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With the extended reach, Skarsneek managed to strike at Kalaj's hands in their fight. A feat that had a few close calls thank to flames also extending the Warlock's khopesh range, singing the male Goblin's hair a few times. Soon, though, Skarsneek finally hit Kalaj's hands enough times for the Warlock to drop his weapon.
And Kalaj was not paying attention to Kerry, who had been preparing a spell the entire time uninterrupted. The Hornet unleashed her star-shaped bullets of air at the Warlock who was too stunned to do anything about it. All the air projectiles hit Kalaj, denting his armor, and the Scarce legionnaire fell on his back. He was defeated.
Just in time, Sam and Yuki emerged from the house, appearing to have gotten into a fight themselves. They said that there were only enemy Varjans in the building, no sign of the villager's wife and son.
"Do we have to ambush him right away? We can just follow him to his hideout, no? And please refrain yourself from killing him before we get the information we need."
"Perhaps we should take heed to Luna-chan's words. If we see where's he's going, he may even lead us to Sogen himself. Worst comes to worst, we should still be able to track him. After all, once mamono have read a person's chi they're not exactly hard to find."
Sorae frowned at her ideas being shot down by yokai outsiders, but they spoke sense. Following him to his destination was the sounder plan. She said nothing at the yokai's suggestion, merely giving a single nod as a response.
---
The party discreetly followed Dosan's cart until they reach an odd location: A lumber mill occupied by Shizuyamans. Armed Shizuyamans. With virtually no Shizuyamans actually working on the mill. In fact, there were only a few pieces of logs in sight. Although, they WERE in the middle of an invasion so it was probably understandable.
"Look, there." Sorae pointed to several of the Shizuyamans present. They differentiated themselves from the rest by the small crossbows mounted on their arms and their main weapons: large sickles probably meant to cut apart civilians rather than crops. "Wako. Bandits who know what they're doing. This is a deep plot if Sogen has a bunch of them on his payroll."
"Let's see if they can earn their pay." Sorae brandished her naginata and jumped out, revealing herself to everyone in the mill. "Where is Sogen?!"
The Shizuyaman responded by pulling out their weapons and greeting her in battle while Dosan immediately fled without his cart. So much for the element of stealth.
Gringor strode out alone once more. This time, his objective took him up a gentle slope in the side of a mountain which eventually ended in a small plateau.
Occupied by Varjans, a crude war camp was already set up and Gringor could see blue-robed Shizuyaman warriors amongst the Varjans soldiers. These were probably the warriors that gave the Mad Hatter a hard time. It was just that there were more of them here, about five of them. And that was besides the half-dozen Varjan Brigands and Warriors there.
Once more, Gringor would be alone in this fight. Truly alone, this time, as there would not be another force to join him in this battle later.
"If you know such a place that sells what I need, I would very much like to go there. Even if you don’t, marketplaces are always good places to ferret out such knowledge."
It sure was a whiplash for Takeshi to see Alice so soft and demure after her earlier transformation into a fearsome entity, but he simply supposed it was one of her quirks as a monster. He was just glad that she trsuted him enough to take his offer and hop onto his horse, asking to be taken to somewhere that sold potions.
"I know one near here. It's one of the few potion shops here in Onrai." Takeshi replied. "I'm not sure how it's doing with the invasion and all but hopefully, it's still standing and has what you need." And with that, Takeshi spurred his white horse. "Let's go, Kuro!"
---
Kuro the white horse carried his master and the yokai dutifully, riding across the rural lands of the Onrai region. It was fortunate that they had not run into any Varjan warbands or patrols on the way, and the forests and grasslands around them was still untouched by the war.
"You are a... Mad Hatter, right?" Takeshi decided to ask his passenger, a start to a conversation. "I've heard that Mad Hatters typically don't leave their home. Uhh, I believe it's called 'Wonderland'? A-Anyway, what brings you out of there and all the way here? I also heard your kind loves tea, but I haven't really seen you search for any so far."
After a refreshing dip on the hot springs near Terauchi Temple, Shizuka made his way back to the temple grounds to reunite with the taskforce members there. He would bump into a certain somebody on his way, however.
Near the entrance of the temple, Shizuka was suddenly bumped by the load of an awkward, clearly inexperienced pole-carrier. However, the pole-carrier was someone the azure swordsman recognized. "Hey! Watch where you're-- Oh, it's you." It was the prisoner the taskforce took from Sanjo Beach, Kasseros Telmar. He still had his beautiful looks, but his shiny armor and overwhelming perfumes were gone. Now, he wore the clothes of a typical villager and it appeared he was doing typical villager tasks.
"I'll bet you're soooo proud of yourself. Being able to degrade a proud warrior of the Heavenly Children into doing menial labor, and that's beside the so-called 'cakes' your Shoggoth shoved into me." Kasseros whined to Shizuka as he put down his carrying pole to collect the spilled vegetables. "I'd rather die than spend another second in this blasted place but your babysitter, Ayu, has a firm leash on me."
"...Heh, I know you're no incubus. Yet." Kasseros smirked at Shizuka. "Why don't you do a favor for a fellow human, eh? Give me a human death. I mean, your blade's bloody already, right? What's one more life to you?"
"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."
-Takeshi Oja
"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."
-Takeshi Oja
~~ TAKAMORI TALES ~~
"Lord Takamori said that his traitorous daughter, Setsuna, is training Varjan archers in Ōmiya. I know this frightens him, even if he tries to hide it. If we don't find her and end this, there may be no stopping the archers, and no hope for Ōmiya Springs. We need to see Lord Takamori immediately." -Takeshi Oja
~~ SORAE TALES ~~
~~ 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."
A villager woman sitting near a bonfire was muttering to herself when the taskforce member approached.
"Poor Honoka, she'll likely starve soon. Oh, I didn't see you there. Err, Honoka's a widow, living alone in the outskirts of Yabo.
Please, if it's not too much of a bother, do you mind checking in on her?"
Kalaj remembered the days when he and the Scarce Legion fought off monsters to keep his fellow humans safe. All that changed during Serena's Rebellion and he had not fought a monster since then. Always, the enemy was an Ortusian or a Pure Dwarf or a Serena loyalist. He did not mind fighting them, they sometimes entertained him. But he missed the days of being able to rend a monster's flesh with his magical gifts.
And now, his wishes were granted. At an, admittedly, unlikely place.
The Hornet came at him from one side and the Goblin from another, flinging a basket at him for distraction. Kalaj sliced the straw object into two as the two monsters closed in on him in a pincer attack. But Kalaj was fast despite his armor, he would not be Scarce Legion otherwise. Not falling for Skarsneek's feints, Kalaj swatted away the strike aimed at his knees.
But Kalaj could not counterattack, for Kerry began thrusting and swiping her spear at the legionnaire. Kalaj tried his best to evade but he was struck several times, though his armor protected him from the hits. But then the Warlock saw an opportunity! After a missed thrust, Kalaj grasped the polearm to hold Kerry in place and swung his flaming blade at the Hornet. His khopesh's range did not reach, but it was not meant to. The swing created a wave of fire hurtling at Kerry, who managed to get away but losing her weapon in the process.
With the Hornet's weapon on his hand, Kalaj imbued it with quickening magic before hurling it at Skarsneek. With a speed too fast to simply dodge.
Sorae said nothing more about Takeshi and the two other yokai, immediately focusing on the business at hand. "Sogen is competent. He knows how to hide his tracks well, but his brother Dosan... not so much. I just saw him cart food for the refugees here." The woman then sported the most unsettling smile. "We will take what I need from him."
---
The last Tokinomiya led the taskforce trio out of Terauchi Temple, following Dosan's trail. They immediately caught up with him, easily hiding from sight within the dense woods of this part of the Onrai region. Dosan, himself, was pretty average-looking save for his stout belly and seemingly carefree attitude. He looked and dressed like any other Shizuyaman villager and with him was a small wagon with a roof made of hay, covering up any goods he had.
Dosan was utterly unaware of the group discreetly following him, although he spared the occassional glance behind him. Unfortunately for him, his unkeen eyes spotted nothing suspicious. "If we run into Varjans, Niji. You're on your own, hahaha!" He told his horse.
"He's completely oblivious to us. Once we get near enough, jump him." Sorae said to the taskforce trio.
Although, the taskforce could suggest something else to the vengeful woman. Maybe they need not ambush Dosan, considering his route might lead them to a hideout. And they should also consider that Sorae might... lose control again.
"Found!? I'm being attacked and you're asking questions like that! Help me!"
Takeshi witnessed Alice attack Gringor as soon as the two met up. Or perhaps a retaliatory attack, Gringor did initiate this whole conflict, after all. Although, Alice did draw the first weapon. Regardless, Gringor fought back and Takeshi decided to disembark his horse and help Alice to break up this petty fight.
Unfortunately, it was over before Takeshi could draw his blade. Gringor had kicked down Alice and held his axe near her face and a foot on her chest, pinning her down. The male High Orc, declaring his victory, demanded Alice's intentions. Of course, the Mad Hatter was not amused by this chicanery and opted not to indulge her attacker.
"I would put myself to the sword first, and fall upon the blade, before I gave you the satisfaction of leading me... Solve your own problems, since it's so easy for you to ambush and defeat a woman weakened by battle."
Alice began to walk away and left Gringor and a facepalming Takeshi. Maybe this taskforce was a bad idea, after all, and his faith in them misplaced as the others have told him.
"So what youz planning to do now? Continue?"
"You don't seem to be interested in others' opinions, Gringor. So what's the use of asking me?" Takeshi tiredly replied before whistling for his white horse.
The stallion dutifully galloped towards his master who embarked. "You're free to pursue the people Alice was after. But you should know that she came back severely wounded after a fight with just three of them, so be careful if you're fighting them." Takeshi told the male High Orc. "...Or you can come with me and apologize to your own teammate. But I believe that isn't your style."
"Let's go, Kuro!" And with that, the young Oja rode away.
Alice had already made some distance from that humiliating altercation, searching for an inn to rest in. The sound of hooves coming up from behind probably elicited a defensive reaction from the agitated Mad Hatter, but it was only Takeshi Oja riding up to her atop his equine mount.
"Peace, Mad Hatter. I am not here to demand anything from you." The young Oja greeted the yokai. "In fact, I only offer my apologies for not breaking the fight earlier. Eeeven if you, sorta, started the whole thing by transforming into a fully-armored warrior with a scary, glowing axe."
"A-Anyway, that's besides my point." Takeshi waved his hands. "I figured you must be tired from all... that. So, wanna ride? Kuro's a big horse, after all. Consider it my apology too."
"I'll be resting in the temple for a while. But, I'm always available. Just give word if you need me for anything."
"Whew, sounds like you had a really rough time with that 'Fatal Pulse' guy." Ayu replied. "Well, at least you stopped him for now. I don't even wanna know what he wants to do with those drugs. It's a shame what happened to the shipyard, though, but this is war and stuff like that usually happens. Besides, better the place be destroyed rather than it be something the Varjans can use against Shizuyama."
"Anyway, you and Liliana have definitely earned some rest. If you'd like, we've got some nice, hot springs near here. Feel free to take a dip and relax." Ayu suggested to the weary swordsman. "Anyway, I've got other stuff to handle so I'll see you around."
---
As Shizuka and Liliana walked through the temple grounds, they would chance upon Io deep in meditation. While also hearing two villager women talking to each other.
"What do you think this yokai taskforce are really doing here?"
"They're yokai. And you know what they want..."
"What?"
"To eat us!"
"I haven't seen the yokai try to eat anyone."
"They don't do it out in the open!"
"They eat our food. I've seen that."
"Ugh, I wish you weren't so naive. They only do that to fool you, and it's working!"
"..."
~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~
"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."
-Takeshi Oja
"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."
-Takeshi Oja
~~ TAKAMORI TALES ~~
"Lord Takamori said that his traitorous daughter, Setsuna, is training Varjan archers in Ōmiya. I know this frightens him, even if he tries to hide it. If we don't find her and end this, there may be no stopping the archers, and no hope for Ōmiya Springs. We need to see Lord Takamori immediately." -Takeshi Oja
~~ SORAE TALES ~~
~~ 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."
A villager woman sitting near a bonfire was muttering to herself when the taskforce member approached.
"Poor Honoka, she'll likely starve soon. Oh, I didn't see you there. Err, Honoka's a widow, living alone in the outskirts of Yabo.
Please, if it's not too much of a bother, do you mind checking in on her?"
It was chaos! The Immortals encirclement of Kerry failed when they were surprised by Skarsneek, who had thrown a huge net over the warriors who were prowling for their fellow taskforce members. The netted Immortals were about to use their magics to burn away the ropes but Kerry quickly blew them away into the raging river with wind magic.
Still, there were Immortals left and the fighting continued. The two monsters held their ground against the magical warriors, who could not activate their armors' ability due to the nonlethal takedowns. Their numbers soon thinned and the few Immortals were poised to rout.
But then, a figure emerged from the house. Unlike the pink armor of the Immortals, his was shiny blue and gold and bulkier; the armor of a Scarce Legion warrior. Immediately glaring at Kerry and Skarsneek, he held out his hand and a magical khopesh materialized which then sizzled into flame. A Warlock of the Scarce Legion, and a swordsman at that.
He stretched his arms out at the monsters, beckoning them to come at him.
"Well, at least Alice is all better. Now that that's all over, do either of you need a moment or are we ready to head out ourselves. I'd rather not keep Sorae-san waiting."
"..." Takeshi wanted to go with Lunatea and the Hangai sisters. But he could not stop thinking about Gringor and Alice, less so for their wellbeing and more of the damage they might cause. It would be fine if their wraths were unleashed upon the wicked Varjans, but there were still innocent Shizuyamans out there.
"I'll go with them. Make sure they don't cause too much trouble." The young Oja decided. His honest talk with the spider yokai would have to wait for now. "I'll... ask Ayu to clean, or have someone else clean, this mess later. Take care of yourselves." Nodding at the girls, Takeshi went off.
---
Meeting up with Sorae, the last Tokinomiya was unamused at the sight of her Lord Takeshi chasing after the two taskforce members. "Is there a problem with your little taskforce, yokai?" She immediately inquired, quite aggressively. "You had better not be abusing the young master's trust, lest his disappointment be the least of your worries."
"Anyway, I found a letter in that inn we attacked. Came from a name, 'Sogen'." Sorae spat the name out with absolute disdain. "He's the head of Ruko Farmstead. And... a servant of Clan Tokinomiya." She calmed her rage by shaking her head and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ungrateful traitor..."
Alice had left Terauchi Temple to resume her mission in taking down the students of the Heavenly Strike technique, heading for the wooden bridge where she battled the three warriors. She was a bit messed up after attempting to altercate with the male High Orc Gringor in her other form. Speaking of Gringor, he had apparently followed her. He even asked where she was going.
Before either of them could do anything else, another figure also arrived. Takeshi Oja had followed the two of them in his white stallion. "Hold on! Hold on, let me come with you." He told the two yokai. "I can see that you two are powerful fighters against the Varjans and traitors. I'm here to make sure you're against no one else, especially not each other."
"Now then, Alice, was it? What have you found so far?"
“Is gold fine? I can change its shape to coins if needed.”
The women's eyes sparkled at the sight of Io's jewelry, but none dared express their interest in it. "I-I guess we can take that as payment." One of the villagers said, and the other two nodded in agreement. "How many of these robes did you want again?"
After answering that question, the weavers would take their leave to begin their work. Ayu was quite pleased at the smooth development. "That went pretty great, all things considered." She remarked to the Lich. "It'll probably take them a day or two to get your outfits ready. I'll probably also need to provide them the tools and materials to actually make the clothes." Ayu let out a sheepish chuckle, not looking forward to foraging for those supplies.
"But hey, those are my problems and not yours." Ayu continued before a scene caught their attentions.
Io and Ayu both saw the Mad Hatter Alice quickly making her way out of the temple who was then followed by Gringor who was then followed by Takeshi Oja on a horse. Letting out a sigh, Ayu was hesitant to know what exactly caused that scene. Although, she probably needed to know sooner or later. "I must say, Lady Kyouko sure assembled a strange group. No offense."
"Well, I've got other stuff to do so I gotta go. You can relax and take a breather here in the temple, or you can continue lending a hand to the people of this island." With a wave, the silver-haired woman bid farewell. "See you later, Io."
Liliana and Shizuka would reach the temple without further incident, just in time to witness something peculiar.
A distraught Alice would run past them, followed by a dripping wet Gringor, followed by a mounted Takeshi. Who, fortunately, stopped to explain what was happening. "Err, it's a long story. I'm following them to make sure they don't get in trouble... especially with each other. Anyway, gotta go!" And the young Oja galloped away, to become the monsters' apparent chaperone.
Entering the temple, Ayu was there to greet the duo. "Sir Shizuka! Miss Liliana! Good to see you come back from your mission in one piece! Successfully, I presume? You two look victorious." She then let out a hearty laugh. "...Don't ask about Takeshi and the two others. Not even I know what happened with them."
The temple grounds was the same as ever. Refugees still recovering in their tents and the monks making sure everything was in order. It appeared most of the taskforce were away on missions.
~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~
"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."
-Takeshi Oja
"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."
-Takeshi Oja
~~ TAKAMORI TALES ~~
"Lord Takamori said that his traitorous daughter, Setsuna, is training Varjan archers in Ōmiya. I know this frightens him, even if he tries to hide it. If we don't find her and end this, there may be no stopping the archers, and no hope for Ōmiya Springs. We need to see Lord Takamori immediately." -Takeshi Oja
~~ SORAE TALES ~~
~~ 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."
A villager woman sitting near a bonfire was muttering to herself when the taskforce member approached.
"Poor Honoka, she'll likely starve soon. Oh, I didn't see you there. Err, Honoka's a widow, living alone in the outskirts of Yabo.
Please, if it's not too much of a bother, do you mind checking in on her?"
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