Konan - Mount Reikaku

[TionneDawnstar]

Mount Reikaku: Home of the Mount Reikaku bandits, the only noble bandits in the area, the area around is flourishing. The reason for this is because of the bandits themselves. Whatever they steal or request for toll(Ten Mon which is little more than a dollar), part is kept by them to pay for expenses, while the rest is given to the poor. Not all of the bandits like this arrangement, but it is tradition.  

[TionneDawnstar]

Sun Li walked down the road, he had grown tired of Seisen Village, and still angry at the strange person who had attacked him for no reason. Tamahome was heading back to his old village. He knew an old medicine woman there, one of the few still around, and wanted to ask her about the strange man. If he came against him again, he wanted to be ready.

Sun Li was traveling through the mountains, hoping the bandits would leave him alone since he had no money. He just wanted to get back to Choko village quickly, to get the information. He was upset with himself as well, he had thought his training had served him better then it had.  

[Kaivi Silverwing]

Carefully watching Sun Li walk through the mountains was a young woman. She grinned as she watched him, taking in his basic appearance. The man didn't appear to have much, if anything, that was worth any value. That, however, didn't stop the three bandits behind her from popping out in front of the man. "Idiots..." Mika said, cursing under her breath.

The three men, named Tai, Kei, and Dai, sprinted out in front of Sun Li, halting him. Tai, the eldest of the three, stared at Sun Li before beginning to speak. "Well well well... what do we have here, boys? Someone who thinks they can come through without paying the toll..."

Dai, the second eldest grinned, pulling out a pair of long knives. "I think this gentleman should pay the toll, otherwise we might have to take it out of his flesh." Dai was the more blood thirsty one of the group, though he did have his weakness, which the woman behind the tree knew. If the trio didn't stop, she would have to intervene.

Kei, the youngest, chuckled, as he too unsheathed his daggers. "He might have the toll somewhere hidden on him, like the last guy." Kei... well, there were no words to describe Kei. He was just a little insane.


The woman rolled her eyes, though kept behind the tree. This was not how their expeditions were supposed to go. Miki... why do you keep putting me with the brainless idiots?  

[TionneDawnstar]

Sun Li frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Do I look like I have any money you idiots. I'm just going to Choko. Let me through and I won't be forced to kick your sorry asses." Tamahome wasn't in the mood to deal with more people attacking him for no reason. He readied his body in a fighting stance, thought it was purely defensive. If the blade wasn't flying around, then he could defend himself easily.

"Come on you idiots, I'll take you all on at once." He motioned with his finger to have them come closer. "If I defeat all three of you, then I'll take your bounty off your unconscious forms. Then I'll have money to pay your stupid tolls."  

[Kaivi Silverwing]

Watching the young man threaten three of her bandits made the woman behind the tree a little bit... curious. She wanted to know if he really could take them all on. Though, she wondered if she should risk it. Her brother, Miki, would be quite angry with her if she ended up injuring ANOTHER group of bandits. It wasn't her fault that he always put her with idiots. She sighed before closing her eyes. She knew what the boys were going to do. She thought it was best to stop them before they did something stupid.

Almost as though on cue, the three bandits approached Sun Li. Tai, who hadn't unsheathed his weapon did so now, brandishing a single sword. As they approached, Tai in the center with Dai to his left and Kei to his right, each of them had a malicious grin on their faces. Their boss hadn't let them get into a real brawl in a long time. They had forgotten that their leader's sister was still in the woods at the side of the road. That lasted for approximately five seconds later, when a fist sized fireball landed on the ground in front of the advancing trio.

The female bandit, the sister of the current bandit king, stepped out from the woods, playfully tossing a single, smaller fireball in her hand. There was a red glow on the inside of her ankle as she turned her head sharply to glare at the trio, still juggling the fireball in her hand. So long as she kept it moving, she wouldn't be burned by it, which she did. "Tai, Dai, Kei, base, NOW." The female tapped her foot, indicating that it wasn't a suggestion but a command.

The three gulped, and scrambled back to base, a hastily spoken "sorry miss Mika," following them as they went. The trio had one weakness, which was fire. They didn't like fire, which was probably the reason they didn't like going out with Mika.

Mika watched them leave before turning her attention back to Sun Li. She dropped the fireball in her hand onto the ground, as the red glow faded. "Sorry 'bout that. Go on though. Those numbskulls won't bother you again."  

[TionneDawnstar]

Sun Li noticed the red glow on the woman's ankle. "You have a mark," he said in a soft, distant voice. He pointed down to were the red glow had just been. "Thank you for your help, but I have a feeling those three stooges should thank you more. They didn't seem too much of a challenge." He gave her a crooked smile, one where you couldn't quite tell if he was happy or grimacing. He nodded in respect and started to move away.  

[Kaivi Silverwing]

A bit puzzled, Mika looked at Sun Li as he mentioned her mark, before she remembered. She had a tendency to forget others might be a little bit startled by the glowing mark and the fact she was able to create fire. "Oh, yeah, I do," she said, grinning. She was quite proud of that fact. She laughed a little as he mentioned how the three might not be a challenge. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. They're not the best, but they can hold their own in a fight. They're just greedy. Besides, I couldn't have them ruining the reputation of the Mount Reikaku bandits because of their idiocy." She gave Sun Li a small salute before she turned. She still had to patrol.  

[TionneDawnstar]

Tamahome raised his eyebrow and turned quickly, channeling his chi, and he flipped right over her, landing a few feet in front of her. "I"m not so sure," he slipped his thumb in the waist band of his pants and pulled it down, just enough to show her the fading glow of a red mark. "I've never met another warrior of Suzaku, but... I tend to be a bit stand offish, that might be why."  

[Kaivi Silverwing]

Mika wasn't quite expecting the young man to jump over her. And she certainly wasn't expecting him to have a mark, particularly one on his hip. A very slight redness came to her cheeks. Yes, she had seen some of the bandits... in the buff, as it were. However, she normally tossed a fireball at them when they were, since it would be that they were trying to bathe at the same time she was. "Well..." she said, "You're the only other warrior I have seen. Other than my twin." Mika grinned slightly, as she released a little of her chi, so that her own mark would be apparent. She twisted her leg so that the mark was up, so Sun Li could see it better. "The name is Mika, though I'm also called Tasuki. And you?"  

[TionneDawnstar]

He smiled a bit, "Sun Li... but you can call me Tamahome. Your twin is marked as well? Interesting that I should run into you." He replaced his pants and crossed his arms over his chest. "I was on my way to Choko, but I think it might be a good idea to make a stop. Need another bandit?"  

[Kaivi Silverwing]

She relaxed a little, placing her foot back on the ground. "Nice to meet you, Tamahome. Yeah, he's Hotohori." Mika grinned, chuckling a little. She always knew they were special because of their marks, and that they had a purpose. She just never expected it to come so soon. "We could always use new bandits. Come on," she said, as she began to walk, headed back for the base. If he was a Celestial Warrior, like she and Miki were, then there wouldn't be much of a problem.  

[TionneDawnstar]

Tamahome followed behind her, following her towards the base. Interesting to come across another celestial warrior. I wonder if the Miko with appear soon. He clasped his hand behind his back and looked around a bit. "Has life here been as tough as everywhere else. I mean, banditry must be hard to sustain if no one has any money to begin with..."  

[Kaivi Silverwing]

Mika turned her head, so that she could better talk with the other Celestial Warrior. "You have no idea. Though, we still are able to get enough to sustain us. Though, since we go with tradition of the Mount Reikaku bandits, we only keep enough to get food, drink and an occasional extra bit, and the rest goes to the poor in Choko and Souun. But, that's just for Mon." She said, grinning. "For the most part, we are allowed to keep any gems we find on the really rich merchants." Normally, she did turn them in, or sell them to keep the bandits going, though she fully admitted she didnt' do that with all of them. She had a beautiful set of Seiran pearl earrings and necklace that she had lifted off of some merchant from Kutou. They were her prize possession.  

[TionneDawnstar]

Sun Li smiled, "I've been poor most of my life... having some cash would be great." He looked about, scanning the area like he was opt to do. "My parents were killed when I was young, and my adopted mother never had much money... when she died, I just left. I haven't had a home since."  

[Kaivi Silverwing]

Nodding, Mika knew understood what he meant by that. Her parents and younger siblings had died in a freak flood. A lot of the snow on the mountains melted too quickly, washing away a lot of the houses near the river. Their house and family just happened to be one of them. "Most of the bandits, including myself and my brother, understand that. That's probably why most of us became bandits. Either no parents, or no money..." She said, looking down a little, sighing. "Sometimes both. In either case, I don't think my brother will have any problem having you join us." She smiled a little.