[center][h3]Things escalated. Rather quickly too.[/h3]Day 9 - An hour or two after announcement.
[sub]Atara, Charlotte, Runik, & Sorcha vs. Goddess of Misfortune. Fight![/sub][/center][hr][hr] After that, the group was transported to Japan. 

Ise, Japan, to be more precise. 

Atara took into his surroundings, remembering his home country and sniffing the air with a nostalgic feeling in his chest. 

[color=gray][b]"Well, we are here."[/b][/color] He let go of Charlotte and Runik's hand.

The place they were on was the rooftop of some building or other. It was raining and the sky was gray, and still he felt at home, despite the terrible weather. 

[color=pink][b]"C-Can't we get inside somewhere? I think I might catch a cold here. *acho*"[/b][/color] Charlotte sneezed. 

Yeah, not the best day to be wearing a one piece dress, white to top it off. If someone was a lolicon, they would probably be jumping with joy. 

As soon as the teleportation had finished, Runik let go of the others' hands and cradled his head. The sense of vertigo didn't last for long, but it was a reminder of why he had not bothered with the high maneuverability such magic allowed. 

[color=yellow]"Great..."[/color] While it didn't affect him as much as it did Charlotte, soaked clothing was still rather unpleasant. Rolling down his sleeves to cover the runes, the soft glow just barely managed to seep through the material. The rain seemed to roll off a thin barrier of air that formed around both him and Charlotte, and when he exhaled a rush of hot air dried out their slightly damp clothes.

[color=yellow]"Where to now, Atara?"[/color] Even if it might have been a decent vantage point, there was little Runik recognized and the shitty weather limited his visibility greatly. 

Ugh. Teleporting had always felt weird to her. She was used to traveling quickling using her lightning every now and then, but teleporting just never sat well with her. At least there was a pleasant, calming rain falling.

[color=aba000]"Not a fan of the rain?"[/color] She asked Runik, a single flap of her wings sending water flying right into Atara. [color=aba000]"I find it rather pleasant myself."[/color] She gave the annoying human a rather challenging smirk as she did so.

[color=aba000]"And I was promised food. So we should do that first."[/color]

Atara tried to cover himself with his arm, but well, the amount of water was a bit too much.

With an unamused expression in his face, he sighed. 

[color=gray][b]"I won't be as petty as to fall for your stupid provocations. And yes, let's get food. I hadn't had breakfast in preparation for this."[/b][/color] A real smile appeared in his face. 

[color=pink][b]"Are you still hungry, miss Sorcha?"[/b][/color] Charlotte turned to the dragon. 

Atara then stepped towards the door leading to the inside of the building and opened it. It wasn't locked, thank God. 

Afterwards, he guided everyone down, and every single person in the building bowed down to Atara as he passed by, and he merely acknowledged them with a wave of his hand. 

Finally, they went out of the building and Atara guided them to yet another establishment A ramen stall in the side of the road. 

[color=gray][b]"Here it is, sit on down everyone."[/b][/color] Atara said, and remained standing until the others went on to sit down. 

[color=pink][b]"Hm, I didn't get breakfast either. But is this good? I don't like Japanese food too much."[/b][/color] Charlotte said, covering her nose a bit. 

Yeah, sushi wasn't her thing. 

[color=yellow]"Not particularly,"[/color] he remarked, and then suppressed a sigh at the dragon's antics. With a deep breath, a rush of dry heat left Atara's clothes completely dry as thanks for not rising up to the bait. With that done, he followed after their de facto leader into the building. 

It wasn't too surprising that everyone recognized and acknowledged the onmyouji; it made sense that the teleport pad was secured at both ends after all. Grateful for a lack of fanfare on their way through, Runik did blink a bit at the rather unimpressive ramen stall they were lead to. Hole-in-the-wall places had to be pretty decent to survive though, so with a shrug he sat down and said, [color=yellow]"I'll take whatever you're getting."[/color] It wasn't like he could read what any of the menu said anyways.

Sorcha harrumphed as Atara didn't respond to her provoking, and Runik drying him off. He should have let the man catch the flu and die. She did nothing though, only because she was promised food, and she wasn't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.

[color=aba000]"I'm a dragon,"[/color] She replied to Charlotte instead. [color=aba000]"We tend to eat a lot."[/color] Of course, some tended to eat more than others...like a certain lightning dragon.

She followed quietly ignoring most of the other humans bowing to Atara, and soon enough they arrived at some outdoor vendor. It certainly smelled good.

She took a seat at the stall, and gave Atara a smirk. [color=aba000]"I'll take one of everything."[/color]

[color=gray][b]"Dunno what I expected, seriously, but sure go ahead."[/b][/color] Atara answered to Sorcha's request for one of everything. 

[color=gray][b]"And sure,"[/b][/color] Atara took a seat beside Sorcha, unpleasant as she found it. [color=gray][b]"Jii-san, tonkotsu ramen, futatsu!"[/b][/color] He put two fingers up as he ordered some ramen. 

The man in the stall nodded and got to work. Luckily, it appeared that he knew english, so that saved Sorcha, Charlotte and Runik some trouble. 

[color=gray][b]"Come, sit on down, Runik. Promise I won't try to kill you."[/b][/color] He smirked. 

[color=pink][b]"Is it okay if I taste some of what you order, miss Sorcha?"[/b][/color] Charlotte sat beside her. [color=pink][b]"I dunno what this ramen stuff is, so..."[/b][/color]

Sorcha actually gave Charlotte a bit of a glare, before giving a sigh and relenting.

[color=aba000]"Fiiine. Have some."[/color]

[hr]
After leaving Atara's wallet empty, the group left for the first shrine where the onmyouji supposed the mirror of Amaterasu was. 

[url=http://s17.postimg.org/6764zmjbz/932280.jpg]The shrine[/url] was a sight to behold. The holy aura permeating the whole place was evident, even more so to the magicians. 

Despite not being a demon, Belphegor still cringed as Charlotte entered the place, which in turn sent a chill down the girl's spine. 

[color=pink][b]"W-What was that?"[/b][/color] She asked, looking to her sides as she looked for the source of the sudden chilliness she felt. 

[color=gray][b]"It must be the spirits roaming around here. They are abundant in this place."[/b][/color] Atara answered. 

Unlike Runik and Sorcha, the two Pythones mages could see the shining balls of light that were in the place, dancing about. 

[color=pink][b]"They are so pretty."[/b][/color]

[color=gray][b]"Yes they are, but something's wrong."[/b][/color] Atara approached one of the spirits and touched it, making it visible to the other two as his hand reached it. 

The ball of light suddenly turned red and escaped into the temple. 

That's when an ominous aura poured over all of them. The sky turned black and the pressure around them seemed to increase. 

[color=skyblue][b]"Return from whence you came from."[/b][/color] The voice of a woman said from inside the temple. [color=skyblue][b]"Or I will be obligated to make you leave."[/b][/color]

Atara grinned. 

[color=gray][b]"Already hit the jackpot, huh? We are damn lucky. Prepare for battle!"[/b][/color] He turned to the group. 

While he would have enjoyed a nice nap after such a meal, Runik had his priorities in the right place. They had a lead on the other groups, but there was no telling how long it would last or if it had already began to shrink. 

The shrine they arrived at was more than just scenic. There was a sense of power to the location, one far more potent than what the worship of the masses could be responsible for. His eyes narrowed as mana began to circulate more rapidly and he glanced at Atara for an explanation. .

A quick blink and he focused on the appeared orb, frowning as its glow shifted to a red. Red seemed hardly friendly... and the ominous presence that weighed down on him moments later merely confirmed that. Grateful that whatever opposition faced them had the courtesy of giving both a verbal and obvious visual warning, Runik used the time to try and get more information from Atara.

[color=yellow]"Battle against what? Weaknesses? Things I shouldn't try to hit whatever's coming with?"[/color]

Well, despite Charlotte eating some of her food, the dragon had to admit she was satisfied. She would have liked to take a nice long nap after that, but she had business to attend to. So, she followed Atara and ruin to the shrine.

It was definitely a sight to behold, though the dragon merely yawned at its appearance. Nothing was so grand as her own magnificent true form to her, not even this shrine. A pity she couldn't bless the mortals with her presence.

She watched the orb. Spirits, then, and from what she knew red hardly meant anything friendly, and the following ominous presence only confirmed that. At least the spirit, whoever it was, was decent enough to issue them a challenge and a warning.

[color=aba000]"Who cares, Runik?"[/color] A small smirk formed on the dragon's lips. [color=aba000]"A fight is a fight, I will hardly decline if I am challenged and if you have any shred of honor so will you."[/color] She turned towards the entrance of the shrine, obviously pleased with the turn of events. This would be a good chance to test her skills after so long. [color=aba000]"'Tis an honor, to fight with a dragon you know, so be grateful."[/color]

With that said, she gave a powerful flap of her wings, sending a powerful gust of wind towards the shrine.

[color=aba000]"You dare challenge a dragon?"[/color] Sorcha shouted in the direction of the shrine, seemingly unaffected or ignoring the pressure the rest of them were feeling. [color=aba000]"You must have a death wish worse than Atara here, creature."[/color] She brandished her glaive, electricity arcing across it in its usual fashion as she held it in front of her, obviously anticipating a battle.

[color=aba000]"Come out, and face me then! Or send whatever lackeys thou hast, coward, and I will cut them down!"[/color]

[color=skyblue][b]"Hmph."[/b][/color] The strong gust of wind was answered with an ominous purple smoke that started coming from the shrine. 

[color=skyblue][b]"So be it. I will grant you mortals with death."[/b][/color] 

Out of the shrine came a [url=http://pre14.deviantart.net/bbc9/th/pre/i/2013/295/1/3/evil_goddess_by_sintk7-d6rhzf3.jpg]purple woman[/url], seemingly riding the smoke and hardly dressed. 

[color=skyblue][b]"Face me, the Binbougami, and despair."[/b][/color] The woman said. 

Despite everyone readying for a fight, Atara remained in place. 

[color=gray][b]"A binbougami...."[/b][/color] He finally snapped out of it and started shouting, [color=gray][b]"Wait-!"[/b][/color] Before he could finish, the Goddess had slammed something in front of him. 

Some kind of statue. She was going for the kill right away, it seemed. 

While he could hardly disagree that a fight needed little reason behind it, Runik hardly gave a damn about honor or any perceived lack of it. Granted Sorcha was correct that this challenge was not one to be ignored given the importance Atara seemed to place on this location. [color=yellow]"Tch."[/color] Beyond that the dragon didn't receive a response as his magic began to permeate through their surroundings.

[color=yellow]"Really..."[/color] Despite the weight and presence the woman held, her skimpy attire made it hard to really feel intimidated. A sideways glance at Sorcha whose outfit was slightly better, and Runik simply sighed as he reached out and grabbed Atara's collar, dragging the onmyouji back from the fallen statue. 

Given how enthusiastic she was about the battle, Runik figured Sorcha would delay the Binbougami long enough for Atara to speak. [color=yellow]"Come on, hurry up. Finish what you were trying to say. Also the hell's a Binbougami?"[/color] 

Sorcha didn't give the Binbougami much time for a second attack. If the spirit was eager for a fight too, then she wouldn't object. She wasn't familiar with Japanese spirits or gods, but she was confident she could win even in her current condition.

The dragon leapt into action the moment the statue nearly crushed Atara, closing the distance between her and the Goddess in a matter of seconds.

Without a word, she spun her glaive and made a downward strike, aimed right for the woman's head.

The purple gas surrounding the Goddess made things easy for her, as Sorcha's attack completely missed as if her aim had been wrong all along. 

Charlotte was watching everything from the back, a bit scared, and Belphegor, well, it seemed he had no intention of getting up any time soon. Hadn't spoken since Charlotte glomped Sorcha. 

[color=gray][b]"Idiot!"[/b][/color] Atara shouted. [color=gray][b]"Get out of that purple shit! It causes misfortune! Your attacks will miss as long as you are inside of that thing!"[/b][/color] 

He then turned to Runik, eager to answer him. But the Binbougami knew that the man holding the information was no other than Atara. 

Another thing was thrown their way, a single spear that almost took Atara's ear and almost severed Runik's nose, avoiding the two by just centimeters. 

[color=gray][b]"A binbougami is a lesser God of Shinto!"[/b][/color] Atara said as he hurried back up. [color=gray][b]"A god of misfortune! She can cause it to others, resulting in what just happened with the dragon!"[/b][/color] 

He then started running away from Runik, readying a pair of papers. 

[color=gray][b]"This can only mean we fucked up. There's no mirror of Amaterasu here."[/b][/color] He explained. 

[color=pink][b]"H-Hey, I don't get what's going on!"[/b][/color] Charlotte shouted at Sorcha. [color=pink][b]"Why are we even fighting?!"[/b][/color] 

Surprise flashed across Runik's expression as he saw what seemed to be an on-the-point attack miss entirely instead. Unsurprisingly though, Atara had an explanation and that marked him as a priority target for the spirit. [color=yellow][i]'Fucking hate it when they're smart,'[/i][/color] he thought as the projectile whistled past close enough he went a bit cross eyed trying to track it. 

As soon as Atara was on his feet, Runik hurried up and off in the other direction. [color=yellow][i]'Fantastic.'[/i][/color] What was with it and enemies he couldn't afford to do what he did best against recently? The Binbougami probably had a way to disrupt his attempts to build up anything powerful enough to put her down instantly, and considering she governed misfortune it would probably end badly for him.

[color=yellow][b]"Why the fuck are we fighting her then?!? And if you tell me it's because you want a new summon, I'll turn you to ash after we're done here!"[/b][/color] With that said he still raised his hand, and spiky spheres of ice blossomed into existence around the Binbougami. They lingered about, merely to hem and impede the spirit's movement for now.

Sorcha simply growled as her attack seemingly missed. At least Atara was good for something, however. Upon hearing his words, she leaped backwards and put enough distance between the two of them for her to be out of the smoke.

If that smoke did cause misfortune, she had no intention of being caught in it and having her...condition act up.

[color=aba000]"You're gonna be annoying to fight, aren't you?"[/color] She growled again, taking a defensive stance. If this was a ranged fight though, that was something she could do just as well.

She flapped her wings, sending a large gust of wind towards the Goddess, in hopes of seeing if if could dispel the smoke, even a little. Ugh, she really hated the days where she could just challenge a knight to a duel.

[color=aba000]"Charlotte, stay out of this, alright?"[/color] She called back to the child as she focused energy into her glaive and sent a blast of electricity towards the Binbougami.

[color=gray][b]"I can't summon shit like this, even if I trained my whole life! I'll try to look for an opening so we can escape!"[/b][/color] He was about to throw a pair of his papers to the air to summon some Youkai, but the Goddess spoke instead. 

[color=skyblue][b]"It is no use."[/b][/color] She said, her voice as deep as before. [color=skyblue][b]"This whole area is now sealed. Nothing can get in, or out, unless you defeat me."[/b][/color] 

She then noticed the lightning coming at her. With a chuckle, she intended to gracefully evade it by rolly to her side, but that's when her head hit one of the spiky spheres Runik had set up. 

[color=skyblue][b]"Ouch! Who put this here?"[/b][/color]

[color=gray][b]"I kind of forgot to tell you, but the Goddess is also real unlucky."[/b][/color] Atara said with a stifled chuckle. 

[color=pink][b]"Hey, that's mean! She could get hurt with those spikey balls!"[/b][/color] Charlotte answered Atara's mocking tone, believing he was the one to put them up. 

[color=skyblue][b]"Urgh, I won't let this stop me!"[/b][/color] She extended her hand to take one of the spiky balls of ice and then threw it towards Runik, knowing he was true culprit behind them.

She also hoped he would ignore the 'Ouch' that was heard after she took the iceball. 


Well, on the bright side Atara hadn't intentionally dragged them into a fight with a lesser deity. And on the bad side, they were now stuck in a fight against a lesser deity. Who helpfully informed them that there was one way out, namely through her. [color=yellow]"Always did moan about a challenge,"[/color] he muttered quietly more for himself than anything before he cocked his head in confusion.

Between the Binbougami's reaction, Atara's barely contained laughter, and Charlotte's indignation on the Goddess' behalf, he could have easily believed this was a comedy sketch of sorts as tension disappeared off to who knows where like a snapped rubber band. Resisting the urge to pinch his forehead, he gave the Goddess a look as if to say, "Really?" when she tried to use one of his own creations against him.

Rather than budge in the slightest, the iceball remained firmly where it was and the ice rapidly began to spread up the Binbougami's limb instead. The other spiked balls also closed in on the Goddess instantly, though they didn't actually touch her. [color=yellow]"Can we just stop this now? If the Mirror's not even here I don't see the point of this..."[/color]

Well, running wasn't on Sorcha's agenda to begin with. At least the...goddess, if she could be called that seemed rather incompetent. She even had to suppress her own laughter as the Binbougami was struck with misfortune herself.

[color=aba000]"She's not...all that bright is she?"[/color] She mused aloud, becoming much more relaxed as she was surrounded by Runik's ice, though upon hearing him suggest they leave she shot him a sharp glare. [color=aba000]"You expect me to leave after she challenged us? I have no intention of doing such a thing."[/color]

[color=skyblue][b]"B-But I never told you I wanted to fight!"[/b][/color] Finally, the started to speak, trying to reason with the ones that had attacked first. [color=skyblue][b]"I just said I would make you leave, but you've got to be a real blockhead to think that means I want to fight you. And the dragon was the one that picked a fight here!"[/b][/color] 

[color=pink][b]"See? She never meant bad!"[/b][/color] Charlotte approached the goddess, minding not the purple gas around her. [color=pink][b]"We could have just talk! Now, we can just leave, right?"[/b][/color] 

[color=skyblue][b]"The thing is... I kind of put that barrier because I was surprised. I... can't really put it down at will. You really need to defeat me."[/b][/color] The goddess let her head hang. 

[color=gray][b]"This goddess is an idiot. A real idiot."[/b][/color] Atara shook his head and then sighed. There were few stupid enough to put up a barrier like this. 

Unbowed by Sorcha's glare, Runik met her eyes without flinching and nodded. [color=yellow]"I expect you to bear no ill will to someone fulfilling their duties against trespassers. If we needed to get past her, then we would continue, but there is nothing here for us."[/color] Granted the Binbougami hadn't exactly helped with her warning shot before Atara could fully explain, but Sorcha had been the one to actually engage. For a moment he glanced at Charlotte, considering whether to use the dragon's apparent affinity for the child, but ultimately didn't touch it. It would work on its own if it did.

A sigh of suffering escaped Runik at the reveal that their only way out was still through the Goddess apparently. Inclined to agree with Atara, he rubbed at his forehead slowly before he looked to the Goddess. [color=yellow]"We can't brute force our way through?"[/color] In the middle of battle against her he doubt he would have had enough time to muster enough mana to shatter a barrier she had raised, but with as much time as he needed? Well he could put out some pretty powerful magic.

Naturally the follow-up to that was, [color=yellow]"Is shattering your physical form enough, or do we need to go find your shrine and trash that?"[/color] Lastly, regardless of how his previous questions were answered Runik also asked, [color=yellow]"I don't suppose you could point us in the direction of the Yata no Kagami?"[/color] It was a bit of a long shot and he was aware the question might actually affront the Goddess, but if it'd save them plenty of time if she was co-operative.

Upon hearing the goddesses' words, Sorcha simply stared at her in mild disbelief. However, she realized, that she may have in fact, fucked up, as they say.

Immediately, the dragon felt a bit embarrassed. Well, it was logical to believe the binbougami didn't want to fight them. Her pride had simply taken that as a challenge, and it wasn't something she was gonna let go. She knew she was at fault here, at least a little and as much as her pride would like to continue fighting that would probably be a bad idea.

Sorcha didn't know what to make of the situation, so she simply kept quiet, a bit too prideful to directly admit her slip up. So she kept an eye on Charlotte and remained quiet until she had something to add or say.

[color=skyblue][b]"Shattering this physical form should be enough."[/b][/color] The binbougami put her own hand on her chest. [color=skyblue][b]"It would be, um, rather difficult, though. You'd need an attack that would make my physical form shatter in a single moment, since this mist quickly heals my wounds."[/b][/color] 

[color=skyblue][b]"You should also back away, girl. If you keep yourself here for any longer, I fear that your luck will be bad for the rest of this day."[/b][/color]

[color=pink][b]"U-Um... okay. I'll just step out of the mist, then."[/b][/color] she nodded, before jumping out of the mist... and slipping and almost hitting her head. 

Luckily, and after too much sleep, Belphegor was quick to change places with her and help her do a somersault to make her land safely a few steps away. 

[color=pink][b]"A-Ah, thanks about that, Belly."[/b][/color] She thanked the spirit, but he merely returned to sleep. 

[color=skyblue][b]"In any case, if you have such an attack, I suggest using it against me. This form needs to be destroyed completely before you can move on. And regarding the mirror, I'm sorry, but I can't tell you where it is. My mission here was to keep you from moving to the next shrine, so I guess... I did that actually, though it wasn't entirely my intention. I honestly didn't expect people until after an hour or so."[/b][/color] She explained. 

It didn't seem like the Binbougami really minded with how casually she explained, and that certainly did help ease Runik's mind. The Goddess didn't seem like a bad individual, and it was unfortunate that this seemed the only way to move on. As a lesser deity though, she should recover shortly afterwards if he wasn't mistaken. Though he continued to listen, the majority of his focus was directed towards the attack that would allow them to move on. 

"Fuckin Director," he muttered under his breath even if there wasn't any actual confirmation that the man was responsible. Whether or not that was the case, it seemed that maintaining the ice restraint was a good idea. Couldn't trust her not to have orders to blindside the suckers who thought everything was going fine and dandy. To that end, the attack was launched almost instantly when the first sign appeared after a minute of preparation. The sign was a small orb that even Charlotte could have clenched in her fist without any trouble, and then a series of blinding flashes. The clean cuts still glowed red hot on the Binbougami’s body before flames promptly engulfed the pieces, fighting against the regenerative effects of her mist.”

Sorcha sighed. This certainly sounded like something the Director would do, but that was a thought for later. They would need to come up with a way to destroy the goddesses' physical form, which might be a bit difficult for her in her current state. She could simply call forth lightning from the heavens and turn her into a smoldering pile of ash of course, if she wanted to strain herself.

[color=aba000]"Well, my lightning is,"[/color] She began just as Runik acted. Red, clean cuts glowed on the Binbougami's body as flames engulfed her. [color=aba000]"...certainly strong enough."[/color] She finished, a small frown. Well, he certainly was strong, wasn't he? Still she said nothing and simply waited to retaliate should the goddess try something.

[color=skyblue][b]"C-Could you hurry up. I might not be too susceptible to attacks, but I still feel pain... not to mention that, unfortunately, I can be rather sensitive to that."[/b][/color] The binbougami said as she was engulfed in flames. 

[color=pink][b]"Hm, does it really hurt that much?"[/b][/color] Despite what she said, the binbougami didn't seem to mind too much, her expression just one of slight discomfort. 

[color=gray][b]"Don't worry, I've got just the thing."[/b][/color] Atara said, before throwing a paper into the air. [color=gray][b]"Answer thy covenant... TSUCHIGUMO!"[/b][/color] 

Atara screamed, before a gigantic spider leg emerged from the paper and smashed the goddess to smithereens.

[color=skyblue][b]"D-Don't do that! I get scared if you scream like that! Or... if something like that happens so suddenly."[/b][/color] The goddess had surrounded herself with some kind of barrier this time, preventing the leg of the tsuchigumo from smashing her. 

[color=gray][b]"WHAT THE FUCK, ARE YOU STUPID OR SOMETHING?! If you are gonna let us kill you, then don't put up stupid barriers!"[/b][/color]

[color=skyblue][b]"I got scared, all right?! You don't need to shout."[/b][/color]

If he weren't so focused on maintaining the flames while the mist tried to snuff them out, Runik definitely would have face palmed at the gag between the Goddess and Atara. Thankfully, while the onmyouji's attempt was fully blocked the flames continued to burn and Runik breathed deeply. 

Each exhale intensified the flames until the Binbougami wasn't even visible beneath the dazzling white fire. Given she seemed almost unharmed despite being bisected and then carved into even smaller pieces, it couldn't hurt to be safe. He continued to pour in mana until the flames slowly changed to a less blinding hues of blue, but all the hotter for it. [color=yellow]"Well, maybe you should be easier to kill,"[/color] Runik managed to grit out. 

Sorcha sighed. They weren't getting anywhere with this.

Well, she might as well do what they were having trouble with, then.

The dragon held her glaive in front of her, resting the hilt of it on the ground with the blade pointing towards the heavens. She took a deep breath as she focused. Used to, she could do something like this on a whim. Now, she'd have trouble doing it without straining herself. At least the naturally rainy weather would make this a tad bit easier.

[color=aba000]"Very well, Binbougami."[/color] She said. [color=aba000]"I'll destroy thy form, then."[/color] The dragon briefly turned her head to the others. [color=aba000]"I suggest thou stand back a bit."[/color]

That was all the warning she gave them, before raising her glaive and making a similar overhead slash towards the goddess. This time, though a massive bolt of lightning fell from the heavens and crashed down on the Binbougami. To most, it would have looked like a single continuous bolt, but with a trained eye they would have seen several smaller ones.

The entire attack lasted only seconds, but hopefully it would be enough.

Compared to the natural forces of the world, Runik's capabilities were paltry and he knew it. Even focused as he was, the shift in the skies above drew his attention and he cut the flow of mana at the first rumble of thunder. It continued on and on through, countless thunderclaps blending into one continuous sound that shook the air and ground. Even thousands of meters below it, the gathered energy was enough to make his hair stand on end and the mass of plasma lit up the grey clouds like a fallen star. 

When it actually struck the Goddess, the massive discharge of energy would have blinded Runik if he hadn’t shielded his eyes. His magic allowed him to discern that it was several smaller bolts rather than one massive, but the amount of energy was still hard for him to fully grasp. There was a reason he didn’t often resort to channeling actual bolts of lightning, and it wasn’t because ideal conditions were hard to come by. Beyond that it seemed like what normally occurred in microseconds was spread out over the span of several seconds, explaining why the entire shrine didn’t spontaneously combust. 

Adding in his own efforts to bolster Sorcha’s attack, Runik adjusted the charge surrounding the Goddess. Even if directed, lightning still naturally sought to exit the floating Goddess and enter the ground beneath her. His efforts ensured that it remained trapped in her instead, circulating and fully expending its energy within her.

[color=skyblue][b]"A-Argh!"[/b][/color] The goddess let out as the lightning struck her. 

Surprised as she was, she wasn't able to put up her barrier when the lightning struck her. 

It was visible how her body started falling apart, for real this time, and that the mist wouldn't be able to heal it on time. 

[color=pink][b]"A-Ah! Miss Sorcha, how did you do that?"[/b][/color] Charlotte didn't know whether to be amazed or angry, or perhaps both, but for now she would give in to her curiosity and ask Sorcha just how the hell she did that. 

[color=gray][b]"Yeah, that should be enough to finish her off. Though the stupid goddess still put her barrier up."[/b][/color] Atara sighed. Seriously, this comedy segment was really stupid, and Atara didn't feel like putting up with the Goddess's shit. 

[color=skyblue][b]"It might not sound sincere coming from me, but I wish you all good luck."[/b][/color] The goddess smiled at Runik and company, as she slowly disappeared into the ether. 

[color=gray][b]"Well, that's the end of that. Let's hurry over to the next shrine, and hope there's not another Binbougami over there."[/b][/color] Atara turned on his heel and headed for the entrance/exit.... only to find that it was still closed. [color=gray][b]"Hey, what the fuck! What happened here?!"[/b][/color]

Thankful that was finally done with, Runik blinked several times to clear the bright spots from his vision. The light of his runes dimmed as he looked towards Sorcha, wondering if the display of power had taxed the dragon. Hard to tell really given he barely managed a glance before the Goddess spoke, her last words before fading away. 

Well, thankfully it worked. She would have been upset if it didn't. Unfortunately, that kind of powerful attack left the dragon winded. She had strained herself just a bit too much. Runik's help had prevented her from completely exhausting herself, but she was still feeling it.

Not that she was ever going to let them know that, especially Atara.

[color=aba000]"Well, that's over with."[/color] She sighed, looking over at Charlotte with a small smile. [color=aba000]"I'm a lightning dragon, child. Commanding that force of nature is easy for me."[/color]

She would have asked Charlotte if she was alright, but judging from Atara's loud, annoying voice something was wrong.

[color=aba000]"What happened? Is the barrier still up?"[/color] She asked. She didn't think the Binbougami would have lied to them...

[color=gray][b]"Yeah, it is still fucking up. Damn girl, did she lie to us?"[/b][/color] 

[color=pink][b]"I don't think she did. She was really sweet... kind of depressing, but sweet."[/b][/color] Charlotte followed up. 

[color=gray][b]"Then what? Why is this shit still up?"[/b][/color] Atara turned to Charlotte, a vein popping in his forehead. 

He was definitely angry, and the lack of an explanation for the barrier still being up pissed him off even more. 

Then, Charlotte's voice changed, as well as the tone of her eyes. [color=red][b]"Calm your titties, dude."[/b][/color] Belphegor spoke up. 

[color=red][b]"There are some wards in place. The idiot goddess didn't put them up, but someone else did. Guess they are really intent on keeping us here. With that said, I'm out. Just don't shout anymore, or you'll wake me up again."[/b][/color] Belphegor asked Atara, before closing his eyes and Charlotte's eyes returning to their original blue color. 

Runik turned away from Sorcha with a quick shrug, and just in time to see the barrier ripple as Atara tried to pass through. It should have fallen without a source to sustain it and the Goddess had been taken care of, so that meant they likely needed to go find and smash some things. A notion that was quickly backed by Charlotte, or rather the demon inside her, to his annoyance. [color=yellow]"And now it's a smash quest. Joy..."[/color] he muttered with a sigh as he ran a hand through his wet hair.

For a moment he considered razing the shrine and its surroundings to the ground, but ultimately dismissed it as a bad idea slightly influenced by pyromania. There was no guarantee the wards wouldn't need a focused effort to destroy and digging through ashes for them wouldn’t be fun for anyone involved. [color=yellow]"Hey Atara. Can you summon a few of your friends to help scour the area for the wards?"[/color]

Sorcha shot a heated glare at Charlotte. A child should not be using such words. Or anyone, for that matter. She wasn’t a fan of such language in general. However, she quickly realized it was the spirit possessing her. Hmm…well, she doubted she could do much in that case, but she did hope he watched his language later.

Instead she focused on their task. A smash quest? That was decidedly right up her alley. She wouldn’t mind destroying some gods temple. She wasn’t fond of them, and would always be up for blasting one of their temples into oblivion.

That said, she was in no condition to just destroy everything on a whim. She would likely need to rest for a few days before she was able to do something like that.

[color=aba000]“Finding all of these wards is going to be annoying…isn’t it?”[/color] Sorcha sighed, but at least they had finished off that binbougami and she could rest for a bit while she did this.[hr]