[center][h3]Shizuyama Wilderness[/h3][/center] [center][b]KAGEHO, INNOCENT SHADOW[/b][/center] [center]~ [@Restalaan] (GRI) ~[/center] The Brigand lines could not hope to stop [u]Gringor[/u], who was like a boulder when he attacked them. Felling the first line, the male High Orc crashed into the second line and brought with him some of the Brigands as shields against the Firethrowers. The mages stopped their stream of fire when [u]Gringor[/u] was executing his maneuver, more because they needed to move again rather than respecting their comrades' lives. The Firethrowers split up as [u]Gringor[/u] reached them, moving to the sides. Now, the High Orc was surrounded and the mages unleashed their torrents of blue flame upon the monster. Only this time, [u]Gringor[/u] was too close to the Firethrowers for him to move out of the way. The flames reached him and he felt his skin burn from the searing heat. His monstrous physiology endured for now but would soon give in to the unceasing fire. But the fire ceased. One by one, the jets of flame stopped as the Firethrowers were taken out. The mages realized too late that [u]Gringor[/u] was not their only enemy in this fight and soon, the whole Varjan search party succumbed to the darkness. [u]Gringor[/u] could douse the flames still on him by rolling, patting or pouring soil on himself. The fire had not gotten below his skin, fortunately. The forest around him was still on fire, but most of the Varjans lay dead on the grass. Slain silently by an entity some of them did not even know was there. [hr] [center][h3]Isolated House[/h3][/center] [center][b]THE COST OF IRON[/b][/center] [center]~ [@Crowvette] ~[/center] The hound biting [u]Io's[/u] arm immediately let go after the Lich wrapped the lust-inducing scroll around it. Apparently a female, the Wardog immediately singled out one of the other hounds and the two fought each other. 'Fought', wherein one of the Wardogs was simply trying to repel and run away from the other who very much did not want to fight. With that out of the way, [u]Io[/u] cast forth her wave of undead energy on her zombies and the Wardogs fighting them. The hounds were quickly turned undead, and under the thrall of their new Lich master. With the small fighting force assembled, [u]Io[/u] sent them to handle the remaining Varjan Brigands. "[color=8493ca]Kai! Nooo![/color]" Unfortunately, [u]Io's[/u] undead were too late to assist the villagers. There was only one left and a Varjan Brigand managed to land a fatal slash upon him before being harassed by the Lich's newly-acquired Wardogs. The Brigands tried to fight off both the Zombies and their former hounds but the monstrous creatures superior, driving off the attackers. The last villager laid dying on the side of the building, his wounds too grievous to heal. And he knew it. "[color=8493ca]Miss Foreigner, please... you have to save the merchant with the iron mark.[/color]" He rasped out his last words. "[color=8493ca]He... he's my brother. I was... trying to steal the mark to stop him from dishonoring his family.[/color]" "[color=8493ca]Please, look for him. He's a good man...[/color]" [hr] [center][h3]Yagata Shipyard[/h3][/center] [center][b]FATAL PULSE, SHIPPING AND HANDLING[/b][/center] [center]~ [@AzureKnight] (SHI) ~[/center] [quote=Shizuka Kannazuki][color=0072bc]"Well Keith, shall we begin?"[/color][/quote] "[color=crimson]Oh, so you know my name, huh?[/color]" Fatal Pulse noticed [u]Shizuka's[/u] apparent knowledge of him. He had not revealed his true name yet and seemed quite offended that it was already known beforehand. "[color=crimson]Just you wait, blue boy! Once I get access to my 'resources', I'm totally gonna look you up and read all about you! See how you like it![/color]" When [u]Shizuka[/u] unleashed a magical blizzard from his palm, Keith twirled and spun his sword to block the incoming hail hurtling towards him. Many of the icy shards were broken by his blade, but just as much got past his defense and pierced his body. But despite getting mangled by ice, Keith did not seem to feel his drastic injuries. "[color=crimson]...Maybe I should've used a second sword.[/color]" The sword he used was also worn down from striking the hail. Keith lunged at [u]Shizuka[/u] as retaliation, closing the distance with immense speed. But upon striking the azure swordsman, Keith found out he only struck an image made of mist. [u]Shizuka[/u] managed to thrust his sword into Keith's back, which elicited a rather girlish scream. "[color=crimson]My gonads![/color]" Suddenly, Keith gripped the sword impaled upon him and kicked [u]Shizuka[/u] away. The mercenary then pulled out the azure swordsman's blade from his back, still unaffected by his wounds. "[color=crimson]But you're gonna have to do better than that, and now I have your cool sword. Now then--[/color]" Turning around, however, Keith was greeted with three [u]Shizukas[/u] staring down at him, thanks to [u]Liliana's[/u] illusion spell. "[color=crimson]Alright! Now which one of you stabbed me in the back?[/color]" [u]Shizuka[/u] did not have control over his mirror images, but he felt as if he knew what they would do. [center]~ [@The Irish Tree] ~[/center] [u]Liliana[/u] greeted the Varjan forces coming to reinforce Fatal Pulse. When the first Varjan Brigand swung his axe at the initially human-sized warrior Fairy, his eyes widened in surprise when his weapon hit naught but air. [u]Liliana[/u] had shrunken to avoid the axe, and darted past the Varjan ranks and easily evading any attack made her way. All the while, slashing and hacking with her magical sword. As the Varjans fell to [u]Liliana[/u], the tiny warrior soon felt something hover over her. She could only spare a glance as an empty box was dropped onto her, trapping her inside the darkness of the crate. Weight was put on the box to prevent [u]Liliana[/u] from simply pushing it off. Even with the Fairy's diminutive size, they were not taking chances. "[color=aba000]We've got the fly! Go help the boss![/color]" [hr] [center][h3]Shizuyama Wilderness[/h3][/center] [center][b]THE HEAVENLY STRIKE[/b][/center] [center]~ [@Enkryption] ~[/center] [CURRENTLY IN COLLAB] [hr] [center][h3]Terauchi Temple[/h3][/center] [center]~ [@Hammerman], [@Dark Cloud], [@Nakushita], [@Restalaan] (SKA), [@Rezod92], [@AzureKnight] (ATS & HIN) ~[/center] [quote=Lunatea Vern Farnsworth]"Chopsticks... I suppose I can try to learn."[/quote] Takeshi could only let out an amused chuckle at [u]Lunatea's[/u] efforts in wielding the eastern eating implements. "Hey, look on the bright side. You can't get worse than this so you can only improve from here." It was then that [u]Skarsneek[/u] appeared with the [u]Hangai[/u] sisters. His gaze briefly stuck on [u]Atsuha[/u] before his attention returned to the male Goblin. He raised an offended eyebrow at [u]Skarsneek's[/u] initial words and its implications but he got up to listen more closely at his news about Sorae. [quote=Skarsneek][color=ed145b]"Sorae said she'll come and join you later. Hopefully, she does and not go on her own. Personally, I think we need to watch over her. She might go and do something stupid."[/color][/quote] "..." Takeshi let out a deep sigh at [u]Skarsneek's[/u] debriefing. "...So that was why they were not at the beach. Damn it. Why did this have to happen..." He then bowed his head at the male Goblin. "You have my thanks for locating Sorae. Once we've rescued my father, I will get to the bottom of this... massacre and bring justice to these traitors." He declared, his tone merciless. "I'll greet Lady Sorae once she arrives here." Then it was [u]Kerry[/u] who arrived with news from [u]Takamori[/u]. [quote=Kerry Maros][color=fff79a]"Takeshi, I got good and bad news. Good news, Takemori stands with you. Just call him and he'll be there. Bad news, his adopted daughter, Setsuna, sided with the Varjans in exchange for revealing Shizuyama's hidden routes. You may want to get the word out that your secret pathways and hideouts may be compromised..."[/color][/quote] "More traitors, then." Takeshi remarked. "It appears it is not only the Varjans we have to watch out for. I suppose it is not very unsurprising. Our island has its fair share of the wicked and selfish, thinking of only themselves and never the harm they do upon others." Bowing his head at the Hornet, he expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Kerry, for seeing Takamori. Although, I worry about his daughter. Hmm, this is the first time I've heard about her..." - While [u]Yuki[/u] was welcomed by the taskforce members present at the moment, most of the humans in the temple grounds still regarded their yokai helpers with suspicion and wariness. Something that was starting to change when some villagers were willing to talk to the taskforce regarding their problems. There were also the individuals that Takeshi had asked the taskforce to look for. They would be instrumental in saving the captured Lord Oja. Takeshi Oja was at the temple grounds, ready and willing to assist a taskforce member in their ventures. [hr] [hr] [hr] [center]~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~[/center] [hider=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 [/hider] [hider=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 [/hider] [center]~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~[/center] [hider=Honey Trap] 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." [/hider] [hider=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?" [/hider] [hider=No Place Like Home] An upset woman noticed the taskforce member approaching. "As if losing our homes wasn't bad enough, we have to see Varjans in them as well. They took a home nearby a few days ago. The man who lived there won't leave the area. He keeps begging for help." [/hider] [center]~~ LEGENDARY TALES ~~[/center] [center][i]Current Legendary Tale in progress[/i][/center]