_{@PaulHaynek@The Irish Tree}

Stronghold

---

The two lackeys weren't of much help, they panicked and exclaimed they didn't know anything about the woman back at the temple. Their masked leader, however, seemed to know her quite well. Shizuka listened intently to his explain of the true story behind the woman's situation: apparently this brigand force saved her from a Varjan attack. Afterwards she fell in love with them and even offered them food. Problem was, said food was from what little her own family had available to them. Naturally, the family resisted the bandit's advance on their home; Shizuka and Eula had already seen the aftermath back at the homestead. But it seemed the woman didn't care about the fate of her kin until her savior ended up discarding her. A tragic tale to be sure.

Thought it he didn't want to, he had to admit that the brigand was right: they had been duped.

After the man's explanation was over, Shizuka stood back up, the masked man still in tow. "Let's go, Eula-san. I believe we've wasted enough time on these droogs. We'll detain them at the temple and decide what to do with them later."

---

_{@PaulHaynek@Hammerman@Restalaan@Crowvette@Nakushita@Enkryption@Rezod92}

Terauchi Temple

---

As Atsuha expected, the young lord had denied her suggestion for finding a different way of dealing with his 'situation'. Although, she ultimately did understand his reasons for doing so. "You are nothing if not just, my lord. Your concern and honesty toward your people is admirable." She paused for a moment, adopting a warm but stern smile. "However, I will remind you that we are here on behalf of our benefactor. In addition to defending this island and it's people, we are to do everything in our power to aid the heir to the Oja house - you milord. So, I do believe that we will worry about you as our job demands as such, thank you."

Feeling his hand on her limb admittedly did set at ease, even if only a little bit. She placed her hand on his for a moment, looking him in the eye to again confirm his resolve. She then gently broke away from him. "Well, if that is your decision, I will respect it. I wish you luck and hope you have a pleasant evening." Atsuha said, making a polite bow and walking off back to the others.

--

Hinami barely managed to notice Skarsneek whilst in the middle of gorging herself on tonight's dinner. She turned to him, still chewing on a fish bone. "Mmhhf, hhmmfgh! (It went well actually!)" In place of what she was actually saying, all Skarsneek would hear was muffled nonsense. That was fixed after she took a large swallow. "Luna especially was a really big help! With hers and my sister's combination spells, the enemy never even saw it coming. Oh, but I clobbered a bunch of them with a club I summoned and I even kicked some of their teeth out. I might even have a tooth or tow still stuck to my shoe. Whoops! Might not be good to talk about such things while at the dinner table." She said, rubbing the back of her head while making nervous laugh. "Oh, I forgot to mention! Sorae-san has a really cool ability where she can turn herself into a ghost and make attacks pass right through her!"

She put a finger to her chin, still processing thoughts. "Oh, and we recused this really plain looking woman from a barn. She was so scared of sister that her yell scared the birds away, so Luna had to carry her back!"

"...Hinami, sweetie, you really shouldn't talk with your mouth full!" Atsuha said, shoving another riceball in her mouth. "Hmmfh mmmghf! (Hi Nee-san!)" One would assumed her reply to be.

Atsuha then made her way over to Skarsneek, after which she began rubbing his chest and placed her arm around his shoulder. "Dear lover, I do believe you mentioned earlier about feeding me tonight? I'm here now, and waiting~" She then took notice of Io making eyes at the High Orc, where Alice was being more forceful in her approach. "Oh my, someone's certainly gotten more popular~"

Her face turned sour as Kerry tried to promptly put a stop to Alice's flirting. "Kerry-san, I know you're a hornet or wasp, or whatever, but must you be such a buzz kill? From my understand that poor girls been through alot, so why not let birds and bees be free? Let her indulge herself for tonight." Atsuha then dawned a mischievous smile. "Or perhaps there's a bit of envy welling up inside of you?"

[@Stinkgate]

---

"Well...when you put it that way..." Liliana said as she considered Ayu's words, before straightening her back and pounding a fist on her own chest. "I guess I can't let a little thing get me down! A real Knight and a real Fairy Knight will fight misery wherever they go!" With the fairy knight's wisdom so low that she could be depressed and un-depressed over the course of two minutes, she would fly before Takeshi and present her sword proudly. "Don't you worry Takeshi, I promise that no matter what, we're here for your people and you! If you wind up being exiled, I know some good human villages back where I come from. Or if you feel like bumming off of nature, I know a lot of poison plants to not eat."

At hearing Kerry mention that she'd join Gringor and Alice on a quest, Liliana wheeled around. "Count me in! Now I'm motivated to-" she started, before seeing Kerry by Grimgor and Alice, the latter-est of whom had her hands down Gringor's pants. ...That...was...was that what Kerry meant when she said "having a third member"!? Liliana's face grew pink and a tiny bit of steam escaped her ears, before she shook her head and grew to human size. Did someone spike the water with horny juice!?

The knight would bury her face in her hands and stand behind Kerry. "I'll come too! Just...um...l-let's go before the villagers see. Or, before these two start fighting." ...This was getting more awkward the more Alice opened her mouth, honestly.


@AzureKnight

---

"Testicles are the source of human semen. Your 'balls' as they are colloquially known." Eula said, making her threat a lot clearer. The automaton would listen intently to the bandit leader's words, before nodding in silence. "I see," she would finally say, before picking the large man up with one arm as if he weighed nothing. "Regardless, thank you for cooperating. I am unsure what the penal code is in Shizuyama, but I can only assume that I will never see you again."

Turning her head back towards Shizuka, she would say: "I am...uncertain on what to say once we return. May I trust you to bring this to light? ...Humans tend to view my species with trepidation, due to how we speak and act." In truth, the automaton couldn't fathom how to explain this. It sounded insane when she mulled it over. ...He was just a bandit. Even if he saved her, why would that woman take an illogical action like sacrificing her family?

...Her heart hurt, in some capacity. She couldn't understand it, in the slightest. Processes kept trying and failing to find logic, parse solutions, find alternate paths...there must have been so many. Was it selfish or selfless? Amoral or moral? Love or desire? 0 or 1? ...Did it even matter? Victory was theirs, and the automaton couldn't muster the will to savor it. She only hoped that the shell around her heart could hold long enough to meet her final directive, least it tear itself apart considering humanity and its issues.

Still...she was glad to have at least made a friend on this mission. Shizuka was capable and steadfast, a worthy ally in combat and conversation. Perhaps once her arm healed up, Eula could accompany Shizuka on missions like this. They made a surprisingly effective combo of strength and speed.

---

The group had moved on to the dining area as they continued their... antics. Their table was separated from everyone else's, for obvious reasons. Some of the children were curious and wanted to approach the yokai, but the taskforce's current interactions forced their parents back to their own tables. Some other, more optimal, time to build bridges then.

Ayu was glad that her little pep talk has managed to cheer Liliana up. Although, she worried that if the taskforce's morale can't take hits like this, then what would happen if worse things happen? Ayu decided not to worry about that right now. "I'll be joining the cooking crew, alright? Just holler if you guys need anything."

Eula and Shizuka had also returned from their mission, with some bandit prisoners even. After leaving their prisoners to the monks, however, they were led away by a villager. Perhaps they will be available in a short while.

The taskforce also overheard a couple of villager men walking by.

"I saw a couple of Zombies outside the temple. Are they part of the taskforce too?"
"No, I heard they were the thralls of the Lich one. Made from Varjan corpses, or so Ayu says."
"Well if I die, she can have my body. That's probably the only way I can be useful against the Varjans..."
"Mmm, be careful what you wish for."





Through one way or another, Eula and Shizuka reached the temple with their prisoners without any further incident. Upon their arrival, they were greeted not by Ayu but a villager man. "You two! You were the ones sent by Saki, right? You need to come with me."

After leaving the bandit prisoners with the monks, the two taskforce members were led by the man towards an area of the temple where the unfortunate dead were given their final rites. The bodies were respectfully covered with clean white sheets while a senior monk recited prayers. There were other villagers here, mourning for their fallen, and Shizuka and Eula were taken to a seemingly random one.

"This is Saki, yokai. It's a strange tragedy." The villager said. "She slit her wrists open without anyone knowing, and came here just before she expired. She said she blamed herself for her family's death, and committed harakiri to atone for the sin. The monks could not save her and her last words were of gratitude to you two. She said that the yokai have more honor than anyone here in Shizuyama."

The villager then sighed. "What about you? Where did Saki send you exactly?"

---

---

---

*Finish 'Pre-Emptive Strike' to unlock next tale*

"Hmm. Too skinny. Youz want a fight, sure. But a mate, no."

"Pfft!" Alice sputtered, unable to contain the laugh that eked out of her. "A mate?! You?!" she asked, wiping her tears, "I would gain nothing from mating with a beta-class brute."

Alice couldn't help it, as she lapsed into a fit of mad giggles - absolutely insane amusement escaping her. Looking up, tears dripped off her cheeks, as she panted, actually breathless, and managed, "I didn't think Orcs had a sense of humour, but here we are. Do you think I'd want you for more than sex? What, did you think we'd fall in love? Please, don't flatter yourself."

Her head suddenly dropped and her eyes narrowed, "Lord Takeshi is more of a man than you, Orc, and he's barely matured."

There was no anger in her tone, no passion in her voice; she spoke, matter-of-factly, with the brutal bluntness of a Wonderlandian Monarch and the sharpened tongue of a Mad Hatter.

"Look me up and down if you please. Judge my form as harshly as you like," Alice says, drawing Carroll, if he truly wanted to fight, "but, I own this glorious femininity that shapes me," she took the Heavenly Strike stance, "Do you own that effeminate form that shapes you?"

@AzureKnight

Skarsneek of the Red Hill

"Hmm." Skarsneek nodded as he digested the information, and also will need to clarify with Atsuha on Sorae ability. If it works as intended, that was undoubtedly an arsenal that they can use, or abuse, with Sorae.

Still, he supposed that such a technique had its drawback. Otherwise, she wouldn't be having so much trouble in the first place.

Also, that's dangerous. He saw Hinami eating and chewing that fish bone like it was nothing.

Then feeling the approach of another, his fingers twitched before relaxing themselves. Seeing who it was that made their way to them.

At Atsuha's affectionate gesture, he didn't hesitate as he threw his hand upwards to let her get closer. "Of course, of course."

He then took some of the rice ball with his hand, and proceeded to stop just before Atsuha mouth. "Open wide."

And just as promised, Skarsneek fed her. Though in one instance between he gave a light kiss to a rice ball cheekily and gave it to her. "With a little extra love."

"So, I heard some details from Hinami but I want to know more. Sora can turn into a ghost?" Though his attention will be taken soon as he heard a commotion outside.

---

@PaulHaynek@Hammerman@The Irish Tree@Nakushita@Rezod92@Enkryption@Crowvette

Gringor of the Ironhide Tribe

Gringor turned around at her declaration of orcs having no sense of humor. Of course orcs had a sense of humor. Where had she been living, under a rock?

Already, he told her why he don't want to do it. Now she suddenly says something else? Then what did she want? Another fight?

It's worse now that she's speaking eloquent words in a language that he struggled already to understand and speak so it was hard to tell what she meant. Though his eyes twitched when he did recognize one particular word that she called him, and her getting into a familiar stance was enough to tell her what she wanted.

"It's." Gringor hefted his weapon and went into stance. One that he had been thinking about non-stop since the fight. His eyes reddened and most of all, a shot of pheromones came pouring out this time. Invisible to all but it was enough to rile the blood for excitement, but most of all, for battle.

Because to Gringor, what he saw wasn't the Mad Hatter but rather, the Shizuyaman warriors, in her place.

"High."

Axe held high and over his shoulders, it was compact enough and obvious for a downward chop but still had enough flexibility for a side strike should he choose to.

"Orc." Gringor emphasized as he readied himself. Hair bristling, and so ready for a fight. The wound he took earlier, pretty much healed, had a single droplet of blood coming back out.

_{@PaulHaynek@The Irish Tree}

Terauchi Temple

---

"Humans...are odd creatures, Eula-san. We are often quite simple, yet very complex at the same time. All we can do is listen to the testimony of that young woman." He replied.

The trek back to the temple was, while uneventful, rather bittersweet. On one hand, they had taken out a brigand force that likely would've continued committing acts of murder and theft. On the other, they had added in the revenge of one would indirectly caused the death of their own family. Shizuka could understand Eula's bewilderment, the situation would stir complex emotions in anyone.

Upon their return, Shizuka noticed that the other taskforce members had also returned from their journeys. It seemed they were in high spirits for the most part, which did it's part in lifting his spirits. He also noticed some of the locals' reprehension to interact with them, being off-put by their conversations. It was to be expected, and he doubted they would be lifted anytime soon. The antics of the taskforce aside, he felt the tension in the chi of Gringor and Alice rising. He sighed to himself; it seems they still weren't getting along much. "Greetings. We've returned with some more prisoners, this time belonging to a local brigand force. They've of course been restrained, and we leave there fates in your hands." Shizuka said to the monks.

He'd probably have to deal with the other two, but before he could his attention was diverted by a villager man. He apparently wanted both him and Eula to come with him. Deciding to acquiesce, the two were eventually led to a cemetery of sorts. He brought them before one of the graves, and began his explanation. It seemed that this one belonged to Saki, the young woman who made the request. She made the decision to atone for her actions by taking her own life; while she could now longer answer their questions, her actions alone confirmed their suspicions. Ayu words of there being internal issues within these lands rang again in his ears. "I...I see. Thank you for telling us." He said. He turned to Eula for a moment, unsure of what to say to her. He could only imagine what must've been going through her mind currently.

Unfortunately, it seemed the other situation was escalating. "Eula-san, you'll have to excuse me. If you need someone to talk to, I'll make time later." He began walking away from the cemetery and back toward the rest of the taskforce. While walking, he eventually vanished from sight, leaving behind only a small wisp of dust.

_{@Restalaan(GRI)@Enkryption}

As both mamono prepared to strike with the technique they had learned in their own ways, they would find that Shizuka had instantly appeared in between them.

"Infighting among taskforce members will not be tolerated. If you've disputes, take it up with me." He said in a solemn tone. He looked at both of the fighters for a moment, noticed the little bit of blood that was dripping from the high orc.

"Besides, neither of you look like you're in any condition to be fighting right now. Perhaps we could all talk this out in a more civilized manner?"

---

_{@PaulHaynek@Hammerman@Restalaan(SKAR)@Crowvette@Nakushita@Rezod92}

Terauchi Temple

---

Atsuha happily gobbled up the morsel Skarsneek presented to her, giggling as he planted a kiss on rice ball just before. The goblin had voiced apparent interest in the phasing ability that Sorae displayed back on their mission. She sighed, knowing that her sister wasn't the best suited to explaining these types of details.

"Saying that she becomes a ghost isn't the best way to describe it. It's more that she implores some method to make her body intangible. I know that come clans are able to implore various methods of sorcery to achieve supernatural feats, being that I'm from one myself. Though she initiated the technique with a stance and not using some sort of talisman like how I would. It's admittedly quite impres-" She cut her sentence short, taking note of the commotion along with Skarsneek. The conflict between the hatter and the high orc was brought to its head. "This hardly counts as dinner-side entertainment..." She groaned.

She then witnessed Shizuka appear before both of them in a flash, seemingly to put an end to the conflict.

"Hey Sis, Shizuka's finally back!" Hinami chirped.

"Well, if it isn't mister stick-up-the-ass himself. You certainly have a knack for showing up at the most convenient time."

@Nakushita
Lunatea gave a disapproving glare at Yuki's teasing. She seemed to have way too much fun seeing this forbidden romance develop, even though she knew it could lead to a disaster.

Still, what she said was right. If Alice were to keep up what she was doing, the humans would learn the truth sooner or later of course.

Only for Alice to start flirting with a completely different person instead.

@Enkryption
W-w-what? What is she doing? Why is she—

Lunatea's jaw fell when she saw the girl rubbing her hands all over Gringor. How shameless! A monster is supposed to be loyal to her husband!

"You…" She narrowed her eyes. "You really are something, alright…" She whispered under her breath.

Kerry then offered to join their group. Good. I don't think I can handle being with her, she thought to herself.

@Restalaan
When Gringor rejected her, however, the wererabbit let out a short laugh before smiling towards Alice, almost like a jealous ex-girlfriend would.

Still, she quickly regained her bearings, resuming her usual stoic look.

Hinami barely managed to notice Skarsneek whilst in the middle of gorging herself on tonight's dinner. She turned to him, still chewing on a fish bone. "Mmhhf, hhmmfgh! (It went well actually!)" In place of what she was actually saying, all Skarsneek would hear was muffled nonsense. That was fixed after she took a large swallow.

Lunatea ate as she normally would, with a proper table manner like her parents taught. As such, she gave a disapproving glance towards Hinami. Though she quickly let it go, focusing her attention on her tea instead. It was surprisingly delicious despite being prepared by the ways of this foreign island.

"Luna especially was a really big help! With hers and my sister's combination spells, the enemy never even saw it coming.

Hearing her brag about her accomplishments made the wererabbit smile a little. Even if she liked to think she wasn't a proud monster, being praised like that definitely gave a nice boost to her ego.

She put a finger to her chin, still processing thoughts. "Oh, and we recused this really plain looking woman from a barn. She was so scared of sister that her yell scared the birds away, so Luna had to carry her back!"

"Yes, unfortunately, it will take some time until she becomes more… cooperative." Lunatea chimed in.

Atsuha then made her way over to Skarsneek, after which she began rubbing his chest and placed her arm around his shoulder. "Dear lover, I do believe you mentioned earlier about feeding me tonight? I'm here now, and waiting~"

Lunatea glared at Atsuha for making such an obvious flirtation in front of her. Yet she said nothing, opting to grab a bite off her meat instead.

No, she wasn't jealous. She was just annoyed, that's all.

Her face turned sour as Kerry tried to promptly put a stop to Alice's flirting. "Kerry-san, I know you're a hornet or wasp, or whatever, but must you be such a buzz kill? From my understand that poor girls been through alot, so why not let birds and bees be free? Let her indulge herself for tonight." Atsuha then dawned a mischievous smile. "Or perhaps there's a bit of envy welling up inside of you?"

Her glare at the jorogumo only intensified hearing those words. Putting her hands on her hip, she then said, "Envy or not, it's unwise to indulge in such things freely, especially around these many humans. I'm not some prude who's averse to sexual advances but Alice's way on doing it was unnatural, even for us monsters. For starters, why would she chase after two men at the same time?"

"I saw a couple of Zombies outside the temple. Are they part of the taskforce too?"
"No, I heard they were the thralls of the Lich one. Made from Varjan corpses, or so Ayu says."
"Well if I die, she can have my body. That's probably the only way I can be useful against the Varjans..."
"Mmm, be careful what you wish for."

Her sharp ears picked up on the conversation the men were having. To think they would be willing to sacrifice their bodies for the sake of their nation… they're more open-minded than I believed…

Perhaps it's not that bad if they know that Alice is having a relationship with their leader…

@AzureKnight

As both mamono prepared to strike with the technique they had learned in their own ways, they would find that Shizuka had instantly appeared in between them.

"Infighting among taskforce members will not be tolerated. If you've disputes, take it up with me." He said in a solemn tone. He looked at both of the fighters for a moment, noticed the little bit of blood that was dripping from the high orc.

"Besides, neither of you look like you're in any condition to be fighting right now. Perhaps we could all talk this out in a more civilized manner?"

When Shizuka suddenly appeared amidst them, she let out a sigh. Finally! Someone with some sense! Approaching him, she gave him a greeting.

"He's right." She looked at the guilty party with a frown. "If we fight against each other, how can we expect to stand against the Varjans? If you wish for a duel, then don't do it now. Do it later when you're more in fighting shape."

[ @ people at foodplace ]

The High Orc seemed to have a noticeably short temper - something Io would have to keep track of. She couldn't deny a little bit of anticipation towards seeing the male mamono in action, though - who knows what might be shown off in the heat of combat? The fight seemed like it would kick off in moments... But then Shizuka interfered between the two. 'Ah. Well, it probably is for the best if the task force doesn't spar in public...' Io tempered her mild disappointment with rationality.

Io kept Gringor and the group around him in her periphery as she nibbled on her serving of rice. The task force certainly was lively - this was the most of the force she had seen together, and it was becoming hard to keep track of everything at once. Io wondered if she would have to summon a familiar in order to better expand her awareness. It had been a long time since she bothered... Living familiars were generally a pain to handle, but undead ones would likely frighten the people of Shizuyama. She mulled over the pros and cons as she took a sip of tea.

She briefly caught a bit of conversation amongst the townsfolk, as well. They certainly had more devotion than Io was used to seeing - being willing to volunteer their own corpses to help fight. Io knew all too well that what was said by the living and what was actually believed were different. Perhaps the man himself would be fine with being reanimated to fight, but would his wife? His children? It was far simpler to work on the invaders to that end. Io considered that she may want to address concerns related to the dead to the locals before rumors spread... She would need to think of a good way to do so.

Io returned her attention to Gringor, Shizuka, and Alice. Io opened her mouth to offer healing, but she closed it upon further thought. Offering healing just as an excuse to get closer to the High Orc... May not be the best move given the current tensions. Plus, even for a living being, Gringor seemed to naturally heal fast - he may refuse the healing as a waste of time. Giving them a further incentive to fight ran counter to the Task Force's goals, either way, as much as Io would have enjoyed seeing it.

As she kept her watchful eye on the events, she pulled some of the scrolls she kept tied around her body loose, examining them. 'Perhaps I can create some scrolls that would allow Task Force members to spar without hurting each other too much...' It was an enticing puzzle, perhaps something Io would solve when she needed some moments to relax. Something that enhanced defenses and tempered attacks, while still letting the sparring partners exercise most of their power. And if some clothing got destroyed along the way because the scrolls 'accidentally' only enhanced the user and not what their were wearing... Who would really care?

"I may be able to produce scrolls that can let duels take place without causing lasting injury to either side. It could be good for us to understand how each other fights." Io spoke up suddenly. "But it is not the time nor place to do so." She added, giving the few 'voice of reason' Task Force members a slight nod.

@PaulHaynek @AzureKnight (ATS & SHI) @Restalaan (GRI) @The Irish Tree (LIL) @Enkryption

"Kerry-san, I know you're a hornet or wasp, or whatever, but must you be such a buzz kill? From my understand that poor girls been through alot, so why not let birds and bees be free? Let her indulge herself for tonight. Or perhaps there's a bit of envy welling up inside of you?"

Kerry stared at the jorou-gumo with incredulous eyes as her mind processed that statement. Did.... did Atsuha really just assume that....

"PFFFFFFFFFFFFT! HAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!". the hornet guffawed so loud that some of the villagers turned their attention to her. What the giant spider just said was so ridiculous and off-base that it nearly had Kerry on the ground laughing. "Oh! Oh gods, that was funny! You....pffft....you think I'm envious of a bipolar aristocratic fungi woman getting handsy with a muscle-headed battle junkie!? HA! Were you a jester in a past life 'cause the shit you just said was hilarious!

Before she could say anything else, Kerry felt Liliana's presence behind her and....

She didn't know why she did it, but on an instinct that only forms from being born into an Echidna family and having multiple little sisters, Kerry reached behind her and gave the fairy some comforting headpats. As if to say, "It's okay. You tried your best."

As the tension between Gringor and Alice escalated to the point where a fight was imminent, Kerry rolled her eyes and was about to intervene when, from out of nowhere, Shizuka appeared between the high orc and mad hatter. While the feat was indeed impressive, there was a more pressing question to be addressed....

"And where the hell have you been!? I nearly forgot you were even around!", the hornet shouted to her de facto leader, with Luna joining in on keeping the peace among the taskforce.

"Infighting among taskforce members will not be tolerated. If you've disputes, take it up with me. Besides, neither of you look like you're in any condition to be fighting right now. Perhaps we could all talk this out in a more civilized manner?"

"He's right. If we fight against each other, how can we expect to stand against the Varjans? If you wish for a duel, then don't do it now. Do it later when you're more in fighting shape."

"Ditto on what Luna and Shizuka said. Might I add, wouldn't it be better to spend that energy on the quest that sent the two of you running with your tails between your legs?", Kerry commented, shrugging as she smirked. "Just sayin'."

@Rezod92@The Irish Tree@PaulHaynek@Enkryption@AzureKnight@Hammerman@The Irish Tree

Yuki

Yuki was still enjoying the show, it was almost as if she went to a theater and sat down for a romantic drama with a side of potential action. Though if they did start fighting physically, Yuki wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. Though she knew deep down, she would enjoy every moment of it if push came to shove. Keeping herself out of the conflict for the most part, and sticking to the side lines for the time being. She however did not expect so many of the task-force members to arrive and all become entangled in it, not that she was complaining, in her eyes the more the merrier.


Even sensing Lunatea's disapproving glare couldn't keep the smile off of her face "My, my, I didn't know all of you could be quite so full of spunk and energy, as much as I love a good ole fashion disagreement, I think we should strive to find some common ground here" keeping her hands clasped behind her back as she tilted her head to the side. "Besides, if you spend all your energy arguing and chasing after mates we won't get that much done around here" a sly smirk remaining on her lips as she couldn't hide her amusement of it all. Even though she knew how serious the situation was and how serious it could get. She couldn't help herself having a little bit of fun, after all it had been a while since she had this much fun.

Though she did wonder in the end how things would resolve themselves and if there would be any lingering grudges. If there was lingering grudges, at least that meant more entertainment for later. "As much fun as it would be to throw my hat into the ring and try to swing the tide, I don't think I have the energy or determination to survive such a contested and intense match, who knows I might end up getting stung, bit, slashed, or any other various means of potential bodily harm" sitting back and continuing to observe and listen all with a bemused little smile. Wondering what interesting thing may happen next as Kerry, Atusha, Alice, Gringor and Liliana all continued on.

[@Stinkgate/Food Crew]

---

At being thanked by Takeshi, Liliana would smile happily. A knight lived to serve after all...so she'd help Takeshi no matter what! After all, it wasn't as if he'd done anything especially wrong. Plus, right now, she'd be able to go and help Alice and Gringor on the job they'd been defeated on-

"BWAAAAA!?" Lilianna bwaa'd, watching Alice and Gringor about to come to blows potentially. This was bad...if the fight knocked them out into the street and villagers saw yokai sparring to the death after molesting each other's jubblie bits, there'd be a huge downturn in opinions of them! Not to mention...Liliana didn't want to see two people who should be allies fighting. With her sword on her back lightly glowing in response to her worries, a magic glyph would be formed in the air above Gringor and Alice.

"Summooooon! CoooowATCH OUT!" Liliana called out, before a bonafide bovine Battista bombed between the two battlers, belating the battle with body and babble. Mooing loudly, it would chew on a bit of grass between the two, right as Shizuka showed up. She had no doubt that the intrepid samurai could dodge the random cow event, narrowly avoiding crushing cow concussions. Liliana was flabbergasted, worriedly flailing her arms as she approached. "I am SO sorry! I-I was trying to break it up with a cow, but then you were already there once the spell started. Y-You're alright, right Shizuka?" the fairy asked, glad that the cow had narrowly avoided crushing the samurai entirely by accident.

---

[@Food Crew]

"Mm. ...Thank you for everything, Shizuka. I couldn't have completed this task myself. I hope to work with you again in the future. ...For now, I will just...attempt to pray," the automaton said, kneeling down before the woman named Saki. Maybe it wasn't her place as an inorganic life form to pray but...something about it felt correct.

Kneeling down, Eula would put her hands together in prayer, mentally apologizing to Saki. Even if she'd done wrong, she had, in the end, atoned for causing the death of her family. ...Human love was complex. It seemed as if she would never be able to grasp it or attain it, but was glad that Saki realized her mistake in the end. Family was factually irreplaceable-

"Hey, quit it...you're not replaceable at all, Eula. You're my friend. Even if I'm gone someday...you'll remember me,"

A memory, sharp and painful throbbed in the back of her mind. Right. Family wasn't replaceable. Someone had taught her that once, long ago...but she couldn't keep the promise to remember them. The automaton would spend an hour in prayer before coming to the temple for more work and to repair herself with nutrients. Despite lacking the biological need for a strictly food-based fuel source, her stomach was grumbling in protest. ...Robotic logic couldn't argue with hunger. Walking in just in time to see a cow nearly drop onto Shizuka, Eula's eyes focused solely on the massive bovine. "...Wild animals are not allowed inside by Shizuyaman customs," she said before going over and picking up the surprisingly stoic steer, and taking it outside. Dusting her hands off, she would take a seat, eager for food.

---

Takeshi was spared judgment and punishment from his peers for now. It was agreed that the matter would be brought to his father, once he was rescued, and it would be him who would decide Takeshi's fate. The young Oja supposed this was the best outcome of the situation. It could have been very much worse. Still, Takeshi could feel the disappointment in their eyes. They were not the only ones, he was disappointed in himself too.

The young lord made his way back to the taskforce upon the meeting's conclusion. Not a wise decision considering the earlier meeting's topic but Takeshi decided he should let things cool off with his peers for now. He should probably talk with them again soon, especially Kikyo.

His head was downcast and full of thoughts as he walked, only raising it upon arriving at the taskforce's table. What he saw was... unexpected to say the least. The young lord arrived just in time for Eula to be leading a cow out of the temple premises. Where the cow came from or what it was doing near the taskforce was unknown to him. Not even his imagination could conjure a likely scenario for it.

And besides that, most of the taskforce seem to be grouped around Gringor and Alice who had Shizuka between them. An altercation seemed to be the likely reason, stopped only by the human swordsman as well as Lunatea and Kerry. Their antics were drawing a bit of attention from the nearby refugee villagers, probably wondering why their supposed protectors were bickering amongst themselves.

Placing himself beside Yuki with his arms crossed, he asked the Oni who seemed to be enjoying the scene before her. "Tell me, do I even want to know what's going on here? Don't tell me they were fighting over the cow..."

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*Finish 'Pre-Emptive Strike' to unlock next tale*

Alice meeped, as Shizuka appeared out of the blue - a Human, nothing more, nothing less, and yet she never felt his approach. How? That was the question. Could a Human possess the ability to exist outside of the sense of a Mad Hatter, so swift and clever of thoughts and sense? Such a revelation was frightening, genuinely, in its own right, and put Alice on a defensive backstep. Her stance changed; ready to parry with [Rainbow]...

"Infighting among taskforce members will not be tolerated. If you've disputes, take it up with me. Besides, neither of you look like you're in any condition to be fighting right now. Perhaps we could all talk this out in a more civilized manner?"

"Civilized? An Orc? You’d be sooner to see a flat-chested Holstaur," she says, keeping Carroll steady. "Don’t press your luck with this one..." he says, "Avoid the Human, and stay the course on the Orc... Use your Madness."

Alice nodded, and shifted her stance from [Rainbow] to [Eruption], and stepped forward. However, Shizuka occupied the square she needed to be in to bypass Gringor to hit him unguarded, so she couldn't use her back-attack on him in the traditional sense. Instead, she would use it to generate a fire before Shizuka, by making a right angle turn, and adjusting the line. In the same instance, she would use [Eruption] again to flash step into the flame pillar, but bury the haft of Carroll into the ground, only to wrap the flames in [Shatter], and bottle them for a sudden flip of the Cursed Blade, and a breezy blade of wind to deploy within from [Zephyr] - resulting in the blazing, thermal explosion of a well-fed fire that took itself and her in the direction of the sky.

Above Shizuka and Gringor the shadow of a much larger, more muscular Alice stood in the sky on the lengthy shaft her axe, and uttered the spell, "Heavenly Strike," as she kicked off Carroll, and realigned him to slam into Gringor's own raised axe.

_{@PaulHaynek @The Irish Tree @Hammerman @Restalaan @Crowvette @Nakushita @Rezod92}

---

It seemed Alice either didn’t hear Shizuka, or chose to ignore his words entirely. Unfortunate, as he really didn’t want to draw his sword so soon after a mission. Further adding to his annoyance, Liliana had made a repeat of the fiasco at the now destroyed shipyard. Another bovine had graced them with its presence. Thankfully, Shizuka barely needed to inch away to avoid getting flattened by the farm animal. Some of the other task members began to speak up, taking Shizuka’s side naturally. ”My apologies, I was assisting one of our new members on a mission we just got done with. We can talk about it more once I handle this, in the meantime I ask that no one else interfere.” He stated.

Unfazed by the fire magic she set on display, his eyes never lost sight of her even as she propelled herself high into the air. He heard her distinctly mutter the phrase “Heavenly Strike”. Did she have the ability to copy other people’s techniques? No matter, as that certainly wouldn’t be enough to give her an edge in this case.

Alice may have been looking at Shizuka from above right now, she would soon be looking at him at eye level. In the very instant she uttered the name of her attack, the swordsman had followed her into the air almost instantly. His expression was calm, yet was underlined with annoyance.

”Fubuki”

At that moment, Alice would find herself subjected to an icy barrage of slashes, so cold that it may have very well dispelled the trail of fire that followed her into the sky. Shizuka’s intention was to knock the mamono back without seriously hurting her. Hopefully the cuts received would be minor, along with feeling a bit of numbness.

---

---

The two sisters continued to watch the drama unfold; Atsuha took note that Takeshi had returned. Hopefully that meant that things with him and his native comrades went well.

”I feel this is all Gringor’s fault. It’s very rude to deny a girl's feelings in such a blunt way. Especially by saying something so hurtful on top of it. I think Shizuka should be attacking him instead!” Hinami said, showing a bit of concern for her hatter teammate.

”Love, I don’t really think that’s the point of the matter. Although, I am concerned that he may end up hurting the poor girl. Her demonic energy still hasn’t fully recovered yet, and I’m sure he can see that she’s injured.” Saying that, Atsuha knew that their captain was a sharp fellow, so all she could do was trust he would put a swift end to this before things got too out of hand.

@AzureKnight@PaulHaynek@Hammerman@The Irish Tree@Nakushita@Rezod92@Enkryption@Crowvette

Skarsneek and Gringor

Skarsneek listened with a raised brow and clicked his tongue at Gringor words, that was a first.

An orc being picky? It might as well be raining with demonic energies if that's the case.

Seeing the rejection quickly devolved into a fight, that had him turned from his seat with one hand on the twin clubs he wielded.

Though when Shizuka came out of now where to intervene, Skarsneek shoulders lowered marginally though he kept an eye on the orc.

This was why when it was the mad hatter that continued the fight, it had Skarsneek blinked for a moment trying to understand what happened.

Gringor on the other hand kept a sharp look, not moving an inch at all even as Shizuka underboss appeared from now where. It had him twitched for a moment before he held himself back but he did not dropped his stance.

True to his expectation, the mad hatter went onward with the fight. Heart pounding and blood rushing through his veins as Gringor saw the multiple motions. From fire coming out, an explosive sound echoing moments before the fire jumped and then reached the top. The mad boi figure seen within.

While Shizuka made his move, Gringor kept still. Eyes tracking that singular moment that the mad hatter did as she somehow jumped off her weapon and going to dive.

Adjusting his grip and the length of the axe for a compact style, the blunt end always trained at the mad hatter.

Slow.

It was slow compared to the real thing. Gringor figured.

Body relaxed, Gringor waited for the last moment where the mad hatter would come into range. Shizuka attack might have worked, but it matter not.

The moment she came into range, Gringor would snap his weapon forward.

All present however was unaware that Skarsneek had already stood up, weapon drawn out and quietly moving forward. Clubs at the ready to intervene.

@PaulHaynek @AzureKnight @Enkryption @The Irish Tree (LIL)

"Tell me, do I even want to know what's going on here? Don't tell me they were fighting over the cow..."

"Oh, no. That was Lili's well-intentioned but random as hell attempt at stopping a fight from breaking out. Though, if you asked me, I WISH this dumb sideshow was about the cow.", Kerry responded to Takeshi, making her feelings known about the whole situation.

As Shizuka blocked Alice back from engaging, the hornet noticed Gringor relax his body, clearly readying himself to react to anything the mad hatter may throwing at him.

Ugh. I swear, it's like I'm dealing with my little bratty nekomata twin sisters all over again., she thought to herself, rolling her eyes as she held and planted Dusk into the ground in one hand and a swirling sphere of wind in the other, ready to play enforcing mediator at a moment's notice.

Io's words fell on deaf - or perhaps simply bloodthirsty - ears. She gave the most minute of sighs, before returning to her meal. She didn't see a point to adding fuel to the fire that was taking place before her. Better to stay back and observe. 'Perhaps this spat of theirs will prove the necessity of training grounds to begin with.' Io mused to herself. She seriously doubted this exchange of blows would amount to long-lasting harm, given the mastery of arms she had witnessed from the human as well as the supernatural abilities of mamono.

Io finally was able to witness Liliana's magic in action - and it was exactly as was described. Unfortunately, directly watching it being invoked did not seem to reveal any insight into what exactly the fairy's magic was - it was still a jumbled kaleidoscope of magical energies. The result was... a cow. Io found it strange - and perhaps slightly irksome - that such inscrutable magic could bring forth something so mundane. It was like using an entire wizard's tower of spellbooks to create a cup of coffee.

Luckily Eula escorted the cow out of harm's way before the situation escalated further - and indeed the situation did. She would, as she initially planned, wait this conflict out; but she couldn't help but think the potential collateral damage could cause issues with the locals. As she finished her meal, Io leafed through her grimoire. She felt she might need some spells to mend destroyed tables, repair craters in earth, and generally clean up after mayhem.

'I'll definitely have to get my undead servants trained in maid duties...' These things were beneath Io, but she would deal with it for now. Mending some collateral destruction and property damage was par for the course whenever a lich moved their base of operations, and this island was shaping up to be no different.

As she descended into Shizuka's attack, fluid streams of water slipped between frozen blades of ice, and pressed them this way and that. The clashing clang of sword-on-axe announced the parry, and defiance of Shizuka's strike.

Alice used the reversal and the gifted momentum to push herself to safety, and landed on the ground with a notable impact. Opening her coat, she sheathed Carroll, before removing her hat, and shaking her hair out.

"Almost had to be serious," she says, "Another day, perhaps. This is becoming a hassle."

Twirling her hat on her right pointer, Alice would walk past Shizuka's, and plop her hat on Gringor's head.

"Next time, cowboy, ride alone, and we'll finish this fight..."

Despite Shizuka's attempt to defuse the situation, Alice continued the fight by launching herself to the air with a pillar of flame that erupted from the ground. This forced the azure swordsman to intercept her in the air with his own technique, unleashing a barrage of icy slashes to stop Alice from whatever she was doing. All the while as the taskforce watched with varying degrees of interest.

Alice blocked the ice attack from Shizuka and both fighters descended from the air. The Mad Hatter expected a landing by herself, but she was instead caught by Takeshi who had moved in as the clash ended. Alice was then let down before receiving a stinging flick to the forehead courtesy of the young lord.

"I don't mind yokai fighting each other for even the pettiest reasons and making a fool of themselves, but do it somewhere where you can't cause harm to innocent bystanders. That goes for all of you." Takeshi reprimanded the entire taskforce. "Now then, if this is all over. Have a good night and I'll see you all tomorrow." He finished and walked away before Alice bid her final words to Gringor.

Moments later, Ayu arrived to see what was going on and saw the aftermath of the fight. Particularly, the hole that Alice's fire pillar erupted from. "...Well, at least we have the shovels to fix this." She sighed.

~THE NEXT DAY~

After the dinner, the taskforce rested until morning.

It was a new day for Shizuyama and although the refugees were thankful for surviving another day not dying or captured by the invaders, they lamented that yet another day passed with their homes destroyed or occupied and to travel outside this temple safe haven was basically a death wish.

Alice, Gringor and Shizuka seem to have something to do for the day.

Meanwhile, Takeshi was tending to his horse as it ate from its trough. If a taskforce member wished, they could ask him to tag along on a mission.

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*Finish 'Pre-Emptive Strike' to unlock next tale*

@AzureKnight@PaulHaynek@Hammerman@The Irish Tree@Nakushita@Rezod92@Enkryption@Crowvette

Gringor & Skarsneek

Staring at the ending fiasco, Gringor body and eyes looked warily at the Mad Hatter as she landed. The other underboss came as Takeshi caught her before she landed.

Eyes twitched, the usual fighting air was gone from her. So when she placed a hat on him, Gringor didn't react at all. Waiting for an attack that never came but also not letting his stance up till she was far away.

Only then did he stood up, grunted, rolled his shoulders and tossed the hat away to the sides.

At least, that was what he planned until someone tossed a shovel right toward him.

---

On the other side, Skarsneek waited with bated breath to intervene as his club was held loosely.

He let out a relaxed breath when Takeshi showed up, finally stopping the entire fight. Skarsneek followed suit as he stepped out from one of the onlooker shadows, hidden to all as he rested his weapons on his shoulders.

Idly, he looked at his food and realized it's probably all cold now. Sighing at that, he made his way back before hearing Ayu arrived and taking stock of the situation.

A moment passed before Skarsneek walked away quickly as he spotted said tools to the side.

Taking two of them, he quickly moved back and tossed one haphazardly with an obvious motion. True enough, the High Orc barely turned to catch it mid-air.

"Come, bet I can dig faster than you." He cheekily challenged, twirling the shovel in hand as the shovel looked comically ill-suited for his size.

Snorting, Gringor ignored the goblin as it was a waste of his time but he did keep the shovel. It was his now.

"Oh, what's wrong? Scared?" Skarsneek said, and those magic words had Gringor swiftly turning back to start digging. A single thrust to the ground and he nearly uprooted an equal amount of dirt that Alice's explosion did.

Meanwhile, Skarsneek did the same, and the two finished covering the hole in a blink of an eye.

"And done!"

"I'm faster." Gringor huffed as he stood tall and looked down on the goblin.

"Yea, yea." Skarsneek waved his hands before idly pointing out to the side. "So what caused that?"

"Hrng." Gringor clicked his tongue as he headed off, muttering something under his breath.

Skarsneek could barely hear it but it was sword boi?

Meh. Skarsneek thought and shook his shoulder.

He'll leave the heavy lifting to them, his job is a much more delicate one.

Still, if their muscles wasn't enough...

Skarsneek wondered if there were any poisonous plants here.

---

Skarsneek of the Red Hill

Waking up to the next morning and stretching himself, he looked at what kind of things he needed to do.

This time however, he patiently waited for both the sisters before proceeding.

Still, they could help out the woman that needs food, or recruit another of Takeshi associates. Getting all of them together would greatly increase their manpower.

So with that, Skarsneek kicked off as he find Ayu and see if she can explain the whole overview of their current situation, stock, logistics and morale. It was important to keep track of these things.

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Gringor of the Iron hide Tribe

(Now in Collab, please wait while skulls are being bashed.)