[center] "[color=aba000]Lord Serek, I see a... a golden Dragon. On the right flank of the beach, attacking our forces.[/color]" "[color=steelblue]...[/color]" "[color=steelblue]So it would seem. And it looks like she has friends.[/color]" "[color=aba000]...What do we do, milord?[/color]" "[color=steelblue]...[/color]" "[color=steelblue]Tell me, do we have that Hideo fellow?[/color]" "[color=aba000]I believe so, Lord Serek. He has been captured and is being transported to this ship as we speak.[/color]" "[color=steelblue]Good. We will need his... cooperation for this.[/color]" [/center] [hr] [center][h2]Saikoten Region[/h2] [h3]Sanjo Beach[/h3][/center] [center]~ [@AzureKnight] (ATS & SHI), [@Restalaan] (GRI), [@FrogRFlowR], [@Rune_Alchemist] ~[/center] [u]Tomi[/u] made her mighty landing in the middle of the attacking Varjans, spewing forth a jet of draconic flame to burn away anything before she landed. Her drop created a small crater in the sand, the fires she started so hot it turned some of the beach into glass. [quote=Tomi Garudo][color=fff200]"We're here to stop all of you...I think. I'm pretty sure. Anyway, step forward anyone who wants to claim the glory of killing a Dragon, now's your chance!"[/color][/quote] The Varjans of this flank were taken by surprise and stared in awe at [u]Tomi[/u], none daring to attack her. They were told there would be no monsters in the island, and yet here was one. A Dragon, no less! When her other companions caught up with her and began carving their way through the starstruck Varjans, the invaders regained their confidence and bloodlust. They let out their war cries and charged at the taskforce with reckless abandon. Still, these were small time Brigands and Warriors. The taskforce did not have trouble with them. But the new boats arriving at the beach bore different foes. - It was hard to miss the huge [u]N'ylaatothk[/u] slowly expanding into the beach. It was far harder to miss the whirlwind of destruction that was [u]Gringor[/u]. But a warrior jumped off a boat to challenge them both, a blur of purple and gold dashed through the beach to deliver some painful, but not wounding, slashes at [u]Gringor[/u] before dashing towards [u]N'ylaatothk[/u] and hacking off some of her grown weapons. He soon stopped before the Shoggoth to proudly introduce himself, two blades bathing in fiery glows in his hands. "[color=ec008c]Fetid, disgusting, monsters! You face Kasseros Telmar, the Radiant Champion of the Heavenly Children![/color]" The warrior was covered in thick, shiny, gold and violet armor, polished so thoroughly that the dim light from the torches was enough to make it glimmer. His helmet had a T-shaped visor and sported a horizontal mane of white hair. "[color=ec008c]The two of you are no match for me![/color]" And then he noticed [u]Tomi[/u] standing beside the Shoggoth. "[color=ec008c]A Dragon too? Ha! I will have many trophies this day![/color]" He would boast arrogantly, but [u]N'ylaatothk[/u], [u]Tomi[/u] and [u]Gringor[/u] would likely be distracted by the strong perfumes this warrior wore. The fragrance was so overwhelming, so suffocating that it was an odor. - [u]Atsuha[/u] was requested to watch the Shoggoth's back, but she would see on the corner of her eyes a fallen samurai. Near some large rocks, a samurai warrior in broken armor and about three arrows sticking out of his back crawled helplessly. Where was he crawling to? Perhaps even he didn't know, merely following his body's last gasps of life. The other samurai near the taskforce were already slain, perhaps this one could be saved. His helmet his off and the Jorou-Gomo could see his long, tied brown hair. - [u]Shizuka[/u] was a blur amongst the fighting, dropping Varjans left and right without being noticed and leaving behind confused warriors wondering what just happened. Still, there were far too many of them for the azure fighter and despite his efforts, the remaining samurai still alive and fighting on the beach were quickly dwindling down. [u]Shizuka[/u] could see small pockets of them desperately making their last stands, but they would all fall within moments. Most of the defenders that charged the beach were already dead, and the losses sustained by the invaders were replaced by new boats landing on the beach. The Varjans had began to ascend the hill and towards the barricades, where the onmyoji and the shrine maidens drew their swords and spears and readied for the melee. They were joined by a few samurai that had fallen back, but [u]Shizuka[/u] knew none of them will make a difference. The battle was lost. Perhaps it was lost before it even started. Still, [u]Shizuka[/u] needed to find the island's rulers as Lady Kyouko ordered, maybe get to the defenders of Shizuyama and ask them before it's too late. Or perhaps should he prioritize the taskforce's survival, get them out before they were overwhelmed. [center]------[/center] [center][h3]Sanjo Town[/h3][/center] [center]~ [@Hammerman], [@AzureKnight] (HIN), [@Dark Cloud], [@WanderingDragon] ~[/center] By the time the taskforce reached the town, the Varjans had already began the assault. The screams of the townspeople filled the air as Varjan Brigands mounted on horses ran down fleeing villagers while Varjan Warriors entered homes and dragged its occupants out to be slaughtered. Torches were hurled at the mostly wooden buildings, inciting mindless infernoes amongst carnage. The invaders seem to have forgotten their original goal and instead busied themselves pillaging the town. Try as they might, [u]Wyndressa's[/u] team consisting of herself, [u]Lunatea[/u], [u]Samael[/u] and [u]Hinami[/u] could not find the town's mayor or elder or leader. Whoever they were, they probably had either fled or died already. The panicking and fleeing villagers were of little help, paying little attention to them and quite busy using their legs to run as fast as they could from their homes carrying whatever they had in their hands. The Varjans, likewise, had not noticed the trio yet and continued to raid and massacre. They soon spotted a squad of Varjan Brigands cornering a man with an infant in his arms. Perhaps it was time for the taskforce to establish their presence here, that the Varjans will not run rampant unopposed. [center]-[/center] [center]~ [@Restalaan] (SKA), [@Noblebandit] ~[/center] [u]Skarsneek[/u] and [u]Cambiel[/u], an unlikely duo, charged through the chaos to do battle against the Varjans. Running past fleeing villagers and burning houses, they soon came upon a group of the invaders who appeared to be quite different from the rest of the pillagers and did not partake in the slaughter. At least, not directly. They were all on horseback, wearing armor shinier and more decorated than your typical Varjan Warrior's. There were about five of them, the four mostly looked the same while the last one was distinct in that [url=https://assets.dragoart.com/images/17550_501/how-to-draw-mick-thomson-seven-from-slipknot_5e4cbefa95f437.74771125_83350_5_3.jpg]his black hair was bared to reach his shoulder and only wore a snarling steel mask in place of a proper helmet[/url]. "[color=MediumPurple]Worry not. Those samurai warriors on the beach will be overwhelmed either way. Lord Serek isn't even counting on their defenses being hit in the back.[/color]" His voice carried a certain regality to it. Proud and arrogant. It took him a moment to notice the Angel and the Goblin. "[color=mediumpurple]Oh? What do we have here?[/color]" He glanced at the duo up and down. "[color=mediumpurple]An emissary of the heavens, it seems. And his... boy toy, I suppose.[/color]" The Varjan did not appreciate [u]Cambiel's[/u] presence, but also did not become hostile. "[color=mediumpurple]Can I help you, Angel? Or are you lost? Or perhaps you are here to, once more, bemoan how we 'are all doing this wrong' and that 'we should follow the laws established by the gods'.[/color]" The town, meanwhile, continued to burn around them. Did [u]Skarsneek[/u] and [u]Cambiel[/u] really have time to talk? Still, they could gleam information from this Varjan who apparently thought [u]Cambiel[/u] was on the invaders' side by their factions' association with each other.