28 - The Hungry Forest

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Will the mysterious forest give up its secrets -- and its captives?
When: Nov 14
Where: Within the forest
Summary: For a while now, the mysterious forest that makes unpredictable moves around the Far Shore has seemed to be getting deeper and darker. Gods and shinki are missing, taken in by the forest's traps. Now, it's time to uncover what has taken them, and find a way to return their freedom....






Step into the forest, and fall under the strangely disconnected feeling within its borders. Your physical abilities will remain as sharp as ever, but accessing any supernatural ability, including a god's powers or a shinki's abilities, is much more of a struggle within this place, and incredibly draining as well.


Forest Dangers

The forest is no less closed-in when people actually get into it, and the sky is almost impossible to keep track of, replaced by looming boughs and twisting, knotted tree limbs. Those branches and vines almost seem a little too purposefully placed to block people in... although it might not be so obvious until you turn around and notice the path grown over with plants behind you.

It’s not just paranoia. The forest itself is acting to stop those here for rescue, and the trees will readily attack or attempt to capture any god or shinki making their way through. Paths knot up with brambles before them, trees drop branches to block the way, vines lock up the gaps between trees before trying to drag anyone who comes too near away. It’s going to be a struggle to get through, but together, it can be done.

Also hovering among the trees are the firefly spirits that have been a worry for some time. They venture alone at a distance, but once someone comes near, they’ll cluster and attack – if they touch your skin they'll burn like real fire, so be careful how you deal with them!

Soulless Shinki

A little deeper into the forest, searchers will begin to find some of the soulless shinki that wandered into the forest. Unfortunately, they’re beyond reason, and their numbers aren't just made up of soulless shinki with gods (Shizuo's, Add's, Hakkai's and Yuna's). Many of the nameless ones who have been living at the soulless shinki temple are here, too. These shinki, armed with whatever weapons they had when they vanished along with powerful wooden spears and maces grown by the cursed trees, are defending the inner areas of the forest alongside the plants with a vicious and mindless enthusiasm. Their focus is purely to stop those who might be getting close to the other prisoners.

Are those spell papers and straw dolls pinned to the trees that they’re clustering to defend? Maybe it would be worth it to get a closer look....

Creepy Cultists

In the deepest parts of the forest, where the weight of the magic working here becomes much heavier, and the forest almost vibrates with power, there are... humans. Normal, living humans, by all standards, except for the fact that they’re swathed in dark, hooded robes, and many of them are carrying the same spell tags and dolls visible on the trees the soulless shinki are so fervently defending. While they can’t see the gods and shinki at work in the forest, the humans are continuing to put up spell markers, and whenever a fresh one goes up, the magic in the air grows just a little more suffocating. They need to be stopped – but the question of how humans are in the Heavens’ forest in the first place still needs answering.

Those nearest to the forest’s center, in the heart of the magic, are maintaining the lines of massive sigils on the forest floor, the edges of which are only just visible beneath a tangling wall of brambles, vines and branches. The plants give way for the cultists, allowing them to continue maintaining the shapes, but nobody else. It’s safe to say that the snarled mess of plant life protects where the trapped gods and shinki are hidden, but can a way through be found with the magic’s effects so strong? Maybe the cultists will come in handy. They're intensely focused on the spell papers and sigils, and no matter what the gods and shinki do, they won't be able to keep their attention for long enough to convince them to answer more than a question or two -- but with some convincing, they might be able to point the way.

To Be Continued...

Be prepared! On May 3 (OOC), the final battle to save the kidnapped characters will be posted as a separate log. Soulless shinki can be NPCed in this first log, but missing PC characters (gods and shinki) will not be found until that second log goes up.



In Summary:

• Investigate the mysterious forest
• Battle burning fireflies and soulless shinki
• Deal with the human cultists
• Have fun~

Comments

NPC REQUEST

[godsoffortune]

You are free to NPC the mysterious cultists or soulless shinki yourselves (please ask permission from their gods' players in the case of the four soulless shinki assigned to gods.)

However, if you want a mod to NPC one for your thread, or need us to answer a question, please comment here with a link to the thread!

[kokuyoyo]

Cultist, please!

As a note, I'd like the mod who accepts this to be fine with, well... As the cw states, violent interrogation. Chikusa's backstory involves heavy dealings with the criminal underworld and horribly violent retaliation against them and others in pursuit of revenge. Like, his and Ken's first appearance (in the manga) involves them and some inflicted teeth horror, as an example. Things will... probably not go that far? And Ayumu is there to rein Chikusa in if we need it to happen OOCly.

But, at the very least, he'll probably think about violent things, and I don't want to spring anything on anyone even slightly. If I go too far as well, wherever that line is, please be sure to tell me. Hopefully I'm not being too twitchy about it!

[letteropener]

Forest Dangers

[Celestia has dwelt in the Everfree Woods much of her life, and knows how dangerous an enchanted forest can be. Nor will she be fooled again by firefly spirits feigning innocence for the chance to strike.]

[In fact, Celestia is not taking chances in the slightest.]

[Her trail is obvious enough, at least until the forest begins to shift and seal it; the pony blazes through the forest with unyielding magic, scattering vines and even shifting trees out of the way with great flashes of light. Celestia is on a one-mare royal procession into the heart, and the only thing that will deter her from her path is the danger of somepony else.]

[The drain on her power is evident, but she is an alicorn. For now, she has enough to advance.]

Soulless Shinki

[With a bolt of radiance, Celestia bursts through a tangle of vines -- and into a clearing filled with soulless shinki. The sight is enough to make her rear back slightly in surprise, one hoof off the ground -- and this is her mistake.]

[The trees above her shift just as the shinki turn, brandishing their weapons at her as they stalk closer. Recognizing her danger, Celestia throws her wings wide to take to the air -- only for the branches that hadn't been there moments ago to foul them. Feathers tangle through wood, and Celestia hauls herself off the ground with the reflexive contortion of her muscles. Just an inch, but it spoils her leverage.]

[A blast of power sends two of the shinki reeling backwards, but a third dodges that as he thrusts his spear at her. She kicks her leg, fouling his aim, but a wet red line rises bright against her pale fur, and her furious motions only have her wings tangled further. Pain and ire in her eyes, she launches another bolt of energy into the shinki, and then another, buying herself time while her wings jerk and her hind legs kick, trying to find purchase to free herself. But her refusal to do great harm to the shinki means none of them stay down long enough for her to gather a proper spell to get free, not when the forest seems to interfere with her abilities so very much.]

[Either she's going to have to hurt them badly, or she's going to need help.]

[unlucky7]

[The drain may affect supernatural abilities, but all of Ginia's natural abilities are linked physically to her being. Borderlines are out of the question, but she's still as strong, as fast, as deadly without them. Because here, her enemies aren't ayakashi. They're shinki, and that basically means they're flesh and bone.

There's no need of a god to rend, not when she can do that well enough with a sharp blade. There's no holding back, not when it's her life or theirs. Their life or the life of a god she cares for.

Ginia bursts into the fight and swings her machete at the nearest shinki attacking Celestia. Her machete slashes across the shinki, red spilling over their clothing as they fall. Still moving, Ginia turns on the shinki with the spear, parrying his attack aside and closing the distance to chop her weapon into his shoulder.

Stay down.]

[chibisu]

A - Forest Dangers v1

[For those wandering through the forest, they might stumble upon a sight that definitely doesn't belong in a forest: a small child surrounded by four men in suits who are clearly standing guard. Anyone who was paying attention and was introduced might be able to recognize Ebisu's guard Aomi, but the three other men are relative strangers.]

[....Also, the child is holding a fishing pole.]

[To be specific, he's holding a pole and the line seems to have disappeared into a thick tangle of overgrowth that seems unsurmountable, and Ebisu himself is frowning a little as he tugs on the pole a bit.]

[The sound of someone approaching has the four shinki shift, clearly ready for an attack... But then they seem to realize there's no danger, and one of them murmurs behind them, "Young Master." That draws Ebisu's attention, and he looks back over his shoulder.]

Oh, hello. You were trapped inside as well, it looks like.

B - Forest Dangers v2

[Sometime later, and it can be easy to find a similar little gathering set up in the space between trees. One of the shinki- a man with a goatee and glasses- is now missing. The fishing pole is still around, on Ebisu's back, and.... there is a large kitchen knife in his hand.]

[In fact, he's hold it as if he's about to cut through the arm of one of his other shinki who's sitting on the ground by him, sleeves rolled up to reveal a rather nasty burn.]

Okay, just hold still, Takami...

[THIS IS DEFINITELY A PERFECTLY NORMAL SIGHT.]

C - Creepy Cultists

[If someone is making their way through the forest, hopefully they don't have a twitchy attack finger, because one of Ebisu's shinki suddenly pokes his head from around a tree, a finger raised to his lips even as another hand gestures to follow.]

[Around the bend is Ebisu and his shinki.... All gathered around a tree where a spell marker is, all their faces serious and concerned.]

How did.... [It's a quiet murmur.]

C

[cuddle_battery]

[Yumoto thankfully doesn't attack the shinki that suddenly pops up like a magical forest whack-a-mole, but he does make a loud sound of surprise.]

Ah!

[And then covers his mouth as he notices the gesture for quiet. He doesn't do quiet very well, but he nods and follows.

Once they get to the gathering, he's already forgotten about being quiet and instead approaches Ebisu.]

Hey, you should tell your friend not to sneak up on people in a creepy forest. That could be dangerous.

[Thaaat's the important thing here.]

[mithrarin]

Forest Danger

[No sooner does Dust step into the forest then he drops to a knee like half of his puppet strings were cut, the sword in his hand falling to the grass as he supports himself with both hands. His fingers tighten as he gasps for breath against a pain and wrongness that swells up from the center of his being, his back trembling.]

[The very existence of the Sen-Mithrarin himself is supernatural, after all. Inside him, two souls struggle to separate.]

[But the Sen-Mithrarin is more than just that. Dust is, no matter his doubts on the matter, more than just that.]

[Above him, a branch shudders, then collapses out of the tree, a widowmaker plummeting down on him like a descending hammer. It never touches; Dust snaps his hand around his sword and brings the weapon up, cleaving the branch so that its halves fall to either side of him. And though he still wobbles slightly, he forces himself upright.]

...It's not going to be that easy.

Soulless Shinki

[Dust races through the trees, a crowd of shinki hot on his heels, his cloak almost whipping in the face of the nearest one as the try to snatch it, or his tail, or anything to bring him up short so they can stop his flight for good with spear and mace. Needless to say, Dust is opposed to this plan of theirs; his sword snaps out left and right, slashing symbols and dolls off of tree trunks wherever he can, hacking through branches and vines as they try to tangle him, and generally doing all he can to disrupt the workings in here.]

[Up ahead, a tangle of vines forms a net between trees, and Dust makes for it to cut through it -- but a moment later he sees the truth it hides, that the vine net stretches deeper than he'd seen at first. Too deep to cut through without slowing down. Looks like the chase ends here.]

[Dust plants his feet, stopping so abruptly that the momentum carries his cloak and tail on past him into the air as he turns to face the shinki coming after him. Seeing their prey caught, they've slowed, the better to fan out and face him as a unit. This battle is about to be joined, and no one will really win it.]

soulless shinki

[declamando]

[This battle is definitely about to be joined by someone else as well - Maria doesn't want to see anyone else overwhelmed today, and so she's been lending what support she can to people on the way through the forest.

Now that they seem to be near to the heart, she needs to focus on how to get further. And that's not going to be possible unless they're unopposed.

Maria emerges from the trees on the other side of the soulless shinki, wearing a purple dance outfit with veils trailing from it. The hanging fabric seems to follow and float unnaturally along with her movements, though Maria herself has a bit of a grim set to her face. She can't be frivolous with the vessel power when it's taking so much out of Natsuru.

She does also have her soulless shinki in blade form at her side, though, and she nods to Dust, keeping herself concealed from the attacking group for the moment.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Outside the Forest

[In the hands of a minion, the Overlord regards the forest's confines with a baleful glare. He knows a damn cursed forest when he sees it! There might as well be a sign indicating this was a new stage in the game!]

All right, forest. You've pissed off the wrong Overlord. You've got a shinki of mine and I'm going to get him back.

[With a violent crash, eleven more minions slam down to the ground from the sky above. The crash honestly looks like it ought to hurt -- shatter ankles, pancake the weaker, that sort of thing -- but this is an Overlord's power, and he won't allow that sort of crap to happen.]

Listen up, loyal battle-monkeys! I --

[A minion in military fatigues steps in front of Zetta abruptly, cutting him off.] Troopers! I have just received new orders. Our superiors say the war is cancelled, and we can all go home. Bison is getting paid off for his crimes, and our friends will have died here... will have died for nothing. But... we can all go home. Meanwhile, ideas like peace, freedom and justice - they get packed up. But... we can all go home. Well... I'm not going home. I'm gonna get on my boat, and I'm going up-river, and I'm going to kick that son-of-a-bitch Bison's ass so HORT --

ZETTA BEAM!

[As the minion Team Rocketed off into the distance, Zetta regards his minions with significantly more exhaustion than moments before.] Right. Okay. Into forest. Rescue Ross. Experience and loot. Let's go.

[With one final act of will, Zetta Invites the last ally he'll have access to before he steps into the forest and his powers of summoning become unmanageable: a pickup truck.]

[The minions pile into the truck, toss Zetta onto the dashboard, and rev up to peel out into the forest, possibly with Blaster Master's World 1 music blaring out of the stereo.]

Creepy Cultists

What the...?!

[Perched on the hood of the scratched, dented, banged-up, and slightly-on-fire pickup truck, Zetta stares at the cultists in open shock. What are humans doing here in the Far Shore? Aside from obviously contributing to this act of evil.]

[As the minion horde slowly piles out of the truck bed, patting themselves dry and and shoveling the impressively large pile of dung out of the cabin, Zetta looks over at them, a cruel hardness in his eyes.]

Kill them.

[Without hesitation, indeed with a vapid sort of delight, the demons draw their weapons and advance towards the cultists.]

Creepy Cultists

[unlucky7]

You can't kill them!

[Zetta's the telepathic one, but Ginia makes sure her thought is loud and clear as she approaches. Her words might be hypocritcal given her appearance; blood splatters across her face and clothes, the machete gripped in her hand resting lightly against her shoulder. Her expression is serious as she surveys the scene, looking over at Zetta.]

They might have information. You can kill them after we get answers.

[nibelungvalesti]

[The Valkyrie paces into the forest, unusually alone.]

[She ought to have her Einherjar with her, ready to meet and do battle with whatever lurked in this desmense. But her very soul felt distant and hollow within her; she could not reach them, could not manifest them. Only by virtue of her second divinity did her armor swathe her and her sword remain solid in her hand.]

[A month ago, this would not have bothered her. Today, she felt alone, and truth be told, scared. Nothing ought to be able to repress her in this way. If she is destroyed, will her spirit properly escape? Or will it be drawn in?]

[She chops through branches and parries questing, grasping undergrowth with rote maneuvers that have no spirit within them. Training is enough to see her through, but if this is a battle of spirit, the Valkyrie's grey countenance warns that she may have already lost.]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[So much for stealth, really. It is impossible, Edge has learned, to hide in a forest that is actively pointing you out to everyone you are trying to hide from, as well as actively trying to thwart you by attacking you. Stupid forest!]

[Edge hangs from a tree, one blade driven almost to the hilt in the trunk so he can perch on it carefully. Can't trust the branches to hold his weight, so this is the option he's going with. He's safely out of reach from the shinki, except when one tries to lob a spear at him, so his focus is on destroying their work. Shuriken flicker out from his free hand, punching into the spells and dolls pinned to the trees and shredding them.]

I sure hope this breaks the control on them. Getting down is going to be an adventure otherwise.

[kokuyoyo]

A - Forest Dangers

[Chikusa really doesn't want to be here.]

[That much can be figured out judging by the sharp look in his eyes, even as he's, for once, standing up perfectly straight. This is perhaps for the benefit of the large hiking backpack he has on his person, filled with all sorts of things that he may or may not get to use today. Considering that, at any given time, he's nearby to one Ken Joshima and Nanako Dojima, he probably will, honestly. The two also explain why, despite his protests on the BBS, he's here at all.]

[It's really annoying, being the one sensible one in a whole temple or two.]

[Chikusa has confidence in Ken being able to handle the local vegetation. His job is just as simple. While his partner and secondary god are busy with other matters, he keeps an eye out for flickers of light darting through the air... and his hands suddenly become a blur. When they stop moving, so do the fireflies, and his yoyos rest easily within his two hands.]

[He's sliced through the fuses of dynamite as they've flown through the air. He can do this much.]

[Anyone venturing too near and too suddenly should watch out, or a yoyo might be flying for them, too... and they hit a lot harder than they look.]

B - Soulless

[Chikusa has never particularly cared for Asshole and, unsurprisingly, that type of feeling only escalates when he has to dodge said asshole wielding a strange wooden ax right at his head. People are free to stumble upon the sight even as Chikusa is stumbling across over-grown roots to get out of the way of a swing.]

[Stupid soulless couldn't even be relied upon to keep Hakkai safe... Typical. Aloud, Chikusa murmurs something.]

If you die... That means more chores.... But you could burn well, probably...

[Someone should... possibly... intervene before Chikusa reveals some of the thing he's brought in his bag of tricks.]

C - Wildcard

[I'm really good for Chikusa stumbling onto anything, or being stumbled upon in turn. Just hit me up if you're interested in something I haven't offered! I'm pretty flexible.]

(cw for violent interrogation) Creepy Cultists with occasional guest appearances by Ayumu & Sanzang

[kokuyoyo]

[There are two things Chikusa isn't particularly surprised to see within the forest.]

[The first is that he's managed to run into Ayumu, and keep her updated on Nanako and Ken's activities, along with telling her about Hakkai's disappearance, in case she didn't know.]

[The second is that, in their careful scouting into the deeper parts of the forest, they've come across some strange spell markers that are easy enough to tear down.... and humans, of all things, to blame. Considering the work he saw at the department store, well, perhaps this was only inevitable.]

[Out of anything else in this entire mess of a forest, it's their only lead, so after some brief.... haggling with Ayumu, Chikusa makes a move. Yoyo in hand, he hunts out one that's assuredly alone before slinging the toy-like weapon out to sling around the cultist's neck and yank them back.]

[That ought to get their attention.]

[brynwieldr]

Forest Dangers

[It was painfully obvious that the forest was very anti-intruder before now, but staring at the paths that have been covered up by new growth in the span of minutes just hammers that home as far as Leo's concerned. Good thing he came prepared with his tome and several matchbooks, lighters, and a flask of oil should it comes to it.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Come at him, trees.

Of course, it's not the trees that cause Leo problems at first. He steps near a cluster of fireflies to avoid a root. Two seconds later he jumps back, yelping in pain and cradling his bright red hand to his chest as he glares at the little buggers.]

Mind the fireflies! They burn like actual fire--ow!

[A few more attack before flying off. Rude.]

Creepy Cultists

[Once his hand is bandaged and the soulless shinki are handled (by people other than Leo, because those godsdamned fireflies burned his hand too much to be of much use in a fight right then), Leo turns his attention to the cultists.]

Has anyone tried to take the spell markers off? That might disrupt whatever they're doing.

[thevanguard]

[ It's the yelp that catches his attention. The forest is already full of gods and shinki venturing in here to search for their missing companions, and Yata hadn't really hesitated at all in joining their number. His trusty skateboard is missing for the moment, because the vegetation and growth is so thick here it's not really of use at the moment, but there's a metal baseball bat propped over one shoulder.

Or at least that's where it was until the unfamiliar god nearby gives a pained cry and Yata launches himself forwards with an irritated look.

There might be the slightest haze of flames around his bat as he swings at the fireflies attacking the god - two immediately fizzle into flames, which sends the rest scattering in different directions. it's not his typical brash show of firepower, but he's at least smart enough to be reserving most of his power for an emergency.

Besides, his god and..... boyfriend.... person is still in here somewhere.

He glances over at Leo with a frown when the bugs scatter. ]

You alright? How bad did they get you?

[subtract]

[A - Arrival, closed to Ain and Roxas]

[Finding the forest is easy, at least. The strange atmosphere is immediately noticeable, an oppressive aura that bears down on them as they travel deeper into the woods. Add has his dynamos arranged in a wide circle around him, a few holoscreens floating within his reach.]

... There's a powerful energy signature further in, but I can't make out what it is from this range. [he frowns, adjusting the position of one of the screens when it starts to flicker] Hmm. Possibly some sort of jamming signal as well. Whatever's controlling this forest is most likely related, so if we head towards it we should find answers.

[And Rin, hopefully.

... and maybe Heru, too. But Rin takes priority.]

[B - Forest Dangers]

[At some point, he gets separated from his shinki—one moment they're together, and the next he's alone with a wall of thick bramble covering the path he came from. He tries to find a way to loop back around, but it doesn't take long for the forest's shifting maze to get him hopelessly lost again. For the moment, he's completely alone.

Not good. By now it's obvious that his Dynamo can't do much under this draining aura. The machines can barely maintain their hover, let alone bend time and space to his will. Tapping into his god powers hasn't given him much luck, either (sorry to anyone who happens to see a glowing blue eye staring at them from the trees, please don't throw things at him). He's a sitting duck like this. He has to find his shinki—

Or literally anyone else, because he's kind of completely useless on his own. So, upon catching sight of anyone who looks human, he calls out to them as he pries his way through the branches. His six drones hover close behind him, dipping low to the ground in their unsteady flight.]

Hey! Who's there?

[C - Soulless Shinki]

[Deep in the forest, flashes of purple light illuminate the darkness. There's a crash, someone shouting, the sounds of snapped twigs and branches.

Upon further investigation, there's a scuffle going on in a small clearing: Add is rolling on the ground, currently being strangled by someone who looks... remarkably just like him, down to the odd eyes and the tattoo. The only difference is this other "Add" has longer hair (that's now hopelessly tangled with sticks and leaves) and lacks the black schlera of his counterpart. A wooden spear lays discarded on the ground several feet away from them, and Add has a firm grip on his doppelganger's tangled hair. His dynamos spark uselessly nearby as he tries and fails to get a strong enough charge to attack with.

It's... hard to tell who's actually winning right now. They both seem to be pretty bad at this.]

A

[abgrund]

[ ain is by his side, trailing just a single step behind. his tendrils and hair are kept close to his body, to avoid them catching on any of the trees and branches. this place is like him, yet it isn't... it shouldn't be like this.

he tries to reach for add's sleeve, but hesitates halfway, letting his hand drop back to his side. ]

I... can go in front?

[ hey, he's a tentacle monster. not much can hurt him, so it makes sense for him to be the shield. ]

[blizzardrock]

A. Forest Dangers
[Guess who's not fond of fireflies and has good aim?]

[He's noticed very quickly that his lines take more effort here, and so compensates by being very precise. Offensive lines cut up the fireflies, not killing them entirely, but Fubuki walks right past. They're someone else's problem now.]

B. Soulless Shinki
[Normally he can't even line properly against ayakashi for being too aware of the possibility that those ayakashi could have been shinki at one point.]

[This isn't a normal situation, and he isn't being normal. He displays no compunction or hesitation to hurt the soulless shinki surrounding him. However, unlike with the fireflies, they're not letting him through, and there are three of them, and Fubuki can barely fight. He's managed to stand his ground so far due to being fairly athletic and being able to dodge, hop, and jump, but that plus using his lines is starting to take its toll.]

...Tch. [Point of fact, he's bleeding from where a spear tip caught his forearm.]

[His voice is quiet, nearly a whisper as he says—] I'll burn even your bones... [Someone please don't point out that he has no fire powers. (Or any firepower for that matter.)]

B

[shadowrevenger]

--vessel to sound. I call thee as my divine instrument. The name, Tomo. The vessel, Hou. Come, Houki!"

[Just like that, one of the shinki threatening Fubuki disappears. Behind him, Ren slumps against a tree, a shiny gold trumpet in one hand and his other hand pressed against his forehead. Next to him stands another shinki with a spear, although he's holding it backward (having been instructed not to severely hurt any of the other shinki) and he's looking very concerned about Ren.

Ren shakes his head after a moment and gestures for him to move on.] I'm fine. Go help Fubuki-kun, Michiya-san.

[If there's one thing Michiya is very good at, it's following orders, so he bows to Ren and hurries to Fubuki's side. And then promptly starts whacking at one of the other shinki, trying to knock him out or at least knock his weapon out of his hand but mostly just distracting him from attacking Fubuki.]

[waitingforhope]

Forrest Dangers

[Mai did not enter right away. Certainly not by herself. Instead, she hung back, taking a few steps at a time, and carefully watching those around her. Be they god, shinki, or...whatever presence moved just beyond her peripheral vision. ]

[In the distance, she saw little specs of light. Mesmerizing in their own way. Mysterious. Too small to be campfires. Too mobile to be mere glowing embers. And the growing sense of dread from within simultaneously led her to want to explore and also stay as far away as possible--something she knew she couldn't do. Not if she was going to help find those who were missing.]

I'm sure I can't be the only person who feels this to be a bit too suspicious not to be a trap?

Soulless Shinki

[It was the little strips of paper that captured her attention most. Certainly, they were easier to look at than the souless shinki wandering the area. The ones who caused an icy chill to run down her spine at the sight of them. What they were. What they once had been.]

What do you think those might be?

[She gave a subtle nod towards the trees, and the curious items pinned to them.]

And more importantly...what do you think they're for?

Forest Dangers

[cuddle_battery]

Unless they just made it so suspicious that everyone thinks it's a trap and just leaves them alone. That way they wouldn't even need real traps.

[He's helping.]

[nopixiedust]

A - Forest Dangers

Get off, get off, GET OFF!

[The fireflies were bad enough, Wendy's jacket and skirt showing little burn marks. Being locked in, the rope she'd used outside severed, also sucked.]

[But if there's one thing Wendy's learned, it's that vines really fucking suck.]

[There's some tangled around one of her legs, trying to drag her into the depths of the forest, and the only reason that they haven't succeeded is because Wendy has jammed a knife deep into the trunk of a tree. It probably doesn't appreciate being used as an anchor, but she doesn't care. All she can do is kick at the vines, trying to get herself free. After all, if she lets go, then the vines will just be able to drag her in.]

[So. Yelling a lot it is.]

Bugger off already!

B - Soulless Shinki

[People are a lot easier to deal with plants. For one thing, Wendy knows how to deal with people. She may be small, but she knows what she's doing. So anyone heading towards the sound of conflict will find her tiny frame twisting circles around a couple soulless shinki wielding various weapon, leapfrogging over them or sliding inbetween their legs.]

[But she probably can't keep this up forever. Help would be appreciated.]

C - Wildcard

[I'm good for anything else, just let me know what you're interested in!]

A

[nolittlesecret]

[Look, Nari can't walk past someone getting dragged towards whatever fate it is by vines without stopping to help. So he whips a hunting knife out and comes right over. Hopefully Wendy won't freak out by someone grabbing one of her legs and just hacking away at the vines.]

Once you're free, run, got it?

[trademark_skull]

A. Forest Dangers

[Upon hearing who all had gone missing into the forest, Emizel had no choice but to join in the journey to get them back. Assuming there was a chance to pull them out. If their was anything the demon knew from being in the Netherworld, certain environments were unforgiving and it's easy for anyone to fall victim to it - he shouldn't expect that the Far Shore was any different. They may already be too late to help anyone.]

[What he may not foreseen though was whatever limiting effect the forest had on his power. Emizel was particularly sensitive to magic, it was his main form of offense after all. He could tell right away something was tampering with it the deeper they went in. It had an effect on some of his strength.]

[Inevitably Emizel began to slow down a little, not straying too far from the rest of the group but definitely further behind, looking a bit pale. Whenever someone asked how he was feeling though he pushed himself to catch up.] --It's nothing.

[The demon already made the choice to be here. He can't turn back, and he can't slow others down. Rin, Aymeric, Goten....they were all counting on them too.]


B. Soulless Shinki

[Lo and behold, Emizel found some shinki that must have wandered into the forest. This had to be a success! Even if wasn't who he was looking for. He approached closer to tell them they were going to okay now...just to realize that they were raising weapons against him.] --What?

[He had to react fast as one projectile zipped towards him, while a melee or two rushed in. This was a mistake right?? Clearly this had to be a mistake.]

What's gotten into you?! We shouldn't be fighting each other!


C. Cultist

[Finally, at the center. The sigils made Emizel's stomach turn even more. That can't be the work of the forest itself, something...or someone made this. And he soon found out who.]

[Humans. Not just one, but several.]

[The little demon glared at them in disgust. Humans in places they don't belong, resources they shouldn't have access to, kidnapping and controlling beings with whatever nefarious intentions they have... Certain things were sounding more and more like home.]

Y...You. This was all your doing, wasn't it?

[Emizel's voice was colder than usual. He was also genuinely weaker than before. The little bit of magic he could generate wouldn't be enough to harm them. More importantly, that seemed a little too generous for them.]

[They deserved a full reaper's wrath. They aren't ayakashi, so there was nothing saving them from a death scythe.]

C

[arcadianvampire]

[And at Thanatos' side, hanging back just so slightly, was another demon. Valvatorez took in the scene with uncharacteristic quiet... to the point of almost looking subdued. Of course, that was only to an onlooker, and someone who didn't know him terribly well.

If his supernatural power wasn't being suppressed, the very air itself would curl in dark, fell energy and crackle viciously with black lightning. Anger, fury, scarcely bound. Though Emizel hadn't said as such aloud, it really reminded him too much of home. Too much of human overreach in the present with Nemo... and back then, too. Those memories of the war and the blasphemous things they did... bending demons to their will on top of....

Well, that didn't really matter. Valvatorez walked up beside his companion, his stride slow, intense, and purposeful. When the young Reaper would look at him, his eyes didn't reflect that of a somewhat goofy Prinny Instructor, even at the height of some of the problems Nemo caused. No, it was the glower of a once legendary demon... one whose wrath was being provoked.

He drew his sword. Slowly. Measuredly. He didn't have any power to tap into. And he wouldn't need it.]

Emizel. Are you prepared?

[unlucky7]

Forest Preparation
[It's time to go into the woods, but before Ginia does, some preparation is needed. Without knowing how deep she'll have to go, how long she'll be in there, and the state of the people held hostage, Ginia grabs a backpack and heads to the Near Shore to pick up some supplies. She hits a large outdoor supply store and begins going through the shelves, looking for a few specific items.

A heavy-duty flashlight that can double as a bludgeon, several energy bars and granola bars, a compass, a first aid kit, anything else that seems like it would be useful; under the near invisibility of the Far Shore, she packs the items directly into her bag. There's no time to worry about payment; she'll handle it later when gods and shinki aren't missing in a roaming forest.

There's also a side stop at a beauty supply store for some large canisters of hair spray.

Back at Caster's temple, Ginia continues preparation by filling bottles with holy water, raiding the first aid kit some more, and grabbing a machete and some throwing knives from the range's armory. Along with the addition of her two combat knives and gun, Ginia heads into the forest.]

Forest Dangers
[With her nanotechnology a physical part of her being, Ginia is still sharp as ever. She chops her way through the forest with her machete with a single-minded focus and determination, but keeps eyes and ears out for anyone in the area that needs help. They're all here to rescue the other gods and shinki; it wouldn't do to let someone get trapped.

Within easy reach is also a large canister of hairspray with a lighter taped to it, her deterrent of choice against stubborn vines and firefly spirits.]

Soulless Shinki
[They may be soulless shinki, but there's no holding back in a fight, not when they're attacking with killing intent. Ginia will avoid fights when she can, but when attacked or spotting someone under attack, she's swift and brutal, retaliating in kind. She's not above fighting dirty either; throwing debris from the forest floor in her enemy's face or attacking with a spray of flaming hairspray. Whatever gets the job done.]

Wildcard
[Have an idea for something else? Let me know!]

Forest Dangers

[thevanguard]

[ unfortunately, Yata's typical firepower is one of the ones being suffocated by this damn forest, so he's using it sparingly today, but he does have a long knife at his belt and a baseball bat over one shoulder as he crashes his own way through the thick underbrush, fighting off trees and vines as he goes. His skateboard's been left behind today, which he's sorely missing, but there'd be no way to use it in this place, with everything as overgrown as it is.

All of which, combined with his missing god and boyfriend-person, has put him in a piss-poor mood. Which he happens to be taking out on the persistent vegetation all around him.

Ginia might hear the occasional metallic ring of his bat connecting with a reaching branch, or a string of curses as he hacks his way through some particularly persistent vines. ]

I freaking hate this place!

[declamando]

[A: Forest Dangers]

[As soon as she'd confirmed to herself that Elfnein had gone missing with the other gods and shinki, Maria was determined to head into the forest - Yona and a few of the other reports had been bad enough, but this was something she definitely had to do herself now.

Rather than her Gear, Maria is dressed in a somewhat revealing purple dance outfit, a short sword tucked into her belt. Uta had become restless as soon as they got near the forest, and now, with an unpleasant feeling of resistance coming from the soulless shinki, she feels it's better to leave the blade where it is and focus on using Natsuru's vessel form.

Another twist of vines chokes up the path ahead of her as she approaches, and with a hiss of frustration, Maria strikes up a quick dance, bringing herself up, twirling, and darting forward. As she does, the veils that hang from the dance outfit move with her, and finally lash out at the vines almost like blades.

It takes out a section of the blockade, but not all of it, and Maria continues her movements to try again.] This is taking too long...

[And using too much effort, for that matter. She's not going to be able to keep this up for longer than a few minutes at the rate it's using her energy.]

--

[B: Soulless Shinki]

[...And this probably explains why Uta had been so restless earlier.

Maria is eventually forced to draw her blade when one of the soulless shinki comes at her with a heavy wooden staff, fending them off. She can knock them out if she really has to, but she'd rather find a way around if she can.

Still, if they're protecting something, she can at least try to keep them occupied.]

Someone get rid of those spells on the trees! [Said as she hurls away the soulless she's currently fighting to land on their back...which only offers a few seconds before they're trying to get back up and come at her again.]

--

[C: Creepy Cultists]

[Maria has dealt with quite a few things in her time here, but human enemies was something she was definitely hoping to continue avoiding. She looks ready to lash out more and more as she gets closer to the heart of the forest, but at the sight of actual humans, her expression falls a bit.]

Is that who's doing this? [She slips behind a tree to watch. She doesn't want to hurt any actual humans...but those spell tags need to go, and those sigils look plenty enough like bad news as well.

For the most part, Maria's going to be avoiding interaction with the humans, instead slinking after them and slashing up the spell tags they've left behind. There's a lot of them working, though, and she keeps finding her attention drawn back to that point in particular.]

Where are they all coming from?

A

[priforprince]

This isn't the stage upon which I'd hoped to see you dance.

[ Hibiki drops down from out of a tree. She'd been trying to use her rope to swing through these obstacles, but summoning it is taking a bizarre toll on her....

But she's not descending now because she could tell the only other alternative would be to pass out up there! That would be absurd.

She steps up to the vine tangle, drawing a sword. ] This blocks the path?

[ Maria had once proposed she was ill-prepared for actual emergencies. But Hibiki begs to differ.

There's nothing she can't do. ]

[redotiertwo]

[A: Forest Dangers]

[Davesprite is taking the ground route today. With how aggressive the trees are being, he doesn't think actually flying is at all a good plan, and his levitation ability is using a weirdly large amount of his energy to keep happening. So for now, he's moving on through steadily, sword at the ready and eyes behind his shades moving around to spot for any opportunistic trees.

That doesn't mean he's going to entirely avoid that particular problem, though, especially when he has some bonus appendages that make him somewhat easier to catch than some people.]

Fucking hell--!

[That (surprisingly annoyed, for Davesprite) call snaps out just after the sound of moving tree life - a large patch of brambles has grown in to form a wall, and Davesprite's wings have gotten themselves tangled into it. He's also having to swordfight away a vine that's trying to grab at his tail, pulling it up closer to his body.]

Can I just fucking. Personally banish whoever thought massive shitty bramble patches was a good decor idea for the monster forest, screw them right to hell.

[Help?]

--

[B: Creepy Cultists]

Dammit, I knew it was only a matter of time until weird obsessive human followers ended up being our biggest problem.

[Davesprite is watching the humans working on the sigil with a not particularly strong effort to keep himself hidden, since they seem to be having the usual trouble with noticing gods and shinki anyway. He rests his sword back over his shoulder, looking like he's kind of torn between putting it away or not.]

I mean, we need to stop these fuckers, but I'm still not super cool with going full rampage mode against a bunch of squishy humans, you know, it's bad life choices all around here.

[Not that Davesprite isn't used to making bad life choices, but there are better bad life choices to make than this one.]

A

[abgrund]

[ hell hell hell....

... well, it's easy to track down davesprite. not that the other shinki would have seen ain from far away in the first place, seeing that he's black and green and blends in with the trees.

he also seems to have no hands or legs. instead, his limbs end in ribbon-like structures much like slinkies, which look like an easy target for the vines to entangle themselves in. some of the brambles disassemble to try and fix ain to the wall instead, freeing one of davesprite's wings.

it seems like ain is just letting himself get pulled along, until his tentacle arms grow spikes inwards and begin to melt the trees. just... don't mind the fact that his body might be emitting some sort of black smoke. it's fine.

at least, he can still turn around and regard davesprite with a vacant expression ]

Does it hurt?

[sing_for_me]

A. Forest Dangers

For Nanako and Sakura. Team Trying Our Best.

[ Despite have just met them, these brave ladies still accompanied her into the forest, all three of them looking for people they cared for. Alex appreciated their presence, although she was wary about their safety. While they too were gods, they were also younger than her, and it didn’t take long for Alex to feel protective over them. She walks ahead of them, but makes sure to keep close, checking behind her every few minutes. It didn’t take long to notice how the plants blocked the path they had made. Considering they had no idea what they were up against, Alex had a small bag of the materials she had gotten with Ginia and a heavy duty flashlight in hand to help light their way. The atmosphere in the forest felt heavy, as dense as its foliage. There was definitely something off about this place. ]

Are you two doing alright?

Ver. 2
[ Alex had gotten separated from the two somehow, and now she was desperately looking for them. So much for protecting them—she couldn’t even keep them near by! The plants wouldn’t let her go back the way she came from though, and it felt like they blocked whoever path she decided to take. It didn’t take very long for her to not even know which direction she was going in. ]

Sakura! Nanako!

[ How much more useless could she possibly be? ]

Soulless Shinki

[ She wasn’t sure why she thought she could talk to them, but she hoped that there was still some sense left in the shinki. Sneaking past them didn’t end up working out, so that was plan B. How well did that turn out? Well, now she was holding back a mace with her flashlight, trying to push her attacker back. The bit of training she’s been doing here and there with the help of some very patient and generous friends did help in terms of strengthening her, but she still wasn’t that equipped for battle. More were starting to gather, leaving her with possibly having to use her god power. But there was something odd about this place, since it seemed more difficult to activate it. ] Please…! I just want to know where they are..!

Wildcard
I’m open to anything really! Feel free to throw something else or hit me up mightycheese

version 2 (since i assume that's the open half of the prompt, poke me if i'm wrong)

[declamando]

Alex?

[It's not the voice of either of the people she's calling for, but Maria's voice is easily recognisable coming from behind a damaged barrier of vines.]

Stay there, alright? [There's a strange tearing sound a few moments later, and a person-sized hole is ripped in the barrier by what looks like thin chiffon fabric. Maria ducks through quickly before the plants can react too much, grimacing slightly. She's dressed in a dance costume that leaves very little to the imagination, the veils trailing from it coming back to settle around her.]

Are you alright?

[redmare]

Forest Dangers

SHUN! SHUN! [ Chinatsu was shouting at the top of her lungs, hoping to hear a condescending remark back, but no. No comeback. All she heard were the rustling of plants, probably blocking her way, again. It was damn creepy in here, but even if she could, Chinatsu wasn’t going to turn back. She was damn pissed, both at the forest and at Shun, but at the same time she was scared. He better be okay or else she was strangling him. After going through all that trouble to find a god, Chinatsu wasn’t going to lose him that easily. She still hadn’t proven herself to him either. There was still too much she wanted to do to thank him.

Without him, she couldn’t go into vessel form, so she had to make do with a makeshift weapon: tying a kitchen knife to the end of the one of the pole arms they had in the training room. Chinatsu made a mental note to have Shun get her a proper freaking weapon.

Be careful about approaching her though. Despite the brave front, she was pretty skittish and on edge, so she may accidentally strike at you. ]

Soulless Shinki

Where is he!? [ She practically growls as she strikes out with the pole, keeping the soulless, mindless, shinki a good distance from her. Here she thought they were out looking for their gods or something, but turns out they’ve lost it, suddenly attacking her with their weapons. That was enough to tell her that they possible had something to do with this, or were getting in her way for a reason. She’s not waiting for them to strike first again, this time lunging forward to push them back. She’s holding her own fine enough, but the more of them that appear, the more difficult it is for her to take them all on. One had managed to knick her side, but Chinatsu was quick to create some distance. ]

Tsk-- Tell me where he is or get out of my way!

Wildcard
Open to other prompts! Or hit me up mightycheese

Soulless Shinki

[thevanguard]

Duck!

[ The called warning comes a few moments before Yata launches in to block a blow aimed at her from behind from a shinki wielding what looked to be a large, thick branch from one of the trees here in the forest.

He's without his skateboard today - it would do him no favors, with how overgrown everything is in here - so he's not as nimble as he might normally be, but he still makes it in time. A metal bat comes up to block the branch before the Soulless can strike again and the metal impacting against the rough wood of the weapon has the branch splintering down into nothing.

Looking pissed, Yata kicks out at the Soulless, knocking him back and away. ]

What the fuck, you guys! Why are you helping the damn trees?

[sageprincess]

forest dangers;
[It's been three days, and Zelda is sick of waiting.

She hardly looks the part of princess today, hair tied up tight into a braided bun and wearing pants - actual pants - instead of her silks and finery. A pack weighs on her back with supplies - water, bandages, rope, and so on - while a pair of knives sit in their sheaths strapped to her thighs, a third, longer blade resting at her hip. She may not have a shinki anymore, but that hardly makes her helpless. In fact, it may actually be to her benefit, she realizes as she steps into the forest and is immediately beset by the stifling aura of magic hanging in the air. She flexes the fingers on her right hand, a brief twinkling of golden light appearing on the back of it-- but it's too difficult to maintain, taking far more energy than it should to create even the slightest spark.

Very well, then. If that is the way the culprits behind the kidnappings wish to play, she shall oblige. It's not as though she's forgotten everything Impa taught her simply because she can use her magic openly now, after all.

She's light enough on her feet that she can dodge out of the way of most of the roots trying to trip her up or branches trying to knock her out, but the vines are a more persistent annoyance, weaving heavy webs to block her path or whipping out to grab at her when she is preoccupied with dancing around some other danger.]

Nngh... I will not be stopped by foliage!

[She brandishes her blade to cut at the offending tendrils. This would probably go a lot quicker with some help, even if it's kind of cathartic in its own way. These trees might be receiving a bit of her pent up frustration right now.]

creepy cultists;
Look-- see there?

[Zelda points to the sigils just barely peeking out from beneath the tangled root system at the heart of the forest, whispering to whatever companion she's stumbled across during her journey inward. At the sight of the cultists, she's decided to go for a slightly more stealthy approach and observe them for a bit, even if there's a part of her that would dearly like to jump in and immediately start demanding answers. They seem to be controlling the forest - or perhaps the forest is controlling them - and as long as it remains that way, an open assault is going to be difficult at best.

But those sigils give her ideas...]

I would wager those runes are integral to the spell they are weaving. Perhaps if we can damage them, we will be able to weaken or disrupt their magic for a while. Some solid borderlines would likely do the trick, but...

[If the magic suppression is even half as strong for a shinki as it is for her, then something like that would probably leave them utterly exhausted. Ugh, what to do, what to do...]

wildcard;
[PM this journal or hit me up at jamizoid if you wanna plot out something else for the princess!]

forest

[abgrund]

[ zelda might not see ain coming, given how he is also black and green like the nighttime forest - but he is coming, assuming a position in front of her and standing still. the vines wrap around him instead, cutting into his ribbon-like limbs and weaving him into a pillar in the middle of the forest. now, zelda can pass.

and if she worries about him, there's reason not to. he lets the vines settle around him, perhaps lulling them into a sense of security - before dark spears erupt from within his body, corroding the vines like acid.

it's not pretty to look at, which is why he'll try to wave her on if he notices her looking. ]

[sweetdeath]

Forest Dangers

[Tsuzuki's battling his way through the undergrowth with a gardener's knife in hand; some of the vines give way with a single slash, but others take some sawing with the serrated edge.]

Hey! Anyone there? Hello!

[Maybe some of the kidnap victims will hear him? Maybe...

He stumbles as a vine catches his ankle, and crouches down to tug at, then start sawing at it when he realizes it's wound around his leg too tightly to tug free. That'll take a few minutes; it's a thicker vine.

Unfortunately, while he works on it, there's a tiny little point of fiery light descending to rest on the back of his jacket. A thread of smoke begins to rise from the fabric, but Tsuzuki's focused on sawing through the vine. Somebody, quick, let him know he ought to stop, drop and roll.]

Soulless Shinki

Whoa! Watch it --

[That is a really big club. Really big. Despite the fact that the man wielding it is whipping it around like it's nothing, it looks (from the business end) approximately the size of a tree, and Tsuzuki's stumbling back with nothing but his gardening knife in one hand.]

-- Stop already! I don't want to hurt you!

[Shouldn't he be more worried that the other guy is going to hurt him?]

Forest Dangers

[nolittlesecret]

[Stop, drop, and roll is fine. Or coming up right behind someone and holding a hand up just to pause is good, too.]

You're on fire.

[Don't mind Nari just casually patting it out only to pull away with a frown when done.]

...... ow. Is this what a burn feels like?

[priforprince]

[ Firefly Forest ]



Defective rescue team, wait a moment.

[ The voice echoes off the trees from on high. Anyone currently at war with vines, fireflies, or what have you will suddenly find their assailant under assault from....red lilies, with their stems sharpened to points.

Yes, most of these will bounce off. But that doesn't mean they can't serve as a distraction.

And then, salvation... descends. A fancy sword is sheathed in a scabbard at her belt.

Tomorrow, if everyone's still alive to read the Near Shore news, there will be word of a museum theft. How strange! ]

Shikyoin Hibiki shall take things from here.

[ Soulless Shinki ]

They turn would-be allies against us, hm.

[ Hibiki draws her sword and adopts a fencing posture; some ignoble fate has already likely befallen her drone in another thread. ] Such cowardice almost isn't worth facing.

[ She's about to engage the shinki in front of her in combat when a second steps out from behind a tree. And a third, from another tree. And a fourth. And.... ]



--Eh?!

[ HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED ]

[ Creepy Cultists ]

--Ngh!



[ Hibiki is flying backwards through the air now. She is about to collide with you, if you don't dodge. Otherwise, she'll smack against a tree.

Either way, her response once she's not airborne anymore will be the same. ]

WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS?? IS ATTACKING IN THE MIDDLE OF MY SOLILOQUY ANY WAY FOR A LAST BOSS TO BEHAVE?!

[ You appear to have missed the aborted beginnings of a magnificent speech. Also, if she collided with you, she's....still atop you. This detail is beneath her notice. ]

[[ ooc: lmk if you want to request an npc for any of these prompts! ]]

[swordofzero]

[It wasn't that he didn't dodge, it was that he had seen her flying towards him and tried to catch her. Succeeded in catching her really. The momentum of the flying was just too much and he had been flung back as well.

Well landing on him was better than her crashing into a tree.] Are you hurt miss Shikyoin? [He doesn't move to push her off, figuring to give her a moment to get herself together first]

[mostsuitable]

A) Before Entering

[Before even stepping foot into the forest, Reisi already has a number of creeping suspicions about it. Given reports of the forest luring gods and shinki in by various means, there's a likelihood that they hadn't simply vanished but instead had been abducted. Movement within the forest is purposefully hampering search and rescue efforts, and there's a possibility that powers and abilities beyond one's physical capabilities may be affected. That much information comes partly from his power as the Blue King combined with his innate deduction skills.

OOC: Feel free to tag here if you'd wanted our characters to meet before entering the forest. They can even enter together, but /cues next prompt]

B) Forest Dangers

[Upon entering, Reisi's suspicions are confirmed. In fact, the forest moves more wildly than he'd anticipated, and can quickly cut even small groups apart given enough distance between the members. Reisi's finding it more and more difficult to track these movements beyond anything in plain sight. Moreover, it can be tough spotting the lone firefly spirits lurking about like scouts readying for a swarm attack.

How intriguing. It's a level of challenge Reisi hasn't encountered in quite some time, making it all the more fascinating and exciting.

Seeing a mob of firefly spirits, Reisi hopes to assist the victim by unleashing a blast of blue aura to disperse the cluster of spirits.]

C) Wildcard

[OOC: Feel free to make your own prompt, or contact me at artillerate or Discord: inscrutable#0329 to work something out! I apologize in advance if I don't get back to you right away, I'm in JST (UTC+9) and am a little bit slow RPing.]

B

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[The fireflies disperse, revealing a book. This book is A: openly floating in midair, and B: totally on fire.]

Nyaaaaaaargh! What's the deal with this stupid forest?! Doesn't anyone around here have a freaking fire extinguisher?! Why is fire always the plan!?

[justclaws]

i. forest dangers

[of course there would be bugs.

[In a way - in a small, awkward, unhappy way - Kija is almost grateful for his experience with Hak's Temple of Spiders. It was, if nothing else, good preparation for what he might some day have to endure for the sake of the Princess. He's taking no chances: one of the miracles of the age is the provision of protective clothing for the foot soldiers in the bug war, and beneath his flowing white cape he is armored with a suit of it now - save, of course, for his clawed right hand. There are things he has to be doing, things far more important than mere bugs. The Princess is in danger, and he has to go to her.

[He has come prepared in other ways as well, and so what if the forest is resisting him at every step? That clawed right hand rips through vines and greenery, heaves fallen logs from his path, rends importuning trees into so much pulp and sawdust, and scatters the charms and fetishes that festoon their branches. Kija is on a mission, and he is not going to let mere inconveniences of geography keep him from his goal. Ominous atmosphere? He notices nothing. The spirits of his ancestors, along for the ride, are good at their job.

[He does notice, however, when a rotten stump splinters before him, spilling a crawling, wriggling host of armored, six-legged abominations out across his shoe.

[Kija screams as if someone is being murdered.]


ii. creepy cultists

[Path cleared and wriggling monstrosities dispatched, Kija has at last made his way to the center of the forest, within sight of the strangers in hoods clustered about a tangled morass of brambles and vines. One does not have to be particularly perceptive (and Kija is nothing if not particularly perceptive) to work out that here is the cause of all this trouble, and he peers out across the scene before him, brows furrowed and claws unsheathed, as he attempts to work out what to do next. His first instinct, of course, is to run out and seize one of the malefactors and demand he take him to the Princess immediately but, not particularly perceptive though he may be, their behavior is enough to give him pause, at least for a moment--

[There are, he is aware, certain problems inherent in this world. Specifically, a lone God cannot do much of any moment at all to many of the creatures who bring chaos to its shores, and his track record with shinki is... shaky. Much as he wants to rend and claw and tear his way to his Princess's side, with a long and unknown road ahead of him Kija cannot help but to wonder if he would be better off sparing his energy, at least for now.]

Do you suppose they can be harmed? They look perfectly ordinary to me.

i

[kokuyoyo]

[Hey, so, uh, what the fuck]

[It's a good idea, he's found, to trail after people with a lot of destructive power. For one thing, they're clearly in the mood for destruction, and he's in the mood for conserving power. Not to mention it allows him to save up his own resources for later.]

[So the sound of destruction had drawn up... except now he pauses a slight distance away, staring blankly at whatever the hell Kija is wearing right as the other man starts to screech.]

[Chikusa doesn't help him right away. He just stares.]

[shadowrevenger]

[ A - Forest Dangers ]

[It was almost physically painful to wait a day to go after Shun. He pretty much only managed it by imagining how Shun would react if he found out Ren went running in after him with zero planning. So he waited and did a little planning. He's brought both his shinki and asked them both to be in their vessel forms today, just in case. He has a couple water guns with shrine water with him. He made sure to wear something that wouldn't get caught as easily as what he usually wears. He's been in here before and he knows it can be somewhat dense.

This seems denser than what he remembers. And much more prone to attacking him. It's not the easiest thing in the world to keep swinging his six-foot poleaxe to cut through the vines and underbrush, especially when he has to keep stopping every so often to stop anything from latching onto him.

Still he's steadily, methodically, almost robotically making his way through it, looking rather like he won't be stopping until he's gone right on through the forest and out the other side.]


[B - Soulless Shinki ]

[Ren absently taps his finger against the bark of the tree he's hiding behind as he eyes the shinki roaming the woods in front of him. He'd expected to run into a lot of things in here--man-eating trees and otherwise malicious plants and maybe ayakashi--but not a bunch of shinki. He can chop his way through the other things, but not the shinki. Unfortunately, the shinki don't seem to want to give him a choice.

Maybe if he had a weapon other than Eric and Michiya. Shun is somewhere on the other side of those shinki, so he doesn't really care about not hurting them period, but he'd rather not kill or maim anyone. Which is all Eric and Michiya are really able to do.

If he had another weapon...and they're definitely from the temple Michiya had come from so they probably don't have names...that would certainly get them out of the way without hurting them.

Ren darts to another tree before the first one can decide to attack him, and that movement catches the attention of a couple of the shinki with spears. One of them reminds him a little of Hana...

Ren points his fingers at that one and intones as quickly as possible so maybe he has a chances of finishing before he gets attacked:]

My name is Inanna. Grasping thy true name, I bind thee here. With borrowed name, I dub thee my servant. The name answers, the vessel to sound. I call thee as my divine instrument. The name, Saku. The vessel, Shou. Come, Shouki!

[He has to grit his teeth in order to finish; it feels like he's having to push through quicksand to get the spell out. But it works and the woman disappears and reforms on his shoulders as a flowing red cape. Which completely defeats the purpose of coming in here not wearing his usual stuff that could snag and catch on things and is decidedly not a weapon.

But before he can be too annoyed by it, he's hit with a wave of exhaustion. He staggers and just barely manages to keep upright by grabbing onto the tree. That's...not how this is supposed to work. But he definitely won't be able to do that again so soon, even though there's still another shinki headed his way with a spear...]


[ C - Creepy Cultists ]

[Actual humans are another thing he definitely did not expect to find in here. That's almost interesting enough to make him stop--and he does for a minute or two, just long enough to figure out that they're not going to give him any useful information unless he stays put and wheedles them a lot longer than he wants to. He keeps moving.

But he's not completely ignoring them or what they're doing or how the shinki seem to be most fervent about defending those papers. Ren experimentally chops one in half with his poleaxe (and then has to duck out of the way of an retaliation attack from the tree), and then just...keeps doing that as he moves along. Whatever it is they're up to is probably no good for anyone, so if he can do something that might frustrate them and slow them down, well, why not do that.]

B

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku hadn't been expecting to have to fight other Shinki either and he definitely doesn't want to. He has no idea why they are trying to stop them, was this forest the work of a god?

He is moving through the forest, dodging tree roots and vines. He sees the shinki closing in on the man and watches as he names one of them. Clever.

The other shinki are still getting closer and Suzaku rushes forward when he sees the god stumble.]

Line! [It's like... trying to move in jelly rather than air. He has been practicing borderlines a lot since he arrived but here it was a lot harder. Exhausting. The borderline appears between the god and the approaching Shinki but Suzaku can tell it won't last long.]