[center][h3]Kozukata Cemetery[/h3][/center] [center][b]YURINE, DEATH KEEPER[/b][/center] [center]~ [@Hammerman] ~[/center] The next time [u]Lunatea[/u] woke, she was sitting against a tree likely still reeling from the effects of her earlier outburst. She saw that she had a single piece of clothing on, Takeshi's red kimono top. Looking up, she saw the bare-chested young lord watching the cemetery... which no longer had the thick fog over it. Moreover, the sounds of fighting could be heard from over there and it was undoubtedly from Yurine and the taskforce. It seemed they had run into some sort of trouble. "Oh, you're awake!" Takeshi glanced back and noticed the Wererabbit was finally conscious. "Lunatea, are you alright? How are you feeling?" He asked as he kneeled over to her. "Yurine and the others are in trouble and I need to go help them. But will you be okay here?" [center]---[/center] [center]~ [@Restalaan] (SKA & GRI), [@AzureKnight] (HIN & ATS), [@The Irish Tree] (LIL), [@Enkryption] ~[/center] It was chaos in the cemetery. From [u]Hinami[/u] losing control and draining the energies a couple of the samurai to [u]Atsuha[/u] using some ensnared samurai as some sort of makeshift flail. [u]Gringor[/u] and [u]Liliana[/u] dueled a Dragon Warrior each, while [u]Skarsneek[/u] decided to attempt to take on and calm his Jiangshi sister-in-law. [u]Alice[/u], however, decided to enjoy the spectacle unfolding before her. The Dragon Warrior dueling [u]Gringor[/u] held his sword aloft in the ground, before smirking. A samurai swordsman hits the High Orc from the back, distracting the yokai enough for the Dragon Warrior to rise and get a few solid slashes in. The attacks hurt, but they didn't draw [u]Gringor's[/u] blood. At least, not yet. The swordsman then jumped into the High Orc's back to try and get him off balance. Meanwhile, [u]Liliana[/u] harassed her Dragon Warrior with small attacks and feared no retaliation because of her small size and invisibility. Unfortunately, the Dragon Warrior did not seem to be getting hurt from the magical attacks and his grip on his sword was strong. The stalemate was broken, however, when an axe buried itself into his exposed rib. Yurine dragged the Shizuyaman to the ground and finished him off with an axe to the torso. "[color=violet]Little one, you need to help your spider friend![/color]" The old warrior pointed at [u]Atsuha[/u] whose bludgeoning of the enemy was interrupted when two spearmen approached her. One of them swung his spear to cut the web while another leapt to the air, spinning as he jumped. His speartip glowed blue and it smacked [u]Atsuha[/u] on the head. The hit, obviously, was not normal and the Jorou-Gumo felt like something exploded in front of her. Her ears rang and her vision became hazy. The two spearmen then started thrusting their weapons at her carapace in an effort to actually damage her. [u]Skarsneek[/u] made himself bait for [u]Hinami[/u] with [u]Alice[/u] watching closely. But before the Jiangshi can bite, the third Dragon Warrior slashed at her from behind. [u]Hinami[/u] might be inclined to bite him and drain him of his energies, but she would find that his chi did not come out easily and she would be pushed off and receive a couple of hard slashed for the trouble. [hr] [center][h3]Shizuyama Wilderness[/h3][/center] [center][b]A TIME TO HEAL[/b][/center] [center]~ [@Xaltwind], [@Rezod92], [@The Irish Tree] (EUL) ~[/center] While the Varjans' attention were on [u]Eula[/u], [u]Relica's[/u] drones and [u]Kerry[/u] came from behind. The scared peasants watched as the unwitting invaders were blindsided by the monsters. The twin-axe Warrior was stabbed from behind by [u]Kerry[/u] and fell to the ground, seemingly down. Meanwhile, the two shielded Warriors were zapped from behind by [u]Relica's[/u] drones. They weren't taken down, but they were stunned long enough for [u]Eula[/u] to close the distance, nab one of them and hurl him at the Varjan Elite, taking the Varjan's shield for herself in the process. "[color=ed1c24]Monsters! Kill them![/color]" The Elite violently swatted away the Warrior hurled at him with his mace and confronted the shielded [u]Eula[/u]. He started with a quick, but powerful, side swing that knocked the Automaton's shield to the side and then immediately followed it up with a mighty kick to the torso that sent [u]Eula[/u] sliding on her feet a meter away. The Varjan Elite was relentless, and was ready to do an overhead swing at her. Meanwhile, one of [u]Relica's[/u] drones were knocked out of the air by a well-placed thrown axe. The Varjan Warrior with the axes had recovered, and his gaze soon turned to a fellow Warrior fighting the Hornet with sword and shield, doing his best with shield thrusts and sword slashes. He raised his axe, waiting for the right moment to hit [u]Kerry[/u] and give his ally an advantage. [hr] [center][h3]Kazenosuke's House[/h3][/center] [center][b]KAZENOSUKE, DANCING BLADE[/b][/center] [center]~ [@AzureKnight] (SHI), [@Crowvette], [@Nakushita] ~[/center] [quote=Shizuka Kannazuki][color=0072bc]"My name is Kannazuki Shizuka, I am a ronin who was tasked by a benefactor of the Oja clan to assist in driving back the Varjan invaders. We've come to inform you that both Hideo-dono and his son Takeshi-dono are alive and well, and we've been assisting the latter for the past few days in gathering more allies for the cause. We were hoping you would lend your blade to our cause. Ah..."[/color][/quote] Kazenosuke's hand immediately went to his sword's hilt when [u]Shizuka[/u] appeared, but relaxed when he heard the 'Oja' name. He was still wary, though, since this azure swordsman seemed to have come with two individuals; individuals who were clearly not human. Regardless, he still listened to [u]Shizuka's[/u] words to the finish. "[color=indianred]They're alive, huh?[/color]" Kazenosuke seemed conflicted on how to feel about that. [quote=Shizuka Kannazuki][color=0072bc]"Also, if you don't mind me asking, who were those men you were speaking with just now? In addition, Takeshi-dono was wondering why you didn't join the battle on Sanjo Beach days ago."[/color][/quote] "[color=indianred]I was... sick at that time.[/color]" Kazenosuke answered the last question, rather hesitantly. "[color=indianred]By the time I recovered, it was all too late.[/color]" "[color=indianred]Anyway, you don't recognize those people? Those are Varjans. Y'know, the same Varjans you said you were driving back?[/color]" Kazenosuke continued. "[color=indianred]The one who came here seem pretty high up, though. He claimed to be answering to Serek'uar himself, the Lord Of The Conquest Of Shizuyama.[/color]" He revealed. "[color=indianred]They offered... things to me. Pretty nice things...[/color]" "[color=indianred]But enough about me, you say your assisting Takeshi but you've got yokai with you, don't you?[/color]" The dancing swordsman suddenly laughed out loud. "[color=indianred]How the hell did Takeshi listen to you? Did you cast a spell on him or something? And what of his father? Did he agree to this too? Or is this something done behind his back? 'Cause let me tell you, Lord Oja's so gonna slice Takeshi's head off if that's the case.[/color]" He then laughed some more. "[color=indianred]And what of those two? Are they your wives?[/color]" Kazenosuke pointed at [u]Yuki[/u] and [u]Io[/u] who kept their distance. "[color=indianred]Hey, you two! Don't stand there awkwardly! Come closer and help your boyfriend better his pitch.[/color]" [hr] [hr] [hr] [center]~~ TAKESHI'S JOURNEY ~~[/center] *Finish 'Pre-Emptive Strike' to unlock next tale* [center]~~ TAKAMORI TALES ~~[/center] [hider=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 [/hider] [center]~~ SORAE TALES ~~[/center] *Finish 'Pre-Emptive Strike' to unlock next tale* [center]~~ TALES OF SHIZUYAMA ~~[/center] [hider=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..." [/hider] [hider=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." [/hider] [hider=The Other Side Of Honor] A peasant man eating barbecued meat on a stick was startled when the taskforce member approached. It appeared he has news. "Yokai! You have to tell Lord Takeshi, there is another samurai noble who survived Sanjo Beach. His name is Lord Tonchiki. He's in his abode southeast of here. If you go see him, I'm sure he would join your cause." "Err, maybe not. I guess you'll need Lord Takeshi himself to convince him." [/hider] [center]~~ LEGENDARY TALES ~~[/center] [hider=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 [/hider]