[center][h2]Onrai[/h2][/center]
[center][h3]Varjan War Camp[/h3][/center]

[center][b]The Code Of Shizuyama[/b][/center]
[center]~ [@Hammerman], [@FrogRFlowR] (RKU), [@Rune_Alchemist] ~[/center]

[quote=Lunatea Vern Farnsworth]“Dressed as a miko? What do you mean by that exactly?”[/quote]

"It's a long story." Takeshi chuckled. "It involves an important ceremony, a missing miko and the whole island watching." The young Oja wondered if he should have humored the rabbit yokai. It was a small exchange, but a sign of camaraderie surely.

[quote=N'ylaatothk][color=a187be]"I do hope that isn't a problem? while I dislike fighting if nothing else, if something goes awry my body is fairly durable..."[/color][/quote]

Takeshi was still intimidated by the scary eldritch maid yokai and now she wanted to join him? "Oh, err, well, the prisoner really should be taken to somewhere secure so..."

It was then that Valeriya the Owl Mage interjected with an offer. "Miss Nyla, if I may? I can take the prisoner from your hands so you may accompany Takeshi. I don't mind and I need to go to Terauchi Temple anyway to catch a break." Valeriya used her telekinetic magic to lift the tied up prisoner from the Shoggoth. "I'll be joining Sir Kannazuki then."

"..." Takeshi sighed, there was no escaping it.

[quote=Shizuka Kannazuki][color=0072bc]”Also, Takeshi-sama, was there any particular place that’d be good for everyone to meet up once we’ve accomplished our respective quests? Like the temple?”[/color][/quote]

"Yeah, the temple's good. If it's a place under the control of your Lady Kyouko, then your yokai friends won't need to worry about any of my people attacking them." Takeshi still cannot believe that the temple's true nature went undiscovered all this time. Well, he supposed it was for the best considering the current circumstances.

---

Takeshi and the monster girl trio made their way to Wadatsumi Port, walking the roads as morning turned to noon. The young Oja was uncomfortable along the way, not helping was that the Shoggoth was eyeing him all the while. Two of the yokai were complete strangers and while he knew Roku, she was yokai nonetheless and Takeshi was taught thar the transformation into a yokai induces... changes to the individual. 

And yet, Takeshi could not deny their beauty. They had a... charm to them, a supernatural one. The rabbit yokai called [u]Lunatea[/u] appeared quite fluffy while [u]Nyla[/u], though she struck fear, looked soft to the touch, probably jelly-like if he had to guess. Even [u]Roku[/u] who was dead not a day ago seemed to have only become prettier after returning to life. 

No, no, Takeshi shook his head to stop himself from being tempted. He must focus on the task ahead. 

And what was ahead was a camp on the path that was not supposed to be there. "Everyone, get down." Takeshi quietly led his party behind a low rock. Beyond them was a camp situated on the face of inclining terrain. The camp was still under construction, its wooden palisades incomplete and some tents lying on the ground unbuilt. Freshly-cut timber lied on the roadsides, yet to be sliced further and processed.

On a closer look, the people who were building this camp were familiar faces. Warriors in either dark armor or dressed in furs and leathers. "Varjans?! They're already here?!" Takeshi was in disbelief. How could they reach this far so quickly? Regardless, this was an obstacle in their path. "We'll waste too much time if we go around. We'll have to get through them."

Takeshi was quiet for a moment, crafting his next words carefully, before turning to face the trio. "May I... May I do this alone?" He requested from his monster companions. "My... It's against my-- our code to fight alongside yokai, or let yokai fight our battles for us. To do so would be to invite their influence unto us." He explained as best he could. "Please, try to understand. These lessons... I can't just go against them."

"So please, stay here while I handle the camp." Takeshi reiterated his request. 

Of course, with one glance at the camp and it could already be seen that there were about more than a dozen Varjans occupying the unfinished war camp. And while Takeshi could probably handle the small fry, he might be overwhelmed and there could be more formidable foes inside the completed tents. For the young Oja to head in alone, it would be suicide. Still, the monster girls can heed his dumb request and see what happens.

[hr]
[center][h3]Takamori's Dojo[/h3][/center]

[center][b]Takamori, Blessed Sight[/b][/center]
[center]~ [@Rezod92] ~[/center]

[u]Kerry[/u] flew alone to Takamori's dojo, making good time with the speed of her flight unburdened. The dojo was situated on a cliff, overlooking a small village filled with ponds that emitted steam; The famed hot springs of Zipangu.

The Hornet monster landed on the training grounds. She could see a house-like abode in front of an archery range that had three painted hay targets. There was also a bamboo stand near the edge too. However, the dojo was deserted and signs of fighting was littered everywhere. The sliding doors had been destroyed, arrows were stuck on the wood walls and spatters of blood were all over the grounds.

While [u]Kerry[/u] was investigating one such sign, an arrow flew forth and landed just beside her foot, coming from the rooftop of the one building. The archer was a middle-aged man with glowing yellow eyes, dark blue hair and light skin. He wore a blue and white attire and wielded a finely-crafted bow with a nocked arrow ready to be loosed at the Hornet.

"[color=yellow]Don't move, or the next one will land a little closer.[/color]" He warned [u]Kerry[/u]. "[color=yellow]Now tell me what you're here for. This island is being invaded and I don't wanna waste my time on a yokai looking for a man to catch.[/color]"

[hr]
[center][h3]Tokinomiya Estate[/h3][/center]

[center][b]Sorae, Gentle Heart[/b][/center]
[center]~ [@AzureKnight] (ATS & HIN), [@Restalaan] (SKA), [@FrogRFlowR] (TMI) ~[/center]

The group journeyed to the Tokinomiya estate, Sorae's home. The trip was uneventful, and finding the estate was not difficult. It stuck out like a sore thumb, being located in a green plateau in the outskirts of a nearby village.

But something was wrong, the group could see multiple black smokestacks rising from the estate. Rushing to the area and ascending the stairs, the group found the aftermath of what was clearly an attack on the Tokinomiya estate. Buildings were burned down or half-burnt, signs of fighting and violence littered the grounds and spatters of blood painted the soil and walls.

The dozen corpses that could be found were all people from Shizuyama, not one sign of the Varjans. However, the armors and clothes of the fallen bore different symbols from each other and Shizuyama weapons could sometimes be found sticking out of the bodies. It was clear that the Varjans did not do this, this was a battle between two groups of the locals.

Suddenly, a shadowy blur jumped from one of the rooftops and delivered a sharp kick against [u]Tomi's[/u] head before leaping behind [u]Hinami[/u] and drawing a naginata to the neck of the Jiangshi. "[color=mediumslateblue]As if Varjans and traitors weren't bad enough, now yokai have also come to Shizuyama? I really shouldn't be surprised, a huge invasion is the perfect time to execute schemes and plots.[/color]"

The attacker was [url=https://s1.zerochan.net/Setsuna.%28Hanyou.no.Yashahime%29.600.3095124.jpg]a light-skinned young woman, wearing darl blue-colored armor and clothes and had matching blue eyes. Her dark brown hair was tied to a ponytail and her face, though beautiful, was contorted by a mix of anger, sorrow and hopelessness.[/url]

"[color=mediumslateblue]Now then, give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you all.[/color]"

[hr]
[center][h3]Fung Temple[/h3][/center]

[center][b]Nobutada, Unwavering Will[/b][/center]
[center]~ [@Restalaan] (GRI) ~[/center]

[u]Gringor[/u] journeyed alone to Fung Temple. Kind of a lonely trip, being alone and all, but perhaps a warrior like him did not mind.

The temple was located near a swamp, the male High Orc could see multiple structures around the pagoda of the temple complex. The place was well-developed, walls surrounded the temple grounds and the paths were made of stone to ease travel. However, [u]Gringor[/u] could not miss one obvious detail currently in this monastery.

Fung Temple was crawling with Varjans, fully occupied by the invaders. [u]Gringor[/u] could not see any of the monks from where he was, only Varjans ransacking the temple and building light defenses around it like crude watchtowers and spike walls. The invaders sure traveled and worked fast to be able to reach this far in such little time.

But then, [u]Gringor[/u] saw a couple of Varjans escorting [url=https://i.imgur.com/A4Ci6zl.jpg]a huge, bald, fair-skinned man in orange robes[/url]. The man was clearly a Shizuyama local, his hands bound and his face a bit bruised and beaten. There was a good chance this was Nobutada, but the temple was still filled with Varjans. To tackle this problem head on might not be wise, but perhaps the male Orc could find an ally in the imprisoned monk?

[hr]
[center][h3]Terauchi Temple[/h3][/center]

[center][b]Rude Awakening[/b][/center]
[center]~ [@AzureKnight] (SHI) ~[/center]

[u]Shizuka[/u] was joined by Valeriya and Samael to Terauchi Temple, to escort their Varjan prisoner and establish contact with Lady Kyouko's people there. Maybe even send a message to the Inari about what happened in Sanjo Beach and how Varjo was quickly taking over the island.

It was already noon when the taskforce reached the temple. The place was surrounded by trees that had leaves golden in color, its path lined with stones that welcomed anyone into the abode. However, the beauty of the scenery contrasted the grim sight of the temple grounds. Crude tents and mats filled the corners, occupied by refugees that have fled from the Varjan invaders. The monks of the temple were too busy tending to the refugees and the injured to welcome the group.

Fortunately, one of them had the time and approached the group in front of the temple's pagoda. "[color=red]Ah, you must be the taskforce![/color]"

[url=https://i.imgur.com/Q4KZYQt.png]The woman had short white hair, yellow eyes and dressed in simple brown robes[/url]. She looked like a monk, but it did not seem she was one since she had a sword strapped to her waist. The woman made a quick bow at [u]Shizuka[/u] and his group. It seemed she was in a hurry. "[color=red]I am Ayu, head of Lady Kyouko's spies in Shizuyama. Err, we don't have much time. Some of the warriors from Sanjo Beach came here and--[/color]"

"[color=fff79a]You![/color]" A miko, the one [u]Shizuka[/u] spoke to back in the beach, approached the group... and was in disbelief at the sight of Valeriya. Things were deteriorating very quickly. "[color=fff79a]Are you... were you in league with yokai all this time?[/color]" She demanded from the azure swordsman. "[color=fff79a]Answer me![/color]"

The loud commotion was drawing the attention of everyone in the temple. The miko was joined by several of her fellow priestesses and surviving samurai while Valeriya, Samael and Ayu backed up [u]Shizuka[/u]. Words must be chosen carefully, or was the fate of this situation already sealed?