(Region 22 - Thunder Bay, Ontario made public by L5R)

Yamasura, Dragon Lands

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Mirumoto Yuichi shifted restlessly in his seat, grimacing in annoyance as he struggled to find the proper words for his report. The scroll lay unmoving on the desk, almost mocking him with the length of paper he had yet to fill with a thousand mind-numbingly boring details of his duties in Yamasura. He was a soldier, not a magistrate or a merchant, and there was precious little for him to accomplish in the city. When he had accepted the position, there had been great concern that the aftermath of the War of the Rich Frog would result in the Lion and Unicorn seeking vengeance against the Dragon at Yasamura. Not only had that not been the case, but the level of trade within the city had decreased dramatically, leaving absolutely nothing whatsoever for Yuichi and his men to do. The threat had gone, but it seemed no one had thought to recall them.

A young soldier burst into the room, his face white with exertion and shock. “Yuichi-sama!” he said, bowing so quickly that he nearly toppled over. “Commander, you must come quickly! There have been deaths in the city!”

Yuichi’s surprise delayed him only by a second before he was on his feet, has blades taken from their rack and inserted neatly into his obi. “Show me,” he commanded.

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The bodies were a gruesome sight. Three men and one woman had perished, although Yuichi could not immediately see any wounds. Whatever had claimed their lives, it had been an unpleasant process, judging by the contorted positions in which they laid. Yuichi had looked upon the scene only for a moment before he sent for a shugenja. There were no Tamori within the city at the present, but the Dragon’s staunchest allies, the Scorpion, had representatives that might be of help.

“I am Yogo Baisetsu, Yuichi-sama,” the Scorpion said with a bow. “How may I help you?”

Yuichi gestured at the grisly scene. “What can you tell me about this?”

Baisetsu blanched at the sight of the crime, turning away for a moment to gather her thoughts. “Disgusting,” she muttered under her breath. She turned back and crouched down, gathering her kimono carefully to avoid soiling it with blood. “When did you find them?”

“Just now,” Yuichi replied. He watched the Scorpion carefully. A single drop of perspiration rolled down the Scorpion’s cheek from beneath her mask, despite the cool morning air. Yuichi frowned. “Can you tell me how they died?”

Baisetsu gestured to the twisted faces the victims had. “They suffocated. The blue around the lips tells the tale.”

“I see,” Yuichi said with a nod. “It seems likely that they were subdued, then suffocated. The marks on their wrists show they were bound.”

“I concur,” Baisetsu said. Her tone seemed relieved.

“Unfortunate for you,” Yuichi said, “that they have no such marks. Are you so desperate to gain my favor that you failed to even confirm my simple remark?”

Baisetsu’s face fell, and she paled. The sweat Yuichi had noticed was more pronounced now, with several drops streaming down her face. “My lord, it isn’t that at all. It is just…”

“Take this woman away until she can be questioned,” Yuichi ordered his subordinates. “I hope for the sake of our clans’ alliance that you were not involved, Baisetsu.”

Baisetsu lowered her head in defeat, or so it seemed. Yuichi saw her jaw moving and immediately drew his blade, rushing forward to cut the shugenja down, but it was too late. Huge, black, leathery wings erupted from the woman’s kimono. With one powerful gesture, they propelled her high into the air, stirring a cloud of dust that clogged Yuichi’s eyes and mouth. Through a wracking cough, he ordered the shugenja to be shot down with archery fire, but his men were just as blinded as he. By the time they recovered, Baisetsu was a tiny dot rapidly disappearing to the south. “Ready the horses!” Yuichi ordered, moving toward his office in a run. “Summon the guard!”

The murderer might well escape, but Yuichi would chase her at least as far as the Unicorn border before allowing her to slip through his grasp.

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