Bottled Ichor

[21:04] {NARRATION} Reito’s final ritual is at hand - but where she has chosen to do it was the problem upon the peek of the highest mountain tongyishan lays a shrine dedicated to the Illuminated order. However, something is horribly wrong while reaching the peek they would see that the sun was cast out by black and thick clouds- the inebriating smell of corruption gave the feeling that something laid dormant within the darkness.

To bring back the light to the mountain the adventurers will have to fight against both netheridan and morals.

Upon ascending the vast mountain - the group of travelers would hear the whispers of the many souls left within this place, all asking for help.


"What's wrong with this place.. Why can't I leave."

"Please save me.. I don't want to be here.."

"I..I must go please save me..."


"Why are you here- You are going to make them angry..."


There was a sound much like a drum being struck three times before the souls stopped and became silent, only the sound of the wind could be heard along with brutal and bitter cold it carried. A voice now soft and motherly called out to the group.

"You have finally come for your trials.. A pure soul are you not? Continue travelers up to my shrine.. Defeat the evil within." At the very last words, the voice would seem to become demonic and inhumanly deep.

There was something wrong...
[21:10] As the group departed from Huangzhou's land, the Kitsune himself does not bring much for the cold, failing to anticipate it. It is not the wisest decision he could have made.

With his hands gripping the edges of his cloak and drawing it inwards to provide a barrier to the cold, the Kitsune is not the happiest on this pilgrimage. He forgot that the only place capable of doing this was in the wintery tundras of Agartha.

As they make their way up the mountain - and hear the whispers, and the motherly voice, the Kitsune closes his eyes and shakes his head.

Defeat the evil within.

Something clearly was in the wrong, but the Minister stays silent. For now.. he follows.
(Emiri)
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[21:11] A familiar sensation loomed over the young man as the group approached the mountains for Reito's final step towards becoming a much, much greater person. It wasn't something the Wayfinder had felt in a long, long time. His lips parted for a brief moment before they went back shut.

The voices that kept passing in his mind were almost as foreboding as the dark clouds above their head. Ethan almost expected purple lightning to rain from the heavens like it had nearly ten years prior. This wasn't anything he could take lightly.

Instructions had been given to them, though the young man left the concerned individual call the shots. This wasn't his, Emiri's or Satsuki's ascension, after all.

"What should we do, Reito?"
(Ethan Hawke)
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[21:13] They made their way up the mountain; so far, they had been lucky. No Vampires, no one from Dawn... It had been a peaceful journey. Only once they began to ascend the mountain proper, did the troubles begin. The light being gone worried her; shouldn't there be more light, the higher they went? She had never truly ventured this far, and so she... Was left confused.

Regardless, it wasn't like they could turn back now - right? But then the whispers. The whispers began, and the whispers brought little shivers to her spine; her instincts telling her to run. Every feral feeling in the book telling her this place was no good, that it was dangerous. The drum startled her and Reito very nearly leapt out of her skin, but that drum seemingly caused the souls to stop speaking.

Everything was silent. Golden eyes scanned the snowy horizon now, ears straining for any other noises or whispers but only the faint whistling and howling of the wind could be heard. She frowned. She brought her cloak closer around her, until that motherly and tender voice could be heard and it gave the Priestess time to pause.

Defeat the evil within.

As it gave way to that demonic and inhuman voice, Reito huffed out against the cold, her breath misting into a vapor in front of her as she trudges on. This wouldn't deter her; it couldn't deter her. She absolutely refused. She was cold, yes, but she marched on, while keeping a close and vigilant eye out around them, as well as straining to hear of anything coming up on them. They weren't going to be surprised here; no way.

"We keep going," She said simply to the blue haired Hawke. She spoke it as if it was as true as her telling him that the grass was green, snow was wet and water was thirst-quenching.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[21:13] As the group proceeded to Tongyishan, the soon-to-be-ex-Chancellor... did not make for particularly good company. Lost in nostalgia from her own trip to the summit and lamenting the long-gone Moriya and the relatively recent loss of two people she considered her children, she wasn't a particularly jaunty traveling companion.

But enthusiastic or not, she was alert, eyes glowing bright green; Wisdom had alerted her to the wrongness of the place before the trapped spirits even spoke, and her already sulky expression had only sunken lower in reaction to things that hadn't yet been said.

"...This was a holy land once," she said quietly. "I wished to take it back in my youth, but..." She heaved a high. "I... lost motivation."

Her blackened left hand gestured upward to the peak, and she called out: "Behold, Reito, the mountain that was once the holiest place on Agartha. Before Ardent Cliff fell, the... Illuminated planned to construct a village here, for their own use. It never came to pass, but..."

She looked to her adopted daughter, the glow in her eyes doing nothing to hide just how tired she was. "We can once again make sacred what is... now profane, and..." she trailed off, opting to leave whatever else she intended to say unsaid.

"I am... here to support, but this is... your trial, primarily, and Emiri's- and so... consider me at your command, Chancellor."
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[21:14] Reito Shimasu says, "... Mm. We keep going then. We do as the voice said."
[21:27] {NARRATION} As the group moved up the stairs the clouds continue to spiral at the center of the peek, Each passing hour the group got closer to their goal however the dark silence of the path gave off an uneasy feeling.


Black ichors began to move up the stairs with them passing them up now swarming below their feet in the hundreds and thousands. Soon they opened their beedy eyes and stared, for now, they were unhostile. As the group moved to pass them and came upon the last track of steps leading to the shrine.

They would come face to face with a shadow of a colossus its crimson gaze stuck onto their bodies- and the impulse of occultic magic would surge beneath its figure.


As they grew close the swarm did as well surrounding the Moutain guardian and tainting its figure- soon it would move towards them dragging its giant sword in hand. However it did not attack at first glance- it stood at its position.

This is where it was guarding and it made it clear that their next movements - if they were not to move back and return from where they came it would surely attack them.


The voice of the motherly figure would buzz in their head as again. "Do you run, pure of heart travelers- does the darkness make you fear?.. You are the guardians of light correct?.. but what will you do..."
[21:35] Satsuki, feet as bare as ever despite the harsh climate of the snowy mountains, was particularly mindful of the ichor gathering, swarming, and swirling beneath them. She was not particularly keen to step in it, and her footsteps became ever more careful with each passing moment.

But as the guardian stopped, Satsuki did too, hand slowly moving to Insatiable but not grasping it quite yet. True to her word, she was only playing support on this adventure; all of the decisions fell on her two students - her successor in particular.

She did, however, speak. Her tongue was never something that could be commanded. Wherever Satsuki went, she couldn't resist the urge to speak, even if it made things worse. Though she had realized the error of her ways and backed off the dangerous and prideful path she was on many years ago, some of that lingering hubris couldn't be shaken.

Could a Kitsune still be a Kitsune without her brazen overconfidence, after all?

"This is our mountain," she muttered. "The darkness has no place here - and there is certainly nothing to fear."
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[21:36] As they continued to scale the mountain by its steps, the Kitsune can feel himself growing closer to Jiuweihu's embrace despite the darkness. He can feel the silver lining of the dark clouds that the Nethradin warped their lands into.

As they meet the Colossus on their path, the Kitsune glances around at the creatures of black ichor - how they stared.. and finally, at the beast with its giant sword.

"..I know this is supposed to be a spiritual journey, and to enlighten us, but we seriously have to clean up the mountainsides." Emiri would declare, drawing his mageblade from his back. He didn't care very much at this point for any 'zen' feelings.

"It's my destiny to finish this walk, and I won't let Malentine's monsters get in my way." He spoke. The twinblade twirls between his fingers as holy-lightning sparks around his form.
(Emiri)
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[21:38] Familiar feelings became familiar sights, and familiar sights quickly became familiar creatures. The young man felt a chill run down his spine in a manner he hadn't felt in a long, long time. It was like he was back to being a child again; snow was surrounding him, dark clouds were overhead and Nethradins came in hordes. This... had been the very reason he had worked on his art so much. This was why he sought out a way to fight the denizens of Helheim back. Monsters like these ones were what motivated the young man to learn and master Wayfinding in the first place.

Green mana surrounded his frame, the first magical circle baring its fangs and tugging at the very broken souls these creatures possessed in an attempt to draw them back where they belong. A portal wasn't even needed for the Netherworld to pull on their being.

"I think it's best we send those back where they belong."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[21:38] She listened to Satsuki's words carefully - a village, made by the Illuminated, at the highest peak of Agartha... That would have been something magical to behold. A sight, indeed. They wouldn't have needed to make this journey. But in the end, it didn't matter. But regardless, the Priestess gazed upwards towards the peak - at the holiest place on Agartha. It made her breathless.

Regardless, they persisted.

The path and the silence was uneasy, and the black ichor-like slimes moving past them all en masse didn't help things. She had never seen anything like it before and it unnerved her, but still she continued to climb up the stairs one by one, trudging on. She was relentless in her quest. Who could blame her?

But that was when they were met, face to face nearly, with that colossus being. The guardian itself beheld them and despite the fact it did not openly attack them quite yet - Reito knew what came next. She'd be a fool not to. Even as Satsuki and Emiri spoke up, she nodded firmly.

"It's fate, then," She said simply, freeing Xomac's lane from where she typically kept it hidden, "We clean this mountain up, and we complete our ritual. She's right - this is our Mountain and you have no business being here," She said, with a strange amount of confidence. Perhaps it was due to the fact she wasn't alone for this. She had friends here. She had loved ones here.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[21:56] come her edonny...
(Emiri)
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[21:59] Ethan Hawke says, ".. That was something."
[22:05] {NARRATION} It was a clash of cosmic, holy, and occult energies the fires gave light to this dark mountain a shining beacon that the light will be returned to this desolated place.

They were successful in defeating the mountain guardian- it's form returned to stone as it crumbled onto the ground. The hundreds of black ichors started to bubble and turned to mere black liquid onto the ground.


The voice once again spoke to them. "Truly you are the purest of souls to defeat such a beast, Well done heroes please continue to climb up the mountain it will not take very much longer to reach my shrine." The voice didn't sound genuinely happy.


The group, if they choose to, would continue upward...


However, throughout their travels and throughout their fight, they could feel a cold set of eyes watching them. Satsuki in specific.......
[22:08] As they defeated the colossus, the Kitsune sheathed his mageblade at his back once more. Hopefully, that would be the end of it.

As it crumbled to stone, he let out a light sigh.

"This pilgrimage seems to be involving a lot more.. Issues." He said, pausing. "But let's continue." Emiri would state. Then, they would hopefully begin to ascend once more. As the voice speaks once more, though, the Kitsune certainly gets an ominous feeling.

"..I wonder who's voice that is. Most ethereal voices aren't good, you know."
(Emiri)
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[22:09] As the creatures found themselves being defeated by the group Ethan took the time to properly take care of them. Black ichor that lingered could cause issues again in the future and their true home was far from this plane of existance. Numerous green magical circles would appear below the remains of the small beasts. Portals opened towards the spirit world— the lifestream guiding the lost souls back into Helheim.

The Wayfinder moved on to catch up with the rest of the group - trailing a bit behind until a dreaded feeling came through once again.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:13] She sighed, as the guardian was reduced to mere rubble. Her lance was held firmly in her hand, and she panted softly. Glowing golden eyes, peered around the mountain as that voice sounded again. But it did not sound like a voice they wanted as a friend.

If there was a shrine dedicated to the Illuminated atop the mountain peak, but Satsuki claimed it had been lost then.... What was speaking to them? It certainly was no friendly spirit. She'd nod towards Emiri's words,

"You're right, you know," She agreed, "Plus it doesn't sound very happy for us being here, even though it's words say otherwise. But it doesn't matter. No matter what stands in our way - we're getting to the top!" She said, determination obvious in her voice. But even as they continued up the mountain, through the trails, Reito couldn't shake one key thing: They were clearly, absolutely, being watched. She didn't like it.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[22:13] While age had slowed the Old Chancellor down a bit, one thing was clear: she was all too aware of this, and actively used Insatiable to mitigate it. Just like she had managed to develop a symbiotic relationship with the parasitic tattoo on her left arm, the vampiric sword now in her grip was working for her just as much as she worked for it. The wretched inner workings of the sword compelled her to defeat her foes at all costs, and no matter how tired and weak her body became, the sword itself would not allow her to falter. It called for her to exsanguinate the enemies before her. It called for her to fight until she or her target were dead or otherwise gone.

It was an excellent symbiotic relationship, or so she believed. Someone should have sat her down many years ago to explain how dumb an idea it was to keep using Insatiable. Granted, she wouldn't have listened. As one who danced so close to Pride, she could never be convinced that any course of action she took was wrong in those days. She justified it, at first, by only using it against truly irredeemable foes. That qualifier disappeared, mutating into simply 'whenever she needed it.'

And so the sword's own bloodlust had transferred to her, and all throughout the fight the feral Kitsune danced through the fields, striking down the swarm with no hesitation. Claws and blade sliced through ichor and stone like paper, wild eyes darting about to find their next target.

...Until, of course, there was nothing left - the guardian crumbled, the darkness dissipated, and there was nothing left for Insatiable to strike. The sword, its lust for battle satisfied, permitted Satsuki to sheath it - until the next time.

"...Issues are nothing," she told Emiri calmly. "Mori and I..." She paused, breathing somewhat heavily, "...Mori and I fought vampires. It is... part of Jiuweihu's test, doubtlessly, and... a valuable learning experience."

As she went quiet and proceeded on her way once more, though, she couldn't quite shake the feeling of something being there. The glow in her eyes brightened and her pupils began darting about, a huntress at heart trying to scope out her prey.

Hubris and a bit too in-touch with her feral side. Regardless of her redemption, she still probably couldn't rightfully be called pure of heart.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[22:30] {NARRATION} They continued...


Talks of the tainted mountain were given between the group members as they reached the last bit of stairs. The shrine was finally visible a statue of a woman would arms out wide and nine tails just as the stories told. However, it was horribly disfigured black tendrils pulsing around it and physically harming it.

The same disgusting black ichor that once rained from this very mountain top has defiled the shrine and turned this place into a nest of hate. One could only think of the horrors which nest in this place.


While the group began to approach the shrine, the black tendrils reached out towards them then wrapped around each other creating a wall. Satsuki would feel a brief wind leave her form and the feeling of dread would let the hairs of her skin stand up.

A thousand voices called out to them as a shadow figure moved from satsuki....


Putting it's self between the wall and the group. "The darkness has no place here - and there is certainly nothing to fear."
"It's my destiny to finish this walk, and I won't let Malentine's monsters get in my way."

Words repeated throughout the group as a shadow figure came from each of them.

The mortherly voice called out to the group once again. "Oh but you do dislike them... The occultist that is- but not just dislike you hate them.. You know it to be true, you find they're making to be disgusting and unpure.. Even when innocent do you not? " The figures move into each other... And the making of hate and rage formed.

An effigy of malice.... formed from the souls of those cast out by the illuminated order...


"These are indeed your own demons.. What you have made... And just like you hate them... They hate you..."

The form copied that of satsuki... Something she wished she would never turn into..

"What if I can't be purified .. " One soul said..

"I don't want to change... I was born like this and I want to keep it why must I change to be considered someone here?"

"I was born with occult... Does that make me a bad guy?" Soon all the souls began to question- the ones who were cast away because of they're occult.....

The figure burst in fire as rage waved their movements striking out against the group...

FIGHT...

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Um6okMHcE]

[22:31] {NARRATION} They continued...


Talks of the tainted mountain were given between the group members as they reached the last bit of stairs. The shrine was finally visible a statue of a woman would arms out wide and nine tails just as the stories told. However, it was horribly disfigured black tendrils pulsing around it and physically harming it.

The same disgusting black ichor that once rained from this very mountain top has defiled the shrine and turned this place into a nest of hate. One could only think of the horrors which nest in this place.


While the group began to approach the shrine, the black tendrils reached out towards them then wrapped around each other creating a wall. Satsuki would feel a brief wind leave her form and the feeling of dread would let the hairs of her skin stand up.

A thousand voices called out to them as a shadow figure moved from satsuki....


Putting it's self between the wall and the group. "The darkness has no place here - and there is certainly nothing to fear."
"It's my destiny to finish this walk, and I won't let Malentine's monsters get in my way."

Words repeated throughout the group as a shadow figure came from each of them.

The mortherly voice called out to the group once again. "Oh but you do dislike them... The occultist that is- but not just dislike you hate them.. You know it to be true, you find they're making to be disgusting and unpure.. Even when innocent do you not? " The figures move into each other... And the making of hate and rage formed.

An effigy of malice.... formed from the souls of those cast out by the illuminated order...


"These are indeed your own demons.. What you have made... And just like you hate them... They hate you..."

The form copied that of satsuki... Something she wished she would never turn into..

"What if I can't be purified .. " One soul said..

"I don't want to change... I was born like this and I want to keep it why must I change to be considered someone here?"

"I was born with occult... Does that make me a bad guy?" Soon all the souls began to question- the ones who were cast away because of they're occult.....

The figure burst in fire as rage waved their movements striking out against the group...

FIGHT...

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Um6okMHcE]

[22:37] Whispers, voices and bemoaning from beings that did not truly exist could be heard as Ethan moved up closer to the ground. The cold of the mountain seemed to warp around his body a bit more tightly as Satsuki's fears manifested into a tangible creation. What the woman had sought out and was known for in her more cruel days.

"Don't listen." He muttered. After having had the woman stop herself from going crazy on him he knew she could be controlled. That she could hold herself back and reason with what her past self wouldn't listen to— or at least what he had been told about.

Satsuki had helped Ethan when he was on the verge of losing it all. She had been the one to put reality right before him and not let him escape in any sort of way. A ghost of the past, perhaps, but not one they couldn't take down.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:42] As they continued, the Kitsune stops in his path as he watches the things in the edge of his view shift- contort, and change. As the wall is formed, he draws in a long breath. What could this be?

As the voice speaks once more, he is skeptical.. He's not sure what to think right now.

"..No, I don't hate them." He said, as if the words were even directed at him. "I won't judge people for their choices, I won't hate people for what they are." He said. His eyes were closed. He's in his own personal world right now.

"I care about their actions. How they treat others. Even if they are a demon.. I won't hate them. Not unless they do bad on purpose." He said, speaking to himself in a low tone. "I don't care of the life one was born into. It matters what they do with their fate! Their destiny is in their hands!" He shouts.

He reaches for his twinblade on instinct this time as the creature formed from 'Satsuki' began to attack. The golden magic around his form once again sparked to life.
(Emiri)
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[22:43] It was in sight, finally, but it wasn't as she had pictured it. It was different, less holy and more... Foreboding. As the black tendrils formed that wall, blocking them from their ultimate goal, Reito waited with baited breath, to see precisely what would come from it. Thousands of voices called out, as a shadow exited from Satsuki's very body, repeating her words, repeating Emiri's words. Repeating all of their words.

She's quiet, hearing that voice - and she knew immediately who it was to. Satsuki. The Kitsune turned towards her adopted Mother, golden eyes narrowing briefly. She didn't need to say anything - did she? Ethan had already said it. Don't listen. Reito faced forward, her jaw tightening as she shook her head,

"You're wrong," She boldly declared, brimming with confidence. "Hate the magic - … Not the person." Her thoughts strayed to Quincy, and then to Ethan. Even Mikiko. All of them had utilized Occultic magic, and Quincy had mastered his, whilst Ethan was well on his way to mastering his own. "They're wrong. Don't... Listen." She repeated, eyes shutting only for a brief moment.

The voices themselves were nearly overwhelming, but her determination, her drive to see this task accomplished. To make sure they all arrived safely at the peak and made it back home safely... That was her goal. Her single driving force and she wouldn't let ghosts and spirits and fears from the past stop them. Her lance was wielded yet again, flames and pure cosmic magic being channeled through it effortlessly.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[22:45] Satsuki's reaction, once again, came a full second before she had anything to react to. It seemed that Wisdom was on high alert, and the brighter her eyes glowed the more exhausted she became with each passing moment. There was a running theme here; Satsuki simply couldn't help but run herself ragged using the powers at her disposal, and all three remarkable things - Sunyata, Wisdom, and Insatiable - drained and harmed the old Kitsune in her own way.

And once the apparition formed, her eager hand went to that damnable sword once again. Its words rang hollow, seemingly not even reaching the Chancellor. Her expression suggested that she had been there and done that - and wasn't keen to experience it again. She only smiled at the aberration for a moment, shaking her head before she spoke. "How many times must I confront my demons? Mei Xiang lost her arm to my hubris. Countless were slain and wounded because I refrained from defending Huangzhou because I held a grudge against one specific person. Moriya died in a war while I calmly debated philosophy with Malentine on the mountaintop - when I... should have been at his side, as he had always been by mine. My own grandmother died in my arms because of my actions - what more is there to show? What else is there to fear?"

Her arms spread wide, shrugging as that cursed hubris once more went into overdrive. Emiri and Reito could handle the moral, theological, and philosophical points; Satsuki in particular was growing exceedingly irritated by the form this effigy took. It was a cruel mockery - and if it planned on compelling the group to listen, it was sorely mistaken.

Satsuki continued.

"Thirty years ago, on this very mountain..." the Kitsune said, "When Jiuweihu gifted me with Wisdom and I saw her for those few brief moments, I... asked her one thing."

She paused.

"I asked her when I would die. I... wished to know how much time I had for my work. I wished to know how many years I would have to devote to my projects, to my magic, to my science. She... did not tell me, but... Wisdom has granted me visions," she explained, "And I know that I do not die here. It is... not you," she told the creature.

"But you are welcome to try. Come, then," she called out, unsheathing Insatiable for a second time on this quest, "I invite you to approach. Understandexactly who you are mocking with that form of yours - understand why it was not an exaggeration when I once claimed that I was all the power that Huangzhou ever possessed."

She'd fight indeed.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[22:52] Emiri whispers: (its hp dropped to 5% and i thought it was mine and i cried
[22:53] Satsuki Shimasu whispers something.
[23:01]
{LOAD GAME}

[23:05] Emiri says, "ready"
[23:05] Emiri says, ".ready"
[23:05] Satsuki Shimasu says, "I am glad to know that you are ready."
[23:05] Reito Shimasu says, "qwazdsgfgvb"
[23:07] "Shunshin!" He shouted, teleporting behind the Kitsune and using his special ninjutsu to quickly stun the monster with a vine whip. Then, he let everyone else do the work.
(Emiri)
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[23:07] Ethan Hawke exclaims, "..!"
[23:16] Ethan Hawke whispers: Crazy... Whew.
[23:17] It may have taken her form, but it possessed none of Satsuki's strength. Its flames burned weaker than her own. It couldn't shrug off damage like she could, either - and even more importantly, it was four-on-one. Not even the genuine article could handle that, anyway.

It was, in the end, merely an imitation, not just of Satsuki but the group as a whole. Ethan's occult fire met the creature's own, and surpassed it handily. Reito's own connection to the stars above made the effigy's look like child's play. Emiri... well, nothing here, especially not this monster, could be as "genki" as he, whatever that meant.

And Satsuki herself, of course, could never be imitated. It was a personal affront to her, and she had to be the one to finish it. Once Emiri moved into place and stunned the creature, Satsuki shoved Insatiable into the ground and dove forward, claws at the ready.

Seizing the opportunity, she raked her claws across the effigy's face. "I told you. It... would not be you. It would not be here. And... if there is indeed a next time-"

She looked up.

"Please recite something other than tired platitudes about the occult. It is a tired debate."

A quick glance was given to Reito then as she added: "...By the way- if you are learning Sunyata, you will have this conversation monthly. Please prepare good responses, do not... flounder, do not falter. You are right-"

She placed her left hand on the amalgamation's face and incinerated it with a point-black explosion of flame; it wasn't worth Insatiable, and she couldn't afford to use the tattoo on dangerous and frivolous things anymore. Decimation, then.

"-So do not let them treat you like a fool. Is that... understood, Reito?"
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[23:22] A certain calm came before what seemed to be a brewing storm after the copy's defeat. Satsuki's words were being taken in and heard by the young Wayfinder. There was quite a lot of history in that woman's past, wasn't there? For now Ethan allowed Satsuki to confront those would-be demons, this inner darkness that seemingly would haunt both Reito and Emiri forever.

... In retrospec spatial magic was far easier to dedicate to.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:22] Continuing to battle against the dark forces before them, the Kitsune once again beats back the beast with his fire and lightning.

It was getting repetitive, and.. boring. But it had to be done. His lightning scorches against the beast until it can't move and Satsuki.. destroys it! amazing.

let's move on.
(Emiri)
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[23:22] Ethan Hawke asks, ".. Every month? Really?"
[23:23] The Kitsune worked in tandem with the others in order to work against the Effigy of Malice. It was Satsuki that landed the final blow; which, made absolute sense to her. As Satsuki turned to look at her, she naturally listened, ears perking up.

She'd have this conversation monthly? She didn't look forward to it - but she already knew she wouldn't waver. She hadn't wavered in the face of Tsu Iclyn's questions. She had never wavered, truly. Her devotion was solid as rock. She offered a small smile as she nodded,

"Of course not," She answered simply and honestly. "I understand completely. I would never... Let them make me doubt my own beliefs. Never."
(Reito Shimasu)
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[23:33] {NARRATION} [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqXPW0oBKgg]


"So you have made it then..." the motherly voice says.

The group would start to approach the wall now falling apart and crumbling the ground now shaking beneath them as the black ichors and tendrils move all going into the center - combing within each other.


"I have to say I am impressed that you got passed them.. But did you ever ask to what you were fighting.. Before you slaughtered them." The motherly voice becomes something more otherworldly.. Soon a booming voice of a trio. Yet only one figure was starting to grow from the black mess of ichors.


"I needed to convince them that they were forgotten, that they were not forgiven and that is why they must act out revenge.." It chuckles as it's form was being made.

"The lost souls of your fallen brethren now forever mine tormented by your own holy flame and lighting.. even cosmic abilities.. I have you to thank for this. Thank you for making them weak and casting them to me." It begins to laugh maniacally


the swirls of black occultic cohessives turn and whip into a tail of a great beast- they bubble making its body, scales become visible and vibrate as the great dark snake was made.

A TRUE DEVIL!


"You are nothing but pawns for a god who has forgotten this land yet you fight for her favor... No matter you will perish and you will become my new guards for this mountain.... You have fought off what you thought what was dark.. but now you will witness what power and terror I bring to the world."


Its red eyes flare into a blur and the mountain shakes as it's roar could be heard even at the bottom of the mountain.

"NOW YOU WILL FACE ME!"
[23:36] Ethan's right hand reached out, bringing forth the staff he had prepared just for terrifying giant monsters like this one. They hadn't fallen at all yet, this would be no different. The young Wayfinder's mana seeped out of his body, his own flames burning in a bright, yet controlled manner.

Now, they would face it. The final step before the shrine was reached.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:36] Kel Fu’Yath says, "Hiss."
[23:39] As his grip on the twinblade remains tight, and the motherly voice transforms into a snake-like creature, the Kitsune stands strong.

He had come this far. He had already come this far, and he wasn't going to let whatever this creature was deceive them, defeat them.. or stop them.

"If you've captured our bretheren, then I will free them." He speaks. His grip on the blade tightens as it erupts into a blade of holyfire, purging the landscape he walks.

"This is my destiny, and my destiny is to stop you. My destiny is to purify this shrine; My destiny is to dethrone the wicked of Agartha and free them." He spoke.

The vines beneath the rock into he mountain burst outwards, the nature contorting and twisting to his will as they all converge towards the beast.

"I won't invalidate my fate here! I won't ever invalidate my destiny!"
(Emiri)
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[23:39] As the ichor bubbled together, and that voice spoke, Reito looked upwards curiously. But it was the skyline she was gazing at, not anything around them; the sun wasn't shining because this was a cursed place... And her goal was to change that. To welcome Jiuweihu's light once more. She keep her breathing steady, eventually shifting her glowing golden gaze back down to that dark snake that had formed. Her own fire, and her mastery over cosmic magic was called forth again. Shining light engulfed the group, before Reito... Snarled. Much like the other things that had stood in their way, this one too would perish,

"You're wrong!" She shouted out now, "Jiuweihu overlooks us even now, through the clouds, and through the darkness. Even if it's pitch black outside she always watches over us, because we're a part of Her. We have a part of Her intelligence in us - so She's never truly gone!" She declared. She was ready - more than ready, to take the snake down.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[23:40] Emiri says, "Jiuweihu -shines- on us as we stand here. You are the disgraced."
[23:40] Satsuki pulled Insatiable out of the ground at the sight of the serpent, wielding it for a third and final time on this expedition. She responded not with some grand speech, not with her typical hubris and boasting. She only snapped her fingers, a swathe of flame flung outward with the intent to explode near the beast's red eyes.

"...Is that all?" she asked. "If what you say is true - then it falls on us to free them, just as it did when we first set foot on this mountain." Petals of white light danced about Satsuki's form as her aura flared, an oddly tranquil smile appearing on her face. "Do not... get ahead of yourself. You cannot bring power and terror to the world if you cannot bring it even to us - as I have said before..."

She glanced to the rest of the group. "There is nothing to fear."

"Begin."
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[00:10] As they battle against the twisted creature, the Kitsune grew tired of this. It proved to be more powerful..

But even so, he had fought against Vampires.

Necromancers.

The undead.

Three of these things on the way up here.

If a snake was going to be his end, the Kitsune refused it. He defied his destiny once, and he would do it again. Emiri Taiyang refused to remain idle as he blasted lightning and fire alike, a golden tone into the skies and towards the creature as the Illuminated battled. A thundercloud of gold brewed above, his typical fighting style.

Finally, he put his hands together, weaving hundreds of seals at once.

"The way that my magic shines- the ears on my head, the blade at my back, and the fact that I haven't fallen is proof of my ascension. It is proof that Jiuweihu still watches me with her eyes, and that she is proud.

Shunshin!" He shouts. The Kitsune disappears from view in a golden flash, appearing moments later above the snake in the sky.

"I'm tired of the wretched ruining my day. The darkness will be cast away from my shrine. The wicked will know no end as long as I walk.

I banish you here, where I stand! I invoke..

Radiant Law!"

The Kitsune closed his eyes, finishing his final handseal as a surge of golden light burst from the clouds above - aiming to erase every trace of the snake they faced before them.
(Emiri)
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[00:10] A burst of hellish flames spread out far and wide, raising all the way up to the darkened heavens in the process and burning the snake with a taste of its own magic. An incredible wave of fire was the only retort a beast such as this one could give to the display of strength Ethan had given out. While the young Wayfinder was unable to match the intensity or size of the assault he kept a trick hidden up his sleeve.

His left hand reached out, mana slipping between his fingertips as if its was always meant to be. A green burst of mana escaped him as spatial magic was invoked without the use of a circle at all. A one-way trip through the spirit world was what was waiting for the dark flames that rushed out of the beast's maw.

It wasn't nearly over, however. Ethan's body may have been wounded but it wouldn't stop him from doing what he had to do. That same surge of green mana coated his entire body before he warped right behind the snake, giving it nearly no time to react to a wave of shadowflame coming from the young man. He spoke up whilst keeping the flames as hot as they could be.

"Come on, Emiri!" Ethan shouted, catching sight of the Kitsune taking up an advantageous position!

Lightning and flames were united to rid the world of this evil.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[00:21] {NARRATION} The being was struck down- The fight was harsh and none came out unscathed the giant snake's flames had made an effort to show the group its rage.

However- it seems that one of the group's prayers were not exactly to off put. She was overlooking their 9 tailed goddesses was watching trials upon trails for the group to become victorious.

As it was struck down the snake started to return to its normal ichor fourm trying its best to escape.

"You won't kill me..nothing wi-" The sky started to open up. BRIGHT RAYS OF SUNLIGHT PEAKED THROUGH THE CLOUDS. burning away the defeated taint. "No..NOOOO!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!" ....



As the taint was burned away by the rays, the clouds parted and disappeared.. What was the core of the being now became a shining light beneath the feet of the statue. A crystal with pure sunlight within it a gift for their trials...


Birds began to chirp again and the snow started to melt away..

It would seem that their task was done.. and the light has prevailed this day..
[00:33] {Item} You picked up Bottled Corrupted Ichor..