[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/JBFPoQg.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/OJlRBpS.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/znoMHfa.png[/img][/center]
[center][h2][color=beige]Kirei[/color],  [color=firebrick]Vară[/color], & [color=lightskyblue]Lavinia[/color][/h2][/center]
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[h2][i]Sanjo Beach[/i][/h2][sub][@PaulHaynek] [@Rune_Alchemist] [@Xaltwind] [@Riffus Maximus][/sub][hr]

[b][u]Pre-Skirmish Fare
[/u][/b]

[color=firebrick]”I fail to see what being up at this Demon Lord-forsaken hour has to do with gaining recognition...”[/color] The noble continued to groan. As Kyouko made her explanation, Vară followed along with the others as the taskforce stood on the teleport conduit. While the demoness was no stranger to fighting, she was a bit nervous about being thrown into what amounted to be a full scale war. Lavinia and Kirei, however, were as cool as cucumbers. In fact, Lavinia in particular seemed to be getting impatient, as if she wanted to get on the island as soon as possible. 

[color=lightskyblue]”Teleportation, huh? Naturally, I've no issues with that method.”[/color] Lavinia said.

[color=firebrick]”Ive...never actually teleported before. Uhh...how does it work, exactly”[/color] Vară said. 

[color=beige]”What, seriously?”[/color] Kirei chimed in. [color=beige]”You're in one place, then there usually a flash of light, and afterwards 'poof', you're somewhere else.”[/color]

Vară looked at Kirei as he gave her an assuring pep talk. She reluctantly acknowledged his words with a gesture and awaited the next phase. 

[b][u]Arrival on Sanjo[/u][/b]

With a flash of light, the group would instantly find themselves in a forest clearing, and were greeted by a pair of armor-wearing humans. Vară was taken aback by the sweating man, who spoke as though he was completely out of breath. [color=firebrick]”Ehh...I was worried about the whole ordeal, but it seems that it's taken more out of you than me...”[/color] She said to the armored pair. 

[color=lightskyblue]”High level magic is often exhausting. You two gentlemen along with Lady Kyouko have my utmost respect for being able to teleport a whole group all the way here.”[/color] Lavinia said. 

Vară looked around and noticed the sky had darkened since they were at Otomo village. [color=firebrick]”Why is it suddenly dark? It was morning just a moment ago, wasn’t it?”[/color] She inquired. 

[color=lightskyblue]”Correct.”[/color] Said Lavinia, [color=lightskyblue]”To us maybe, however, time has moved differently for us than for the outside world. Sorcery can be quite complex.”[/color] 

[color=firebrick]”Ugh…Not sure I understand. But, if you say so…”[/color] Vară replied with an irritated expression. 

Kirei walked ahead of the group, stopping just in front of the pair of armored warriors. [color=beige]”I do believe that’s enough idle chatter, peeps.”[/color] He began. [color=beige]”I’m curious as to the situation on the beach. You said your names were Sidonus and Janus, yes? Lead the way.”[/color]

Following the knights, the taskforce was led to a cliffside that overlooked the port and the town. The native warriors have already built fortifications that lined the either beach, each being manned by numerous fighters. The bay, on the other hand, was completely littered in Varjan warships. The sight all but confirmed Kyouko’s worst fears: it seemed that an all-out siege was imminent. What made Kirei raise a brow was the sight of civilians walking around town as if nothing was going on. [color=beige][i]Weren’t these people told to evacuate?[/i][/color] He said to himself. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the large explosion that rocked the shoreline. It seemed the natives set a trap for the fleet, as a small bunch of their ships were blown apart by a surprise attack. That signaled the beginning of the conflict. 

The Varjan ships unloaded scores of Varjan soldiers, all armed to the brim. The sounds of the surrounding waters were drowned out by the charging and warcries of the incoming fleet of fighters. The Shizuyaman warriors rode out to meet their adversaries. However, it was clear that they were painfully outnumbered, and victory against their attackers was quite unlikely. To make matters worse, more ships sailed into the port. Unloading more soldiers, the Shizuyaman forces were stretched too thin to block off their advance, allowing some squads to head off in the direction of the town. That just wouldn’t do. 

Kirei looked at Nyla, who went off on her own down the cliff, desperate to locate and assist any member of the Oja clan she could hopefully find. [color=beige]”Her loyalty to her master is admirable, but it clouds her judgment.”[/color] Kirei said, shaking his head. He then turned to the rest of the team. 

[center][hider=The Battle Begins][Youtube]https://youtu.be/Cf7KoqzSN8E[/Youtube][/hider][/center]

[color=beige]”Alright, not much time for a briefing so I’ll make this quick. Vară, Coco, and Gwen, you lot go and assist Sidonus with protecting the townspeople. Stella, Lavinia, and myself will go after Nyla and assist Janus with this battle here on the beach. We locate any surviving member of the Oja clan and make their well-being a top priority! Clear? Good! Let's try not to die here, yeah?”[/color]

With that, Kirei began hopping down the cliff with grace and speed that seemed to defy what a human should be capable of. With his elegant moves, he appeared to be hopping off the air itself. He quickly caught up to Nyla, making sure to aid the shoggoth in case she was blindsided by any oncoming attacks. [color=beige]”My, my, you’re in quite the hurry. Let’s try to stick together, there’s safety in numbers after all.”[/color] He said to his eldritch ally. 

Vară barely had time to react to Kirei’s commands as the situation escalated, but she understood nonetheless. She was perfectly fine with helping the townspeople, as saving innocent humans was par for the course for any mamono. No, it certainly wasn’t because she was scared of getting caught up in a bloody battle between countless warriors and mainly wanted to help the townsfolk as a means of spreading her fame, certainly not… [color=firebrick]”Alright Janus, lead the way to the village and prepared to be amazed by my regal abilities!”[/color] She exclaimed, attempting to hide her nervousness. 

[color=lightskyblue]”Understood.”[/color] Lavinia said calmly, but solemnly. She vanished into a haze of darkness, only to reappear at the bottom of the cliff. She then held her staff as if it were a bow, as she did she channeled a similar dark energy from it. It condensed itself into the form of an arrow bolt, which she then promptly fired. The bolt sped past Nyla and Kirei, and hit a group of Varjans that lied ahead of the two. Shocked cries were heard as the group was felled by the sudden explosion of dark energy that assaulted them. Kirei quickly looked back at the source of the shot, smirking a bit. 

[color=beige]”Hey, not bad!”[/color] He said, complementing the witch-like mamono.