Standard Mission: Oni May Cry

Komori trudged down the halls outside the Council chambers, brow furrowed. Maybe he was too close to this batch, but he still didn't like that Malak had drawn them in for such a test. They came out all right, yes, but it had been risky.

Well, not all of them.

Bastion had withdrawn more than ever, focused on whatever self-appointed mission he had and listening to little else but the angel whispering in his ear. He'd have gone over and given him a lecture, even if it wouldn't do much good, but he didn't think the other Vanguard was even around right now.

He stopped short, sighing and rubbing his forehead. And on top of everything, those whispers about the Gaeans-

A blueish-white shape streaked through the window, whipping through the air before dropping to the air in front of him. The demon, a kudagitsune by the look of it, gaze up at him, its eyes distraught and its mouth open in a pant.

Even so, Komori rested a hand on the hilt of his sword as he stepped forward and knelt near the demon. "If you're friend, what's your name? And what business do you have in Chaldea?"

"Kuda," it whispered. "She.. calls me. She sent me. The Messians... under attack."

"What?" Komori straightened up. "By who? The Gaians?"

The demon nodded feebly. "Need... Vayu. Samael. Zephyr. She said... they'd help." With that, he lost consciousness.

"Ose."

The demon stepped from the shadows, glancing at Kuda before bringing his sharp eyes to rest on Komori.

"Grab those three. Quickly. I've got to report now," Komori said.

Ose nodded and took off in a blur as Komori scooped up Kuda and marched off the way he'd come.

Zephyr Arc

Zephyr put on his heat and fastened his weapons into place. Tying up his long hair, he grabbed his spear last and headed out the door, Cherry naturally taking her place on his shoulder as he did. Ose had come to look for him personally. It seemed he had been specifically requested for a mission involving the messians, though the details were sparse at best.

Ok the bright side, he was much stronger after that last escapade on the mountain, and he was much more confident in his defense as well after the forging that followed. He also held strange feelings about the forging process itself since the entire ordeal, but he'd find time to work through them when there wasn't a crisis looming over them.

Nodding to himself, perhaps to reassure himself more than anything, he set off to the meeting point. It seemed Komori would be directing them befor they left this time around. A rare but welcome debriefing before they get to the meat of the issue.

- Vayu -

Vayu stood in the communal kitchen in the barracks, with his arms crossed. “Look, you’ll just have to get used to each other,” he declared and turned his attention back to chopping some more vegetables. He was addressing his two demons who weren’t getting along as well as he had hoped.

Maybe it was because they could actually be in the same space now. Or maybe it was just that they didn’t like each other. Or maybe they were just sick of each other by now because Vayu had kept them out for quite some time to measure the maga usage of supporting two demons.

Catequil rolled his eyes. “You know, you could just summon one of us at a time,” his voice resonated in Vayu’s head. Vayu gave him a stern look. “And you could at least try to be polite,” he thought back and motioned with his head towards the Tengu demon who was looking somewhat out of place in the kitchen.

Before they could continue this discussion with actual words, both Catequil and Tengu stiffend and when Vayu looked up, Ose had entered. That was unusual and probably meant he was getting to enjoy his dinner in peace.

“Let’s go,” he said to Ose and the two demons disappeared into his gauntlet. Vayu grabbed his bag and the sleeping demon boar piglet Lavender.

“Can you take care of her while I’m gone?” he asked once Ose had lead him to a room and dropped the piglet in Ose’s arms before he left. When the door closed he turned around to see that Zephyr had already arrived

Ose narrowed his eyes at Vayu's request and raised his arms to grab the young Vanguard, perhaps instill a little more respect and fear. He might serve alongside the Vanguards, but that didn't mean he wasn't still-

His arms buckled under the weight of the piglet dropped unceremoniously into them, and before he could protest, Vayu had disappeared inside the meeting room. It would serve the whelp right if he ate his pet just to teach him a lesson. He glanced down, baring his teeth in a growl at the piglet, but it only gazed up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

After a moment, he sighed and trudged away with the little demon under one arm. He'd have to stash it somewhere before finding Samael - Monett, whatever they went by now - lest someone see him walking around with something so... cute.

-------------------------

Inside the meeting room, a familiar demon lay circled atop one of the chairs, gesturing with a paw and interjecting as Komori sketched out some drawings on the large board at the back. He looked around as the two Vanguards entered and nodded solemnly to them.

"Good, that was fast. Let's get started." He gestured to the demon. "I understand you're already acquainted?"

Kuda nodded to them.

"Kuda here came with an urgent message from one of the Messians in the temple near here. Apparently, they're under siege, and it doesn't look good." Komori's expression darkened. "The Gaians are making a bold move, sending a whole army down on the place. I don't want to think about the larger implications of that are..."

"Komori..." Kuda prodded.

"Right." Komori shook the thought away. "From what Kuda's gauged, it's far too many for a few Vanguards to handle alone, but it takes time to muster a force that large. In the meantime, we're going to send the three of you in - Vayu, Zephyr, and Sam- Monett, that is - to do an extraction. With Monett's abilities and Kuda's guidance, you should be able to sneak in and start evacuating Messians. If the worst happens, and the Gaians force their way in before our forces can arrive..." He sighed. "Well, at least we can save as many lives as possible."

Kuda rose up off the chair and nodded. "We should go now. No time to lose. You have all I can give you."

Komori nodded and rapped his knuckles against the board. "Yes, thank you. This should be a big help. Now, any questions? If not, get moving." He hesitated. "And... be careful."

Monett

"Are you here for another training session with Goki?" Monett stated running her hand through her long blonde hair, as stood in the hall of learning with a large what appeared to be a banquet hall sitting in the background with the ground covered in water everywhere.

A giant king frost stood in the background making demands at Goki and Tulip and muttered something about a demon boar with the brain of a piglet, as Goki seemingly was following them cleaning up the mess with Tulip sitting in the hair her legs curled up next to her as she seemingly refused to touch the water below her while rolling her eyes at King Frost.

"Ose!" Goki called out as he ran over to the demon his weapon outstretched, as he continued to say "Are we still good for the training session!  Though, it seems like Sam... Monett is leaving me behind with all he's... I mean she's been doing."

"Is something wrong?  You look a bit grim." Monett commented.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"We should hurry up, we can talk along the way.  The messians have helped us a great deal in our previous missions and I want to return the favor." Monett commented, as she glanced among the others still seemingly quite nervous.

She thought for a few seconds thinking about the situation they were in and the questions she could ask.  As she recalled Kagetora was also apart of the ring of Gaea and while she could be combative in talk, she couldn't picture her actually attacking anyone like that.

"I haven't had too much interactions with the ring of Gaea.  Kagetora and Ryoko, I haven't heard much of Ryoko after that encounter on the bridge besides stories from the others and the other well..." Monett commented cutting off near the end.

- Monett -

Ose took in the spectacle surrounding Monett - from the pompous King Frost to the prissy Mandrake to Goki, trotting eagerly toward him - and sighed.

Demons these days…

“Yes, we’ll train,” he promised the oni. “You can’t afford to skip any days. But first-“

He placed Vayu’s piglet in the oni’s arms before turning to Monett.

“A mission. A very time-sensitive one,” he said. “Come on. No dilly-dallying.”

As she headed out, he paused and glanced back at the oni, still clutching the softly snorting piglet as it nosed at his face.

“I’ll be back. Just… watch that in the meantime,” he said.

———————————————

- Everyone -

Kuda sniffed at Monett’s words. “Oh yes, you have the Kagetora types in the Ring of Gaea. Usually humans with lofty notions about mankind’s unbridled potential. Some of the demons, too, seem to buy into it, too.” His eyes narrowed. “But there’s plenty of demons in the Ring of Gaea who have less ‘noble views.’ Oni just like whatever side will let them swing their clubs.”

They sped along the corridor, heading toward the gate to retrieve mounts for the Vanguards. As soon as they’d mounted and taken off, Kuda settled on top of the head of Monet’s horse, staring out over the plains ahead.

“The Ring of Gaea is just a front, anyway. The Harlot’s ‘salespitch’ squad to get people on her side. People like Kagetora buy it, but they don’t know the real power behind the Ring. You saw that firsthand with that floating hairball. The Harlot and those in her inner circle… they don’t care about the Gaeans. They’re just tools.”

He fell silent, fur bristling as he watched the path ahead, his thoughts on Erice.

———————————————

The Messian Mountains

- Erice -

The smell of smoke drifted in through the windows as Erice stared out, searching for any signs of Kuda. Of the Chaldeans.

“The gates won’t hold much longer,” a Messian monk announced. “We need everyone down if we want to give the unarmed a chance to get away.”

Erice bit her lip and turned from the window, groping for her spear. They wouldn’t make it in time. A sinking feeling in her stomach nearly brought her up short, but she gripped her spear tighter and followed after the monk. Whatever happened… hopefully, it would accomplish some good.

- Vayu -

Vayu actually had plenty of questions when suddenly Kuda and Komori displayed a sign of urgency in getting them going without actually revealing any useful or strategic information.

Sneak into a stronghold that being attacked? And then evacuate people, but not all, only the „important“ ones? He would be a fool if this didn’t ring any alarm bells in his head. This didn’t sound like there was a backup plan. And what happen if the force of Vanguards that was being called in didn’t arrive in time?

However, he stayed quiet and followed Kuda and the others out of the room.

They quickly mounted their horses and took off.

„So what do they care about?“ he asked Kuda when he fell silent after revealing that The Harlot didn’t seem to care about the Gaeans.

--------------------

Hall of Learning

- Lavender -

The little piglet had just settled into Ose’s arms when it was unceremoniously dropped into Goki’s arms. Upset about the interruption of her nap, she squirmed out of his arms with a loud protesting squeak until she was on the ground.

Sniffing around on the ground, she picked up some sort of trail and quicker than they could see, she took off towards the book shelves.

Zephyr Arc

Monett arrived last, and Kuda quickly gave a short and hurried explanation as the group was shuffled out. The urgency made it clear they were racing against time; the Messians were under siege, and they barely even had time to evacuate at least a few people before the place would likely be overrun.

Great, Zephyr though. Just what he needed after the last ordeal. The tension in the air was thick enough he wagered he could cut it with a knife if he tried hard enough, as a dead silence overtook the group as they hurried along on the prepared mounts. Only the quiet whispers between Vayu and Kuda, and the clops of their mounts could be heard as they rode a desperate charge.

The Messian Monastery

- Everyone -

What did she care about?

It seemed for a few moments like Kuda wouldn’t answer. But, finally, he growled low.

“Corrupting. Defiling. Fill that Cup of Iniquity she holds to overflowing and letting it consume the world. Humans, demons… they’re nothing but fuel for her.”

The words hung heavily over the group as they made their way into the mountains. When they’d reached the point where the altitude shifted, and the air thinned out, Kuda finally spoke up again.

“The Messians have a passage into the mountains for escape, but the mountain itself isn’t clear of demons - not Gaeans, but just things that don’t care to have their slumber disturbed. If they send off the women and children alone through there, they likely won’t make it out alive. But if they spare any forces from their defenses, they’ll be overrun before an evacuation could complete. They’re trapped either way, and it’s a matter of time.”

“Is that how we’ll get in? Sneak in through the mountains?” Vayu asked.

Kuda shook his head. “Take too long. I’ll have to fly you in.” He cast a wry look in Zephyr’s direction. “Assuming you don’t want to pole-vault in yourself. Obviously, the horses will have to stay behind.”

“Not if I use Shift,” Zephyr offered. “Should make things easier. And faster.”

As the sounds of battle drew in closer, they pulled aside and tied up the horses safely in a crevasse, where they should go unnoticed. On foot, they scaled in closer, peering out over the cliff they’d scaled to see a hoard of oni battering at the gates to a stately monastery carved into the rock of the mountain, large and imposing. An ominous crack issued from the gate at the latest battering.

“Not much time.” Kuda bristled. “Are you ready?”

Monett cast her camouflaging spells over them, and after Zephyr had cast Shift to shrink them all, Kuda allowed them onto his back before sailing over to deposit them through one of the high windows overlooking the horde below.

Once finally inside, the spell wore off, and as a group of Messians shuffled through the room in haste, they cried out in alarm at the sight of the intruders.

“Gaeans!” They brandished their staves and pointed them at the Vanguards, ready to do battle.

———————————————

- Ryoko -

She still sat.

Since the assault had begun, she hadn’t budged from her perch on the rock crag facing the temple, her expression unreadable beneath her mask.

The oni stirred restlessly, exchanging glances between her and each other. She’d been supposed to be leading them, but instead, she’d left them directionless. Of course, the more aggressive and unmanageable had already left to assault the temple at once, but her more loyal reserves still waited for her explicit orders - for some sign from their leader.

Yet, for their loyalty, even their limits became tested. More and more, they began to mutter and drift further away, waiting to see if she’d stop them.

She didn’t.

“Great Ryoko…” A less oni trembled as it approached, knees knocking together. “Your orders… the Great Mother said you’d-“

Ryoko turned her head abruptly, and the oni tumbled back to the ground in alarm. “If she wants it done, she can show up herself and bark orders.”

The little oni’s eyes widened, and he glanced around hastily. “B-but…”

Ryoko’s grip tightened on the handle of her hatchet. She’d promised, the miserable hag. Promised to unlock her potential so she could finally become a true oni. And yet, here she was, still carrying out her dirty work and attending her errands. The thought boiled her stomach.

Humans. Regular, dirty, useless humans - the Harlot had transformed them into demons with her Cup of Iniquity. And yet, here she stood, still waiting for her prize. How long would she be strung along? How long did she have to wait for what was rightfully hers?

“You want orders?” She turned on the oni and flung her hatchet. It buried itself into the dirt by his head, sending him scurrying off with a screech. “Get lost! Burn the temple to the ground, or piss off back to the Harlot. I don’t care either way.”

The oni, muttering mutinously, trudged off down toward the temple as she turned away on her perch. Let them grumble. She’d get their respect back and more once she finally became a proper oni, became who she was born to be.

Her eyes caught movement from below, and she straightened up at the sight of a familiar face. The Vanguard from Mithras’ palace… so, he’d been sent off here, had he? Something was different about him, though…

They vanished from sight, some kind of cloaking spell, no doubt to slip into the monastery unnoticed.

Well, well. Finally, something to bring her to her feet.

Hall of Learning

- Ose -

Ose returned to the Hall of Learning to find Goki shuffling in and out of bookshelves, scratching at his head, while squealing issued from somewhere among the books. Hard to tell if it was the piglet, Thoth, or perhaps both.

“The training will have to wait.” He raised an eyebrow. “Though I suppose you have enough on your hands right now. Komori plans to join the battle against the oni, so I must be there to protect him.”

He hesitated, considering the oni. Training was one thing, but nothing improved one’s skills like real combat. But oni against oni… would Goki be able to handle that.

Ose hummed low in his throat, arms folded, and let the question go unasked.

Monstery

Monett carefully listened to Kuda's explanation with her face scowling at bit at the mention of being flown in. In theory, she could cloak them with transform, however transform in a way is like a smokescreen. She would either need an individual cast for each person, or she would have to mimic the background something someone might pick up on.

"Shift helps Zeyphr, but my abilities project images. If we're moving fast, someone might notice the distortion when I try to mimic our changing surroundings. It's not an invisibility spell." Monett commented worriedly, but they didn't have time to argue as she channeled maga in her arms and did her best to mimic the sky around them as they whisked through the air.

"Wait wait." Monett called holding up her vanguard gauntlet front and center as she pointed to the device trying to calm down the messians, as she continued to say "Erice called us here, we're vanguards. We're not here to fight."

Monett quickly conjured an illusion of Erice as she showed various scenes of them interacting to quickly tell the tale of their arrival to the Messians.

"Please give us an update on how things are going, again we're here to help." Monett commented with an attempt at a reassuring smile, as it gave off more of a nervous and stiff look.... She wasn't used to this genuine smile thing.

---

Goki

"I saw Sam... Monett's gauntlet. Ryoko right? Maybe I can help? Blend in" Goki commented all excited like, as his face grew worried as he remembered his dealings with Ryoko and how she almost killed him for being weak.

Tulip's face scowled, as she jumped from the banquet chair and over the strange liquid landing barely over the germ trap. She quickly glanced down at her feet seeing her stem barely touching the liquid as an intense shiver traveled through her entire body.

"Please, without Monett to manage you any high end mission will end with you end. Your only saving grace is that one spell that makes you more evasive if someone's stronger." Tulip commented raising her arms out in a position indicating the hopelessness of the situation.

King frost waddled over in tow. A frozen ice drop traveling down his snow cheek as he glanced between the two demons, his chest still puffed out like he was above the two of them. Tulip simply giving a light scoff at his presence.

"So what you're saying is he would be a great diversion!" King frost called out with a booming voice, "As a great king myself, my tactics are master class! A diversion can sometimes shift the battle in someone's favor!"

Goki seemed to ponder the king's words genuinely for a second, as tulip shifted over to try and meet his eyes that were narrow and glaring at the oni. He rose his head and looked at Ose with a determined look that beyond that which he had shown before.

"Monett grew because of missions I want to grow too! If there's no risk then I'll be stuck like this!" Goki called out as Tulip let out a loud gasp, her petals turning a dark shade of red in turn with the surprise in her voice.

"Well if you're going then I'm at least going too, I'm not going to let you die like an idiot!" Tulip shouted pressing her stem of an arm on the oni's chest.

The Messian Monastery

- Vayu -

Vayu gave his horse one last pet once they’d stashed them away where they would hopefully find them again.

He listened to Kuda explaining the plan. “Let me just point out that we’re now going in there without an exit plan,” he said, seeing his expression mirrored in Monet’s face. “I want to hear no complains if we’re trapped in there just like the Messians with no way or plan to evacuate them.”

It was a weird sensation to be flown through the air while being so small and if he was honest, not one he needed to make again. Glad when the spell wore off, their arrival didn’t stay unnoticed for long as a group of Messians crossed their way. They rightfully panicked.

Monet took it upon herself to conjure up some images to show their friendship with Erice, though Vayu wasn’t sure that would help calm them down.

“Let them panic,” he said. “If they’re not smart enough to recognize the official Chaldea Vanguard crest, they don’t deserve to be rescued.” He crossed his arm, the gauntlet on top clearly showing the crest.

The Messian Monastery

- Everyone -

The Messians scowled at Vayu’s reply, but they relaxed their weapons and nodded at Monett.

“Sorry, we heard she sent for the Vanguards anyway, but we didn’t actually expect…”

A loud crack and a chorus of shouts from somewhere below cut off the man’s words, and the two stiffened once more.

“It’s two late. They’ve broken in,” the younger of the two said, his spear trembling.

“Get it together,” Kuda snapped. “Quick, show these Vanguards the mountain passage. They’ll escort the women and children through. Then we can start pulling the men once they’re clear.”

The younger nodded and waved for the Vanguards to follow him.

“Where Erice?” Kuda demanded of the other guard.

“She…” He dropped his eyes as more echoes traveled up from the gates.

Kuda muttered a curse and rushed off toward the gates without another word.

“This way,” the younger Messian repeated, gesturing for them to follow.

[A: Stick to the plan
B: Leave the evacuation to the Messians and help defend the gate instead.]

—————————————————————————

- Erice -

The screams of Messians and the terrible bellow of oni echoes all around her as Erice swung her spear, desperately trying to fend off the demons surging around her. A quick cartwheel gave her some momentary breathing room, and a deft slice with her spear to the back on one greater oni’s leg brought him crushing down on some lesser oni who failed to scamper away in time.

A group of Messians, seeing an opening, rushed for the door with boards in hand to try to reinforce it when a powerful blow caved it in completely, scattering them. A small, rather delicate oni waltzed through, one hatchet resting on her shoulder while the other carved a gash across the floor as it dragged behind her. Her eyes seemed to fixate on Erice, her head tilting as the young Messian dodged the swing of a club from another greater oni and skewered it through the heart.

“You might make for a decent warmup,” the Gaean mused, spinning her hatchets. “Unless you’d like to just tell me where the Vanguards are.”

The Vanguards? They’d made it? Erice brightened at the thought, but it only lasted a moment as a powerful demonic aura began to leak off the other woman.

If the Vanguards were here… they’d better hurry.

Zephyr Arc - Messian Monastery

With the use of his Shift and Sam- Monett's illusion guarding them, the Vanguard quickly made their way into the besieged Monastery. Inside, they found a group of understandably agitated Messians who seemed poised to attack immediately, until Monett managed to calm them down and introduce the group.

While Vayu voiced the concern they all doubtlessly carried since this harried rescue mission began, Zephyr hung back in thought. Some things now made sense, the reason they'd been called in for a quick extraction of an 'important' group... meant the non-combatants among them, the women and children. It seemed the Messians wished to protect the powerless at the bare minimum.

Zephyr was rudely pulled from his thoughts by a disturbing crack, followed by a disharmonious cacophony of shouts. It seemed a clean getaway wasn't in the cards...

Hefting his spear, Zephyr came to a quick conclusion, "Vayu, ...Monett? I doubt we can pull everyone away safely with the enemy on our tail. I'll reinforce the defence. Please get the civilians out as quickly as possible. I'll try to hold them off until you can come grab the rest of us."

He spoke clearly and calmly, though it seemed he wasn't quite used to "Monett" just yet. It was also clear he wasn't in over his head thinking he could sweep the enemy by himself either. He only considered holding off the tide until a safe extraction could be concerned. Following that, he would do his best to get out safely as well. Hopefully his cohorts would be able to double back and save a few of the Messian combatants in the meantime as well. He gave them a rare smile as he continued, "I would like to borrow your buffs in the meantime."

With that, he cast Boost and Overdrive, awaiting their response before rushing out blindly. Significantly less impulsive than they remembered, perhaps.

B: Leave the evacuation to the Messians and help defend the gate instead.

The Messian Monastery

- Vayu -

„Zephyr!“ Vayu called out, but it was too late as he had already disappeared around the corner.

Vayu shook his head. Whatever the plan had been, it was already falling apart.

He raised his gauntlet and the Kurama Tengu appeared. „Accompany them safely to the evacuation point. Keep me updated on your location. We’ll rendezvous as soon as possible.“

He looked at Monet. „What will you do?“ he asked.

B: Leave the evacuation to the Messians and help defend the gate instead.

Monett

Monett seemed to think for a moment, as her gaze seemed fixed on the gate and Kuda as her mind seemed to be spinning for a moment.  Her voice seemed to be caught as she struggled to speak one way or the other.

"Someone needs to watch the civilians and with my illusions I can minimize any attacks on them." Monett reluctantly commented as she turned to the Messian who said which way they were going. She gazed at each of sizing each of them up noting the ones who seemed stronger than the rest.

"Maybe... just don't freak out" Monet commented raising her hands as she gestured a Messians to approach, as she tapped a few of them placing illusions over them slightly changing their appearance to have vanguard gauntlets and attire and others into summoned demons.

"And for the final touch..." Monett commented as Stott the demon boar popped out immediately trying to lunge at Monett with gleeful joy, as Monett tossed out a piece of fabric that he latched onto and began to chew, "Stott be good and play a game.  If any mean demons touch a demon illusion charge into them without revealing yourself."

Stott seemed to acknowledge Monett for a brief moment before going into one of the illusion of a mean minotaur, as Monett turned towards Vayu.

"Keep me updated, if you need my help just call back your Tengu and it'll keep me informed" Monett responded a bit concerned, as she began to usher the 'demons' to show her towards the mountain pass.

A) Stick to the Plan

[A: Stick to the Plan +3 LF]
[B: Leave it to the Messians +3 CF]

- Vayu, Zephyr, Monet -

With the decision made, Vayu and Zephyr ran off toward the gates and the sounds of battle, leaving Monett behind with the Messians.

“Thank you.” The younger Messian glanced after the two departing Vanguards. “All of you. We didn’t think…”

“Never mind that now. We need to move,” the older one cautioned and beckoned Monett to follow them through a set of doors and into a long hallway.

At the end, they made their way up a spiral stone staircase before stopping outside a thick wooden door. The moment the older man knocked, some screams came from within, but after he repeated a choreographed series of knocks, a pale-faced woman opened the door.

“Only one?” she whispered.

“The other two went to help at the gate,” the younger explained. “So it’s the three of us now. It’ll have to do.”

The woman beckoned them inside, and Monett found a large cluster of frightened women and children huddled behind tables and bookshelves, racked with fear.

“The passage out is this way.” The older man crossed the room and moved aside an ornate tapestry that revealed a door carved into the stone wall of the mountain. When he swung the door open, it groaned and revealed a narrow passage, too dark to see more than several feet ahead.

—————————————————————————

- Erice -

Erice cried out as she tumbled across the floor once more, adding a score of new bruises to her body. She only had a moment to catch her breath before hurling her body aside to avoid the hatchets that buried themselves into the stone floor.

“You can’t win.” Ryoko gave her a scathing look. “You’re not so stupid that you can’t see that. Just get out of my way already.”

Planting her spear against the ground, Erice forced herself up with a grimace. She didn’t have the time or the energy to spare on that woman. Instead, she pivoted to thrust out her spear and trip an oni charging past, preventing it from reaching one of her comrades.

“If you put that energy into saving yourself, you might’ve stood a better chance.” Ryoko shook her head. “Why are you bothering? You’re going to die because you won’t look out for yourself, and then he’ll die the second you’re not there to look after him. It’s pointless.”

“Maybe he will die.” Erice glared at her. “But it won’t be because I did nothing. I’d rather die than do nothing while others die!” She gripped her spear tightly as maga poured off her. “And I’ll fight until my last breath. So come on!”

Ryoko stared. Where did that power come from? She couldn’t-

Erice sprang forward, her spear swiping with the force of a hurricane right at Ryoko’s neck. She swung her hatchets back into her hands, blocking the blow at the last moment. Her arms and legs buckled, and with a gasp, she slid back a few feet.

What the-?

Erice flew at her once more, raining furious blows down at her, spear swinging in a dizzying tornado of arcs. Ryoko blocked them again and again but lost ground each time, her arms aching with each parry. It shouldn’t be possible. A human couldn’t just jump in power like that, couldn’t match a demon’s strength. Her strength.

No. No, she was still a human. Still weak, in the end. Though surprising and impressive, her will could only sustain her so long. The moment her spear faltered, her swing slowing, Ryoko burst into the gap and slammed against her, knocking her to the floor. Before she could get up, chains looped around her throat and constricted.

“Wish granted.” Ryoko’s foot pressed against her back, even as her grip tightened on the chains. “And as a sign of grudging respect, I’ll even kill you before you have to watch all your companions die around you.”

“LIKE HELL YOU WILL!”

Ryoko looked up as a white blur filled her vision before slamming into her, knocking her grip loose on her chains.

With a cough, Erice threw them off but only managed to crawl a few feet before collapsing. Kuda circled over to her, repeating her name as he circled around her like a protective blanket.

“You little runt.” Ryoko wiped the dust from her face and pushed herself to her feet. “I’m going to skin you alive before burying you together.”

At that moment, two figures burst into the antechamber. The Vanguards! A cold smile of satisfaction crossed Ryoko’s face before a low growl drew her attention back to the fallen girl.

“Little, huh?” Kuda’s body began to glow with the same maga as Erice had, as though feeding off her. “You’re the one who’s small. So small she doesn’t even realize it.”

Ryoko’s grip tightened on her hatchets, her teeth grinding together. But before she could retort, an explosion of maga enveloped Kuda and forced her back a step. When she finally lowered her arms, a new form stood in Kuda’s place, its eyes twice as fierce.



Nothing little about him now.

“You can help,” Kuda said as the Vanguards joined his side, his voice a low rumble. “But the kill is mine.”

Zephyr Arc - The Gates

With Monett left in-charge of escorting the Messians, Zephyr hurried off to reinforce the gates. He was accompanied by Kuda, who ran out ahead, Vayu, who had seemingly blanched for a bit before rushing after him, and Cherry, his ever-present companion. Casting Boost and Overdrive pre-emptively, he made projections on what would be the best courses of action as they moved, dependent on their allies, enemies and the topography. Cherry, understanding the gravity of the situation, quietly cast High Protection of the Fae as they moved.

Kuda lunged desperately as they made it to their destination. None too soon, it seemed, as they arrived in the nick of time to save Erice from becoming another stain on Ryoko's cleavers. It was abundantly clear Kuda was beyond furious, as the demon took on a larger, much more intimidating form. Yet, having caught at least some of Erice and Ryoko's conversation, Zephyr was forced to revisit thoughts from long ago.

He raised his spear as he inserted himself between the woman and Kuda. He'd seen her only once before, on his first ever mission. Even back then, he'd thought her similar to himself... and now, after his recent ordeal, he was certain. Throwing a quick smile back to Kuda, he turned his head to the opponent once more. "Sure, but I'd appreciate it if you let me have the rest of the fight. She'll keep too much of our fighting power at a deadlock here otherwise. Vayu, I'd like to ask for a Syncho Gift. Please handle the rest of the invaders."

It seemed the many scenarios he'd played out would have to wait. Ryoko both looked and felt as lost, fixated and... insecure, as he'd been feeling up until only a few days ago. He stepped forward as he took a fighting stance. "You're the same as I was... so I'll show you where you're mistaken." He roared as he swung his spear. There was no trickery in the swing, only his pure physical strength. Meant only to be a show of force to catch her interest. After all, he remembered fully that she was obsessed with just that one thing. Not to mention it was highly doubtful she wouldn't react badly to his words regardless.

Library

- Kurama Tengu -

The Tengu quietly followed Monet and the Messians until they arrived at the room atop the staircase.

“Do the others know about this passage?” the demon suddenly chimed in. He stood by the door. “I will guard this door, ensuring no other demon will follow you,” he declared, in a voice that didn't leave room for any discussion. “However, if Vayu and more Messians manage to reach this escape route, I will let them through.”

Going any further away meant less connection with Vayu and more maga drain for both of them, so this felt like it was the best compromise.

---------------------------

The Gate

- Vayu -

They hurriedly caught up with Kuda just as she flew around the corner where the gate had broken. Vayu stopped dead in his tracks at the scene before him. He ignored the commotion around that where Messians and Oni where fighting and instead focused on Erice, crumpled on the ground, Kuda growing fierce in an explosion of maga and the figure opposing them.

Was that Ryoko?

He locked eyes with her for a second. What was really going on here?

Zephy’s voice reached him and he nodded, quickly casting the boost onto him. Then he walked over to Erice and helped her up, leading her to the back of the room where they’d come in.

He turned to face the rest of the Oni that were scattered about from the waves of maga rattling the room.

“Erice, Monet is helping the rest escape. Send anyone who doesn’t need to be here towards them. One of my demons is guarding the entrance to ensure no one falls into their back.”

“Catequil, I need your help,” he said and his gauntlet glowed as the demon appeared with a crackling thunder. “I’ll confuse them, you bind them and then we immobilize them,” he said and began by casting his Confusion Wave towards the group of Oni who had just re-grouped.

Catequil grinned. This will be fun, he thought towards Vayu and watched the confusion spell take hold. He cast his Power Bind, focusing on the Greater Oni first, immobilizing them. Then he rushed in to skewer them with his spear, followed closely by Vayu who had drawn his sword to ensure no one could move further into the monastery.

Confusion Wave

Spoiler:

Power Bind

Spoiler:

Monett

Monett saw the scared children and women as her body loosened a bit, her thoughts pacing through the motion and procedures on how to make them feel safer.

Deep breath.

Hands at the sides, but not near the weapon.

Smile....

Reassurance....

"Don't worry my allies are strong, and I'll keep you safe from anything that slips through the cracks." Monett stated with a stone cold face, as her face struggled a bit to try and twist between a more comforting smile that seemed a bit off.

The maga in her body naturally twitched in response her fingers jolting slightly like something was immense was about to happen, as the maga around Monett almost formed an illusion that would create a fake illusionary smile but....

"No.... I need to be genuine here. It's weak to hide myself like that." Monett thought, as she reached into her bag producing a cloth flower the same color as tulips petals that was woven with fabrics and folded in a way to make a fine and solid figure. A light metallic pin being at the bottom of the fake cloth stem.

"Here, it's designed after a friend. The flower has a faint scent, so that Stott can find you easier." Monet commented with her smile now looking more genuine as Stott began to loudly sniff the dark passage.

"Good, keep moving forward Stott, and let me know if you smell anything unusual." Monett commented, brushing her hand gently over the fur coat of Stott as the demon boar's fur seemed to transition from standing on end to flat again. Then Monett and Stott, walked into the dark passage at a careful but somewhat brisk pace.

She turned her head back as she scanned the civilians making sure they were okay, as she nodded at the Messians for a moment before she proceeded into the darkness.

Messian Monastery - The Mountain Pass

- Monett -

The Messians hesitated, watching Monett closely as she seemed to struggle to maintain a calm, confident composure. However, when she finally relaxed, a young girl drew in closer, her hand reaching out to gingerly brush Stott's side.

Her mother joined her a moment later, smiling, and soon, the others had drawn in around Monett as she stepped into the passage.

The two Messian guards, as they waited at the rear, exchanged glances when the Tengu spoke to them.

"The other Messians know about the passage," the older one said, picking at his salt-and-pepper beard. "If they see a demon guarding it, though..."

"We've never had issues with Tengu before, Bertrand," the younger cut in. "They'll understand."

Bertrand nodded and headed into the passage after Monett.

The younger man hesitated, then bowed his head toward the Tengu. "Thank you." With that, he hurried after his companion.

The group moved through the tunnel in relative silence, the sounds of labored breathing and skin brushing against stone filling the passage as they moved half-blind along the route. Fortunately, the passage seemed to widen after some time had passed, but as it did, Stott paused and gave a wary sniff.

At first, it didn't seem apparent why. But after a moment, eyes appeared in the dark. First two, then six, then a dozen. Perched high on the walls above them, a large band of Preta stared down at the group with wide eyes and gaping mouths, heads tilted almost curiously, as though waiting to see what the humans would do.

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Messian Monastery - The Front Gate

- Vayu -

Kuda bared his teeth in protest as Zephyr insisted on taking Ryoko alone, but after a glance at the carnage around them, he finally took a step back. "All right," he growled. "I'm relying on you to do this thing right."

With that, he bounded over to help Vayu get Erice out of harm's way. To his relief, Erice's eyelids fluttered weakly, and she groaned his name. "Ku... da?"

"It's me," he affirmed as she ran a hand over his new mane. "Don't worry. We'll settle this."

Once Vayu had filled her in on the evacuation, she nodded and forced herself to her feet. She hesitated, shooting a guilty glance at the battle being waged, then began to corral the others back.

The moment she was clear, Kuda and Vayu bounded into battle. As Vayu's Confusion Wave swept over the oni, they buckled and collapsed to the ground, too dizzy and helpless to stand, especially once Power Bind locked them in place. Catequil and Kuda made quick work of them, with spear and claws shredding the oni and dispersing them into maga.

Before they could feel too confident, though, reinforcements pushed their way inside. Several Lesser Jorougumo led the charge, spewing Spiderwebs to snare Catequil and Kuda in their sticky silk. Meanwhile, a few Lamia slithered in behind them, emitting a soft and melodious Lullaby that brought the escaping Messians collapsing into a deep sleep.

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- Zephyr -

Though she glared behind the eyeholes of her mask, a smile slipped onto Ryoko's face as the Vanguards approached. Her gaze rested on Vayu in particular, but before she could manage a quip about their time together at Mithras' castle, the other Vanguard stepped forward and declared his intention to face her.

Alone.

"You're the same as I was... so I'll show you where you're mistaken."

The same? Mistaken? Now her eyes really did harden. "You honestly think you can handle me yourself?" She tugged on her chains and drew the hatchets back into her hands. "I remember you, back from the bridge. You could barely manage a single of my greater oni." Her grip tightened on the handles of the hatchets, her shoulders hunching. "Don't insult me!"

His only reply was to step forward and swing his spear, his roar piercing through the air. She could've dodged - it held no particular skill or finesse - but she couldn't turn down a match of strength after what she'd said.

With a cry of her own, she raced into the gap and met his spear with her hatchets.

The crash of blades sent maga careening through the air around them. A small gasp slipped from Ryoko's mouth, thankfully muffled by her mask, as she found herself bracing her legs to match his strength. Her mind went blank, stunned, as she stared back into the Vanguard's eyes.

He shouldn't be this strong. He couldn't be this strong!

Flooded with confusion and anger, she unleashed her Demonic Nature of Oni and, with a burst of strength, forced his spear aside and knocked him back.

"You can't be him." The maga poured off her in a blood-red aura, her voice crackling with anger. "There's no way you could match me!"

She leaped forward and slashed with her hatchets, her Shadow Rend sending slicing waves of darkness across the ground toward him.

Messian Monastery – The Front Gate

- Vayu -

They took care of the first charge of demons with relative ease, however since the front gate was still broken, it didn’t take long until reinforcements arrived.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see the Lamia circle around them to get to the retreating Messians.

“Catequil, why don’t you show them some of your new stuff?” he asked while he himself pulled back. Kuda and Catequil should be able to break the wave of incoming demons. He needed to focus more on defense.

Vayu was beginning to feel the effect of the sleep spell and quickly cast his own boosting spell to counter the effect. However, the Messians weren’t so lucky. Knowing the Lamia would try to attack them, he jumped in between and created his Arcane Barrier.

“This barrier won’t hold forever,” he told Erice. “They need to get out of here!”

With that, he turned his attention to the slithering snake-like demons approaching him. Thanks to his boosted agility, he was able to avoid their first wave of strikes and went to work separating their heads.

Meanwhile up in front, Catequil and Kuda began to be trapped in the sticky spider silk. Catequil suddenly went very still and instead of trying to get out of it, he seemed to focus inward. Suddenly a blue-ish hue seemed to surround him and the air was charged with tension.

When Catequil looked up with a feral grin, he was surrounded by lightning that began to travel along the spider silk back towards the Jorougumo, exploding upon contact.

With the spider silk effectively burned up and some of their targets at least stuned, Catequil sprang back into action, using his lightning charged spear to disperse of his opponents.


Name: Rajin no Hoyo / Embrace of the Thunder God

Spoiler:

Zephyr Arc - The Front Gate

Ryoko responded to his provocation with predictably furious fervor, deliberately meeting his swing with complete certainty in her superiority. It was clear for all to see the moment their blades met that she hadn't expected even a fraction of the force that bore down on her, the resulting shockwave of maga forcing everything around them to keep their distance for fear of getting caught in the crossfire.

Ryoko's own hysteria following the clash assured Zephyr that his assessment had been the right one; she was indeed suffering from the same affliction he'd struggled with. Ryoko donned her own buff in a bid to reject his strength, pushing his spear away with the resulting immense burst of strength. Perhaps due to her half-blood biology, this made her slightly physically stronger than him by his assessment, though he maintained a significantly higher agility thanks to the addition of Vayu's Synchro Gift.

Zephyr used the force from Ryoko's burst to somersault backwards, landing with a strike of his spear on the ground. This allowed Spell Eater to immediately devour her Shadow Rend as he smirked at her, firing Ice Arrow from his crossbow directly into her face as she leapt at him.

Of course, while Zephyr had greater agility, he had no intention of using that to win this particular bout. He had a point to prove, and what he needed for that was a show of pure, unbridled power... He just needed her to throw one more spell in his direction.

"You revile humanity as weakness... but is that all you've got? I'm certainly the same human standing right here." He egged her on further. If he was to break down her misconceptions, he would need to beat her down at her strongest, with even more power specifically.

Monett

Monett eyed the Petra nervously her eyebrows raising suspiciously as Stott seemed to puff some Miasma out of his mouth as if preparing for combat. Monett's hands began to brim with maga, as she prepared her illusions in case something went wrong.

"Are these things hostile?" Monett commented quietly, as her eyes glanced between each horrifying demon almost like she excepted them to jump down, pounce, and consume a human at moments notice.

Her hand raised, she grabbed onto some black fabric in her pocket and applied an illusion of darkness on it. She dropped the fabric behind her as Stott picked up the fabric in his mouth. The boar's tail wagging back and forth excitedly like it did something good. Stott began to linger back a bit causing the black cloud like illusion forming a one way mirror between the Messians and the Petra.

Though Monett stood ahead of the illusion clear for the demons to see, her posture tall to demand attention from the demons, her eyes and gaze unflinching.

"That should at least provide some cover, let's keep moving." Monett commented masking her voice with the noise manipulation spell so the sound would fall off before reaching the ears of those demons.