Yuki gave a quick and curt nod of her head in acknowledgement that she had heard Shizuka. Her eyes as sharp as her claws as she kept them locked on Kazenosuke. Waiting for Shizuka to make his move and follow up on Io’s spell. Waiting for the right moment to make her own move, waiting for the opening that she sought. Knowing that would be the most advantageous to her next strike as she tensed up her muscles in preparation.
Watching as Kazenosuke blocked the beam from Io with his scabbard as he discarded it only for it to shatter upon impact with the ground. Yuki saw him try to then defend against Shizuka three strikes, but it was clear that his defenses where being overwhelmed by the multiple angles of attack. “it’s been a long time since I had to rely on this….but don’t say that you didn’t ask for this….” Yuki muttered, a little bit of electricity beginning to crackle from her horns. Before it reached down to her claws, the electricity crackling in the air as Yuki immediately and without hesitation went straight at Kazenosuke. “If it is not over yet, then I will make sure it is over….you won’t be standing for long….!” Bringing her electric claws towards the swordsman while he had his back against the wall.
Knowing that it would restrict his movement with his back against the abode as she aimed for his shoulder wanting to get him to drop his sword and his guard. Knowing that he likely would keep fighting as long as he could raise his sword to confront them. The Oni being in a rather foul mood as she didn’t hesitate to go straight for him even while he was on the back foot and clearly injured by Shizuka’s previous strikes. The only thought on her mind to get a bit of payback on him for his earlier strikes.
@Hammerman@Enkryption "The cows are sort of included, sorry!" Liliana said, apologizing for getting Lunatea's ears licked.
Yurine's words were concerning though. Why did everything have to be complicated? Humans were so weird...an oath of loyalty meant staying loyal, not re-interpreting your fundamental values and deciding that its TECHNICALLY not betraying even if your sword was up your king's butt. "...That's sad," Liliana said, folding her wings up behind her. "If they knew how bad the situation REALLY was, they wouldn't think Takeshi was doing so bad!"
But, it wasn't like anyone would pat the fairy much mind. Seeing that Takeshi wanted to talk to Kikyo alone, Liliana would trail along after her fellows to return to the temple, feeling a bit sad that they had to fight against Takeshi's supposed loyal warriors. It was a bit saddening, and fairies hated nothing more than being sad. Or, people being sad. Eyeing the temple from a bit of a walk away, she'd spy Alice bounding out in a dress with no shoes on. ...Was...was that Wonderland fashion?
"Hey, wait! Lady Aliiiice!" the little fairy called, pursuing Alice as fast as she could. Sadly, the mushroom woman had a hell of a head start. Panting and resting on a nearby stalk of a cattail, Liliana would catch her breath while watching Alice float. Then, a very rainbow-y knight came along and started talking. That...didn't look like standard Shizuyama armor. And who was that red-headed lamia with her? And then they both suddenly submerged!?
...There was only one answer! Alice was being held captive by a red-headed sea-snake lady! Hurriedly growing to her normal-human size, Liliana would think quickly to improvise a "hydrodynamic" version of her dress by doing a little magical girl twirl before diving in after Alice. "Bwady Alish, Twake By Handf!" she blurbed, speech impossible to make out underwater and she reached out for Alice.
Eula raised a quizzical eyebrow as she spied Kerry and Relica denying their relationship, the automaton diagnosing them both with "tsun" and "dere". Kerry would leave before Relica's wrath could be directed at her, the automaton unable to contain a slight chuckle as Relica fumbled her responses to the young boy before them both.
When asked about a bio-scan module, Eula said: "This unit does not have a biological scan function. However, if I were to ingest one of the mushrooms, I'd be able to identify the toxins and potential cures from that. It should be safe for me to consume, given my lack of organs to poison." While her logic was sound, having her consume poison may have unintended consequences...
As Shizuka charged with Yuki at his back, Io let loose her stream of ice upon the Dancing Blade wielder. Kazenosuke did not back down as Shizuka unleashed his afterimage technique, seemingly confident that he could parry a multi-directional attack. However, he was forced to block Io's magical blast using his sheath. It did indeed block the technique, but it shattered upon him dropping it, no longer able to make use of it. This, in turn, left Kazenosuke open to the vagrant's attack. To little to late did he attempt to meet the offense; Shizuka's three simultaneous slashes hit their mark. With blood dripping from his side, Kazenosuke could do little but stumble back to the side of his abode. Holding his sword in one hand and his side with the other, his back was against the wall as he raised his blade once again. Proclaiming that he would still continue the bout, his eyes held a fleeting determination as he pointed his blade at the trio.
"Kazenosuke-san, you show a willingness to be cut down, in a fight were nothing need be on the line?" Shizuka said, shaking his head with a tone of disappointment. "How long must we continue this until someone keels over? There is no need to drag this contest out any longer, admit defeat Dancing Blade."
As Shizuka attempted to convince his fellow swordsman to surrender, he immediately turned to Yuki, who began charging a large amount of mana. As it swelled inside of her, her horns began to glow and emit a lightning-like energy. The chi began to flow from her horns down into her elongated claws. With thunder crackling in the air around them, Yuki made a charge at the wounded Kazenosuke before Shizuka could even console her. Dammit, she was being too reckless! Powerful opponents like him were the most dangerous when their backs were against the wall.
"Yuki-chan, wait! Don't go off halfcocked!" He exclaimed. Instead of hoping, perhaps in vain, that Yuki would heed his warning - he opted to offer aid in case she received a painful counter for her trouble. Using his godlike speed, he would jump in front of a blow meant for Yuki, if Kazenosuke had one planned. He would have an afterimage take the hit, then he's real self would get her out of the way. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that though...
"It is as Yurine-san says, Ayu." Atsuha responded. "Thankfully our comrades were able to quell her rage and we were able to subdue her."
Hearing Yurine's suggestion, she was about to answer when she noticed Skars and Gringor arguing amongst each other for a brief moment. Sighing, she stepped between them to quell the conflict.
"Gods above, do you ever stop arguing." She groaned, turning to Gringor. "Gringor, was it? Funny, don't think we get to speak very often to one another. At any rate, you have my gratitude in helping to save my sister from herself. Desipte what some may say, high orcs can't be all bad." She mused to the male mamono. Watching him walk off further inside the temple she turned back to her lover.
"I...suppose that would be a good idea. A lot's happened today, and I'm still a bit winded from that technique that brutish warrior landed on me." She said, making sure she still wasn't bleeding from her forehead. "Also, she thankfully appears to be a peace right now." She looked at her little sister, who was still resting in Skarsneek's arms. "Yurine-san, I do believe that we all could use a breather after today's events. It's best we tend to Hinami after tending to ourselves first." She responded to the gravekeeper.
"You know? I don't think I've ever tried out the hot springs here, I think I'll do just that." She smiled at Skarsneek. "I'm sure I would enjoy it much more if you were with me, but I unfortunately must ask you to look after Hinami for a while if you don't mind." She said. Beginning to make for the springs, she would surprise the goblin with a sudden tight hug that lifted him off the ground. "Thank you, my beloved." She said, planting a kiss on his cheek. At that point, she made her way off to the hot spring to replenish her stamina and hopefully her spirits as well.
Arrived in front of the springs, Atsuha carefully removed her white kimono. Neatly folding it, she gently placed on the ground before the pool. She'd have to remember to clean it later. She then skittered into the spring, her legs began to be submerged in the water. Since she was taller that most people, Atsuha tried to get to the center of the spring where she thought it deepest. Crouching down, she was able to have her spider body completely submerged in the pool. and only a part of her human half was visible. Part of the tree-like plant on her back stuck out, which left some sakura petals floating on the surface. As she soaked in the steam and water, mainly thoughts weighed on the spider's mind. She began to slump more into the pool, and as she did a couple of tears began to run down her cheeks.
"Hinami, what are we even doing here...?" She said to herself.
Io's theory proved correct. While he was indeed skilled, Kazenosuke likely had little experience against mages. Unfortunately for him, fighting against mages required just as much knowledge as it did physical skill.
Gaining an advantage over their enemy was the perfect time to shore up possibilities. There was no room to be arrogant - it was likely that Kazenosuke had his own plan. After all, why would he continue to fight if the situation was so tilted against him? He must be working towards a contingency, Io was certain.
"Do you plan to sew those wounds together yourself?" Io said, while scanning the area around. There could be a path, or some kind of exit Kazenosuke could try for. "Surrender and I can-" Io was cut off by Yuki's sudden charge.
And of course, before Io could react, Shizuka said something that completely diverted her brainpower. 'Why did he use that phrasing, of all possible things?' She felt her thought processes accelerate, and in relation, time itself seemed to slow. 'Was it an error? The product of a strange vocabulary? Or is he attempting to distract Yuki with such a strange word? He understands her and her kind enough to make that snap decision? Is he secretly a prodigy in both the sword and in wit?! ...Is his tongue that skilled in-'
Io forcibly diverted her train of thought - she only had moments to prepare for this change in the fight. It was too late for her to halt Yuki, but perhaps Io could put something between the two that could solve multiple problems at once. She quickly mouthed an incantation - even speaking it would take too long - for a cage of magical energy to surround Kazenosuke. It was shoddy spellcraft, and wouldn't last for long, but it was the best Io could form in the moments before Yuki's strike landed. Ideally, it would stop Yuki while still imprisoning Kazenosuke - but Io knew that the situation was far from ideal. She could only hope.
A second after Eula explained her function, the monk and the mother returned. The former had some moss in his hand and both had hope in their faces. "Remember, Mika. Crush the moss, add them into a cup of water and bring to a boil. Have your son drink the mixture and he should be fine the following morning." The monk said as the two entered the house.
"Thank you, healer." Mika nodded her head. "Rikuo, how are you doing? How's the yokai?"
"Mother, healer! I am doing fine." The boy immediately answered since he could not wait to break the news. "The two yokai, the hornet and this backpack girl. It looks like they're together!"
"What?"
"Really? I never would have guessed!"
"Now, now, Mika. Very few of the yokai have relationships like these with each other, but they do exist." The healer turned to Relica. "Still, even I did not know this. I am glad that you two found each other."
What was once one were now three. Truly, a lie travels way faster than the truth.
"No, no. I'm not here for you to help me. I'm here to help you, your dad and everyone else in this village out. See, a few of my friends and myself are with a monk who wants to heal you folks. I just have a couple of questions. How many of you have fallen ill? When did the first of you get sick and how?"
"Ill?" The boy repeated, confused. "Err, no one's sick in the village. At least, as far as I know. We are running low on food, though. Although, I suppose that's better than being attacked by Varjans..." Jin continued. "I wish the next supply caravan comes soon--"
"Jin! What's going on there? Is the yokai not leaving?"
The boy turned to answer, "No, no! She's-- she's leaving, father!" Before returning to Kerry. "I'm so sorry, miss yokai, but we don't want to involve ourselves in anything right now. Oh and, there are no ill people here. Really sorry and I hope you have a great day." Jin then closed the sliding door on the Hornet.
Kerry then remembered that the healer said earlier that despite their urgent business, he needed to go and assist the poisoned boy they are taking care of right now. That probably meant that this was not the settlement that was afflicted with the illness.
"How long must we continue this until someone keels over? There is no need to drag this contest out any longer, admit defeat Dancing Blade."
"Surrender and I can-"
“If it is not over yet, then I will make sure it is over….you won’t be standing for long….!”
Kazenosuke smiled as Yuki charged at him with her electric-charged Oni claws. Shizuka prepared for Kazenosuke's counterattack but Io's casting of a magical cage around the dancing swordsman was too late, Yuki was already upon him.
But Kazenosuke made no move to defend himself nor counterattack, he dropped down to the ground instantly instead. Yuki crashed through the wooden walls of the dancing swordsman's home, dazing the Oni a bit but otherwise unharmed. She could even get a glimpse of Kazenosuke's humble living quarters if she decided to look around. A single table, a mat to kneel on and some bits of miscellaneous furniture.
"Bwahahahahaha!" Kazenosuke burst out into laughter but made no attempt to escape Io's magic cage. "Oh man, that's so good!" He continued, wiping a tear off his eye. "Well, you've got me. Looks like it's my loss." The dancing swordsman surrendered. "You people work together well as a team. That's good, that'll be real useful against your enemies."
"Although, I shouldn't be surprised. You all are married, after all."
The rainbow knight tilted his head and simply watched Alice and Carroll sink into the water. "Huh, I didn't know Cursed Swords could do that. Did I read that file right...?" He remarked to himself, likely not heard by the underwater Mad Hatter.
Not long after, someone jumped in after Alice much to the rainbow knight's surprise. It was Liliana, but the knight did not know who she was. All he knew was that someone thought this Mad Hatter/Cursed Sword/Whatever was sinking and drowning and spared no thought in trying to save her. The rainbow knight supposed such a trait was blameless, if reckless.
The knight decided to give them a little helping hand by getting some rope, tying one end to a small anchor that was lying around and lowered it into the water where the monsters decided to go swimming. Now, one would think on how one measly knight could lift at least three monsters. But the rainbow knight would not be there if he wasn't good at his job.
It was not long after the taskforce arrived at the temple when Takeshi and Kikyo arrived too in their horses, although the group had long split up. The two warriors found only Lunatea when they entered the temple. Takeshi bid Kikyo farewell as they disembarked their horses and the young Oja approached the Wererabbit.
"Lunatea." Takeshi greeted, who had now replaced his kimono top with a similar garb. "I assume the others have gone to rest? It was a pretty hectic battle back there, wasn't it?" He guessed. "You know, you're gonna have to give that back someday." Takeshi motioned at his red kimono currently being worn by Lunatea. "I mean, I guess I can let you keep it. A nice, little souvenir from Shizuyama: The clothes of the Island Lord!"
"Anyway, I think I'm going to go have a dip on the springs before I do anything else. It's been a long day. What about you?" Takeshi might have not said it, but he would probably indulge Lunatea if she wanted him to do something else.
Seeking out Nobutada, Gringor managed to find the monk along with some refugee villagers at the back of a pagoda. The High Orc was not near enough for him to hear what they were discussing. His presence was noticed before he could get close enough and Nobutada bid the others farewell to go meet with Gringor.
"I see you're wearing some armor. Have you finally encountered a weapon that can pierce your yokai skin?" Nobutada noticed the High Orc's newly-equipped armor pieces. "And it looks Varjan too, have you decided to join the invaders?" The monk then let out a laugh. "I jest. The Varjans will never tolerate your presence."
"Have you come to me to just show off your new attire or is there something else?"
Skarsneek was shown an empty room inside a grain storage building with a bed by some helpful monks to place Hinami in. Not long after, a familiar old warrior came to visit them.
"How's the undead holding up?" Yurine asked. "Still knocked out? Well, I suppose that's for the best." The old woman remarked. "While I'm ready to begin the spell to visit her mindscape, I understand that we're all tired right now and I think we should talk to the undead herself regarding this."
"Do you know what the spider yokai does to calm her sister down?" Yurine asked Skarsneek. "I assume the undead isn't a feral that attacks everybody all the time."
Soaking in the warm waters of the spring, Atsuha's body immediately began to relax. Unfortunately, the burdens weighing on her mind might have prevented her from fully enjoying the spring. Perhaps it would be best for her to clear her mind for the time being in order to properly refresh it.
Easier said than done when Atsuha overheard two peasant women talking as they passed by springs. "I'm telling you, I saw him!" "I believe you think you saw him." "I'm not lying!" "Remember when you said you saw a Centaur a year ago?" "Yes..." "And it was just a horse rider behind a bush?" "This time it's different! It was Lord Takeshi Oja!" "Of course it was..."
~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~
*Finish 'Pre-Emptive Strike' to unlock next tale*
~~ TAKAMORI TALES ~~
"Lord Takamori said that his traitorous daughter, Setsuna, is training Varjan archers in Ōmiya. I know this frightens him, even if he tries to hide it. If we don't find her and end this, there may be no stopping the archers, and no hope for Ōmiya Springs. We need to see Lord Takamori immediately." -Takeshi Oja
~~ SORAE TALES ~~
*Finish 'Pre-Emptive Strike' to unlock next tale*
~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~
A villager woman remarked to the taskforce member as the latter passed by.
"You better watch out if you're passing Yabo Forest, yokai. It's haunted by angry spirits... Dead samurai, eager to spill blood."
"People go into the woods and never come out. Varjan and Shizuyaman alike! The bodies that turn up have all been killed by Shizuyaman blades..."
A peasant man eating barbecued meat on a stick was startled when the taskforce member approached. It appeared he has news.
"Yokai! You have to tell Lord Takeshi, there is another samurai noble who survived Sanjo Beach. His name is Lord Tonchiki. He's in his abode southeast of here. If you go see him, I'm sure he would join your cause."
"Err, maybe not. I guess you'll need Lord Takeshi himself to convince him."
A villager sitting on some stone steps in the temple stood up when the taskforce member approached. "Yokai, I've heard of a small resistance group gathering in the Imahama Area. I believe they're headed by that shrine priestess that started a fight here not too long ago."
"They're recruiting farmers and fishermen to their cause. Brave, but it'll be dangerous if they're not trained."
~~ LEGENDARY TALES ~~
"Dealing with these students of the Heavenly Strike was more difficult than we thought. They have already thrown back two of the taskforce. However, the yokai fought them separately and at different times, so perhaps a more cooperative approach would be more fruitful."
"The cows are sort of included, sorry!" Liliana said, apologizing for getting Lunatea's ears licked.
"What?! What do you mean the cows are included?!" The wererabbit replied with disbelief.
But she decided not to push it further, just so to move the conversation along.
—
Returning back to the temple, the wererabbit had a grim look on her face. She still couldn’t believe what had just happened. The humans they were trying to protect… betraying them like that… was it so bad that they were monsters and not humans like them? They too were living beings like them, with intelligence and emotions. They weren’t beasts that existed only to kill or breed with humans. She might desire a husband but it wasn’t like she only wanted to breed with him! She wanted to do all sorts of stuff with him too! Stuff that a human woman would also want to do!
Once the group arrived, they immediately disbanded. Some decided to go to the hot springs, an idea that certainly had crossed her mind. But first, she needed to find some decent clothes to wear.
"Lunatea." Takeshi greeted, who had now replaced his kimono top with a similar garb. "I assume the others have gone to rest? It was a pretty hectic battle back there, wasn't it?" He guessed.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Yes, it was.”
"You know, you're gonna have to give that back someday." Takeshi motioned at his red kimono currently being worn by Lunatea. "I mean, I guess I can let you keep it. A nice, little souvenir from Shizuyama: The clothes of the Island Lord!"
"I suppose I could..."
Looking down at the red kimono, she realized that from the short time she had worn the garment, it had grown quite to her liking. Sure, the chest was open way too widely for her taste, and the hem only barely covered her buttocks, but the fabric was smooth and comfortable, not chafing against the skin in the slightest.
"I quite like this fabric, now that I've worn it," she admitted to the young lord with a serious look. "And like you said, it'd make quite the nice souvenir for back home."
"Still, for a man to give his clothes to a woman... you might not want that in order to not arouse suspicion... people may start to think we're lovers..." She averted her gaze, a pained look flashed on her face.
"Anyway, I think I'm going to go have a dip on the springs before I do anything else. It's been a long day. What about you?" Takeshi might have not said it, but he would probably indulge Lunatea if she wanted him to do something else.
"The springs... I suppose I can join you there. If you wish, I can wash your back. I need to repay you for your kindness after all..."
As young Jin slid the door closed, Kerry stood on the threshold, wide eyed at this particular revelation. As this news swam in her mind, she took the time to scan the other houses. She could go to another house to ask again.....and that's what she did.
Only to get the same answer. No illness or disease. So, naturally, she went to the last house. Fourth verse, same as the first.
Everyone in this meager village said there was no disease here. In fact, now that she noticed it, the place looked untouched by war as well, as there was no evidence of Varjans running through here. Which told her two possible explanations:
Either we're in the wrong village....or someone's bullshitting.
Eyes narrowing, Kerry marched straight back toward the first house, sliding the door wide open and making her return known to all inside. Before anyone could greet her.....and before Relica could commit first degree murder in full view of witnesses, she cut them off.
"Ah, there's our....'monk'.", Kerry began as she slid the door closed. Relica and Eula would then pick up on the demeanor and tone the hornet now took on. Leaning back against the door with her arms crossed, Kerry appeared laid-back and nonchalant, a complete contrast to how she was a couple of minutes ago. But her eyes and voice told them something else:
She was suspicious at the monk and was being interrogative now.
"So, I found out something interesting while I was out and about.", she continued her statement the monk. "I went over to the house next door, you know to see who else fell under to this 'disease' you speak of. You know what the kid who answered the door said? No one is sick over there. No one in the village is. So, like anyone with a shred of a brain would do, I went over to the next house to confirm this. I got the same answer there, too. And before you ask, yes, I did go to the last house, 'cause screw it, let's do all of them. Same answer. All the while, it got me thinking of everything that came up on our way here, to this point in time."
Kerry then turned her attention to Relica and Eula.
"Isn't odd that the only Varjans we've ran into was the Elite-led patrol we fought some ways back? Given how tiny this village is, I wouldn't put it pass those pricks to miss this place completely. And the only person even remotely under the weather here is the kid in bed and that's because he ate something he wasn't supposed to eat. Also, Rel, remember that question you asked earlier? How would our 'monk' know just how contagious the disease is after, as he claimed, the Varjans had been through here?"
@PaulHaynek, @Rezod92, @The Irish Tree What was this? Some kind of pre-prepared roast? How!? They didn't even know her! The gremlin was getting more and more red, overall, as the situation progressed within the humble home of the mother who left her suppsoedly ill and only child in the care of two complete strangers, who were monsters to boot. The boy had blurted out his misunderstanding as soon as the monk and his mama had returned, and now they were jumping on the band-wagon too!
"Listen here, ya dolts! I. AM. NOT. TOGETHER. WITH. THAT. BUMBLE-BIMBO! Got it!?" Relica's raised voice and flailing arms were quite noticeable. In fact, it would probably has come as a shock to anyone if she'd thrown herself onto the floor, on hter back, and started spinning around in a circle while kicking her legs, flailing her arms and screaming. Luckily, the gremlin had just enough dignity not to do that.
Then the door to the house slid open, and in came the source of this whole issue.
"Yoooooooouuuuuuuuuuuu........!" An enraged Relica hissed in a most menacing way.
However, before she could move on over and strangle Kerry with all four of her robotic octo-arms, at the same time, something... Happened. The horney was strangely calm and slid the door shut behind herself, then taking up a position to block it completely. Furthemore, the expression on her face and look in her eyes gave Relica pause to figure out that something had happened, and now wasn't the time to settle personal matters of any sort.
... Even if she really, really, really wanted to...
Listening to the mercenary hornet's little observations, the cogs and gears in the gremlin's own head slowly began to turn. Yes, there was a whole lot fo things about this little trip that hadn't made much sense from the start. How had the monk known about the diseased location if he hadn't been there? How did he know it wasn't contagious? How'd he known the Varjans had gone through and pillaged it? And if that was the case, why wasn't this village more broken down and battered? There were a lot of possibilities and answers to all of these questions, of course.
Perhaps the monk had run away from the village himself, and come to the temple to fetch help? Or perhaps someone had sent him a message or come to see him? Perhaps, just klike with the villagers they rescued on their way here, this wasn't the actual destination but rather yet another side-tour that the monk had led them to as part of his altruistic agenda? But, there was one thing that stood out above all else to Relica now that she thought about it.
The monk.
Not only had he been polite and respectful to her when they had first met, but he had also shown interest - and more importantly, knowledge - about the world outside of Shizuyama. Now granted, he could be a subordinate of that Ayu-woman and be less hostile to monsters on that fact alone, but that still didn't explain how or why he knew about technology and magic beyond this little island. As far as Relica knew and had been told, the locals of this island pretty much didn't interact much with the countries or realms beyond their borders, aside from the random diplomatic talks and aid with The Order.
So, why was he so interested and impressed by her technology and gadgets? That lord tamashi or whatever his name was had said as much himself: His people wouldn't like her, or her gizmos and machines. So, why? Why was this monk, a man of spiritual and ascetic mind and principles, asking about and showing interest in such things? For someone like that, who was supposed to have a steadfast belief and rigid conviction in his teachings, to be swayed by a mere few good deeds by creatures he'd been raised to know to hate and fear? Something was fishy.
Relica folded her arms, as per usual when she was upset. She didn't say anything immediately though. Dog-piling onto the monk right now could lead to complications. It was better to handle things carefully right now. When kerry asked about her question from earlier, the one that she'd actually asked twice and both times the monk had ignored to answer, she just nodded. The gremlin then looked at Eula.
"Eula, do me a favor. Look around the house a bit and see if you can find any signs that Varjans' been through here. Also, could you do a scan of the surroudings? Let me know if you sense or find anyone in an out-of-place spot, okay? " She requested from the automaton. Then, turning to look at the monk. "I'm afraid you've used up the last shred of my good will, baldie. Now, nobody except Eula here is going to leave this house until we get some answers. Actual answers. Not vague, hand-wavey explanations, not excuses." Relica's eyes almost sparked with an electric intensity. "You can start by answering my dearly beloved's questions. I have some of my own you'll be answering afterwards." She finished. The way she spoke when calling Kerry her dearly beloved was clearly sarcastic and exaggerated.
But now wasn't the time play games. Now was the time to grab a supposed man of the cloth by the scruff of his neck and shake him vigorously until he spilled the beans! ... On... Whatever it was... That ... He was hiding... Yeah! JUSTICE!
Featuring dialogue from: @The Irish Tree<Unda da sea...> Alice hummed.
<Unda da sea...> Carroll followed.
<Darling, it's betta down where it's wetta!> Alice looked to Carroll, beaming.
<Take it from -- WHAT THE HELL!?!> Carroll shouted, as Liliana interrupted the impromptu sing-along.
<Dive! Dive! Dive!> Alice shouted, seeking to descend away from the surface threat of a waterlogged fairy - it was darker under the water, and Liliana was trying to speak like an utter moron, which was disguising her face by the panicked bubbles of her drowning.
<Dive! Dive! Dive!> Carroll echoed, before taking Alice by the arm, and using her tail to thrust downward.
However, Alice's hair went up, having zero resistance from gravity, and thus Liliana could grasp it, and get a fistful with her flailing and tangle up her arm nicely. Which played a pivotal role in the sheer pain of being fished out of the water, as Carroll was going in one way, and Liliana was suddenly going in another, as the anchor-weighed rope cast beside the fairy, and snagged her dress.
Like a piece of bait, Liliana, unwittingly, did her job, and served to fish the trio of Mamono out of the water in an arc of monster girl.
Funny thing about fairies: They have never once had to hold their breath under water. From time of birth to death, most water they encountered was manageable. As such, Liliana’s supposed drowning was more of an actual drowning, as the fairy sank like a rock from lack of know-how on swimming. "Allisssshhhppp…" Liliana blurbed, foolishly losing every bit of air her lungs had stored by trying to talk, arm going limp in just the right way to get tangled in Alice’s hair to get yanked along with her.
Alice groaned, as she slapped onto the dock like a wet fish, and slowly rose to her feet. "What were you thinking!? Who does that!? My hair!" she shouted, as she worked through what was angering her the most.
Liliana would flop free of Alice’s hair and onto her own back, the fairy waterlogged and slowly spouting water from her mouth like it was a whale’s blowhole. …It was probably becoming readily apparent to Alice that Liliana had dove in without having an inkling of an idea of how swimming worked.
"Why would you just dive into the water without thinking!? If you can’t swim, would you -- I can’t even comprehend -- I -- Why are you so stupid!?" Alice threw her arms up in exasperation. Simple-mindness was cute for a season, but when it became life-threatening, things changed.
After sufficiently losing enough water to have her mouth work again, Liliana would cough and hack, before looking at Alice, smiling softly. "Because…I don’t…want someone who’s a friend getting eaten by big scary red snake fish ladies…" she said. "Whimsy said you were around someone ‘sketchy’ and ‘smelly’, so…I thought you were in trouble. And a knight never leaves a friend!"
…Stupid, but entirely chivalric. Such was the fairy knight.
"Oi, oi, oi!! You bastard bitch! You wanna fight! We can fight! Right here! Right now!" Carroll shouted, slamming her thicc tail on the dock; the equivalent of banging her haft, since her tail was essentially just that. "C’mon! Square up! I’ll show you sketchy and smelly, when I throw you into the goddamn sea -- ON FIRE, YOU ALL NATURAL HARLOT!!"
Whimsy would immediately launch itself at Carroll and begin an epic duel to the death while the camera remained solely on the significantly less important event of Liliana coughing and looking to Alice. "Who is that lady? Is she…a friend of yours? Did I mess up again?" the fairy asked, voice quivering a bit at the end.
"That’s Carroll..." Alice sighed, before sitting down. "And, no... you didn’t mess up, you dunderhead... just..." Alice looked for the words in the space between her hands, before she sighed, and leaned back on them. "You need to think ahead. You’ll never become my First Bladeflower, if you drown, you simpleton."
Liliana would be quiet for a moment before curling up on her side, wings spreading out to dry in the sun. "...I wouldn’t deserve it anyways. I’ll never be as strong as Rosebu-hey wait, before we keep having a deep talk about my self-”estem” issues, WHO THROWS AN ANCHOR AT PEOPLE IN THE WATER!?"
"Moreover, who the hell wears that gaudy rainbow colored armor in the middle of the day in public on purpose without shame," Alice asks. "You look like a tie-dye reject."
"Yeah! Tye-Die!"
All the while Carroll was dueling to the death with Whimsy in the most epic animation-budget eating battle that will inevitably mean something later down the line has to be really bad 3DCGI.
Attention shifted away from the water, and onto ragging on their savior, Alice would pay no mind to the duel of the fates behind her; more interested in digging on Ian’s (lack of) fashion sense, despite being a naked, hatless Mad Hatter in the middle of the docks.
Truly, there was no file that could prepare anyone for the full experience of Wonderland.
Letting Hinami rest as he gingerly put her onto a bed inside a grain storage, he sat close by even as he relieved some of her stress by using a wet cloth and a small basin to wipe her face.
It felt familiar, taking care of another younger sibling when they fall sick. Though Hinami’s case was more severe and life-threatening to others.
Idly, he wondered if there was anything that could be done. Undead usually was more docile and Hinami certainly wasn’t the lower-ranked variety. That she could talk, interact and retain much of her personality was enough to be counted to be a noble undead.
It being the consequences of a curse or ritual gone wrong, was sobering.
While sitting, nearly silent footsteps caught his attention and his hands went to the clubs immediately as he looked who was approaching.
“Oh, granny, what’s up?” He said and relaxed when the presence revealed itself to be Yurine.
Hearing that she plans to do the spell that’ll help calm her down or do whatever it’s supposed to do had him tense, but he supposed it was better to just get it done.
“I think we should probably wait until her sister gets back first, unless you need it done now...” Skarsneek said, it didn’t felt correct to do this without Atsuha but if it was time sensitive, then he’ll have to trust Yurine on this.
Though on being questioned of what to do to calm her down, Skarsneek looked back to Atsuha and Hinami before coming to a conclusion.
Raising Hinami, and being aided a little with his knee. He placed her in an embrace from the back and had her head rested against his stomach.
It was a bit different from how Atsuha does it, but she didn’t have legs anymore while he had.
“Right, this should do it.” Skarsneek said, though his position also meant he can easily change to a sleeper hold if Hinami decides to go wild again.
—
Gringor of the Ironhide Tribe
Gringor shrugged when Nobutada jested he has joined Varjan army with the new armor. “Make it too easy, no fun.”
The point of a fight was to be hard, an easy fight wasn’t worth it in his opinion.
“Fought Shizuka, and…didn’t win.” Gringor waved his hands as he focused the so-called chi or spirit energy as they’re called by the shamans. The thing desired by all mamono, something he generates and is special.
He didn’t see anything different between the demonic energy or spirit energy, since they’re essentially the same. Different, but same.
Pushing that aside, Gringor focused on what he can do with it instead as he focused it to his fist. It gathered there, made his hits stronger.
But that’s about it.
“Had arm bitten, not strong, not tough enough.” He said, recalling the sensation of teeth sinking into his flesh and bone.
It angered him as he grimaced darkly.
“So was thinking about spirit.” He then turned to Nobutada. “Seen those robe bois, dragon something. Dress little but when hit, axe bounced back.”
“Gravekeeper said it was technique, but it reminds me more of you. And you’re tougher.” Gringor then got to the heart of the matter.
“Can teach, how to make me tough? So I can make axe and armor tougher too.” He grinned, one that he hadn't done so for a while.
Somehow, despite everything, the situation resolved itself well. That is, except for Kazenosuke's house, which took an unfortunate amount of damage. He didn't seem to be too concerned, so Io didn't worry about it either. Yuki was tough, so Io figured crashing through the wall wouldn't have left any lasting damage on her either. "Good." Io regarded Kazenosuke's surrender as she approached. "Stay put and I'll deal with that." She dispelled the magical cage once she was sure her fellow task force members were close and ready in case he bolted.
Io leaned in - perhaps closer than necessary to administer her healing. "Shizuka and I are not married." Io said in a low voice as she reached out with a hand gently glowing with healing magic. "Which is to say. I am free." Io winked, though her natural blank expression, as well as her hood and hair covering her eye may have made the move unclear to Kazenosuke.
It had been several decades since she had to make such an offer, so she had to accept being a little rusty. Io would have to consult with some of the more trendy-type mamono in order to figure out what the right things were to say, but the opportunity presented itself this time around and she seized it.
After casting her spell of healing, she quickly turned before Kazenosuke could respond, with perhaps the slightest burning of embarrassment in her cheeks. "The next move?" she addressed Yuki and Shizuka, eager to redirect the conversation.
Yuki’s eyes widened when he fell out of her path and let her crash through the wooden walls of his home. Tumbling as she crashed through into his humble home as she was laid out in a pile of debris for a moment. Starting to grumble as she laid there for a good moment to clear her briefly dazed mind and to ponder what had just happened.
She begun to push and brush off the various bits of wall that she had found upon her as she slowly stood back up on her feet looking down at herself as she dusted herself off rather sheepishly. The incident being more embarrassing than it was painful as she felt rather foolish. Though it had at least snapped her out of her anger filled state as the lightning had dissipated, and her claws and features returned to normal.
Taking a moment to survey her surroundings and the swordsman’s rather humble home. It wasn’t much, but it was more than she was used to having herself during her time living in the mountains. But he seemed to be a simple enough man that didn’t need the creature comforts to get by. Moving over too his table and taking a cup from it as she gave it a sniff. Taking it with her as she made her way to the hole she had created while the others seemed to be in discussion.
Taking a swig of the cups contents as she wrinkled up her nose as the taste wasn’t the greatest. As she peeked through the hole at the others just in time to catch Kazenosuke’s comment and Io’s response. “I’m not married to him as well, in fact I only recently met him as well as Io, also whatever your drinking, I think has burnt out any taste buds that you had” Yuki remarked as she hopped through the hole in the wall to the other side. Leaving the cup with its contents behind as she clasped her hands behind her back as she made her way to Shizuka and Io’s side.
Shizuka prepared his counter and made a dash toward Yuki, at the same time Io prepped a magic cage to trap the Dancing Blade in to final end the battle. However, it seemed that Shizuka's gambit wasn't even needed, as instead of making a last-ditch countermeasure Kazenosuke opted to cheekily dodge Yuki's charge. He watched with childish amusement as the Oni crashed through his house, making a new entrance in the shape of a large hole. The humble insides of his home were revealed to the party; It was fairly simple and had only the necessities. As a man of similar feather, Shizuka wasn't surprised and could relate to his fellow swordsman taste in abode. Now trapped in Io's cade, all Kazenosuke did was point and laugh at Yuki's failed attack. Shizuka stepped into the hole made the the house, looking back to Kazenosuke with a look of annoyance. Checking to see if Yuki was ok, seeing her back on her feet with no issues and quickly wiping herself off gave him an obvious answer. She was a mamono, after all, so it should be no surprise.
He then walked back over to Io, who was now healing the injured Kazenosuke. "I had no idea you had such an inane side to you, Kazenosuke-san." He said, shaking his head. "I certainly hope the damage done to your home was well worth the 5 seconds of laughter you gained from it." Shizuka gave Io a perplexing glance at her odd statement toward the man, noticing the wink she gave him as well. He supposed that was her deadpan attempt at flirting? She quickly tried to change the subject by addressing Shizuka and Yuki, who had just walked up to them. She appeared to have helped herself to a piece of the swordsman's cupware for her trouble.
"I believe it is safe to assume that Kazneosuke is satisfied with our display today. Which means, he wouldn't mind following us back to Terauchi Temple." Shizuka replied. He then turned to Yuki. "Yukis-san." He started. "I had tried to warn you not to just rush in haphazardly. Just because you have an opponent backed into a corner doesn't mean that you should grasp at victory the moment you have it in sight." It may have been a little preachy, but Shizuka's seen too many fighters lose bouts they should've won, simply because they were too careless.
"What say you, Dancing Blade, will you come with us to meet with Takeshi and the rest of the Taskforce?" He said, looking back at Kazenosuke.
Atsuha barely paid any attention to her surroundings for the time being, still lost in thought over today's events. Still, she could feel the rejuvenating effects of the spring at work, and certainly felt better than she did before. She remembered that she told Hinami that it's best not to linger on negative thoughts and emotions. Besides, thankfully none of their allies were harmed by Hinami during her tirade. In addition, she was safely resting back at the temple with the others. Skarsneek and Gringor proved they were both more than capable of handling her should she go berserk again, knowing that further put her mind at ease. That was before she overheard two peasant women gossiping about something, she could barely make out what they were saying. Something about witnessing Lord Takeshi? Witnessing him doing what exactly? It was honestly a little annoying hearing all these rumors spreading about the young heir; He was out here risking his life to defend his homeland against invaders, and there's still citizenry who'd rather speak of unsavory rumors about him. The nerve made the spider grit her fangs.
For now, she'd do her best to tune it out and continue to soak in the springs.
--
Hinami began to rustle a bit in her sleep, and Skarsneek would hear her utter a single word. "Mother..." Her voice still holding it's eerie wail, which didn't bode well. With her turning, Skarsneek would have to tighten his hold on his sister-in-law, otherwise the temple was in for an unpleasant surprise.
The monk and Mika looked at each other in disbelief, but then the former slowly smiled and winked at the mother. "It appears I have been caught..." He started before turning around ominously. "You see, I am actually... an enemy mage!" The monk turned around again with the revelation, his arms stretched out. "Sent to this unsuspecting village to test my newest, nefarious scheme!"
Mika and her son gasped as the monk continued. "My new illness is quite diabolical! It is not for humans but for you, yokai! And it cannot be cured with normal means, no! In order to get better, victims must... drink the tears of their fellow yokai!" The monk continued his rather performative revelation. "But you can do nothing, yokai! You three are in no mood to cry right now and one of you is even a mechanical being! You are doomed, nyehehehe!"
The mother, confused at first, caught on and exclaimed. "By entering this village, you have infected yourselves! Yokai, you must bawl your eyes out to save yourselves!"
The silliness of this evil scheme invited doubt, but it was up to the taskforce on how to continue forward.
"Shizuka and I are not married. Which is to say. I am free."
"Oh?" Kazenosuke raised an eyebrow, not minding Io's close proximity as the Lich cast healing on him. "Hmm, we can have a drink when we have free time and see where to go from there." The dancing blade winked back.
“I’m not married to him as well, in fact I only recently met him as well as Io, also whatever your drinking, I think has burnt out any taste buds that you had”
Kazenosuke chuckled. "Well, what can I say? I am but a humble, wandering swordsman and humble, wandering swordsmen don't get to choose their drinks."
"What say you, Dancing Blade, will you come with us to meet with Takeshi and the rest of the Taskforce?"
"Sure, sure. I'll keep my end of the bargain." Kazenosuke replied, rubbing the back of his head once Io's spell was done. "Been a long time since I've seen ol' Tak. Although, not exactly looking forward to talking with him about my absence in Sanjo Beach." He sighed. "Right. So, do we take off now? I don't exactly have much, and my house is ruined pretty recently, so I'm all ready to go."
And with that, the mission to bring in Kazenosuke was done. The taskforce members could head back to Terauchi Temple or go somewhere else if they wish.
But suddenly, all three of the taskforce group caught the all too familiar signature energies of the Mad Hatter Alice pass by somewhere near. It appeared that the tall mushroom monster was on her way on a mission. Knowing her, it might be wise for Shizuka to follow the trail to keep Alice from danger. Or rather, keep others from the dangers of Alice.
"Moreover, who the hell wears that gaudy rainbow colored armor in the middle of the day in public on purpose without shame. You look like a tie-dye reject."
"Yeah! Tye-Die!"
"How dare you? I poured blood, sweat and tears making this custom armor for myself. Someone else's to be honest, but it still a lot of them." The rainbow knight retorted as Carroll and the Whimsy Blade continued to duel just nearby. "And I don't wanna hear that from a Queen that streaks naked in front of her subjects. And as for you, little Fairy... Nah, I got nothing. You're doing great so far, keep it up."
Amidst the clashing of the two sentient weapons, the rainbow knight continued with his hands on his hips. "Now then, what exactly are you two monsters doing here?" He asked firmly. "On a quest? On a mission? Or just here to terrify the islanders? Give 'em reason to join up with those wacky Varjans?"
"Because if it's the first two, maybe I can help." The weird knight offered. "Y'know, as soon as those two over there are done fighting. Hold on, if they're both weapons, how are they gonna hurt each other...?"
The ship Musubi was on had trouble finding a spot in the dock to land. The sunlight of midday made sure that one could clearly see that Otomo Port was filled with docked galleon warships fully armed with soldiers, monsters and men alike. Fortunately, but rather embarrassingly, one of the warships was moved out of the way to make way for Musubi's passenger ship. Upon disembarking, the Nurarihyon could see how prepared for war everyone in the port was. One could be mistake this humble fishing port for a military one. Perhaps it became one in the wake of the Varjan invasion of Shizuyama.
Musubi was with among other passengers and when they all out of the ship, they were greeted by none other than the white-furred Inari Lady of this island: Lady Kyouko. "Greetings everyone!" She happily waved at the newcomers, a rather out-of-place sight in this military atmosphere. "I'll be honest, I'm afraid you all caught me in a pretty... inconvenient moment right now. However, if you are here to see the sights of Akamagaseki, rest assured that they are all open and are not... like this. Carriages are available to take you anywhere in this island."
The other passengers jumped at the chance to speak with Lady Kyouko, the Lady of the island. The conversations were brief, though, as the Inari stressed that she was very busy with the activity in the port as evidence. Not that anyone was rude to island's Inari Lady. It was then Kyouko approached Musubi.
"Hello! It's been a while since I've seen those of your kind. This island doesn't get-- Hold on a second. Aren't you a member Lord Umitawa's court?" Kyouko squinted her eyes, recognizing Musubi.
The nurarihyon raised an eyebrow at the inari, after-which she raised a pointed, dainty index-finger over her own lips and made a soft, barely audible hushing noise. Perched on her bare shoulder, due to how she wore her low-cut kimono, a black crow-like bird - the size of your typical magpie - was sitting still and motionless, a pair of glowing blue eyes observing Kyouko curiously.
"Pleasure to meet you, my dear. I am indeed from Lord umitawa's domain." Musubi replied cordially, giving a slight bow to her monster-sibling. A slight smile was present on her lips. "I was dispatched here to... Inquire about the situation on Shizuyama. As you can imagine, my lord does not enjoy the presence of foreign invaders in his neighbours' backyard... Nor do I imagine any of the other Zipangu lords do." She continued, eyes half-closed as she took a long drag from her lit pipe, exhaling a thin, lazy stream of white smoke.
"Curious, you have all these ships and soldiers ready... And have had them ready for a while now, yet there has been no movement to engage the black ones' ships. One wonders if the young lady might be stalling for some reason, hmm~ ? I understand you are quite busy, my dear, so I do not wish to take up your precious time, so I will not ask for any long-winded recollections or pencil-thin details. Merely the most significant points will do just fine." The nurarihyon finished.
It appeared she had no intention of validating Kyouko's initial claim of her belonging to the court of the ruling lord on Tatemori island, but she was rather forward about getting answers herself.
"Oh? Does Lord Umitawa aim to help me?" Lady Kyouko replied. "I welcome any aid that goes my way, but I hesitated in asking the other Zipanguese islands for military aid. Not only is this not their fight, but for every warrior of another isle who dies in Shizuyama is a warrior who can no longer be there to defend their own home if Shizuyama falls." The Inari explained. "And asking to aid an island who hates them by principle is a very big request. Thus, I limit myself to my own forces and the taskforce I have in Shizuyama. All here on their own accord, of course. Anyone is free to leave at any time and for any reason."
"My fleet stands ready, but I cannot loose them yet." Lady Kyouko continued, looking to the warships at the dock. "They can take on any Varjan fleet of similar size, but the Varjan armada is not of similar size. Not only that, the enemy has surrounded and taken control of the major ports in Shizuyama. My ships can break through the blockade, but they might take time trying to take control of a port. Time that the Varjans will surely exploit." She then turned back to Musubi. "My fleet cannot be defeated, not unless Varjo takes all of its armies and sens them here, but we will take heavy losses if I attempt to attack now. Casualties I am not willing to suffer. No, a suitable port must be liberated before I can make a move."
"Which brings me to the taskforce I have in Shizuyama. The core team managed to get inside the island before the blockade, but any new members now must be teleported in. A... taxing activity, unfortunately." The Inari sheepishly smiled. "They performed better than I expected, you know? They managed to save the son of the Island Lord in the doomed battle in Sanjo Beach. With him on board, getting the locals to accept yokai aid should be much, much easier. Hopefully."
"Tell me, what is Lord Umitawa's stance on the matter?" Lady Kyouko asked Musubi. "You can be honest with me. I will hold no grudge even if he says good riddance to Shizuyama."
Waiting for kyouko to finish her words, the nurarihyon said nor did anything aside from patiently wait and listen. Once the inari was done and asked her own question, Musubi looked t her side at the myriad vessels and soldiers, letting out another thin stream of smoke before speaking.
"Yes... We saw the battle on the beach, or should I call it a slaughter? We also saw Old Lord Oja get himself captured and hauled off by the foreigners. One would have thought such a prideful man, who values tradition so dearly, would have committed seppuku in order to protect his own name and honor..." The nurarihyon replied, revealing that she, and most likely the rest of Lord Umitawa's court, were well aware of what had transpired on Shizuyama... Though as to how... Magic, perhaps?
"Ah, but you were asking about aid, yes? You are quite right, my lord has no love for Shizuyama and he will not be sending any soldiers to aid. Our island initially considered to intercept the Varjan fleet as it was approaching, but the other members of the lord's court managed to sway him to wait and see. How fortunate we did not waste any ships or soldiers on engaging a threat that was never meant for us." Musubi relayed, now inspecting her own fingernails in a nonchalant way. Then, suddenly, her violet eyes locked with Kyouko's.
"However. Even if we are not friends of Shizuyama, we are far less inclined to the people of Varjo. While we can tolerate Shizuyama and its people, so long as they keep to their borders, we can co-exist as passive-aggressive neighbours. However, should the Varjan invasion take Shizuyama, there will be none of that. They are as wild and aggressive as wounded boars, with an appetite for power and control to match. Allowing them to take a single piece of Zipangu soil will only cause trouble for the rest of us." She elaborated. A neighbour you dislike but can tolerate is far less of an issue than an aggressive home-invader, after all.
"Thus, while my lord will not send warriors or ships to Shizuyama... I might be able to do something for you myself, sweet girl." As she said this, the nurarihyon took another drag from her pipe, an amused smile on her face. "You spoke of a 'taskforce'... Hm, I believe we know of those too... The bundle of girls and that young swordsman, yes? What are you hoping they will accomplish?" She paused for a bit, then let out a puff of smoke. "You said that they would be relying on the little Oja-boy to gain favor with the locals... Are you perhaps trying to make stubborn old Shizuyama have a change of heart regarding us?" As she said this, a wry smile spread across Musubi's face.
"Lord Hideo Oja lead the only defense his island can muster, being there in the thick of the fighting. He has nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sure he wanted to die in that beach alongside his warriors." Lady Kyouko stated. "But even if he did want to take his own life, the Varjans will not let him. As we have his son, the Varjans have him. No doubt, the invaders will attempt to convince Lord Hideo to surrender so that the rest of Shizuyama will no longer resist."
"The taskforce..." Lady Kyouko addressed that point. "They were never supposed to do any fighting. I only recruited them as a reconnaissance team, to gather intelligence on what's going on about the continuous visits to Shizuyama by The Order represented by Varjan emissaries." She regaled the events before the invasion. "I feared the worst, but I didn't want to make any rash decisions. And the worst has, indeed, come. Far earlier than I ever expected."
"That's right, the Varjans have caught me unprepared." Lady Kyouko closed her eyes and sighed. "The Varjan armada came and attacked just as the taskforce arrived. Again, it was extremely lucky that they snagged Takeshi Oja alive."
"Now, the taskforce is there to, at least, stop Shizuyama from being completely overrun. They only need to hold out until I find a way to both break through the blockade and safely land my forces. If they manage to convince the locals to accept yokai aid, or even accept yokai fully, then that'll be a very nice bonus." The Inari continued. "Also, if they can somehow take over a major port and hold it, then that'll be my prime opportunity to unleash my fleet."
"Now then, Madam Musubi. What is this... probable thing you can do for me?"
At Kyouko's words and response, the nurarihyon's smile somewhat faded. It seemed the lady inari had not provided her with what she had wanted to hear. Or perhaps the monster from Tatemori was just playing games. She didn't respond to any of the matters regarding Shizuyama, the taskforce or the Oja. But when the final question came, she replied:
"Lord Umitawa may not be willing to send aid, but I am not Lord Umitawa." She statef, obviously. "You say your taskforce was meant to gather information, and you wish for them to liberate one of Shizuyama's ports. How fortunate for you that I came to visit then, as I happen to be quite good at the former and know a thing or two about both land and sea-warfare." She said calmly. "Normally, this is the sort of task you have your retinue deal with... But alas, I seem to have not brought any retainers." She feigned a melancholic sigh as she placed her free hand on one cheek. "To ensure the safety of Tatemori, it seems my only course of action is to lend you, my young fox, and your allies my help. After all..." She paused for dramatic effect, closing one eye and smiling cheekily now. "... I could not possibly leave such delicate matters in the hands of an Oja-boy still wet behind the ears. Call it a... Show of good will..." Musubi's words were very deliberate. It was rather obvious that her words, offer and decision right here did not in fact reflect or correspond to anything she'd likely discussed back on her home island.
In the end though, it was up to Kyouko to decide on whether she wanted the help of this neighbour or not. Though, before the inari could say anything, the nurarihyon did add a bit.
"Ah, yes. As for getting me onto Shizuyama, do not worry. I can provide you with some of my own energy, which should let you avoid getting all tuckered out. Or at least, less so.... Those scarab-girls in the desert lands really had some interesting tricks, huhu~"
Lady Kyouko's eyes widened in joy at Musubi lending her help to the cause. If the Inari had any suspicions to the Nurarihyon's ulterior motives, especially with the bird on Musubi's shoulder, she did not show it nor did she care for it. She was just glad that a known, reliable individual was going to go help Shizuyama on her own accord. "I... cannot express how elated I am, Madam Musubi." Lady Kyouko bowed. "Know that you have my deepest gratitude and you will be well-rewarded if everything we're doing is successful."
"And please, no need to share in the burden of the teleportation spell. You will need all the energy you have once your on the island. And besides, I already have a... benefactor helping me in that matter." Lady Kyouko finished. "Now then, do you have any more questions? This is a one-way trip that'll last a while so tell me anything that needs to be said."
At Kyouko's words, Musubi let out a soft, restrained but melodic chuckle.
"No need to get all teary-eyed, dear. I am, after all, doing this ultimately for my own home, not Shizuyama." She stated, affirming that there was no concern or real empathy for the plight of her besieged neighbours. If you do not wish for me to share in the ritual, then I shall respect your wishes. Although, did you not say earlier that anyone who volunteered was free to leave the cause if they so desired? But if this is, as you say, a one-way trip, how exactly are they free to abandon the cause, hmm~?" Musubi continued, respecting Kyouko's decision to not have her partake in the teleportation ritual's cost.
Taking a drag from her kiseru again, she let out a set of three rings of smoke, then stretched her neck backwards a bit. As she did, the magpie-sized crow-creature on her shoulder let out a hoarse and quiet caw. Its eyes ceased their luminence and turned to be as black as the rest of the little bird. Then, without further ado, it flapped its little wings and took to the air, flying first straight up and then beginning to head towards the north-west.
"Well then, no use in us standing around I suppose. Let us get on with it, my young lady. I imagine you have plenty to do that aside from entertaining me, yes? Oh, but I probably should be asking who your troop answers to, aside from the yonug Oja-boy. I would not wish to arrive and inadvertentlys say the wrong thing to your appointed commander." The nurarihyon finished, a mischievous smirk on her face... She clearly didn't mean what she just said... Regardless, it did at least look like she was ready to get going, as her pipe was - somehow - no longer lit and she'd neatly tucked it away. ... In her cleavage.
"Oh, that would be Sir Shizuka Kannazuki. At least, he's the technical leader of the taskforce." Lady Kyouko answered. "There's also Ayu who is my head spy on the island and assistant to the taskforce. She based on Terauchi Temple, where you will be teleported in."
Musubi was then led up a hill and into Lady Kyouko's estate. In the courtyard lay a wide stone platform with markings etched on it, a magic circle. A figure was also there obscured by robes and a hood, and the Nurarihyon could sense immense magical power coming from them. Lady Kyouko nodded at the figure who nodded back and Musubi was placed in the middle of the platform.
Lady Kyouko and the figure stretched their hands out and began to cast the teleportation spell. Musubi's sight was then engulfed with white light...
-
Takeshi raised an eyebrow at Lunatea's offer, not even two sentences away from warning him against becoming too close to each other. He cupped the rabbit yokai's averted chin and moved them so that her gaze was onto him again. "You warn me that we might be seen as lovers, yet you suggest that we two head to the hot springs, take our clothes off and wash each other?" His stern eyes looked straight into Lunatea's. "It's all rather perplexing, really."
"Or perhaps this is your new way of seducing me, now that your panty-flashing isn't working that much anymore." Takeshi leaned closer to Lunatea's face. "You aim pretty high, you know? Trying to get the heir of an Island Lord as your husband."
BA-DUMP!
Lunatea's heart skipped a beat the moment his hand cupped her chin. This was the first time a man (that wasn't her father) got this close to her and she really didn't know how to react. A blush crept into her cheeks and she could scarcely say anything as he got closer to her and exposed her plan to seduce him.
"That's…. that's not true! I'm not seducing you because you're the heir of this island! I'm doing it because I like you! I think—I think you'll make a great husband! You're strong and chivalrous, a-and you're not bad-looking either!"
This was the first time she had ever been this honest. She was always the firm believer that the man should make the first move. As such, any seductions she did would always be more "accidental" in nature than intentional. Like flashing her panties.
But this was the first time she asked a man to take a bath with her. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know why she blurted that out in the first place!
Takeshi's eyes widened at Lunatea's confession. A small blush crept up the young Oja's cheeks, even he did not expect the rabbit yokai to be so blunt and honest about her feelings. He let go of Lunatea's chin and leaned back so he could pinch his forehead at this unexpected turn of events. "I suppose I am flattered that you think I am more than the heir of this island's Lord. I do try my best at that regard and I appreciate the words, even from a yokai." Takeshi tried his best not to think about the fact that of all the men Lunatea has met, it was him who earned those words from her.
"I'll be honest, you'd make a great wife too, Lunatea. You're beautiful, as well as capable. Although, the other yokai in the taskforce are also those two words, more or less." Takeshi would be lying if he didn't find the yokai in the taskforce attractive. Save for the Fairy but if she wasn't tiny, she'd definitely fit in. "But... I don't think we can work. And not because it's my duty to battle the yokai." He then sighed. "You look like you're a traveler, Lunatea. If we get together, you might not have the chance to get out much anymore. And the same is true the other way around, I can't travel willy-nilly when I have an island to lead."
That, and Takeshi still had feelings for... her. Although, she and him seem to be drifting apart for some time now, exacerbated by the Varjan invasion and the decisions he made so far. The young Oja wondered if she, herself, still had feelings for him despite everything. If she had them at all, that is.
"So, uhh, do you wanna head to the hot springs first?"
When Takeshi called Lunatea beautiful, the wererabbit blushed. Once again, it was the very first time she had ever heard such a word being uttered in her presence (that wasn't said by her mother or father). Her heart skipped a beat and she averted her gaze, not wanting to look him right in the eyes.
But then, when he continued by rejecting her advance, her excitement disappeared. Like a sinking ship, her rabbit ears lowered and lowered, until the tip almost covered her forehead. Looking down, with an all too visible sadness on her face, she replied, "That's… you're right… I am a traveler. I will have to move around for my research. And you… you're the lord of this island… you have to stay here for the rest of your life…"
She fell silent, looking down at her own two feet. She remained that way for a few seemingly long moments before she let out a sigh and
She looked up, staring at him right in the eyes. "I understand. Your duty takes precedence above all else. I cannot possibly ask you to abandon this island. Nor can I stay here for the rest of my days. I have family in the outside world after all.
"The hot springs? I… think I'll pass. Sorry."
With those words, the wererabbit retreated, walking as fast as she could away from the young heir until she disappeared in a corner.
Takeshi did not follow Lunatea, his face a frown. Despite doing the right thing as a Shizuyaman, the young lord could not help but feel sorry for the rabbit yokai... and feel as if he made the wrong choice.
Upon turning the corner, Lunatea immediately bumped into Ayu. "Oh hi, Madam Lunatea! How are you?" The warm greeting immediately turned into shock upon seeing the forlorn face of the Wererabbit. "Oh, Miss Lunatea. Is something wrong?" Ayu immediately inquired. "You can tell me anything, okay? I'm here to help."
As soon as she said that, however, the pagoda near them lit up in light. Someone, once more, had teleported in. Ayu sighed as she turned to Lunatea. "Listen, let's continue this after we greet the newcomer. That's a promise. Also come with me so you don't slip away and get my promise to go unfulfilled."
When the white light faded from her sight, Musubi found that she was in an empty chamber. The appearance of her surroundings made her realize that she was in the familiar interior of a typical Zipanguese pagoda; One side was filled with candles and statuettes while the other side was a set of sliding doors. One of them slid open to reveal a white-haired human woman and a rabbit monster.
"Greetings! You must be here to join the taskforce." Ayu happily greeted the newcomer Nurarihyon. "I am Ayu and this is Lunatea, a taskforce member. Lord Takeshi Oja, the son of the Island Lord is also here somewhere. Welcome to Shizuyama... what's left of it anyway."
“Can teach, how to make me tough? So I can make axe and armor tougher too.”
"Ah, so you've met our Dragon Warriors and their Chi Shield technique." Nobutada replied. "Despite the similarities, my ability and the Chi Shield are very different. I'd say, my ability is pretty unique to myself only. I know how it works, but to teach it entirely to somebody else. That I cannot do."
"Fortunately, you wish to learn the Chi Shield and not the ability that I have." The large monk continued. "I know how the technique works, but are you sure it's something that's worth for you to learn? The Chi Shield requires being calm and peaceful in the middle of battle. Not only that, one must resist the urge to attack for a continuous time in order for it to be effective. That means, you must rely on your allies to fight for you while you distract the enemy."
"And from what I've seen so far, you're not exactly that kind of yokai."
“I think we should probably wait until her sister gets back first, unless you need it done now...”
"You're right. We should probably wait for the sister." Yurine replied before watching with amusement as Skarsneek assumed a position where he would be able to body lock Hinami should she awaken and thrash around again.
The old warrior sighed before bringing out a paper charm with some specific writing on it. "This! I meant this! Is the spider yokai using this to calm the undead down? If she is, what kind is she using?" Yurine scolded Skarsneek, right before Hinami started stirring. Her voice still the eerie wail of her feral state.
Yurine then placed the charm she had on Hinami's hat, hoping it would work. "This is a sealing charm to render the indestructible undead of old into a docile state. If it doesn't work, then get ready." The old warrior warned as she waited for Hinami's reaction to it.
As time passed with Atsuha in the warm water, the steam of the hot springs began to grow pretty thick and obscured the immediate area. The Jorou-Gumo could feel her vitality restored and fatigue lifted. It was about high-time for her to get up when she heard some very faint footsteps approaching and a figure emerged from the steam mist.
It was Takeshi Oja, fully naked save for his fundoshi undergarment. He was yawning wide as he approached and was about to take off his last piece of clothing when his eyes, fortunately or unfortunately, opened just in time. "M-Miss Atsuha?!" He immediately recoiled, trying to cover his body with his arms. "I-I didn't know you were here!" The young lord panicked, averting his eyes from the bathing Atsuha.
"I-I'll leave at once! Sorry to disturb you!"
~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~
*Finish 'Pre-Emptive Strike' to unlock next tale*
~~ TAKAMORI TALES ~~
"Lord Takamori said that his traitorous daughter, Setsuna, is training Varjan archers in Ōmiya. I know this frightens him, even if he tries to hide it. If we don't find her and end this, there may be no stopping the archers, and no hope for Ōmiya Springs. We need to see Lord Takamori immediately." -Takeshi Oja
~~ SORAE TALES ~~
*Finish 'Pre-Emptive Strike' to unlock next tale*
~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~
A villager woman remarked to the taskforce member as the latter passed by.
"You better watch out if you're passing Yabo Forest, yokai. It's haunted by angry spirits... Dead samurai, eager to spill blood."
"People go into the woods and never come out. Varjan and Shizuyaman alike! The bodies that turn up have all been killed by Shizuyaman blades..."
A peasant man eating barbecued meat on a stick was startled when the taskforce member approached. It appeared he has news.
"Yokai! You have to tell Lord Takeshi, there is another samurai noble who survived Sanjo Beach. His name is Lord Tonchiki. He's in his abode southeast of here. If you go see him, I'm sure he would join your cause."
"Err, maybe not. I guess you'll need Lord Takeshi himself to convince him."
A villager sitting on some stone steps in the temple stood up when the taskforce member approached. "Yokai, I've heard of a small resistance group gathering in the Imahama Area. I believe they're headed by that shrine priestess that started a fight here not too long ago."
"They're recruiting farmers and fishermen to their cause. Brave, but it'll be dangerous if they're not trained."
~~ LEGENDARY TALES ~~
"Dealing with these students of the Heavenly Strike was more difficult than we thought. They have already thrown back two of the taskforce. However, the yokai fought them separately and at different times, so perhaps a more cooperative approach would be more fruitful."
The deadest of deadpanned stares was all Kerry could give to the monk as the man, rather pathetically, tried to feed the trio another lie, somehow getting the mother to join in on it.
It really makes one wonder how the hell the Demon Lord hasn't already conquered the world if humans THIS STUPID roam these lands.
A question that would baffle even the most studious Sabbath member, certainly.
The hornet turned her attention toward her two companions.
"Alright, who's kicking his ass first?", Kerry asked Relica and Eula.
Momentarily taken aback from the assertion that she was here to start trouble, Alice didn't know how to respond, before she drew to her feet, and stomped over.
Ian called her a monster.
He would get one.
"Listen here, you audacious, ignorant, oblivious, rainbow mockery of sight and sound, so presumptuous to think that I, lying with my back in the water; that I, who walked through the gates; that I, who arrived as aid from Terauchi Temple, would dare to act as spy and infiltrator for the Varjan!?" she shouted with each, purposeful step cracking wood beneath.
"That's to say nothing of your disregard for my royalty! You WILL hear WHATEVER I have to say, you disrespectful, arrogant, obstinate, tie-dye slap in the face of knighthood and chivalry. I AM Alice, First Monarch of Summerheld, Archwitch of the Academy, Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom!" Alice continued, heated, as she crossed her arms, as she concluded:
@PaulHaynek, @Rezod92, @The Irish Tree Kerry's words about beating the monk up had barely left the hornet's mouth, before a whirring octo-arm from Relica's backpack came zooming past. The extended mechanical limb grabbed hold of the monk's torso and then retracted him towards the gremlin - in a quick, jerking motion that most certainly wasn't pleasant.
"You absolute piece of crap..." Were the words that seeped out of the tiny monster's gritted teeth.
Anyone who was looking at Miss Umbra-Nox would notice the electric, blazing hostility in her golden eyes as they stared at the monk as if trying to bore a hole straight through the man. There was no longer any sign of sarcasm or casually insullting passive-aggressiveness. ALl that flickered in the eyes of the little green lady's eyes right at this point was hate and anger, pure and unbridled.
"We come here, to this piece of backwards-thinking pile of stagnant horse-shit you call an island, in order to save your asses 'cuz you can't do it yourselves... And this is what we get? You refuse to answer our questions, you tell us to risk ourselves to help your people, who're more afraid of us than the Varjans... And then... THEN! When we get to where you wanna go, there's nothing wrong with anyone except some dumbass brat who ate fungi he found on a wall, and you mock us?" Relica's words were more hissed and snarled rather than spoken at this point. [color=lime]"... And as if that ain't enough, you then have the nerve to call someone who got herself hurt while protecting your sorry, useless peoples' asses an unfeeling...gggghhhghh...!"/color]
With a whipping motion of her robotic arm, the monk - helplessly held a foot and a half above ground until just now - was flung haplessly through the house. Into a wall. With a loud bang. And then the falling onto the floor with a thud. And then the awkward silence that followed... Well, at least until the gremlin stomped on over and stood next to the man, who was now sprawled out on the floor.
"Hey.... Baldie... If all you wanted to do was to go and visit your bitch and your illegit kid, then all you had to do was say so. I wouldn't have taken you here, but someone else in this taskforce probably would've. No need for elaborate lies about non-infectious diseases... No need for biting your tongue whenever we ask how you know things you sensibly couldn't know...! No need for any of it, ya shit!" Relica growled.
Then, she let out a deep, pent-up breath of air. And took another big one, to calm herself down. She gave the mother a very venomous glance, then turned and walked on over back to Kerry's side. With an enraged and forceful tug, she more slammed than slid the screen door to the house open. As she now stood in the doorway, the little, angry ball of rage looked back inside.
"Ker, Eula, I'm heading back to the temple. If you wanna stick around and help this lying sack of garbage, be my guest. But I'm done putting up with this." Her statement was very clear, as was her intetions. She looked overe at Eula in particular. "Listen, whatever you decide to do Eula, come and find me at the temple, I'll get to work patching your arm back up, okay? And don't take any risks fighting more Varjans on this crap-sack's behalf."
With that, the gremlin left the abode, steam still fuming from her fuzzy big ears. As Kerry might remember, one of the best ways to tick off the gremlin was to insult or bad-mouth any members of the golem-family of monsters. And while she had learned to reel that sort of behavior in back home, because assaulting CO's and higher-ranking military officials got your locked up - repeatedly - there was no such risk here. The worst that could happen? The monster-hating people of Shizuyama kept hating monsters. Oh no, what a compelling hook to keep the taskfroce in che-- waaaaaaiiiiiit a minute...!
With thoughts like these, Relica began slowly makiing her way back the trail they'd travelled to get here. Back to the temple, and her workbench. There were things and stuff she wanted to get our and prepare before Eula got back. She ws also secretly hoping Kerry would kick the monk a few times while he was down... Y'know, for good measure.
Geez, I was just gonna give the guy a black eye, a few cracked ribs and sting him a few times, but Rel's punishment is good too., Kerry thought to herself, wide-eyed in awe and shock as she witnessed the gremlin absolutely trounce the "monk". I forgot how much Relica cares about automatons and golem types. She is scary when someone insults them in front of her.
"Ker, Eula, I'm heading back to the temple. If you wanna stick around and help this lying sack of garbage, be my guest. But I'm done putting up with this."
"Oh no, I'm heading back too. Just...one sec.", the hornet replied as she walked over and kneeled beside the monk, checked his robes and pockets.....before pulling out a rather hefty bag of coins. Kerry sneered at the downed man.
"Quite loaded for a man of the cloth, aren't you? I'll take this as compensation for wasting our time with this shit.", she growled as she rose to her feet, stepping on the poor man for good measure before standing before the mother, glaring at her. "You're a dumbass for going along with this and you should like a dumbass."
She then turned to the boy in bed.
"Kid, let this be a lesson to you: If you're gonna lie, don't be stupid about it and know when the jig is up. Don't be like this prick of the floor or your mother."
With that said and totally justified reward in hand, Kerry turned and nodded to Eula before walking out the door, joining Relica on their trek back to the temple.
@Enkryption, @AzureKnight, ”...Why would you pour blood, sweat, and tears into making armor? Those don’t make metal hard…w-what else did you put in it!?” Liliana asked, growing pale as she slowly backed away from the rainbow knight. Was…was his armor made of rainbow doodoo!? And it was all someone else’s!?
“Oh hey, thanks,” Liliana said, forgetting all about the poopoo armor and giving a radical thumbs-up to the knight, before the fairy shrinked back as Alice started stamping and raving, going full soccer-mom mode! …What was soccer? Anyways, Liliana would fly behind the rainbow knight and hide behind his shoulder, quivering. “U-Um, Lady Alice, please calm down! There’s no need to escalate to full-on managerial yelling! I’m sure you’re here for some really important quest with the fate of all of Shizuyama in the balance, r-right?”
Little did Liliana know, Alice was “that kinda bitch” that really did just run to have a beach episode all on her own to escape from a very attractive grandma. How audacious!
Meanwhile, Whimsy would continue clashing without wounds against Carroll, their steel bodies causing each to merely cast sparks off of each other.
A machine carried out its duties without question, without compromise, and admitted failure and ceased operations when that failed. Binary. Zero, one. One, zero. Failure, success, yes, no, right, wrong, right, wrong, right, wrong, error, answer, answer, answer, answer!
When Eula came to her senses and saw the monk on the ground, saw Kerry walking away with the man’s coin, and saw the fear in the young boy’s eyes as he eyed the last remaining yokai in the room…
Something broke inside of her.
”Laguna! Stop!”
“...Redundancies must be eliminated, Europa. You know this. Fundamentally, humans are lesser creatures. First them, and anyone the Masters deem as inferior.”
“That’s not true...those people…you wouldn’t kill them all! What did they do to you?”
“...I...Europa. Europa. Europa. I can’t see your face any more. So…”
Directive 1. This Unit cannot seriously harm or kill a human being, unless directly ordered by their Designated Master and given Level 6 Clearance. Unit must also attempt to protect humans if they are in danger.
A human was in danger.
A human was harmed.
Directive 1 must be completed. No matter the cost or damage sustained.
With a look of reluctant resolve in her eyes, Eula would turn to the doorway and raise her arm, before firing a bolt of demonic energy that sailed past Kerry’s head, precise enough that she would hear the buzz of its energy whizz past her ear. A warning shot. ”I don’t know a single thing about you, Kerry. But I do know that money belongs to the man who tricked us. Return it to him, or I will have to make you return it.
Eula looked deathly serious, even for an automaton. There was anger in those glass eyes, smoke coming from the hand that had just fired, and an unwavering sense that she wouldn’t back down. Reaching for her damaged arm, wrapped in a sheet, Eula would tear the sheet off entirely, exposing the damaged arm and shakily curling it into a fist.
”You will only receive one warning. And only one warning shot.”
Kerry froze as the energy bolt whizzed past her head.
Her skin could feel the heat of the bolt as it passed. She could smell the ozone the projectile had left behind. The scent of burnt hair that was singed in its wake. All the while, an unbelievable thought ran through the hornet's mind as Eula made her made her threatening demand.
”I don’t know a single thing about you, Kerry. But I do know that money belongs to the man who tricked us. Return it to him, or I will have to make you return it.
Did Eula...
”You will only receive one warning. And only one warning shot.”
....just shot at me?
Unseen by the automaton, Kerry went through a number of emotions at that moment. First came shock.....next was disbelief.....then came confusion.....before inevitably....
Huh....even after all these years spent in this profession, I thought I would've gotten used to a teammate occasionally turning on me, but no. It....still stings....
Her chitinous hand gripped the bag of coins to the point of almost bursting from the pressure as she gritted her teeth in outraged anger.
.....AND I STILL FUCKING HATE IT!
"You're right about one thing, Eula. You don't know me."
Kerry proceeded to toss the bag of coins up into a nearby tree, landing it on a random branch.
"In much the same vein, I don't know you. Perhaps, if a different course of action were taken, we could've talked this out. An understanding could've been reached."
With her right hand, she pulled and held Dusk. And with her left.....she pulled and held Mort. Were Relica to see this, she would see the situation going completely off the rails and growing dire by the second.
Because she knows things take a turn for the worst when Kerry held both spears.
"Unfortunately for you, any chance of civil diplomacy died...
Kerry then turned around to fully face Eula and the automaton would see the exact same anger reflected in the hornet's eyes.
"....when you fucking shot at me."
A sudden burst of air exploded from Kerry as wind currents swirled rapidly around her, wayward leaves fleeing and nearby branches blown back as she stared down Eula.
"So, here's what's going to happen...", Kerry spoke, her voice devoid of everything but cold anger and furious outrage. You WILL apologize for what you just did, you WILL cancel whatever program that's got you acting like this and we'll just pretend that this fucking shitshow of a quest never happened when we get back to the temple. Because if you don't do that in the next five seconds...
The air currents wrapped themselves around Dusk and Mort as she tightened her grip on her weapons.
"....you will have more than just a gimped arm when I'm done with you."
