill off each other. Vespe Ratavo is dreaming of success, when suddenly a thundering roar awakens him violently. He opens his eyes just in time to see two hira shuriken approaching him – before they tear into his throat. He gags, then slumps down dead.
What had happened? We go back in time and see what happened before. It all started with two blue eyes suddenly starting to glow in the darkness of the corridors. Before the eyes of the other shinobi, a majestic Western Dragon appeared. Awestruck, they can only stand and follow her with its gaze as the legendary DarkLightDragon rumbles past them and locks her in one of the empty rooms. Agitated whispers quickly spread among the shinobi: The dragon was none of the Japanese ryu, it was something different. Clearly, it would be a wonderful trophy and a great accomplishment to slay the strange beast. Quickly, small groups huddle together to debate strategies, how to bring down their gargantuan target.
However, some combatants react different. Clearly, the dragon was a manifestation of the Kami, the benevolent ghosts, guarding the nature. Bookman, Ink, Selrahc and Captain van der Decken abandon their fight, cast off their weapons and start praying. The trophy hunters are communing, too – yet with ignoble plans in mind. The dragon is powerful and would have to be brought down with joined forces. The quarrel about who would receive what could be adjourned until later. Hivemind Ghost and El Jaspero would form a team of two, rushing in through the front door, alec would try to find an entry coming through the roof, and Destro Yersul would team up with the gnomish Barbarian to ambush the dragon through the window. Satisfied, the five hunters glance over their plans again and start equipping themselves.
Three other shinobi did not note any of that. Even the appearance of a giant dragon could not break the determination of Fredricus, evnafets and King of Griffins. After the battlefield had become a bit clearer, they have noticed each other’s presence. Between the three of them, there have been many conflicts. Many stolen missions. Many attempted murders. Many attempts to reveal the others to the authorities. It is too late to settle their conflict peacefully and now would be the right time to do so violently. Standing in the messenger’s bloodstained chamber, they look at each other, trying to find an opening. Finally, evnafets speaks up: “My friends. You are all aware that at least two of us will not leave this house alive. May I suggest following our feud in a place, where we shan’t be interrupted by these footpads outside.” The others nod and follow evnafets downstairs.
Meanwhile, the Dragon has started preparations herself. Witnessing the bloodshed, she has come to the conclusion that ending her life on her own terms might be the best way to deal with the conflict. Still, the process of disembodying herself might become difficult. Pondering how to do so safely and with a rest of dignity, she finally decides to die by rope. The DarkLightDragon sits down and starts tying the hangman’s noose. She doesn’t notice her door opening and Bookman and Ink silently entering. They had come to praise the dragon and witness its appearance. But when they see that the majestic dragon is preparing to kill itself, both are driven out, filled with horror. What is happening in the world that even the noble Kami would leave it? Failing to find an explanation, they see only one conclusion: The world is tainted and devoid of purity. With sad hearts they retreat to a chamber and start trying nooses themselves.
Two stories below, Evnafets, Fredricus and King of Griffins have arrived in the main hall, where they would have the room for a good fight. They step away from each other and draw weapons, when they hear a sound from behind. They turn around and see Aki Miyahara himself, looking with fright at the three armed man in his house. He seems like he is about to scream, but Fredricus gestures him to be quiet: “Don’t scream, old man. We are not going to hurt you unless you meddle in this affair of ours. Go back to sleep – or wait, maybe you could prepare us some food, so we won’t break anything weakened by hunger. He steps towards the housekeeper and shoves him towards the kitchen while whispering something in his ear. Aki nods and hurries back into the kitchen shortly followed by evnafets “I’m allergic to mushrooms. I should tell him that”, evnafets says to his rivals upon his return. The King of Griffins suddenly smiles and replies: “Good idea”. He should know about me as well, since I’m allergic to…um…plums. I’m telling him”
Upstairs, the attackers have taken their positions around the chamber of the DarkLightDragon, just as their target inside had finished her preparations. The dragon takes wing to tie the rope to a beam, then steps onto a table. Standing there, she ponders her action one last time, gathering the willpower to take the deadly leap. With a desperate roar, she kicks the table away from under her and leaps up to gather momentum for the noose to work as the situation escalates.
It starts with Hivemind Ghost and El Jaspero storming in through the door, wielding a sword and a blowgun. However, they both did not expect to be greeted by a massive piece of furniture flying towards them. The table hits El Jaspero straight into the chest, sending them both to the ground. Hivemind Ghost had already put up the blowgun and the table, knocking the wind out of him sends a poisoned dart flying. It misses the falling dragon and continues flying towards the ceiling – unfortunately for alec, who had just cut a way through the roof. The dart hits him in the face, injecting the deadly venom. alec’s body grows stiff and as he loses the balance, he falls to the ground. This is not seen by Destro Yersul and the Gnome Barbarian who had climbed up to the window and started throwing shuriken and knives towards the dragon. However, none of them reaches their target. One knife cuts the dragon’s rope, while the others hit alec in mid-flight. Ricocheting off alec’s armour, they are sent back from where they came. Surprised by their own projectiles, Destro Yersul and the Barbarian lose their grip and fall down into Aki’s stone garden. While they are battered by the landing, their weapons keep flying and hit the awaking Vespe Ratavo. Next to him, Altharis was awakened as well. Altharis blinks and gets up only to find Vespe Ratavo dead next to him and the broken bodies of Destro Yersul and Gnome Barbarian in the garden in front of him. He shrugs and decides to find a less dangerous place to rest.
All in all the attempted ambush on the Dragon has been a failure. The Dragon itself has landed on the ground, surprised to be still alive while most of the attackers have died already. Only El Jaspero and the Hivemind Ghost are alive, but pinned. Slowly they try to get up again, when they see Selrahc and Captain van der Decken approaching. Glad to see someone to help them, they call out:
“Hey, you. Help us”
Selrahc and the Captain look down, then peek inside the chamber and see the destruction. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. Something went wrong, when we tried to kill the Dragon”
“You did WHAT? You attacked the Dragon?”
“Yes?” The pinned ones hear a sound; they hope are not blades being unsheathed.
“And you drove our friends to kill themselves, I guess.”
“Wait, wha…” El Jaspero and Hivemind Ghost simultaneously try to reply but they are cut off by the blades of Selrac and the Captain. Looking down in contempt, Selrahc and Captain van der Decken think about what had happened. They still don’t know exactly, but with the death of the dragon averted, they would be able to convince Ink and Bookman not to commit suicide. They get up to do so, when two loud twangs tell them that they have come too late. Only the corpses of Ink and Bookman can be found inside their rooms.
Meanwhile in the basement, Aki has finished preparing three dishes for the shinobi in his house. Evnafets, Fredricus and King of Griffins see him return, trembling awfully. They order him to calm down and go to bed again, then turn to face each other again. “A last meal for two of us, a victorious feast for the best, the Ghost speaks. His rivals agree and start eating, while cautiously eyeing each other. As the meal continues, their faces turn into mixes of a wicked smile and a painful wreathe – then all of the three cease breathing and drop with their heads onto the floor. As their last twitches fade, Aki Miyahara looks again at the content of his pocket. Three empty flasks with murky liquids and three small pouches filled with coins. He shrugs and goes back to sleep.


Actions:
Vespe Ratavo: Timeout
Altharis: Timeout
Bookman: Self
Ink: Self
DLD: Self
Gnome Barbarian: DLD
Destro Yersul: DLD
El Jaspero: DLD
Hivemind Ghost: DLD
alec: DLD
evnafets: Fredricus
Fredricus: King of Griffins
King of Griffins: evnafets
Selrahc: Hivemind Ghost
Captain van der Decken: El Jaspero


Flipping Out: 4

Selrahc
Captain van der Decken
Altharis
DarkLightDragon


And being killed: 23

Vespe Ratavo
alec
Ink
King of Griffons
evnafets
El Jaspero
Gnome Barbarian
Bookman
Destro Yersul
Fredricus
Hivemind Ghost
Khantalas
Lucky
faerwain
Llama
purple gelatinous cube o'Doom
Captain Fluffy
Lord Herman/Javie Swiftbow
Kantur
Deckmaster
weebl
Gezina
Alarra



The round starts now and ends Tuesday, 3 PM Eastern


:vaarsuvius:: The almighty Player Statistics thread. Check out your adversaries (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29553)

:roy:: The Hall of Fame (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1686881#post1686881)

:durkon:: The Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710)

[Captain van der Decken]

Very cool.

And well done DLD!

[Lord Herman]

They turn around and see Aki Miyahara himself, looking with fright at the three armed man in his house.

A three armed man?

[Silkenfist]

A three armed man?

Yeah, I mean: I would be very afraid if a man with three arms were to break into my house. I mean, he could hold a pistol, cut the phone line AND steal my valuables AT ONCE.

OK, on second thought: Given the lack of valuables in my home, a normal man could accomplish the same...

[Fredricus]

Awesome!

Sadly I died in my second round but it was with style. Three shinobys picking each other, cool!

[Lord Herman]

Drat! Alec stole my title as #1 homicidal maniac! Damn him!

[Lucky]

Drat! Alec stole my title as #1 homicidal maniac! Damn him!
Say what? I was tied with you for that title! He is SO going down!

[faerwain]

*heavy ghostly applauding from the rooftop*
"Way to go, magnificient dragon!"

*summoning a second bottle of spiritual sake for evnafets' ghost*


EDIT: HA!! Absolute Homicidal Maniac!

[Alarra]

Very nice DLD...very nice.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

that was absolutely wonderful Silk. I think that's the best one yet since I joined up last round. It's a good thing you aren't in the iron author competitino, or the rest of us wouldn't even have a chance.

[alec]

Alright! Homocidal Maniac, AND Most Loved! Can't see that lasting long though.

[DarkLightDragon]

:smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:

[Silkenfist]

Oh, and once again Bookman wanted to dare me to include certain...objects. But half of his lists were anachronisms, so I had to ditch it ;)

[Deckmaster]

You should add a "Most Timeouts" category to the hall of fame. Maybe call it "Lazy Bastard" or something.

[Silkenfist]

You should add a "Most Timeouts" category to the hall of fame. Maybe call it "Lazy Bastard" or something.

I'm not sure whether this would really work against timeouts. People are even proud of the homicidal maniac title.

[DarkLightDragon]

Funny feeling kicking in... I hope it's right this time...

[Bookman]

Oh, and once again Bookman wanted to dare me to include certain...objects. But half of his lists were anachronisms, so I had to ditch it ;)

:tongue:

DARN YOU :wink:

[Captain van der Decken]

Tell us the list!

[Silkenfist]

It involved:

A monkey (would have been no problem)
A dragon (well...I gave you one, didn't I?)
A head of lettuce (while the Japanese had lettuce in the middle age, it was Chicorée, or Chinese Lettuce, but no heads of lettuce)
A rubber band (Which at this time was only known to some tribes in South America and a handful of Portugese explorers.)

[Silkenfist]

She had put up a valorous fight, but – in the end – to no avail. Exhausted, injured and unarmed the Dragon has been cornered by the Captain. She looks at her weapon, lying on the floor in the far side of the room, way beyond her reach. Captain van der Decken, noticing her gaze, smiles: “No, my dear. I will not allow that.” Waiting for the final blow, the dragon recalls how this could have happened.

It began with the remaining shinobi assembling in the room of the defeated Samurai. The Captain, the dragon and Selrahc had arrived there; each had already slain their fair share of opponents. Together they checked the prize again – the messengers garb was still in place and intact, waiting for someone to use. An uncomfortable silence ensued as everyone waited for the others to launch the first attack. Finally, after seconds that felt like hours, Selrahc speaks up. “There is no other way. I will not give it up without a fight and neither will you.” He turns around. “I will be in my room reequipping myself. Feel free to do so as well or kill each other in my absence.”
After he has left behind DarkLightDragon and Captain van der Decken, Selrahc quickens his pace since couldn’t assume, the others would let him arm himself. Surely, they would strike soon and he had to be prepared. He enters his room, closes the door behind him and looks at the gadgets he had brought with him. He contemplates for one moment, then opens it again leaving it ajar. He then produces a roll of thin cord, tying it to various points in ceiling, floor and some small objects, always listening into the hallway whether the others were already approaching him.
The Captain and the Dragon however, were not going to follow him yet. They were still engaged in their face-off, unwilling to give the other one an opening. Without breaking eye contact, they started circling each other, brushing over the floor with the toe of their tabi shoes for a suitable weapon. In a flash of insight, the Captain remembered the dead Samurai right next to them. He jumped to the side and reached under the bed, grabbing himself the katana. This put the Dragon into the spot. Looking on the floor, she failed to find a better option than the kusari-gama, one of the other shinobi had dropped earlier. She had barely picked it up when she had to dodge the first blow of the Captain. Quickly, she retreated into the corridor to gain more room for her long-range weapon.
Selrahc had just finished his preparations as he heard the others approaching. He stepped a few feet away from his work and admired it from a safe distance. Whoever entered this room would face a quick but very painful death. Now it would be only a matter of time until they would come for him and spring the traps. However Selrahc became surprised as time passes without either of them storming his room, looking for a fight. Maybe the others were about to kill each other first, or they had spotted the traps and were planning a different attack. Selrahc didn’t want to take any risk, so he formed a new plan. The room was still deadly without him observing the traps, so he could as well leave and look for the others. He equipped himself with the weapons left and went to leave through the window. With a quick leap, he gets onto the ledge when he suddenly realized something…didn’t he trap the window against intruders earlier tonight? This thought, however, came too late – the soap on the windowsill throws him off balance, sending him down onto the road before the house.
While Selrahc’s dying breath fades into the night, the captain and the dragon have exchanged first blows in the hallway, where van der Decken noticed more and more that his choice of weapon might have been an inferior choice. The dragon kept calling the shots, threatening him with the sickle in the infight and dominating him over the long range with the chain. He decided to stall the battle and keep his opponent running – after all her weapon was the heavier one by far and bound to slow her down sooner or later. Step by step he retreated down the corridor, taking care of not becoming cornered. Angered by these elusive actions, the dragon sent the chain flying again and again, forcing her opponent into one dodge after another. Just as they both had reached the turn of the corridor, she flung the chain once again. Missing the captain once more, the chain hit the door behind instead. To the surprise of both shinobi, the door opens. A sharp “Twang” could be heard – then suddenly three canisters fell to the ground, releasing dark smoke. While the second part of Selrahc’s trap – the poisoned blades missed the fighters, the disorientating smoke did its job perfectly. Unable to see anything, the rivals back off into the different directions of the hallway.
The captain went on to escape the smoke, when he suddenly noticed another open door. After carefully checking for traps, he went in. To his surprise, the room was not empty or occupied by one of the normal travellers. Altharis, one of the shinobi had simply gone to bed instead of fighting with the others. A tactic that might have worked, if it weren’t for van der Decken. Smiling deviously, he reached into his pocket, retrieving two handful of the longish bo shuriken. He raised the first of them above his head, then plunges it down into the lungs of his unsuspecting target. Altharis, violently woken up, opened his eyes – but faded into unconsciousness mere moments later. Satisfied, the captain decided to make good use of the rest of the shuriken and planted them likewise into the torso of Altharis to form the calligraphy of “PWNED”.
Meanwhile, the DarkLightDragon had gone downstairs to prepare for the final battle against the captain. She knew her opponent would need to come the same way down to meet her, so she prepared an ambush for anyone stepping down. She planted a tripwire over the third to last step and hid herself with readied weapon, pressed against the wall next to the stairs. Minutes passed, but when the dragon was just about to give up hope, she heard sounds from above, then slow steps coming down the stairs. Just as the dragon heard the “Twang” of the snapped tripwire, it turned around to face the stairway and plunged the sickle into the heart of the man falling to wards her. But to her dismay it is not the Captain, whom she impaled but an unsuspecting traveller.
Chuckling, the captain steps down the stairs, looking at his baffled opponent. “I told him, we had to evacuate. Come on, do you really think I would be THAT dumb?” With these words he leapt forward, engaging his opponent in close combat. Unable to free her weapon from the chest of her victim, the dragon just ripped loose the chain from it, trying to defend against the blows as good as possible. Alas, it was not enough. Again and again, the sword of Captain van der Decken breaches her defence, cutting her arms and groin again and again. DarkLightDragon drew back more and more – until she felt the unmoving wall behind her. In a last-ditch-effort, she bounced forward again and threw the chain towards her opponent, but the captain reacted quickly, parrying it with the hilt of the sword and bouncing it towards the far end of the corner.
This is how it had happened. Defeated and bleeding, the dragon has crouched into the corner, looking longingly for her weapon. Captain van der Decken smiles jovially and shakes his head. “No, my dear. I won’t allow that. But – you deserve better than being killed by a Samurai tool. Let me show you my specialty instead.” He reaches into his pockets to produce his feared bo shuriken and send them towards his rival in an inevitable deadly hail only to notice that his weapons of choice are not in their place. His face freezes in horror as he remembers them to be still upstairs. DarkLightDragon notices this and is on her feet in a heartbeat. She doesn’t know what happened but it just gave her the edge to come back into battle again. Even though Captain van der Decken recovers from the shock quickly, he comes too late. With one dive, the dragon has reached the chain and immediately sent the weighted end towards her charging opponent. With an ugly sound, it smashes into van der Decken’s larynx and knocks him down. Gasping for air helplessly, the captain has to watch how the dragon gets up again and lets her chain swing a few times before sending it with deadly force down onto her opponent’s head.

A few hours have passed and the sun is rising again behind the mountains of Kyoto. A lone Samurai rides towards the city of the daimyo. The clothes fit her badly and the overtired look in her face is obvious. But surely it would be attributed to her lengthy ride and her great haste due to the importance of the message. And because of the importance, she would be surely brought before the daimyo even more quickly. The only thing of importance was that a certain house with twenty-six dead shinobi, one dead samurai and one dead peasant was not to be discovered first….


Round 7 of Ready, Aim, Fire! is over. Congratulations DarkLightDragon!

Actions:
Altharis: Timeout
Selrahc: Self
Captain van der Decken: Altharis
DarkLightDragon: Captain van der Decken

Registration for Round 8 of Ready, Aim, Fire! won't start before tomorrow. I need to brush up on my Star Wars knowledge first. (Anyone who provides me with handy links will receive eternal gratitude. And cookies)


:vaarsuvius:: The almighty Player Statistics thread. Check out your adversaries (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29553)

:roy:: The Hall of Fame (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1686881#post1686881)

:durkon:: The Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710)

[Silkenfist]

Statistics & Hall of Fame updated & Veteran award installed

[Bookman]

Ok it's ON DLD.

I mean NO ONE can have the most wins title over me :wink:

[DarkLightDragon]

Ok it's ON DLD.

I mean NO ONE can have the most wins title over me :wink: *evil grin*

Even if you do retake the lead, I still have the far more impressive suicide title >:]

That, and I'm, cooler because I won the FIRST one as well!

Yeah, it's on...

One more thing...

HOORAY FOR THE FUNNY PSYCHIC-LIKE URGE THAT TOLD ME TO KILL DECKEN! WHEEEEEE! 4TH DEGREE! (and some teasing about a certain game of werewolf...)

Looking forward to the next one!

@ Silkenfist: Why would a dragon need a weapon? Unless I'd gone into human form for the final fight? Which it seems like?

[faerwain]

Oh, yes, I remember those times...the great Playground shootings of '06. You kids of today have no idea....

Seeing that I reach another age category in 3 weeks I like becoming Ye olde Veteran :)

[Silkenfist]

DLD: At times, I will just ignore your chosen form if I have no good idea how to use it and/or if I already have a plan given human characters.

[DarkLightDragon]

DLD: At times, I will just ignore your chosen form if I have no good idea how to use it and/or if I already have a plan given human characters. I wasn't complaining.

[Ink]

Wow, very impressive storytelling, Silkenfist. That last one was great. Who'd have thought that dragons and undead pirates would make such good ninjas?

[Captain van der Decken]

Damn you DLD!

At least I still have my precious Blue Serpent.

Hah. Yes.

Altough, I have to admit, that was very cool.