rPFHpD77

1[18:39] {NARRATION} From Huangzhou to the ruins of Gaiar Aetherius and then even further, the trio lead by the Chancellor Satsuki Shimasu embark on a journey to discover whatever has been left in the past. Rumors of time when their ancestors still lived upon Agartha painted a picture of an inn near the settlement once known as Gao Deryu.
2
3The area where this town had been established conquered by the demons who erected a horrible set of laboratories and factories that became known as Sigil, yet some of the old world still survived.
4
5It is among the outskirts that Satsuki had heard of the Lost Heaven, an inn her grandmother was oft said to be at. Though the land has grown thick with foliage and debris from time, there might be something worthwhile out here.
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7That being said, the area is still filled with demons who have lost their home as well as thieves and other ruffians looking for travelers who have gone too far off the beaten path.
8
9The trio find themselves at the edge of the forest where they may choose to press forward head on or wait and see if someone who knows the area better may come along to help them.
10[18:46] "I have heard how... beautiful it all was," the Chancellor muttered as the group traveled onward. "A grand city, bright even at night, and..." she exhaled. "I know not why Colonial Jianghu could ever forgive Valmasia for destroying it."
11
12In the distance, Satsuki could spot the ruins of Illaron's lab - built in close proximity to what was once Fu'kesi Ma's lab. Ruins twice over - a running theme on Agartha, it'd seem. This entire expedition was, by definition, a fool's errand. Gao Deryu was so long gone that you'd be hard-pressed to find someone on Agartha that even knew that the Shengese once had a town there. People remembered Zheng Island, occasionally - nobody remembered Little Mame.
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14Hell, people didn't even remember Sigil. The Lost Heaven - and Gao Deryu as a whole - was terribly ancient history.
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16Regardless, as the group carried on, Satsuki held her sketchbook in her right hand, left hard at work with a pencil. She was already beginning the first draft of what may be her greatest painting yet: Gao Deryu, the second-greatest city to ever stand on Agartha.
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18And even "second-greatest" could be contested, depending on one's opinion of Ardent Cliff.
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20"I have not... oft been to this area - I... doubt anyone knows where 'Gao Deryu' once stood, but... if either of you see anyone, do ask for directions to the river. If we find that and travel north... that is where the tavern once stood, I believe."
21(Satsuki Shimasu) 
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23
24[18:55] Hidatsu followed suit right behind Satsuki, in both of their hands a pair or more of parchments that likely could be considered maps, but all of those completely useless at the time and location of such a forest of the region. They just were in a place very much uncharted.
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26"According to the map reports from last year of the Green Squad, this forest should be around...Here." the doctor said lowering themselves in a single knee on the grass, and making a circle on an area of the map likely too big to even be worth a mention. Truth be told, that map was very much useless, at least from that point onwards. "It's curious though, isn't...?"
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28The lieutenant said as they rolled the map closed and stored it up back in their clothes again, using a hand to put some of the bushes and leaves away from their glance to look over the scenery before. There wasa neutral expression on their face all along, or if anything, some kind of longing resting smile as they heard and saw everything before them.
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30"How can a place so...Grand, happy and bright be reduced to something like this. Makes you wonder how Agartha and the first colony even looked like. A century is quite some time, mm."
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32As they said it, they nodded, using a hand to move some of the hair out of their own face and stepping further along the edge of the forest, not to advance but to take a better assessment of the region, as apparently they were going to wait for some information, all according to the Chancellor's lead.
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34"...Also a little more curious that even during the Zheng Island era no one tried to revitalize the place. Maybe the taint from the mentioned Necropolis was just too much for even that."
35(Hidatsu Tougou) 
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37
38[18:58] Kim bestowed upon himself the task of carrying various tools for the errand ahead of them. The smaller items, such as lanterns, canteens with water, oil flasks, sheets of paper and ink, are all safely guarded within the confines of his leather rucksack hanging on his back. Others, like a shovel, a pickaxe and an axe, are held under his arm. The shenlong found it best to be prepared for any scenario rather than leave themselves at the mercy of Luck.
39
40The sight ahead and around baffles the man, though he's visited the surroundings in the past on his way to the settlement of Dawn, he never paid much attention to details as he does now that an active effort to find something is made. Still, his focus at the moment remains on the group's safety - keeping a watchful eye and vigilant ears for any approaching threat, be it a demon or not. 
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42His grandfather mentioned this place. 'The Lost Heaven', where his most prized friendships began, ones that were carried over until the day of his unfortunate passing. It's undeniable that a feeling of duty rests inside Kim's mind and heart when being brought forth in this endeavour.
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44However, it doesn't raise his spirits enough for him to become chummy with the other two. His attitude remains the same; a crippling silence that is rarely broken, a half-lid gaze that contradict his current emotions of anxiety. Though it doesn't mean he won't cooperate in any way he can to make sure everyone returns home safely, preferably with any mementos they can find on the way.
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46Upon Satsuki's request, he also becomes watchful for the presence of anyone who would likely be able to provide information on the area! Should he spot anyone fitting such criteria, he would make sure to approach them for a talk.
47(Kim Yugao) 
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49
50[19:04] {NARRATION} And so the group pressed on into the woods. The distant sounds of living creatures, both large and small, echoed throughout the environment. It seemed for whatever reason that the further they went, the denser the plantlife became. They traveled far enough in that it quickly became obvious they would be unlikely to find any normal person out here, much less someone friendly enough to give directions or advice.
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52Luckily for the group, given they knew to look for a river, the sound of rushing water became all too clear. It was right up ahead, and though the trees still covered whatever was lying in that direction, the trio could be assured that at least the river they were looking for existed. 
53[19:13] Nobody - of course there wouldn't be anybody out here. Certainly, there'd be nobody helpful; Gao Deryu was near enough to Altale that once upon a time the group probably could have asked for directions, but Altale was gone now, its people evacuated. "...War," she responded to Hidatsu beside her. "But even if not, such things are inevitable. Nations rise and fall, cities..." her voice trailed off as her Kitsune ears perked up, hearing rushing water slightly before her companions did. Her left hand stopped scribbling long enough to point in that direction, and she trudged off with a speed she typically didn't employ.
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55"A princess in Izhura once painted Ardent Cliff," the Kitsune began to explain as quickly and excitedly as she was walking. "I uncovered a few sketches off it, knockoffs that found their way onto Agartha. I... painted my own, based on the counterfeits," she continued on. "Perhaps I could show it to you. It is... in my house, near my bed, so it is one of the first things I see every morning."
56
57A painting couldn't compare to the real thing, though - just like Satsuki's eventual painting of Gao Deryu couldn't compare, either. You would've had to have been there to appreciate how amazing it was, and a painting couldn't quite capture that.
58
59"...The river is right through these trees," she said, tone becoming her usual cold and mechanical again as she slowed down. She crouched down momentarily to pick up two stones, and snapped a twig off a nearby tree. "This was... demon land, once - so exercise caution, hm?"
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61And, with a warning that sounded for all the world like she couldn't be frightened by such a trivial matter, she proceeded onward through the woods, aiming to actually see the river before making a judgment call.
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63Ideally it'd be smooth sailing.
64(Satsuki Shimasu) 
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66
67[19:21] Hidatsu followed through, skipping some fallen tree, walking over branches and the wild flora of the tree. There were enough signs in that place of some presence; human or not it would be debatable, but that region and the forest alike was far from being abandoned or unvisited. If not from the signs they could see, from the noises of the animals and who knows what else at the distance.
68
69Those, along Satsuki's warning and words, were good reminders to reinforce the idea that even though that was an expedition to find something personal to them, they were crossing a wild location, so to speak.
70
71"The only things I know from the original colony are the stories from my grandfather, and the readings. I've never had a...Uh, visual, representation of it before." the lieutenant commented, likely agreeing on seeing those paintings when they were back. Using a single stone for a support, Hidatsu stepped on it, and eventually on another, climbing it briefly to see ahead as they talked still to the chancellor and Kim still on the ground.
72
73"Yes, yes. There were more survivors from Aetherius than we could account for, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them made their way to east; here." using both hands, the officer cast a shadow over their own eyes to look around from that relatively advantage point over the stones, scanning around the path ahead and trying to see the river from there.
74
75"-But even then let's not be too loud, mm? This is not Huangzhou's territory anymore. Officially we're at the middle of a no-man's land."
76
77With a brief smile, the light hearted lieutenant announced the obvious, taking a small leap to get down from that stone and join the other two in their march forward closer to the river.
78(Hidatsu Tougou) 
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80
81[19:24] Kim's sense of hearing isn't as developed as that of Satsuki, yet the more they walk, the clearer it becomes that they've stumbled upon their landmark - the river that bathed the proximities of the tavern they were looking for. With the density of the forest increasing and the likelihood of encountering any help along the way diminishing, that discovery becomes his focus, though as a seasoned warrior and soldier, he never allows his guard to slip even then.
82
83The beating of his heart becomes more intense with undeniable expectation of what's to find ahead of them, keeping up with the Chancellor's accelerated pace for as long as it lasts. And with their advance, his joyful expectation is rapidly replaced by a sense of dread and lingering fear; on his way, he inspects the nearby trees for signs of demonic presence, searching for claw marks or any other unusual sighting that is fresh enough to denote evidence of a nearby foe.
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85"When we reach the waterbed, I'll climb one of the taller trees to have a better look around." he announces, keeping his voice as low as possible so that none but his companions can hear him. Squinted eyes always wandering, always looking for signs of what they seek, his body slightly hunched forward as to remain hard to spot during the arduous stride.
86(Kim Yugao) 
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88
89[19:30] {NARRATION} And so the trio pushed through the trees to find the river--
90
91Or so they thought.
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93Instead of a lush and flowing, blue stream they were met with a large expanse of horrid, blackened water. It was almost as if this entire area of woodland has been consumed by a murky swamp. The water shifted and flowed, making the source of the river-like noise obvious. There were areas where it did indeed move like running water, following paths of eroded mud and clay, but all in all the are stretched on for some distance into the ever darker trees.
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95The swamp extended to the right and left as far as the eye could see, and whether or not this water was coming from whatever river they had been searching for or something else was unknown.
96[19:36] The river Satsuki expected to see was... not a river at all. Her eyes narrowed and she whirled around to stare at Hidatsu for a moment. He was the one with the map, after all. But... no, he couldn't have been wrong. Even Satsuki, who barely traveled out of Huangzhou other than for military purposes, knew full well that they couldn't have overshot their destination this much. They couldn't have gone in the completely wrong direction. No, this was at least roughly where they wanted to be, only...
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98"...Where...?" she muttered, dropping her stones and stick immediately. Any notion she had about using shadows to find the north and head in that direction had gone out the window at the sight of this blighted land and the ongoing expanse of trees. She was silent for a moment, then hummed quietly- then was silent again. "Kim Yugao... this is... not the river- but... climb a tree, see if you can see... anything."
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100As she issued that request, Satsuki spun around to inspect the trees. Moss grew most on the north side, she figured - swamp be damned, she was at least sure about having to find her way north.
101(Satsuki Shimasu) 
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103
104[19:44] His feeling of dread is confirmed upon the visage of the defiled area. For a moment he hoped for something far less corrupted than what they're truly presented with. It messes with his enthusiasm, yet they've come too far to turn tail and flee. He stays calm and collected through the adversity, simply taking a moment to digest the surprise and then put his plan in motion.
105
106Leaving his tools and backpack on the ground, the shenlong takes advantage of the terrain that most would consider to be a hindrance. He looks around for a nearby tree that can be used for the purpose of getting a clearer view of the place as a whole. Having much experience as a tree-climber from young age, Kim uses his ability to assume partial features of a dragon to morph his nails into sharp, durable claws, and his fingers are then coated with hardened scales for a more powerful grip.
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108As an agile fighter, this should prove to be no challenge at all. And upon scaling the mast, he scouts with doubled attention, using the foliage as cover to not be spotted easily by any possible hostile force.
109(Kim Yugao) 
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111
112[19:45] Hidatsu's eyes narrowed almost at the very same time in which Satsuki's did. The sheer strangeness of what they found was just too much to keep the light lieutenant into a calmer expression.
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114"I don't understand; it's literally impossible to have a swamp this large in this area, unless-"
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116They paused for a moment, looking over the other two and bringing a hand over to their own chin. Ignoring most of the smell of mud and the swamp wildlife, Hidatsu brought their eyes back to the black water before them while the shenlong would move towards a tree.
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118"Maybe this is the river, Chancellor." they said, approaching the 'shore' of the swamp, but remaining a good three or four steps away for their own safety. Their eyes remained focuses on the endless horizon of tha which seemed like an even worse example of the southern swamps by the dreadwoods. "-The advancements and experiments from Aetherius might have done this to the Gao Deryu River. It's been a century of it's fall and exposition to the...Twisted atrocities made by the occupants of the region close to here. Maybe it killed the river, too."
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120Crouching over the ground, Hidatsu reached out with a hand to touch the dead grass, mud and everything else that could compose the shore of that swamp, pressing it against their gloved fingers only to see it fall down again.
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122And finally, the officer looked up, to follow up with what Kim might have being seeing from that tree.
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124"It's just an idea...But if this is the river, we should procede northwards through the shore."
125(Hidatsu Tougou) 
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127
128[19:49] TattlesDM whispers something.
129[20:01] Kim's idea pays off in the end. As he reaches the top of the tree, he holds onto it with a single hand, legs wrapped around the bark so that he can freely turn to the sides in search of clues to indicate if they found the river or if it's all just a random swamp in their way.
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131Facing North, he inches forth when his eyes catch on exactly what he wanted to see! A victorious smirk is formed from curved lips, only to be drowned back into a worried frown, a frustrated click of his tongue indicates that something's not quite right. That's when he releases his grip, both feet kicking his body away from the tree so that he may fall down without hitting any branches on his way, landing with a roll that leaves him right beside the backpack and tools he left on the grass.
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133There, kneeling on the ground, he looks at his companions, then indicates the way with his index and middle finger serving as an arrow.
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135"It's that way. A building painted in red, with similar structure to the ones we have in Huangzhou. If it's going to be anything in this area it has to be that." he says, voice still discrete, as he picks up the materials.
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137"But..." he makes a pause to hoist the leather rucksack over his shoulder, attached to his arm and pressed against his back, the larger tools held under his left arm. "It's sunken in that bog, so going in might prove to be difficult. And to top it all: I'm positive that there's something in that vile water, though it's impossible to know exactly what it is. Large enough to be seen from this distance."
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139Information relayed, he turns his head to look in the direction he pointed. An infuriated grind of his teeth later, he huffs in annoyance.
140(Kim Yugao) 
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143[20:11] The Kitsune gives mentally gives Kim 10/10 points for that phenomenal landing, then turns her unblinking gaze to the direction in which he pointed. "It was... a good theory, Hidatsu Tougou," she noted, nodding slowly. "And mostly right. It would... seem this bog has overtaken the river," she continued, the slightest hint of sorrow staining an otherwise mechanical delivery.
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145She'd leave that part out of her idealized painting. It's better that way.
146
147"Come, let us... walk as far as we can for now," she told the pair, clasping her hands behind her back. "Once we are... nearer, we will... see if we can... fell a tree to fashion a bridge to it-"
148
149Dear Jiuweihu, please don't make her swim through the swamp.
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151"...We will have to go into the bog, won't we," she sighed. "I'm. I'm not even wearing shoes, and... do you have any idea how expensive this kimono was-"
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153She began to wonder, if only for a moment, if the Lost Heaven was worth it. That blue building better be what they're looking for, though. "...The building still... exists, Kim Yugao? It is... not just splintered remnants of wood and cracked stones?" she asked to confirm. "If so, that is... that's- amazing, isn't it?"
154(Satsuki Shimasu) 
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156
157[20:18] Hidatsu nodded at the confirmation of their own half theory. So it seemed like the swamp did swallow the river and flooded the entirety of the region. Which would explain why it was so large when there was no room in that map for something this big.
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159"Let's not worry about crossing the swamp, I got that covered. But let's worry about what's in there instead."
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161The lieutenant said as they helped over Kim with their hands as he landed, mostly unnecessary still as they looked over the flooded region before them. True, Hidatsu knew exactly how they were going to make their way and navigate through that, but likely being the only one of a more military profession of the three, their concern rested more over what Kim said. Something vile.
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163"Maybe it's not surprising it does, Chancellor. I remember hearing all the time we've asked that the building was made over a fallen Illuminated Shrine after an attack; some of the wood in it's structure could be a salvage from the shrine." with a brief shrug the lieutenant added, offering a half smirk as they prepared to move over and walk with Satsuki and Kim as much as they could to circle the swamp and get closer to the building before having to enter it.
164
165For that, Hidatsu had their own ways, but it could wait until absolutely necessary.
166
167"Maybe it was fate that the building resisted through...All of this."
168(Hidatsu Tougou) 
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170
171[20:18] Satsuki was absolutely confident enough to not be afraid of bog monsters - she totally didn't just forget to mention it, honest.
172(Satsuki Shimasu) 
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174
175[20:20] Never has he witnessed Satsuki acting nervous before, and even if this is not the case, it does seem like it. Her complaints draw forth an amused smirk unto his features, another huff that replaces a warranted laughter.
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177"We'll probably have to get neck-deep in filthy, muddy, smelly water, yes. Either that, or we abandon the lower floor and go straight to the upper ones." he shrugs, either way it would be best to enter the structure without facing the perils hidden in that bog.
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179Clearly, he is far more worried about whatever's swimming in there right now. Exploration can wait until they assess the situation more carefully as to avoid any needless risks.
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181"Yes, it is incredibly intact as well. Looks like our ancestors built it to last for generations against all odds." he nods for even further confirmation, picking up the pace to approach the building as soon as possible since it doesn't seem like any other threats were around.
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183Leaving the strategizing to the duo of brains, he's coming up with a plan in case they need to fight the uninvited swamp guest over yonder... Without ruining Satsuki's oh-so-expensive kimono and precious shoeless feetsies.
184(Kim Yugao) 
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186
187[20:24] {NARRATION} As they walked along the shores of the massive swamp, they only found that it continued on. It was odd, the blackened water stretching still far off to their sides in a nearly endless expanse. Though making their way around the edges, they are all able to see the BLUE building out in the waste. It seemed as if it was in the center, if one could call it that, surrounded by the swampland on all sides.
188
189And all the while something was definitely moving. Where the water stood still it rippled and bubbled before those effects moved to somewhere hundreds of feet away. Satsuki, Kim, and Hidatsu were all skilled enough magi to be able to detected that something was just as aware of their presence as it was of theirs. 
190[20:34] As they saw the thing on the swamp and the building at the heart of that corrupted liquids, Hidatsu motioned for the other two to stop with one hand, and eventually, narrowed their eyes over to the beast inside.
191
192"It seems like we won't be getting to the building without going through it's gatekeeper, mm?"
193
194The lieutenant said, and almost immediately reached out with a hand to inside the jacket of their own uniform, picking a very small pale blue metallic cube from inside, and pressing it around and against their fingers. At the reaction of their own mana, the palm of their hand still in gloves had a particular strange glow of a blue light, and the cube along.
195
196As if the object became mana itself, the sparkles and light from it gave place and form to a strange beast in the air.
197
198"I can have Watatsumi to draw that...Thing...From the center of the swamp down here at the shores, but if I do, well...We'll just have to see how big it is and it will be a little too late to have another idea, haha."
199
200They chuckled, as the daemon finished taking form before them. It was definitely very strange - and relatively cute if one had the tastes - aquatic daemon, resembling a mixture of a squid with a carapace at it's arrowlike head. If anything, Watatsumi looked like a fast swimmer from it's shape and squids along, and one could only guess what kinds of abilities that small creature could have.
201
202But Hidatsu had it hovering their own extended arm instead, not letting the daemon into the swamp yet; at least not until a decision was made.
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204"-Plan B is Ryuutaro make a bridge of ice for us to cross and meet the beast in there, or try to circle it and get to the building. But then, it can be problematic if our big friend in there decides to attack the building with us inside, mhm?"
205(Hidatsu Tougou) 
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207
208[20:37] "It is a piece of history, I... would rather not see the building destroyed," she muttered, rocking forward and back on her heels. "And if it should... intercept us while we are crossing this... bridge..."
209
210Half-lidded eyes gazed out on the swamp again. Whatever it was, it knew that the group was here, but hadn't acted. It might have been passive, or... it might have simply been waiting, just like the explorers were. "...The bog is its home turf. We would be at a disadvantage. Send Watatsumi in and see what happens," she decided, glancing to Kim for a moment to gauge his reaction.
211
212"...There is not a single threat on Agartha that... actually frightens me. If it is hostile, it will be subdued."
213(Satsuki Shimasu) 
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215
216[20:45] Kim remains calm, the whole situation didn't feel like a threat at all since he doesn't even know WHAT is lying in wait under the bog ahead. The idea to use Hidatsu's daemons to scout feels like the best course of action in the moment, he nods in agreement with Satsuki.
217
218Though not without offering his view on the matter.
219
220"Whenever Watatsumi gets into that water, it will breach that thing's territory. Expect a fight to break loose the moment it happens." his free hand is lifted, fists clenched tightly in a display of confidence and bravery.
221
222"Then we crush it to smithereens, preferably away from the building. You two can fight from the shores, but I'm going in to take it head-on." he sounds determined, anxious. "That's Plan C, so let's hope it doesn't get to that. Just be ready if it does."
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224Though he recently picked up his tools, he puts it all down once again. And he starts to undo the straps on his gi to remove the shirt preemptively along with his scarf. It's also expensive, alright?
225(Kim Yugao) 
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227
228[20:47] Kim forgot to mention he can fly. He always forgets he can fly.
229(Kim Yugao) 
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231
232[20:53] {NARRATION} Watatsumi did as directed, and once the bubbles shot through the swampy water and the daemon did indeed enter the territory of whatever was under there, something snapped upward in an attempt to grab it. Watatsumi swam fast, but the water behind it indicated that the daemon was being followed by something even faster.
233
234The build up increased, as did the intensity and speed of each creature. Water began to froth and bubble as the aquatic predator moved in on its prey and just as they neared the trio--
235
236It all stopped.
237
238The daemon was able to return to its master as the blackened water lapped up toward their feet. It ran through the ground and reached up to their ankles.
239
240And then the peace was interrupted. The water around them could not be any deeper than shin height, but what erupted from the water and soil was something horribly monstrous. The occultic air it gave off wafted toward the Chancellor and company, and the twisted amalgamation of vines and tentacles wriggled in the air.
241
242There was something akin to a roar that echoed outward from some center of mass within the beast as it bore down onto them, ready to attack the intruders.
243[20:59] Satsuki remained on the shore, watching carefully, eyes glowing green with her virtue at the height of its ability. "Bring it back now," she directed, a full second before there was any actual threat. Right on time, the beast lashed out - and Satsuki hoped her future-sight was enough warning to save the daemon.
244
245The glow in her eyes faded and she took a few steps back; the visions Wisdom gave her were tremendously useful, but also exhausting. She saw the world slightly ahead of everyone else just as a matter of daily life, but focusing on it to see farther was...
246
247Well. She wouldn't be able to tap into it again for awhile, and thus as she took a few quick steps back through the filthy water that had suddenly risen, she couldn't warn the party in advance of what was about to happen. All she could do was react the second it happened, doing her best to kick at the water and rocket herself a safe distance back with an explosion of flames at her feet.
248
249Her eyes, still narrowed, stared at the mess of tentacles and vines. And, in an instant, she made her assessment. "You feel it too, yes? Occult." Petals of white light began to dance around her as the Kitsune prepared for battle. The occult had to be eradicated, after all - humans could be saved.
250
251Creatures like this, however?
252
253"...Remove it."
254(Satsuki Shimasu) 
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256
257[21:05] The utensils are flung back and away from the rising water, along with his clothes. He's making an active effort to keep those SAFE and DRY! And as the mass of tentacles rises from the depths, a confident smirk is flashed by the shenlong. He expected something far scarier than what is presented, though it might be a grave mistake to undermine an opponent simply by its appearance.
258
259Already prepared for the situation, the very same moment the enemy reveals itself, the shenlong lunges towards it without a single hint of hesitation. His body becomes light as a feather with his employment of gravity magic to facilitate free movement. During the course of his trajectory, his body swiftly morphs to assume more draconic features than before, with tail and horns evoked as extra appendages to his body. The crack of static shock follows him, igniting into fire around the man's tightly clenched fists.
260
261"Turn to DUST!" he cries out, initiating the frontal assault that should drive the creature's attention away from the long-range fighters that he's trying to cover for, his whole show serving the purpose to steal the spotlight so the other two can act more freely.
262
263And so the dance of fire and lightning ensues.
264(Kim Yugao) 
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266
267[21:10] As soon as Watatsumi returned, Hidatsu extended a hand, calling it forth indeed as they watched the daemon jetting itself out of the shallow swamp and hovering closer and around the group. However the plan have worked, and maybe, worked a little too well.
268
269The beast inside have followed the Daemon and properly been lured to the shore, and that was certainly the point where they wouldn't have much of a return from. Now it was a matter of fighting it to gain access to the building, or likely being dragged to the center of that swamp by the creature and to be forgotten like many of the rests of things that laid in there.
270
271Without waiting for an order or instructions, Hidatsu took a single step back, putting their hands together in front of their chest as if to start praying, and almost immediately saying the words; which indeed sounded like the chanting of a prayer.
272
273""Shackled to thedepths you'll be, dragged into redemption for your sins. Behold the deep judgement. Ocean's Presidio!"
274
275The word caster said, or rather shouted it after hearing the information and the command of Satsuki's. Through the command of their voice, the mana around Hidatsu's arms came to be more active again, glowing in a teal colored tone at the casting of that spell. Quickly, their mana took a liquid form around their limbs, dropping down and dripping over the swamp, getting in contact with the mud and blackened water, only to be an attempt of purging it, but immediately fading back.
276
277Still that wasn't the objective of that spell. It could take a while, and a greater deal of concentration from the lieutenant, but a few seconds after the casting of the Ocean's Presidio, the water of the swamp would tremble, move and shake, as if an ocean current and tides came to be, dancing and moving along the creature's own sway over the shallow swamp.
278
279That was until Hidatsu moved both hands, extending them forward and guiding their palms up, as if directing something. And the water would follow through.
280
281Struggling and resisting, the black swamp water would eventually part open in a very small area, and suddenly thrust itself upward creating a very small circle around the group and those tentacles. However, it didn't just stop there. Hidatsu's casting commanded the water to part open, and rise in what quickly became a black and teal wall of water surrounding the group, perhaps enough to make it possible to see the ground under the shore of the swamp, and maybe exposing more of that creature.
282
283However there was now a very small and unstable cage of water creating a strange arena, or a dome around the group and the creature. The strain on Hidatsu's arms and mana was obviously high however, and with a grunt, they nodded, furrowing their brows along Kim's and Satsuki's words, finally moving the hands down towards the beast.
284
285"Ocean's Presidio, Judgement!"
286
287They shouted and commanded, eventually from the walls of water surrounding them, the tendrils and jets of water came, like whips and actual jets coming from many if not all directions towards the creature.
288
289The fight was going to take place inside that region, if Hidatsu could manage to hold it and control for long enough.
290(Hidatsu Tougou) 
291________________________________________
292
293[21:47] As soon as the fight began, Hidatsu's own casting, the Ocean Presidio, Judgement, the walls that have rose from around the group would be constantly be shooting and whipping, apparently wildly so, jets and streams of water towards the creature. It seemed like the walls were alive, actively and constantly trying to attack the Umbretarn from every single direction, with whips and smiting splashes of water.
294
295However, that was not the only thing the attacks were causing.
296
297That almost literal cage of water was not just the natural liquid that have been tainted and corrupted by the muddied swamp, but one enhanced by Hidatsu's own casting, their own mana, and naturally the teachings of the holy ways. Besides blackened and muddied, the walls that formed around the group and the creature as well as the streams and whips from the attacks had teal tone to it's substance, and every single second inside and between those walls a heavy pressure would be felt.
298
299Perhaps not so heavy and not so pressuring for Satsuki and Kim all along, but there was some was a judging, punishing atmosphere in the small arena which have been created by that spell, as if the water walls surrounding them were ready to cast away any kind of impurity, occult or ill emotions from the inside. However not on a caring manner, no. It would feel punishing and judgmental in every single manner it could.
300
301Perhaps those feelings of that presence would better be felt - if sentient - by the creature inside battling the group. Perhaps, it was guided by the source of the corrupt and the occult that those tendrils came to attack, aimlessly but guided as if drawn by the rotting nature of the Umbretarn, doing everything that prison had to cleanse, purge, judge and destroy that source.
302
303But that was incredibly unstable, unprepared and evidently a little too wild to be properly under Hidatsu's control. The whips and streams of the walls surrounding the group were anything by disciplined or precise, trashing and striking more the floor and the ground of the open area they made at flooring of the swamp, than actually hitting the creature.
304
305When it did hit however, it would feel like every single touch from those tendril-like whips were sipping and drawing off the occult energy from them, not gently so, but ripping it away like a whip would do with the flesh.
306
307As Satsuki gained more control of the region with her own holy natural flames of their own smiting capabilities and Kim took the fight into the closed quarters with that swamp monsters, Hidatsu mostly stood still, doing what they could to control and keep the walls of that cage up, and it's arms active enough to continue with the attacks.
308
309Burst of flames from sword slashes and physical attacks to the monster, the lieutenant was about to falter, letting down of the walls and dismantling the Presidio altogether, considering how unstable and absolutely hard it was to keep that up. But it was a little too late for that, and Hidatsu had to try the last straw of that spell.
310
311Sweating and just shaking already from the extensive use of their own mana, the officer closed the eyes, and with both hands clasping together, they did that praying tone once more as their voice came out, chanting it over a little louder than they normally would if merely speaking.
312
313"Purging the lands and tainting the air, you'll pay for your deeds for those who care. Ocean's Presidio, Execution!"
314
315After the judgement have been cast, it was time for the execution. The walls around the group would eventually stay still, as if frozen and no longer trembling and shaking like the waves of those torrents. Not on ice however,but it quickly became just a still flat of water surrounding them all. Like a gigantic circular mirror.
316
317For it indeed was reflecting the very image of them all on it's teal colored surface.
318
319At the command of Hidatsu's own words and mana, that mirror like surface quickly glowed into a pale light, and from every single corner around the creature, that which could be described as javelins made of pure water came forth, piercing the creature and everything around it on a small area; luckily Kim and Satsuki wouldn't be there.
320
321That wouldn't feel or effect as much of a physical form as of a weapon would, but instead, an intense smiting energy from the sacred arts, as if the javelins themselves weren't piercing the creature, but melting it's way inside once guided by the occult and the corrupt, the dark and tainted mana inside, drawing and ripping from it's being with that which could very well be considered a literal energy form of the holy waters cast by Hidatsu.
322
323Without being able to fully control or maintain the cast however, that was the last drop of their own ability, and as soon as the execution came to be, it vanished, dropping the wall of water altogether back into the swamp, and ceasing their own formation once and for all.
324
325Hidatsu didn't have the control for that, and much less, had the actual precision to keep the Presidio up for so long. Still, it seemed to be working with the practice.
326(Hidatsu Tougou) 
327________________________________________
328
329[21:57] ** TattlesDM has inflicted an injury upon Hidatsu Tougou. ("Circuit Strain", "Hidatsu, in their grand battle against the tentacle beast of the swamps near old Gao Deryu, pushed themself a little too hard, straining their mana circuits. The injury, while minor, will leave the body aching slightly as well as exhausted for its duration. Holy and water magic will be a little bit less controllable, but not overly so, while the injury is in effect.", "Temporary", "Duration: Short (1 day)") **
330[22:02] {NARRATION} Hidatsu's javelins did the trick.
331
332The writhing vine beast was torn apart by holy magic that countered its own terrible occult. It became clear that this creature was created entirely out of some umbretarn magic, the vein of occultism that utilized water. The vines and tentacles were sundered and torn apart, and lost their grip one one another.
333
334Piece by piece it fell down into the swamp, strange hissing noises and growls coming from wherever it landed. Black ichor-like blood made the water even darker, if that was possible, and all the more gross. The trio was left with victory, however, even if they were left tired and beaten.
335
336And still that building lie off in the distance, sitting as still as ever among the muck. The front door was closed, but as the beast fell, a light in all the windows slowly came into view, indicating that someone...
337
338Was home.
339[22:07] With a snap of her fingers and a particularly sloshy stomp on the ground, Satsuki's sacred flames dissipated into nothingness as she carefully made her way over to Hidatsu, reaching out her arm before... retracting it. Even in situations where it would be necessary to do so, Satsuki despised physical contact.
340
341Instead, she settled on: "...Are you well, Hidatsu Tougou? Do you have any injuries?" She reached into her coat, producing a small box in which she stored her bandages. Upon opening it, it was clear that these bandages were colorful and childlike things - bandages all the same, yes, but the length of them were decorated with cartoon depictions of a nine-tailed fox.
342
343It was very cute.
344
345"...Any of you, for that matter?" she asked, looking over to Kim for a moment before doing a double-take toward the tavernsunken into the swamp.
346
347"Is... is someone living out here?" she muttered, more to herself than to her traveling companions. She squinted, as if to make sure it wasn't a trick of the light. No, of course it wasn't - someone was in there.
348
349"...Hidatsu Tougou, are you... well enough to have a daemon make a bridge for us?"
350(Satsuki Shimasu) 
351________________________________________
352
353[22:17] With the beast gone from the Presidio's execution, and the actual walls of water dissipated completely, Hidatsu tilted themselves where they stood, feeling the world spinning around them like a person who tried to produce more strength than their body could.
354
355Still, they didn't fall down. The weaknesses and dizziness of that moment were stolen by Satsuki and her own box of,
356
357"Unh...What are those?" they asked, bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of their nose with the eyes closed, trying to focus their own sight and eyes over to what the Chancellor had in hands. It didn't help. "I'm...Fine, just...I used too much mana at that. But...I'm not going to complain if you stick one of these in me."
358
359With a sigh and a somewhat pained chuckle they added, moving over their eyes over to the building in the distance. True, their sight have been fazed and hazes, and the vision at the distance was just a small blur, but Hidatsu was going to live through that.
360
361"Are you sure someone would be living in the middle of nowhere and...With...These things around...?"
362
363They asked while they reached out for another cube, a second one, as the same process which happened with Watatsumi repeated itself, but instead, a water sea dragon revealed itself before the group, not floating but standing by the shore, tilting and shaking it's long neck as they eyed the others.
364
365"-I know, Ryuutaro...It is cute." Hidatsu said with a sighing smirk as they patted on the side of Ryuutaro's face, before turning over to the swamp and indicating it with a hand. "Can you build us a pathway of ice towards that place?"
366
367The tamer asked the sea dragon, who apparently understood what was being said, since it moved closer to the shore and reached forth with it's long neck, opening the mouth and casting forward a medium lighted ray of what seemed to be frost lightning.
368
369With it's blue horns glowing, Ryuutaro seemed to be trying to freeze parts of the swamp to create a bridge, or a region so they all could pass through safely enough towards the building which Hidatsu almost barely could even notice from their own dizziness at the moment.
370(Hidatsu Tougou) 
371________________________________________
372
373[22:18] Kim threw himself recklessly into the fight. So much so that he got slapped and flung around like a ragdoll more often than not, yet all within his plan to keep the creature busy enough for Satsuki and Hidatsu to perform without interruptions. Apparently it works, with the kitsune's fire barricading the amalgam's escape, only for it to be trapped by the Lieutenant's Execution magic.
374
375Truth be said, it surprises Kim as he retreats from the scene, merely watching as the overkill is delivered. Impressed by the sheer size and power of that ability, he sets aside his resentment towards Hidatsu for the moment to appreciate the visage with some pride in his sibling. A long lost, genuine smile and admired stare take over his features for that singular moment, until it is all done.
376
377Then it is all replaced by momentary concern, though he himself feels the results of his reckless approach, to see his brother/sister overdoing it brings a terrible sensation in chest,one that is placated before he can take action; it appears that Satsuki was faster, so he stops in his tracks to let an actual doctor take care of the situation.
378
379"No. All is fine on my end." he says, voice tone shifting back to normal when his shenlong transformation is washed away in a flash of lightning.
380
381While he works on recovering his equipment and clothes, his attention remains focused on the tavern, that appears to be inhabited by someone. A squint of suspicion, it was not expected at all. Once fully dressed, he rolls his shoulders to do away with the minor pain caused by the tentacles strikes, readying himself to follow along on the pathway created by Ryuutaro.
382
383He's going to make whoever's in there pay for the attack on his family.
384(Kim Yugao) 
385________________________________________
386
387[22:21] The Kitsune canted her head slightly to the side - humor wasn't a strong suit of hers, so she couldn't say for sure whether Hidatsu was kidding or not. Better safe than sorry, she figured; without another word, she stuck one of those cute fox bandages onto the doctor's face.
388
389It wasn't actually helping anything, but it was adhesive!
390
391And, the bridge finished, she stepped onto it and immediately regretted the decision - bare feet and ice don't mix, but... well. Onward she goes, finally approaching the tavern that she could only fantasize about up until this point.
392
393She glanced into the window for a moment, and then, rather than swearing revenge, did the perfectly reasonable, human thing, and...
394
395...Knocked on the door. Three times.
396(Satsuki Shimasu) 
397________________________________________
398
399[22:28] {NARRATION} The ice bridge was constructed easily and without much labor or resistance. It seemed whatever the beast in the water had been doing here, it was the only one of its kind that would show up. The trio was allowed to cross their structure and reach the front door, and while Satsuki peered through the windows, she wouldn't be capable of seeing anything inside through dense curtains.
400
401Still, the light was there.
402
403Three knocks were given. And the door opened.
404
405On the other side they found it; a lively inn filled with people! As they stepped inside and the door closed, they found themselves among a rather boisterous crowd and the smell of warm tea and assorted foods filled the air. It was almost exactly like what they may have imagined... or even identical to some scene in Huangzhou itself in the present day.
406
407Needless to say, it was not the sort of place one would think would be found in the middle of a grimy swamp. Someone put a hand on the square of Satsuki's back, and behind them, the host who had opened the door, was none other than a kitsune who bore a striking resemblence to the Chancellor.
408
409If not for the black hair, one may have thought they were related.
410
411
412[22:35] And that someone was a stick-thin kitsune, covered in a red kimono. She was tall, but not overly tall, and a sickly little smile was on her face. Her black eyes, pitch as night, devoid of much of anything, seemed alight with bemusement despite. Her knotted hair came down in streaks of black and white, and she seemed young - too young for someone she might be. Sparkles of rainbow colors swirled around her form, almost without thought or rhythm, while her tail, knotted and disgusting, frayed beyond grooming, swirled behind her.
413
414While the room was full of jovial activity, with people chattering and flitting about, with a tavern mistress at work and a dead-eye'd woman teasing a general in the background, she was suddenly the focus.
415
416"Hi, hi, hi," came a voice, as crisp as spring, but almost as quiet as a whisper in the wind. A little laugh followed, like three short huffs of air: "Hm, hm, hm..." She'd take a step back from the group, circling around them to stand before them, before suddenly bowing, arms extending out...
417
418...and a wild flurry of wind swirls around her, clearly its own illusion as a continued stream of rainbows sparkle about, jumping from her fingertips and covering her in a cocoon of color. And when the cocoon cracks, it's like ice, exploding out and up.
419
420The ceiling is soon covered in a space-like expanse, stars glittering in the distance, and she gestures behind her. "C-C-C-Come in, or go in, or go where you g-g-g-go," the woman stutters, twitching and fidgetting on the spot, as her show continues on the ceiling. "O-Or stay. Do what you do."
421(Mei Shimasu) 
422________________________________________
423
424[22:46] Hidatsu crossed the ice bridge mostly leaning against Kim or Ryuutaro, not because only because of their own newfound debilitations from the battle prior, but also to not simply slide down on the ice and fall down on the swamp. That would be something they'd hate more than anything.
425
426However, as soon as they stepped inside that place after the knocks and the door opening, the lieutenant was left speechless.
427
428There was people there; light, the smell of tea, chattering and at least three people of relative notice instead. That was just above and beyond everything that Hidatsu could have ever expected from the tavern. Much more so from a tavern half sunk in the middle of the swamps of the old Gao Deryu.
429
430Truthfully though those thoughts of why and how didn't even cross their mind as the doctor eyes and paid more attention to the kitsune that talked and presented herself to them. For a few seconds they remained more than speechless, but actually stolen of their own voice. That was a proper display of magic and cheerfulness from Mei, no one could deny that, but to look and see those people inside - and her - was just giving the lieutenant some greater degree of confusion.
431
432But a confusion they'd like and enjoy for as long as it'd last, at least.
433
434"Hi...Hi, hi?" they asked, or said to the tall Kitsune, blinking for a few moments as the long haired officer took a few steps inside the tavern. "I...Uh- Well- Yes, inside!"
435
436If anything Hidatsu just decided to allow themselves to embark in that for a single moment. A large grin sprouted on their face as they took two more steps inside, looking around with a lighter tone on their face and movements. There was a lot to see and hear it looked like.
437
438What harm would it take to actually let themselves be carried over a little by exactly that which they came there to find, right?
439(Hidatsu Tougou) 
440________________________________________
441
442[22:48] Satsuki had expected to see one person, at best - an occultist or a witch practicing vile magic, perhaps, or if they were really lucky just a crazy swamp-dwelling hermit who wanted to be left alone, ideally civilized enough to offer them a cup of tea, and perhaps let them lay claim to any artifacts of personal value that still existed in the tavern.
443
444She didn't expect a party. She didn't expect...
445
446The Chancellor stiffened up let out a small yelp as someone laid their hand upon her back, spinning around to stare wide-eyed at the personal space invader. Satsuki's mouth opened - perhaps prepared to issue a polite notice not to touch her - but... no words came out. She only stood there, mouth slightly open as Kitsune greeted the group.
447
448Satsuki blinked for the first time since she and her companions set off, and she looked behind her at the gathering. Did these people not realize where they were? It was a swamp. It was dead out here.
449
450...Ah. The closer she looked, the more she realized exactly what was going on here. She could even identify faces in the crowd - people she never saw in person, but had heard enough about - and seen her mother's childhood drawings of - to know at least a few of them. She blinked once more, turning to the other Kitsune again - and then turning her attention to the illusory sky she generated.
451
452"...I know you," she said finally, so quietly that the words barely even came out. "We've never met- but I... know you. I've seen you- in, in drawings my mother made as a child, in... dreams," she rambled on.
453
454Terribly dead, empty green eyes stared at Mei, gazing directly into the abyss that was her own eyes. Satsuki breathed in once more, but she wasn't blinking anymore. She'd not stop Hidatsu or Kim from joining the illusory festivities, if they so wished. She couldn't issue commands or make suggestions now - she was nearly catatonic, singularly focused on just one thing. And, when she spoke again, she still couldn't call upon the typical even, mechanical voice she was so fond of.
455
456"...Mei?" she squeaked.
457(Satsuki Shimasu) 
458________________________________________
459
460[22:50] Kim was on edge as he crossed the icy bridge leading up to the tavern's entrance. The peak of his anxiety is reached when the door is knocked on by Satsuki, his fists igniting with raging fire that was ready to incinerate any enemy who had the audacity to make the tavern their home. Those thundering hands almost come crashing down, but are halted instantly upon being met with the unexpected visage that meet the group.
461
462The shenlong pauses, an arm lifted by his face in the punching motion that never happened, his eyes fully open to stare intently at the scene as if a ghost - quite literally - just revealed itself to him. And it might just be the case, for he recognizes the host that welcomes the group into the establishment; the lanky, twitchy figure of a kitsune that bares some resemblance to Satsuki herself, the face he's seen in the Chancellor's chambers during their first and only meeting to set up this expedition.
463
464His grandfather's adoptive mother.
465
466An impossibility. She's supposed be dead.
467
468The whole scenario is only made more unreal by the employment of Mei's illusion magic that fill the place with colors, a ceiling covered in an infinity of stars that would leave any sane person speechless, as happens with Kim. Any fighting intent is instantly cast away to be replaced by a crushing feeling inside his chest, a knot in his throat keeping any words from coming out, with only muffled gasps of a befuddled dragon-man being made audible by the others.
469
470Like a rookie soldier, he drops his guard. And he is drawn into the place without a hint of hesitation. Hook, line and sinker.
471
472The backpack and tools are left by the door upon his entry, joining his brother/sister in the journey of braving through that beautiful illusion, eyes bathed in beads of tears that form with every step he takes.
473(Kim Yugao) 
474________________________________________
475
476[23:06] It was a party, that much was clear. Some people stood out more than others, but overall it was packed, very packed. Mei Shimasu, the woman who had greeted them, welcomed them in with a wide grin, something that screamed a surprising amount of genuine warmth. As they came deeper into the establishment, her tail swung and shut the door behind them.
477
478The tables were full, all but one. She'd lead them over to it, given the chance, nearly skipping across the room, every step a little dance of its own. Glittery puffs of illusionary coils splashed as if she were walking in water, each step leaving behind a little bit of a beautiful cascade as she leads on, and the table she stops at?
479
480Familiar faces all around. A dead-eye'd gaze meets them, one of the patrons sitting at the table. She wore a suave suit, much like someone in Valmasia would wear, with black hair dangling past her shoulders. She raised a hand to wave. On the other side, a manwho was once a fisher, with large fists intended for punching, and next to him was a man once known as a leader of Jianghu's original colony. Ardent Cliff's man himself, for a time.
481A tavern mistress finally sat, settling down from their work dashing about the place. They looked androgynous as could be, sitting away from the fish-eye'd woman, distant as they could without being a table away, and a man with golden blonde hair, a striking resemblance to a certain man's grandfather, even sat at the table, wearing a black and white cloak.
482
483Mei decided to sit, and sat next to the fish-eye'd girl, crossing her legs and stuffing her hands into her lap, but not before gesturing with twitching, twisting hands at the available cushions across from her, near her, then at the food and drink littered across the table itself.
484
485"Hmhm, th-th-that's what I'm called, no? My words may dance and skip and jump away, b-b-b-but my ears stillhear what they want to hear, and I hear that's still what I'm called," she responds, finally, after situating. 
486
487"Th-The realm of the Dreamer is fickle, screaming and whispering w-w-w-w-words that one c-can't seem to catch. Is that what you heard?" she asks the other Shimasu, her black eyes wide and unblinking, only occasionally flickering closed. Something drew their attention to her, away from the others. They weren't the focus.
488
489She was. "So why?"
490(Mei Shimasu) 
491________________________________________
492
493[23:24] No, no, no no no. This wasn't right. None of it was right. Everything here was wrong. Too much of it looked like the sketch of the Lost Heaven that she never finished, the one that was still sitting on her desk at the shrine. Even the people were the same, roughly. Satsuki's art was based on the drawings her mother made as a child, and now she was here staring at the real deal (in a manner of speaking).
494
495Still, as level-headed as the Chancellor was, she nodded weakly and sat on a cushion on the opposite end of the table beside a former Lord Regent and a traitorous cosmic fisherman, and found herself staring directly at both of the adoptive grandparents she never had the opportunity to actually meet.
496
497Unsettling empty jade eyes met a pair of unblinking dead fish eyes. "...My mother... hated those," she said quietly, to nobody in particular. "And my eyes reminded her of-"
498
499She inhaled sharply, gaze falling back on Mei. A shaky hand tapped against Hidatsu, pointing toward the "tavern mistress." Kim, too, was pointed in the direction of the cloak-wearing Drakanite. But, even as she did that, her gaze never once left Mei.
500
501"Mei, you're..." she began, before her mouth closed in spite of herself. She knew full well that everything here was an illusion - but she also feared that challenging it would destroy it. Illusions existed to be broken, yes, but Satsuki was home. She wanted to come out here to finally learn where she came from - where her family began - and she was here.
502
503It was all here, as shallow as it was.
504
505The pale Chancellor was paler than ever, and her motions were as human as they've ever been. She had truly been shaken, and the automaton that she typically was found itself far too confused. All she could do was fall back on being a human.
506
507Her gaze drifted to the spread on the table. Even that seemed like a sorry imitation, but one Satsuki found herself so desperately wanting to accept.
508
509"My name is Satsuki. I'm... the Chancellor of the Illuminated- I wanted to... see Gao Deryu- I wanted to see the Lost Heaven- I wanted to see my home, just once. I wasn't old enough to be there- here-"
510
511She bit gently at her bottom lip for a moment, stare returning to the illusionist opposite her. "...Have you... actually been living out here this whole time?" She wanted to tack on "alone" at the end of that. She couldn't bring herself to do so. "...We all thought you were dead," she managed to say.
512(Satsuki Shimasu) 
513________________________________________
514
515[23:24] Kim's heart is a few beats away from jumping out of his mouth, all common sense temporarily abandoned for the sake of letting himself be carried into this moment. He longed to experience such union, such indestructible bonds that were formed in this very place he is at. Much of what reached him as stories as an infant are now brought to quasi-reality by the skilled illusionist that is the elder Shimasu.
516
517Everyone in the room is met with an intent, piercing gaze from the young Yugao. Some of those patrons are easy to recognize from the tales weaved by his grandfather, others not so much, yet all feels so real. The way they all gather together to share a night of fun without a care in the world is something that the current generation has lost in its entirety. The culture shock hits him hard.
518
519Those stubborn tears finally rush down his face when the elder Yugao is spotted, sporting the legendary cloak passed down by the Masters of Gain just as described by the very same man in his old age. To see his grandfather in such jovial state, looking almost exactly like Kim himself with a few minor differences, is something that steals his breath with the gasp that follows.
520
521Kim surrenders.
522
523Trembling legs lead him to an empty cushion so that he may sit by the table alongside his ancestors, the founding fathers of Jianghu, those who fought and some who died to protect the bonds they formed.
524
525It is not his place to speak up. Neither is he able to form a single, coherent phrase at the moment. All he can do is open and close his mouth without uttering a sound, awestruck and confused, happy and sad.
526
527As the elder Shimasu speaks, all he does is stare.
528(Kim Yugao) 
529________________________________________
530
531[23:26] Hidatsu's embarking on that scene seemed to be unbreakable and unshakable by their own decision. True, there was a greater deal of confusion filling their mind; surprise for finding a place such as that one, and somewhat...Joy, even. They couldn't really understand why, but that place seemed welcoming. Warm, happy in a way that Hidatsu have never experienced before. The smell of tea filling the air, the voices, the people.
532
533That place wasn't an inn. It was a home.
534
535Hidatsu allowed themselves to take a few steps inside, panning their eyes over and around the place with that strange resting smile over their own face. Though they didn't really distance themselves from the overall group, it was obvious they were allowing themselves to grow closer and deeper into that moment. They wanted to. No questions, or at least no direct ones, no second guessing, no nothing. Just that in front of them.
536
537At least so the doctor thought, to have an open mind for such and an open heart to allow themselves to actually go into that moment, even if that was just it, a moment.
538
539However their eyes would betray them, and their voice and smile just go away entirely as their eyes met a certain pair of figures in that place.
540
541First, Hidatsu saw a golden haired tall man with a double colored cape. It didn't even take too long for them to know exactly who that was. Their stomach sunk and their face went even paler than it normally was, the expression covering their face changed from water to wine into a literal surprised one, the mouth agape as they tried to say something, but words didn't come. That was definitely no one other than the first Yugao, ancestor of Kim, whom Hidatsu knew of and heard of for their entire life. It was impossible to not be so.
542
543"You are-" as if hypnotized by that the doctor said, extending a hand and pointing at him as he sat down, but it was the other person who absolutely killed Hidatsu mind at that point. The waitress who made themselves to the table for sitting. That was someone Hidatsu didn't expect to see in any other place but old paintings or even photos.
544
545That hand that pointed shook into a dropping motion as the doctor dropped their shoulders as well, sighing deeply in disbelief and whatever other thoughts they might have been thinking right now.
546
547"You're my...You're..."
548
549They tried to say, at that point literally not even listening to anyone else or event he sounds around the inn, as Hidatsu took trembling steps over to the table and quickly tried to sit themselves on the table as well, in front of the androgynous one, simply staring at that point.
550(Hidatsu Tougou) 
551________________________________________
552
553[23:39] It was all so superficial. The others said nothing, no words left them - when mouths opened, and something specific wanted to come out, it was nothing. Blank. 
554
555The figure of Nuo attempted to speak, and seemed to say something, but nothing came out. It looked as if it could've been something rather snarky.
556
557The figure of Yun attempted to speak, words of encouragement, or maybe some joke he thought was funny, or even just something to lighten the mood overall, but nothing came out.
558
559The figure of Koijirou attempted to speak, likely attempting to greet their descendant, with those thinly veiled pains hidden behind a gentle smile, remaining formal, courteous, but not unwelcoming. But nothing came out.
560
561Mei opened her mouth, and spoke. "They're who they are, no?" she said simply, arms coming up in a little shrug. It was as simple as that, wasn't it? They were who they needed to be. The impossibly young woman leaned forward slightly, her tail flopping onto Nuo's lap, suddenly getting the grooming it deserved from pale hands. 
562
563"I-I-I-I remember speaking words like that. Words about Joo-way-hoo, words about th-th-the light and the things that dance in the sun," the Kitsune nods, cracking another little smile, her hand extending to the table now to begin tapping fingers against the wood.
564
565Visual representations of sound, little rainbow shockwaves that crash away from her fingers, began to pulse out with little rhythmic echoes. It was music. It drowned out the muffled singing, one and all.
566"And this is there, yes? S-S-S-So welcome, welcome, welcome, you and you and even you, welcome here." There's a pause, before she continues, a distinct frown thinning her lips briefly, making her body shake and tremble, as it's wont to do. Her ears flatten against her skull and she shakes her head. "No, no, n-n-n-not dead, no?"
567
568"I w-w-w-w-won't pass through death's door, n-n-not yet. She's here so I'm here, and I go wh-wh-where New-oh goes. And th-they're here too, so I'm here, here, here."
569
570She spoke with finality. She wouldn't go. Not while she was still there. Her cold eyes, empty as could be, flicked from Satsuki and over to the other two, curiously looking them over. "Do you see th-them too?"
571(Mei Shimasu) 
572________________________________________
573
574[23:53] Hidatsu's expression didn't move much even after Koijirou tried to greet them. That smile, that face, the look in their eyes and the very small gestures and facial movements, the mannerisms in which the white dressed innkeeper moved. Everything. So that's who Koijirou was.
575
576The lieutenant watched the soundless greeting as if they actually did hear a voice. But there was none, of course; the context and the situation in which they were made them believe so, trust so in their own senses to know exactly that no voice was there, no words. But still Hidatsu looked and watched as if they could hear whatever Koijirou said. It was there, it was true, they just didn't understand-
577
578"-Thank you," they answered whatever they wanted to believe that the innkeeper said, before slowly moving their eyes over to Mei, as if they didn't want to take the eyes away from Koijirou, if they did, he could disappear right there. "-Why are they here, and...How are they here...?"
579
580They asked, with some sense coming back to them into breaking that spell of the mind that the place was real. It just got a little too real now that Hidatsu could look in the eyes of Koijirou across that table, but even if they couldn't take the sight and the look away from the innkeeper, the doctor continued to speak, but aiming their voice over to Mei.
581
582"No, no, that's not what I should asking...I- Tell me...What kind of place was this? It seems...And feels...Happy. Warm...Just-" they sighed, sporting a strange expression of a mixture from a smile and a frown, sadness, but also a very deep and melancholic joy upon seeing it all. Their eyes moved over to Koijirou again, focusingon him as if that question was aimed at the innkeeper instead, but it was evident that Hidatsu was actually talking to Mei.
583
584"What happened here?"
585(Hidatsu Tougou) 
586________________________________________
587
588[23:55] The Chancellor's wide-eyed gaze narrowed as she finally took note of it: none of them were speaking. They never could. Her mother, on occasion, mentioned that she had more or less been raised by an illusion of Mei who spoke in nonsense noises. Just sounds, really, not language - and these illusions couldn't even do that. Still, when she looked back to Mei, the more intelligent part of Satsuki's brain, the one that would have dismissed all of these illusions, shut off again. The slightest smile even graced her lips as she watched her grandmothers, properly together.
589
590...No. No, it wasn't proper. None of it was proper at all. She knew the story, more or less. She knew how it began and she knew how it ended. The epilogue had already been written. The book was closed, no matter how much Mei thought new chapters were still being penned. She had to say something.
591
592But nothing came out.
593
594Nothing but a tear escaping from each eye. She knew how this extra chapter had to end, but as she watched Mei's fingers drumming on the table - still alive, she was still alive after all these years, and she was happy, because she thought the world hadn't changed, because she thought everyone was still there, because she thought Nuo was still there-
595
596Satsuki Shimasu prided herself in knowing what was right for the world. She was, as she had said many times over, "the solution." She was so adamant about this that she nearly got an entire traveling party killed because of it. But, faced with this... faced with people that she loved, even if she never met them...
597
598...It wasn't until Mei made a comment about not going that Satsuki came back to her senses, however slightly. Reaching into her pocket and producing a red cloth, embroidered with roses, she dabbed at her cheeks before continuing. Her voice was shaky. She knew how this had to end, andshe knew what she had to do - but she wasn't sure that she could.
599
600"'Don't look for the remains,'" she recited, left hand rising to run nervously through her hair. "'Send something, someone, to kill it, to push it past... past...'"
601
602...Past Death's door. She couldn't say it. She hung her head, elbows coming up on the table and hands rising to cover her face. She was gritting her teeth, audibly struggling to breathe evenly.
603
604She needed to prepare herself for this; she always did best when she could prepare what she had to say minutes in advance. Hidatsu and Kim would make for a fine buffer, at least. But when the time would finally come...
605
606...She wasn't sure she could.
607(Satsuki Shimasu)
608[00:00] Hopelessly drifting. Bathing in beautiful agony. Lost in this wonderful misery.
609
610Like a bubble popping after its dried out by the sun, Kim suddenly snaps out of his trance. It all felt real. It felt good while it lasted. The memories and intentions behind it all were real, yet not the moment they were in. With eyelids slightly parted, there's an air of suspicion to him now.
611
612The intensity of the emotions he feels is counterbalanced by the sudden realization of how fake everything is. A simulation of what once was, a figment of a reality long left behind. It dawns on him like a hammer to the skull of an unsuspecting person, threatening to end the moment in a terrible note.
613
614It becomes all too clear that this is no paradise. The soundless reaction from those around him draw in a dreadful sensation that boils inside him, erasing all confusion. His attention shifts entirely towards the only plausible architect of the scenery - Mei Shimasu.
615
616His immediate instinct is to lash out at her, his body even threatening to do so with a sudden movement that drives him into leaning onto the table as if to reach out and grab the kitsune... But he stops before his arms could even go that far, retreating slowly onto his seat.
617
618As confusing as the elder's words were, they ring true inside the Yugao's head, who takes the instant to look at Nuo, Yun and Koijirou in their speechlessness. They were memories, immutable pieces of the past kept 'alive' by the one casting the illusion, who refuses to let go of them.
619
620Once again the shenlong's stare is aimed at Mei herself, who addresses him. This time, his lack of response comes from an active will not to feed on the elder's illusion, a bite to his lower lip makes sure he doesn't say a word, far more concerned about Hidatsu and Satsuki's own reactions when they realized what was truly happening behind the curtains of this show.
621
622Are they awake as well? Are they ready to face what comes next? Can they do it?
623(Kim Yugao) 
624________________________________________
625
626[00:01] * You have been awarded 1 Roleplay Points! *
627[00:13] But it's all so sweet, and like most sweet things, it tends to be unhealthy. In waves, the bliss comes crashing down on them, even those that crack the mirror and see through to the world behind it. It's a devastating, sick joke. It's a lingering will that refuses to move on, creating a mockery that sings and dances like a jester in the king's court.
628
629The illusion continues, unwavering, and, if nothing else, seems almost more intense. It's like a drug-filled dream, where everything feels slightly disjointed, even with its simplicity and the mundane design. 
630
631Mei Shimasu tilts her head slightly, lips curled into a little pout - she seems intent on crying too, now, but nothing comes. There's but more flopping of ears atop her head, situating to make her look almost demure, shrunken down, defeated. "Wh-What do your words mean? It? What is it? Is it what screams and shouts and roars in the bleak mind, is it what echoes and rages and screeches, clawing and scraping at what is now n-n-n-nothing?"
632
633"What is it? What is it? What is it?"
634The question seems to repeat, three whole times, back-to-back, but it lingers even still. It's there, in their heads. It's what she needs to know. What is it?
635
636Is it even anything?
637
638"This was just home, home, home! Nothing wrong happened, n-n-nothing bad. The bad went away and the good came b-b-back. It stayed and sung its song and stays some more," she nearly seems to plea, her body shaking almost violently now, her tail nearly tearing itself from Nuo's grip, even as she continues to gently pet and stroke the matted, gross fur.
639
640"Th-They all came back, no? They came back, I came back, and it was okay. Everything's okay. Why are you l-l-l-looking at me?" she snaps her eyes over to Kim, her fingers thumping against the table faster, harder, the sounds coming on louder and rushed. Then her eyes move to Satsuki. "I l-l-l-like it here. Don't you? Try the f-f-f-f-food, no? O-Or the drink. Sh-Shimasu Special, hmhm?"
641
642A creaking could be heard, upstairs, old boards shifting and weight moving slowly. It was so distant, but it's there.
643(Mei Shimasu) 
644________________________________________
645
646[00:23] That was confusing. Sweet, tasty, but confusing. In more ways than Hidatsu was ready to deal with, or even wanted to deal with. Part of the lieutenant wanted to believe all of that was true. That Koijirou and Yun were there, that Susan was just playing from the balcony, that Nuo was about to start bleeding from the eyes; such were the things they heard, and right now, such were the things they could see before them. So close, so real, so tangible.
647
648But at the same time all lies. All of that, nothing was truly there. That wasn't real. They knew it even though they wanted to believe otherwise.
649
650The amethyst colored eyes of the lieutenant now wetted themselves, dropping more tears than both of the other two combined, in a vivid and even a little raw cry. That was just sad. A vile form of joy that would touch a person in the wrong way, but...They were there.
651
652Koijirou was right there, gently greeting people, likely concerned about Yun's infinite errands through the caves that would result in more wounds than one could account for. It was just like the stories Hidatsu heard over and over, but now they were living it. It was just like looking into a painting, but a living one. A real painting that captured not an image, but a feeling. A story itself.
653
654At first Hidatsu didn't move, but after what could be accounted for as almost an entire minute in silence, watching and moving their head from side to side and corner to corner, they stood properly again, circling that table and carefully, hesitantly, trying to reach and touch with a hand on Koijirou's shoulder.
655
656The tears in their face at that point were just dropping down their cheeks into the wooden floor of inn, the feeling of that, of what once was, of all that it could be, they were just seeing it. Even if a product of Mei's own twisted mind. That was what it could be. A way where everything could have gone if things just worked out in the right way.
657
658It was, in some senses more than others, a true meaning for the name of that place.
659
660It was a Lost Heaven.
661(Hidatsu Tougou) 
662________________________________________
663
664[00:37] Satsuki, for her part, is doing her best to suppress her whimpering as the other Shimasu talks and talks. The longer it goes on, the more she realizes exactly what had to be done. There was only one viable outcome here. They couldn't stuff Mei into Kim's backpack and take her back home. Her grandmother was still alive, but the ending couldn't be happy.
665
666They'd never walk triumphantly back into Huangzhou together. She'd never be able to take the old Kitsune into her shrine and show her all the murals - especially the one of Mei herself. She'd never be able to compare notes on what Ardent Cliff actually looked like. She'd never be able to show Mei the sketch of the Lost Heaven and see her grandmother's eyes light up in recognition. She'd never point at this person or that person - she'd never say, "Oh, that's the ripper of limbs, that's the tavern mistress, that's New-oh!" She'd never be able to purge the occult that had overtaken her mind and finally save her from herself.
667
668Satsuki was almost content to leave Mei here to the illusion, too, against her better judgment - but the one counterpoint to all of this was Mei's desire to stay with Nuo. Satsuki so desperately wanted to call it all a victimless crime and let Mei stay with the illusion happily for the rest of her days, but...
669
670It wasn't victimless. The real people were all waiting on the other side. Nothing had ever gotten better for them; they all died, most of them in terrible or violent ways. It was a blissful illusion, but... that was still all it was. Mei was the only one left. The luckiest among the party here went home.
671
672And the single most important person was dead.
673
674With another deep, shaky breath, Satsuki continued. 
675
676"...After you... disappeared... you left a note, and..." she said, testing the waters a bit, "My... other grandmother- she... lived here, alone, waiting for the end, thinking you were dead- she wanted to be with you again, but then she... had to go back to your home in Ardent Cliff, and leave... all of this behind. It wasn't the same. It didn't get better."
677
678Her hands lowered, and teary but no less empty green eyes stared into Mei's again. "She adopted my mother, a Kitsune that she thought looked like you, and... the demons destroyed Ardent Cliff- her home- your home-" Satsuki's whole body quivered slightly as she paused briefly. It wasn't a victimless crime. It wasn't. There was only one person here who had yet to go past Death's door and it was Mei.
679
680"She thought you died in 1454. It's... 1511 now. Mei- I..." she trailed off again, shaking her head more rapidly than she normally did, instantly messing up hair she typically tended to so carefully. "My name is Satsuki Shimasu. My mother... took your name, because she loved you, even though she never got to meet you."
681
682She rambled and got off-track even at the best of times, and now was no exception. The noise upstairs served to snap her back to attention. Her gaze shifted to the illusory Nuo for only the briefest of moments.
683
684"Nuo Zhichuan died in 1472, Mei. She took her own life as Ardent Cliff burned around her, and she... expected to see you on the other side, I think."
685
686Her voice broke again, and the Chancellor's hand quickly rose to rub at her eyes. "She left my mother to fend for herself. She never cared about her, Mei, only you- just you- nobody else. Right until the end, she never stopped loving you, she's... she's waiting-" If only to distract herself from the crying, her head whipped around to look over at the stairs and she paused. She knew the contents of the letter she tried to recite earlier, almost by heart. She knew the words Mei used. She knew enough to make this entire situation far too hard for her.
687
688"You were all that was left in her heart, Mei," she said, as clearly and evenly as she possibly could. Her stare turned back to the Kitsune, and Satsuki finally tried to compose herself.
689(Satsuki Shimasu) 
690________________________________________
691
692[00:40] Kim's eyes ran out of tears to well. He's seen what he wanted for so long, he felt and learned much with such a brief, intense experience. Not everything produced by the kitsune was fake, for it tells a story and transmits the feelings attached to it. There is a moral behind the imagery that is shown, that thought being the only one keeping the Yugao from collapsing into a full emotional breakdown, be it of sorrow or rage.
693
694Yun's care and longing for those around him is still tangible, the intention to be the crutch for those around him is just as Kim's mother said it was.
695
696Koijirou's warmth, the welcoming mannerisms and natural charisma that is transmitted even when no words are heard, a trait that defined the innkeeper and carried on as a legacy.
697
698Nuo's a mystery to him, just as she was to his ancestor, yet there's something beneath that veil that sends him a hint of true loyalty to those around her. Under that messy tapestry of a woman lies someone who cares for those that care for her.
699
700Those are all real, even if the images aren't. All the important messages are taken by heart, made ever so clear when one of his hands quite literally reaches for Yun, then rests ontop of his own chest with a tight grip on his gi's silken fabric, his eyes closing in a moment of thought.
701
702Breathing in and breathing out.
703
704Listening to Satsuki, joining the silence of those around him, he awaits patiently.
705(Kim Yugao) 
706________________________________________
707
708[00:56] Everything stops.
709
710The chattering grows silent, the bustling camaraderie comes to an end, and the curtains close. A performance ends, a dinner party ceases. All that's left in that moment, in the eye of an illusionary storm, is the tap-tap-tap of fingers on a wooden surface.
711
712Frantic.
713
714Black eyes as pitch as night well up in tears, tears that seem so very real. Too real. Tears that are disgusting and full of anguish, tears that scream words that Mei can't say. Her lips part into a choked scream, as Satsuki's words sink in, and she can't say a thing. A creaking groan manages to escape her, before a guttural gag follows. And then there's sobbing.
715
716Gross, pathetic, mewling sobs as the woman before them, all glitter and smiles, shatters like glass. She hunches over, her hand removes itself from the table, and she suddenly grips at her kimono, nearly tearing into it as if that would grant her release from whatever agony those words had gifted her.
717The final line, spoken in a book, in a letter, tore her heart in two.
718
719The kitsune, spasming and squirming, reached for the illusionary Nuo, but she was gone. There was not but an empty seat there, a rotted cushion soaked in muck. With wide eyes, tears streaming down her pale cheeks, she looked around, and everything was gone.
720
721There was nothing there.
722
723Not a word could be found for the scene was ended. Pale hands reach for wettened cheeks, and fingers dig into flesh, not tearing, but tugging, pulling, like a child throwing a tantrum. She shakes her head repeatedly, the sound of a storm raging in the bar for as long as she choked back screams of pain, the tortured soul carrying on...
724
725But it was all true.
726
727And in a moment, it was all gone, including her. And another creak echoed from upstairs, another little snap of boards. The room was no longer a happy, joy-filled mess. It was just a mess. Empty, discarded, forgotten, flooded and burned alike. But now, just empty.
728(Mei Shimasu) 
729________________________________________
730
731[01:00] {NARRATION} The illusion broke.
732
733The entire scene is torn away and the trio found themselves in a ruined open room within the inn. The floor is rotted and flooded with that black water that is spilling down the stairs that lead to the top floor. The walls are soaked and molded and as dark as the water that covered the ground.
734
735The dream all too quickly became an absolute nightmare.
736
737And none of the faces are sitting where they were. 
738
739Ghosts in the air, memories of the past, is all they would ever be.
740
741And yet the creaks from upstairs continued eerily...
742[01:09] Neither Shimasu had an easier time of this. It was hard for Mei. It was hard for Satsuki, too. She was so close to leaving Mei to her own devices. She was so very, very close to leaving on good terms, and perhaps coming back to visit from time to time, even. It was such a blissful illusion that even Wisdom wanted to believe in it forever.
743
744...But Mei said it herself: she went where Nuo went, and Nuo went to sleep forever a long time ago. Mei would have died eventually, surely - the occult would have killed her, perhaps, or if not that, then age. But Satsuki knew it'd be a disservice to the spirits in wait - one in particular - to let this charade go on.
745
746"She... left her home here," the Kitsune said, finally rising to a stand and taking in the ruined tavern, all of the illusions gone. "Like an animal that knew it was dying, so it... wandered off."
747
748Brushing off the back of her coat, she turned to the stairs again - but took a brief moment to glance at the now-empty cushions behind her. She smiled, wistfully- pitifully. It was a beautiful scene, just... one that had ended far too long ago.
749
750"What a... tragic irony," she continued, talking only for the sake of filling the silence. If she had too much time to dwell on it, she'd doubtlessly break down again. "She... came back to life, in a sense, when... her other half died."
751
752She walked toward the stairs. The muck didn't bother her anymore; she couldn't dwell on it at this point. The stakes had been raised far too much. The expedition got a bit too real. "I am... going upstairs, because she has to be up there, because years ago, in that letter, she... begged for someone to push her past Death's door. She... knew it- that someday, their eyes would meet again."
753
754"And neither will blink - and they will embrace until the very end, when they... come back as something new."
755
756Even as she spoke with as much confidence as she could muster, it was clear that she was still far past her breaking point. Her strides were less careful and measured. She shook, physically and verbally. Her handkerchief spent far too much time around her eyes.
757
758"The Lost Heaven... could never be a solo act- we... need to get them all back together, right? It's... it's not fair, they all... they all left and never even told her."
759(Satsuki Shimasu) 
760________________________________________
761
762[01:11] As soon as the visions ceased, Hidatsu's face turned into one of a shock. Completely terrified as if they didn't just disappear. As if they literally died.
763
764"Bring them back!" the Lieutenant said, turning around to look over their shoulder for a moment, but eventually completely looking towards Mei. They walked, trembling and tumbling over the cushions and the broken plates and roots of trees, not falling down but clearly enough to keep them from actually walking. "They were- They were here, happy, just- It was them, bring them back!"
765
766The doctor yelled again at Mei, crying all the way through as they walked towards her. It wasn't as if the officer have lost themselves in that illusion, they knew just all too well it wasn't real. But they wanted it to be real. No, more than that. They wanted to be there with them. 
767
768Hidatsu for a reason or other could feel the warmth of that place, of that family, something within their faces, their gestures, everything that was happening in that silent reflection of what could have been, but weren't. Hidatsu wanted that to be real, that Koijirou and Yun to be there, Nuo and her absolute disgust for cheese and milk, even Yohn the fisherman with the infamously parrot and that iconic laugh. It was all there, it had to be there. They were seeing it, living it.
769
770"Bring them back!-"
771
772Hidatsu yelled, once more, this time almost reaching out to take a hold of Mei with both hands, but they didn't. They halted even their own tone, and kept their arms to themselves as those creaks took out their mind and curiosity. The crying officer looked up to the ceiling, confusedly and surprised still.
773
774Maybe there was someone else there. Maybe itwas Koijirou for an irrational miracle. Or maybe Yun. Both of them. Maybe everyone was in there. Someone had to be there.
775
776Before they could actually touch the crying and spasming Kitsune, they just clenched their hands in fists as they cleaned their eyes from tears.
777
778Listening to Satsuki, they shook their head, and just like the Chancellor, they headed for the stairs as well. Silently still but at a rushed feet, they went up along, hoping to something they likely wouldn't, but they needed to.
779(Hidatsu Tougou) 
780________________________________________
781
782[01:18] The sounds uttered by the maiden in agony are like the nightmare that follows. Worst than an illusion cast to keep the memories from fading away, is to have your own reality shattered as just happened to the poor woman. Her reaction is all to real and goes against everything that was said and seen up until that moment.
783
784When the curtains fall, the blunt reality that follows is that of a comforting disappointment. It is difficult to look at but it is real.
785
786The room that was full of life is now devoid of it. The movement replaced by stillness, the joy replaced by a complete lack thereof. And when the cries and screams of despair from those around echo throughout the remnants of the Lost Heaven...
787
788...A sound once ignored is no more.
789
790Slowly, suspiciously, the shenlong's eyes are diverted upward to glare at the ceiling on the bottom floor, then directed at Hidatsu and Satsuki, only to find them braving through the muddy water to venture forth and resume their quest.
791
792Kim is the last in line, for he takes some time to watch over the mourning kitsune who crumbled before the group. And that's when, for the first time since his arrival, his voice is made heard with the words that follow.
793
794"Move on..."
795
796And that's it. A pained little piece of advice that would most likely serve no purpose coming from a complete stranger, one who hasn't participated in any of those events. Still he cares enough to do so, before picking up the pace to join his family in their way towards the upper level.
797(Kim Yugao) 
798________________________________________
799
800[01:22] {NARRATION} The stairs were drenched in that blackened water. It had become a part of them given the pain of the years. Somewhere on the landing leaning against the wall was an old painting. Though it had once corner dipped down into the inky liquid, the work was almost entirely kept safe within the frame, if not the tiniest bit muddled.
801
802It was nothing that couldn't be saved, of course.
803
804The art was an image of a man fishing among the stars. A relic of the past, even as the creaks continued from the upper floor. Any could pick it up and continue on to find whatever it was waiting up above.
805[01:26] "...They were never here, Hidatsu Tougou," she said, definitively but no less sadly. "IT all ended years ago. It was just... a stage play- not even... not even a good one," she muttered. She paused on the steps only briefly, shocked eyes darting to the painting.
806
807The Fisherman of the Stars.
808
809"...Yohn Wuhan," she noted, surprise slipping through an otherwise teary voice. It made sense for Satsuki to be the one to take it; should she have to use her fire magic, the painting would be safest near her, where she could control the flames.
810
811"I will... restore this- whatever needs restoring- once we are... home. It will be a nice distraction."
812
813What was almost certainly about to be a murder would weigh heavily on her, after all- in any case, onward.
814(Satsuki Shimasu) 
815________________________________________
816
817[01:32] Hidatsu observed the painting by the stairs, still stumbling and just making sure their own steps would be faltering enough to fall, but just quick enough to follow through upstairs.
818
819That was the fisherman of the stories, who laughed like no one else could, who had a parrot and fought sea monsters and told stories over dinners from his own adventures of the sea. The fisherman who betrayed Ardent Cliff and fought for Avalon during the second colonial wars. But the one who never betrayed his family.
820
821"No...It was at least a good one...I could see them, Lady Shimasu. I could see it down there." with a sigh the doctor explained as they watched over the kitsune picking the painting, walking upstairs along the other two to meet the inevitable sight that would likely be waiting for them.
822
823"Ngh...Things must have been so good for them back there...I wish I were there with them."
824
825They said under their own breath as they used a single hand by the walls to not simply fall or stumble too much.
826(Hidatsu Tougou) 
827________________________________________
828
829[01:37] Kim returns to the silent state he's kept during most of the journey, now reduced to a spectator of sorts. The backpack and items are once again retrieved before he joins the others on the way up, his mind still recovering from the shock of the last interaction, finding it hard to focus on the way ahead.
830
831A free hand rests upon Hidatsu's back as they travel upward, as if to keep the other from falling, as he himself does not suffer while ascending by employing his gravity magic to assist him.
832
833The painting of the legendary fisherman is paid little to no attention, if only because he's never truly heard anything about Yohn prior to this. Yun never, ever mentioned that name for some reason.
834(Kim Yugao) 
835________________________________________
836
837[01:38] Up the stairs, past the trickling creek of black water, was a room much like it once was, but further gone. It was a room that had kept many a nice night, of serenity and calm, of love and confessions. It was a room that Mei Shimasu had found most dear, because it was where she'd realized who she loved.
838
839And it was where she was.
840
841In the corner, where cushions had once been piled in rows for sleeping when beds just weren't enough, one could see the shriveled, curled form of a woman who had tried to hide. If you could call it that.
842
843A dark kimono clung to her form, tattered and wretched, soaked to its very strands in that horrid muck. Whitened, greying ears, patchy and worn, briefly flicked up, but barely moved. Why bother? She knew what was coming. It knew.
844
845A tail slowly unfurls from around her curled figure, the ball unravelling into a spindly woman, like a spider coming out of death. The tail wasn't bushy, it wasn't knotted, it was barely furred. It was soggy in the parts that were, and the parts that weren't were wrinkled flesh, pruned with that occultic flush.
846Her arms were as thin as sticks, her legs too, and her body was barely even there. If she seemed malnourished once, she was beyond that now, and her sunken face, gaunt cheekbones, and hollowed cheeks showed this in the most horrifying, haunting way possible.
847
848Dark eyes met the trio. They weren't empty. They were nothing. Nothing stared back at them, nothing but sorrow, lingering on in a frail husk of a woman who once was, and no longer is. But even with her pathetic state, there was an anger there. A rage that had sparked when it was all taken away, yet again. It was a repeat for her. It was a day that would only continue to end in tragedy. 
849
850She was tired of it. It was tired of it.
851
852Tendrils splayed down her arms, wrapping around her body in dark, sloshing extensions to her limbs, reinforcing herthinned bones with that forbidden magical power. And yet, even as it readied to defend itself from what it knew was coming, it tried to stay to its corner. It was self-defense. It would fight to keep itself alive, it would fight to keep her alive. It would fight to keep the dream alive, however fake, however horrible, however mocking it may have been.
853(Mei Shimasu) 
854________________________________________
855
856[01:49] Clutching the painting, Satsuki came up to the second floor. Her eyes immediately moved to the exact corner she knew Mei would be huddled up in. "Mei," she said, trying her hardest to sound together, even as she was coming apart, "I... really wish this didn't happen."
857
858Her tongue darted across her lips as she continued breathing shakily, eyes deader than usual focusing on Mei's aged, ruined form. "...This can hardly be called a life," she told the other Kitsune, as if she could even be reasoned with at this point. "You begged for an end. Your soul was hers. Your mind was hers. Your body couldn't be, because it's... this," she continued on, actually keeping herself together long enough to get a coherent thought out now.
859
860She, too, was getting angry. She was furious at the drunkard that never thought to make sure Mei was dead before she killed herself. She was furious at the two useless Chancellors who knew Mei was suffering inside of her own body, and did nothing to end it all.
861
862It was forty years too late, but Satsuki knew it was time. As painful as it would be, as much as nobody here wanted it - it had to be done.
863
864"I know. You'll always love her. She... made the torment okay - this is where you told her you were an occultist, isn't it?"
865
866She didn't expect an answer. She didn't expect coherency. Satsuki was talking for her own sake at this point - she knew what had to be done, she knew it the second she stepped into the tavern, but she still wasn'tentirely sure that she could.
867
868"...You begged for someone to push you past Death's door, and... it will be me. Better me than... a demon, a marauder- I... you are my family, Mei - the grandmother I grew up loving."
869
870Keep it together, keep it together, keep it together...
871
872"I love you. But... that's why it... has to be this way. I'm..." Her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. When you... see her again... you'll- you'll feel better. I swear it."
873(Satsuki Shimasu) 
874________________________________________
875
876[01:52] The haunting vision met upon their arrival is one that he did not want to think of, though at that point it became all too obvious considering the situation. An occultist who obsessed over her memories and refused to move on, now consumed and corrupted by the madness that comes with it. A burden much to heavy for a lonesome priestess to carry without consequence.
877
878It doesn't ease the pain of experiencing that first hand. To be one of those responsible for what's to come next, after all he's said and done through the course of his life. There's no turning back now, neither would he want to let things continue as they are.
879
880Reluctant, flaming fists are lifted once again, bringing light to the darkness that threatens to engulf the trio, kept under control to ensure that not a single chip of wood suffers from the heat. It might feel like Satsuki's own duty, yet Kim also feels like he has a part to play, to ensure that this time Mei will not continue to suffer any longer.
881
882This is the much anticipated final act in this tavern's grounds.
883
884And that's what Yun would have done.
885(Kim Yugao) 
886________________________________________
887
888[01:54] The reality upstairs perhaps was worse than the illusion downstairs. That thing on the corner of that room, it was moving. It had a face, and limbs, but it was hard to call her a person. More akin to a corpse, driven and kept functioning at the bare by it's own sorrow and rage, but with no soul or mind. An empty cask of a person that was long gone.
889
890Hidatsu's tears eventually stopped, but the lingering feeling of how absolutely heartbreaking everything was being remained to hit them hard on the head, and on their chest.
891
892"It's her...That's...That's her, Lady Shimasu-" the lieutenant said as they took a single or a couple of steps forward, hearing the wood crack upon their own movements, but those were halted as soon as Mei moved, and her own forbidden dark arts came to protect her. 
893
894That was what it was, protection. Irrational and mindless defense over what the trio was there to end and destroy. But on a second thought, to end that twisted dream would be more an act of mercy than anything else. That living memory she was on.
895
896And then, Hidatsu heard Satsuki's words. Her mindset already; nothing like the officer ever thought so, nothing they could have expected to be seen or done. But still, it only made sense now. It only made sense what Satsuki was saying, and on a painful manner of seeing the truth, Hidatsu could only feel glad.
897
898"Mei...Thank you. Thank you for showing me, for showing us what it was like...Who they were, their faces, their...Life. Thank you..." the lieutenant said it, bowing their head to the tendril protected kitsune as they stepped closer, touching one hand on Satsuki's shoulder just briefly enough to barely make itself noticeable.
899
900A glance was shot towards Kim as well, as they spoke on a lower tone, dragging their eyes from the other two over and back to Satsuki.
901
902"Our ancestors build this place together, and made it be what it was, what we saw downstairs...It's...On our hands to end give it the peace and the rest it needs...Satsuki, Kim."
903(Hidatsu Tougou) 
904________________________________________
905
906[01:57] {NARRATION} The room grew darker as it became clear what was going to happen. The tendrils around Mei began to smoke. Not in a way that smoke dances about fire, but as if a great mist was around her body. The occultism reeked and became far more concentrated than ever before, and from her eyes filled with nothingness down to her feet that were now coated in the corruption, the elder Shimasu seemed to be intent on fighting for her life.
907
908And destroying anything that threatened it.
909[02:04] And not a word seems to reach her, at least not at first. The old woman, whose face, body, and mind have all seen better days, seems hellbent on defending herself. Her dark eyes flick animalistically over to the Yugao, whose flames light the dark, even as Satsuki and Hidatsu try to speak. Her ears clump up, what little to them there still is, twisting under a thin lattice of hair.
910
911But something hits her, whatever part of her might still remain. Whatever part that the occult still clings to like a parasite. When a voice cracks, when words spill out about the end that's inevitable, tears begin to streak down the elder Shimasu's cheeks.
912
913Real tears, tainted by that sludge that seems to coat her now, misting off her body in a menacing darkness. Her arms reach out, as if trying to reach for a hug that'll never come, stumbling forward...
914
915Before leaping.
916
917With an inhuman screech, a howl that pierces the thick veil of sobs and pleas and humble tones, the kitsune throws herself forward, lunging at the trio with a ridiculous ferocity, intent on tearing them to shreds given the chance.
918
919It had to end.
920(Mei Shimasu) 
921________________________________________
922
923[02:24] Mei Shimasu whispers: (do you have a specific perm you want
924[02:24] Hidatsu Tougou whispers: (Anything not too physical if possible
925[02:24] Mei Shimasu whispers: (do you want an internal one?
926[02:25] Mei Shimasu whispers: (illusion perm
927[02:25] Hidatsu Tougou whispers: (Would be better, or at least something easy to hide / easy to RP with ]
928[02:25] Mei Shimasu whispers: (you got it
929[02:32] ** Mei Shimasu has inflicted an injury upon Hidatsu Tougou. ("Mei's Parting Gift", "A good heaping helping of vile liquid, sometime during the fight, had splashed right down Hidatsu's throat. The putrid gunk has clogged within him somewhere, and has settled much like the occult. Sometimes, he can even feel it move or constrict, but never enough to kill. Sometimes it's as subtle as his breathing, but when he becomes aware of it, it seems to squirm and slither.", "Permanent", "Severity: MODERATE (-20 Vit)") **
930[02:33] x
931(Hidatsu Tougou) 
932________________________________________
933
934[02:34] {Item} You drop Wood x20.
935[02:48] It had to end. Satsuki was typically the one to lunge in a battle. This time, it was Mei; they weren't related by blood, but it would seem that they had their similarities. Though Satsuki went up the stairs with the intention to end whatever "life" Mei had, she wasn't prepared - the occult Kitsune attacked, and Satsuki feebly raised her arm in an attempt to defend herself and the painting.
936
937Being on the defensive didn't suit her, and that much was obvious as she was flung away. While she recovered, the battle raged on, tearing up the second floor of the Lost Heaven even more than the years and Mei's occult had already done. Hidatsu and Kim simply couldn't keep up, and as Satsuki came to her feet, using the wall to support herself, she saw just how hopeless the situation was.
938
939"Mei!" she called out, holy petals of light raging about her form, "You died fifty years ago- it all died- stop clinging to it!"
940
941The Chancellor re-entered the battle, none of her attacks quite hitting their mark. Her flames were as fierce as always, but none of them seemed to want to seek out their mark - Mei was family. She... couldn't.
942
943Hidatsu Tougou went down.
944
945Kim Yugao went down.
946
947"Hidaka Koijorou sailed home. Yun Yugao died- Nuo... your Nuo, she's gone too- it's all over, Mei," she shouted over the flames. It would seem that her injured companions were enough to finally motivate her to action. Once Mei turned her attention to Satsuki, she knew it was do or die.
948
949Rather than play defensively, Satsuki went for the offense this time. Brandishing her claws and letting out a roar, she lunged forward at her grandmother, seeking to end it in one strike. She couldn't bear to make it last for longer than that.
950
951But rather than strike, Satsuki opted to parry. She knew of a thousand ways to injure someone - but causing undue harm to Mei was the absolute last thing she wished to do. The dark Kitsune's hand extended to cast a spell, and Satsuki's own right hand rose, knocking it aside.
952
953Her left came up immediately, tattoo already glowing as her palm came into contact with Mei's forehead, tangled, knotted hair and all.
954
955"I hope... when you see her... you don't hate me too much. I... would like to know what it's like to actually have a family, even if it's... in the afterlife."
956
957The runes on the tattoo glowed red, and in an instant Satsuki's fire mana rushed in, scorching holes at key points in Mei's corrupted circuitry, disrupting any further attempts to cast magic and rendering Mei's defenses null in an instant.
958
959Perhaps it was appropriate that this all ended with the Sunyata technique. Cleansing Mei of her occult - even if this would prove fatal - was the right thing to do.
960
961And so Satsuki's hand slipped away from Mei's forehead, positioning itself on her back instead. Her right hand, too, moved to pull the elderly Kitsune into a hug. Satsuki despised physical contact, but...
962
963The tattoo glowed white next, filling Mei's circuitry with holy mana. It wrestled with the occult, clawing into it, pulling it out of the holes she burned through just a moment prior - Mei was so far gone that Satsuki knew full well that she wouldn't survive this. The darkness had overtaken her at this point; to remove it would be to remove something essential from her. The damage had been done - the chances of surviving for any significant amount of time were, quite literally, nonexistent. The sorrow and rage and occult kept her alive, and without it...
964
965At least she'd die as herself, if nothing else.
966
967The white glow faded, replaced by green. There was no real reason to heal her circuitry, knowing what would happen - but Satsuki was a doctor, after all, and it was simply good practice. If Mei Shimasu's death was inevitable, at least there wouldn't be any pain in her last moments. And so, with Satsuki's nature magic, tiny green vine-like threads "stitched" the circuits back together, mending any harm that Satsuki had done in the process of removing Mei's occultism.
968
969"...I invented this technique because of you," she said, voice shaky once again, "Because... I never wanted another relationship, another family to be destroyed. I never wanted a child to... not know their parents, I..." The glow of the tattoo faded, and she embraced Mei even more tightly still. "It's... it's okay. You don't have to suffer anymore," Satsuki told her, trying her hardest to stay composed.
970
971"I love you, Grandmother, and... I'm sorry, I'm- I'm so sorry. I... won't forget you- master fisher, wordly illusionist, excellent company to keep-" the Chancellor smiled, as much as her lips quivered. "The only you that anyone will ever meet."
972
973Satsuki's voice broke once more, and she buried her face into Mei's filthy kimono. She didn't want to let go. She had to keep Mei close.
974
975"...She's been waiting so long, Mei. It's- it's okay. She won't be mad. Go with her. It's... it's not right for you to be apart."
976(Satsuki Shimasu) 
977________________________________________
978
979[03:00] The fight would quickly start, and maybe as expected or not, it would be Satsuki to lunge forth and lead the charge, at the front and perhaps even taking the initiative; it never really looked like Mei was going to be the one attacking in the end.
980
981Fighting with a source of water nearby was something, but upstairs in the close quarters as they were, that was another territory for the Lieutenant.
982
983Mostly trying to evade the wild and ferocious - inhuman indeed - attacks from Mei, Hidatsu was assuming a much more supportive role in that combat. Their own casting being made out of murmurs, the smart and quicker version of their own form of casting, and ver well less effective. A dash was made from the mobile one, sliding on the floor and avoiding what they could of the corrupted and rotten water coming from the kitsune, enough to see it destroying some of the dividers from that room upstairs, slicing or crushing them in half, but Hidatsu just barely being able to make themselves out of it while Satsuki commanded and controlled most of the battle.
984
985It was their opening however. The uniform wearing one stood closer to the wall, noticing the back of Mei as she had her attention over to Kim at that moment. The only chance they would have to properly cast a spell and provide a better helping over to Satsuki and the confrontation with her grandmother.
986
987"Depths rising, heights falling, send them your warning and heed my-"
988
989But they never got the chance to finish that praying. Be it from a movement of Mei's or just sheer coincidence, some of her own rotting and occult water just hit Hidatsu right on their face, and perhaps worse, on their mouth and down their throat.
990
991At first the uniform wearing doctor coughed, stopping that chanting cast immediately as their voice left their body into that increasingly pained cough. A hand went down to their throat, their chest and eventually their stomach, leading the dark haired fourfold into bending forward and eventually to get on their knees.
992
993A hand finally moved over to their own mouth to try and cover for that second or third cough, but as soon as they did, there was a very strange colored blood covering their palm.
994
995Staring at that hand, they felt the vision going blurry and fazed, maybe not only for what just happened, but their own debilitations from the excessive use of their own mana against the swamp guardian. But that which seemed to be almost of a poisoning and rotten taste and effect just twirled and stung on their stomach, leading the long haired officer into another almost mute chough as they bent forward even more.
996
997Curling on the floor, they kept a hand on their stomach as they could feel that clog of occult simply moving and hurting them, it was a new sensation and a feeling, but one they weren't intending on growing used to.
998
999Still, the weakened doctor eventually closed their eyes in an attempt to endure that pain, being on the edge of passing out and just retaining enough of their conscience to be reminded of that occult twist on their insides.
1000(Hidatsu Tougou) 
1001________________________________________
1002
1003[03:01] The fight was a mess. Nothing unexpected. But as it came to a close, as the Sunyata technique purified what rotted her, and ripped aside all that kept her going, her body collapsed towards the other kitsune. Into an awaiting embrace. And it was returned.
1004
1005Her screams, her cries, her howling sobs all simmered down into nothing but quiet whimpering, mewling, like a child. Nothing but a child. The old woman clung to Satsuki in her last moments, whispering something. It was quiet, barely even above a hum, so hushed that it could be mistaken for breathing. It was a quiet thank you, not stuttered, not a single syllable. 
1006
1007Then there was nothing more.
1008
1009Thin fingers loosen their grip upon fabrics previously clenched as a gasp leaves her lips, and Mei's body sags, until she drops completely, her whole form going limp. Not a single ounce of life left, nothing but an ending to a chapter that should've ended long ago.
1010
1011The occultist met her final moments seeingnothing but light, a cure that came to her years too late, but finally came. The anger was gone, because, if nothing else, the screaming and clawing had finally been put to an end.
1012
1013And she would finally be with her Nuo, her Yun, and all those she loves once more.
1014(Mei Shimasu) 
1015________________________________________
1016
1017[03:07] {NARRATION} And so Mei Shimasu's story truly ended. The maddened occultist lie limp within the arms of her grand daughter, a Chancellor and Hero in her own right who had more than done her ancestors proud. Though Mei's kimono was horribly filthy, it was still there upon her body, a part of her that could be potentially salvaged.
1018
1019While Hidatsu and Kim recovered from the fight, the trio would spy other such relics of the past littered around the room. It seemed in her insane state, Mei Shimasu had gathered a collection of sorts, something that looked almost like a messy shrine dedicated to the Lost Heaven and the ghosts that had once brought it to life.
1020
1021A white kimono.
1022
1023A black and white cloak.
1024
1025Mythril and elemental crystals scattered throughout in some insane pattern.
1026
1027But most importantly, one a desk that only had three legs left and was made entirely of soggy wood, there lie a black book that was wide open to some of the last remaining pages. A diary?
1028
1029Near it, still dripping with inky black liquid that was likely used to write inside the book, was a quill; a feather as black as night and equally as dark and foreboding with occultic magic swelling within.
1030
1031The past had been put to rest. But a future had been born anew.