January Spirit Realm Event Log

[kaisoumods]

January Spirit Realm Event Log
Dominant Element: Water
Waning Element: Fire

Full Moon: January 12th - January 14th

※

The cold weather from the earlier half of the month persists. In fact, in the middle of the month it seems to get even worse, with temperatures dipping down far below normal. While it's still liveable inside the barrier, anyone outside the barrier is going to have to deal with life threatening levels of cold weather if they don't have any magical protection. People are claiming that it's a Polar Vortex at work, but... usually polar vortexes aren't localized to a single city, right?

Of the Northern Lands

On the freezing morning of January 15th, Zodiac will send out a message to everyone on the Libra app.

ALERT: SPIRIT GATE LOCATED ON CATHERDRAL HILL
Dominant Element: Water
Danger Level: High
Designation: Kamui
Zodiac has detected a Spirit Gate in Blue Fish Park. Initial investigations indicate that this gate leads to the icy realm of Kamui. Further investigations indicate a potential climatological catastrophe and may be the cause of the current cold weather. Please come to the Zodiac offices for more information.

To combat the cold outside, the Zodiac offices have cranked the heat up to max, making for a very uncomfortably warm trip back to Professor Barbie's office. Once there, she tells you about the spirit gate and the realm of Kamui. Kamui is actually a small part of a much larger realm called Nippon, a realm thought to be connected to some of the major Shinto gods. Kamui itself is largely isolated from the rest of the realm, due to it's remote location and harsh climate. A harsh climate that has only gotten worse, thanks to a problem requires immediate investigation and attention. Should this continue, there's a very real chance the residents of Kamui will freeze... and Kaisou along with it, thanks to the realm affecting the weather. She also reminds everyone to bundle up, because it's cold outside and even colder in Kamui.

So grab your parkas and your snow boots, and make the trek out to Cathedral Hill. Near the Shinto shrine that also sits on the hill, there is a torii gate that you don't remember being there before. And if that isn't suspicious enough, the gate seems to be glowing. No doubt about it, this must be your way into Kamui.

Masked Villagers

As you step into Kamui, you will find an ancient japanese-style landscape that is deep in the depths of winter. Snow drifts are waist deep, with a blizzard causing more snow to fall relentlessly. The wind is bitterly cold, easily rivaling the cold that you'd find on the peak of Dragonspine mountain. You best hope that you had prepared your warm clothing, otherwise you'll be at serious risk of hypothermia in this place.

Unfortunately, the bad weather is not enough to stop demons from being out. As you try to travel, you may get attacked by groups of oni that look like they lifted straight from Japanese folklore. They aren't particularly difficult to fight on their own, but doing so in the snow and cold definitely makes it tricky enough. Eventually, after being out in the cold for awhile and dealing with a regular stream of demons, you'll come up on a hut and it feels like a really good idea to take a break and warm up. And even better, there's a fire already going inside the hut! Score!

But just as you start to relax and warm up, a man in a blue wolf mask will enter the hut. As it turns out, this is his hut- and you just trespassed. Angry about this, the man will then challenge you to a duel outside. Either you or someone in your group will have to face off against him. He's a rather skilled swordsmen, wielding a rather nice looking blade. And not only that, but sometimes he'll shift into a blue and red wolf during the fight- making you have to change your strategy.

Should you lose the duel, you'll be kicked out of his home and forced to wander the snowy landscape without any helpful exposition. But if you win the duel, he'll yield and let you stay in his place as you warm up. He'll introduce himself as Oki, a warrior from Kamui Village. He'll also explain the situation: Kamui naturally has a harsh climate, but it's kept warm by a yearly eruption from their twin volcanoes that gets triggered by a incantation ritual. However, this year a pair of once-sealed demons named Lechku and Nechku managed to get unsealed and now were doing just about everything to disrupt the ritual and cause Kamui to freeze. Oki meanwhile, was out here training with the village's sacred sword (that he stole), as he's convinced he'll be the one to slay the demon twins. Which as noble as his intent is? You are getting the sense his method isn't going to get him to his goal fast enough to stop everyone from freezing to death. However, if you try to offer any help to him, he'll stubbornly refuse. You can try to argue, but with how stubborn he is, he seems unwilling to budge.

Eventually, once you've been warmed up enough, you'll be requested to leave so he can get back to his training. Once you're back outside, whether or not you got the exposition, you'll feel a little at a loss of what to do. After wandering a bit more, you'll come across that white wolf that was stealing fish at the fishing competition earlier this month. She'll bark to get your attention, wagging her tail at you. If you don't believe in gods, she'll appear as a normal white wolf. Otherwise, you'll be able to see her red marking in full. As you try to get closer to her, she'll run away - glancing back after a certain distance as if she wants you to follow her. She's fast, and those who can see her red markings will also notice that plants bloom in her footsteps as she runs, despite the frozen weather.

So. Probably not a normal doggo. Got it. Best to follow her.

Wawku Shrine

The wolf will lead you up the mountain. As you move, you'll pass through the village which is a collection of ancient japanese-style homes. However, there is no one out, as they've all taken shelter inside from the deepening cold. None of them will even answer the door if you knock, as they've grown accustomed to demons poising as travelers to even risk it.

Past the village, you'll come across a frozen lake. In the middle of the lake, there is a frozen ship that not only looks out of place, but is giving some of you some extremely bad vibes -- but that's not where the wolf is leading you. Rather she goes up the mountain path around the lake and leads you to a massive set of doors, barking at the doorway to indicate that whatever she wants? Is through there.

Get the heavy gates open, and you'll find yourself in a an old shrine that rests between the two volcanoes. The place is massive, the bright blue shade might remind you of the interior of the crystal tower.... but instead of being made out of special blue stone, this place is instead just completely coated in ice. You'll have to slide your way across platforms, jump over spike traps, solve door puzzles, and deal with a bunch of other nasty surprises along the way. If that's not bad enough, you'll also have to contend with fighting demons and in some spots? The ice pathways are not nearly thick enough to support the weight of a human- so you'll have to move fast before it starts to break beneath your feet and drop you below. The wolf that brought you here seems nowhere to be found, all the while. Great.

And while dealing with the ice level is difficult enough, the true worst menace is when you finally come across a room made of wood. You aren't alone in this room, rather the door out of this room is guarded by a wall demon called Blockhead. Blockhead will not yield and nearly impossible to get past. In order to defeat him, you must hit all his pressure points in quick succession. There are so many of them and they keep changing, so you'll probably have to try multiple times. Unfortunately, he scoffs at your efforts the whole time.

However once you manage to finally hit them all, he'll claim he's dying in honor before he crumbles. Past him, it's not too long until you reach the final destination.

Demon Owls

When you reach the top the shrine, you'll find a few machines that are artificially creating a snowstorm, which is what causing the cold weather to get worse so quickly. All these machines will either need to be shut down or destroyed, so they can stop pumping snow and cold into this already suffering region.

However the machines are hardly the only problem on the top, as soon as your presence is known on the roof, two massive owl demons will reveal themselves. These are the demon twins, Lechku and Nechku, that are hellbent on terrorizing Kamui. They both swing in to attack you at the same time, which is going to make for a real bad time. These owls are massive, and are both capable of summoning lightning, flaming boulders, poison mist- the works. And if that isn't bad enough? Just when you seem like you'll land a hit on them, they will freeze time, freezing you in your spot and leaving you wide open for an attack.

But before the owls can go in for a killing blow on you, you'll hear a pair of howls. The white wolf and Oki, whose had some sense knocked into him, have shown up to help out. To interrupt the frozen time attack, Oki's sword will turn into a bow, which one wolf will use to launch the other wolf at the owl's face - distracting them enough to break the time freeze spell.

With the extra help, while the owls are still a challenge, the fight becomes a lot more do-able. In fact, it is almost uncanny how miraculous good fortune keeps coming your way- such as the boulders getting breaking half before they hit anyone, or the wind changing directions before any poison mist can reach your lungs. Maybe you brought a luck bringer along without realizing it?

The battle is still a long one, but with the aid of your canine companions, eventually both owls will be defeated. The cursed owls fall to the ground with a cacophonous noise, landing in a pile of metal and clockwork. Just as you catch your breath, an evil miasma rising out of them before flying off towards the direction of that ship in the frozen lake.

It's probably fine.

The Sun Rises

With the owls defeated, the white wolf will let out a loud victory howl. Her timing must be impeccable, as the sun comes out from the horizon just as she howls- letting in the first rays of sunlight Kamui has seen in ages. The wind outside slowly dies down until by the time you climb back down the shrine and make it outside it has stopped completely. From the entrance of the shrine, you can see far below the villagers performing the ritual dance needed to make the volcanos erupt (safely)- bringing more warmth to the area and turning Kamui into a beautiful wintry wonderland.

As you make your way down the mountains and back to Wep'keer, the area has come alive with the sounds of birds and other animals finally coming out of their homes for the first time in ages. The cherry blossom tree that had been dead and frozen has come back to life, its pink blossoms a striking picture against the stone and snow. When not dealing with an unending blizzard, Kamui really is a gorgeous place.

Once you reach the village, the villagers (or the Oina, as they call themselves) all come out to thank you. Some are in their human form, but just as many are wolves, meaning you might just get licked half to death by some very excitable wolves. Some of the others stay back, tending to a massive cauldron of soup, a feast for the victorious guests. You're welcome to stay and partake, but if you'd rather go back to Kaisou and central heating, no one will blame you.

Those who linger will be treated to a delicious seafood soup and age-appropriate drinks. You might get dragged into a snowball building contest with the children if you seem like the type to be easily talked into it. The white wolf seems more than happy to attend the feast and continue to eat with a never ending appetite. While the white wolf never speaks herself, several of the villagers refer to her as Amaterasu with a great degree of respect and reverence. In other words? Not only were you helped this entire time by the famous sun goddess, but... she's currently a wolf stuffing her face as a canine would. You can attempt to talk to her, and the look in her eye seems to indicate she understand what she's saying... but she's most likely to yawn and lay down to take a nap, right in the middle of your spiel. Gods truly are something else.

OPTIONAL EVENT: Ark of Yamato

Note: This is an option section that is connected to the Black Order mission for the month. Non-Black Order characters can participate, but what is ultimately done about the ark will be decided by Black Order players.

While all seems to have ended well enough with the Kamui situation, the dark miasma that came out of the owls and the ominous ship in the frozen lake might make some of you feel uneasy. The Black Order guardians in particular were even told to inspect that ship just out of the same concern. Asking the Oina about it, you'll learn that it's actually a spaceship called the Ark of Yamato. Long ago, it belong to a people known as the Moon Tribe. They attempted to flee the moon after it was invaded by demons, but they didn't realize that the Ark was also full of demons. Crash landing into Kamui, the Moon Tribe folks were all but killed and the demons left the ship and spread all across Nippon - leading this realm to have an ongoing demon problem.

The worst of the demons were still sealed away on the Ark, and the increasing demon problem lately has raised concerned that the seal may be weakening. Upon inspection, it'll be find that the seal is in fact weakening in several places- leaving the Black Order with one of two choices: either do what you can to reinforce the seal.... or attempt to go in the ship and deal with the demons that are still inside.

Should you decide to reinforce the seal, the process is straight forward enough. Characters with training in sealing magical arts can use their magics to help patch weak points in the arks seal.... or you can work together to make one massive barrier. Either way, it'll hopefully help reinforce the ark's seals and keep Nippon a bit safer for at least awhile.

Meanwhile if you choose to go inside and fight the demons inside.... be prepared for an extremely long and tiresome battle. High level demons await inside - such as the demon owls and Orochi, whose reformed from the last time the Libra app users faced off against him. If you plan and luck goes your way, you'll be able to eliminate a good chunk of the demons inside before you'll be forced to retreat. It'll make the job of sealing the rest of the demons easier and insuring that the seal will last even longer- at least until the day comes when Nippon will have enough power to take care of the rest of it themselves.

However, the path should not be taken lightly, as it can just as easily lead to your doom. So choose wisely what you should do.

Aftermath

Regardless of what is done about the Ark of Yamato, with Kamui saved, it's time to eventually head home to Kaisou. While it's still a chilly winter, resolving the spirit realm issue will make it a bit more bearable. The rest of the month will pass rather smoothly, and those who helped out will be sent some money from Zodiac as a reward. All and all, it's a job well done.

OOC Notes

The dominant element this month is Water! Anyone with an affinity to the shadow element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for Fire will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.

The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.

Comments

Jun Nightroad | POKEGO AU | OTA

[whiteshroud]

I. Zodiac Offices
[Shroud can be found in the Zodiac offices in his full uniform. He listens quietly to the explanations, asking a couple questions to get clarification. It definitely sounds like the situation falls under his specialty, so at the end he'll give a nod]

I see. I agree to investigate the situation for you.

[He pulls out a sheet of paper, that sure is enough has an invoice on it that's around two thousand dollars]

Provided you agree to pay my service fee, of course. This is the upfront payment, there may be additional payments depending on what is required to accomplish the mission. Aides du Meropide is a non-profit organization, so you can put this down as a tax-write off.

[There is zero shame as he does this.]

II. Wawku Shrine
[After negotiating his fee with Zodiac, Jun headed off to Kamui. Sure enough, demons were behind this- so it definitely fell under his line of work. Thanks to an enchanted snowflake charm on his belt loop, the cold isn't bothering him in the shrine- but he's pausing as he looks at a pathway of ice]

How are you moving on ice?

[He'll ask to anyone traveling with him]

III. Demon Owls
[It's a long trip up the shrine, but eventually they near the top. Shroud pauses before they head outside- giving warning to his group]

I'm sensing two large demonic presences on the roof.

[In other words, this is your warning that a boss fight is coming]

IV. Wildcard
[Got another prompt? Hit me up here!]

Demon Owls

[aslowburn]

[Persephone isn't super comfortable visiting a shrine that's not hers- it always feels like treading on someone else's territory. But she figures this is needed, to cleanse the area of whatever's troubling it. A favour.

She likes the cold even less, and is bundled up against it. She's only actually experienced winter in the last thousand years- almost nothing to her - given she was usually cooped up in the Underworld for it. She certainly feels she isn't missing much. She breathes on her hands, a flicker of fire coming out to create a warming ball in her palms.

She glances Jun's way when he talks, nodding once. ]

We'd best be ready for a battle, then. How would you like to tackle this?

[whiteshroud]

[Jun's not too surprised to see Persephone here, since she frequently comes to sort issues like this out and they've worked together several times in the past. He notices her being cold, but it's not like he can offer anything to help, so he keeps quiet on that.

He considers for a moment, trying to get the energy session]

Based on our strength, it may be best to try to split up and battle them separately, to avoid them teaming up and fighting together. It'd be my guess they excel working in a team together.

[aslowburn]

[ Persephone feels it is her duty to help protect this world at this point. So here she is. Miserable in the cold- at least having fire element makes it marginally bearable.

He considers Jun's estimation of the battlefield and nods. ]

Solid plan. I agree. They brought this mess together, and no doubt they expect to fight as such. I can take the one on the left.

lapis agapov | original (ronin au) | ota

[crisantemo]

i. Wawku Shrine

[ There is a dragon in Kamui today.

Lapis is used to stuff Just Happening, and after turning into a lizard earlier she figured "yeah this is a thing" - but to find herself now turned into an actual dragon and not be able to turn back was still a pain. But she is adaptable and she will make due with her new circumstances; at least her part-fluff keeps her slightly warm and being able to fly makes most of the obstacles easy to bypass. Which is great because walking over these bridges would've been impossible otherwise -

Anyone she's hiking with though will get a tilt of the head as she looks over another swathe of ice, her tail swishing behind her. ]

I might be able to carry you over if you can't fly... [ She's not big big but she can carry a person. ]

ii. Demon Owls

[ Oh boy two of them. Of course this wasn't going to be easy, but it was clear that this fight is going to be a pain. Even with the aid of that strange wolf and that one cranky dog guy, dealing with both of these... demons? Mecha owls? Demonic mecha owls??? Is going to take some time.

With a deep breath, she breathes a stream of light towards one of them - causing the thing to flap in place before it rights itself and swivels its head towards her. Time to generate some aggro. ]

I can try to keep them focused on me.

[ She's a big target with range and the ability to swoop in; if she forces their focus on her, it should make it easier for everyone else to get hits in. Though huh it's really lucky how the boulders just break in half before they hit anyone, usually she's used to the opposite happening - ]

iii. The Sun Rises

[ The owls are down, the sun is back and Lapis is ready to take a nap. While the smart idea would be to head back to the city and back to central heating, she's instead opted to hang around - mostly because a few kids have taken an interest in the weird dragon and she can't exactly say no.

At the direction of of some of the children, she's using her snoot to nudge a snowball along the ground and make it bigger... and bigger. The biggest snowball. Clearly with this they will win the contest, and she's even using her tail to make a second snowball as well - glancing back as she tries to navigate the extra limb to pack snow together. As much as she would like to be somewhere warm...

Well, how excited the kids are - human and not - makes it hard to do anything else besides carry them around and help them out. She'll also be helping with the clean up of things a little later too once soup has been consumed, because she's allergic to relaxing and look she can still do this much while she's this size and able to haul things around on request. ]

iv. Wildcard

[ Feel free to throw anything else at me! ]

i

[prunedworlds]

Look, being turned into a dragon is far from the worst thing that could happen, in Ritsuka's opinion. And she should know, given that she's currently a three-tailed fox with a third eye and a pair of wings too small to actually fly with, having shift to her monster form to make use of its naturally better agility.

Well, to be fair, there were plenty of advantages to being small and fuzzy and cute, but those tended not to apply to situations like this.

"You think so? I could probably get across okay like this..."

Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.

Demon Owls

[wiseoldbartender]

[Husk takes to the air as soon as he sees the damn demons. It's not easy flying in these conditions, and he has to flap hard against the wind and snow- cursing every moment about the entire process. You'd think with the amount of booze in his system at any given time, he would be full of natural antifreeze. Alas, it seems not.

He watches Lapis do her thing, nodding. He knows better to argue and besides, he has full faith in her abilities. So he flies a little higher, forming one of his water tentacles to lash out at the back of one of the damn things as it focuses on his kid. ]

The fuck are these things even made of?

closed to jinwoo

[crisantemo]

[ Considering how she had been turning into a lizard, her turning into an actual dragon the moment they stepped into the Spirit Realm wasn't really too shocking. Now she's bigger and more of a threat but also much more fluffy, which is a boon considering the current weather.

Which also means Jinwoo has a dragon gently wrapping a tail around him, golden eyes peeking down at him in concern. They're making good progress in the shrine, it's easy when she can grab most things between her teeth and throw them, but the chill isn't getting any easier. ]

How're you handling the cold? If you want you can ride me, that should help keep you warm.

[ A beat.

That one terrible gear in her head is turning. ]





Ah, usually it's the other way around though.

[ Being awful and embarrassing her fiancé is a good way to make sure he stays warm right. ]

[lowestclass]

[ giant girlfriend dragon

for some people this is a dream come true. maybe jinwoo is some people. but he can't deny how cool she looks; even if he's currently too fucking cold to appreciate it properly. He dressed warmly, and still yet, the cold is biting.

this wouldn't be a problem if he were still a vampire... ]

The cold is. [ he starts to respond, but his brain needed

just a second

to compute what Lapis just said. And instantly his face is warmer than the rest of his body. ]

--Maybe I'm already warm enough. [ LAPIS. ]

[crisantemo]

[ Giant girlfriend dragon!

Said girlfriend dragon is now watching with no small amount of amusement as he processes exactly what she said. ]

Oh, you've turned very red all of a sudden. You aren't getting sick now, are you?

[ She knows what she did. ]

Knuckles the Echidna | Sonic the Hedgehog (movie-verse) | Open!

[ampersand_me]

[I. Roaming Oni]

Most people probably weren't too thrilled to have to deal with attacks from packs of oni in the middle of a snowstorm. Knuckles, however, was most definitely not most people. Between a newfound ability to walk atop snow with ease and a solid resistance to the cold temperatures, anyone making their way might suddenly find a small spiky red blur eagerly fighting off any oni they come across for them.

"Ha! The likes of you is no match for the might of an echidna warrior!"

Thank him for the help? Or maybe just go on your way while he kept the demons occupied...


[II. Giant Owls]

Knuckles had come here expecting a fight. Hoping for one, even. What he most definitely hadn't expected was it to take the form of massive, mechanical owls. The echidna's eyes went positively wide at the sight, and for a few seconds, he seemed frozen in place. Then, a terribly foreboding smile spread across his features.

"I was not able to fight the last of the owl warriors who destroyed my tribe, but I will relish bringing an end to you!"

Maybe try to get him to take it down a notch? Or egg him on, surely that couldn't end poorly...


Alternatively, after the fighting's over, you might spot Knuckles rummaging about the remains of the demons. It almost looked like he was looking for feathers? Huh, go figure.


[Wildcard]

Have another idea? Feel free to hit me up on PM or Discord (Altocumulus) or just throw a tag my way.

2

[liberios]

"They won't get away!"

Eren choose to fight alongside Knuckles. This isn't the first time they've fought together. He'd be happy to lend a hand. By working together, they can finish the job more quickly. Eren's been casting fire magic to keep the cold away. He's still not entirely comfortable with magic yet, but it's power he needs to grow accustomed to.

"Do you hate the owl warriors?"

His voice is filled with uncertainty because this is something he can directly relate to. The destruction of Shiganshina still haunts his nightmares.

[ampersand_me]

One thing Knuckles had managed to learn even before coming to Kaisou, was that working as a team sometimes really was more effective than fighting alone. And while Knuckles' magic here was water-based, well, fire and water weren't a bad combination.

Not that Knuckles had to worry as much as some people about the cold to begin with, but even less so now.

"Yes." There was no hesitation in Knuckles' answer. "They stole the Master Emerald my ancestors created, then fought and killed my people when they attempted to reclaim it."

You could fit so, so much anger in this little guy. Generations of conflict worth.

"These... demons, are not the same, but I will relish their defeat none less!"

BLACK ORDER OPERATION: DEMON SHIP

[sg09r]

[The demon owls are, it turns out, the least of their worries. The ominous ship in the frozen lake is, apparently, chock-full of demons, and despite some people's best efforts to convince the rest into just sealing it off and being done with it, the Black Order has decided to try and take care of it the violent way.

The worst thing is that despite himself, Leon can see why this choice in particular. Still, he's not happy about it, even as he accompanies everyone else.

It's time to step into the ship. Hopefully they can make it out of this alive.]

[scourgingstars]

Oh, lighten up. [Said with a light slap to Leon's shoulder.] This'll be fun, we need a little bit of excitement now and then.

[sg09r]

Your idea of excitement and mine are very, very different. [grumbling:] God, I hope I brought enough ammunition.

[twofoldfury]

[When the danger is high, bring the crimson sword and spear.

In his form now, Diarmuid couldn't not bring both swords, but as a cautionary measure he had the spear he used as Lancer on his back. And a little bird under his cape, but don't worry about him.

He didn't blame Leon for his caution. This was reckless in retrospect, but in the long-term it will benefit them, the city and their world and Nippon.

So, they take the plunge, entering the ship and anticipating an attack at any moment.]

Let me take point.

[[ooc: feel free to take into this with whoever my intent with our sparkle dog is for him to punch orochi again so :D]]

[loupmorque]

[ 'just sealing' the beasts may be a good idea, certainly--but Wriothesley had been in control of Meropide back home for years. And part of protecting it had been protecting the seal under his office. The one that held back the primordial waters that could wipe out all life in Fontaine.

Just sealing it had been a bad idea--as one day it crashed forward anyway, covering all of fontaine in a deluge of seawater that threatened the lives of everyone. If not for Neuvillette's quick spell that changed the fate of everyone...

No, he wouldn't 'just put a seal' on things a second time, if they could be dealt with first. Going in to fight the monsters that would inevitably spill fourth was a better idea than just letting it go and hope.

Even if it meant he and the others in the Order now had to fight monsters beyond a scope Wriothesley had imagined.
Facing he and his friend Xie Lian down now was a monsterous woman--an eyeless spider with far too many arms, backwards hands, and a flower bud on her back...

She was huge as she was strong. Wriothesley's still trying to look for a good place to get a strike.
So far the most he's managed is using huge waves of ice to freeze two of her hands down against the ground, and she screeches in her struggle to free them. ]

Monster has to have a weak spot somewhere.

[ruoyel]

[Xie Lian is one to agree that a problem put off for the future generally has worse consequences. If they have the power to tackle the issue now, then they should try. This would be different if Xie Lian didn't believe they had the power to do so.

Still, this enemy is quite tough. He's taken a generic sword with him, but he's not sure it will be sufficient. As Wriothesley freezes her hands in place, Xie Lian darts in to quickly slash at the demon's hide.

He comes back with a sword that is severely damaged (10-4). Casually, he tosses the useless blade aside.]

Something is strange about that flower attached to her, and her hide is far too tough for normal weaponry to damage.

Noa Kaiba | Black Order AU | OTA + NINETAILS FIGHT

[blueeyeswhitedoppelganger]

{Of the Northern Lands}

[It's probably not surprising that Noa's decided he's moving after this. Looking absolutely miserable in his Black Order vest as he approaches the torii gate-gate, one could even wonder if the cougar-bodied sphinx is under-dressed.]

Ha-CH!

[Especially with tha...t.

Sparks appear to fly off him just slightly, and standing too close reveals the alarming hum of static electricity.

Maybe don't touch him right now.] I cannot wait to have this over with...

{BOSS FIGHT: NINETAILS}

[Within the Ark of Yamato, there were demons...and then there were DEMONS. The absolute worst of beasts aren't just sitting near the entry, which is probably the most anyone gets when it comes to a chance to choose who they fight.

But as it is- whether by choice or otherwise, the arena unfolds to a beast. Nine great tails tipped with masked brushes in red sway through the air. Yet the body of the massive fox tempts as much attention to it as possible, between the painted mask of their head and the great pronged sword on their back.

But not for long- with an ear-splitting cry that sword is gripped in the great demon's teeth, and it's on the attack- and as one of the beings fighting, Noa's all too happy to get the hell out of the way of the first charge!]

Hn! At least this is something more familiar..!

[And ah, good, that fox can't recover immediately... ...Oh but it can send its tails underground, that's cool.] GH!!! Proving me wrong that fast!?

{MOVING DAY - THE CRYSTAL TOWER}

Hmmnnnhhh...! And that should be the last of it.

[In all honesty, it still took a bit of convincing for Noa to actually move into the Crystal Tower. It's hard enough for him to admit that moving might be necessary- harder still when it involves making the leap from his familiar, cramped cave to something that's an actual dwelling. He's been denning as an animal- sometimes with animals if necessary- for years.

It's a big step. (Which might explain why he brought the damn bear sow.)

But turns out, the apartment spaces of the tower are small- certainly not near as small as his cave mind you, but small enough that he decides it might just work.

Fortunately there's not a lot to move, though he does wander the room (avoiding a sleeping bear) as whoever has come to visit watches.] Yes, this will...do, I suppose...

[He's in human form for convenience right now, but he still wrinkles his nose like he's a cat.] ...Not having rammed dirt and stone around is going to take some getting used to though...

[Naturally there's always something!]

...But I suppose it does give me more places to put these.

[There's a long stare at the pile of goods from the goodwill. He has been getting a bit of a pile.]

moving day

[sg09r]

Hey, think about it this way, there's less chance you'll end up with a bear in your bed. [Leon, helping Noa move his stuff in, pauses for a moment, brow furrowing as if he's thinking something over.] I mean, not zero, that shopkeeper's got a fondness for dumping bears in people's beds, but—they're not just going to wander in.

[Another beat.]

Well, besides that bear.

[Zero, his beloved dog, is keeping tactfully away from the sleeping bear.]

[blueeyeswhitedoppelganger]

Hmmmm, I wonder if that has anything to do with her coming back...

[Apologies Zero, but maybe a bond can be formed eventually? Maybe.] And here I thought that pirate accent was strange enough...

Really though, it was far from the first time. There are plenty of larger bears in the west.

[They're all very normal bears though, so there is That.] ...Thank you, though- thanks to this, I know to try and learn to drive as well. Hadn't thought that would be necessary...

Jonathan Joestar | CRAU-OU | OTA + Sidequest

[standless]

{DEMON OWLS}

[Combat, unsurprisingly, is something Jonathan leaps to volunteer for. He's hardly alone in the fight against the owls of course, but with monsters like these, numbers seem to mean very little; when the owls can stop time, it's just a little hard to get a good shot in. But then those wolves appear, and with their howls comes the turn around that they happen to need-

Which means it's time for Jonathan to take to the sky as well. These are owls, airborne, and out of reach. It'll be a lot easier going after them as the ironic 'bat'!

But for all that things seem to be going their way...something seems off.]

Hooh...hah...Apologies, but it seems my strikes aren't hitting with the sort of force I expected... [He admits after one such attempted blow in the air.] I would have thought such a direct blow with my hamon and blade though...

[Rather unfortunate way to learn about a need to be grounded, isn't it?]

{SIDEQUEST: CLOSED TO YUSUKE}

[When Jonathan first signed on for this, he was fairly excited. He's done a lot of playing around with art using pressed flowers and the like, and certainly done more accurate, clinical sketches in ink for the sake of his papers, but this feels like it could be proper fun. Imagine it! Art on clothing! And that's the impression he'll have given from the start- eager, excited, but humble all the same; he has ideas certainly but he's not going to just shoot ahead with them unless both sides agree.

Though after the miscommunication with the designer hosting all of this, Yusuke will note that attitude drops a little bit. Giant of a man Jonathan may be, but what was a rather passionate voice has quieted with anxiety.]

...Well.

[He's clearly still shaken by it, actually.] All that aside, I'm certain things will be quite clear when we've the art prepared at least..!

Though I'm still not quite certain how he presumed live mice... [He mutters more to himself. ...Perhaps they'd overheard him joke about how he's typically the size of a mouse? No that can't be it.

Well!]

I've not a lot of experience using ink for artistry over reference...do you expect we should keep things simple more than anything?

{The Sun Rises}

[Technically, Jonathan had a bit of a break in the restored Kamui already, but after the sting of what occurred with the fashion designer in Kaisou, one needs another nap under a cherry blossom tree. It just feels much more peaceful there, and right now...well, he needs that.

(He keeps trying not to think of that designer as horrid, but it's a little difficult. For someone looking for inspiration he was incredibly closed minded, and Jonathan has a feeling this bit of nonsense with ink on his hands is related.)

It's only a small upside that most would expect him to be wearing gloves here- albeit certainly not cheap ones like what he's found- but it means there's no ink on the bowl from the forever soup currently going on in celebration. As long as they keep adding to it, that great cauldron of soup is still going, and right now?]

Ah...now that quite hits the spot, [the man hums, nodding at his bowl.

Beside him, a wolf just yawns, continuing her nap.]

[stripartist]

[Yusuke is so extremely done with this idiot running this shop. Honestly, what kind of idiot do you have to be to assume live mice...]

It might be, yes. I do have a pencil somewhere in my bag, if you'd like to use that for sketching?

[standless]

[He always heard that people thought the Victorians odd, but even still, the designer can't know that!!]

Oh- yes that would be wonderful, thank you- I've a habit of keeping those little 'golfing' pencils in case of a need for notes, but I don't know that it's quite sharp enough right now.

I do have to say, it's been rather comforting to see that pencils haven't changed too much since 1889 though.

[Bit of improvement for erasers where they're present, but that's about it. Good old reliable...]