@AzureKnight

Skarsneek of the Red Hills

Smiling with lips wide, Skarsneek adjusted his footing as his twirling clubs intercepted the arrows mid-way with the quick strikes swatting them.

With one down swordsman and the last archer out of the way, his eyes glanced at the corner of his vision. Catching the running woman picking a sword from the rack.

That only serve to make him laugh, the idiot was actually going to fight! Saves him the time and energy to keep chasing!

With that in mind, he quickly turned to the last swordsman. He raised his right arm, clubs ready for a wild strike as the swordsman saw it a mile coming.

Then at the last moment, and unbeknownst to the swordsman, Skarsneek left struck like a viper in a blinding thrust. Catching him mid-swing and stopping the attack before it happened.

His right finally descended like a hammer, striking the sword arm and nerve. Forcing the latter to drop his sword.

Yet Skarsneek was not down as he used the latter legs as a foothold, climbing upwards before bringing both clubs down in a chopping motion. All of that, to the neck, cutting off the oxygen and giving enough shock that the swordsman went limp and unconscious.

Kicking off, Skarsneek was not down as he rolled once before going straight for the woman. His shoulders shifted, arms and club swirling around. It gave an appearance of a dance, in turn, masking his strikes.

Skarsneek however, had no intention of such a boorish way to drag the fight. No, he plans to end it immediately to prevent her from running and allowing him to assist his wife. Which was why he planned to dive at the moment she struck. Going right into a grappling battle instead.

---

Gringor of the Ironhide tribe

(Before his continuation of his quest.)

@AzureKnight@Crowvette

"Hmph, you should try enjoying a scrap. It makes you feel alive." He huffed before looking at the Io, the lich moving around him and studying him like a piece of meat. In turn, giving a glance over, he wondered just what the lich can do. "And what spells can you do? Any proper fights you've been?"

A brief flash from a pagoda had him inching towards his weapon before settling down as Ayu quickly welcomed the new reinforcements, though it did little to instill any confidence in him.

@PaulHaynek @Enkryption

One was a fairy, so that put direct combat out and leaves her in the sneaky fights. Sure, he can appreciate an ambush or two but they'll need direct scrap when it matters.

"A puny fairy." He looked massively unimpressed at the diminutive flying fairy, as if looking at a bug.

@The Irish Tree

The other initially gave him some hope, though once she opened her mouth and started talking, Gringor can only stare from a stoic fashion into a deadpan one.

"And a mad boy." Gringor muttered as the two zipped off into their own quest to help out.

He then turned to Shizuka and Io, shaking his head. "We're going to work a lot harder to win."

_{@PaulHaynek@Restalaan@Crowvette@The Irish Tree@Enkryption}

Listening to Ayu's explanation, it seemed that Shizuyama refused to accept the new demon lord coming into power. Going as far as killing or exiling any who were overtaken by demonic energy and transformed into yokai. The strict traditionalism tore apart families and caused conflict among those who once regarded each other as friends. Relationships between humans and yokai within Zipangu had always been rather complicated; Shizuka himself had interacted with several times throughout his life and never really had any issues with them. Save for the more bold ones who wouldn't give up on the flirting. Some people hated them, some settled with them, and others just left them to their devices. What bothered him the most was that there stubbornness may eventually lead to their land's downfall, that and the fact they they didn't need to have enemies in the very people they were trying to save.

Unfortunately it seemed that no even Ayu knew why then would Kyoko-sama station a taskforce of yokai in order to asset the situation on this island of monster haters. Before Shizuka could ponder on it more, however, he sensed a sudden appearance of demonic energy that didn't belong to anyone he knew. Seeing a bright light flash from the pagoda, soon emerged two more yokai how made their way to the scene. Their physical appearances made even him raise a brow: one was a young woman dressed in western attire. What stood out was the fact that she had mushrooms that seemed to be growing directly out of her clothes, and the strange weapon that emanated a strong demonic force from it. He recognized it immediately as a cursed weapon; he had run into a few of those in his time on the field. Not very pleasant experiences either.

The other girl, or what he believed to be a girl at least, first appeared at the size of a large mosquito. Despite that, he could her her high-pitched voice clear as day. She claimed to a fairy knight from a great forest in the western lands, and introduced herself as Lillianna. He thought that she bore a resemblance to the Yōsei spirits that sometimes inhabit the mountainous and forested regions. She soon disappeared behind an alleyway, and after a flash of light she reemerged in a standard human size.

Shizuka really began to wonder who Kyoko-sama really was in order to have such pull to even find all of the people this taskforce was made up of, himself included. Her being some simple noble wasn't adding up.

Before the girls went away on their quests, he walked up to them for a moment.

"Greetings and welcome to Zipangu. I'm Kannazuki Shizuka, the acting captain of Kyoko-sama's taskforce. Ayu already explained the gist of our current situation; right now the other member are out locating Lord Takeshi's allies in order to aid against the Varjan invaders. Some of them should be returning soon. In the meantime, I'll need to remain here to meet with them and discuss our next plan of action. Good luck on your endeavor and let us know if need assistance with anything."

His face turned a bit sour upon hearing Gringor's disapproving remarks at their new allies.

"Gringor-san." He stated solemnly. "Don't be so quick to write them off. You'd do well to be more mindful. The young lady in the top hat has a cursed weapon, something that's dangerous in anyone's hands. And the Yōsei may have various abilities that could render your strength useless. Kyoko-sama was very purposeful in those she chose to join the force, watch them and you mind be surprised at what they can do."

---

_{@PaulHaynek@Restalaan}

With her defensive spell working in full spring, Atsuha ignored the deflected arrows and turned her attention to the brigands surrounding Hinami. She took special note of the one who was enchanting his blade, which may enable it to bypass the shield. Not taking any chances, she had another spell in the works. She made a fine web, attaching several talismans to it. Jumping out of her spot in the bushes, she attempted to lasso the man with the enchanted blade and the two spearman. The web would be tough to break, given it had the durability of high-grade steel. The ofuda attached along it would dispell magic and drain the targets of their mana.

Meanwhile, Hinami would attempt to deflect the other swordsman's strike and then proceed to hit him in three places: one on the arm to make him drop his weapon, the second in his gut to stun him further, and the last strike would be right upside his head to induce unconsciousness.

Atsuha didn't sense Skarsneek's mana depleting, so she would assume that he was still alright. Dealing with this these thugs shouldn't be too hard after all.

The warriors surrounding Hinami never expected her sister Atsuha to suddenly leap into the fray, web of talismans in hand. They were so surprised and startled that they could not react to the Jurou-gomo's web lasso. The webs instantly tied them up, rendering them immobile and unable to do anything. The talismans did their work and drained the men of their strength and will to fight.

The last warrior was realized he was now alone. Having nothing else to lose, he swung his blade at Hinami who easily deflected his attack and struck three parts of his body in quick succession. With those strikes combined, the warrior fell to the ground unconscious.

"Not bad... for a yokai." Sorae suddenly appeared from behind the Hangai sisters. "Now then, shall we head inside?"

The three women entered the inn and found Skarsneek's handiwork, Shizuyamans lying unconscious on the floor. The male Goblin's last opponent was the woman, whom he simply charged in an attempt to grapple and capture. But the woman was a bit of a fighter herself, feinting an attack which Skarsneek fell for. She sidestepped his dive and retaliated with a strong vertical swing of her sword.

Or she would have, had she not blocked a stronger swing from Sorae's naginata. Another swing of the polearm sent the traitor woman's sword flying away and found her neck dangerously close to the naginata's blade. She knew better than to continue struggling.

"Before we get started, do you have anything to say?" Sorae asked, the fire in her eyes betraying her calm demeanour.

"Heh. Lady Sorae, I believe there is much to say." The woman replied.

But she was quickly silenced by the last Tokinomiya. "I wasn't talking to you."

---

Gringor journeyed alone once more, but not into anywhere civilized. This time, he would venture into the many forests of Shizuyama. Worse yet, he did not even know what he was supposed to be looking for save for the signs and general area Takeshi told the taskforce earlier.

Night had already fallen when Gringor reached the supposed area. It was kind of hard seeing in the darkness, especially in a thick forest where the moon's dim light was of no help. However, Gringor forged on and, surprisingly, actually found a clearing in the woods. Albeit, quite occupied by some unwelcome figures.

There were about a dozen Varjans seemingly searching for something in the clearing, likely for Kageho and her hideout. While most of them were Varjan Brigands in their fur armor and holding torches, there were five that Gringor had not seen yet. They wore very loose hooded robes that were dark blue in color. The robes appear to be too big that they manage to completely obscure their wearer. In a way, they looked comical in such an attire but when they move, they appear to be sliding across the grassy soil than actually walking.

Looks like Gringor had another fight in his hands. Although, he might want to be careful with the ones in the robes.

---

Following the directions given to her, Io made her way through the dirt roads of the Onrai region and found a large, seemingly abandoned, house going down a low hill.

The house was quite sizable, made of wood and of typical far eastern design. But what surrounded it was more intriguing: Signs of fighting and several corspes strewn about. The bodies were both of Varjo and Shizuyama, although Io noticed there were more dead Shizuyamans than there were dead Varjans. On a closer look, the Shizuyaman fallen looked like simple villagers... or rather, bandits.

"My leg... it hurts!" A male voice moaned in pain from inside the damaged house.

"Stop squirming! I'm doing the best I can!" A female voice replied.

There were multiple people inside the building. Peeking into one of the grated windows, Io spotted maybe four people within. All of whom had varying degrees of injury but all equally exhausted. Two men and two women. From their clothing and attire, they looked to be villagers... or perhaps, bandits. Regardless, they were not Varjan and it looked like they were the survivors from the fight outside.

"We should run. Find a better place to hide." Another female voice suggested.

"We'd be like wounded deer to the Varjans if we do that." The remaining male voice retorted.

"This is all because of that stupid iron mark."

"Shh, hear that? Someone's outside." The wounded people in the house grabbed hold of their weapons. "Who's there?! We're armed so don't try anything funny!"

---

Kerry followed the directions given to her and arrived, by early dusk, at a small ravine with a wood-and-rope bridge connecting the two cliffs. She found a group of villagers at one end of the bridge, weeping and wailing at someone in the bridge itself. Kerry saw a young boy, alongside an adult villager corpse, in the middle of the structure, curled up in fear with his hands on his ears while arrows whistled past him or hit the wooden floorboards of the bridge.

"Be brave, Touma! We'll save you-- Stop it, you animals!"

None of the villagers could approach the child, knowing they would be riddled with arrows if they dared. However, they did notice Kerry arriving. "A yokai?! I-It doesn't matter right now. Please, you have to help us!" One of the men ran up to the Hornet. "We were running for Terauchi Temple. The bridge looked safe, but the Varjans were in the ravine! They started shooting from below!" He explained the situation. "The child is my son, and my old father tried to save him but got killed. The Varjans are using my boy as bait! Please, you have to do something!"

A bit of scouting revealed that the Varjan archers were not your usual Varjan Warrior in their dark, bulky armor nor were they half-dressed, half-sane Brigands. No, these were simpler soldiers wearing chainmail and gambesons - Varjan Footmen armed with bows. They were all over the ravine, stationed in different parts of both the cliffs. They shot arrows continuously at the child to keep him immobile, while also keeping watch for anyone who tried to cross the bridge.

Kerry will need to be careful. Should she assault one position of the Varjan Footmen, the others are bound to see and possibly finish off the child. They were also spread apart far enough that they can pepper the Hornet with arrows as she spends time getting to each of them, even with her speed. If she wanted, Kerry can head back to the temple to request the assistance of another.

"Keep crying, boy! Your family has abandoned you! Hehehaha!"

---

When Liliana reached the shipyard in the west by dusk, the warrior Fairy saw that it was completely overtaken by the Varjan invaders. Warriors in dark and spiky armor patrolled the docks while Brigand and Footman grunts carried boxes and crates from their bloodily decorated ships. Speaking of the Varjan vessels, they filled the shipyard to the brim and Liliana saw dozens more awaiting their turn on the docks.

"Come on! Get those boxes over here faster! Bark, bark, bark!" Liliana heard a single male voice giving orders to the Varjans. "Haha! Get it? I'm 'barking' orders, hahaha! NOW, MOVE IT!"

The confident, but annoying, voice belonged to a person that stood out from the rest of the Varjans. He was dressed in black, not in armor but in a long coat with similarly-colored wrappings and belts. His face was hidden behind a combination of wrappings, a mouthguard and a pair of red-lens goggles. Liliana saw his weapons strapped in his hips, a pair of katanas. Was he a local? He did not appear to be one, so perhaps he just liked the designs.

The amount of enemy forces were staggering, and possibly too much for one warrior Fairy. However, maybe she could at least gather info about this mysterious substance and possibly disrupt the operation just a bit. The setting sun made the shadows darker and even made some of the Varjans light their torches for illumination. Liliana can use the encroaching darkness to her advantage.

After this endeavor, she could ask her allies back in the temple for some help in clearing the Varjans and liberating the shipyard. That would prevent the Varjan fleet from docking here and force them to find another place to land.

"I already changed my appearance and gave up my color just so I could show up here. I am NOT leaving empty-handed! Even if I have to push drugs, a plan that didn't work out last time!"

---

Alice found the musician in one corner of the temple grounds. He stood out from the rest of the refugees, his little spot being minimal yet well-kept. He only had a single mat to him compared to everyone who had, at least, one tent. He was fair-skinned, hair that was short and white and wore black and blue robes. In his hands was a simple string instrument that he fiddled with.

Noticing Alice's arrival, he perked up. "Ah, a yokai from the taskforce. Greetings." He put down his instrument to properly talk to Alice. "I am Katsuhiro. A humble musician and storyteller, and a source of simple but needed entertainment for the people of Shizuyama in these trying times." He then frowned. "However, even I am not exempt from the violence that currently engulf our island."

"You see, I was part of a group that was heading here. However, we were ambushed on the way." Katsuhiro said. "But not by Varjans, but by our own people! People that I, sadly, recognize. They were warriors who practiced 'The Heavenly Strike' technique, students of the legendary Kenshiro. They had joined forces with the Varjans, using the technique in service of the invaders."

"Oh, wait. You probably have no idea what I am speaking about. Here, I shall tell you the tale."



"While a few of us escaped, the others were killed or captured. I saw a small Varjan war camp near the ambush point so the prisoners were probably taken there." Katsuhiro continued. "Please, yokai. You must stop these warriors lest their betrayal hurt more people."




The trip back to the temple was uneventful. Quick, too, since Takeshi was offered a horse to ride along with Kikyo and her forces. Of course, no horse was spared for Lunatea who was expected to keep up anyway thanks to her monster physiology.

But something surprising happened, Takeshi insisted that Lunatea join him in his horse. The others were perplexed, especially Kikyo, but Takeshi reasoned that it was the least they could do for saving the his life in the battle in Sanjo Beach. Kikyo and her forces accepted Takeshi's decision, probably only because he was the heir of the ruling Oja clan.

On the way, it was mostly Takeshi and Kikyo who conversed. The young Oja mostly recounted the events leading to Sanjo Beach and what became of his father after that battle. Kikyo, meanwhile, was on a monster-clearing mission when they received the news of the Varjan fleet nearing Shizuyama and journeyed back as fast as they could. They were too late to participate in Sanjo Beach, of course, but Takeshi assured them that it was better that they lived.

Thanks to their coversation, Lunatea learned in detail that the Varjans, in behalf of the Order, demanded tithe from Shizuyama to help the war effort against the Order's enemies. Shizuyama rejected the demands again and again, even when threatened, until Varjo made good with their threats when their fleet appeared to finally invade and subjugate the island by force.





In a couple of hours, the group reached Terauchi Temple. Surrounded by trees of gold-colored leaves, the walled temple contained several buildings including the pagoda. The horses' hooves clopped at the stone path and alerted everyone in the temple, if they haven't seen the group already. The villager refugees all gathered to see the mounted warriors and were overjoyed to see warriors of Shizuyama, proudly entering the temple. They rushed to greet their more familiar defenders.

Takeshi was greeted with the most fanfare. Men and women, young and old, all were glad that the son of Hideo Oja was well and mostly unscathed. His presence and safety inspired hope, that Shizuyama still stood despite the overwhelming forces of Varjo and maybe even a chance to throw the invaders back to where they came from.

After the many greetings, Kikyo left with her forces to settle them somewhere near Terauchi Temple as the grounds were already occupied by the refugees. That left Takeshi with Lunatea whom he helped get off his horse. "It's been a long day, huh?" He let out a deep exhale. "At least we didn't run into much trouble with Kikyo. Hopefully, the others are the same." Speaking of the rest of the taskforce, it seemed some of them were around here in the temple.

"Hey, listen. I know that pretty much nobody likes your kind in this island so I'll be honest, don't expect any gratitude coming from them." Takeshi said to Lunatea. "But you can expect it from me. I won't forget what you and the taskforce did and are currently doing. Know that I am in your debt."

"Now with that outta the way, got any plans next?"

(Hey guys, I sorry if I have not posted, I was worried about godmodding and messing up the story and what not. I will post as soon as. )

@PaulHaynek
Now that they had decided on returning to the temple, Lunatea readied herself for the journey. She saw them climbing their horses; a typical thing humans did whenever they wanted to travel fast. Some monsters had no need of horses as they could run just as fast, or even faster, than the beast of burden. However, she was no such monster. She could probably keep up with them for a minute or two but her stamina would quickly give and she would fall behind. After all, she was a scholar. She never really exercised her body to possess stamina akin to an oni.

She was about to open her mouth to complain about her lack of means of travel before Takeshi invited her on top of his. This naturally took the monster girl by surprise. Was he serious? He knew his lover was right there. Why would he invite another girl to ride with him? She could easily imagine all the things she could do to tease him.

And then, he gave his reasoning. It was to repay the life debt he had incurred from her saving him.

Silly human.

“Well, if you insist,” she replied. “Hope you don’t regret this later.”

She didn’t need his help on climbing the beast. She simply jumped on top of the horse, her skirt fluttering in the process, flashing all the men that were there. And when she sat down, the dress had ridden up, showing off her black panties and bunny tail shamelessly to anyone who rode behind her.

On the road, the bunny girl listened to the conversation between Takeshi and Kikyo. From it, she learned how the Varjans demanded tithe on behalf of the Order before the invasion.

She scoffed. She always believed the Order to be a misguided organization, or an evil one at their worst. This revelation only added another reason why she thought that way.

Arriving at Terauchi Temple, they were given a hero’s welcome. The refugees all cheered for Takeshi and Kikyo, lighting up their candle of hope that the invaders would soon be driven out of the island.

Not for her though. Nope. She was a monster after all.

Lunatea accepted Takeshi’s help on dismounting their horse (even though she didn’t really need it). Her skirt once again fluttered on her way to the ground, flashing the young man for a microsecond.

“Don’t mention it.” She folded her hands below her chest when she replied to his words. “I am not some gloryhound that seeks praise and affirmation from others. I’m helping you because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Hmm, since you insisted on us resting, I think I might just take a nap somewhere. You can wake me up once it’s time to eat.”

As if to emphasize her declaration, she let out a yawn, covering her mouth with one hand and stretching her arm with the other.

“You should take a rest too, Takeshi. Prepare yourself for what comes next. I’m sure we still have a lot of fights ahead of us.”

With those words, she left the swordsman, making her way into the temple building. Now the big question would be whether she could find a secluded spot she could use for said nap.

@AzureKnight

Prior to flying off, Liliana was interrupted by one of the swordsmen of this land, who seemed to have pretty good manners when it came to treating mamono with respect instead of fear. "Oh, thanks for the greeting! I was really surprised that most people were avoiding me like the plague...nice to see someone isn't scared of fairies around here, she said, seeming to not understand that she likely looked like a will-o-the-wisp in daylight. Albeit, a pink bubbly sparkly one. The fairy hadn't paid much attention to who this "Grimgor" was, but proudly puffed her chest out while putting her hands on her own hips. "Everybody underestimates fairies up until they have ivy coming out of their nostrils. Anyways, got bad guys to beat up~"

---

The fairy would go her merry way after responding to Kannazuki, more than ready to beat up a couple of guys...only to find that there were a lot more than a couple of guys waiting there. And this so-called "Fatal Pulse" was barking orders, surrounded by as many guards as there were people back in the village. It was definitely more than she could handle alone, and was frankly wishing more of her fellow Bladeflowers were here for a swarm attack. Alas, she was alone, outgunned, and out-flower-power'd, and that meant only one thing:

Running away as soon as the jig was up. But it currently wasn't up, so the little fairy would do her best to keep from fluttering about in the dark, keeping her body hidden behind crates and eavesdropping to find out what she could. Then, and only then, would she utilize her sword's offense magical to (hopefully) blow this operation to kingdom come! ...Or, just randomly summon a cow, because at some point in time the World Tree decided that was a very important spell. "Come on Whimsy, luck be a fairy tonight..." she thought, ready to channel the spell and cause some mayhem and get out of there. Since she imagined the humans would want the shipyard back at some point, she would turn her (potentially) destructive magic towards the ships. Ideally, Magma would make quick work of those ships, but a gigantic boulder would also do the trick.

Or maybe if the Varjans were deathly allergic or afraid of cows that could work too.

@PaulHaynek@AzureKnight

Skarsneek of the Red Hill

His plan was calculated but it sure didn't considered that the other might have known his game plan too.

So Skarsneek was left dangerously precarious as the sword swung downwards, ready to strike him in half.

Or would have, if she didn't divert her strike to the sides before it was knocked aside by another hit. The sword clattered to the sides as Sorae finally caught onto them.

"Thanks. I would've won still but thanks." Skarsneek rubbed the back of his neck before moving to the fallen warriors, took one of their hakama before ripping it to thin shreds and looked for additional ropes as he left Sorae to her questions first.

Then before the informant can escape, or thought too, Skarsneek would come back and immediately bind her ankles first before moving to the thighs, arm, hands and finally, a gag to the mouth made with cloth to prevent the latter from biting her tongue. The way he tied it too was one that was complex, tight, and most of all, embarrassing to look at. As if she was trussed up like a chicken.

"Hmm? This? Why question her here when we can go back to the temple and do it." Skarsneek said, not really caring if Sorae had finished her questions or investigation. He then tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried her easily like a hunter bringing back his prey. "Besides, your Lord Takeshi probably wants to know this as well. Who knows, maybe after they killed you, they'll frame ya as the traitor or something."

"They also betrayed you, them betraying Takeshi also isn't that far-fetched." He pointed out before adding more. "They could be colluding with Varjan for all we know. So just leave the interrogating to me! I'm somewhat of an expert at it."

Well, sort of. The interrogation he does was...unorthodox but it usually works.

With that said, Skarsneek swung around and headed outside before giving a sly wink to Atsuha. "Good job, let's have some fun when we get back, okay?"

"You too, Hinami, nice work." Skarsneek raised a hand for her to slap.

---

Gringor of the Ironhide Tribe

@AzureKnight

"Or desperate, if boss-lady Kyoko is getting this rabble." He waved his hand and stated his opinion on the matter, wondering just where the other stronger mamono were.

@The Irish Tree

On hearing the fairy comments, Gringor rolled his shoulders. "Then come and do it, let's see how strong a git is."

Still, before he can get a conclusive answer, the fairy flew away. With that, he too continued his own journey, wandering the forest aimlessly as he looked for a clearing.

This grated his patience as the day turned to dark, even with his eyes, it was still dark for him.

Then he found a clearing but he frowned as he sniffed the air, if the smell was an indication then the torch being lit there wasn't assuring.

Hiding amongst the bushes and shadows, he peered and approached the clearing carefully. Controlling his breath even and laid low, always keeping himself upwind so his scent and pheromones won't be picked up by them.

There was Varjans but dressed in fur clothing instead of the heavy armors, that had him dismissed them since he can take them on. The ones that did took his heavy interest was the fully robe figures. At first, they looked like those sneaky bois but on closer look, they're floating.

Shamans? And five of them? Gringor mused with annoyance, resisting the urge to clicked his tongue at the prospect of dealing with magic. Not to mention the numbers disadvantage.

Thinking on it further, what were they doing here? Are they here to track the sneaky ones as well?

With a cunning realization, he supposed that he can wait until they found them instead. Saves him far more time doing the searching and energy as well while giving him a prime chance to strike them while they're turned away.

So with that, Gringor settled down and stalked his prey. Never getting too close as he picked a rock the size of his fist. At least he might knock one out before they can open their mouth to cast anything.

Hisako walked through the town looking for something that would interest her. Cold icy vapours escaped her body as she moved and she had to keep herself cool. She saw a few children running past her. A smile lit upon her face as she loved children and somehow thought and yearning for her own one day.

She stopped her thoughts and greeted the elderly people who first greeted her. She began to converse with the people, getting to know them more.

After a lengthy conversation, she was on her way too look out for her interests until a kid screamed. A man had the kid's mother in a headlock with a knife attached to her throat, threatening to kill her. It was nothing more than a mere bandit.

Hisako turned her body into an ice circle moved until she was behind the bandit and coldly whispered alluring words, making the bandit drop his knife and letting the mother of the child go.

The bandit turned to her, his face red with excitement. She then ran off to a secluded area and the bandit followed. The bandit ran into a dead end. Hisako appeared behind him, with scythe in hand. She decapitated the bandit, then froze the body. The body then exploded as she clicked her fingers.

"It would be better if bandits never existed" She said softly sighing before returning to her interests.

@PaulHaynek @Hammerman

Shizuka was about to protest Gringor's antagonism against Lilliana, when it seemed that the latter remained unfazed by it as she made her way off to her quest. Gringor made a huff as he went off on his. Sighing a bit, Shizuka hoped there'd be no conflict among the team members, it was bad enough having to deal with the natives.

Hearing horses coming on the horizon, Shizuka sees that Takeshi-dono and Luna-san have returned with his childhood friend Kikyo in tow. That's good, he thought, strangely relieved that he was able to reunite with her. He walked over to them as they descended from their horses.

"Well met you two!" He began. "I see your mission was a success. Here at the temple, we ran into some…complications but things have worked themselves out."

Looking them over, he noticed their clothes were rather battered. "I hope things didn't get too hectic out there, you guys look pretty winded!" He said, realizing they'll probably notice the bloodied tear on his clothes.

Luna made a tired yawn and proclaimed she was going to nap until dinner, not surprising, all things considered.

"Well Luna-san, you've certainly earned it. Also, wanted to mention that a few new members have joined us in the fight. They're off helping out the locals; once they return we'll eat and plan our next move. Until then, rest well."

He then turned to Lord Takeshi. "Have you heard any word about your father? The other taskforce members should be returning with more of your allies soon, then we can plan a proper rescue strategy."

---

@PaulHaynek @Restalaan

Atsuha couldn't completely contain her monstrous instincts; she licked her lips and let loose a menacing sneer as she ensnared her prey. The bandits shouted and struggled in a vain attempt to escape her webbing. However, her webs were more fine and durable than materials given to imperial samurai. With no hope of breaking free, the ofuda soon drained away any stamina the brigands had left. With only one bandit left to face the younger sister, Hinami easily dispatches him with her 3 hit combo. He was disarmed and knocked unconscious in one fell swoop.

"Thank you nee-san, but I could've handled that alone." Hinami said in an oddly cold tone. Atsuha chose not to say anything in response to her sister's sudden callousness, only looking at her with worried eyes.

A sudden voice had taken the sisters by surprise, which was revealed to belong to Sorae? How long was she there, was she watching from the shadows? Atsuha was surprised that she didn't even sense chi up until this point, guess she wasn't herald as a skilled warrior for nothing. Looking at each other for a moment, the sisters followed her into the inn.

Skarsneek also appeared to be victorious, standing over the subdued woman from earlier. He and Sorae then discussed the fate of the woman and her possible connection with the Varjans. Skarsneek made valid points, so the sisters decided not to interject. He then walked over and acknowledged the sisters.

"Fufufu, of course love, but I certainly hope you don't think that a three-way with a dusty dame will fly~" She mused.

Hinami, now calmer, looked at the couple with eyes of perplexity and a bit of curiosity. Then, it suddenly hit her. The two had kept it secret since that night, and due to Hinami's situation she wasn't as attuned to her surroundings as normal. But it seemed that Skarsneek was her apparent new brother-in-law.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as Skarsneek put up his hand for a high-five.

"Oh, uh, hehe. Of course Skars-san, it was nothing." She said, returning his gesture.

"Sorae-san, what do you intend to do from here?" Atsuha asked

@PaulHaynek

By the time Kerry arrived at the bridge, the sun was setting as she took in the situation..... and was filled with shocking horror and hellish fury.

What the actual FUCK!?, she thought to her self as she witnessed the Varjans, hunkering down on the cliffs on one side of the ravine, firing arrow after arrow toward the other side of the ravine, where the villagers stood. What made all of this so cruel and horrifying was that there was a young boy cowering next to a dead body in the middle of the rope bridge, obviously too scared to even move due to the rain of arrows flying around him. Kerry quickly dove toward the villager side of the ravine, landing in front of them and getting straight to the point.

"Name's Kerry. Yes, I'm a yokai. Get over it. What's going on?"

"We were running for Terauchi Temple. The bridge looked safe, but the Varjans were in the ravine! They started shooting from below!" He explained the situation. "The child is my son, and my old father tried to save him but got killed. The Varjans are using my boy as bait! Please, you have to do something!"

"Fucking heartless bastards...", Kerry hissed, beyond outraged that the Varjans would stoop so low as to use an innocent child as bait. She took to the air to get a bigger picture of what she was dealing with....and what she saw wasn't favorable.

Damn, this is bad!, she said to herself, mentally. I can't just go straight for them. They'll see me coming and just shoot the kid at that point. Not to mention they're spread out across the cliffs in such a way that, even if I use the winds to increase my speed, I can't fight them all simultaneously . There's just too many of them to fight one group at a time. I could use one of my more destructive attacks, but that'd be too reckless. I'd take out not only the Varjans, but possibly the damn bridge too, kid along with it. I could go back to the temple and get some more manpower, but it's getting dark and the boy doesn't have a lot of time before the Varjans get bored. So my remaining options would be....

Quickly coming to a decision, Kerry flew toward the middle of the bridge, Dusk and Mort gripped tightly in her hands as she swiped and deflected the incoming arrows. Before any of the Varjans realized the Hornet was coming toward them, she hovered just in front of the child and threw her spears off both sides of the bridge.

Wind Art: Twin Cyclones!

The two spears began to spin rapidly in midair, creating a pair of floating vortexes of high speed air currents. Any arrows the Varjans shot were immediately sucked in by one of the vortexes as the ravine echoed with the sound of howling winds. Yet, through all of the cacophony of noise, Kerry voice could be heard as she screamed at the villagers behind her.

"I CAN'T HOLD THIS FOR LONG! GRAB THE KID NOW!"

@PaulHaynek

Before she checked on the house, Io mulled over the corpses of the fallen. Io selected two fallen Varjan bodies, marking them with necromantic power from a touch and a briefly whispered spell. The spell was a simple reanimation spell, limited in power but quick to form and cast. These undead would only obey simple commands from her and would likely be more of a nuisance than a threat to a warrior; Io instructed them to remain on the ground until they were called by her, or a living person came near them.

It was a simple insurance policy that Io adopted often when possible. While she was perfectly capable of holding her own in a fight, setting up contingencies was almost a second nature to her. While lacking in the artistry that Io would have liked for her necromancy, it was quick, which was unfortunately important when dealing with the affairs of the living.

Io discovered survivors in the nearby house; they were alert enough to find her. There were several unknowns with these survivors, but Io surmised that they were a bit too spent to want to fight her immediately. The thing that concerned Io most was if they were bandits, or honest villagers caught up in the fight - though, something they said about an iron mark also piqued her curiosity.

Io drifted around the house to the entrance, activating one of her tattood spells along the way. It would disguise the pallor of her skin as well as the magical runes on her scrolls, making her appear as a normal (though perhaps oddly dressed) human girl. It was worth a try to not immediately escalate things given the attitude towards monsters. Plus, the appearance of an ordinary human girl had the chance of revealing their true nature. Io considered it just another contingency; the spell to disguise her was simple and easily maintained so it was worth trying.

She warily scanned the entrance as she entered, and softly spoke up as entered the same room as the survivors. "What's going on? Are you all okay?" She feigned a tinge of concern in her voice. "Did the Varjans attack your village too? Should I send for help?"

It was a simple loaded question - if the bandits were likely to be known by locals as bandits, it's likely they would refuse her offer to get help. Not foolproof in telling if they were bandits, but a reasonable question for her to ask in the situation... As far as Io could tell, at least.

@PaulHaynek

Pondering for a moment, Shizuka looked off in the direction Lilliana flew off toward. He felt something was off; it was hard to put into words. He had originally stated that he would wait for the others to return, but he couldn't shake off this odd feeling. He then turned to Ayu.

"Ayu-san, a matter demands my attention and I must be off. I'll return as soon as I can, in the meantime I trust you'll brief the other members on the current state of events in my absence. I'm off to the shipyard."

Finishing his statement, the swordsman instantly vanished in a blur of azure light. A bit of wind blew in the direction he was originally facing, hinting at his intended destination.

---

@The Irish Tree

Wasting no time, he quickly made his way toward the Yagata Shipyard. He sensed he was nearing Lilliana, along with another chi that appeared to be the source of his uncanny agitation. He couldn't place his finger on it, but the energy he felt was somehow...familiar to him.

Upon arriving, he saw the fairy warrior was wisely surveying the area below from a secluded spot. He appeared before her, also assessing the situation.

"Lilliana-san, I hope you don't take my being here a slight against your capabilities. But, there was something that was bothering me..." He said. As he looked below, he too, saw the hooded figure barking orders at the Varjan foot soldiers. He quickly deduced that he was the source of the strange chi.

What is this...sensation...? He said to himself. The feeling he sensed could only be best described as deja vu, as if he met this man before. But, that couldn't be right. No matter how hard he searched his memory, he couldn't recall meeting anyone with his matter of speech and demeanor. But, the feeling was there all the same. He could also sense the man was dangerous, very much so in fact. The swordsman was also suspicious of what was in those crates.

He turned his attention back to Lilliana. "I imagine you were thinking of a way to dismantle this operation without getting cornered by all the guards? Your abilities are currently unknown to me, but I will say that my swordsmanship enables me to take on multiple foes at once. It's not ideal, but I could serve as a distraction while you take out the ships and crates. What mainly worries me is this Fatal Pulse fellow. Something...isn't right about him."

---

---

Unfortunately for Skarsneek, his plans to bind the prisoner for further interrogation back at Terauchi Temple would not come to fruition.

When the male Goblin was away, Sorae's anger could no barely be contained. "There's nowhere to run, you cold-hearted witch. Who are you? Why did you destory Clan Tokinomiya?!" She yelled at the prisoner.

"Forgiveness, Lady Sorae, but I am only a messenger." The prisoner kept her composure.

"For who?!"

"Knowledge will not soothe your pain."

"You know nothing of pain." Sorae seethed. "I watched my family die. One. By one."

"Our world has changed, milady." The prisoner replied, coolly. "Men of vision must rise to face it. And those in the way, and those who stray..." She glanced at Atsuha and Hinami, implying their current relationship with Sorae. "...must be removed."

"THERE WERE CHILDREN!"

With one slash from Sorae's naginata, the prisoner's head rolled into the wooden floor. The stump left behind squirted blood before the body collapsed. None of the taskforce were fast enough to intervene in the sudden execution but the last Tokinomiya seemed to regret this rash decision, covering her face with her free hand. "...She was never going to talk." She remarked, telling herself as much as she told the yokai.

---

Staying hidden and stalking the Varjan search party, Gringor watched as the invaders fruitlessly searched the forest for any trace of their target. However, Gringor was not exactly built to hide and he soon stepped on a dead twig by accident, the crunching noise reverberating across the forest.

All the Varjans' eyes looked to Gringor's direction. They didn't seem to actually see the male High Orc, but that hardly mattered to the robed figures. They raised their arms and their hands soon shot out jets of blue fire at the woods in Gringor's vicinity. The trees and bushes went up in cerulean flame, the heat felt by the High Orc despite some distance from the fire.

However, while the Varjans' attentions were on Gringor's attention as the robed mages continued to spray fire, the male High Orc would glimpse the rearmost of the Varjans get pulled into the grass and spirited away into the darkness.

---

"What's going on? Are you all okay? Did the Varjans attack your village too? Should I send for help?"

Despite the magical disguise, the people inside the house still aimed their weapons at Io. "What the--? A foreigner? Are you Varjan? No... You would not have asked if you were." The Lich's facade was working. They believed Io was human, albeit dressed as an outsider as they had pointed out.

"I do not know what you are doing here, Miss Foreigner, but you should leave as soon as you can. This island is being invaded by vicious Varjans, and I don't think they care who they kill. Even if you're not someone from Shizuyama." The male villager said as the others lowered their weapons. If they were a band of bandits, they were surprisingly hospitable. "Unless, of course, you had one of those 'iron marks'."

"There's a merchant working for the Varjans, you see. They gave him an iron mark." The villager-bandit began. "We tried to take it from him... but he escaped, while his Varjan guards chased us all the way here. Fortunately, we managed to drive them off... at the cost of most of us." He then revealed what this 'iron mark' was. "Whoever carries this mark is free to travel the roads without being stopped by the Varjans."

"Everyone! Look outside! Varjans!"

War cries could be heard coming closer to the house, as well as the angry barks of hounds. Looking outside, an entire group of about seven Brigands were fastly approaching alongside four wolf-like canines with black furs and snarling snouts. The bodies that Io cast a spell upon began to stir, reacting to the incoming Varjans who had yet to notice them. On a closer look, the reanimated corpses had undergone some... changes since Io cast the spell. Like gaining more feminine curves among other things.

"We're finished." The male villager lamented as he and his remaining companions picked up their weapons. "You should leave, Miss Foreigner, while you still can!"

---

"I CAN'T HOLD THIS FOR LONG! GRAB THE KID NOW!"

The fierce winds of Kerry's magical cyclone sucked in any arrows the Varjan Footmen shot at the bridge. Some realized the folly of continuing to fire and halted... for now.

Hearing the Hornet past the strong winds, a couple of the villagers dashed into the bridge to retrieve the hostage boy. Several Varjan Footmen attempted to stop them with arrows, but the projectiles were all swept away by Kerry's magical cyclone. Realizing that their bows were useless and their hostage lost, the Footmen began to climb the ravine in anger. Their rage made their ascent faster, their mouths frothing in bloodthirst.

The villagers had began to flee as soon as they had the child, but they were not fast enough to gain a lot of distance from the bridge. Once the first Footman would complete the climb, he would certainly catch up to the villager group.

---

Liliana's diminutive size, the encroaching night and the large boxes made it easy for her to sneak around the occupied shipyard and listen in on the Varjans. She was joined later by Shizuka, the swordsman having a talent in staying hidden too.

"Boss, Lord Serek'uar is asking if you actually know what the plan is." One of the Varjan Brigands asked the dark-attired 'Fatal Pulse'. "He just wants to make sure and all."

"Uggghhh, doesn't he know that despite my track record, I'm pretty reliable?" 'Fatal Pulse' whined like a spoiled brat. "Yeah, yeah, I know what the plan is. Get the drugs up and running, give them to the locals so they either become too high to resist or get addicted enough to pledge service to Varjo to get more of the durgs. Everyone wins, and I get paid. Hopefully not with durgs."

"What's this stuff called again? 'Nolkro'?"

"You got that right, random Varjan Brigand. Saw it in a... a play! Yeah, saw it in a play once. You should go see it. Y'know, if you survive this whole Shizuyama ordeal."

With the information gathered, Liliana and Shizuka made their way near the ships docked on the yard before the warrior fairy cast her whimsy magic upon the unwitting vessels. The spell that came out was...

Blade Storm

The magic from Liliana's Whimsy Blade summoned countless magical swords that began to rain on the shipyard. The Varjans panicked and fled, dropping whatever they were doing in order to seek shelter from the raining blades. Those struck by the magical swords had their strengths quickly sapped, falling to the ground unconscious. The boxes that were hit, meanwhile, spilled its Nolkro contents; featureless milk-colored powder. Its seemingly innocent appearance concealing its harmful true nature.

Try as she may, Liliana could not find 'Fatal Pulse' anymore. Regardless, she had--

*WHACK*

Two well-placed, flying kicks sent the warrior Fairy and the azure swordsman flying into a nearby warehouse and into some boxes of Nolkro. From the bits of spilled powder near them, Liliana and Shizuka found that the Nolkro smelled like smoke and ash. Liliana's monstrous physiology protected her from the drug's addictive effects. The same could not be said for Shizuka who was already feeling his nerves being stimulated.

Approaching them from the warehouse entrance was 'Fatal Pulse' himself. "If I knew I was dealing with a Fairy, I'd have brought a flyswatter. But it looks like she came with a friend who looks like someone I only mildly like." He said as he pulled out his dual swords. "Not sure how you managed to rain down swords on my parade, but I'm certainly gonna rain on yours."

But before anyone could make a move, a Brigand with a lit torch barged in. "Hey, boss! Who's the cowardly bastard attacking us?!"

'Fatal Pulse' internally panicked for a moment before dousing the Brigand's torch with a swipe of one of his swords. "Whadda hell you doing?! Didn't you listen to the briefing?! Don't bring anything hot near the damn Nolkro!"

---

After leaving the temple grounds and following the directions to the Varjan war camp, Alice came upon a wide wood bridge with three figures apparently waiting there for her. The three men were clearly of Shizuyama, wearing dark blue and white robes with their katanas sheathed and strapped to their hips. Upon her arrival, one of them took a step forward to address the Mad Hatter.

"So you're the one that took up that stupid musician's plea for help. Foolish mushroom, you've sealed your doom." The warrior said to Alice. "Indeed, we know you're after us and the Heavenly Strike technique. Why don't we show you a... firsthand demonstration?"

The three warrior men pulled out their blades and quickly attempted to surround Alice and waited for her first move. Their stances were ready and solid, Alice would need to be wary of their defense. That, and their legendary 'Heavenly Strike' technique.

---

There was a good spot under a tree within the temple for Lunatea to take a nap on. It had good shade to shield the rabbit girl from the dipping sun and was far enough from the villager refugees that their noises would be too faint to bother Lunatea. Although, she could not help but hear the conversation of two passing male refugees slowly carrying water buckets.

"Pretend you're... What'd they call him? The Varjan Commander... Serek'uar! Say you're Serek'uar, and you just took over Castle Oja. What's the first thing you do?"

"I don't know. Maybe, raid the food stores? I bet Lord Oja has preserved mackerel stored away. Noodles. And octopus!"

"Oh, and sake! Lord Oja looks a drinker, hahaha! I'd drink him dry, eat my fill then wipe my butt on Clan Oja's banner, hehehe."

"Shhh, IF you were Serek'uar."

"R-Right, IF I was Serek'uar. Heh..."

-

Lunatea then finally had her nap, lasting until nighttime. She woke up with Takeshi standing over her, two bowls of steamed rice in his hands. "Heh, good morning." He greeted the rabbit girl. "Just kidding, it's just night and here's dinner." He offered one of the rice bowls. "Not gonna lie, people are kind of suspecting me for being just sort of friends with you. It's... a little disheartening."

"But don't worry, I'm no fool. I know we can't get anywhere if we don't work together." Takeshi finished. "Err, but at least they're willing to fight alongside you for the time being. At least I am. Just look for me around the temple if I'm around if you want me to join any of your excursions."

*Takeshi Oja is now available to be invited into all the Tales. If uninvited to any, he will simply rest in the current home base*

@PaulHaynek

Skarsneek of the Red Hill Tribe

He was all ready to truss a lady up before he came back and was treated to a gruesome sight of a lady's head falling off alongside blood spurting outwards. Then a moment later, the headless body fell down to the ground without any fanfare.

Skarsneek impassive face looked to the head, then body, and finally Sorae as she had the gall to look ashamed of her actions. Even mentioning that the woman won't talk.

Moving normally, Skarsneek tossed the rags to the sides and was about to walk past Sorae but not before he gave a piece of his mind.

Slapping her rear far harder than necessary to leave a mark behind and at a purposeful angle meant for a shock right up to the spine.

He ran his hands through his hair before letting out a long, exasperated sigh. Veins popping at his arms, fingers tremblings, body tense enough that he shook visibly alongside a reddening face and eyes.

"She." Skarsneek's foot twisted as he snapped backward with a finger pointed accusingly to Sorae. "Was mine to do. Not yours."

"Your ass owes me one." He stated, not demanded, as he closed his fist towards her. "And I'll have it."

With that, Skarsneek decided to drop that topic. The woman lost her family and children, so he'll excuse it. Heck, he might even do worse if she was in her situation.

But that was still breaking his agreement with her and that can't slide.

"Let's go. Takeshi will definitely want to know this information." Skarsneek closed his eyes before moving out, not really caring at this point. There were other ways and many more people they can convert over time. "Maybe others actually caught someone useful."

Besides, if the local Shizuyamans colluding and undermining their own? That meant they had even less of an advantage than before. Who knows just how much information on defenses, maps, geography, logistics, and important people was exposed. Never mind infiltrators and local support are now questionable at best or outright malignant at worse.

@AzureKnight

As he walked past the sisters, he protectively pulled them away from the sight of the headless body. Not really wanting them to see the grim reality of the situation, this was often the result of the war between Varjans and others so he was experienced in it.

He'll have to keep an eye out for the two, Skarsneek can only pray they're made of harder stuff.

Oh who's he kidding, wars like this are never easy even on the hardest of people.

This is why he hates Varjan and the conflicts they're involved in.

---

Gringor of the Ironhide Tribe

Moving quietly, Gringor watched as the Varjan part failed in locating the target any more than he did.

Annoyance built but he pushed it down with an iron clamp. He just needed to wait till they exhaust themselves-

Crack.

Gringor eyes twitched as he didn't need to see what he just stepped on, and in these quiet woods, it might as well be loud as a thunder.

True enough, the shamans turned around and loose a gout of blue fire towards his general vicinity.

Picking speed he quickly dashed towards the sides, rolled and shoved whatever was in his way in an effort to get out of the firing line. Its heat was felt even from afar and he had not interested in testing if his iron-like skin can take it just as well as actual iron can.

Hissing and grunting, he struck back by tossing the rock in his hand towards the mage. Hard enough to crack and send someone unconscious as it might as well be launched from a crossbow.

Throughout it all, Gringor made an effort to scramble for any large rocks, branches or any object of similar weight that he can toss back. Any normal Varjans that caught it directly would crumble but he doubt it'll do anything against the shamans, adding his annoyance to magic even more.

In between, Gringor eyes caught something off. Just barely there as he counted the number of Varjans and true enough, there was less of them than they started.

His eyes snapped to one particular guard at the furthest and away from the group, knocked off his feet then pulled into the long grass.

Found you. Gringor eyes narrowed, finally discovering his quarry.

This meant he can finally do what he do best.

Adding more to the chaos, Gringor suck in the air and bellowed out like a beast. The very roar echoed forward as Gringor stole their attention completely. Turning to the sides, a swift swing of his axe chopped a thin tree down and it was pushed forward towards the group of Varjans.

Charging forward, Gringor knew that there was only a single moment that he has to make it in time. The very earth was dug upwards as his foot bit deeply, leaving an imprint before he went forward.

Then leaping upwards to the falling tree, he walked on top of it like it was a balancing log and scaled it forward. Using the falling tree to mask his presence as he closed the distance rapidly between him and the Varjans.

Once close enough, he'll leap off from it with his axe raised. Intent on slamming down into the mages at full force and tear them apart with his axe.

"WAAAGH!!!" Eyes wide and frenzied, Gringor unleashed all his fury forward.

"Well met you two!" He began. "I see your mission was a success. Here at the temple, we ran into some…complications but things have worked themselves out."

"Glad to hear that," Lunatea replied once she descended from her horse. "Our mission went quite smoothly as well."

Looking them over, he noticed their clothes were rather battered. "I hope things didn't get too hectic out there, you guys look pretty winded!" He said, realizing they'll probably notice the bloodied tear on his clothes.

"Well, we did end up in a fight with the Varjans. And it was quite a difficult fight, owing to the fact that they had a warlock on their side."

"And I see that you were in a fight yourself," she continued, eyeing his clothes. "You should take a rest."

"New members?" She raised her eyebrows. "I suppose we could use reinforcements... though I wonder why they arrived here so late."

@PaulHaynek@AzureKnight
It didn't take long for Lunatea to find the napping spot she desired. A great and thick tree that provided ample shade as well as gentle wind that blew to provide cooling to her skin. And the best part was that it was far enough from the refugees that she wouldn't be disturbed by their noises.

Still, on her way there, she couldn't help but to overhear on a certain conversation a pair of villagers were having.

Serek'uar, huh? I'll keep that in mind.

Arriving at the tree, she sat down, resting her back on the thick trunk, before closing her eyes.

-

When she opened them back, it was already nighttime.

And Takeshi was standing in front of her, with a warm rice bowl in his hand.

"Oh. Hello. And good night, I suppose."

She readily took the rice bowl off his hand.

"Yes, that is unfortunate," she replied matter-of-factly. "They simply fear what they don't understand."

She took a bite off the rice. With her hand. She didn't know how to use chopsticks.

"Thank you. For the meal. It's delicious."

@PaulHaynek

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me...", Kerry hissed to herself as she saw the villagers, while being swift in getting on the bridge to rescue the boy, weren't as quick to getting off the bridge, with Varjans scaling up the cliff face in pursuit no less. As she witnessed this, Kerry had another idea on to how take care of these enemies for good. It would greatly exhaust her, but it should bring this battle to a close.

The Hornet put her plan into action by flying upward, still channeling her magic as the two cyclones filled with swirling arrows followed her. Once at her desired height, she took one of her vortexes and, in a sweeping motion, clenched her fist, causing the cyclone to burst and send all of the arrows the Varjans fired back at them. Not bothering to see the aftermath, Kerry quickly dove down, the last cyclone of arrows trailing behind her. As she passed underneath the bridge, Kerry pointed the vortex off to her side and slowly clenched her other fist, firing back the arrows at the Varjans that were climbing up the ravine. When the last arrow flew, she flew upward and landed on the villager's side of the ravine with Dusk and Mort flying back into her hands, planting one of them into the ground to lean into for support as she panted from the exertion of her maneuver.

"Next time.....I'm bringing a buddy.", Kerry commented out loud, getting her breath back as she looked across the ravine, hoping her attack had done the trick.

@AzureKnight

Just when Liliana was ready to scout and sneak, she'd be surprised by that nice Shizuyaman coming all this way out to help her. Beaming, the fairy would say: "So long as you don't get caught, you can definitely help out! Oh, but if we're sharing secret special moves, mine's sorta like rolling dice..." the fairy would proudly brandish her sword, barely as long as a dagger in her teeny state. "I can do all sorts of magic, just never the EXACT one I want. The sword sorta...w-well anyways, I'm sort of a magician, sort of a swordsman, and definitely a fairy knight. And if that Fatal Pulse guy is giving you bad vibes, we can team up and take him down if it comes to that!"

Such was her hope at least, learning much with Shizuka's surprising sneakiness. So, it seemed that the plan was for the Varjans to distribute drugs to the populace and swoop in while they were all high. Which um...Liliana had to admit, was definitely an evil plan. Evil, but maybe not the smartest since the mere sight of the strange white powder in those crates made her want to avoid touching it no matter what. Did humans really like eating powdery white stuff to feel funny? ...Then again, there were those toads she kept catching people licking in the woods.

........Humans were weird!

---

A seemingly never-ending stream of ghostly blades would assault one of the Varjan ships, spectral mana-sapping blades striking harmlessly at the soldiers while draining their energy and cutting apart the wooden structures surrounding them. Liliana was also smug as hell, having used her Size Trick to make sure the spell's swords weren't toothpick sized. "Now, let's get out of here while they have their pants-"

WHAM!

Both her and Shizuka had been caught off guard by Fatal Pulse's speed, able to sneak up and surprise the two with a kick. Knocked into a barrel, Liliana would roll over it and grit her teeth, a mean bump on her head from hitting something. As she rose, she felt a sense of dizziness wash over her as well...and a feeling of something warm and wet on the back of her head. Yep. That's blood. The great bladeflower had just been kicked like a can and beaten up by a crate. Holding her sword in both her hands, the fairy would look at Fatal Pulse and keep focused. "You should have used your fancy human swords if you wanted to swat this fairy,"

While the powder had no effect on her, she couldn't help but notice that something was wrong with her ronin friend. ...Was just touching it enough to cause problems in humans? Liliana cursed their bad luck at getting thrown into an enclosed space as well, since she couldn't just fly away carrying Shizuka. The only way out was through Fatal Pulse...and apparently this powder stuff didn't play nice with fire.

Powder + Fire = Boom we die.

The numbers didn't lie, and they spelled DISASTER at the shipyard. Enough so that Liliana would have to end this fight as quickly as she could. With sword in hand she would channel once more, targeting herself with the blade's magic and orienting it towards Support. If she was lucky, maybe she could take Fatal Pulse out before he knew what hit him.

Letting out a battlecry as a well of arcane energy emerged from the sword, Liliana would hold it aloft as nature's bounty provided a complex looking summoning glyph manifesting, a gate opening to summon a power the likes of which the world has never known, but must fear.

Its flesh was pure and pearl-colored, with splotches of shadows in place upon it. Its form was massive, easily outstripping every man in the shipyard. Its hooves thundered with the force of a thousand men. Its stomachs, all four of them, hungered for destruction!

Standing before Fatal Pulse and his men was nothing more, and nothing less...than a standard farm cow. In the monetary confusion this would cause, Liliana would slap the cow's behind and cause it to moo loudly, running forward straight at Fatal Pulse while she picked Shizuka up, supporting him with her arm under his. "Let's get out of this warehouse before some other idiot blows it up," she whispered, hustling to try and escape in the confusion before Fatal Pulse learned whether he was stronger than a stampeding cow.

Or before she died of embarrassment that her sword would do this NOW of all times.

Io cocked her head at the description of the mark. A sign of collaboration? Such information would be useful for the locals, both to protect themselves as well as find those who had sold out Shizuyama. But before she could get more details, reinforcements arrived. They were faster than Io thought they'd be.

Io noted the change in her resurrected zombies - Io wasn't sure if she was the cause of that or something else. She would have to peruse her memories, as it had been a decent amount of time since she used that specific flavor of spell, and she had an awful lot of memory built up over her wanderings. Either way, she didn't mind the change. The form was much more appealing than their original one, so if anything it was an improvement in her mind.

Still, the ones she raised wouldn't stand up against that number of enemies. She would have to support them. She grabbed her grimoire, the pages flipping wildly on their own to a specific page. Despite being written in ancient runes, it was a spell that many mages knew well: a bolt of lightning. It wasn't her forte of necromantic spells, but it was too useful to ignore. "That many will not be an issue. Please stay inside."

Stepping outside, Io faced the incoming Varjans. Holding her hand forward, a magical circle quickly formed, and with a crack of thunder the lightning arced towards the frontmost Varjan brigand, jumping to the next one, and the next, striking several at once. For a brief moment, the entire field was lit up with the lightning.

Io picked the spell for a few reasons - Obviously it would arc between metal equipment, but the crack of thunder might also scare away their hounds unless they were particularly well trained. And of course, the possibility of stunning them rather than killing them meant Io could round them up... Which had plenty of applications. Stopping their charge with a flashy attack would also give her resurrected minions a chance to ambush the Varjans as well.

"Is this it, then," Alice asks, taking up Carroll in both hands; his parasitization started to creep up her left arm like a plant setting root. His roots dug in deep, claiming the whole of her arm. However, in contrast, a tangle of messy roots spilled over from Alice's right hand, and reverse parasitized him, selfsame, from his pommel to the base of his blade.

Because a Mad Hatter was already a creature corrupted by a parasite, Carroll couldn't just stake a claim on the body with ease, and Alice couldn't, instinctively, allow his transgression.

Thus, their symbiotic relationship held instinctive evenness.

"Don't underestimate them. They stand firm. They will neither buckle nor bow, if you approach them without intent to kill," Carroll says. "So, throw all notions of kindness to the wind, and breathe..."

Alice nodded, and breathed in, and out, in steady measure...

In her hands, she held Carroll like a rank amateur; her two-handed grip absolutely clumsy on a one-handed axe - she'd garner more power upon her swing, sure, but her control was halved with the additional arm, and her range was quartered in addition. In mechanical terms, she went from a Standard Action to Full-round Action, from a Range of 5-feet to Range of 0-feet, and all for an increase of Damage plus Strength to Damage plus Strength-1/2.

However, there was a reason for that. Alice was built for Close-quarters Combat, due to her racial advantages. Mad Hatters were a walking plague of perversion, and their bodies where made firm by the colonization of the parasitic mushrooms from the cap they wore; which, in turn, generated new spores for parasitic breeding that were expelled as large clouds or copiously salivated to infect normal men and women - making the men more susceptible to their wiles, and women more willing to be turned into Matango.

In time, a Mad Hatter could take over entire villages by simply breathing - such was the madness of Wonderland.

However, Lady Kyouko's most dearest wish of her was likely for her to not do that again without explicit permission.

Unfortunately, this was combat, and she was alone, so that was a wish she couldn't grant...

"Haaa..." Alice exhaled an almost invisible cloud of spores.

"It's three-on-one, so take them on one-by-one, and keep that in mind," Carroll says. "Don't divide your attention unnecessarily."

"Understood! Let's go, Carroll!"Alice says, dashing forward to her nearest for, counting on her spores to have set him off-balance.