[center] "[color=aba000]Lord Serek, is that a... a Shoggoth? On the right flank of the beach.[/color]" "[color=steelblue]...[/color]" "[color=steelblue]So it would seem. And it looks like she has friends with her.[/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][h3]Sanjo Beach[/h3][/center] [center]~ [@Riffus Maximus], [@Rune_Alchemist], [@AzureKnight] (KIR & LAV) ~[/center] "[color=red]...Am I not Janus? And am I not going to the beach?[/color]" The recent dialogue had left the spellcaster confused as to who the monsters were talking about. Regardless, Janus joined [u]Stella[/u], [u]Nyla[/u], [u]Kirei[/u] and [u]Lavinia[/u] in the battle in the beach. The Varjans were distracted with the samurai horsemen still putting up a valiant stand that none of them saw, much less expected, an exploding bolt of darkness from [u]Lavinia[/u]. The surprise attack caught the attention of the immediate Varjans, who turned to look at the newcomers. Janus was amongst the group, and it seemed he was someone some of the Varjans recognize. "[color=00aeef]That's the old armor of the Scarce Legion.[/color]" One of the Varjan Warriors remarked. "[color=00aeef]A legionnaire fighting alongside monsters? You bring shame to your legion brothers here![/color]" "[color=red]I may be of the Scarce Legion...[/color]" Janus gauntlets began crackling with lightning. "[color=red]...but I am no longer their brother![/color]" The caster raised his arms to shoot thunder at the Varjan Warrior's position, exploding the sand. He shot more bolts at the Varjans, displaying his arcane might to the devastation of the invaders. Now the Varjans had something else to deal with other than the Shizuyaman defenders, but they still had numbers on their side. The closest samurai warrior was pretty near the taskforce's position, but they were too swamped by Varjans to notice the monsters coming to their aid. In order to get to them, the taskforce needed to deal with a line of Varjan Warriors blocking their path. Janus was already battling a portion of them while the rest stepped forth to challenge the rest. One of them seemed to be a champion of sorts, seeming more special than the rest. [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4d/fe/0c/4dfe0c65349960ac569b05ee50e08a96.jpg]His helmet was shaped like a bat's skull, with bat wings decorating it and the rest of his dark-blue armor had other bat motifs. The blade part of his glaive seemed as long as its shaft[/url], with a fresh samurai corpse impaled on it. "[color=slateblue]Didn't expect monsters here, I admit, but I'm afraid that whatever your plans are, they end here.[/color]" The champion then swung his spear with the dead samurai, hurling the corpse at the taskforce, before charging along with seven axe-and-shield-wielding Varjan Warriors. [hr] [center][h3]Sanjo Town[/h3][/center] [center]~ [@Xaltwind] (COCO & GWN), [@AzureKnight] (VRA) ~[/center] "[color=wheat]Janus is going to the beach, not the town! That's me, you twits! Now stop fooling around and let's help these poor sods live, at least, a day longer.[/color]" Sidonus deftly slid down the steep ground without any aid, expecting the monsters to follow with their own innate abilities. - 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 infernos amongst carnage. The invaders seem to have forgotten their original goal and instead busied themselves pillaging the town. Sidonus unsheathed his sword with one hand and armed his other with a javelin. He then surprised an incoming horseman with a throw from the spear, hitting the Varjan in the gut and sending him from his horse. "[color=wheat]Distract as much Varjans as you can to give the villagers time to escape. Go after those chasing people down.[/color]" Sidonus said to the taskforce. "[color=wheat]We'll meet each other here again in ten minutes or something.[/color]" A Varjan then emerged from the sliding door next to Sidonus, only for the latter to kick him back inside before following after him for the kill. They soon spotted a squad of four Varjan Brigands with swords chasing and cornering a villager 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.