[center][h2][color=D34C25]Primrose[/color], [color=BC8DBF]Therion[/color], [color=gray]&[/color] [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]Pit[/color][/h2]
[color=D34C25][u]Level[/u]: [b]11[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 273/110[/color] [color=2e2c2c]------[/color] [color=BC8DBF][u]Level[/u]: [b]10[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 331/100[/color]
[color=gray]𝙱𝙿[/color] [color=gold]●[/color][color=gray]●●●●[/color] [color=2e2c2c]----------------------------[/color] [color=gray]𝙱𝙿[/color] [color=gold]●[/color][color=gray]●●●●[/color]
[color=lightgoldenrodyellow][u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 256/80[/color]
[sub][i]Wednesday Morning[/i][/sub]
Word Count: 1992 (+3 exp)
[b]Location[/b]: Fields of Gold, the Forbidden Kingdom[/center]
Besides the troublesome but ultimately harmless antics of the Koopa siblings on the road, the ride towards Esaka was a fairly pleasant one. Primrose could even relax a little next to Malon on the wagon's seat, enjoying the warm sun and slight breeze while taking in more of the landscape. It was mostly the same deep yellow crop lands, though the small settlements they passed here and there broke up the solid colors. With as many people as they had walking together with the wagon and its cargo, it was almost like they were armed escorts for a milk merchant that took their business a little too seriously... but if there were any bandits out in the fields thinking that maybe they were transporting something other than milk, they knew better than to challenge such a group.

Primrose glanced down at Sakura when she'd asked about dancing, even if the tone of the girl's voice made it sound like it wasn't a serious question. The dancer herself gave Sakura a small smile before settling back into her seat. [color=D34C25]"Of course you could,"[/color] she answered, [color=D34C25]"for you, I don't think it would be any trouble at all to learn."[/color]

Sure Primrose could try and teach her, but in this world? Learning a skill like the empowering dances Primrose employed would be as simple as absorbing the spirit of someone that could already do it. 

Her response to Sakura was much friendlier than it had been to Harry earlier, when just before they'd gotten the milkmaid back on the road the man had laid his hand on her shoulder. She hadn't expected it from anyone, let alone some who was basically a complete stranger, and though he might have considered it a kind gesture she didn't forgive any ignorance on his part. She had fixed him with such an icy stare that those watching might question whether they were actually on the White Team instead of the Gold. 

[color=D34C25]"Don't touch me again,"[/color] she'd told him, a flash of her teeth promising that he really wouldn't want to try testing her. 

Otherwise the trek onward to their destination was a calm one for once, so it was no shock when as they got nearer there was a commotion on the path ahead of them. Once they were close enough some of the Seekers wasted no time at all going to check things out, which also did not come as a surprise. 

"Oh dear..." Malon murmured, though she was less fearful and more anxious, as though she was familiar with what was going on. To Primrose that was a good sign - at least they weren't dealing with something totally unexpected.

With the majority of the Seekers now going to investigate, Primrose gracefully slipped out of her seat in the front of the wagon and rounded the back of it to go see what was going on for herself. She saw that Therion had taken the spot that Amaterasu had vacated earlier, after apparently having already seen what the state of the small town's center. He reclined on the cart with his tail curling up and down to lightly thump the wood every now and then, not quite lounging but not appearing on alert either. And he filled Primrose in before she even asked. 

[color=BC8DBF]"Bunch of monsters making trouble,"[/color] he said flippantly. It was clear he wasn't interested in the scuffle going on in the slightest, so rather than join in he'd returned to the road. [color=BC8DBF]"No clue what they're yelling about, but I'm sure they'll be shut up soon."[/color]

Primrose didn't doubt that, since there was no question that the Seekers would put a stop to such nuisances. Still, she continued into the town proper to find various battles already in progress. She also found that when Therion said he didn't know what the monsters were yelling about, he had meant literally - it half sounded like gibberish to the dancer's ears too.

[color=D34C25]"...well then,"[/color] she sighed to herself. On the peripheral of the town square she did a little performance, not anywhere close to as flashy as she normally would dance. Once she was finished with the bold but short steps she smoothly transitioned out of her final pose as her magic took effect on the rest of the Seekers. The mole dance, boosting their defense so that even a lucky hit from one of the yokai wouldn't hurt them too much before their arrival to Esaka. 

She left her allies to it, waltzing back down the road she'd come from. She didn't wait around to see the results of her dance, as she knew it would work. Even the yokai could tell that their opponents had toughened up all of a sudden.

[i]"Grragh! More! Cheating!"[/i] the massive centipede spirit grunted as it stomped forward and slammed its chitinous head down, pulled it back up, and slammed it down again thrice, trying to squash the little angel it was currently embattled with. First the healing, now a stat increase? It wasn't only annoying, it just wasn't right!

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"It's not cheating! It's called teamwork, bug brain!"[/color] Pit replied, easily hopping backward to avoid each impact and retaliating with a stroke of one of his twin blades across the yokai's exoskeleton as he did. 

[i]"Disgusting. A pure one-v-one is the only real way to fight!"[/i]

Pit had arrived in the town only a little before the others, and having learned much the same as everyone else -that the yokai's pitching a fit wasn't uncommon and would blow over soon enough- he'd originally opted just to keep an eye on the situation while he waited for the rest of the group to catch up. The little spirit monsters fighting amongst themselves was kind of funny, though the big ones might eventually pose a problem. Of course once the other Seekers did arrive and promptly got themselves involved, Pit wasn't about to let them go at it without jumping in himself.

The centipede guai had burst out into mean spirited laughter when its apparent rival the Ippon-Datara was thrown backward by Big Band. It threw out a slew of demeaning remarks at its fellow yokai and went to pick up pieces of the cat it had smashed to really add injury to insult, only to find a winged boy blocking its path and declaring something along the lines of their temper tantrum being put to an end. 

How insulting! And yet, for Pit, being left with the biggest and nastiest looking enemy was just perfect. 

After its head slams the centipede swiped a long, sharp arm at Pit, though the angel narrowly avoiding its claws once more. Pit felt one his heels tap against something, glancing quickly over his shoulder to find some kind of stall abandoned by the villager manning it as the yokai advanced. Wanting to prevent more of the town from being damaged, Pit leapt up and directly towards the centipede. He let his weapon de-materialize for a moment as he grabbed its antennae in either hand and continued sailing over it. With strength that didn't seem to fit his small form, Pit yanked the centipede back as he fell on the other side of it. It hissed in surprise and annoyance as it was pulled off balance, and when he landed after releasing the insect yokai Pit brought his bow back to bear.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Haha-"[/color] he started, spinning to take advantage of the opening he'd thought he'd made, but the centipede made no move to try and right itself. Instead it flexed and fell all the harder, aiming to crush the angel with a heavy back slam. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"-waah!"[/color]

A quick swap into the Guardian Orbitars shielded Pit from the impact. The centipede curled up and sprang onto its feet once more, snarling about [i]"cheap gimmicks!"[/i] as its opponent darted right for it. Pit, bow back in his hands, slashed the bladed weapon across the yokai's front. He sheared the weaker legs from its segmented body as it twisted this way and that to block. Every cut it suffered seemed to incense the monster more, and eventually it just lashed out with both claws at once. Pit parried one easily, the other took hold of the angel and lifted him into the air. With an angry shout the centipede guai turned and hurled Pit away from it - only for the boy's wings to snap out and stop his airborne movement with one strong wing beat. With another he was back in the yokai's face with a cross slash, made all the stronger by way of Pit still being in the air. The centipede reeled back as Pit flipped to land on his feet, giving the yokai a cheeky grin before he kicked off for another go at the thing. 

They clashed, and it soon became obvious that the angel had the upper hand. He was nimble, but if he did get struck it never resulted in a down. The centipede was quick with its attacks but slow on its defense, having relied on its natural bulk and armored backside - so when faced with an actual warrior its chances of winning were growing slimmer and slimmer by the second. 

The centipede curled up into a ball suddenly, rolling backwards away from Pit as the latest swipe of the latter's sword glanced against the chitin. Instead of standing back up the centipede spun in place for a moment, a motion very familiar to Pit. It was revving up, and sure enough it sped towards him as a ball of destruction. 

Since he saw it coming, Pit easily leapt out of harm's way. The centipede barreled past him, and Pit didn't realize his mistake until it failed to turn in the relatively small space. The yokai crashed into the post of a building and snapped the wood in half. Though the whole thing trembled it remained standing for now, but further damage might cause to to collapse. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Hey!"[/color] Pit called after it, wide-eyed, running towards the centipede to head it off before it could roll again. He wasn't fast enough - it zoomed back out at him, and this time when it missed it purposefully curved towards another shack on stills, more or less forcing Pit to leap into the way instead of out. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Come on! Now who's cheating?!"[/color]

Pit snapped the bow apart and caught the centipede ball with his two blades crossed, holding it back as it spun and pushed against him. Dirt flew up, but neither combatant budged. After a certain point the centipede uncurled and lurched forward, snapping its claws on the angel's swords. Its mandibles began to wiggle and foam, a greenish gas beginning to leak out from it. It stunk of something toxic, making Pit wrinkle his nose. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"And using gimmicks!"[/color]

He twisted his wrists, spinning the blades and breaking out of the centipede's grip. With a flick the hilts were back in his hands and he raised his arms up high, slamming his fists together and bringing the pommel of both swords down onto the yokai's head. [i]"Ghhk-!"[/i] 

It was temporarily dazed, its poison petering out before the cloud could spread. Pit's boot came up in a kick to the underside of the yokai's jaw, snapping its head back. He followed up with the bow blades, a cutting combo to the vulnerable parts of the centipede's thorax. He kept up with his attacks, wearing the centipede guai down with a flurry of slashes. It was over with a powerful horizontal double cut, one from the left and one from the right. The centipede staggered backward a few steps and then flopped over, twitching and fading into unconsciousness. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"There! How's that for mid tier?"[/color] Pit said after a breath, dismissing his bow and dusting off his hands. 

Another town protected, even if was just from some minor threats. It wasn't the most inconspicuous thing they could've done, but at least interesting first look into Esaka's yokai.