---

ATTN: @PaulHaynek (Sorae) & @The Irish Tree (Eula)

---

As Alice was redirected to where Eula had headed, she would come across her and Sorae in mid-conversation; momentarily listening in, as the boarish woman spoke to the metal woman. Wrinkling her nose, Alice would scent Carroll on Eula, and approached them - well, more like, she was stalking up to Eula.

However, before she would confront the Automaton, Eula would shift in a manner that threw her off for a moment...

---

---

As Eula departed, Alice would cross her arms, glaring at the warrior woman from before, "Let’s talk, you and I, because I’m missing a lot of details, including how I got this scar on my side, and a no-sense bitch like you won’t waste my time with superfluous details..."

@PaulHaynek@AzureKnight@Crowvette@The Irish Tree

Skarsneek of the Red Hills

Feeling Io bumped into him, he turned in annoyance at first before having a raised eyebrow when she said she was distracted. Briefly, he looked towards Shizuku before a smirk came to his face.

"Try not to get too distracted," He said before leaning closer to her and whispered. "Plenty of time to hit him later."

Better to also ease the lich, even if she was undead. This was a mission they can't afford to fail but being too tense was just as debilitating.

Once at the manor, Skarsneek had to roll his already short pants before squeezing excess water out to make it clung to his body. He didn't the extra water droplets alerting others or slapping against him noisily.

Moving quietly, they managed to stumble into some juicy information and Skarsneek dearly wanted to hear more but unfortunately they're discovered.

Darn cheating magic. Skarsneek said, wondering if there was ways to mask him via magic. Perhaps it was time to look into it.

Io made her move to which Skarsneek quickly pointed to the left figure behind the thin paper walls. "Left."

The moment Io ice launched itself, he moved forward, snapped both clubs together as one before charging low, bursting through it. Whoever the left figure was, Skarsneek aimed to cripple them right off the bat by targeting the knees.

---

Gringor of the Ironhide Tribe

The moment he reached the top, Gringor expected many things.

Them running and jumping however, frustrated him greatly

"Oi! Get back here and fight!" He roared before rushing forward and jumping down with them. Fearless and fuming before landing on the ground with weapon in hand. A quick strike had sent them into the dirt for good as his axe struck their spirit energy directly, taking chunks of it from them.

Looking around, he see more approaching the undead and frowning girl. Without much thought, Gringor foot left deep imprints as he aimed himself towards the two axe-wielding brigands.

When he was close enough, he swung horizontally with a speed that had his axe arced backwards and striking the two in one go.

@PaulHaynek

"Since you said you didn't snag a native, I assume you shared beds with a fellow taskforce member then? That Shizuka guy seem to be the only choice, but I doubt it's him you got. Regardless, I suppose I should be glad you're not tainting our island. That tea party that Mad Hatter threw is still suspicious, however."

"Shizuka may be the only human on the team, but he wasn't the one I fucked and that's all you're getting out of me, hawkeye.....and maybe some taint would do this island some good if it meant pulling that ignorant stick out yo ass.", Kerry replied, the second part of her statement said under her breath. Then she rolled her eyes at Takamori's comment on Alice's tea party.

Because anything a mamono does, even when done in kindness and goodwill, HAS to have an ulterior motive, right?

Soon enough, the duo came upon a cliff, looming over a wide valley. On the other side of said valley was a lone wooden watchtower.

"Look there. Arrows. Varjan and Zipanguese. We can pick up the trail again by the practice targets."

"That's good and all, but where exactly are the targets?", asked the hornet, to which the archer answered by taking one of the arrows near the setup and fired it at the base of the watchtower with his bow. The arrow flew true and hit a straw dummy on the other side. "...Oh. Those targets."

"Fly to the watchtower, yokai. Find out where they went. I'll catch up with you."

"Don't keep me waiting.", Kerry said before taking off, crossing the valley as she flew. Not wanting to be caught flat-footed, she drew out and held Dusk in her hands, just in case.

---

[@Breakthrough Crew!]
At first, the mischief making fairy was certain this would do to sew chaos...up until the psycho with the spears pinned one of his men to the ground on the bad end of a javelin. ...Uh-oh.

Order was restored through fear, and Liliana was forced to hide in a ceiling beam out of sight. But...well, it did at least prove that this guy had some semblance of leadership or seniority to him. A good start, but...Liliana had a feeling a better start would be to pursue the group en route to this "Merneptah". But given the rain, Liliana wouldn't last long without being human-sized, which would break her cover quickly. As such, she'd have to entrust that duty to the others going to the manor. If all went well, Liliana could somehow cause enough chaos to completely shut the barracks down, so that her friends could go about unimpeded.

"Alright, Whimsy...let's get the biggest, meanest cow we possibly can! This time, hedging all bets on...Summon Cow!" The fairy thought, raising her sword, sheathed in her invisibility before a sigil formed on the ground in the center of the barracks. Rather than the usual bovine however...something resembling a man emerged.

A titan of a monster, the minotaur stood at nearly ten feet tall, with an axe bigger than any man in the room clenched in one hand. Scars littered his body, and steam spilled out of the iron mask that adorned his (probably) hideous face, silver hair billowing out from beneath as he looked down at the Varjans who were, by now, past the point of initial shock and readying their weapons. "...This place...it reeks of blood." the minotaur said, gripping his axe tighter, a glimmer of red visible in the dark recesses of the mask. "Varjans again. Bart...Neil...Talia...Father...I promise." he said, before gripping his axe tighter. In a moment, the entire barracks would become a battlefield.

"I won't run this time. Not again. Not ever," the minotaur mumbled, before swinging his axe once, cutting through an approaching Varjan, armor and all, as if he hadn't even been there, the pressure of his strike causing winds to cut apart curtains in the building, and for Liliana to nearly be flung from her perch if she hadn't dug Whimsy into the roof beam. "I THINK WE WENT TOO BIG AND MEAN! Since when could we summon Minotaurs with that spell!?" she whispered, gulping as the scene grew chaotic. But, Liliana knew she couldn't just leave this minotaur now...a rampaging cow was something, but this was a living, breathing person she'd just summoned right into a pack of Varjans!

Descending from the rafters while still invisible, Liliana would seek to pick off any Varjans using bows before they could target her new temporary ally, hoping this minotaur was as strong as he looked.

"Argh!"

The fan of ice from Io, cutting through the shoji, caught the Varjans inside by surprise. They were instantly struck down by the attack, hit in their heads and chest and leaving only one survivor. "Damn monsters! I'll kill you all myself!" The Varjan Warlock, Merneptah and the one plotting the scheme, wore armor typical of the Scarce Legion: Thick and blue, his helmet having long horns that curved upwards. In his hands was a simple golden staff with a blue gem on the end, suspended in the middle of a circular decoration.

As Skarsneek rushed at him, Merneptah teleported away before the male Goblin could attack. He reappeared in front of Io and shoved the Lich into the rain, stumbling into the mud. The Warlock stepped outside and raised his staff, lightning striking it amongst the rain. He then aimed his charged staff at his own manor, unleashing the stored lightning unto the structure.

Right towards Skarsneek!




The barracks erupted in complete chaos as the summoned Minotaur wreaked havoc in the barracks. Varjans either fled or tried to put up a fight against the ten-foot tall behemoth. Of course, no one there was prepared to fight such an enemy so it was doubtful any of the Varjans could hurt the summoned monster.

Liliana chose to assist her summon by targeting any Varjans that wielded bows or throwables. But just as she was about to attack a Footman archer beside a wall, a javelin suddenly stuck into the wall in her path and the warrior Fairy crashed into the shaft and knocked her out of the air.

Liliana was dazed and her invisibility dispelled. She was scooped up by the only one in the barracks who noticed her, the Varjan Champion with the javelins. "You tiny pain in the ass! This was your doing, wasn't it?!" He yelled at the warrior Fairy. Liliana could feel the fuming air radiating from the holes on his helmet, the only openings in the headwear, as he squeezed her in his hand.

None of the other Varjans were with him, however. Their attentions were all occupied by the summoned Minotaur.

---

Kerry flew over to the watchtower and investigated alone. The watchtower was a closed building made of wood standing tall enough to oversee the valley. Near the tower's base, there was a small, makeshift archery range with training dummies along with bows and arrows ready to use. Presumably, Setsuna training the Varjan invaders with what she learned from Takamori. Other than that, there was not much else here.

Up until the watchtower doors flew open and out came a group of Varjans. Four Footmen with bows quickly surround Kerry along with a couple of Wardogs. An ambush!

The Footmen nocked arrows into their bows and aimed at the Hornet, while the Wardogs worked on keeping her still for the archers by trying to latch onto her legs with their jaws.

---

Seeking out a blacksmith to renew herself, Carroll was pointed to a refugee swordsmith who had set up shop behind one of the pagodas. He had been maintaining the weapons of what little remained of the Shizuyaman warriors in Terauchi Temple.

Carroll could hear a hammer striking metal as she approached, finding the swordsmith's setup behind the pagoda. The smith was a young man with an Eboshi hat on his hat, together with the grey hakama and a white kimono top as his attire. Next to him was a very simple and crude tatara furnace, with wood and charcoal nearby, and he was hammering away at a piece of metal on his anvil until he noticed Carroll coming to him.

"If your blades need work, Lady Yokai, then let me be of use." He greeted.

Let’s talk, you and I, because I’m missing a lot of details, including how I got this scar on my side, and a no-sense bitch like you won’t waste my time with superfluous details...

"You don't remember how you got a wound?" Sorae raised an eyebrow, incredulous. Unaware that the Alice she was speaking to was not the Alice she knew. "Did you change your memories too when you changed your look?"

"Anyway, I believe you got that from pursuing the students of the Heavenly Strike. The aforementioned technique being an attack that strikes quicker than the eye could see. You can get the details from that storyteller fellow, Katsuhiro." Sorae explained. "From what I heard, you've been beaten back by the students twice now, so you and half of the taskforce trained a bit for your rematch against them. Not sure what the results of that training, though."

"Since it appears you've lost your memory, it appears all that training was for naught." Sorae finished. "If I were you, I'd just get strength from numbers. The students can handle one yokai, or two non-coordinating ones, but any more than that and they'll be overwhelmed."

Eula had also returned from comforting Carroll. "Welcome back. You sure you're not needed anywhere else?"

---

---

---

---

ATTN: @PaulHaynek (Sorae & Blacksmith)

---

"You don't remember how you got a wound? Did you change your memories too when you changed your look?"

Alice rolled her eyes, "People keep asking me that, like I'm supposed to know. Does it matter what I do and don't remember, warrior woman? Unless we slept together, you're wasting time."

"Anyway, I believe you got that from pursuing the students of the Heavenly Strike. The aforementioned technique being an attack that strikes quicker than the eye could see. You can get the details from that storyteller fellow, Katsuhiro."

"Katsuhiro, eh," Alice asks, crossing her arms with a nod. "Heavenly Strike. Feels familiar to me... Sounds like something that could cut me..."

"From what I heard, you've been beaten back by the students twice now, so you and half of the taskforce trained a bit for your rematch against them. Not sure what the results of that training, though."

Alice's right eyebrow twitches, as she growled out, "I have three centuries of swordsmanship under my belt. Multiple lifetimes of you, Human. I don't need training..."

"Since it appears you've lost your memory, it appears all that training was for naught. If I were you, I'd just get strength from numbers. The students can handle one yokai, or two non-coordinating ones, but any more than that and they'll be overwhelmed."

"The hell if I would rely on anyone to hold my side. I take the frontline as sword and shield," Alice says. "Though, I am glad you aren't me," she says, "I wouldn't send the peasantry against the soldiery, when I can swing a sword."

Alice would take note of Eula's return, and look at her curious, as Sorae took note of her, too.

"Welcome back. You sure you're not needed anywhere else?"

"I'd ask you the same," Alice interjected, well-aware that Sorae was speaking to Eula, "However, I'd say you are where you should be: comfortably on the backlines, where cowards huddle to give orders to the expendable."

Turning on her heel, Alice would head off to ask around for Katsuhiro, and start to recover a fragment of her memories...

---

"If your blades need work, Lady Yokai, then let me be of use." He greeted.

Carroll nodded, before the long lock of hair that flowed to her thigh started to move, and reached under her cloak -- popping off her left arm, followed by her right. As they were set on the table, they would warp-spasm, and turn into a pair of six-foot blades akin to two, mismatched halves of a pair of scissors; the left blade was a vibrant violet with an open, circular handle, while the right blade was a resplendent ruby with an open, semi-circular handle.

"Can you sharpen vorpal steel," Carroll asks. "Benihime and Nozarashi are feeling dull," she says, pushing the left sword forward, then the right sword, respectively, "I understand, if you can't, of course. After all, I doubt you have much experience with Wonderlandian metals and smithing."

{@breakthroughfriends}

The sudden attack made short work of the lesser fighters - a necessary move to prevent complications, though Io unfortunately did not dispatch the biggest threat. The mage was upon her in an instant, showing much faster reflexes than most of the other Varjans she had encountered. Of course, simply being knocked aside would not deter Io. Perhaps he thought that getting close would unnerve an enemy caster, but Io was no fresh mage. She knew with multiple targets in different areas, the mage would be hard-pressed to deal with everyone at once.

She quickly broke down the situation, identifying the spell from the surge in magical energy as he rose his staff. 'This is why I prepared this...!' She leaped from her prone position, reaching out with her hand to grasp any part of the mage she could, the incantation for a draining touch recited impossibly quickly in the moment.

Io aimed to steal any kind of magical energy she could from the mage, of course, but it held another purpose in potentially disrupting the caster's spell at the same time. 'Are you trained well enough to withstand a mana short such as this, Varjan?' She wondered as her draining spell was cast.

---

[@Breakthrough Crew!]
Liliana's plan to thin the outermost Varjans had gone awry when a javelin slammed into the wall, the fairy's trajectory making it impossible to dodge the obstacle in time as she plummeted to the ground, dazed and confused.

Liliana's confusion proved an opening as the javelin wielder grabbed her, hard enough to make the little fairy lose concentration on her spell. A yelp of pain escaped her as her wings were crumpled, her meager size making her strength nothing in comparison to the enraged warrior before her. Wincing with one eye open, she would smirk, knowing she'd really pushed this man's buttons. "Strictly speaking? Nope. Every little bad thing that happens to people like you, you bring it on yourselves!" the fairy said defiantly, before letting out a pained gasp as his grip tightened.

"Can't...get big...crushing...me..." the fairy thought, looking up at the ceiling, vision growing bleary. Was she going to die? ...Unlikely, at least right away. The Varjans had ways of getting information out of people, and...well, a tiny body is a lot easier to torture. And once they learned she could regenerate somewhat...

"...I...I don't..."

It would be the same pain the Shizuyamans endured. The same pain Fathers, Mothers, and Children were forced to accept. A smaller body to the pile.

"I c-can't..."

What was the fairy queen thinking, sending only her sixth best to a foreign nation when all were present? Was this a test? Was Liliana hated?

Tears welled in the fairy's eyes as hope started to look farther and farther away, too in pain to even call out to her temporary ally, the summoned minotaur as he raged throughout the barracks. Liliana was alone, and had chosen this route of her own volition. Her blade, while obliged to help her, helped her on command. It couldn't cast without her permission, and all the air was being squeezed out of the fairy's lungs.

Was this...what it was like to have your life flash before your eyes? Liliana was remembering things that made it hard to get up, even as it hurt to breath...

"Rose...bud..." Liliana squeaked out, tears welling in her eyes as she remembered that there were many, many strong people in her life. And the strongest ones she'd ever met, her strongest sister, her best friend, her (sorta) mentor, and her queen, all of them believed in her.

Rosebud would welcome Liliana home with congratulations alongside the Queen. Alice would return the task force, and keep being her weird, quirky, queenly, crazy self. Shizuka would be confused as always by Liliana's antics, but at the end of the day, surviving and winning was all that mattered. Surviving and winning was all that mattered.

Survive and win.

Liliana would muster up her strength and slam her face down against the lightly armored hand of the brigand and sinking her teeth in, causing enough pain for a momentary distraction that loosened his grip. A single cry of: "Whimsy!" would cast the spell roulette, a ball of darkness shooting from Whimsy and "entering" the brigands' body, immediately removing his ability to see as Liliana fell free of his hand, already growing larger so she could fight back. Her ribs were aching like crazy, but they'd heal. With renewed vigor, Liliana would fight on the ground while her wings slowly mended themselves. "Don't go thinking the minotaur's the only one that'll kick your butt!" she cried, already swinging at her previous captor.

---

---

@Enkryption (ALI)
It would seem some level of hostility existed now between Sorae and Alice, though, given that they were monsters, Eula had a feeling she already knew what it was about. Still, it wasn't her business to pry into. Answering Sorae promptly, she would say: "I am almost back to full capacity. I will have trouble fighting humans, but I can at least investigate into the matter you brought up." Eula wasn't sure how well she'd fare alone, but could at least guarantee that she could come back in one piece. Thus far, the thing to damage her the most in her time at Shizuyama was that strange glass sword that had nearly taken her arm off. Reassuring herself, she would pat the patched up arm, running a finger along the length of the patchwork metal that had been integrated to fix up the armor plating. Slightly heavier than before, but it was still serviceably fast and wouldn't weigh her down too much.

"I am ready."

@PaulHaynek

Yup! Saw this one coming!, Kerry thought to herself as she took action, flying high enough to where the wardogs couldn't reach while being agile enough to dodge incoming arrows from the archers. When the dogs were far enough away from their masters, she immediately dove down between the two groups, hitting the ground with a palm raised toward the hounds.

"Wind Art: Squall Blaster!"

A shotgun blast of air slammed into the wardogs, blowing them away and over the cliff. Half of the problem taken care of, Kerry's antennas twitched in alert as she performed a backflip, arrows zipping past where she was a second ago. Without missing a beat, the hornet twirled Dusk before throwing it hard, impaling an archer as he was sent to the ground. Before his comrade could respond, Kerry was already on him, a wind-infused kick crashing dean center into his chest. Several cracks were heard as the second archer was sent flying into the base of the watchtower, hitting the post before sliding down into unconscious heap. Raising her hand, Dusk flew back into her grasp before pointing the spear at the two remaining Varjan archers.

"Help from a traitor and y'all still can't hit the broad side of a wurm's ass.", spat Kerry, taunting yet still focused on why she was here. "Now unless you want to end up like your two friends over there, where's Setsuna?"

---

---

Komatsu Bay: @PaulHaynek @The Irish Tree(Lili) @Crowvette @Restalaan(Skars)

---

As he predicted, Shizuka's mist was the perfect cloak to mask the party's presence. Even with their lanterns, they could do little to penetrate the sorcerous fog. Although, while on the way, Io had accidently bumped in to Skarsneek. Io had apparently been staring at Shizuka to the point where she wasn't focused on her surroundings, which earned her a bit of teasing from the goblin. "Try to stay focused you two." He said. "We've avoided detection so far, but getting sidetracked in this situation would be lethal." They were able to make their way to the estate up the hill with no issues. Shizuka and the others saw there were multiple people currently within the mansion, upon closer inspection, two individuals seemed to be conversing about something.

It seemed that one of the men speaking was Lord Merneptah, and the sinister chi emanating from him marked him as another Varjan Warlock. During their conversation, Shizuka heard a name drop that he remembered from Kazenosuke's exchange with them: Lord Serek'uar. Could that person really be the one spearheading the whole invasion of Shizuyama? Regardless, it seemed that this Serek'uar didn't see Kyouko-sama's fleet as a threat. Merneptah saw things differently, and apparently was planning to initiate a raid on their forces, preventing them from moving. Shizuka had alot of questions he wanted to ask this man, but it seemed that with his superior senses he was able to sniff them out through the fog.

Io decided to take the initiative and make the first strike, with her ice strikes she was able to fell all of the Varjans in the mansion except Merneptah himself, who only seemed to be annoyed by the attack. After a declaration, his brandished his staff and prepped for a counterattack. Skarsneek rushed at him, but the warlock teleported out of the way, and appeared in front of Io. He knocked her aside before she could mount another offense. Thankfully, her resilience allowed her to quickly recover, and she didn't seem too worse for the wear.

Merneptah then began channeling a powerful lightning bolt, aiming it straight at Skarsneek. Just as Shizuka was about to make a move, Io had suddenly jumped on the warlock and began draining his mana. At that moment, the ronin thought back to all the times he got too close to a Warlock who was pressed on the defensive.

"Io-san, no! Get away from him!" He exclaimed. Despite her monstrous biology, even she may not withstand the suicidal gambit popularized among Varjan spellcasters. With his [Godstep], Shizuka would unsheathe his blade and using [Gale's Fang] to attack Merneptah. With the wind generated his plan was to disrupt the lightning spell, cause massive damage with a powerful blow, and grab Io to get her away from him in one fell swoop.

He would ensure his blow was not fatal, however, as he needed to keep him alive for now. He wanted more answers.

---

---

---

Fort Tanabe: @PaulHaynek @Restalaan(Grin)

---

Hinami's attack was successful, as her supernatural strength alone was more than enough to topple the watchtower and send its occupants tumbling to their doom. Gringor, with a bit of help from Lord Takeshi and Lady Kikyo, was able to topple the other one. With the archers now dealt with, the prisoners were now able to continue making their advance. They quickly ran out of Atsuha's barrier and with powerful war cries marched toward their Varjan jailers.

However, to further suppress the attack, the Varjan unleashed a pack of vicious wardogs on the Shizuyaman force. Sound steel clashed against fang as the snarling beasts bolted toward the fighers. One would even pounce on Hinami, although her dead flesh barely felt the fangs digging in. Thankfully being a reanimated corpse gave her a higher pain tolerance than most. Before she attempted to stab at the beast to get it off of her, Takeshi fell the hound with a well-placed slash. "Oh, thank you Takeshi-sama!" Hinami said. She bowed at Takeshi's directive and went over to Lady Kiyko to support her. "Please keep my sister safe, My Lord!" She said to him before he departed. Looking at Lady Kikyo, they sized up their incoming enemies: two Varjan axe warriors and their pets. Hinami brandished her three-sectioned staff and quickly closed the distance between them. The wind raged with Hinami's strikes; She knew that the dogs may be somewhat of a problem for Kikyo so she aimed at them first. Her attacks would shatter the bones of the hounds and send them flying ever which way, and in addition she would be ready to assist Lady Kikyo against the other fighters if need be.

On the other hand, while Astuha was supporting the prisoners against the other canines, she would suddenly find herself surrounded by four of them. Being caught off guard, she recoiled a bit as they bit into the carapace that coated her legs. One of them was taken out by a stray kunai, which was then revealed to have came from Lord Takeshi. "T-Takeshi-san!" She said, relieved to see him here, only for him to be attacked by another one of the war hounds. With the remaining two still circling her, she quickly began to develop a hatred of dogs.

"I've had enough you filthy mutts!!" She snapped. She made a handsign that caused the tree on her back to glow a sinister fuchsia. Immediately after, large tree branches began jutting out of the ground and impaled the hounds attacking her, including the one that had tackled Takeshi. She then ran over to him and began to inspect his wounds. "Are you alright? Let me inspect your skin, you might get infected!" She said, getting oddly flustered over his potential wounds.

@PaulHaynek@AzureKnight@Crowvette

Skarsneek of the Red Hills

"Me?!" Skarsneek hissed as he saw the lightning display aimed at him.

Moving on instinct, he surged sideways and rolled multiple times to get it off target.

In between, Io interrupted him and start a duel at point blank.

With Shizuka moving to help, this gave Skarsneek anmoment to think.

No way a mage like him dont have another trick and if they can teleport once, it can be done again.

So Skasneek stuck to the sides, ready to pounce and check where the most likely place the Varjan mage would go.

"What the--?! Let go of me!"

Underestimating Io, Merneptah was caught off-guard when the Lich latched onto him and started draining his spirit energy. The lightning spell aimed at Skarsneek was interrupted as the required energy to cast it was stolen away. Io swelled with power as she absorbed a high amount of spirit energy from a spellcaster. She would feel as if she could tear the land asunder with a single spell.

Merneptah swatted Io away with his staff, just in time for him to block the first strike of Shizuka's Gale's Fang technique which negated the attack. Still, the attack was powerful enough to break the staff into two. Merneptah was sent stumbling back and upon noticing his shattered staff, he angrily threw the two pieces away before holding up his hands. Two ethereal khopesh swords manifested in his palms, and those who can sense energy would feel that this spell took the last of Merneptah's magical reserves.

"You all are little more than worms and maggots!" He pointed one blade at Shizuka and Io and the other at Skarsneek.

"Don't go thinking the minotaur's the only one that'll kick your butt!"

"Agh!"

The bite made the Champion release Liliana and the warrior Fairy used this chance to blind her Varjan opponent with a spell. "I can't see! What the hell did you do to me?!" The Champion flailed around, grasping for anything to stabilize him. He was defenseless against Liliana's onslaught.

At least at first. The Champion then suddenly blocked one of Liliana's swings with a javelin and kicked her away with surprising coordination. "My butt's not so easy to kick, as you'll see. You think blindness will deter me?! I'm a hearing kind of warrior, you know? I don't need to see you to defeat you!"

Unfortunately for the hearing-focused Champion, his environment was anything but quiet. The screams and shouts of the battle raging behind him prevented him from detecting an enormous being loom behind him. With one swing of his humongous axe, the summoned Minotaur sent the Varjan Champion flying and crashing through the wall of the barracks. When Liliana looked though the hole, she saw the unconscious, perhaps even dead, body of the javelin-throwing Varjan Champion.

The summoned Minotaur continued wreaking havoc on the hapless Varjans, who were routing and running away. In a few moments, the summoned monster would disappear back to where he came from so Liliana need not worry for his safety. Perhaps it is time to reunite with the others?

---

"Now unless you want to end up like your two friends over there, where's Setsuna?"

"Somewhere where you'll never reach!" One of the Footmen archers answered before shooting arrows at Kerry. Spurred by his comrade's bravery, the other archer also fired.

They missed, of course, thanks to Kerry's mastery over flight and speed and soon, two arrows landed on both the Footmen's necks. Courtesy of Takamori, who strode to Kerry with heavy steps. Also incredibly unamused judging from his contorted face. "What kind of fight was that?! I didn't peg you the type to play with your food!" He immediately scolded Kerry.

"Is that what you'll do when you fight Setsuna?! You're gonna mouth off while letting her think of ten different plans as to how to escape from you or maybe even kill you?" Takamori was livid, his eye even twitching from abject anger.

---

"Hmph. I said nothing about sending peasants to die. But if she wants to get herself killed fighting those students again, then who am I to stop her?" Sorae remarked as Alice left.

"Whatever. Let's go." Sorae then led Eula out of Terauchi Temple and into the wilds of Shizuyama, where the stone paths turned to damp dirt. "Look there." She pointed at the footprints on the soft soil left behind by the Varjans who attacked the temple during the last assault. "Mostly large Varjan boots, right? But look at that set..." Sorae pointed to a set of footprints differently-shaped from all the others. They were smaller and only led out of Terauchi Temple. "That's probably Kana. Let's follow it."

The tracks led Sorae and Eula a little far away from Terauchi Temple, towards a small cemetery situated on the side of the road. The other side of the road being several fields of rice paddies. However, the duo saw a group of Varjan Brigands in the middle of the road, appearing to have captured someone. Sorae quickly led Eula behind some gravestones so they could get a better look.

"The Varjans have somebody... Damn them! It's Kana!" Indeed, the small Varjan group have captured a peasant woman who was apparently the wife the duo were looking for. The Varjans laughed as they tied up their newly-captured villager, oblivious to the presence of Eula and Sorae watching them. "We need to deal with the Varjans before they take her away."

There were about three Brigands and two Warriors in the group, but there was also one Firethrower standing silently to the side. "You said you'll have trouble fighting, right? You wanna sit this one out while I take care of them?" Sorae asked her Automaton companion.





The Wardogs arrived before their masters and Kikyo was ready to battle them . However, Hinami greeted the canines with her three-sectioned staff. The Jiangshi's powerful strikes made short work of the Wardogs, the animals whimpering as they fell.

Then there were the oncoming Varjan Brigands, but Gringor came upon them in return. With one horizontal slash from his axe, he dispatched one of the Brigands. The other ducked in time and attempted to retaliate against the High Orc but Kikyo used Gringor to launch herself into the air for a downwards strike against the surviving Brigand. The result was a head rolling away from its body.

The fighting soon died down as the last Varjan had a sword thrust into his back. When the imprisoned warriors realized they won, they raised their weapons and cheered. "Here's to Lady Kikyo and Lord Takeshi! I knew they wouldn't forget us!" More cheering occurred after and Kikyo approached the prisoners to ask them about their conditions.

Shortly after, Kikyo returned to Hinami and Gringor. "I've got some strange news, yokai. These men said they weren't treated badly by the Varjans. They were treated more like guests, just in cages." The warrior woman grimaced as she wracked her brain for possible answers. "The Varjans are glad to torture and enslave other Shizuyamans, but not these warriors? What are they planning...?"

"Are you alright? Let me inspect your skin, you might get infected!"

The Wardogs let out pitiful whimpers when Atsuha summoned branches that jutted from the soil to impale them in their abdomens. No more Varjans approached the two and in fact, it seemed the garrison of this prison had been wiped out by the prisoners with the help of Kikyo, Hinami and Gringor.

Atsuha had quickly run to Takeshi's side to inspect his wounds. "Haha! Come on, Atsuha. I'm way tougher than what you give me credit for." The young master attempted to reassure the Jorou-Gumo. However, inspecting his left arm revealed bleeding bite wounds. "Uhh, I've had worse...?"

"What about you, Atsuha? Are you alright?" Takeshi asked. "Sorry that I couldn't get here earlier." He also apologized before looking at the prisoners gathering around Kikyo. "What of the prisoners? Did they give you any hard time when you were rescuing them?"

---

"I understand, if you can't, of course. After all, I doubt you have much experience with Wonderlandian metals and smithing."

"Of course not, but the same could be said of a normal sword from a normal Shizuyaman warrior." The swordsmith replied. "For me, every blade is unique. As recognizable as a person, lady yokai."

The swordsmith then grabbed Benihime to examine it more closely. "Although, your weapons are... more unique than most. I have not heard of weapons that were also your arms. Truly, the weapons of the yokai are as exquisite as they are exotic." Putting down the scissor-blade, the swordsmith then grabbed both and brought them over to the side of his shop, silently urging Carroll to follow him.

Benihime and Nozarashi were brought to the smith's sharpening setup. He first put the two swords leaning on a post before asking a passing peasant to fetch him a bucket of water from the well. "I hope Shizuyama's sharpening techniques will serve your Wonderlandian blades just as much as it does our blades. Unfortunately, our equipment here is limited. Please, do understand." Once the bucket of water was received, the swordsmith took a low chair as well as a wooden plank held up by thick sticks of wood. The assembly of the latter looked sturdy.

Rectangular blocks of differing stones were put inside the water pail. After some time passed, the swordsmith took two of the blocks and placed them on the plank. He then took Nozarashi and placed it on the block, also taking a handful of water to wet it. Then began the process of the actual sharpening, the smith sliding Nozarashi against the stone. His movements were precise and quick but also delicate and respectful.




Asking around as to the whereabouts of the storyteller Katsuhiro, Alice was pointed to a corner in the temple grounds. There, Alice saw a silver-haired musician surrounded by children and their parents. Apparently, he just got done regaling a lighthearted tale for the young ones. A simple, happy story to at least distract them from their bleak situation.

After the parents have taken their children away, Katsuhiro took notice of Alice. "Greetings, madam yokai. Hmm, you look familiar but I don't think we've met before. What can I do for you?" He greeted Alice, not recognizing the latter. "Nothing too physical, of course, but if you are interested in Shizuyama's legends and history, then I am more than happy to assist you there."

---

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@PaulHaynek

...Huh......So this is what Alice felt when I yelled at her back then...

Closing her eyes, Kerry took a deep breath to calm herself before gazing back at Takamori, her own anger simmering in her hazel eyes.

"First off, you better cut that tone. Last I checked, you're the one who asked for help on this personal family drama of yours, so drop that shit. Second, the hell you mean 'playing with my food'!? You saw me asking them where your kid was with those 'legendary' eyes of yours, didn't you!? Also, the fuck is wrong with you, shooting them dead like that!? Trying to get info here, dude! Now I gotta go wake up one of the idiots I knocked out!", she snapped back before trotting back over to the Varjan she impaled with Dusk. "Oh, and what makes you think I'm going to fight Setsuna? She's YOUR kid, therefore she's YOUR problem. I'll help you get to her, but when the time comes, it's on YOU whether or not you can convince her to come back to you....or, if not..."

Kerry stopped walking to turn back to Takamori with a sharp look of finality.

....Kill her. Think you got the balls to do that?"

With that said, the hornet strode over to the unconscious Varjan, grabbing him by the leg before flying over the cliff's edge, the man's life literally in her hands as she dangled him over the valley.

"Wakey wakey, dirtbag! I'm not done with you!", shouted Kerry, shaking the man awake. Her eyes turned to Takamori. "What are you, a bump on a log? You want answers too, right? Or was I wrong when I pegged you as the type that didn't 'shoot first, ask questions later'?"

Io

{@manorbreakthroughpeople}

It had been some time since Io had drained a mage mid-spellcast. Truth be told, she found a certain amount of glee in it: Perhaps it was simply the bending of mana to her will, or snuffing a burning warmth with a cool stillness. Either way, having been starved of energy for so long, the exhilaration of the plundered mana was something even Io - one divorced from her own mortal senses as an undead - found herself carried away with.

But before she could reach the apex, pressing forward and draining until there was nothing left, it was suddenly ripped away from her. In the arms of Shizuka, her reason returned to her. 'Shizuka... Stopped me? But I was almost there...'

In the pouring rain, one could almost think there were the lightest trace of tears in Io's eyes. "Shizuka... You bully..." Io whispered, her face flushed (a symptom of her body processing the stolen arcane energy - probably). She was so brimming with energy that she had ended up saying something strange.

The enemy mage's yelling reminded Io that she was, in fact, in the middle of a battlefield - and she immediately focused on the ethereal blades. She had mana to spare, and needed to quickly protect everyone. Io quickly mouthed an incantation for a simple, but strong barrier between the Task Force members and the mage's conjured projectiles. They were potentially overkill in their defensive strength, but Io knew that in these moments mages would try for desperate but dangerous gambits.

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[@Breakthrough Crew!]

Now that she was fired up, Liliana had no intention of losing to this jerk. The fairy would swing and swing, until her sword suddenly clashed against steel, the champion kicking her away with a surprising degree of coordination. Was he hearing her movements somehow...? Or feeling the change in air pressure? Liliana wasn't sure if that whole "hearing kind of warrior" speech was just him hyping himself up, but either way, Liliana had some tricks of her own.

Coming to a stand-still mid-air, Liliana would remember what she learned from the training session with Shizuka and run her hand along Whimsy, two fingers coming to rest atop the blade's edge as she channeled her magic through it. Just because he could block hits while blind didn't mean he could counter effectively. Especially not with Liliana barely making any noise amidst the tide of chaos that the barracks had become. Now, it was time to end this in a single strike.

"Gaia Hazard..." Liliana thought to herself before shrinking down to her regular size, now far quieter as Whimsy surged with power. The very same technique they'd all practiced a few days ago, the mastered art of swordsmanship that Liliana had clumsily adapted to her own techniques:

"Heavenly Strike!" Liliana called out, aiming straight at the Varjan's torso less than an inch away from him, a tremendous burst of Whimsy's power concentrating on a point the size of a needle, before Liliana grew to full size just upon release.

---

---

Somewhere past the wilds, Eula and Sorae had come upon sets of footprints leading them directly to their desires quarry. Gloating over it like a hunter before a large buck, now was likely an optimal time to spring an ambush on them. Eula would assess rather quickly that the firethrower had to be taken down quickly, lest indirect fire roast their would-be-rescuee.

Then, Sorae posed the question of whether Eula wanted the warrior to go this fight solo. Eula didn't consider that for even a moment as she adjusted her left hand, turning on her stun gun. "I have no problem fighting. I am simply incapable of causing direct bodily harm or loss of life to humans. Incapacitation however..." Eula would take aim at the Firethrower, prepared to stun him immediately to start the engagement. "Preparing to incapacitate Varjan caster, Sorae," she said in a quiet voice, prepared to synchronize their assault.

@PaulHaynek@AzureKnight@Crowvette

Skarsneek of the Red Hills

Hmm, it's low. Skarsneek tasted the air, his senses honed and sharpened as he looked from afar carefully even as Memeptah conjured two ethereal curved swords.

He smiled ferally, this was the time to go all out.

Snapping his staff into two clubs this time, he lunged forward towards the sorcerer warrior. Passing by Shizuka as he intend to draw this into a mud slinging fight while keeping Shizuka and Io fresh.

"Haha! Worm?! How fitting!" Skarsneek feinted his left club for a swing before snapping his right club forward instead. Those magical swords might have some enchantment that can cut through his weapon, so it was better to keep striking against the flat edge instead. "You're looking like a juicy walking corpse!"

---

Gringor of the Ironhide Tribe

Gringor eyes swung to the one who escaped as he reangled his axe for another strike.

A quick step from behind on his body however had him wondered what just happened as he pulled his weapon in instinct from defense before seeing the arrow lady come and followed up with another attack. Dispatching the varjan brigand, he huffed at that interruption but shrugged at the end.

"Good strike, wanna fight next time?" Still, it was cunningly brutal and he can respect as he commented with a smile.

With that, Gringor set out to look around the camp for anything interesting. So far, not much can be found since it was a prison.

Hearing Arrow lady comment however had him scratching his chin for a bit before realizing the answer.

"Simple, they fought hard, lost and captured. Then treat them well so they can join, since they're stronger." Gringor explained before thumbing to himself. "Same for orcs, losers that don't fight, not fun. Those that fight good and lose, still losers but fun and have worth."

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Komatsu Bay: @PaulHaynek @The Irish Tree(Lili) @Crowvette @Restalaan(Skars)

---

Shizuka's gambit worked, albeit not quite as he intended. Skarsneek no longer had to worry about the lightning attack, as Io had siphoned enough chi from the warlock to disrupt it completely. He was still hit with the wind blade, which sent him tumbling back and, more importantly, sliced his staff in two. Shizuka gracefully hopped back over to Skarsneek with Io in tow.

"Apologies for the brusque snatch." He said, "But, these fools like to self-destruct when pressed against the wall. I was almost on the receiving end of one of their suicidal gambits." He turned to her for a moment, thinking he heard he say something, but focused on the task at hand for now. Having set her down, he starred down their foe.

"Using the last of your chi for a final assault? You Varjan bastards are always so foolish." Shizuka said, joining Skarsneek in an exchange of insults. He saw that his comrade decided to meet Merneptah in a head on clash. It seemed reckless at first, especially considering that the goblin's crude weapons were hardly a match for magical blades. But, Shizuka knew that Skarsneek was more clever than that. He guessed he was likely making an opening for them to capitalize on, one he would take full advantage of. Io snapped back to it and conjured some barriers to defend her teammates, though, the goblin and he had different plans.

"Io-san, cover Skars-san for me while I back him up. I'm trying to keep this warlock idiot alive, but the ass is making it difficult. I have questions and I want answers." He said to his lich comrade. He placed his sword back in its sheath and removed it from his side, holding it in his hand.

"For example." He started at Merneptah. "Who is Lord Serek'uar? Is he the one leading this bloody invasion of these lands? Where is he keeping Lord Oja and what are his plans? Speak, wretch, and I might let you live a bit longer!"

To further hammer home his point, Shizuka vanished from view and then appeared behind the warlock. He then prepared to strike with his [Sōnamisen: Ikazuchi] technique - a two step variable attack that took advantage of a parry opponent. Shizuka fully expected that when he slammed his sheathed sword into Merneptah he would parry the blow. That's when we would make the second strike - a lightning-infused slash that would hopefully incapacitate him enough to where the fight ended.

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Fort Tanabe: @PaulHaynek @Restalaan(Grin)

---

With her undead strength, Hinami had no issues in crushing the wardogs that were sent after her and Lady Kikyo. After that, Kikyo (with a rather rude maneuver) and Gringor had make quick work of the remaining Varjan brutes headed their way. Eventually, the fighting died down and a cheer from the freed prisoners signaled that they and the taskforce had taken the fort. Hinami went over to Gringor and made a cute victory sign with a wide smile. Her smile soon faded when she noticed Kikyo coming over to them with a grim expression.

Apparently, the prisoners they freed were actually treated as though they were actual...people? Hinami put a finger on her cheek and stared up at the sky for a moment, thinking. "I think my nee-san calls it reverse...psy-chology?" She studded out, as if saying a word she wasn't familiar with. "It's where you act the opposite of how you normally would towards a person to get them to do what you want! My nee-san always did it when clients didn't pay a good enough fee for our services!" She looked over at Gringor, a bit upset by his words.

"Hey, don't be a meanie! Just because they couldn't win doesn't make them losers! I'm sure they did their best!" She scolded him.

Meanwhile, Atsuha was tending to Takeshi's wounds. Her spell was more than enough to slay the rest of the attack hounds and assist the young lord. "Honestly, you're always so reckless. You're well being is important for the survival of these lands, plus you should respect that it's our job to look after you!" She scolded him.

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine. My body isn't like yours anymore, the carapace that covers my legs is tougher than skin and flesh." She said, answering his next question. "I believe the prisoners were more considered about staying alive than concerning themselves with little ol' me."

Decided that she had done a good enough job patching Takeshi's wounds, she got up and looked over at the others. "Though, oddly enough, the prisoners didn't seem worse for the wear. Given the Varjan's track record, you'd think they be covered in wounds and on the verge of starvation..."

"For example. Who is Lord Serek'uar? Is he the one leading this bloody invasion of these lands? Where is he keeping Lord Oja and what are his plans? Speak, wretch, and I might let you live a bit longer!"

"Lord Serek'uar is the most powerful Sapphire Prince in Varjo! Second only to the Weaver Of Fate!" Merneptah, surprisingly, answered pretty honestly. "And he has your precious Island Lord in Castle Kaneda! Hideo Oja is likely an ally of Varjo by now, and he will soon convince the rest of this backwater island to bend their knees to the Caldeyrons!"

Skarsneek attacked first and Merneptah fell for the feint, attempting to block the fake strike and getting hit by the real attack. "Argh!" Despite that, the Warlock still stood and he retaliated with a fast swing of both his ethereal blades. They looked like they would hurt but fortunately for Skarsneek, he was protected by Io's barrier spell. It may have been a spell against projectiles, but it worked anyway.

Shizuka was next and Merneptah, once again, fell for the trick attacks. The Warlock blocked the sheath with one of his swords and was about to slash Shizuka with the other, but the latter drew his blade faster. Shizuka's lightning-infused slash tore through Merneptah's armor and sprayed blood to a direction. The ethereal swords faded into nothing as the Warlock fell face first into the mud. Shizuka may have overdone it, but Merneptah still had a bit of spirit energy. Meaning he was still alive, but barely.

However, the taskforce trio would not have a chance to interrogate him. The fighting in the manor had attracted some patrols who rushed forth to aid their leaders. The conjured fog has lifted and they all stood in awe at the sight of the taskforce and the fallen Warlock. They knew what to do, yet their resolve wavered. Their arms were drawn, but they hesitated using them.

That was, until, the trio heard chanting coming from the patrols' backlines, which grew louder and louder until they could make out what the chant was.

"NA - KRATZ!"

"NA - KRATZ!"

"NA - KRATZ!"

The Varjan crowd parted to reveal a warrior in armor of overlapping plates and a steel mask that showed off a terrifying visage. This figure was familiar to the taskforce members present. Skarsneek fought him in Sanjo Village. Shizuka and Io saw him attempting to sway Kazenosuke to the Varjan side.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here." Na'kratz greeted the trio with arms stretched out, showing off his claw weapons on his gauntlets. The chanting continued as he spoke. "A bunch of misfits trying to take a fortress-town by their lonesome by eliminating the leadership. Smart and bold, I'll give you three that." The taskforce trio could feel danger emanating from this one warrior. "Well, the leadership is here. What are you waiting for?"

The rain continued to pour, but the water could not put out the fiery morale the Varjans currently possess. It will be up to the taskforce to do that.

"Oh, it's the Goblin from Sanjo Village. I thought the locals would have carved you a new one already, but I suppose the Shizuyamans are weaker than I expected." Na'kratz recognized Skarsneek.




The Champion tried his best to listen for his opponent. But did not hear Liliana preparing her 'Heavenly Strike' technique at all, until it was far too late.

"Heavenly Strike!"

He heard the call out, and his body reacted accordingly. But it was all for naught, Liliana zipped from her position to just past the Champion in a fraction of a second. "Urgh..." The Varjan stood still for a moment before collapsing into a heap. This fight was over.

The summoned Minotaur continued wreaking havoc on the hapless Varjans, who were routing and fleeing from the perceived monstrosity. Meanwhile, Liliana heard the chanting of a crowd coming from the manor area. The sounds were far away, but she was close enough that she could make out what was being said.

"NA - KRATZ!"

"NA - KRATZ!"

"NA - KRATZ!"

Perhaps the warrior Fairy should head there to investigate, and maybe help her allies.

---

"Only a fool asks questions before the fight is over, yokai. Otherwise, your enemy can use their answers against you and gain the upper hand." Takamori lectured Kerry. "And whether or not you fight her isn't your decision to make. Maybe it's not even hers to make. If she's working for the Varjans, there's a good chance you and her will confront each other sooner or later."

"She's also claimed the lives of innocent Shizuyamans." Takamori's anger was gone, replaced with sorrow. "...Her life is forfeit."

Takamori said nothing more as Kerry woke up one of the surviving Varjan Footmen. "W-Wha--? Please, don't hurt me!" The Footman dangling on the edge held up his hands before Kerry and Takamori. "I'll do anything you want!"

"How about you answer our questions?" Takamori replied. "Setsuna? Where is she?"

"She's... she's a captain now, in our army. Has her own unit and everything. Some of the Varjans couldn't believe they were taking orders from a local, but the higher-ups have made their decision." The Footman answered, surprisingly honestly. "She's never in one place for too long. Trains the guys in one fort, then heads to another."

"Do you have anything else? Hearsay? Rumors?" Takamori pressed.

"There's a... there's a recurring topic with her, from what I've heard." The Footman continued. "Something about her teacher, and some hot springs."

The last words made Takamori suddenly walk away to ruminate, staring at the valley with his mind elsewhere. It was doubtful he cared much about what Kerry would do to their Footman captive. "Look, that's all I know. I swear!" He begged the Hornet.

---

"Preparing to incapacitate Varjan caster, Sorae,"

Sorae nodded. She waited a moment for Eula to align the shot perfectly so she need not worry about the Firethrower and just focus on the chaff.

When the warrior woman charged with a yell, the Varjan group immediately noticed. The Firethrower was the first to greet Sorae, and the first to fall thanks to Eula's precise stunning shot. Sorae made quick work of the Brigands, felling them with a single slash each with her naginata. The two Varjan Warriors required more work, but Eula bore witness to Sorae's unique ability. Whenever she stood on one leg like a crane bird and her naginata withdrawn, the Varjan's swings seem to go through her which allowed for some very devastating counterattacks.

Meanwhile, the tied up woman was left all alone. Her arms were firmly bound to her body, but her feet was still free. She used this opportunity to haul ass, running away from the fight as quickly as she could. Since this woman was apparently the objective, Eula should probably go after her.

---

"Simple, they fought hard, lost and captured. Then treat them well so they can join, since they're stronger. Same for orcs, losers that don't fight, not fun. Those that fight good and lose, still losers but fun and have worth."

"I think my nee-san calls it reverse...psy-chology? It's where you act the opposite of how you normally would towards a person to get them to do what you want! My nee-san always did it when clients didn't pay a good enough fee for our services!"

Kikyo was silent at Gringor and Hinami's words, merely looking away. It seemed their answers gave her some very unpleasant thoughts. "...Let's go rendezvous with Lord Takeshi. I must inform him of this."

"Honestly, you're always so reckless. You're well being is important for the survival of these lands, plus you should respect that it's our job to look after you!"

"Ah, man. If I had a gold coin every time someone said that to me, I could probably hire an army to defeat the Varjans!" Takeshi laughed at his own joke, patting one of Atsuha's arachnid legs seemingly without a care in the world. "But seriously, I appreciate what you're doing. I really do."

"Though, oddly enough, the prisoners didn't seem worse for the wear. Given the Varjan's track record, you'd think they be covered in wounds and on the verge of starvation..."

The smile on Takeshi's face disappeared, as confusion set in. "...Pardon?"

"She speaks the truth, milord." Kikyo arrived with Gringor and Hinami. "It doesn't make any sense. The men said the Varjans didn't hurt them. They were fed, instead. Good food too." It was no wonder Atsuha heard them singing before she rescued them.

Takeshi was beginning to piece together what was happening. "Let's just be grateful they've been rescued."

"Why? Why would the Varjans feed them and treat them differently?" Kikyo pressed the issue.

"Maybe they were expecting something in return." Takeshi said out loud the obvious part.

Kikyo looked away and was silent for a moment, before speaking again. "These men will be indebted to you. You have their gratitude, and mine too." The warrior woman bowed at Takeshi, who smiled back. "I'll lead the freed prisoners back to Terauchi Temple. You're all free to join me if you wish." Kikyo said before taking command of the liberated warriors.

Takeshi then joined the taskforce members present. "Let's hope Shizuka and his group are doing well. Once they've returned, we can begin planning a rescue of my father." He said to them. "But that's for the immediate future. Right now, do any of you wanna go somewhere or should we all head back to the temple?"

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ATTN: @PaulHaynek (Katsuhiro & Blacksmith)

---

"At this present moment, I am in need of backstory on The Heavenly Strike technique," Alice says, plainly, "I’m bereft of my former memories and understanding of it, so I’m starting back at square one," she took a seat, "The reconnaissance phase."

---

Carroll nodded in understanding, as she took a seat to wait. "Just do what you can," she says, "In the future, you’ll be able to repeat and refine. A sword always needs sharpening, after all."

@PaulHaynek

"Look, that's all I know. I swear!"

"Thanks for the info. As a reward, a bit of advice...", Kerry began before suddenly tossing the Varjan up in the air, kicking him with a well-aimed wind-infused foot to the rear and launching him toward the trees and beyond. "...Remember to roll!"

With that taken care of, the hornet landed by Takamori's side, the man still peering out over the valley. His expression indicated his mind was somewhere else. The reason being was quite obvious.

"Well, you may be right about one thing, Takamori: I may very well end up fighting Setsuna at this rate.", she spoke with a sigh, chuckling humorlessly. "Gotta give your girl credit: She works hella fast. You sure know how to teach'em. Still...if push comes to shove, I will do what I must."

Kerry turned to the archer, a gravely serious demeanor on her face.

"Can you live with that?"