@PaulHaynek@Nakushita@Rezod92@Dark Cloud

Skarsneek of the Red Hills

With that in mind, the four man team set out for their mission.

From afar, it looked peaceful and idyllic with the river. A real picturesque scenery as Skarsneek mused to himself.

Though that was soon broken when a kid approached them desperately, sweat, tears and out of breath as he panted out his plea to them.

"Don't worry." He patted the kid assuredly on the head and marched forward as he spied for any Varjans with narrowed eyes. "We'll get them."

Listening to the others, Skarsneek hummed for a moment as he quickly made a plan.

"We’ll do that but I am better when they don’t know I am there. You distract them first and do your thing, I’ll close in and sock them from behind." He detailed the plan further as he agreed on Kerry's course of action, simple but also allowing plenty of freedom in between.

Carefully staying out of sight, he finally caught sight of the Varjans and blinked a few times, these were different. Unlike the brigands, armored soldiers and knights, and champions, this was a new batch of unknowns to him. The footmen with bows was also another factor.

Hmm. A bonfire burnt brightly, something that he had a sinking suspicion but if that was the case. Then there was only one thing to do.

Skarsneek brought one of his clubs upwards. Seeing the house, and spying on a fishing net. He grinned as an idea popped in his head. Quickly moving, he grabbed the net and waited for Kerry to strike first before he’ll toss the net over to the blue-looking guys. Those looked the most dangerous out of the bunch.

---

Gringor of the Ironhide tribe

Gringor blinked multiple times when she just disappeared like that, it was unlike anything he had ever seen or experienced. Every bounty hunters or monster left something, but this was just something else entirely.

So curious was he by this phenomenon that he waved his hand to where Kageho just disappeared out of pure curiosity, Gringor nearly missed her question.

“Nah, he followed. No need to crack his head for now. Strong boi too.” Gringor muttered as he shifted around. “You better show up, or I’ll crack your head for real.”

With that, Gringor felt that he deserved a short rest for now. He had recruited two of the members, and he can prob get more depending on the mission tomorrow. So he headed back to the temple to turn himself in for the night.

When morning broke, Gringor shifted from his position of sleeping against the wall, and axe cradled close to him. Rising and getting the nicks outs by stretching his body, he marched out of the old stable house that he found.

Though from afar, he heard multiple panicked noises which drew his attention and moved steadily towards a tent. His nose caught a familiar scent for warriors long before he was close, making him scowl.

Gringor pushed the flap aside as he observe the wounds and cuts. Taking the small details before constructing how the fight went.

“Hmph, you barely won a scrap at least.” He spoke before leaving the tent, looking towards Takeshi, and told him of his progress. “Got your sneaky boi, she’ll come later.”

Gringor had half a mind to go and see to Nobutada but upon hearing a new presence talking about going on a mission, he turned to see the Spider lady. Alongside the unpleasant scent of that goblin all over her.

Humph. It was unbearable but what she spoke off intrigued him, seems like there's another fight ready to be done.

@AzureKnight

Approaching the two sisters, Gringor nodded to them and cut in without any hesitation. Indicating his interest in joining them, alongside Takeshi. "When we leave?"

Attn: @PaulHaynek, @Hammerman, @AzureKnight

---

---

---

As she was squabbled over as a source of debate, Alice would be sound asleep.

In a sense.

Physically, her body was unconscious, and at rest.

Mentally, Alice was anything but resting...

---

Drip. Drop.

It's wet here; dark. It likes the wet. It likes the dark.

It's warm here; quiet. It likes the warm. It likes the quiet.

It spreads in the wet. It spreads in the dark.

It thrives in the warm. It thrives in the quiet.

My prisoner.

My Queen.

Mad. It is.

Mad. I am.

I am It, and It is I, and so We are; One.

It’s dark here... quiet... warm... wet.

I like it here...

Then, she came; cold, frozen, loud, and bright...

---

"Haaa...~!" Alice gasped, as she sat up, suddenly, and jumped to her feet. Zero warning, as she allowed Carroll to spread across her left arm, and form into a bulky, spiky armor terminating at her neckline with a transformed Carroll in her grasp. "Dare thee to cast thine strange magicks upon me without mine own permission!" Alice asked, her soft, demure voice chilled and matured, “State thine intentions, and do so well, before I give thee leave of thine own head with mine own blade!"

Ratting... no, growling... Carroll dripped liquid flame from his maws, as he seemed to watch the trio of Takeshi, Lunatea, and Atsuha at once with his glowering eyes set deep in formed sockets of gilded bone. "No, no... stay your words... gift us cause...." he snickered, his raspy, deep voice smoothed out.

Despite their presented threat, it was evident enough, Alice - in her current mindset - was being defensive. It was clear from her expression, as well, there was some underlying form of discomfort triggering her aggression.

@PaulHaynek @Dark Cloud @Nakushita @Restalaan (SKA)

"We’ll do that but I am better when they don’t know I am there. You distract them first and do your thing, I’ll close in and sock them from behind."

Kerry nodded in agreement with the revised plan. As the goblin snuck to get ready, she turned back to Yuki and Sam and...

"Sis and I will find those watchamacallits' and get them out of here. Right sis?"

....deadpanned at the obvious tease the little demon just said. The hornet proceeded to ground her fist into the top of Sam as both a joke and a punishment, giving him a short noogie.

"Time and place, Sam. Time and place.", commented Kerry before turning back to see if Skar had gotten in position. Once he had, Kerry took a deep breath before turning back to the duo. "Alright. Remember, you two. Once the fighting starts, you sneak into the house and get the hostages out of there. Let's do this."

Upon finishing her statement, Kerry performed a backflip over the outcropping, wings buzzing to lengthen the distance she traveled. An unfortunate Varjan was designated as her first victim as the hornet's boot made contact with his face, using him a springboard to flip off of and land gracefully while the poor man was sent tumbling back.

"What's good, fellas!?", Kerry loudly taunted, a smug look on her face and Dusk pointed at her opponents. Who wants an ass whoopin', courtesy of a sexy badass!?"

"What's good, fellas!? Who wants an ass whoopin', courtesy of a sexy badass!?"

The Varjans were momentarily awed at Kerry's sudden appearance.

"It's a monster! Why's a monster here?! We're not good against monsters!"

"Doesn't matter! Just focus her down! Don't relent!"

Perhaps half a dozen or so of the pink-armored Varjans descended unto the Hornet, attempting to surround her and decrease the space she could use to move around. They wielded one-handed swords, axes and maces but as they neared Kerry, a couple used their free hands to launch fireballs at the Hornet. These were the magical warriors of Varjo; the Immortals.

Despite seemingly focused solely on Kerry, the Immortals sensed of the simple distraction plan of the taskforce. "...I smell more of them." One of the Immortals stopped in his tracks and began watching the surroundings instead of joining the attack on the Hornet. Another joined him in monitoring the situation. With them on guard, they would certainly spot Sam and Yuki should the two monsters head for the house.

Skarsneek would need to make his move soon and increase the distraction to keep the plan.



Kerry and Skarsneek had split off according to the plan. Sam and Yuki would sneak into the house during the carnage, hopefully undetected, to rescue the mother and child.

But upon keen observation of the building, the two monsters could see people through the open windows. Armed people, wearing chainmail and wielding bows. They watched the Varjans outside battle Kerry for now, but they were nocking arrows just in case. They were not the fully-armored warriors outside but Sam and Yuki knew their stealth mission was not going to be easy.

---

*BOOM*

Lightning crackled as the bolt struck the shipment crates and in that instant, the Nolkro boxes ignited and created a huge explosion that covered the vicinity in fire and flame. The Varjans reeled from the sight and promptly began to flee once they saw what was coming next.

The fiery blast did not consume all of the crates, a few packages of the Nolkro were launched into other stacks of boxes and created a devastating chain of explosions that spread to the entire shipyard. Some of the launched crates even reached the sword-covered Varjan ships, setting off their own Nolkro shipments. The vessels exploded and were finished off, sinking into the water as their hulls gave way.

The Varjans cleared out of the area, not one of them risking their lives to preserve any of the volatile drugs. Some unfortunate ones were caught in the explosions, the most unfortunate ones had flaming Nolkro boxes land on them directly. One could only hope they died instantly in the resulting blasts.

As Liliana and Shizuka flew away, Fatal Pulse fell to his knees at the sight of the burning ruin that was once Yagata Shipyard. "Ohh nooo! It's burning!" He lamented. "My precious Nolkro drugs! Gone forever!" He then let out the most ugliest shriek the swordsman and the Fairy ever heard in their lives. The cow that Liliana summoned offered its sympathies by sitting down with the sorrowful mercenary.

No Varjan pursued the duo and the drug operation lied smoldering in the soil. Liliana and Shizuka had completed their mission and could now return to Terauchi Temple or go somewhere else.

---

“Ayu. Is there someone who makes clothes here? It would be best if they had something to cover them up, at the very least.”

"Err, I'm sure some of the refugees here are. Why don't I help you find one?" Ayu decided to aid the Lich. "And thanks for not... desecrating the locals and keeping them out of sight. I know Zombies are pretty harmless, but they're not exactly the most... appealing of the monsters."

-

Asking around, Io and Ayu managed to gather three villager women who could weave clothes. "...so yeah, we basically need some new outfits for our Lich friend here and her Zombies." She finished explaining to the villagers.

"Haaah? You want us to make clothes for dead people?"

"Why should we bother? No amount of pretty fabrics would make them any less dead."

"And besides, is now really the time to be worrying about attires? Need I remind you that we're in the middle of an invasion."

A sheepish laugh came out of Ayu and tried her hand in convincing them. "Please, please. This is such a small favor from someone fighting for your home. Why not indulge her just this once? And there will be compensation, of course."

One of the women sighed. "Okay, okay. What kind of clothes does the undead want and what does she offer in return?"

“Seriously? This is not the time to be shy, you know. Her life is in mortal danger.”

"My goodness, first thing in the morning, and all ready we have all this racket. Takeshi-san, if you're too inexperienced in this sort of thing, then please more over and let the adults handle it."

"But she's a..." Takeshi sighed instead of arguing any further with the yokai. Despite being shamed for being unable to dress the wounds of an ally for an admittedly petty reason, he was thankful that Lunatea and Atsuha were more than capable of restoring Alice to health and save him the trouble of doing it himself.

"By the way, Sorae seems to have a lead on her family's assailants. Hinami and I were going to assist her in her quest. I was wondering if either of you wanted to tag along with us. Of course, I still owe a debt to you as well Luna-chan."

The Jorou-Gumo's offer was accepted by Lunatea, and Gringor even appeared to join. Where did he come from? Takeshi would accept too. It was his chance to really express his gratitude for Atsuha. But didn't he already do that? Well regardless, the young Oja wanted to talk to the spider yokai again. However, before Takeshi could speak...

"Dare thee to cast thine strange magicks upon me without mine own permission! State thine intentions, and do so well, before I give thee leave of thine own head with mine own blade!"

"No, no... stay your words... gift us cause...."

Alice suddenly awakened, and was not exactly appreciative of the magic infused into her, even if it was beneficial. Her horrid arm had overtaken her body and morphed into a protective, spiky armor for the Mad Hatter, her cursed axe thirsting for violence.

Takeshi reacted quickly and put himself between Alice and the rest of the yokai, his hands on his sword's sheathe and hilt. He, too, was ready to draw his blade should this scene escalate into a fight. But Alice was an ally and was probably just scared and panicking after surviving her wounds. "Calm down, Mad Hatter. Peace, your friends had done nothing but use healing magic to fix you up."

"Perhaps some gratitude, instead of rage, is in order."

---

---

---

@PaulHaynek @Restalaan (SKA)

"OH SHIT!", exclaimed Kerry, flipping and cartwheeling as she dodged the burning projectiles, all the while fighting off the more close-ranged Varjans.

Okay, I was definitely NOT expecting mages to be here too. This just got a bit more dangerous...

As she blocked a strike from an incoming axe, Kerry noticed some of the Varjans breaking off from the group that had engaged her, once more searching the surrounding area. If left undeterred, they'll quickly find Sam and Yuki!

"NOW WOULD BE GOOD, GOBBY!", hollered the hornet as she roundhouse kicked a Varjan in the head before taking to the air to dodge a barrage of fireballs.

@PaulHaynek@Nakushita@Rezod92@Dark Cloud

Skarsneek of the Red Hill

Seeing the commotion, waited a few additional seconds and saw the reaction of the flamboyantly colored warriors.

They moved as one and fired spells in one hand, hinting immediately of their origins as Skarsneek vaguely recalled the division that does that. Immortals, at first, all of them joined in the fight before one broke off and then another.

He expected them to support the rest but instead, held their positions and kept their lookout instead.

Switching targets, Skarsneek burst into a full run. His footsteps nearly muted despite moving at his fastest but Skarsneek knew better that it'll fool them since they had some extra sensory in their arsenal.

So that's why he'll add a little more chaos to the mix, his arms moving in a spinning motion and building momentum with fishnet in hand.

Then leaping off a small rock for extra height, Skarsneek grinned as he threw the net at the thickest of the fighting, hoping to snatch or trap a few of the so-called Immortals for Kerry to quickly capitalize on it.

Meanwhile, he targetted the ones that split off and descending already from his jump. Going deeper, he dove to the ground, rolled and smoothly swung his club towards the knee cap while rising up in one swift motion. The club ringing against the armor like a gong as Skarsneek held nothing back in his blow.

Continuing on, Skarsneek grabbed the other club with his free hand and thrust it forward to the other Immortal. Then he swung the other downwards, continuing in a flurry of blows before splitting off and attacking the other. He had no intention of delaying, Skarsneek planned to bring the two of them down immediately if he can while they still had the initiative.

---

Gringor of the Ironhide tribe

Just as they're about to head out, it seems that their mad boy went nuts and started accusing them of their intentions.

"Youz got beat up, so spider lady and rabbit girl patched you up so you can go for another scrap." Gringor bluntly stated as he crossed his arms at that, slightly annoyed at this delay before his eye turning to the sides briefly in thought. "You did win, right?"

@Enkryption

Though at hearing the axe words, that had Gringor tilted his head for a moment before raising his weapon and swinging it down towards her at breakneck speed. The weapon wouldn't cut or kill due to its origin, but it was still enough to take her down.

Whether she dodge, catch or block, it didn't matter. Gringor would continue his attack with no hard feelings about it, almost like greeting someone.

It was a good time too, in Gringor opinion. He needed a warm-up before breakfast.

Attn: @Restalaan, @PaulHaynek, @Hammerman, @AzureKnight

---

---

---

Alice was anything, but ignorant to situational awareness; between herself and Carroll, they were keeping watch on the gathering crowd for allies and onlookers. If someone sought to attack her, initiation of such an assault from within the crowd was the smartest plan.

Fortunately, her attacker wasn't, it seemed.

Alice had already faced and fought there men in totality, dragged there bodies back, and suffered. Sure, she'd taken more than she'd given, but that was her dicking around with the intent to learn the [Heavenly Strike]. Now, she had fragmentary knowledge of the attack; technique carved into her skin, and engraved into her soul.

Why not test it on such a willing subject?

"Rain Breaker," Alice says, before Carroll suddenly rose, "Inverse Rainbow..." casting a rainbow of blood into the air, as she tumbled forward, "Flame Breaker," slamming her weapon into the earth, "Inverse Eruption..." sending a plume of flame to consume her bloodied foe, as he stood...


Alice grit her teeth, as green blood rushed up and spilled onto the ground. "Dare thee to me, I am yet worthy of you in such an uncivilized manner? Hast thee no divinity," she asks, between hacking coughs. "Very well. Thine point is made. I am unready. It is no mere couplet I need, but a full stanza..."

The [Heavenly Strike] technique had rejected her premature attempt. The flaming prison of her attack wouldn't hold her opposition forever, and she couldn't feel her sword arm - not to mention, Carroll had been rendered unconscious by the feedback, and reverted to his Mundane Form. Unstable to sustain her own transformation without the synchronized energy flow, Alice would revert to her weaker self and use the last few seconds to speak to Takeshi, since he seemed in charge:

"I'm going to finish what I started. Thanks for helping me heal. Sorry about earlier. She doesn't trust anyone but Lady Kyouko. I'll be going."

And, Alice took off towards the center of town to reorient herself, and head for the gate she knew would return her on her path; leaving her potential allies and the smell of burning blood behind.

Whether anyone followed was their choice. After that display, she couldn't begrudge them for not coming to her aid. Though, really, she didn't do anything wrong. She was attacked, after all. Still, she was just a stranger to their group, and probably didn't put on a good first impression.

"..." Alice pouted. It was all she could do, really.

@Enkryption@AzureKnight@PaulHaynek@Hammerman

Gringor of the Ironhide tribe

Gringor caught sight of the flying blood, his axe going through it before it felt like it was striking iron. Impact going down all the way to the bone marrow before it splattered all over him. Stunning his sensitive nose, able to pick even truffles from underneath the ground, covered in absolute tang and iron scent.

His head caught sight of the fire erupting towards him, and briefly, memories of yesterday event came and this time, Gringor knew what to do.

He'll smash it aside.

A singular and muscular arm flexed itself to the point that veins popped as he swung upwards. Ax head biting deep into the ground, staff bent from the sheer speed.

Then at its apex, a chunk of the ground uprooted directly beneath the flames. Sending it upwards in large gouts, blood pounded headily as Gringor readied himself for the other attack. Waiting like a tiger for the moment where Alice attack descended before he'll initiates his own.

Though all his enthusiasm stopped when she suddenly staggered and vomited green blood. Actual green blood unlike the rainbow-colored he was just splattered in.

Moving forward, he just looked at the suffering Alice until she just left.

Huh.

Heading to the well, dumping water all over himself to clean off the blood. Gringor cracked his neck once, looked at Takeshi, the sisters and rabbit girl before changing his mind once again.

"I'll follow her," With that declaration, Gringor slapped Takeshi in the back and headed out. It'll be a darn waste if one of their members died before seeing the great war.

Approaching her, with or without her consent. He loomed over Alice before thumbing towards a general direction. "So where youz heading?"

@PaulHaynek @Restalaan (SKA)

Seeing Skarsneek's maneuver play out, Kerry capitalized on her opportunity by quickly making a B-line toward the bound Varjans and, holding Dusk like a two-handed sword...

"Wind Art: Blasting Gust!"

With a strong swing, she launched the Varjans, helpless as they fell into the river.

"Heh. At this rate, we might trounce these guys before Sam and Yuki find the hostages.", Kerry commented with a smirk before engaging her next opponent.

_{@PaulHaynek @The Irish Tree}

Yagata Shipyard

---

Letting loose with Kaminari, the bot certainly did it's trick. As it struck, several crates filled with the Nolkro drug set aflame. What proceed next was a chain reaction of several explosions, along with the Varjan troops scrambling everywhere to get away. Some poor souls got caught in the blast, their panicked shrieks drowned out by the loud booming. In addition to the surrounding vicinity, some of the crates that caught fire were sent flying to the Varjan ships that had entered the harbor and ignited the stashed drugs they were carrying. With his troops in shambles and his narcotics now literally up in smoke, Keith's plans completely fell apart. Signified by his awful yell, highly upset that he could no longer make use of his drug. Though, at least the cow felt sorry for him apparently...

Flying away from the scene, Shizuka turned to Lilianna with a victorious smirk and a thumbs up. "Things got a little dicey near the end there, but aside from the environmental damage and the lost of the shipyard I'd said that it's a job well done." He said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"For now I think's it's best that we head back to the Temple and report tonight's events to Takeshi-dono and Ayu-san, and get some well deserved rest. However, if there was still something you wanted to undertake, I won't stop you. But, if you need more assistance, I'm not sure if I'll be of much help in my current state. I...may have used up more chi in that battle than I would've liked..." He said with a chuckle. He did his best to hide his fatigue up till this point, but the sweatdrops on his face were a clear indicator.

---

_{@PaulHaynek @Restalaan @Hammerman @Enkryption @Crowvette}

Terauchi Temple

---

Everyone was quite surprise by Alice's sudden awakening, but what was more surprising was her voice and pattern of speech. She spoke with the voice of a cold, dignified queen. One of both noble and sinister bearing; she brandished her cursed weapon as both proclaimed they had hostile intentions and didn't appreciated the healing spells invoked by Atsuha and Luna.

"Well, I must say you clearly have an odd way of thanking someone who just healed your wounds. It's unbecoming to scorn a person's kindness, especially when they've already been in a foul mood this morning..." Atsuha said with a warning tone of her own, informing the possessed Alice that she would respond in kind if she wanted to fight. "Indeed, you should take word from Takeshi-san here and show some more gratitude."

"Nee-san, perhaps we shouldn't antagonize her. It's all just a misunderstanding. Besides, she has a cursed weapon, you could stand to be a little more weary." Hinami said, attempting to diffuse the situation. While she didn't wield one herself, being a weapon master gave her knowledge of the danger cursed weapons posed and the increased battle power it gave its hosts. Unfortunately, Gringor had decided to answer Alice's challenge. The two then began exchanging blows, with neither one showing signs of backing down. Atsuha signed in annoyance at the whole ordeal. "It's too early in the morning for this..." She whined.

Hinami, on the other hand, just about to jump in and stop the battle with her bo staff in hand. That was, until, Alice nearly collapsed and began coughing up green blood. An unsavory sight by anyone's standards. At that point, it seemed the Alice they were all acquainted with took back control and promptly apologized for the whole situation. She even thanked Luna and Atsuha for nursing her back to health. With that she quickly proclaimed that she would continue the Heavenly Strike quest and promptly made her way off the temple grounds.

Hinami drew a look of concern when Gringor told them that he would be accompanying her. While it was nice that Alice wouldn't be continuing the quest alone a second time, the earlier scene put her on high alert.

"You two better not try to kill each other while you're away!" She proclaimed to the both of them.

Atsuha held a hand to her mouth and stretched as she yawned. "Well, at least Alice is all better. Now that that's all over, do either of you need a moment or are we ready to head out ourselves. I'd rather not keep Sorae-san waiting." Said to both Takeski and Luna.

All of a sudden, Alice woke up. 

And began to blabber on and on in some antiquated formal language, all the while her axe grew armor to cover her body. 

Lunatea blinked, looking at her in confusion. This was not what she expected to happen. Not in the slightest. 

"I didn't cast any strange magic on you," she replied. "I was just healing your wounds. And the very least you can do is thank me for it, you know." 

And the axe, or rather, the Cursed Sword that was shaped like an axe, began to speak as well. 

She wasn't surprised in the slightest. She had learned about their kind in the academy once after all and how dangerous they could be. She didn't tell her to throw the sword away though. She knew it would just be a waste of time, especially coming from a stranger like her. If she got consumed by it, then so be it. It would be her own fault. 

Takeshi then stepped in between them, readying his hand on his sword. Folding her arms under her chest, Lunatea followed his words. "That's right. You two should apologize." She, of course, was referring to both the girl and the Cursed Sword. She was then continued by Atsuha who chastised the girl as well. 

And then, before she knew it, she and Gringor ended up in a fight. 

Really? Really now? She rolled her eyes. This is why I prefer working alone. 

And then, the girl coughed up a mouthful of blood to the floor, with some landing on Gringor, (and not her, thankfully enough) followed by a series of bloodless hacking coughs. Not to mention the Sword had reverted back to its normal form. 

Well, that can't be good... 

Before she could say anything, however, the girl already declared that she was going to leave, though not before thanking her and the others for healing her, which Lunatea certainly appreciated. 

"H-hey, wait!" 

Too late. Or rather, she wasn't listening to her at all. 

Well, at the very least, she got Grigor to watch over her. 

"I'm ready." She told Atsuha. "We can depart at any moment." 

@AzureKnight@Restalaan@Enkryption@PaulHaynek

Io mulled over the words of the weavers. Of course, they had some fair points, but this was for their sake moreso than Io. Were it her choice, clothes would be done away with entirely save for functional pieces such as armor or bags. Not that she needed to voice that opinion - she knew it was perhaps too radical for the living. Or at least, most of them. She had encountered a few in her travels that agreed with her on that no-clothes stance, perhaps too emphatically.

"No need for high quality fabric. Use something strong and cheap. A simple long robe, with a hood. Should cover a grown person from head to toe." Io quickly laid out her desires for the clothing. She had to stifle her desire for something lavish - this was for the sake of relations on the island. Maybe once the situation was less tense she could commission something aesthetically pleasing - and something for herself, too. She had a mild interest in trying the local style of clothing.

She paused for a moment, thinking about what to do for payment. She wasn't entirely initiated with the economics of the island. It was unlikely that offering some free labor from her zombies would go over well, either. There were some things that were usually well received in most cultures, though...

Io removed one of her many rings, holding it up to let the sun catch its metallic gleam. This one didn't have any gemstones set in it, but it was clearly made of pure gold. "Is gold fine? I can change its shape to coins if needed." Io wondered how they would appraise it. She hadn't surveyed enough of Shizuyama to know if they valued gold to the same degree as other places. Given the cheapness of her specifications Io considered it to be more than enough, but new places always had a way to surprise her.

@AzureKnight

With a bolt of lightning from her intrepid swordsman friend and a cataclysmic chain reaction of boom-to-boom-to-kaboom, the two were soon home free. And, Liliana had to admit...that scream from Fatal Pulse? That was worth the hassle of this whole adventure. Still, she did take some offense to the worry about endangering a REAL cow. "Should clarify for you and all the Varjans watching: No cows were harmed in the making of these summons. They just sorta go poof after a while," the fairy knight said, skedaddling through the air as the fires atop the Varjan ships lit up the ocean.

Liliana would return Shizuka's smirk with a mischievous grin, saying: "This is amazing...all the younger fairies used to get scolded for pranking humans. But these Varjans...you can prank them and fight them as much as you want and its a good thing to do! Thank you for coming to my rescue a bunch of times by the way." Liliana wasn't totally ignorant, and would give Shizuka a knowing smile as he mentioned that she could go off and do more quests if she liked. "Honestly? I've had enough adventure for one day. So, let's head back to town. I'll report all this to...uh..." Shizuka could visibly see the elipses coming in, dot-by-dot above Liliana's head before she tilted it. "...What does Takeshi look like exactly? I think I ran off before I saw him..."

Despite his ride's confusion, Shizuka would find himself on solid ground soon enough, with the Fairy Knight saying: "Next time, I'll be more careful about not taking on stuff like this alone...I don't think I'd have made it out in one piece if you hadn't shown up. So...rest up, and thanks!" Waving goodbye, the fairy would take off and attempt to find the familiar face of Ayu, since to her, basically any male human might as well be Takeshi. She'd have a hell of a story to tell, and would probably leave out the part with her getting trapped in a box. ...And the two cows.

It was chaos! The Immortals encirclement of Kerry failed when they were surprised by Skarsneek, who had thrown a huge net over the warriors who were prowling for their fellow taskforce members. The netted Immortals were about to use their magics to burn away the ropes but Kerry quickly blew them away into the raging river with wind magic.

Still, there were Immortals left and the fighting continued. The two monsters held their ground against the magical warriors, who could not activate their armors' ability due to the nonlethal takedowns. Their numbers soon thinned and the few Immortals were poised to rout.

But then, a figure emerged from the house. Unlike the pink armor of the Immortals, his was shiny blue and gold and bulkier; the armor of a Scarce Legion warrior. Immediately glaring at Kerry and Skarsneek, he held out his hand and a magical khopesh materialized which then sizzled into flame. A Warlock of the Scarce Legion, and a swordsman at that.

He stretched his arms out at the monsters, beckoning them to come at him.

---

"Well, at least Alice is all better. Now that that's all over, do either of you need a moment or are we ready to head out ourselves. I'd rather not keep Sorae-san waiting."

"..." Takeshi wanted to go with Lunatea and the Hangai sisters. But he could not stop thinking about Gringor and Alice, less so for their wellbeing and more of the damage they might cause. It would be fine if their wraths were unleashed upon the wicked Varjans, but there were still innocent Shizuyamans out there.

"I'll go with them. Make sure they don't cause too much trouble." The young Oja decided. His honest talk with the spider yokai would have to wait for now. "I'll... ask Ayu to clean, or have someone else clean, this mess later. Take care of yourselves." Nodding at the girls, Takeshi went off.

---

Meeting up with Sorae, the last Tokinomiya was unamused at the sight of her Lord Takeshi chasing after the two taskforce members. "Is there a problem with your little taskforce, yokai?" She immediately inquired, quite aggressively. "You had better not be abusing the young master's trust, lest his disappointment be the least of your worries."

"Anyway, I found a letter in that inn we attacked. Came from a name, 'Sogen'." Sorae spat the name out with absolute disdain. "He's the head of Ruko Farmstead. And... a servant of Clan Tokinomiya." She calmed her rage by shaking her head and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ungrateful traitor..."

---

Alice had left Terauchi Temple to resume her mission in taking down the students of the Heavenly Strike technique, heading for the wooden bridge where she battled the three warriors. She was a bit messed up after attempting to altercate with the male High Orc Gringor in her other form. Speaking of Gringor, he had apparently followed her. He even asked where she was going.

Before either of them could do anything else, another figure also arrived. Takeshi Oja had followed the two of them in his white stallion. "Hold on! Hold on, let me come with you." He told the two yokai. "I can see that you two are powerful fighters against the Varjans and traitors. I'm here to make sure you're against no one else, especially not each other."

"Now then, Alice, was it? What have you found so far?"

---

“Is gold fine? I can change its shape to coins if needed.”

The women's eyes sparkled at the sight of Io's jewelry, but none dared express their interest in it. "I-I guess we can take that as payment." One of the villagers said, and the other two nodded in agreement. "How many of these robes did you want again?"

After answering that question, the weavers would take their leave to begin their work. Ayu was quite pleased at the smooth development. "That went pretty great, all things considered." She remarked to the Lich. "It'll probably take them a day or two to get your outfits ready. I'll probably also need to provide them the tools and materials to actually make the clothes." Ayu let out a sheepish chuckle, not looking forward to foraging for those supplies.

"But hey, those are my problems and not yours." Ayu continued before a scene caught their attentions.

Io and Ayu both saw the Mad Hatter Alice quickly making her way out of the temple who was then followed by Gringor who was then followed by Takeshi Oja on a horse. Letting out a sigh, Ayu was hesitant to know what exactly caused that scene. Although, she probably needed to know sooner or later. "I must say, Lady Kyouko sure assembled a strange group. No offense."

"Well, I've got other stuff to do so I gotta go. You can relax and take a breather here in the temple, or you can continue lending a hand to the people of this island." With a wave, the silver-haired woman bid farewell. "See you later, Io."



Liliana and Shizuka would reach the temple without further incident, just in time to witness something peculiar.

A distraught Alice would run past them, followed by a dripping wet Gringor, followed by a mounted Takeshi. Who, fortunately, stopped to explain what was happening. "Err, it's a long story. I'm following them to make sure they don't get in trouble... especially with each other. Anyway, gotta go!" And the young Oja galloped away, to become the monsters' apparent chaperone.

Entering the temple, Ayu was there to greet the duo. "Sir Shizuka! Miss Liliana! Good to see you come back from your mission in one piece! Successfully, I presume? You two look victorious." She then let out a hearty laugh. "...Don't ask about Takeshi and the two others. Not even I know what happened with them."

The temple grounds was the same as ever. Refugees still recovering in their tents and the monks making sure everything was in order. It appeared most of the taskforce were away on missions.

---

---

---

@PaulHaynek @Restalaan (SKA)

"See ya!", Kerry yelled before driving a wind-infused kick into the chest of another Immortal, sending them flying into the river. Standing back-to-back with Skarsneek, the hornet saw that there were only a few Immortals left to fight and chuckled. "Come on fellas! It's just a hornet and goblin duo! You're telling me we're just too much for you..."

Then someone came out of the house.

"...to..."

This Varjan wore blue and gold armor. He was also larger than the other Immortals.

"....handle?"

From thin air, a khopesh wreathed in flames appeared in the Varjan's hand before gestured with his other hand for them to come to him. A second was all it took for the two mamono to confirm what they were now facing.

"....Of course, there would be a goddamn Warlock in charge here. Why wouldn't there be?", commented Kerry in deadpanned sarcasm before turning to Skarsneek. "Ideas?"

Attn: @PaulHaynek, @Restalaan

---

---

---

Skidding to a halt, Alice would pivot on her left heel, and press down on her right foot - bursting forward at Gringor. It was trivial to close the gap on him, as he stopped to ask her the nature of her travels; bearing down on him with her Cursed Blade. Though unconscious, in a sense, Carroll's subconscious instincts drove his parasitism to armor Alice's arm, and giving her an unorthodox offense, as she suddenly feigned her swing into a drop and shoulder tackle into Gringor's core.

A Mad Hatter was a known succubus - a woman of naught but haughty allure and the clever predation of men - so her surprisingly solid slam would likely take Gringor by shock, and Takeshi selfsame. However, it would be Takeshi's unexpected arrival and shout to "Hold on!" that would grant the High Orc the advantage to turn the tables on her, as she had to reassess her odds, due to being unsure if he was another opponent.

Then, he asked her what she'd found.

"Found!? I'm being attacked and you're asking questions like that! Help me!" Alice shouted. Sorta. Alice was very soft-spoken, so it was kinda like a harsh whisper.

_{@PaulHaynek @The Irish Tree @Crowvette}

Terauchi Temple

---

It was past dawn when Shizuka and his fae comrade arrived back at the temple. Originally thinking that checking up on Liliana would only take up a small part of the evening, he'd found himself spending all of it fighting the Fatal Pulse off along with a bunch of his Varjan cohorts. It had been a while since Kannazuki had pulled an all-nighter, and he was already feeling the effects of it. Using a large portion of his chi pool certainly wasn't helping the situation either...

Truthfully, Shizuka was operating at around 50 or perhaps 40 percent. He wouldn't tell Liliana that, of course, but he felt that she probably could tell anyway. A large sweatdrop appeared on his forehead when Liliana confessed that she didn't even know what Takeshi looked like. But, he was too tired to think about that right now.

Upon entering the temple grounds, he was greeted by the sight of Alice sprinting out of the temple grounds. He swore he saw a look of discomfort on her face as she left. She was followed by Gringor, who was dripping with sound sort of sour-smelling green liquid. Following both of them on horseback would be Takeshi-dono, who stopped to acknowledge the returning duo for a moment. From the sound of it the two yokai had a bit of an altercation, and he's taken it upon himself to look after them on their quest. Shizuka supposed he trusted the young lord, who did well to adjust to working with monsters all things considered. Not to mention, he was simply to tired to argue right now.

"Do as you will, I'm sure you'll be just fine..." Replied Shizuka with a lazy wave, seeing off the young heir.

He made a gesture at Liliana, acknowledging her farewell, then he noticed Ayu walking up next. He bade them greetings, correctly assessing that that succeeded in their mission. "Things didn't go exactly according to plan, but we managed to pull through." He replied. Looking around, he noticed Io talking with some of the locals, mentioning something about clothes shopping. He original garments were just tattered rags, so he supposed that made since. Luna-san and the Hangai sisters were talking with a local woman about their next job. That must be Sorae he thought. He could tell by her expression that she held the burden of a broken heart along with unbridled rage. Something he felt they had in common.

He honestly thought about joining them, but he figured that he wouldn't be of much help while he was running on fumes. He turned back to Ayu.

"Ayu-san, I should warn you and the others about the events of our mission last night. Mainly in regards to the Fatal Pulse himself, in addition to having a variety of strange tools in his arsenal he also has some sort bizarre ability to heal instantly from any wound inflicted on him. I don't know if it's some kind of magic or some sort of biological function he was born with, but it's going to make dealing with that much harder. I don't know what happened to him after last night, so we should be on guard." He explained. "His purpose at the docks was to have the Varjan assist him in unloading crates filled with some kind of powdery drug. It's effects cause nerve stimulation and increases aggression. I almost fell victim to it, if it hadn't been for Liliana. I have no idea what he intended to use it for, but we burned it up so it shouldn't be a concern moving forward." He nervously scratched his head, pausing for a moment. Erm, although, the shipyard was destroyed as a result. Turns out, the substance is highly combustible, causing explosions in the presence of heat. My apologies to you and the rest of the locals, Ayu-san..." He said as he bowed to her.

Shizuka then decided to rest a moment to gain back his strength for the coming days, he could use a good wash along with some sake and food in him. "I'll be resting in the temple for a while. But, I'm always available. Just give word if you need me for anything." He said as he walked deeper within the temple.

---

_@Hammerman

Terauchi Temple

---

Atsuha made a bit of a face when Takeshi elected to go with Gringor and Alice to ensure they stayed out of trouble, but felt that perhaps it was for the best. The sisters noticed that Shizuka and Liliana had finally returned, being able to tell that the former was attempting to hide his fatigue. Having been out all night and overhearing some of the conversation he had with Ayu, the sisters arrived at the conclusion that the Fatal Pulse must be quite the dangerous adversary. They wouldn't worry about right now, though, they had to focus on helping Sorae.

She explained that she had a lead on her family's assailants, a clan servant going by the name of Sogen who apparently heads a farmstead. They could only guess as to why one of their servants would want to assist in the clan's extermination. They would find out sooner enough, of course.

"Umm. We apologize on behalf of our teammates, Sorae-san. Some of our members have very 'strong' personalities, we'll say, but we actually all work well as a team. I promise it's nothing to worry about, honest!" Hinami said in an upbeat tone, attempting to ease Sorae's ire.

"Indeed." Atsuha chimed in. "As we aided you in the last excursion, we will of course lend it again for this one. All three of us are ready to depart whenever you are. We will find this Sogen character and ensure that he answers for his crimes."

@PaulHaynek@Nakushita@Rezod92@Dark Cloud

Skarsneek of the Red Hill

Skarsneek grinned as he kept the distance at a close as he kneed, slammed and struck the warrior mages as fast as he can. They had to lower the number differences otherwise they'll get the advantage in the long run.

So with a powerful kick, Skarsneek got rid of the Immortals assigned to him. He was about to aid Kerry before a new presence made themselves known, walking out in blue and gold armor. Flicking his hands to the sides as the warriors created a sword from thin air, which then began to spark and erupted into a flaming.

A warlock from the scarce legion? Then again, this invasion was already poised for the entirety of Zipangu, of course they'll bring all the heavy hitters that they can.

Seeing the warlock gestured to them, Skarsneek spat to the sides as Kerry approached him for a plan.

"Overwhelm him." Skarsneek kept it simple, looking around for any objects that he can utilized. The net was done, so all that's left are baskets, oars, and maybe dried fishing baits.

He'll have to improvise from what he got then, Skarsneek thought as he twirled his club before thrusting it out, then swung upwards. Catching a straw basket handle and sending it flying, doubting it'll be any use of a distraction as he snapped to the left, hoping that Kerry will follow up to the right.

Skarsneek feinted a few times before striking low at the knee caps, wary of the fiery sword and avoiding it at all cost but continued to close in beyond common sense. He had to, bringing it to this close range where he can't swing that sword effectively or use any spells was paramount to their victory.

Though if that failed, as Skarsneek continued in a flurry of attacks. He can hope to drive the warlock far enough to shove him into the river. Then once that's done, they might have a chance.

---

@Enkryption

Gringor of the Ironhide tribe

Seeing the weird boy suddenly continued their brawl had taken him off-guard for a moment. Was this really the time when they're on the job?

Not that he was complaining, but there's a war to be won. They can do it later when they're resting and not mid-journey.

So when she stopped and talked to Takeshi underboss, Gringor didn't hesitate.

Flinging his foot forward, it landed squarely on her chest but not to damage, his intent was to push and off-balance her enough before he slammed her down to the ground as gently as he can.

Swinging once, his axe was inches away from her neck and gave him near control over her as he shifted his foot to kept her pinned down. He had no time to waste on exercises like this.

"You lost, means you follow what I say." He declared before lifting his weapon away from her neck

"So where you going?" Gringor didn't really paid attention to what she was searching but he figured if it was important enough that she had to go back despite bashing so many heads in, it has to be worth something.

Once he did received his answer, Gringor would lift his foot and let Alice lead the way. Letting Takeshi ahead as well for now.

"You lost, means you follow what I say." He declared before lifting his weapon away from her neck

"So where you going?"

Delusions were a dime a dozen in Wonderland. From the lands in which Alice hailed, Gringor's statement would have been the punchline of a rather hilarious joke in the royal court.

However, this was no Wonderland, and he was not joking.

He meant it. He truly did. He saw this as his win, and valued allowing her to stand as a victory. He'd labeled his uncalled for attack and her defensive actions as her loss in a fight she never picked with him, and believed that she would stand for such a thing.

Pridefully, at that.

Silently, she gathered to her feet, and walked past Gringor.

"I would put myself to the sword first, and fall upon the blade, before I gave you the satisfaction of leading me..." she answered, her voice filled to the brim with vitriolic hatred. "Solve your own problems, since it's so easy for you to ambush and defeat a woman weakened by battle."

Shoving past Takeshi, Alice would inquire to the next person she saw about an inn to spend the night; leaving the Heavenly Strike to Gringor and Takeshi. She knew the basic movements of the technique, so she would just have to practice at it.

@PaulHaynek@Enkryption

Gringor of the Ironhide tribe.

Looking at the weird boy leaving after that, he supposed that it can't be helped. Those are really the weird boys and he can't be bothered to work out the inner working of one.

Well, at least she is going back to town for a rest. Maybe finally gotten too tired. Gringor thought, getting rested for another scrap was good. No fun if they can't really enjoy it to the fullest.

Turning to Takeshi, he gestured to him.

"So what youz planning to do now?" Gringor pointed to where the weird boy Alice would've went. "Continue?"

"Or go back to the others?" He then thumbed towards the town where no doubt, the spider, rabbit and not dead girl went instead. Gringor wasn't particularly picky at the moment, as he had a fight, won, and gotten the body warmed up for another.

He'll even call it a good day with how things are going right now.