mantou

Target Earth! [A Monster Marathon]

Gou

---

The disciple had had no idea what Luna was talking about until he turned his head to look - face met by giant butterfly wings. Adding onto Luna's wonder, he hadn't known Yuri was able to do that as well. Yuheng pride swelled up in the disciple's chest as he looked in the butterfly's direction, then back at Luna, grinning widely at the compliment.

Soon, the vehicle began to move and Gou froze in an attempt to gauge what was happening. The thing sped up as Luna controlled it, he soon understood. The most unfamiliar territory turned into quite a pleasant experience for this student who always made it a point to run everywhere he went. It was definitely a change of pace - one he learned to enjoy in no time. With eyes closed, he leaned back and smiled, letting his hair flow freely in the wind. The breeze on his face and chest was no joke; he hoped the feeling would never end.

Luna's belongings were recovered as they approached rode. One down, one more to go.

Then, he took a moment to think of Luna's question before he answered.

"The Yuheng sect is built along the peaks of mountains very far from here. Compared to this place, there is much less metal and road. We don't use technology. All our food is grown, harvested, and hunted by ourselves. As disciples, we grow up without relying on our parents - only ourselves, and our mentors. It was a long and gruelling journey. But my favorite thing about it..."

Gou trailed off, feeling his body relax, "...would definitely be the wind. After sunset, you hear the wind create music in the summits. Without fail. Every night I sit on my roof to listen and meditate. Sometimes I fall asleep to it. I've never known anything that could bring more peace. When you ask me about my home, I think of that spot where I can hear the wind the best."

The scene brought out the man's crescent-eyed smile. Softly sighing, he glanced at Luna and Yuri, wanting to share that sense of peace and happiness with them. Perhaps this elder martial sister would enjoy the peace the mountains would bring - it seemed to be her style. Much like streaming water, he found her relaxed and in no rush, while still going wherever she felt like. An interesting martial disciple for sure. The train of thought had him wondering who had trained her, and what her own spirit animal would be like if she learned to transform.

As for Yuri, Gou wondered if he'd ever considered going back to meet his Master. Though he had never seen Yuri due to constant training and self-lecturing, thinking back, he knew exactly when it was he had decided to leave. There was once a day his Master came to teach him with an empty smile - the way he looked, Gou felt like even he had lost something dear to him. How would they react after meeting again?

None of this could happen yet, however. Gou felt that their mission was far from over. Plus, it was a shame it was too far, but was sure to invite them should they all be relieved of their duties at Coral City.

In time, the vehicle was turned off and the driver had already gotten out. The man was about to jump off himself, but remembered the green-winged butterfly on his shoulder. Carefully, he slid down the side-car and soon found his bag where he had left it. The man communicated with Yuri and asked to give him a moment to change. In no time, he was completely dressed. With hair securely tied in a ponytail and sword fastened with rope around his waist, he felt his confidence return.

While waiting for the next step, Gou leaned against one of the walls and let his mind wander.

Target Earth! [A Monster Marathon]

I'll have a post up after class today, probably to just have Gou quickly grab his bag and get back into the sidecar tho

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

---

Calven shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable as he watched Anise get ready to leave. Thankfully, Selena’s request to touch her horns brought her back. For several minutes, the feast went on as normal. Arm had decided to introduce himself to the group. Even though their earlier introduction proved to be quite awkward, he was sure they’d warm up to each other as time went on. Right after, Karya sparked up a topic of conversation that Cal would have loved to continue, before a loud BANG cut it short.

The scene that followed was a mess. A small sigh escaped him, followed by a thought that deemed the whole thing tiring and unnecessary. Earlier, he spent his time blushing like a young schoolgirl at all the different interactions. It was nice then. After all, they were here to eat well, get to know each other’s names, and get a good vibe going before classes began. And yet, this clown decided to pick on the easiest possible target? For what joy? he had no reasons to come up with. The boy clicked his tongue at the thoughtless course of action. Selena was hurt for practically no good reason!

Upon Finn, Karya, and Lorelei’s fierce intervention, it was clear that the brute did not think any of his plans through. Calven rolled his eyes. Bump into a helpless girl, then what? The guy was reprimanded right then and there, by sir Vermont no less, and now he had to deal with fighting Finn the next day.

"Good for him."

From the corner of his eye, he spotted Rodrick taking huge gulps of wine at a time, and stifled a laugh. There was a reason why many people encouraged mindful eating and drinking. With Rodrick behaving like a long blade of grass on a windy day, Calven started to understand why.

”The feast will be ending soon. I would suggest not staying up too late. Your first class will be at dawn, bring any equipment you have with you.”

Before he could do anything, Ixius had already got up to leave. The mage frowned in his direction and wondered where was planning on going, and if he could come along… but the tower of food still on Cal’s plate was not going to eat itself. Since matters were resolved and it was getting late, he started to carefully arrange the food into a neater, more organized tower. The boy was past the point of fullness, and he didn’t want to be left alone waiting for his food to digest, so he took the next leave. He stood up, plate in both hands, and turned to wish the group farewell.

”I’ll get going now too!” the boy placed the plate in the crook of his elbow, cradling it, and proceeded to give them a wave. ”I’ll look forward to meeting you guys as my classmates tomorrow. Adieu!”

On the way, he cycled between looking for Ixius, or calling it a day. The boy was eager, but he was not too horribly inconsiderate. At least he’d like to think so. With a newfound ability to think for his roommate, he returned in the direction they came from. The walk back was made easy thanks to Athena. Even their room door had the heart to welcome him in. Thankful about not having to struggle with the huge plate of food in his hands - it was clear Hoseforn’s convenience knew no bounds.

He hummed a made-up tune as he opened the windows to welcome the evening air. The melody was finished off with a light spin, before he greeted his dinner and finally sat down. Tonight was a good night. Many names were willingly shared that day, and he was eager to make use of them starting tomorrow. Not only that! In front of him, in that little tower of food, there was knowledge to be had. So, with every bite from each new dish, his hand busied itself and neat notes began to stack up the night went on. The student chef's day ended as he promptly remembered to finish all the food and get rid of the evidence before Ixius returned.

Sum up your week in roleplaying in just 3 words

Trying my best

Target Earth! [A Monster Marathon]

@ZAVAZggg I'm liking the story you've got going on. Its pretty interesting, and Edgar with his assistant is just great.

@WindsOfFate Sounds like a plan. I think the new monster should be coming up soon so there's still some time left!

DIVINE INTERVENTION

Yu

---

Both the priests took only a few minutes to finish off the remaining five creatures. This chase proved a couple of things to Yu: that the Korean priest was more than capable despite his first time in the state, and that Mother Ekaterine and Father Alistair had only gotten better since the last time they met. In the hands of a capable team, he allowed himself a moment to breathe and think of other things. The remaining ashes from the censer were packed into a small pouch - they would be useful. More than anything else, when the time came, he hoped to rely only on this little sack of powder. But whenever he wished for this, the outcome always ended in more blood and bodies to dispose of. He was completely familiar with the passage of death, but unfortunately, still struggled with hardening his heart.

After the smoke dispersed, he scrunched his nose as the scent of rust rode through the air. Why did demons and mortals’ blood have to smell the same?

A quiet sigh floated down from the car’s roof as the mansion soon came into view. The pastor followed suit as the four exited first. From the looks of the manor, it was well-kept and in pristine condition. The residence towered over them and seemed overly dressed, almost as if trying to compensate for something. And yet, even though he knew about the kind of humans that lived here, it was clear to him that he would not resonate well with this mission - by the grace of God or not. Immediately after, the pastor adjusted his collar and aligned himself. The thought was quickly dismissed.

Never mind, this was just another mission.

With this, Yu turned away and listened to the driver. The man's battered arm caught his attention, and Yu felt like he had woken up a second time. A force of habit had him reach for ointment but was soon told not to worry. Just what kind of experience shaped the strength of this man? In the past, his medical care was greeted with screams from even the most battle-hardened figures. With a glance and tinge of concern, the pastor gave the rest of the three a once-over for any sign of injuries. They seemed perfectly fine (save for being soaked in blood) and for that, Yu was glad.

At the doorknob’s unwillingness to be handled, Mother Ekaterine wasted no time in getting the door open with a swift kick. Upon heading inside the priest looked around from behind the group with his eyebrows knit together. Evidence of the owner’s tendency to overindulge was laid bare at every turn they took. Everything that littered the halls they walked through looked to be able to feed about twenty small villages, should monetary value be considered. Yu could not care any less for such superficial displays of importance, but it was truly such a waste in the end. A lot of things would be going to waste tonight, but it would be for the best.

"Priest Yu, you earlier you referred to me as Sunbae. Were you familiar with Korean terms?"

The priest in question was caught off-guard by Jin's attempt at idle chatter. Instead of simply nodding in response, he tried to return Jin's smile with a small one of his own.

“I learned while I was deployed in Korea that it is important to address your seniors in this way.”

During that time, he had caught wind of another charity worker. A Korean citizen who happened to be involved in the same line of work as him. It was rather strange, considering Christianity was not fully recognized in the region yet. After Yu left, the man's name stuck with him. There were a few times he found himself wondering about how that exorcist was doing. Who knew he'd turn up here? There must have been a good reason for him to attend to the Lord's work with no peers to turn to. Then again, he could also say the same for the rest of the group tonight.

"Please Father Yu, address me more casually... Jin is alright. We're all equal in the eyes of the Lord, after all."

Yu politely nodded in return; the sentiment easily understood. A kind man. At the end of their exchange, the four found themselves by the door. The group listened as the calm and gentle piano notes served to heighten the heaviness of the air. Backed by irony and a sense of foreboding, the contrast created an unsettling atmosphere. His body tensed in response to Jin’s question, as though urging him to answer in accordance to it. The pastor calmly rejected the impulse as his hand gripped the small bag of ash and moved closer to the door. Face solemn, he stood facing the group.

“...from this point on, should any of you get hurt, or need assistance, call for me immediately.”

The pastor hoped to himself that they wouldn’t need to resort to that. Slowly, he unfastened Jiuzai with one hand and readied the ash with the other.

Target Earth! [A Monster Marathon]

---

_{mentions:@Gentlemanvaultboy@WindsOfFate}

Gou

“Thank you, senior martial brother. But there is no need. This disciple will be responsible for his carelessness today.” he grinned at Yuri and wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to showcase his own form of accountability.

“Nice to meet ya, Gou. Yuri.” For a moment, the student wondered if Luna would be considered his senior martial sister; their elemental techniques were not too different, after all. With Yuri and him having trained in the same way for most of their lives, could it be that Luna could have simply had a different way of cultivation?

And just how is it possible for a person to have this much free time? That clearly meant she participated in the battle out of her own accord. A hint of inspiration surged in the disciple’s chest as he thought of retirement. Granted it was a long way away - but if he continued on training and gaining worldly experience, he was bound to surpass his elders and earn a name for himself. Perhaps even take a student or two in the future. Maybe even have a few followers build him a shrine. These were all the ideas that made him smile at no one in particular.

At the mention of snacks, his stomach rumbled violently, almost as if threatening to eat itself.

Within a second Gou found himself sitting on the hood of the little sidecar, leaving space for Yuri in the one-seater. A strange creation, he thought, much like the Sign master. How did Luna get her hands on such a thing?

It had been a long day, and the last time he’d eaten was just before he left Yuheng. The man was not unfamiliar with inedia, but the amount of energy used up today was enough to leave him dreaming of an entire bull to feast on by himself.

Gou shot an eager glance at Yuri, eyes curled into crescents.

”Senior disciple, Luna is offering her kindness. Let’s go quickly and eat.”

DIVINE INTERVENTION

Yu

---

Yu was shaken out of his attempt at sleep as a chorus of gunshots and howls sounded from both outside and inside the vehicle. The scene unfolded before him faster than he could comprehend but showed no signs of hesitation as he hurriedly began stuffing his censer. Meanwhile, the sound of Mother Ekaterine's voice rung enthusiastically through the air as the pastor finally caught sight of their assailants.

They were unimpressive at best. A look of indifference stayed plastered on his face, even still as bits of glass flew at him from his right. Looking past Father Alistair who blocked most of the shards, he leaned forward to see the window there had been furiously but carelessly rammed into - in which the second attempt proved that the creature was too lax in its endeavor. In mere seconds, the blonde priest made short work of the ugly thing and didn't look the least bit bothered as he disposed of the corpse.

A moment later, Jieru was successfully filled to the brim.

Suddenly, the car shook violently as a thud landed heavily on the car, nearly causing him to spill its contents. The pastor's eyes glanced up at the roof, expression unreadable. The addition of oil-infused resin were new ingredients he procured specially for its ability to slowly and painfully incinerate unholy beings from the inside. With this in mind, he was more than willing to test its potency before their mission really began. At the same time, the unmistakable sound of cracking bones resounded inside the car. Concern washed over his face - he looked to the front and realized the driver had been heavily injured, and the pastor thought for a good moment about how he had managed to keep his composure steady enough to drive...

Mother Ekaterine dominated the front seats extremely well, gun barrel steaming angrily, and her enthusiasm threatened to rub off on them. Would that be a bad thing? He silently approved of the underlying bloodlust this devout group of followers displayed. The strength granted to them by their Creator always proved to be insurmountable, and their driver was ultimately kept safe because of it. Blessed be.

A second later, the roof was soon torn through as the creature's hooved leg retracted itself back up to regain balance. It was through this man-sized opening that Yu was given the chance to finally meet eyes (or what was left of them) with this brave soul. Slowly, the pastor traced his hand along Jiuzai and inwardly dared the rider with his eyes - a gaze asking nicely for the creature to come closer.

In a moment of self-proclaimed triumph, the predator looked down at its prey, who sat helpless and unmoving. Saliva seeped from both its mouths as it grinned, its rider half inching closer to the hole. Soon its head was far past the boundary of the opening, and at this point, the pastor had grown impatient.

With a click of his tongue he sat forward again and jerked his hand upward, tossing half a vial's worth of liquid at the rider's face - resulting in a satisfying sizzle. A frantic withdrawal of its head ensued and suddenly found the pastor had come along with it. Standing halfway through the hole, this man of God proceeded to bury the sharp end of his weapon's hilt into the rider's eye crevice. Not a moment was wasted as he pulled it back out and gripped it properly.

Yu raised his whip with core and arm muscles taut and swiveled his body in the direction of the rotting one. Iron spokes flew through the air with enough momentum to wrap around it once, eagerly digging into its flesh. With a step back, the pastor used his entire upper body to retract the whip and release its victim, spinning it out of balance from the roof and never to be seen again.

At the edge of the roof's hole, the pastor sat up and glared at the demons still at their tail. With an exasperated sigh, he began lighting his censer.

"Your maker does not care the least bit about you lot and it shows." he clicked his tongue at them. "Useless things."

Holy smoke billowed from the top of the speeding car, effectively slowing down the monsters and decreasing their rate of erratic movements. Yu bent down slightly and spoke to the group.

"My Brothers, Mother - the power of our Lord wills them not to move forward any longer. Grant them mercy through your aim."

Target Earth! [A Monster Marathon]

---

_{mentions:@Searat@Gentlemanvaultboy@WindsOfFate}

Gou

The wolf's jaws were still clamped shut around the Sign monster's hand. It was a struggle to hold on, and in the middle of maintaining a vicious grip, he noticed Luna accelerating from behind. There was a sense of relief, but he continued to tense his jaw around the metallic hand. As the fight went on, he made sure to jerk the Sign master's body in different directions to effectively avoid giving it a chance to hit Luna and her vehicle.

The objective to hinder the Sign Master was going incredibly well thanks to the water elementalist's efforts. However things changed fast, and suddenly Luna was up in the air. In Gou's confusion, through clenched jaws, he let out a "hm?" which only came through as a light yowl. Things fell back into place when the lady landed right on the monster itself, making good use of the opportunity to... throw jabs at its helmet. Gou forcefully choked back a laugh at this sight, not forgetting to stay attached to that hand.

Ultimately both he and Luna knew that they'd need one last turn to bid this monster goodbye. However, they were seemingly speeding towards a white figure in front of them within moments. That person made it at the perfect time."Yuri!" His excitement caught him off guard. This last turn would go to Yuri, and he was ready for them to see this monster off.

Evidence of Yuri's magic started to take shape on Sign master's back, as though it had grown beautiful wings. Gou could feel the thing begin to slow down, and proceeded to bite down as hard as he could, trashing his side to side - he was close to tearing its hand off. He heard the mage chant his spell, signaling the Sign monster's inevitable end. A faint voice came through during his vicious effort to deal extra damage before Yuri could finish him off.

Let go!

Gou immediately loosened his jaw and let himself fall to the asphalt, skidding along the ground until his carpeted body rolled to a halt. He shook his head and looked up just in time to witness a complete barrage of spectacular lights shoot across the air and into the Sign monster's body, embedding themselves in its metal appendages. The wolf's eyes showed a glint of satisfaction watching as the arrow lights exploded consecutively, officially signaling an end to the Sign monster's assignment.

"It was a short life and I never achieved my purpose. But I won't let it be for nothing. I was looking forward to the construction job afterward..."

The water manipulator mused next to him, expressing her thanks. Gou nodded, acknowledging the well-earned respect. The beast lowered his head and tail in respect to the red beam of light that shot towards the sky, seemingly taking the remnants of their opponent with it. There was a sense of gratitude the creature left behind, and he inwardly thanked it for being his first task.

---

post-fight

A howl echoed from his throat on that road, hoarse and undulating. Within a minute, there now stood a man in the wolf's place. His long hair flowed to his waist, leisurely draped above the scabbard still roped across his chest. Thankfully, his loose robe pants were also still on, but that didn't stop Gou from shielding his body upon realizing he was still with Luna and Yuri.

Gou turned to face them, one arm still covering his upper torso. His ears were beet red, but his face was stern and held an air of confidence despite his lack of wear.

"The place I come from is far - as much as I'd like to head back, sticking around for a bit seems to be the better option." he responded with a grin, excitement evident on his face. At this point, he felt ready for anything... there was also the matter of the rest of his robes and satchel being left at the bubble site. "...and likewise, Elementalist. Your display of skill was impressive. Much unlike any natural magic I've seen before."

He properly turned to face her and the white-clad mage with a step. With a palm pressed firmly against his fist, he bowed in formal greeting. "My name is Gou, and this disciple hails from the Yuheng Sect." he cast a glance towards Yuri, trying to read his expression at the mention."It has been an honor to fight alongside you both. It is just a shame that sir... Robot Bear," Gou did his best to recall a name, any name, but failed. "...could not be here with us at the final stage." Gou reminisced for a moment the effort he put into helping an ally and couldn't help but feel immensely proud. Then he took a quick mental note to sharpen his blade later when time allowed.

Gou noticed Luna had been injured after her fall and decided to offer a token of his gratitude. He held up a palm in her direction and did the same for Yuri.

"Please, allow me."

He ignored the fact that Yuri stood there in a fresh and clean state, no evidence of a fight on him whatsoever. As much as Gou was shaken by this man's claims from earlier, there was absolutely no doubt in him that this mage's skills were insurmountable at least. This mage was so incredibly strong that he came out of this fight unscathed. The disciple looked at his own scarred body and pursed his lips in distaste. There is a lot left to work on... Gou proceeded to stand still and channeled the spiritual energy through his chest. It flowed seamlessly through his arms, then out through his palms.

The healing vigor glowed a light-greenish teal and floated through the wind with a purpose, swirling around both Luna and Yuri in an attempt to (hopefully) heal all minor injuries. During this process, only one question remained in Gou's mind:

"...just where on earth did that mech go??"

Target Earth! [A Monster Marathon]

@Gentlemanvaultboy Working on a post rn! is Luna planning on heading off somewhere after Yuri and Gou introduce themselves?