PaulHaynek

Tales Of Shizuyama (Far-Eastern Monster Girl RP)

Terauchi Temple

~ @The Irish Tree (LIL), @Crowvette, @Restalaan (SKA & GRI), @Rezod92, @Nakushita, @Hammerman, @AzureKnight (HIN & ATS), @Enkryption ~

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

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

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

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

~THE NEXT DAY~

After the dinner, the taskforce rested until morning.

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

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

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

---

---

---

~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~

Kazenosuke, Dancing Blade

"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, Death Keeper

"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 ~~

Teacher And Student

"Lord Takamori said that his traitorous daughter, Setsuna, is training Varjan archers in Ōmiya. I know this frightens him, even if he tries to hide it. If we don't find her and end this, there may be no stopping the archers, and no hope for Ōmiya Springs. We need to see Lord Takamori immediately."
-Takeshi Oja

~~ SORAE TALES ~~

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

~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~

Empty Baskets

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?"

Whispers In The Woods

A villager woman remarked to the taskforce member as the latter passed by.

"You better watch out if you're passing Yabo Forest, yokai. It's haunted by angry spirits... Dead samurai, eager to spill blood."

"People go into the woods and never come out. Varjan and Shizuyaman alike! The bodies that turn up have all been killed by Shizuyaman blades..."

Lost At Sea

A villager woman was sitting beside a bonfire as the taskforce member approached.

"There's a man, yokai, swinging his sword... slashing the air on the beaches of Hama island. I'm not sure if he is a survivor of Sanjo Beach, or a mere bandit. But I'm fairly sure he was crying."

"Hama island is just off the southern coasts, but you'll definitely need a boat or something to reach it."

A Time To Heal

There was a monk by the temple entrance and he immediately spoke as soon as the taskforce member approached.

"Yokai! Will you please help me?"

"I have to get to a hidden survivor camp in the woods, occupied by people who are seriously ill. They need a healer! The area might be overrun with bandits or Varjans, so I need protection."

~~ LEGENDARY TALES ~~

The Heavenly Strike

"Dealing with these students of the Heavenly Strike was more difficult than we thought. They have already thrown back two of the taskforce. However, the yokai fought them separately and at different times, so perhaps a more cooperative approach would be more fruitful."

-Takeshi Oja

Magus Reaver: Scions of Sorcery

~ The Eon Tower ~

- @Inertia, @Silverstein, @FrogRFlowR -

Still cheered by the earlier scene, Einer followed Evelyn and the others into the hall. There, they bumped into a sharply-dressed, bespectacled man with graying hair and a rather expensive prosthetic hand. With this man was the Reaver Leon, who had slinked away from the group earlier. Quite the coincidence to run into him again after a short while.

It turned out, the sharp-dressed man was Donovan Krausser, the CEO and Chairman of Borealis Solutions. While Einer was acquainted with the company name before, he had no idea who was running it much less knew that he hung out in the halls of this seemingly random magus tower. If the CEO himself was here and not in his office having delegate here instead, then whatever's inside this Eon Tower was probably very important. Enough to warrant the CEO's presence.

The job concerned Loghren Industries, a firm that made magical weapons. Einer's brow raised, his body could not wield weapons... but maybe just traditional weapons. If a weapon was... different enough that even Einer could wield it, then the possibilities were endless.

The bard listened more closely to the conversation. Some weapons were stolen, and it was up to the Reavers to get them back. The only problem was that it may not be common thieves who stole them. Well, at least Leon and Evelyn seem to be getting along well.

Tales Of Shizuyama (Far-Eastern Monster Girl RP)

@Nakushita

Admittedly, it's already a bit crowded but the decision is ultimately up to you on what your character would do next. Don't worry, the collab won't start until next week so you have plenty of time to think and make a decision..

Tales Of Shizuyama (Far-Eastern Monster Girl RP)

@Nakushita

Hey yo! I just want to ask what're your plans for Yuki after this scene. You see, there's gonna be a super duper collab involving most of the other players with the Heavenly Strike mission. I wanna know if Yuki will be joining them or not 'cause if so, we will provide you with the details and stuff.

Tales Of Shizuyama (Far-Eastern Monster Girl RP)

"..."

"We will save your father first, Takeshi. And it will be he who will pass the verdict and the judgment."

"We know you're better than this. Make sure this first trifle of yours will be the last time."

"..."

"..."

---

Terauchi Temple

~ @The Irish Tree (LIL), @Crowvette, @Restalaan (SKA & GRI), @Rezod92, @Nakushita, @Hammerman, @AzureKnight (HIN & ATS), @Enkryption ~

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

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

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

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

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

---

---

---

~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~

Kazenosuke, Dancing Blade

"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, Death Keeper

"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 ~~

Teacher And Student

"Lord Takamori said that his traitorous daughter, Setsuna, is training Varjan archers in Ōmiya. I know this frightens him, even if he tries to hide it. If we don't find her and end this, there may be no stopping the archers, and no hope for Ōmiya Springs. We need to see Lord Takamori immediately."
-Takeshi Oja

~~ SORAE TALES ~~

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

~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~

Empty Baskets

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?"

Whispers In The Woods

A villager woman remarked to the taskforce member as the latter passed by.

"You better watch out if you're passing Yabo Forest, yokai. It's haunted by angry spirits... Dead samurai, eager to spill blood."

"People go into the woods and never come out. Varjan and Shizuyaman alike! The bodies that turn up have all been killed by Shizuyaman blades..."

Lost At Sea

A villager woman was sitting beside a bonfire as the taskforce member approached.

"There's a man, yokai, swinging his sword... slashing the air on the beaches of Hama island. I'm not sure if he is a survivor of Sanjo Beach, or a mere bandit. But I'm fairly sure he was crying."

"Hama island is just off the southern coasts, but you'll definitely need a boat or something to reach it."

~~ LEGENDARY TALES ~~

The Heavenly Strike

"Dealing with these students of the Heavenly Strike was more difficult than we thought. They have already thrown back two of the taskforce. However, the yokai fought them separately and at different times, so perhaps a more cooperative approach would be more fruitful."

-Takeshi Oja

Tales Of Shizuyama (Far-Eastern Monster Girl RP)

Huh.

Now, I'm curious, if there are monogamous monsters. Luna's reaction to (see: disdain for) and statement about Alice switching from Takeshi to Gringor promotes the idea that monogamy is commonplace and adultery is shameful for her species. It would be quite interesting for Alice to answer Luna's question and put viewpoint to task, as a highly intelligent member of the sporgy (+1 Pun) species known as Matango.

Maybe, pin that for later, if it comes up in an organic fashion?

@Enkryption

In the lore, monsters are usually monogamous with harems (as in, one guy with multiple wives) are actually pretty rare barring the monster races that encourage harems (like Bicorns and Nurarihyons).

However, it is also true that some monsters don't find their fated partner in their first 'time' with a man and they would just move on until they do find him. (It's also pointed out that most men who get assaulted felt so great, they are very much tempted to seek the monster out or just seek monsters in general.)

That bit of the lore has been changed into rare occurrences but we're not sticking to hard canon here.

Tales Of Shizuyama (Far-Eastern Monster Girl RP)

Decided to have a comm done and update Shizuka's look.

@AzureKnight

Character sheet updated~!

Tales Of Shizuyama (Far-Eastern Monster Girl RP)

Meet the criminals of Shizuyama over at the latest update on the 'Some Helpful Terms' post in the Characters Tab!

Tales Of Shizuyama (Far-Eastern Monster Girl RP)

A little something for Irish Tree

After Atsuha had left, Takeshi moved to leave too when the Fairy that had healed him unneccessarily earlier suddenly flitted up to him.

"Don't you worry Takeshi, I promise that no matter what, we're here for your people and you! If you wind up being exiled, I know some good human villages back where I come from. Or if you feel like bumming off of nature, I know a lot of poison plants to not eat."

Liliana

Takeshi snickered. These yokai were never going to leave him, were they? He really should meet this 'Lady Kyouko' person and inquire as to why this yokai taskforce not only aided Shizuyama, but was also apparently ordered to look after him too. "I'll keep that in mind, madam. Thank you."

---

"What...?"

"Is this true?!"

"..."

"There-there has to be a mistake, Lord Takeshi..."

"There is no mistake. I speak the truth."

"..."

"...Grim tidings."

---

Terauchi Temple

~ @The Irish Tree (LIL), @Crowvette, @Restalaan (SKA & GRI), @Rezod92, @Nakushita, @Hammerman, @AzureKnight (HIN & ATS), @Enkryption ~

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

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

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

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

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

---

~ @AzureKnight (SHI), @The Irish Tree (EUL) ~

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

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

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

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

---

---

---

~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~

Kazenosuke, Dancing Blade

"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, Death Keeper

"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 ~~

Teacher And Student

"Lord Takamori said that his traitorous daughter, Setsuna, is training Varjan archers in Ōmiya. I know this frightens him, even if he tries to hide it. If we don't find her and end this, there may be no stopping the archers, and no hope for Ōmiya Springs. We need to see Lord Takamori immediately."
-Takeshi Oja

~~ SORAE TALES ~~

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

~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~

Empty Baskets

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?"

Whispers In The Woods

A villager woman remarked to the taskforce member as the latter passed by.

"You better watch out if you're passing Yabo Forest, yokai. It's haunted by angry spirits... Dead samurai, eager to spill blood."

"People go into the woods and never come out. Varjan and Shizuyaman alike! The bodies that turn up have all been killed by Shizuyaman blades..."

Lost At Sea

A villager woman was sitting beside a bonfire as the taskforce member approached.

"There's a man, yokai, swinging his sword... slashing the air on the beaches of Hama island. I'm not sure if he is a survivor of Sanjo Beach, or a mere bandit. But I'm fairly sure he was crying."

"Hama island is just off the southern coasts, but you'll definitely need a boat or something to reach it."

~~ LEGENDARY TALES ~~

The Heavenly Strike

"Dealing with these students of the Heavenly Strike was more difficult than we thought. They have already thrown back two of the taskforce. However, the yokai fought them separately and at different times, so perhaps a more cooperative approach would be more fruitful."

-Takeshi Oja

Magus Reaver: Scions of Sorcery

~ The Eon Tower ~

- @Inertia -

"Humans stand as the Apex Predators. Beasts should be made to understand their place. I’ll lend my talents to reset the Balance between Man and Mer..."

Scarlett Ishval

After Scarlett had left for the library, Einer snickered. "Pffft..."

"Aha, ahahahaha!" The little outburst from the white-haired, metal-armed woman had the musician letting out a hearty, genuine laugh. Normally, he would care about the feelings of those who were the expense of the joke but this was simply too much for Einer. "Forgive me, my lords and ladies." Einer continued, wiping a tear off an eye. "I've not seen such brutal honesty since... well, I believe this is the first time I've seen it!" He let out a few more laughs as he finished.

Scarlett. She was probably not good company, but she had been hilarious so far. She's probably one of those people best enjoyed from a distance. "She does not mince her words, does she? She has honesty untempered by manner or etiquette. Indeed, I do not envy Madam Shavis' job watching over her."

"But anyway, while I would love to browse the Tower's libraries like some of the others, let me earn my keep first and establish myself a Reaver of the Eon Tower." Einer said before looking at Taltrus and Evelyn. "Let me join Sir Taltrus and Madam Evelyn in their quest about the stolen weapons. I can offer..."

Offer what? Healing magic likely unneeded? Miasma-cleansing for a job that seemed not to concern any? Einer found himself running off a cliff with that sentence. Oh, why did he even start it? "...Some elevating tunes for the travel on the road. Aha!" He tried to save it with a small joke. Einer noted he should probably refrain from running his mouth off from now on.