”Camael and I alone will crush you! The others won’t even need to get involved, they can sit back and watch you whimper as my flames cook you! If you fight as badly as you tell jokes, this won’t take long. Prepare yourself, vagabond!”
"Whoa! This is the first time I've seen such a yokai!" Kazenosuke was actually taken aback when Vară transformed into a more fierce appearance, making the swordsman instinctively unsheathe his sword from its scabbard. "Looks like I've bitten more than I could chew! Haha!"
Kazenosuke first spun his sword but jumped to the side to evade Vară's fiery downward strike. The burning embers that spewed forth were all shattered against the twirling blade. Vivian moved to intercept him and strike with her sharpened, icy leg but it met Kazenosuke's spinning sword and stumbled her, allowing the dancing swordsman to land three, quick slashes on the Glacies. Fortunately, Vivian's monstrous physique protected her for now.
Kazenosuke raised an eyebrow when the shadowy rats emerged from Zeka's black fog to overwhelm him. The dancing swordsman smirked as he spun with his blade and scabbard stretched out, reminiscent of a ballerina should Vivian see it. Once the swarm was dealt with, Kazenosuke kicked one of the still-hot embers into the dark fog... which missed Zeka, but it was close.
One of the Firethrowers was pushed into the inferno by Matsuri's firework, joining the flames he started and never returning. But when the little Inari looked again, the Varjans were further thinned out. Now, only two Firethrowers were left out of the original five and several Brigands were left standing.
Still, Matsuri was noticed but fortunately, both the remaining Brigands and Firethrowers were covering their ears and disoriented from the little Inari's Bang-Bang Bomber. With this happening, Matsuri now had enough time to--
"Gotcha!"
Someone seized Matsuri's arm from behind, a Brigand had somehow sneaked up behind her. He was clad in mere fur pelts and had a one-handed axe in his other hand. "You annoying fox! I'll rip your ears out and wear them as a necklace!" He raised his axe to swing against the little Inari.
But Matsuri possessed the physique of a monster, she was quick enough to do something about this. Or will she be too consumed by fear and be frozen by shock?
”Err, however, it he couldn't come back with me currently as through less than good news - we've found evidence that his daughter has apparently betrayed her people by siding with the Varjans. He's further investigating the matter, but he'd assured me that you could call on his bow at anytime.”
"You've done well, Madam Lavinia. Although, this is the first time I've heard that he has a daughter." Takeshi remarked, breaking from Kirei for a moment. "However, it is good to know that Lord Takamori is alive and willing to join us. Still, we should help him find his daughter if we can. If what you say is true, then she is a danger to the people of Shizuyama."
”My goodness, I didn't know we had spelunkers as part of our merry little group. We could you possibly be off to, dressed like that.”
"I'm quite curious too." Ayu also chimed about Ripcord, putting a hand on her hip. "Not only are most mines in this island over at Ginirokaze, what are you planning mine and what are you gonna use it for?"
Despite searching, Umami would find that Terauchi Temple did not have any sort of request board. Only the words and gossip of peasant refugees who were brave enough to speak to the yokai they were taught to fear all their lives and ask for their aid.
”Milord, I'd like for you, Ayu-chan, and Janus-san to understand that I'm quite confident in my smithy skills as well. If you ever need weapon repair, armory resupply, or general tools, simply come to me and I'll work my literal magic. The metal I generate is leagues above most of what you'll come across; You won't be disappointed in my work. Heh, although I'm more comfortable with making weapons that household tools, if I'm being honest. ”
"I see. Not a mere warrior but a magical blacksmith as well who can conjure metal at will. You have quite the repertoire of skills, Sir Kannazuki." Takeshi remarked. "But I would not underestimate the skills of our local smiths as well. You might be better than them at the craft, but you are far more useful in battle than they are. That said, your abilities have been noted and I'll definitely call upon you should need arise."
Takeshi joined Kirei as he greeted the Claremont sisters, keeping quiet as the siblings did not seem the social sort. Before the interaction could go any further, Kirei sensed something's chi coming fast to the temple.
”Appears we've more company Milord. I can tell it's another yōkai, so she's likely an ally.”
"A member of the taskforce, I assume?" Takeshi commented as Tomi descended from the sky.
"You are not Shizuka, but you bear the same scent? Who are you? Actually... where are we? I do not recognize this temple. Well—I do, but also... not? It feels different. Are you the task force?"
Takeshi would have answered first, but it appeared this golden Dragon was asking Kirei directly and would only accept answers from him.
~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~
"There's a monastery east of here called Fung Temple.
There's a monk there named Nobutada. He's one of the most sturdiest people I know, able to weather blows that could shatter boulders. When my father called for the monks of Fung Temple, I didn't see Nobutada among them. If he's still alive, he'll be in the monastery and he can lend us his aid."
"Sorae's skill with the naginata is fearsome and second to none. She and her clan was summoned to Sanjo Beach, but never appeared. We should head to their estate in the west and find out what happened to them and, if possible, recruit them to our cause."
"Kageho is a shinobi who was supposed to attempt to sneak through the Varjan blockade alongside others. The last wave of shinobi that we could send. I... ordered them not to go anymore, behind my father's back, since it would have been a waste and the Varjans were upon us. It was too late to call for reinforcements from the other islands.
Still, I expected her to show up in Sanjo Beach with the other shinobi. But they didn't. Anyway, their hideout should be around here somewhere. Try looking for any suspicious clearings in the forests around here. We can use their help."
"Kazenosuke could deflect any attack with his spinning blade, and deliver slashes faster than the eye could see. I have no idea why he couldn't make it to Sanjo Beach. I know he's a ronin, but he still should have heeded my father.
Well, his house is near Terauchi Temple. Not very near, but just follow the river near the temple and we'll find his home and then we can ask for his help."
"Yurine has taken care of Clan Oja for as long as I can remember. Despite being a servant, I know she can swing her masakari axe pretty hard. I've little idea of her past but I know it involves tending cemeteries.
She should be in Castle Oja but my father sent her to Onrai to begin enacting some way to protect the graves from being desecrated by the invaders. I know of a famous cemetery south of Terauchi Temple. We can begin looking for her there and she'll surely help us."
"My childhood friend Kikyo was on an anti-yokai mission before all of this. I... was kind of glad she couldn't be on the beach and hoped that maybe she'll find a way to escape and live a full life elsewhere. But I know she would never do that.
If she's coming back, she would definitely head for Port Wadatsumi in the southeast. We should find her before she does anything... drastic."
~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~
There was a villager woman, crying alone near a large tree within Terauchi Temple.
"Yokai, could I speak with you? A group of bandits is terrorizing Sanjo. They slaughtered my whole family, like animals!
They were killed at our home, near a river. I am Saki, please avenge my family and stop those bandits."
An upset woman noticed the taskforce member approaching.
"As if losing our homes wasn't bad enough, we have to see Varjans in them as well.
They took a home nearby a few days ago. The man who lived there won't leave the area. He keeps begging for help."
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 a shrine priestess who wasn't present in Sanjo Beach."
"They're recruiting farmers and fishermen to their cause. Brave, but it'll be dangerous if they're not properly trained."
ATTN: @PaulHaynek (Ayu) & @AzureKnight (Lavinia)Despite the attempt at camaraderie meaning and the curious line of questioning, Ripcord addressed neither, as she carried on for the premarked zone that she would build up into the dining hall for she and her sister to effectively use as a house and food hoard.
And, speaking of her sister...
"There’s no kinda job board or anything around here," Umami says, swooping in on leathery wings. "Iunno what needs doing, so... what are we doing?"
"We’ll just work on the dining hall until something needs to be done," Ripcord says. "We don’t have all day to be asking people if they need help, after all."
Umami nodded, before transforming into her Wererabbit Form, "Ready to dig away!"
Ripcord chuckled, lightning a cigarette as they prepared to break ground.
@AzureKnight(VRA), @Rezod92 Vivian was quickly knocked back from Kazenosuke's skillful deflection, and reminded of how it felt to truly compete against a master of their craft. Kazenosuke humbled himself, as he was dancing with his sword as his partner. Compared to the three of them flailing desperately just to land a hit, this was...embarassing. A one-sided affair. As such, Vivian would take it upon herself to correct it. A dance wasn't only conducted with the legs...it needed the entire body in harmony.
Gliding past Kazenosuke, right to Vară, Vivian would promptly slap her rear before she began her next attack, clapping her frozen hands together once after. "What an unsightly display, Vară. Should a lady of your standing really be so enraged merely from so slight an insult? You can't best him swinging wildly. Nor can I. As such, its in all of our best interests if you, the sneak, and I coordinate better. I have speed, you have power, and she has range," Vivian explained, hoping that her chilling waking up call had at least gotten Vară's attention...
Even if, admittedly, she was really happy she did it, solely due to leeching enough ambient heat to feed her for a few days. Seriously, this girl ran ridiculously hot. Turning her head to Zeta while she planned out their conjoined attack, Vivian would call out with: "I don't know a single thing about your powers, but...utilize your range as best you can. Don't let him breathe between our attacks."
Matsuri
While Matsuri's plan had worked, one of the armored goons was a lot faster than she was expecting, catching her by her wrist and poising himself to hack her ears off! Letting out a yelp of surprise, Matsuri knew she had to act fast...but what could she do against a soldier in full armor from this distance? Her papa hadn't really taught her how to fight especially well, and she'd lost her range advantage...she couldn't even slip free of the man's iron grip. But, she did still have a few tricks up her sleeve. With all the speed she could manage, she manifested a Starlight Sparkler and ignited it with her magic, swinging her free hand to wrap the stream of light around the Varjan axe's shaft, slapping it away as his hand came down with the intent to swing.
Spared from that blow at least, Matsuri would struggle against his grasp for a moment before remembering the most important self-defense tactic that one of her many aunties at the fireworks factory told her:
"If a guy won't take a hint, just go for the groin!"
And so she would, winding back a kick and slamming it into the groin of the Varjan soldier, unaware that, on average, even a fledgling mamono was several times stronger than the average human. Might need to go to a smith to fix his family jewels, but for now, Matsuri would use the window she'd created to back off from the brigand, running away from him. As long as they were focused on her...maybe whoever was thinning them out could take care of the rest!
"I don't know a single thing about your powers, but...utilize your range as best you can. Don't let him breathe between our attacks."
"Very much NOTED!", Zeka responded, yelping on the last word as she narrowly ducked a burning ember Kazenosuke kicked in her general direction, which kinda threw the mouse girl for a loop because how the hell did he know where she was in the fog? "And I agree with Vivian, Vară! He wants you to be angry, chill out!"
The fight had just recently began, but from Zeka can already observe, Kazenosuke was skilled. Incredibly so. Fend off a strong mamono in combat was already challenge to humans, but taking on three? And still be confidently standing?
Well, despite that mouth of his, he can back it up. No wonder this Takeshi guy wants him., she thought to herself before focusing back on the fight. Okay, my swarm isn't enough. So maybe....
Once more, new wave of shadow rats scurried from out of the fog, only this time...
"Umbra Art: Shadow Clones."
Four shadowy copies of Zeka herself rushed out of the fog as well, wisps of darkness emitting from their forms as they locked onto the ronin, glowing spectral claws at the ready.
The dragon girl spoke of very odd things. She apparently was somehow familiar with Shizuyama, and even the Taskforce and Terauchi Temple specifically. However, there was one word that she uttered that truly caught his attention. A name he hadn’t heard in over a decade.
Shizuka
Kirei’s eyes widen, appearing like a menacing tiger’s. The lax and lackadaisical disposition he held prior was instantly replaced with the sharp threat of a predatory cat.
”How do you know that man?” He spat. ”Who are you?” He walked closer to her, but everyone present at the temple grounds would begin to feel the immense chi emitting from him.
”Answer me. How have you come to know my brother? You can’t be his wife, he swore he would never love again. Not after what happened all those years ago. Is he here on this island? Did you come here with him under orders from Kyouko-san?”
I C Y C R E E D : B E W I T C H I N G D A R K N E S S
Lavinia wasn’t awfully offended by having her inquiry ignored by Ripcord, although it may not be the same for Ms. Ayu, she silently chuckled to herself in thought. She and her sister were off in their own little world, playing at being busy bodies. Overhearing their conversation, they meant to build an entire dining hall, hence why she donned mining gear. The thought of an actual dining hall indeed sounded nice to the witch, but she was even more curious as to the method the girls would implore to actually build it.
Her curiosity was interrupted, as she sensed the chi building up from their captain and his boiling emotions. It seems the new arrival in the form of the dragon girl had pushed a button that she perhaps shouldn’t have. However, she could sense that Kirei was still holding himself back through the midst of the menace emanating from his being. Hopefully things wouldn’t get violent.
”Ms. Ayu, it seems our new friend is already making things a bit more lively. Hopefully Lord Takeshi and help quell things before they get too…extreme.”
Vară, unfortunately, would find that her initial strike only hit the earth, with him effortlessly deflecting all of the ensuing embers with his spinning blade technique. That’s the second strong human who’s shrugged her off since being on this island, the first being Na-Kratz. What was with these strong humans everywhere? There was also Kirei, Lord Takeshi, and even Janus and the late Sidonus. Though she was still livid at Kazenosuke, the thought of all these strong human men began to make her blush a bit.
She quickly waved away these feelings; There was no time for impure thoughts! This was a battle, and one she had to win.
However, just as she was about to prepare for her next attack, Vivian waltzed to her side after her brief scuffle with the vagabond. Vară let out a cute and shrill yelp at the sharp, cold sting of having her butt slapped. She turned to Vivian with an expression of exasperated anger, still holding her backside with a tear rolling down her eye. ”O-Ouch! You, you skank” She exclaimed. ”How dare you treat high-born posterior so brusquely! Plus, I’m not that type of girl…” She listened as Vivian and Zeka essentially told her to calm down and work together in this battle, contrary to her statement at the beginning of the fight.
She bit her lip, her eyebrows twitching, but she ultimately swallowed her pride and took heed to their words. ”Very well Vivan and…Zeka was it? While it pains me to admit, this man is…very strong. I can’t believe that a high born demon must team up to defeat one foe, but I know better than most that there’s more at stake here than just my pride. Very well, it is as you say: My power and dominating beauty, your speed and grace, and Zeka’s tricks and misdirection. Let’s make quick work of this fool!”
Vară looked on as Zeka sent her squad of darkness clones at Kazenosuke. Her confidence faltered a bit, as when she tried a frontal assault it only led to her embarrassment. It was painfully clear that in a contest of pure martial skill, Kazenosuke was her superior. His style rendered her “overwhelming power” useless. A different approach would be needed. That’s when she made her decision:
Holding her axe over her head, Camael began to float in the air and began to spin. Soon, her servant transformed into his monstrous form.
”Camael! Support Zeka and strike at our comedian swordsman!” She said. With a fiery bellow, Camael attempted to pincher Kazenosuke inbetween himself and the clones headed toward him. Vară then turned to Vivian.
”Let’s you and I plan to strike his blindspot whilst he’s distracted.” She said, charging a large Lotus Bloom spell.
Tomi's lazy and relaxed stance changed to a surprised one when the man's tiger-like, angry stare fixated onto her own now confused eyes. The fact that this man was not Shizuyama was now abundantly clear. Him taking a step forward actually caused Tomi, a dragon, to take one backward. Not exactly out of fear per se, but the man was intimidating. Furthermore, the intense energy he let out wasn't amiss on the gold dragon who was always on the lookout for powerful individuals.
"Hrm... h-hold on. Who..." she began speaking in her soft voice, stammering her words as a drop of sweat would go down her forehead. Then, however, he said something that explained all of it.
Well. Some of it really.
"Ah! So you are Shizuka's brother!" Tomi said, her behaviour changing completely. It was as if the doubt and confusion of a second ago lifted totally. Her own, at least, as it seemed the man's own anger wasn't quite taken into serious consideration by the inconsiderate Tomi.
"My - you are just as cute as the Captain! Look at you!" Tomi jumped in little excitement, hands joined together. Perhaps part of her joyfulness was due to the fact she was realizing - wrongfully probably - she would not be punished by said Shizuka for falling asleep. Again.
"I did come to the island with him, and the rest of an intervention force. Though I do not feel any of them around anymore... Actually, everything feels slightly different. Even this temple. Kyouko-san?...Hmmm." she looked up, finger to her chin. "Yes, I believe she was that lady that hired us? I don't recall too much of that meeting."
She then sighed deeply before going back to the other part of the man's question. "Alas... I am not Shizuka's wife. He was very strong for a human, but kept refusing my advances. It was not meant to be... So I'm still on a quest to find a suitable mate! Who knows..." Her eyes half-closed to a more seductive stare as her tail came forward, slightly brushing the man's arm in a teasing motion. "...Perhaps you're looking for a mate as well?"
Kazenosuke simply readied his sword as the next wave of attacks came at him, a confident smirk on his face. Notably, he was not doing his signature spinning-sword technique.
He parried the swing of the first spectral copy, but slashed away the second before it could even think about swinging. He blocked the claws of the first copy again, and then blocked the third copy with his scabbard. Kazenosuke then spun, slashing the two spectral copies into nothingness with one stroke.
It was then that Camael came at him, a larger and hardier foe. Kazenosuke could only hold up his sword and scabbard to keep the draconic familiar at bay, and underestimated the speed of the fourth spectral copy which managed to land a slash on his back. "Urk...!" The swordsman then kicked the spectral copy away, while still figuring out how to deal with Camael.
After getting disarmed by a whip of light, the Varjan Brigand then received a full kick to his nether region from Matsuri. And it was no mere kick, for Matsuri was a monster and was physically stronger than an average human of her age. The Varjan was in so much pain that he was muted, unable to give voice to his anguish. He released the young Inari and clutched his groin before crumpling into the ground into unconsciousness.
Matsuri was now free to turn her attention to the other Varjans. But she quickly found that there were no more Varjans to distract. In that short time, her shadowy ally had dispatched the rest of the invaders and left the young Inari alone in the still-burning forest. The flames providing bright illumination for the night.
For several moments, Matsuri's only companion was the crackling fires burning the the trees down. And then, the young Inari saw it. She witnessed a figure emerge between the blurry line separating the fire's illumination and the dim view beyond, as if it was a mere curtain or veil. The figure was a fair-skinned girl, dressed in black with blood-red eyes and spiky, black hair. In one of her hands, was the packed lunch that Matsuri had left for the shinobi.
The shadowy girl then held out the packed lunch towards the Inari, as if wanting to give it back.
Ayu could only raise an eyebrow at her inquiry being met with indifference, but the Claremont sisters were left free to begin their construction of their dining hall.
The sisters' activities soon became the source of entertainment for a group of refugees who had nothing to do to pass the time. The group shuffled at times, people leaving and people joining. Right now, there were two men and three women in the group watching the Claremont sisters.
"What do you think they're doing?" "Heard they were building something." "Building what?" "Don't know. Why don't you ask them?" "Nah. They look like they'll eat me if I look at 'em funny. Wanna take bets instead?"
”Answer me. How have you come to know my brother? You can’t be his wife, he swore he would never love again. Not after what happened all those years ago. Is he here on this island? Did you come here with him under orders from Kyouko-san?”
"Alas... I am not Shizuka's wife. He was very strong for a human, but kept refusing my advances. It was not meant to be... So I'm still on a quest to find a suitable mate! Who knows... Perhaps you're looking for a mate as well?"
Tomi, upon a realization that Takeshi did not fully comprehend, was no longer fazed by Kirei's agitation. She even tried seducing the blacksmith-warrior, as if he was not ready to lunge at her with an attack at a moment's notice. Takeshi felt it would be best to leave these two to resolve their issues or misunderstandings. On the other hand, he felt responsibility for this taskforce not to fall apart, or at least not hurt anyone falling apart, and decided to intervene.
Despite the fierce chi that Kirei emitted, Takeshi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sir Kirei, please. This golden Dragon seems to be only lost, at best, or a ditz, at worst. I think patience is the key in resolving this situation." Takeshi said. "And besides, a fight between you and a Dragon here would only lead to wanton destruction of this refuge."
Takeshi then addressed Tomi. "Greetings, Dragon. I am Takeshi Oja, heir to my father Hideo Oja, the Island Lord... Well, perhaps the Island Lord now since I know not of my father's fate." Now this was clear evidence that something was off, since Tomi knew Takeshi to be... brighter in color and not at all gloomy like the young man before her now. "Why don't we start over to clear any confusion? Do you mind introducing yourself and telling us how you came to Shizuyama?" The young lord asked.
Meanwhile, Ayu and Lavinia watched the tense exchange from afar.
”Ms. Ayu, it seems our new friend is already making things a bit more lively. Hopefully Lord Takeshi and help quell things before they get too…extreme.”
Ayu sighed as she scratched the back of her head. "I sure hope so. The new dragon girl seems to have struck some of Kirei's nerves. Last thing I want is for a Dragon and a dude blowing up half of Terauchi Temple because they couldn't keep it in their pants."
"Speaking of the young master, I'm surprised he's this accepting of a yokai's help. His father, the Island Lord Hideo, is absolutely strict in keeping yokai out of Shizuyama. In a morbid sort of way, I think it's best that his father is not here to see this." Ayu remarked. "Err, don't tell him... anyone else, that I said that."
"That said, there are people in Shizuyama who will disapprove of Lord Takeshi's decisions. I mean, really disapprove." Ayu continued grimly. "I just hope they will see the reason in the young master's choices."
~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~
"There's a monastery east of here called Fung Temple.
There's a monk there named Nobutada. He's one of the most sturdiest people I know, able to weather blows that could shatter boulders. When my father called for the monks of Fung Temple, I didn't see Nobutada among them. If he's still alive, he'll be in the monastery and he can lend us his aid."
"Sorae's skill with the naginata is fearsome and second to none. She and her clan was summoned to Sanjo Beach, but never appeared. We should head to their estate in the west and find out what happened to them and, if possible, recruit them to our cause."
"Kageho is a shinobi who was supposed to attempt to sneak through the Varjan blockade alongside others. The last wave of shinobi that we could send. I... ordered them not to go anymore, behind my father's back, since it would have been a waste and the Varjans were upon us. It was too late to call for reinforcements from the other islands.
Still, I expected her to show up in Sanjo Beach with the other shinobi. But they didn't. Anyway, their hideout should be around here somewhere. Try looking for any suspicious clearings in the forests around here. We can use their help."
"Kazenosuke could deflect any attack with his spinning blade, and deliver slashes faster than the eye could see. I have no idea why he couldn't make it to Sanjo Beach. I know he's a ronin, but he still should have heeded my father.
Well, his house is near Terauchi Temple. Not very near, but just follow the river near the temple and we'll find his home and then we can ask for his help."
"Yurine has taken care of Clan Oja for as long as I can remember. Despite being a servant, I know she can swing her masakari axe pretty hard. I've little idea of her past but I know it involves tending cemeteries.
She should be in Castle Oja but my father sent her to Onrai to begin enacting some way to protect the graves from being desecrated by the invaders. I know of a famous cemetery south of Terauchi Temple. We can begin looking for her there and she'll surely help us."
"My childhood friend Kikyo was on an anti-yokai mission before all of this. I... was kind of glad she couldn't be on the beach and hoped that maybe she'll find a way to escape and live a full life elsewhere. But I know she would never do that.
If she's coming back, she would definitely head for Port Wadatsumi in the southeast. We should find her before she does anything... drastic."
~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~
There was a villager woman, crying alone near a large tree within Terauchi Temple.
"Yokai, could I speak with you? A group of bandits is terrorizing Sanjo. They slaughtered my whole family, like animals!
They were killed at our home, near a river. I am Saki, please avenge my family and stop those bandits."
An upset woman noticed the taskforce member approaching.
"As if losing our homes wasn't bad enough, we have to see Varjans in them as well.
They took a home nearby a few days ago. The man who lived there won't leave the area. He keeps begging for help."
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 a shrine priestess who wasn't present in Sanjo Beach."
"They're recruiting farmers and fishermen to their cause. Brave, but it'll be dangerous if they're not properly trained."
Unseen in the fog, Zeka smirked as her only remaining clone scored a hit on the ronin. However, her moment of triumph would be short-lived as she realized the toll this "spar" was taking out of her. Between maintaining the fog, summoning the rat swarm and creating dark clones, she could feel her mana pool running low and without the fog, Kazenosuke would have the freedom to move around. Knowing they can't let that happen, Zeka quickly moved to Vivian and Vară's position.
"Girls, I can't keep this up forever. We need to wrap this up now.", Zeka urged as she sent another wave of shadow rats, as well as two more clones to back up the clone that managed to hit their target. "Between Vară's dragon buddy and me throwing everything but the kitchen sink, I think Kazenosuke is pressured enough for you two to go in and finish it."
@AzureKnight(VRA), @Rezod92 Colorful language aside, it was good to see Vară regain a modicum of reason. Thankfully, with her senses returned, the demon noble thought to manifest her companion to assist Zeka, with Vivian haughtily tossing a lock of her frosty hair over her shoulder. "Just so you know, I will have to reprimand you for that skank comment. But that will come later. For now-Oh. You're here too now, little mouse," Vivian noted, before listening to Zeka's prompt for them to finish it.
"A sound suggestion," Vivian said, raising her rock-inlaid arm before hopping once, her legs turning to needlepoints that scored the ground beneath, covering them in a thick layer of frost before she leaned forward, surging along with her ice to match Vară's pace. With her demon companion's power, Zeka's magic, and her own speed, this would have to be the decisive climax of this battle.
Circling around Kazenosuke once, Vivian would raise one leg in a perfect split above her head, preparing to match her timing with Var's to deliver a two-pronged attack with no way out. It wasn't exactly a graceful sort of move, but this was her first time dancing not only with a swordsman, but as a trio with varying styles in a land she didn't know.
Matsuri
Surprised by her own freedom, Matsuri hurriedly moved to a better position to try and get a shot at the other Varjans, only to find that they'd already been routed. Just as she was starting to wonder if the shinobi had done this, a figure emerged from the heat's haze to...return her lunch.
Dumbfounded, Matsuri accepted it with both hands, ears twitching as she blinked a few times behind her mask. "...Eh?" she asked, before remembering that this was the packed lunch she'd left a few hours ago. Not an unwelcome returned gift, but she really hoped this shinobi woman wasn't starving herself for courtesy's sake. "Oh, right! I'm Matsuri," the inari said, lifting her mask to face the shadowed woman with her usual face. "Thanks for helping out there. I'm sorry about the forest, but...a-at least the fire should stop, once the two fires hit each other and run out of stuff to burn."
Before the shinobi would do that special ninja vanishing trick though, Matsuri would blurt out: "Oh and Takeshi couldn't come, he was busy dressing up as a miko! For...some reason. I didn't really ask." ...How terrible of a blunder would it be if she came all this way, searched all this time, and found the person she was supposed to only to part ways without saying the code phrase?
As the refugees took varying degrees and types of interest in the actions of the Mutant Mamono, their running commentary didn't go amiss. It wasn't anything they hadn't overheard in Varjo, nor was it entirely unwarranted - Mamono came in all shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds, but they held one unshakeable tenant thanks to the licentious strumpet turned tyrant Demon Lord(ess) that created their kith and kin:
A husband at any cost. A wife by any means.
It was a clarion call in the back of their minds; an intrinsic order; an ingrained instinct; it mattered not in subjects of age or lawfulness, nor in terms of blood or fealty; it was preternatural, the need to breed with a man, be he passing stranger or immediate family.
Humans had all rights to fear them; to fear that one day, they might succumb to their baser selves, and push them to the ground - women injured, men defiled, monsters sated. It was rational to fear losing to a force that was supernaturally born to dominate you, if the moment struck her to do so, and have your will to resist sexual robbed from you by poisonous magic that converted human pain into monstrous pleasure, until you were nothing but a possession called "Husband" for your "Wife" and her future "Children".
Being born Mutants, Human-Mamono hybrids of science, and raised in the harsh, hateful environment of the underworld of Varjo, gave the Claremont Sisters an "outsider existing within" perspective that allowed them to shoulder the burdens of their existence by leaning into each other for what their baser instincts required and their humanity reviled.
Instead of victimizing others, they relied on each other for release, both sexual and emotional, to resist the siren song of a man, but they couldn't prove that to strangers that knew only their own horror stories and those passed down by victims.
But, maybe...
Ripcord jammed her shovel into the ground, and planted her heel on it, before clearing her throat with a strong, "Ahem!"
"My name is Ripcord Claremont, and I can hear you. I can hear you, and I can understand you, because I am with you," Ripcord says, "I, too, fear Mamono to the point of hatred, myself. I dread what they can do, what they will do..."
Umami paused her digging, looking down; her rabbit features shifted back into human ones, as she worried her lower lip, and wrung her hands. "Mamono can be cruel... scary... " she says, "Humans have to be, too, in order to fight back and win. That's what the Old Man used to tell us..." Ripcord absorbed her shovel back into her slime, as Umami drew to her side. "My name is Umami Claremont! I... forgot to say," she blushed.
"Humans created us in a laboratory in Varjo, Mamono made to be weapons against other Mamono and Humans alike," Ripcord says, "Boss Kikyo saved us, because she believed in both our Humanity and Mamonohood, and Underboss Takeshi seconds her belief in that!"
"They asked that we come here to help, so... here we are!" Umami says, summoning a bright smile to her face like a puppy.
"And, since our time spent in Otome Port was largely doing manual labor and construction, we've decided to make this place less of a dreary refugee camp and more of a place to live and raise hope and family for a brighter tomorrow," Ripcord says, "Starting with a proper dining hall made from brick and mortar."
"That said, it will take time for Papi and I ages to do this alone, so will you put your trust in us and lend us your aid, as we aim to lend you ours," Umami asks.
"As Mami asks, so do I," Ripcord says, genuflecting before the gathering refugees, "We will bear no grudge, if you refuse, but our intentions will always remain as given."
Umami genuflected, as well, and waited for the final verdict from those they sought, if nothing else, coexistence.
Kirei looked at Tomi with utter perplexity, she gave a whole monologue but didn't seem to be saying anything that made sense to the parties present. However, it was certainly something that she did, in fact, know of Lady Kyouko and her taskforce.
"...You said your name was...Tomi, yes?" Kirei responded. "I still don't understand how it is you know of Kyouko-sama and this taskforce of ours, going as far as claiming to be a member of it somehow. I'm even more curious how it is you've come to know my brother." Turning to the side with a sharp glare, he clicked his teeth as he tried to vent his frustration.
"For now, however, I will ultimately leave what happens with you to Takeshi-san. Kyouko wanted us to honor his wishes as we aid him in this journey. For now, I have some other matters to attend to."
Walking off, he overheard some commotion regarding the Claremont Sisters, and decided to investigate further.
Kirei, listening intently at the speech the Claremont Sisters gave to the gossiping villagers, began to walk over to them. He gave a gentle, rhythmic clap to show his approval while his face bore a slint-eyed smile.
”Your dedication through adversity is something to be admired.” He said cheerfully. ”Although, I often find humans more frightening than mamono these days. Regardless, I for one love the sound of a proper mess hall! As the captain of the taskforce serving Lord Takeshi, I only see it as proper that I lend my aid as well.”
A sudden breeze gathered around Kirei, as metal objects began to materialize around him. Various crafting tools floated around him, moving in a circular motion.
”So, what can I do to help?”
Ripcord would be the first to take in the Human that approach; he reeks of confidence and self-assuredness... but, such things were in short supply and dire need. "Bricks," she says, simply. "A kiln that can produce many. A mason that can cut them, and other stone; shape brick into home."
Kirei would notice that Umami was watching the tools float around him with animal-like attentiveness.
”Ah, a kiln? Goodness, this role has me really stretching my artistic muscles! I usually only craft weapons from my metal, with handy tools being an every now and again sort of deal. ” Kirei with a light chuckle. He noticed one of the sisters eyeing the tools he had already crafted, Umami was it? He felt some feline attributes coming off of her, along with other animalistic traits he couldn’t quite pinpoint yet.
Regardless, he stretched his hands and prepared to work his magic. Focusing on a part of the ground before the three of them, he began to channel mana and made a large clump of metal appear. Minutes passed as with various hand movements Kirei changed the shape and density of the metal until it resembled a sizeable kiln.
”Whew! Hopefully that will suffice. The metal used can also more than withstand the temperatures needed for our intended use.” He said to the sisters.
Ripcord eyed Kirei curiously. A man with such talent could be invaluable to their future endeavors, and to the restoration of such a place. Unlike another before her, she didn't have magic to turn back time, and set all things right. No, only her hands and her mind.
"It will need to be relocated to a safer place, and made with the intention of fitting into a space, but yes..." Ripcord beamed, "It's perfect to start."
”I see, no worries then.” Kirei said, further responding by seamlessly lifting the kiln off the ground, demonstrating that he still held control over the objects he’s created.
”I would imagine one of the unused pagodas around the temple will suffice, unless you have something else in mind?”
"Might need it to be bigger, so we can make a lot of bricks at one time," Ripcord says.
"Bigger is better, umu~" Umami agreed.
Kirei surveyed their surroundings for a moment, looking for something that would fit their needs. Eventually he spotted an empty shrine off a little ways. It appeared to be unused, in addition it was likely much more spacious on the inside that earlier structures pointed out.
”Perhaps that will work? It's a little shabby, but there's plenty of room.”
"It is definitely bigger," Ripcord says.
Kirei would notice something curious: neither of the sisters had moved from their genuflect position beyond their heads.
Kirei looked back at the Claremonts with a raised brow. He noticed that they were in the same position from earlier. ”Uh, is something the matter? I know it’s shabby, but with a little elbow grease and skillful artistry it can be touched up with minimal effort. Shall we get started?”
He motioned for the Sisters to follow him as he made his way toward the old shrine, still having his tools floating around him with the kiln to his side.
Neither of the sisters moved. They’d yet to be addressed by the crowd at large, to whom Kirei was not a representative of the whole, but a piece that had come forward. There were more, however.
Kirei looked back at the sisters again, who he noticed still weren’t moving from their spot. Before he said something, he overheard the refugees talking amongst themselves. They were staring at the trio; It seemed they were the current talk of the town.
“Those two yokai seem like decent folk.” One villager said.
“They seemed to be with that young fellow in the white clothes with the shades. I think he’s human.” Another said.
“I don’t know, he might be tainted.”
“Still, he can make tools and structures, I think it might be good to accept their help.”
After some time of speaking to each other, the villagers looked toward the trio and nodded. They gave a unanimous statement of approval to accept the help of the Sisters, which made Kirei smile.
“Seems the villagers know when to appreciate good character, that should give us some good motivation. Wouldn’t you agree?” Kirei said to the siblings.
Ripcord would nod, and rise to her feet.
"Owie..." Umami whined, rubbing her feet. "Hurts..."
Kirei wasn’t sure what to make of the Sisters’ behavior, as they finally seemed to rouse after receiving the approval of the locals. He wouldn’t worry about it for now though, he’d just focus on the construction efforts.
The three taskforce members finally arrived at the old shrine. The place was dingy and rather musty inside, filled with cobwebs and empty crates. It seemed the structure had been abandoned for a long time, but Kirei’s earlier words echoed in his mind. He then turned to the girls.
”So, where would you like me to put this?” He said, pointing to the kiln that was floating at his side.
"Need to take out the roof, install ventilation, and likely set it in the center, against the back wall," Ripcord says. "Mami, measure, mark, double-check."
"Si, Papi!" Umami chirped, before assuming her Werebat Form, and flying around the room; using echolocation to make a structural map.
Kirei looked with intrigue as Umami shapeshifted into a more chiropteran form, he wondered what type of yokai would be able to do that. His mind went to chimera first, but they don’t possess the ability to change form at will like that. He wouldn’t mind that for now.
Walking to the back of the room, as per Ripcord’s suggestion, Kirei placed the kiln on the back wall.
”Safe and secure.” Kirei said. ”What next?”
"Needs to be bigger, but wait for Mami to get back from measuring," Ripcord says, as Umami made her second circuit. After a minute, she landed; her body shifting back to normal. "What’s the measure?"
Umami would press her forehead to Ripcord’s, and close her eyes. After a moment, she drew back. "That’s the best result..." she says.
"I can handle it," Ripcord says, before her arms soften, and her fingers changed to chalk. Firing forward, she started to make several measurements and marks into the floor, walls, and ceiling. "Alright, sections done..." she says, drawing her arms back to normal. "Kirei, there."
”Ah, yes.” Kirei said.
Pointing two fingers at the spot that Ripcord marked, a concentrated vacuum wave erupted from them. The shockwave punctured a hole sizable enough for their efforts, before dispersing into the sky above them.
”That should do.”
"It will serve," Ripcord says, "Otherwise, the ceiling would fall in. Need support beams, there, there, there, and there..." she pointed to four large circles. "We’ll need to open the walls, too..."
Kirei had to admit, using his ferrokinetic abilities like this made him reminisce. It wasn’t often that he did so, but his then mentor stressed to him the importance of flexibility and creativity. He giggled a bit, but then went right to work again.
”Consider it done.” He said.
With graceful hand movement, Kirei generated four steel beams and placed them at the designated locations, then wielding precise wind magic created more openings for the necessary ventilation.
”How’s that?”
Ripcord would raise her arms, suddenly turning into saws, and whipping into the ceiling; the rubber hose movements resulting in four clean slices, and the unsupported ceiling falling out.
"Mami, go!"
Umami rushed in, as her feet transformed into cloven hooves and thick horns curled out of her forehead, as she turned into a Weresheep, and headbutted the ceiling chunks into dust.
"Kirei, duster!"
”Oh ho? I’m a duster now?” Kirei mused jovially. With a waving motion, Kirei’s hands generated a gust that blew away excess dust and debris that would have descended upon them.
The sight of Ripcord being able to shapeshift parts of her body was not lost on Kirei. He was slowly becoming more and more fascinating with just what type of monsters the Claremonts actually were. He remembered them saying something about having been created by the Varjans?
”I trust none got on you gals?” He said.
"Would it matter," Ripcord asks, before slicing through sections of the wall to make doors. "Bust through, Mami. Kirei, can you make sliding doors," she asks, as Umami headbutted the walls and opened the doorways. "If so, it'll make transportation of hackled and unhackled bricks easier to go from entry left to exit right."
Kirei chuckled at Ripcord’s response, watching intently as she hacked away at more of the structuring, making an entrance of sorts. Umami grew ram-like horns and headbutted and created an opening where Ripcord slashed.
”You want sliding doors, eh? I’ll have to be meticulous on how I craft the metal for that.” He said. His eyes closed, he clasped his hands together, then revealing an amorphous clump of metal after parting them.
”If it’s too flimsy, the doors will fail and fall apart. But, if it’s too sturdy they won’t open properly. It requires the just the right amount of attention” Sending the metal clump toward the opening. With some more hand motions, the metal eventually formed into slim doors. Kirei then walked over to them, proceeding to test their integrity. They slid seamlessly, and seemed to hold up quite well.
”That’s actually the first time I made a door. Not bad if I say so myself!”
"Of course, you would say so," Umami says, shaking her hair, "What next, Papi?"
"We need to put the kiln in place, and we should be good to go," Ripcord says.
”Ah, the final piece.”
With the wave of one hand, Kirei picked the kiln back up and placed it in the aforementioned spot.
”That should be good. Are we all set, gals?”
"For the time being," Ripcord says, before her outfit shifted on her body into that of a proper French Maid, and she spawned a broom; setting out to clean.
”By the Mamono Lord, you’ve been busy here, haven’t you?” Mused an alluring voice. Kirei chuckled before turning to face the source of the voice, making sure that the kiln was securely placed.
”I see your curiosity finally got the better of you, eh Lavi?” He said.
Appearing from the very shadows themselves, Lavinia shifted into view in front of the sisters. She looked around for a moment, inspecting the work done on the old shrine.
”My, my, I believe I overheard those young dames conversing about building a dining hall of sorts? That does sound lovely, and it seems that you're starting with building a smithy of sorts? With all of the shouts and sudden wind volleys, some of the villagers grew a little concerned.” Lavinia said, turning to get a closer look at the sisters. She made sure to take in their appearances; She noticed that Ripcord seemed to be something of a Shoggoth, like Kyouko’s maid who’s sadly no longer with them. However, Umami is who REALLY caught her attention.
At first glance, she appeared to be a chimera of sorts, possessing the physiology of various mamono. Sheep, bunny, lupin, and chiropteran, two of which Lavinia also had qualities of. However, neither of them could be counted as the actual species, Lavinia could tell just by sensing Umami mana signature.
”I heard you speak your names, Ripcord and Umami Claremont. Allow me to formally introduce myself, again possibly. My name is Lavinia Isabella, a mamono mage from the Magus Association. I’m not necessarily associated with the actual Sabbath, but I do conduct proceedings and business with them from time to time. Also…” She stared at Umami for a moment, not that anyone could actually see her eyes at the moment.
”Please excuse me if I’m too forward, but I find you to be quite curious. Tell me, you’re not a chimera are you? You’re a rare instance, correct?”
"Whaddya stupid? 'Course I am," Umami says, as she smoothly transformed between her Wereforms; before Lavinia's eyes, she took on attributes of a sheep, a bat, a hound, a cat, and a rabbit, then Human once more. "Couldn't be anything else, sadly. It's the curse we bare, right Papi?"
"Umu~" Ripcord nodded, as she swept dust into a pan, and dumped it into the "pocket" of her "apron". "Are you asking for a reason..." she asks, as her strange eyes cut sideways at Lavinia, "Better question: A good reason? Boss Kikyo doesn't like us talking about the past."
Lavinia giggled at Umami’s words and the showcase of her transformation abilities. Chimera usually have a static form composed of the various creatures it took to make them, and they certainly can’t freely change into each separate form at will.
”Goodness, you certainly are quite the chimera aren’t you?” She mused. She noticed Ripcord was getting a little apprehensive at Lavinia’s questioning. It seemed that they didn’t like talking about themselves in detail that much, a sentiment that Lady Kyouko herself cosigns.
”My apologies, as stated earlier, I did not mean to pry or offend. It’s just that I found your sister to be a bit similar to me in terms of physiology, thus becoming a bit curious.”
Kirei and the sisters would witness two large, ivory wings sprout from Lavinia’s back, enveloping her whole. Once they parted, Lavi’s bestial form was on full display. So too were her eyes, filled with a rapacious and primordial vigor that Umami would perhaps find to be familiar.
”Do you see now, love?” She sneered, the alluring charm in her voice gone, having been replaced with an uncouth snarl. ”I imagine you and I are birds of a feather! Not many know of my kind, and sometimes I can’t help but feel a little homesick!”
The trio who repurposed the shrine would feel an eerie chill filling the building around them, with the shadows seemingly encroaching upon them.
”Tell me, little Umami, is it the same for you? Do you feel it often: The Hunger?” She spat, oddly endearing in a way. ”Some call it the Thirst, a craving, or even a yearning. Bellowing out into the night, preying on the fear of the unknown. Hearing the prancing of footsteps, unrhythmic and frantic, along with the heavy panting of the catch. Then, when they’re cornered, the game is then over. The cat wins, and after the final roar and cry, comes the feeding.” Lavinia appeared to be shivering with ecstasy.
”Do you have this feeling, love?”
There was a clatter of Ripcord’s broom, as it bounced off the floor of the shrine, and underneath rose the growl of something unlike ancient Automaton creations, the purring of the old Precursor engines. Halfway grown from her right arm, Ripcord held her weapon - biological engineered from her own body, the weapon that her old masters called a “chainsaw”. It growled, jagged teeth encircling a long, wide blade that dripped digestive acids.
Lavinia could see that Ripcord’s face was devoid of a mouth; all that remained was a smooth expanse of skin mapped from chin to nose.
Like a twisted starfish, she’d projected her mouth forward into the armament that now extended forth in both hands.
"You are crossing a line." Ripcord spoke clearly - her Shoggoth nature exposing, as mouths split open across her body and clothes in equal measure, alongside eyes that unblinkingly watched all corners as the shadows crept in. "My sister is no beast, neither of prey nor of burden. Umami is Human, and you will not drag her to your level."
Trembling, clearly, said sister was clutching Ripcord’s side with fingers turning bone-white from blood loss, as she squeezed her eyes tight. Reflexively, she had turned into a Wererabbit, and her ears were pressed to her head for fear of being grabbed by them, as she tried to hide. It was plain that Umami didn’t want any part of what Lavinia was selling, but her shaking legs weren’t listening to her panic, her flight stalled by the sheer reach of the true Chimera before her.
"P-Ple-Please... I don’t wanna die... I don’t wanna... feel... anything like that..." Umami whimpered, tears breaking past her waterline, and spilling over. "I’m not a Monster... I’m Human..."
”Hey!” Kirei said, stepping in front of the sisters, facing Lavinia. ”This has gone far enough.”
Lavinia’s eyes widened with shock at the pair of sisters, she had upset Umami to the point of tears which caused Ripcord to bear her own fangs in defense of her beloved.
”My level? What the hell do you -” Lavinia was about to snap when she saw Umami. The poor girl had tears pouring from her eyes, she was practically crushing her sister’s flesh, nestled beside her for protection from the primordial beast in front of them. Unlike her, Umami did not want to embrace “The Hunger”...
”M-My goodness child! I didn’t…” Lavinia’s wings had closed on her yet again, and she returned to her normal form when they opened up again.
”I-I simply thought that you were….” Lavinia was quite flustered and rather bewildered at having upset Umami to such an extent.
”Lavinia, you did take things a little far. Kirei said. ”There are things that Ripcord and Umami don’t want to touch upon. Respect their boundaries.”
”Please, I-I didn’t want this!” Lavinia stuttered out. ”I just thought that she and I could…. Forgive me….” Lavinia bowed in penance, unable to defend her blunder.
Kirei stared back at the sisters, his eyes reassuring. ”Ripcord, Umami, it’s alright. She meant no harm, and she had no desire to change who you are. You are Umami Claremont, Ripcord’s little sister and already one of the most helpful members of the taskforce.”
"..." Ripcord’s focus was hyper-fixated on Lavinia, but her weapon ceased its notable rotation. It was easy to see, the Lesser Shoggoth was in no state of trusting Lavinia, but her weapon lower - not due to either the apology nor the peacekeeping, but from Umami drawing away from her side.
Slowly, the Lesser Chimera approached... her movement slow, listless, like a flower drifting along a river; heading, unerringly, to the end of the water flow, but in a pattern all its own. Looking up, she would gaze upon the Mamono of unknown existence, and unadulterated fear, and opened her mouth - with the exception of four molars in the back, top and bottom, her teeth her all fanged, even in Human form - and sank them into Lavinia’s left breast; her arms wrapping around the woman’s back, as she held her... trembling.
Ripcord absorbed her weapon, after a moment - her many eyes and mouths closing. "Fine, then," she says, squatting down to pick up her broom. "If Mami forgives you, I will bear no grudge..."
Lavinia would notice, and likely Kirei, too, that Umami wasn’t shaking. After a moment, the younger of the two would pull back, and draw back to her sister’s side; bashfully hiding behind her, now.
Whatever the biting represented was unknown to all but them, unless questioned.
”Ah~” Lavinia was, needless to say, quite surprised at the sudden bite to her ample bosom. Kirei was as well, though he understood that yokai often had odd methods of expression. Lav felt Umami's small hands wrapped around her, and the former was compelled to return the favor. After scaring the poor girl half to death, she naturally wanted to do anything she could to comfort her. After the embrace ended and Umami went back to her elder sister, Lavi wanted to say something but she couldn’t find the words. She perked up when Ripcord said that Umami had forgiven her.
Was that what the bite meant?
Lavinia looked at Kirei for a moment, with the latter nodding in acceptance.
”Well, I’m glad that matter is now settled. I guess I get back to helping you girls out, if you’d like. Lavi, I think it should be fine if you want to stay and help out, if you’d like.”
Lavi blushed a bit, looking at Kirei then the sisters. ”...I’d be more than happy to, if you want me around. Although, I mainly just manipulate water in all its forms and the darkness itself. I’m not sure if that could be of any help to you.”
"For now, we need to clean up, and get this entire floor cleared of everything but floor," Ripcord says. "Mami," she summoned, "you can Play Rough. I won't scold you for breaking anything in the room, but don't hurt anyone."
Umami's tear-reddened eyes widened, and she squished her cheeks with a nearly hypersonic, "REALLY!?" as her Werecat Form perked up brilliantly blinding in happiness. "Jmu~! Thank you, Papi!"
Ripcord nodded, before Umami transformed back to Human, and then sprouted large, rabbit-like ears, implying her Wererabbit Form, however, much to Kirei's and Lavinia's surprised, it didn't complete as she spotted a pair of avian wings at her shoulder blades, chiropteran wings from her hips, and her busy rabbit tail exploded into a much larger, bushier brush.
She was, to a lesser extent, a copy of Lavinia's species, and the True Chimera could feel an almost maternal connection with Umami, which would only be exacerbated with great pressure by Umami excitedly taking her hands before she could react, and looked up the her with large eyes, as she chirped, "LET'S PLAY!"
I C Y C R E E D : B E W I T C H I N G D A R K N E S S
Lavinia gave Ayu a curious look with her covered eyes. She was aware that Shizuyama as a whole was anti-monster and didn't allow them into their borders. But, it seemed that the man who currently enforces the decree, Lord Hideo, was particular heavy handed in ensuring that it's followed at all times.
"Worry not, love, my long ears have heard you loud and clear. I just hope as well that no serious trouble comes to the young lord." She said to Ayu.
After a little while, she noticed that Kirei and the Claremont Sisters were up to some kind of commotion off toward an old looking shrine. Her curiosity overtaking her, she decided to go over to investigate.
Vară watched carefully as she tried to find any opening that would allow her and Vivian to attempt a coordinated counter against Kazenosuke. At this point, it seemed impossible, the man certainly proved he was worthy of his renown. The ronin didn't bat an eye as the clones Camael advanced toward him. He easily dispatched three of the four clones Zeka made, and even held off her familiar easily enough.
”Ugh, Gods! Just who IS this guy!” She groaned. ”Is he a hero or something?” She wondered that if human warriors this strong existed on this island, how strong were the Varjans that they were still able to effectively take it over? The fight having dragged on this long, she was quietly starting to lose her confidence, as three powerful mamono were barely holding their own against one human.
Just as those thoughts entered her mind, Zeka's fourth clone was able to score a hit on Kazenosuke's back, though he was able to dispatch it soon after regardless. He then turned his attention back to Camael, seemingly now in a worse position to deal with the bulky servant.
The real Zeka came up to the other two girls, stated that now is the best and perhaps only time they'll have at a shot at the snarky swordsman. Vivian was in agreement, and motioned for Vară to follow her lead. She skated to circle around Kazenosuke and attempted to strike him with a kick at his blindspot. Channeling the rest of her demonic energy, Vară's fiery aura tempered to a boiling point as vermillion embers gathered around her. Using hand motions, the embers turned into several wisps; It appeared that she was going to use Firefly, but the fire bombs were bigger than normal, and likely more powerful. She then sent them out toward the swordsman, flickering sparks flew all around Kazenosuke until he was completely surrounded.
”Don't worry, you won't die from this attack. Maybe~” She mused. ”Firefly Destruction!” She exclaimed. "Along with Camael for good measure!" Camael would act as Vară's frontal attack, whilst her wisp were secondary fire for added damage. Camael charged his lumbering body Kazenosuke and make him the receiving end of a claw swipe.
Vară was secretly praying that this gambit would decide the match, as she wouldn't have anything left after this attack. She would have no choice but to dismiss Camael, lacking the mana to keep him bound to the material world. She would likely have to revert to her normal form as well, which would leave her completely defenseless.
She didn't even want to think about that scenario happening...
Tomi stared at Kirei with a truthful interest, or at the very least what passed as such for Tomi. Interest in the gold dragon was fleeting at best, though came in powerful episodes. It required a level of care and effort to maintain; things that Tomi did not have in ample reserves. Still, her eyes switched from Kirei to the other young man beside him, some Takeshi Oja.
"Oja?" she repeated. He looked nothing like the Takeshi Tomi knew of. This little presentation speech of his resonated in her mind like an old memory, like a déjà-vu. She looked at this 'Takeshi' from head to toe. His short black hair and evenly dark colored clothing - nothing like what she remembered.
"But..." before she could speak, however, Tomi was cut off by Kirei who seemed to lay out his inner thoughts out loud for them to hear, but not to answer. Seemingly frustrated with the Dragon and her story, he walked away to deal with some other matter. "And there he goes..." Tomi muttered in a sigh. It wasn't the first time a Kannazuki walked away from her in frustration, she ought to admit. That too felt like a familiar memory, she thought, with an inner laugh and a smirk.
"My name is Tomi Oro. I am a Gold Dragon from further north on the main continent, but I couldn't give you an exact location." Tomi started divulging information about her origins. From where she came from to hear early years to decripbing her lair in a little more details than necessary, taking extra care describing her pride and joy: the treasure hoard she left behind when she took off on her personal quest. Eventually, her story made it to where they now are.
"So... I decided to take a nap and this is where I woke up. I took flight and ended up here. The good news is I think I understand what happened." For the first time since Takeshi looked at her, Tomi finally had a more serious air about her. Finally, the man might feel emanating from her all the raw power, magic, and ancestry that one may have expected from a Dragon - even in human form.
"Everything feels different; the scent, the air, the colors of the clouds and the color of the leaves. So slight the changes are that I failed to see it at first, but I feel it. This place... it's not Shizuyama. At least, it's not my Shizuyama." She took a step towards Takeshi, leaning in closer and closer to his head until... she picked a strand of his black hair in her hand to smell it. Was it necessary? No, but it was solely to emphasize her next point.
"Even you, Takeshi. I met you from where I come from, but you are wholly different, down to your scent. So, I do not know how, but it seemed I have slept my way to an... Alternate Shizuyama. Somehow?"
All air of seriousness left her just as quickly as it came when she slouched back into a pout, arms crossed, and lamented: "Definitely a Tomi thing to do... Just my luck!"
Kazenosuke wast still holding off Camael at which hour the next waft of attacks cameth. The dancing swordsman hadst to bethink apace and did start by spinning pushing the draconic familiar hence a did bite ere spinning to giveth his scabbard did thrust enow force to stumble Camael hence.
His bodkin wast a blur to dispel the shadow rats from Zeka. He then ramm'd his bodkin at one of the incoming shadow clones and dispelling t, leaving only two remaining. He did kick one hence once moo and crouch'd down to throweth ov'r his shoulder the last one. They weren't eliminated, but t didst buyeth him enow time f'r the next attacks.
Kazenosuke hath tried to useth only his scabbard to block Vivian's downward leggeth strike, only f'r the icy leggeth to wend through and hitteth the dancing swordsman. Just in time f'r Vară's fiery orbs to lunge at his position and explode.
The swordsman wast launched, leaving a smoke trail, past Zeka's fog and to the wooden walls of his bawbling home. After his corse did slide down to the did grind, Kazenosuke hath used his bodkin to prop himself back up. His forks wast wobbly, one couldst sayeth he wast on his last forks. Clutching the area whither Vivian hitteth him, he did point his blade at the almost victorious yokai. "You. bethink t's ov'r. ? I've still did get some square hath left in me. "
The three taskforce members would eke notice yond a huge number of crows has't gather'd in the trees surrounding the square. They hath seemed ingraft, just curiously watching the hurlyburly unfold. But clearly, they wast not. The taskforce couldst coequal detect faint traces of charm within those folk
"Oh and Takeshi couldn't come, he was busy dressing up as a miko! For...some reason. I didn't really ask."
The shinobi wench didst not appeareth to beest interest'd in talking, as the fires hath continued to burn the forest down. In fact, the lady hath brought out that lady sickle weapons and hath seemed to beest getting eft to start a square with matsuri until the young Inari hath said that lady last sentence.
That lady weapons wast still out, but they and that lady posture wast anon did relax. Any fighting intent wast anon gone. "Thou has't mine own ears, yokai. Doth not waste those folk. " The shinobi hath said coldly and apace. "Spare nay details. Bid me everything. " the flames wast dying down 'round those folk, but still did illuminate enow yond Matsuri couldst still see the shinobi.
The refugees were still distrustful of the taskforce, despite Umami and Ripcord humbling themselves to them. They were drawn in when Kirei joined them in renovating an old and unused shrine at the corner of Terauchi Temple. Things were going pretty smoothly, the taskforce even gathering quite a crowd of an audience, until Lavinia joined them and assumed some things about the Claremont sisters. Things that struck a nerve with the siblings.
"Uh, oh. Looks like they're about to fight."
"Let's get out of here before we get caught up in all that."
The refugee crowd was listening in on the commotion inside. They dispersed before anything... loud happened, and they were all gone by the time Lavinia and the Claremonts resolved the misunderstanding.
Ayu, having noticed the fleeing villagers, went inside the newly-refurbished shrine. "Hey, do any of you mind explaining to me why people suddenly fled from here?" The spymaster's eyebrow raised when she saw a large kiln in place of the old shrine she knew. "Wait, isn't this the-- Ugh, never mind. I suppose it's dedicated to no one anyway."
"Now then, what did you all do here that warranted people freaking out?" Ayu jumped to conclusions before noticing the mark on Ripcord's neck. "Whoa, and what's that on your neck?"
Takeshi did listen intently to Tomi's introduction and explanation of that lady situation. He gather'd yond the lady wast from an 'alternate shizuyama' as the lady mention'd. A similar, but different ordinary from the implications. The young lord couldst only wonder at how a seemingly simple dragon couldst accomplish such a feat. Peradventure thither wast moo to this Tomi Oro than hath met the eye? 'r peradventure the lady wast simply falsing through that lady teeth. Although, dragons wast not famous f'r their deception.
"Even you, Takeshi. I met you from where I come from, but you are wholly different, down to your scent. So, I do not know how, but it seemed I have slept my way to an... Alternate Shizuyama. Somehow?"
Takeshi stoodeth his did grind at which hour Tomi did get closer to him, although he didst bite his lips at which hour the dragon's visage wast very close to his. However, Tomi wast only interest'd in the smelleth of his hair. How different t wast from the takeshi yond the lady kneweth.
"Definitely a Tomi thing to do... Just my luck!"
Clearing his throat and his fluster'd visage, Takeshi madeth his reply. "So. thou art from an alternate shizuyama, an alternate ordinary. I doth not knoweth if 't be true this. 'travel between worlds' is possible. I doth not coequal knoweth if 't be true thou art simply falsing to me. But f'r anon, i shalt believeth thee. Besides, t's not like i has't evidence to the contrary. "
"well hath met, then. Madam Tomi Oro. " takeshi madeth a brief bow, but he hast other questions to asketh. "May i asketh, what doth thee plan on doing anon? Thou sayeth this is not thy shizuyama, not coequal thy own ordinary. I would very much appreciate thy aid 'gainst the Varjan invasion of mine own home, but I would eke understandeth if 't be true thee hold nay obligation to this lodging and would prefer to leaveth and behold f'r a way back home. "
Kazenosuke was still holding off Camael when the next wave of attacks came. The dancing swordsman had to think quickly and started by spinning pushing the draconic familiar away a bit before spinning to give his scabbard thrust enough force to stumble Camael away.
His sword was a blur to dispel the shadow rats from Zeka. He then rammed his sword at one of the incoming shadow clones and dispelling it, leaving only two remaining. He kicked one away once more and crouched down to throw over his shoulder the last one. They weren't eliminated, but it did buy him enough time for the next attacks.
Kazenosuke tried to use only his scabbard to block Vivian's downward leg strike, only for the icy leg to go through and hit the dancing swordsman. Just in time for Vară's fiery orbs to lunge at his position and explode.
The swordsman was launched, leaving a smoke trail, past Zeka's fog and to the wooden walls of his small home. After his body slid down to the ground, Kazenosuke used his sword to prop himself back up. His legs were wobbly, one could say he was on his last legs. Clutching the area where Vivian hit him, he pointed his blade at the almost victorious yokai. "You... think it's over...? I've still got some fight left in me..."
The three taskforce members would also notice that a huge number of crows have gathered in the trees surrounding the fight. They seemed normal, just curiously watching the battle unfold. But clearly, they were not. The taskforce could even detect faint traces of magic within them.
"Oh and Takeshi couldn't come, he was busy dressing up as a miko! For...some reason. I didn't really ask."
The shinobi girl did not appear to be interested in talking, as the fires continued to burn the forest down. In fact, she brought out her sickle weapons and seemed to be getting ready to start a fight with Matsuri until the young Inari said her last sentence.
Her weapons were still out, but they and her posture were now relaxed. Any fighting intent was now gone."...You have my ears, yokai. Do not waste them." The shinobi said coldly and quickly. "Spare no details. Tell me everything." The flames were dying down around them, but still illuminated enough that Matsuri could still see the shinobi.
The refugees were still distrustful of the taskforce, despite Umami and Ripcord humbling themselves to them. They were drawn in when Kirei joined them in renovating an old and unused shrine at the corner of Terauchi Temple. Things were going pretty smoothly, the taskforce even gathering quite a crowd of an audience, until Lavinia joined them and assumed some things about the Claremont sisters. Things that struck a nerve with the siblings.
"Uh, oh. Looks like they're about to fight."
"Let's get out of here before we get caught up in all that."
The refugee crowd was listening in on the commotion inside. They dispersed before anything... loud happened, and they were all gone by the time Lavinia and the Claremonts resolved the misunderstanding.
Ayu, having noticed the fleeing villagers, went inside the newly-refurbished shrine. "Hey, do any of you mind explaining to me why people suddenly fled from here?" The spymaster's eyebrow raised when she saw a large kiln in place of the old shrine she knew. "Wait, isn't this the-- Ugh, never mind. I suppose it's dedicated to no one anyway."
"Now then, what did you all do here that warranted people freaking out?" Ayu jumped to conclusions before noticing the mark on Ripcord's neck. "Whoa, and what's that on your neck?"
Takeshi listened intently to Tomi's introduction and explanation of her situation. He gathered that she was from... an 'alternate Shizuyama' as she mentioned. A similar, but different world from the implications. The young lord could only wonder at how a seemingly simple Dragon could accomplish such a feat. Perhaps there was more to this Tomi Oro than met the eye? Or perhaps she was simply lying through her teeth. Although, Dragons were not famous for their deception.
"Even you, Takeshi. I met you from where I come from, but you are wholly different, down to your scent. So, I do not know how, but it seemed I have slept my way to an... Alternate Shizuyama. Somehow?"
Takeshi stood his ground when Tomi got closer to him, although he did bite his lips when the Dragon's face was very close to his. However, Tomi was only interested in the smell of his hair. How different it was from the Takeshi that she knew.
"Definitely a Tomi thing to do... Just my luck!"
Clearing his throat and his flustered face, Takeshi made his reply. "So... you're from an alternate Shizuyama, an alternate world. I do not know if this... 'travel between worlds' is possible. I do not even know if you are simply lying to me. But for now, I shall believe you. Besides, it's not like I have evidence to the contrary."
"Well met, then. Madam Tomi Oro." Takeshi made a brief bow, but he has other questions to ask. "May I ask, what do you plan on doing now? You say this is not your Shizuyama, not even your own world. I would very much appreciate your aid against the Varjan invasion of my home, but I would also understand if you hold no obligation to this place and would prefer to leave and look for a way back home."
~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~
"There's a monastery east of here called Fung Temple.
There's a monk there named Nobutada. He's one of the most sturdiest people I know, able to weather blows that could shatter boulders. When my father called for the monks of Fung Temple, I didn't see Nobutada among them. If he's still alive, he'll be in the monastery and he can lend us his aid."
"Sorae's skill with the naginata is fearsome and second to none. She and her clan was summoned to Sanjo Beach, but never appeared. We should head to their estate in the west and find out what happened to them and, if possible, recruit them to our cause."
"Kageho is a shinobi who was supposed to attempt to sneak through the Varjan blockade alongside others. The last wave of shinobi that we could send. I... ordered them not to go anymore, behind my father's back, since it would have been a waste and the Varjans were upon us. It was too late to call for reinforcements from the other islands.
Still, I expected her to show up in Sanjo Beach with the other shinobi. But they didn't. Anyway, their hideout should be around here somewhere. Try looking for any suspicious clearings in the forests around here. We can use their help."
"Kazenosuke could deflect any attack with his spinning blade, and deliver slashes faster than the eye could see. I have no idea why he couldn't make it to Sanjo Beach. I know he's a ronin, but he still should have heeded my father.
Well, his house is near Terauchi Temple. Not very near, but just follow the river near the temple and we'll find his home and then we can ask for his help."
"Yurine has taken care of Clan Oja for as long as I can remember. Despite being a servant, I know she can swing her masakari axe pretty hard. I've little idea of her past but I know it involves tending cemeteries.
She should be in Castle Oja but my father sent her to Onrai to begin enacting some way to protect the graves from being desecrated by the invaders. I know of a famous cemetery south of Terauchi Temple. We can begin looking for her there and she'll surely help us."
"My childhood friend Kikyo was on an anti-yokai mission before all of this. I... was kind of glad she couldn't be on the beach and hoped that maybe she'll find a way to escape and live a full life elsewhere. But I know she would never do that.
If she's coming back, she would definitely head for Port Wadatsumi in the southeast. We should find her before she does anything... drastic."
~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~
There was a villager woman, crying alone near a large tree within Terauchi Temple.
"Yokai, could I speak with you? A group of bandits is terrorizing Sanjo. They slaughtered my whole family, like animals!
They were killed at our home, near a river. I am Saki, please avenge my family and stop those bandits."
An upset woman noticed the taskforce member approaching.
"As if losing our homes wasn't bad enough, we have to see Varjans in them as well.
They took a home nearby a few days ago. The man who lived there won't leave the area. He keeps begging for help."
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 a shrine priestess who wasn't present in Sanjo Beach."
"They're recruiting farmers and fishermen to their cause. Brave, but it'll be dangerous if they're not properly trained."
There was a villager man sitting in a corner, quaking in fear.
"Yokai, there's a warrior in Yagata Shipyard clad in black with a bandaged head. He seemed to have slaughtered all the Varjans there and freed me and a few other prisoners."
"He told me to tell you that he wants to meet the taskforce so they could kill him. I'm not sure what's going on with that guy but he gives me the creeps."
"Got him! Finally!", exclaimed Zeka, stepping out of the disappearing fog as her rats and clones faded away. "Seriously, that fight was a pain in the ass. I didn't think humans could get this strong."
Kazenosuke, unsteady and damaged, got back on his feet and pointed his sword at the trio.
"You... think it's over...? I've still got some fight left in me..."
"Dude, you're not fooling anyone. Just cut the crap and take your loss....like.....a......man?"
The mouse's statement trailed off as noticed something very odd amongst the surrounding trees:
Crows. Murder upon murder of crows, perched on the branches. Watching. And judging from the magical energy she was sensing from these birds, they were anything but normal.
"Vară? Vivian?", Zeka notified to her companions. "What's up with the creepy birds?
Ripcord was barely attentive to the presence of the resident Spymaster, as Ayu attempted to access the situation, before questioning the strange mark that the Varjan Commander had left on her neck. In truth, it didn't bother her in the slightest, and served a counter-purpose to its own creation, as it existed to bring Varjan attention to her, and free food for her and her sister. And yet, the query made it clear that there was more than idle wondering put forth.
Sighing, Ripcord shrugged, "I couldn't tell you. Something I was intending to get rid of, once I was bored of it. But, if it's going to be a problem..." Ripcord whistle, attracting Umami's attention; causing the playful Lesser Chimera to break her fun, and fly over. "See if you can remove this mark, Mami."
Umami nodded, "Sì, Papi," before shifting back to normal, and looking at the mark. In all honesty, if it wasn't boring Ripcord, it wasn't bothering her, so she wasn't sure what Ayu's problem was, but if she was asked to remove it, she'd try.
At first, she'd use her nails to slice through the mark, but breaking the skin didn't break the magic, so she opted to peel around the mark, and peel off the surface layer of skin... to no avail, however. It persisted into subdermal later, which meant it was burned into the muscle.
"I'm going to have to remove the muscle. Are you okay with that," Umami asks.
"Do what you need to," Ripcord says, sitting down, as her skin regenerated from the biopsy.
Umami sighed, and squatted; steadying herself on her knees. Flicking her fingers, she sank them deeper into her neck, creating a circular biopsy in the upper muscle, and pulling the hunk out with a steady hand. However, when she revealed the biopsied muscle and flesh, the mark was gone.
"I'll have to go deeper, then... Ripcord, be still as stone," Umami says, as the wound closed as if nothing happened.
"Don't tease me too badly, Umami," Ripcord giggled, before going still as stone - her chest didn't even move.
Umami gathered a length of cloth from her pocket, and drooled on to it, before rubbing the mark, as if sanitizing the location. Steadying her breath ,the brunette would breathe softly upon the redhead's neck, before suddenly winding her jaw beyond Human measure, and snapping the entire space out with her teeth.
Ripcord lunged forward, catching Umami's arm, and sinking her teeth into the forearm; pink blood splurged from between her lips, as her throat flexed, and she swallowed. At the same time, Umami was chewing with a blissful expression, as she messily ate; black blood leaked from her lips, as she squeezed her legs together, and swallowed. Ripcord's eyes widened while her spiral pupils tightened into a single circle, as she crawled up; pushing Umami onto her back, and attacked her - blood-stained lips doing war with blood-stained lips.
However, the wound regenerated and the mark remained, as it was.
Even Umami's ability to devour anything organic couldn't remove whatever the spell was.
Even so, that conundrum seemed far and away the least of the Claremont Sisters' concerns. Pushing forward, as the aggressor, Ripcord would dissolve her clothing; the acid slime that it was created from dissolving Umami's below in a similar mass - as if, reclaiming it. Skyclad, the first stared down at the last of the Claremont Decuplets... sisters, ten in number; paired, five in total; an elder with a younger, from top to bottom; an equal and an opposite, a lover and a soulmate.
Eternity, promised.
Neither knew the fates of their sisters, elder and younger alike, and... in this moment... didn't care.
Life was about feeling good, and they wanted to feel great.
It was like a musical sting, when both cried out.
For the briefest moment, Umami was Human again, as her feline features retreated internally; only to be replaced by those of a hound. Ripcord delighted in the large, fluffy tail that wagged; a bestial expression of happiness. Born for each other, the Claremont Decuplets had to fulfill the role of Husband and Wife; Dominant and Submissive; so, paired off as such, one of them was given the Mutation of Spontaneous Targeted Masculinization.
There was a carnal shamelessness in it, a wildness that came naturally to Mamono; stronger than Humans, unbound to their laws, both societal and moral, yet their were clear reservations and limitations. If one looked, Ripcord was running the show, but Umami was writing the script, even if the surface presented the opposite. In relationships, the Wife's pleasure superseded the Husband's pleasure - he would receive it, but only for so long as she wanted it.
Luckily, Umami always wanted it. It wasn't a matter of where for her, but a matter of when; public or private, it mattered not - she was more beast than beauty, so an alleyway behind a storefront in Otomo Port was as good as the hardwood floor of an old shrine in Terauchi Temple. It was up to Ripcord to control the how long and how hard, as Umami could live off her body -- and, during their career in the Mafia, the food scarcity had demanded that for a time.
A Lesser Shoggoth needed far less edible foodstuffs than a Lesser Chimera, to the extent that waking up to Umami's needy demands had become normal - the risk of death from starvation driving them to feed recklessly wore down the sharpened blade of incest and the toxicity of religious sin.
They crossed that bridge and burned it down long ago.
They lived for each other, as they were made to by choice and by chance.
"Mami!" Ripcord cried out, pressing forward.
"Papi!" Umami responded in kind, back arching.
A symphonic crescendo crested in their cries, as orgasms were reached in earnest, and the song died to silence, as the last note faded. A moment of clarity, of weakness, of limitations restoring; Ripcord would drag Umami with her descent to her side, and lie there for a spell without motion beyond breathing.
As they rested, a keen eye could spy the glint of a silver band around Umami's left ring finger and a golden band around Ripcord's matching finger; neither of which had been present throughout the affair, likely bewitched to stay hidden as long as they were focused. It was no issue to surmise they were promise bands, a solemn vow of matrimony given material form.
Eventually, the girls would pull themselves into a sitting position; unspoken words passing between the couple, a special communication developed by soulmates, as Ripcord rested her hands on Umami's thighs, face-up, and spread five lines of slime between her fingers like a circular loom for yarn crafts.
"Are you going to make the same clothes again," Ripcord asks.
"I like the look," Umami argued. "It's trendy."
"It's Varjan, though. We already stand out like sore thumbs," Ripcord says, pragmatically.
"I won't let countryside bumpkins dictate this city girl's fashion," Umami says, firmly.
"We want them to like us, you know," Ripcord reminded.
"Papi, I am not making you a yukata or kimono just to cull favour," Umami says, putting her foot, figuratively, down, as her naked toes were currently playing with Ripcord's. "Besides, I like matching cute ribbons, not gaudy sashes."
"My ribbon is red, and yours is black, Mami, and sashes are just big ribbons..." Ripcord says, before manifesting her cigarettes and lighter, as well as pseudopods from her hair to hold them and work the lighter. "Ah, whatever. So stubborn," she chuckled, before taking a drag, and holding it to Umami, " You're my stubborn, though."
"Forever and ever, amen," Umami says, before taking her drag, as she formed new apparel.
There was nothing more indicative of post-sex than aftercare and smoking.
Ripcord giggled, as Umami fussed about fashion over function, while they played footsie and split the difference of a cigarette. Soon, they would be redressed and ready to resume construction once they were finished basking in the afterglow of aftercare.
Though, as Ripcord and Umami stood and stretched, recalling where and when they were, who they were around, they couldn't exactly recall what they were doing, though they remembered why they stalled in the first place.
"You know, I forgot what we had planned next," Ripcord admitted. "I should likely get rid of this mark, since it’s not coming off by brute force."
"Think that the Human Leader, uh, what did Boss K call him, Takeshi, yeah," Umami asks. "Think he can solve the problem? Or, know someone that can?"
"Probably, loath as I am to admit, Magic isn’t my strong suit, nor yours," Ripcord says, before looking back to Ayu, pointing her cigarette, "Spywoman, where’s Takeshi at? I’d rather not wander this place on a fruitless endeavor."
Noticing that the almost skirmish between Lavinia and Ripcord was attracting unwanted attention, Kirei quickly attempting to dispel Ayu's concerns. ”My apologies Ayu-san, but please pay it no mind. There was just a minor disagreement between some of our taskforce members. but it's since been resolved. You may put the refugees minds at ease.” He said to her.
However, Kirei couldn't say that he was quite prepared for the scene that followed Ayu inquiring about the mark on Ripcord's neck. What at first started as impromptu surgery where the operating tools were mandibles and nails, eventually turned into a violent looking love session.
”Uh...Perhaps we should leave these two along, Ayu-san?” He said with a nervous laugh.
I C Y C R E E D : B E W I T C H I N G D A R K N E S S
”Ah. It is as Captain Kirei says, and I do apologize for any disturbance I've caused the people here.” Lavinia responded.
She then looked at the sisters as they did their, 'thing', one would call it. Unlike Kirei and likely Ayu, Lavinia wasn't as taken aback by their violent play. In fact, she actually found it to be quite fascinating, perhaps even feeling a bit of jealousy. In spite of everything, that pesky mark they tried to be rid of still wouldn't go away.
”Ripcord, my dear, perhaps I could offer my expertise on this matter.” Lavinia said. ”Would it be fine if I inspected that mark and gain insight into its exact nature?”
Seeing Kazenosuke push back most of Zeka's clones, in addition to even tumbling Camael away, caused Vară's heart to sink into her chest. But she didn't have time to lose focus, she had to think on ending this here and now. Thankfully, Vivian provided just the opening she needed. Vară's Firefly attack hit its mark, sending the dancing swordsman flying back with a trail of smoke. However, much to Vară's disbelief, Kazenosuke was still able to stand back up, albeit with weak stride. Stumbling back a bit, he held out his sword and announced his unwillingness to surrender.
Vară, no longer able to sustain her current form, reverted back to her normal human appearance. Camael, with a reluctant bellow, dissipated back to the Spectral Realm, no longer having the necessary mana being supplied to it. Much like the swordsman, Vară could barely stand herself, falling to one knee with labored breathing.
”Please...just give up already.” She barely got out. ”Why must humans be so stubborn, we didn't come here to fight with you!!”
She then noticed the large gathering of crows looking down at them, as Zeka pointed out. She could also sense that the avians were laced with a bit of magic.
”No more... Vivian, could you please do something about this?”
@AzureKnight(VRA), @Rezod92 The fight raged on with the trio pushing Kazenosuke, skilled as he was, though it was growing clearer that the swordsman couldn’t match the combined strength of two martial mamono and a magical backup. Vivian had heard some mamono courted in this fashion, beating their would-be lover to a pulp beforehand to gauge their strengths. Vară had run dry on stamina, and Zeta seemed alright, and finally, Vivian was growing tired from regrowing her limbs after each clash with Kazenosuke, but in the end they’d finally gotten a slight advantage just as some disturbance surrounded them.
Vivian would narrow her eyes at the birds, then lower her posture. "Whatever is going on here, it has nothing to do with us. However..." Rather than striking directly at the crows, Vivian would approach Kazenosuke, standing at his side. "I have a sneaking suspicion they're trying to eliminate two birds with one stone. Kazenosuke, one of the most skilled fighters in the land, and three monsters that had just exhausted him. Strategically speaking, killing us all now while we're exhausted cleans things up nicely," Vivian surmised, looking to Kazenosuke. "Oh, and, if these are Varjans, I will have to remind you that you were indifferent to those who'd have a knife at your back at the earliest convenience."
Matsuri
Oblivious to the ninja almost assassinating Matsuri right as she opened her mouth, the Inari raised her bowed head and would get to explaining. "Okay! So, Lord Takeshi has gotten help from Lady Kyouko, who's sent monsters from Zipangu like me, and others from other places here to help you all out. I think its because nobody wants Varjo to have a big foothold out here," Matsuri said, then explaining the teleportation, how Ayu and Takeshi were doing, how they were searching out allies, and how Matsuri was SO glad she didn't spend all day in the woods without finding any shinobi.
"...So anyways, I'm just super glad that I found you! Takeshi said there was a whole other wave of Shinobi that might be with you, so...are they also hiding out here in the forest? Takeshi can use all the help you can provide!" Matsuri said, once more bowing, and offering the boxed lunch once again. "Oh and please, do at least try a little. Folks back home are insanely good cooks!"
"I have a sneaking suspicion they're trying to eliminate two birds with one stone. Kazenosuke, one of the most skilled fighters in the land, and three monsters that had just exhausted him. Strategically speaking, killing us all now while we're exhausted cleans things up nicely, Oh, and, if these are Varjans, I will have to remind you that you were indifferent to those who'd have a knife at your back at the earliest convenience."
Kazenosuke was not swayed by Zeka's or Vară's words, but Vivian's assumptions elicited a reaction out of him. "Pfffft... Bahahahahahaha!" He laughed out loud.
The dancing swordsman waved a free hand, and all the crows that perched in the surrounding trees flew away to resume their lives. "Unfortunately, no Varjan I know can do what I can." Kazenosuke allowed the three yokai a moment to realize he had power over the black-plumed avians. "But they have their own ways in wielding animals in combat. Good old-fashioned training, which I suppose makes them better than me."
With the crows all gone, the exhausted Kazenosuke leaned back into the wooden wall of his abode. "Alright, alright. You girls win, I give up." He surrendered, tiredly sheathing his blade.
Kazenosuke closed his eyes before raising a finger at the yokai. "You girls fought pretty hard. You fought to win. I could feel all that in our spar." The dancing swordsman surmised. "But what I can't figure out is why? Why fight this hard for an island with no yokai and whose denizens hate you? You three could be out there living... I don't know, peaceful lives literally anywhere else." Kazenosuke was almost complaining in the taskforce's behalf. "...There are no riches here. Nor is the island strategic, I think. Yokai only come here for men, and I can feel that none of you are particularly looking."
"And you three do realize that no matter what he says, Takeshi can just stab you in the backs once the Varjans are vanquished. Right?" The swordsman finished. "You have to know that. None of you are stupid."
"Okay! So, Lord Takeshi has gotten help from Lady Kyouko, who's sent monsters from Zipangu like me, and others from other places here to help you all out. I think its because nobody wants Varjo to have a big foothold out here,"
"Lord Takeshi... willingly collaborating with yokai." The shinobi girl remarked darkly. "Grim tidings..."
"...So anyways, I'm just super glad that I found you! Takeshi said there was a whole other wave of Shinobi that might be with you, so...are they also hiding out here in the forest? Takeshi can use all the help you can provide!"
"Indeed, there are still many of us. Lord Hideo, Lord Takeshi's father, actually ordered all of us to try and find a way to pass through the Varjan blockade to get help." Kageho suddenly stopped to correct herself. "Human help. We were to keep sending out operatives until someone succeeded or all of us died. It was Lord Takeshi who rescinded the order behind his father's back, instead ordering us to simply hide and fortify what we can."
"I thought it was a mercy from Lord Takeshi, but now I suspect darker motives if he sought help from yokai..." It appeared Matsuri's phrasing had caused a misunderstanding in Kageho's mind.
"...I cannot promise aid, but I will meet with Takeshi for an explanation." Kageho put away her sickles, the blades gleaming ominously at the young Inari. "Make your way back to Lord Takeshi. I will follow you from the shadows." And with that, the shinobi disappeared into the darkness of the night. Seemingly leaving Matsuri alone.
With her objective accomplished, Matsuri can head back to Terauchi Temple or go somewhere else.
”Uh...Perhaps we should leave these two along, Ayu-san?”
"Yeah, I think we should." She replied with a sigh. Unfortunately, the sisters would be done with their 'session' before either Ayu or Kirei could leave.
"Spywoman, where’s Takeshi at? I’d rather not wander this place on a fruitless endeavor."
Ayu was looking away from Ripcord and Umami, but returned her gaze once her attention was called. "He's here somewhere. Don't you worry." She replied, again with a sigh. "Let me fetch him so I can just leave him to deal with you two."
"I am being summoned?" Just as Ayu turned around, Takeshi had arrived after overhearing his name being uttered. "I was curious on why some of the refugees were moving away from here so I came to check. It seems someone's looking for me."
"Yep. The sisters over there seem to need your help." Ayu pointed at the Claremont sisters with a thumb. "There's a mark on the Shoggoth girl's neck that won't come off."
"Hmm, let me see." Takeshi approached the sisters, Ripcord in particular, and immediately found and recognized the mark. "Huh, so the Varjans know how to put one of these." The young lord said. "I don't know what the Varjans call it, but here we call it 'Marked For Death'. It's a fairly simple marking spell that helps hunters designate prey, preventing the targets from effectively hiding. Other than that, it's quite harmless albeit annoying. The spell isn't that used anymore since it's more work preparing the spell than building a trap or something similar."
"Removing it is also fairly simple, although quite intimate and some might call disgusting. I can perform the removal process if you want it gone immediately." Takeshi offered to Ripcord. "I would teach it to your sister, but the ritual requires Spirit Energy."
~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~
"There's a monastery east of here called Fung Temple.
There's a monk there named Nobutada. He's one of the most sturdiest people I know, able to weather blows that could shatter boulders. When my father called for the monks of Fung Temple, I didn't see Nobutada among them. If he's still alive, he'll be in the monastery and he can lend us his aid."
"Sorae's skill with the naginata is fearsome and second to none. She and her clan was summoned to Sanjo Beach, but never appeared. We should head to their estate in the west and find out what happened to them and, if possible, recruit them to our cause."
"Kageho is a shinobi who was supposed to attempt to sneak through the Varjan blockade alongside others. The last wave of shinobi that we could send. I... ordered them not to go anymore, behind my father's back, since it would have been a waste and the Varjans were upon us. It was too late to call for reinforcements from the other islands.
Still, I expected her to show up in Sanjo Beach with the other shinobi. But they didn't. Anyway, their hideout should be around here somewhere. Try looking for any suspicious clearings in the forests around here. We can use their help."
"Kazenosuke could deflect any attack with his spinning blade, and deliver slashes faster than the eye could see. I have no idea why he couldn't make it to Sanjo Beach. I know he's a ronin, but he still should have heeded my father.
Well, his house is near Terauchi Temple. Not very near, but just follow the river near the temple and we'll find his home and then we can ask for his help."
"Yurine has taken care of Clan Oja for as long as I can remember. Despite being a servant, I know she can swing her masakari axe pretty hard. I've little idea of her past but I know it involves tending cemeteries.
She should be in Castle Oja but my father sent her to Onrai to begin enacting some way to protect the graves from being desecrated by the invaders. I know of a famous cemetery south of Terauchi Temple. We can begin looking for her there and she'll surely help us."
"My childhood friend Kikyo was on an anti-yokai mission before all of this. I... was kind of glad she couldn't be on the beach and hoped that maybe she'll find a way to escape and live a full life elsewhere. But I know she would never do that.
If she's coming back, she would definitely head for Port Wadatsumi in the southeast. We should find her before she does anything... drastic."
~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~
There was a villager woman, crying alone near a large tree within Terauchi Temple.
"Yokai, could I speak with you? A group of bandits is terrorizing Sanjo. They slaughtered my whole family, like animals!
They were killed at our home, near a river. I am Saki, please avenge my family and stop those bandits."
An upset woman noticed the taskforce member approaching.
"As if losing our homes wasn't bad enough, we have to see Varjans in them as well.
They took a home nearby a few days ago. The man who lived there won't leave the area. He keeps begging for help."
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 a shrine priestess who wasn't present in Sanjo Beach."
"They're recruiting farmers and fishermen to their cause. Brave, but it'll be dangerous if they're not properly trained."
There was a villager man sitting in a corner, quaking in fear.
"Yokai, there's a warrior in Yagata Shipyard clad in black with a bandaged head. He seemed to have slaughtered all the Varjans there and freed me and a few other prisoners."
"He told me to tell you that he wants to meet the taskforce so they could kill him. I'm not sure what's going on with that guy but he gives me the creeps."
@AzureKnight(VRA), @Rezod92 Kazunosuke’s mild prank aside, he did have a valid question to ask the three. Why bother helping humans at all, when as soon as this was over, they’d likely be banished? Or even betrayed? This was a fool’s errand, start to finish, that could only end well if humans overcame their fear of monsters. But, given the island’s history, that was…less than likely. Still, Vivian would answer:
”Why do you practice with a sword, despite knowing one day it might cut you? Why fight and grow stronger when some day, you’ll be weak and old? Humans are far too foolish to think at lengths on something’s motives. I myself have no intention of sticking around, but your friend and lord leads a hopeless rebellion, backed by people his nation fears, and fighting an engine of cruelty that would cut down everyone to the man if it meant seizing Shizuyama,” Sitting with one foot spiked into the ground, Vivian demonstrated impressive balance as she crossed her free leg over the spiked one, spreading her arms a bit as she continued.
”I know how it feels to push yourself to breaking. Knew the risks of it far beforehand. And yet still, I chased victory. I don’t know if I’ll find what I seek here, or anywhere, but I know that I will find nothing by running forever. And besides…the spirit underdog humans show is amusing. I saw a man your age with a quarter the skill pilot a ship through rough waters, not surrendering even as Varjan cannonfire rained down on his vessel. …When I see determination such as that…I can’t simply ignore it.”
Vivian would then rise from her perch, leg turning back to its normal pointed, yet humanoid frozen state. ”I look forward to working with you, Dancing Blade.”
Matsuri
”Hmm…it makes more sense to keep you all held back for now, rather than just throwing you out into the wild and hoping one makes it,” Matsuri said before shrugging slightly. ”But, I’m not as smart as a lord for sure. Still, I’m really glad that there are still some shinobi around! I bet together, we can make those Varjans pack up before the end of the year,” the fox woman said, infinitely hopeful as she removed her festival mask, looking Kageho in the eyes just before she said to head to Takeshi, and that she’d follow from behind…before completely vanishing.
Pouting slightly, Matsuri would fold her arms. ”Lady Kyouko said they don’t trust yokai, but I didn’t think she’d be opposed to being seen walking back together…” the Inari grumbled, misunderstanding a little bit of why Kageho didn’t want to walk back directly next to her. Still, she didn’t have much left to do, and would resolve to return to the temple to report in.
"You girls fought pretty hard. You fought to win. I could feel all that in our spar. But what I can't figure out is why? Why fight this hard for an island with no yokai and whose denizens hate you? You three could be out there living... I don't know, peaceful lives literally anywhere else. There are no riches here. Nor is the island strategic, I think. Yokai only come here for men, and I can feel that none of you are particularly looking. And you three do realize that no matter what he says, Takeshi can just stab you in the backs once the Varjans are vanquished. Right? You have to know that. None of you are stupid."
"Well no shit, pretty boy. We definitely don't expect an island of bigots to have the integrity, honor and gratitude to not try and murder the ones who bothered to help them out of the hole they found themselves in.", Zeka retorted, quick as a whip. "My reasons aren't as eloquent as Vivi over here but are far simpler. One reason is the opportunity to steal from those who actually deserve to be stolen from. Varjan artifacts are highly sought after and people would pay a handsome penny to get their hands on them. Wouldn't be much of thief if I turned down such tempting payday offer, huh? And the other reason is...Well..."
The mouse girl put her hands in her pockets and shrugged, looking away in thought.
"...You needed help. Even if you hate our existence, as pointlessly stupid as that is."
