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!

[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.]

[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.]

[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.]

[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.]

[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.

[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!

[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.]

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.

[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.)]

[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?

[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!]

Re: NPC REQUEST

[cuddle_battery]

I'm really really sorry if this is in there and I just missed it 'cause I'm dumb. But what would happen if someone just pulled down one of the dolls or spell papers?

[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.]

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.]

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.]

[letteropener]

Ginia -- please.

[She does not question Ginia's actions; she understands them perfectly well, and believes she understands the motivation behind them. She does not render judgment, nor fault her choices. But even entangled and bleeding, in danger of her own, Celestia will still ask for mercy for her foes.]

[Those words uttered, she finally has the chance to concentrate; she shifts her body forward, leaning so that her forelegs reach the ground fully, then kicks back hard against the tree behind her, trying to wrench her free.] Ow!

[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!]

[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?