Episode 01: Buried Secrets! Enter Guy Stratus! [JOB - Atsu and Mashyuu]

Job Details:

"So wait. You're supposed to have a partner on this one?" came the voice of Hyouryu accompanied by the typical itching at the back of Atsu's head. His hand, as if by some conditioned response, scratched at the spot he felt his friend griping from. The canopy-like bushel of hair atop his vessel's head began to shake wildly as he attempted to relieve himself the discomfort. He knew it wouldn't help. The next time he was contacted the itching would be back again. Despite that, he still responded like a hound trained to press a button for its treats.

"Apparently. I mean, that's what the job broker told me. I think I'm meeting them at the destination." the lesser god responded dryly. He was not in much of a mood to put up with Hyouryu's complaints that day. It was enough that he had to travel all the way to the massive canyon he currently plodded through, wooden sandals clacking against the stone and scuffling dirt aside as he stepped along. Normally, he wouldn't take a job that required him to travel so far, but the contract he embarked on caught his eye. Namely, the reward was what interested him. When he picked up the contract back in Hargeon, his mind was so occupied picturing all the food he could sample with that money that he almost didn't even bother reading what the request entailed. It was an intriguing enough proposal once he actually took the time to read it over. An ancient tomb could help provide him insight on the events that happened in his time away from the mortal world. Perhaps even reveal information on what happened to Ning. After all, no one seemed to know his home nation ever existed. If he was going to discover its fate, he would have to look further into the past.

"I'll never know why you care so much about funding your obsession with food. We don't even need it up here! It's a waste of time, if you ask me." Hyouryu scoffed, his words echoing throughout Atsu's head. The lesser god knew exactly where Hyouryu was when he said it, too. He knew right away that his old friend was busy training in Limbo City. Doing everything he could to gain power like Atsu did and become a fellow Geist.

"There are finer things in life than gaining power, Hyou." he responded, voice low and bereft of his typical nonchalance. "I wish I realized that before."

"Says the literal god..." Hyou responded derisively. Atsu spat into the dusty ground. If only Hyouryu knew what sacrifice he had to make for his power. A look of worry spread over his visage, mouth corners turning downward underneath his large mirrored sunglasses.

An oddly cold breeze blew through the canyon as he spied a distinct difference in the face of the cliff. As if a curtain of dust being lifted on a grand desert stage, the obscuring haze keeping everything on the far end of the canyon was dispersed. It revealed what quickly became clear was the entrance to a temple etched into the very rock of the canyon. As the disgruntled god scuffled toward his destination, he could make out the facade of a man. He wasn't sure if this was his client or his partner waiting for him, but either way he had to make a good impression. No more falling apart upon first contact with mortals. Atsu's expression borne from concern for his friend transformed into one of lazy optimism. His typical default mode.

Atsu adjusted his sunglasses and continued his trek -- which was nearly finished -- towards the temple.

Job Details:

"Do you have any memories of this place?" Itsu asked. Her big eyes gleaming at Mashyuu while he shoved a job poster in his brown pocket and slipped his ring into his palm. "No Itsu, I don't think I've ever been here. I've apparently been all over the world in the past but not here." Mashyuu explained for the tenth time on the trip. It was times like this that the slayer wished he could fly, if only to speed up the process of getting around so he wouldn't have to explain this again.

The pair were once again on a job, this time meeting up with someone who didn't belong to a guild, for Mashyuu, since coming back from the dead, this would be a first. The man was looking forward to working with someone who didn't belong in a guild to see what other ways of life were like.

"So what's the job we are on?" Itsu questioned the tall brown haired Earth Wizard. Mashyuu pulled his brown gi over his shoulders and tightened his red belt to make sure it wouldn't get blown off in the sand storm that seemed to be picking up. "We are helping a guy named... Guy. He is looking for an artifact. From what I understand he isn't a Wizard and needs our help in getting him through a temple safely. We are too meet up with another Wizard and work as a team. So try not to jump to far ahead if you can help it." Mashyuu instructed his bull headed friend. Itsu stuck her tongue out at him but smiled happily and wrapped her arm around Mashyuu's.

Together the two came to the massive temple, where they were to meet the others but seemed to get there first. Mashyuu examined the area, nothing really of note on the outside but he was sure the inside would be amazing, as most tombs were. He sighed and was about to go in when he felt someone drawing closer. His nose flared up when the scent of a god filled his nostrils. His God Slayer drive kicked in but he fought the urge to murder. Mashyuu turned around and pushed Itsu behind him, worried about an attack but instead saw a young man wearing sunglasses in the distance. "Are you here for the job? I'm Mashyuu, and this is Itsu we are both of Sabertooth." Mashyuu called out to the man in the distance.

Itsu peeked out behind Mashyuu's shoulder and waved at the man before them. "Mashyuu, he's cute like you. We should try to get him in Sabertooth." She whispered in her friends ear. Mashyuu looked at her and raised a brow. "If I brought my hammer on this job I would drop it on your foot for saying that." Mashyuu joked and cracked a smile. The two walked up to Atsu, Mashyuu extending his hand to shake. "I'm Mashyuu, an Earth God Slayer and Light Dragon Slayer. I won't get into the details but I focus on defensive and destructive magic with a few other abilities sprinkled in here and there." "Hi cutie, I'm Itsu and I'm singl- Hey!" Mashyuu nudged her before she could finish hitting on Atsu. "I'm Mashyuu's friend and I'm here to help you guys out however I can. I'm not as advanced of a Wizard but I do have some neat tricks." The two Sabertooth Wizards smiled at Atsu and shrugged. "So where is this person we are supposed to meet?"

WC: 600

As Atsu neared the entrance to the temple, the figure in the distance grew more easily distinguishable. One glance and the lesser god could immediately tell he was supposed to be the wizard who also took the job. His partner on this mission. His solid build and dusty, frayed clothing suggested one used to the road and the rigors of combat. In a way, he reminded him of Hyouryu. A man who lives for the prospect of pushing himself further. Of course, these were assumptions made without yet meeting the man he clacked his way towards. A slight twinge of shame cascaded across Atsu's mind. For a brief moment, he reprimanded himself for judging this man before him so quickly. Before he was able to actually approach the man, however, his partner to be had quickly turned around, a look of menace distorting his face.

The itching at the back of his mind came once again. This time incredibly sharply to the point where it rattled his entire head.

"Guard up! This guy's no friend!" shouted Hyouryu, ready to be summoned into battle. Atsu shook his head, relieving himself of the headache caused by his lifelong friend.

"Chill, Hyou." Atsu spoke under his breath to his slightly too jumpy companion. If this man wanted to attack then he would have leaped forward the instant he turned around. Just as he assumed, the man's expression relaxed and his body followed once he actually saw who stood before him. His voice carried over to Atsu as he made his greeting.

"Are you here for the job? I'm Mashyuu, and this is Itsu. We are both of Sabertooth." came his partner's greeting. Itsu? The lesser god didn't spy anyone else as he continued to make his way towards the man. Was he missing something? It wasn't until he finally reached him that a woman poked her head out from behind the rugged wizard. She began to address him before being reprimanded by her companion and the two argued for a moment before Mashyuu interjected his own conversation by explaining his powers. At least, that's what Atsu figured he was talking about. He'd never heard of a "god slayer" or "dragon slayer" before. He could assume what their roles were thanks to the very apt names, but he'd run into abilities and stations that carried names completely unrelated to their actual purpose in the past. It was certainly nostalgic to hear the word "dragon" again, though. They were prevalent and abundant in his time and had apparently gone all but extinct in the time he found himself in. Perhaps he was wrong about that? Or perhaps these dragon slayers were the reason they were nowhere to be found? Perhaps this meant that this world was without its gods as well? It was ironic that his power and influence in Purgatory was so vast and yet he knew nothing of the other worlds. He was rightfully a god and yet was in no way aware of the existence of the other gods that watched over the multitude of realms in the universe.

Atsu was so busy pondering what he had been told that he hadn't payed much attention to the conversation before him. If it weren't for his mirrored sunglasses, he would have been found out. Thankfully, his eyes were thoroughly obscured from view. However, he could gather that Itsu was Mashyuu's assistant. Fair enough.

"Well it's pretty groovy meeting you both. I'm Atsusemimaru. You can call me Atsu if you like." he then pulled a hand out of his picket, further rolling up the sleeve of his white collared shirt to show his almost impossibly slender arm, "Some call me Twiggy, though. Pretty sure you can see why."

Atsu finished with a chuckle and let his sleeve fall back down. He was about to respond to Mashyuu's question about the whereabouts of their client before a new figure emerged from the darkness of the temple behind him. He cautiously stepped out into the sun in shoes clearly not suited for field work. Not that Atsu could speak -- wearing a pair of wooden sandals himself. The studious looking man, tall and slightly gaunt in his presence, made his way to the three.

"I believe I can answer that!" came his soft voice. The man's tone was slightly timid and it was apparent that he had been waiting in the temple, gathering courage to step out and give his greeting. The smartly dressed man stumbled his way to the three, a coiled up bull whip bouncing at his hip, "Guy Stratus! Career archaeologist and lover ancient civilizations!"

A moment passed before he pulled out the agency to continue.

"Follow me into the temple! I can't wait to show you what I've found!"

Atsu looked at Mashyuu and Itsu and then back at the entrance to the ancient place of worship -- which Guy had already disappeared back into.

"Guess we should follow him." Atsu said, looking over at his new partners. He began plodding towards the temple after his client.

"At the very least, I dig the idea of getting out of this heat." he murmured to himself. The moment he breached the threshold into the temple courtyard. It seemed impossible such a large structure was built inside of a mountain, but there he was -- standing inside of huge rectangular room comprised entirely of stone. Gigantic stone columns carved into spirals supported the intricately decorated ceiling. Or at least it seemed to be intricately decorated at one time. Every flat surface -- save for the tiled floor, edges crumbling from age and wear -- showed signs of  paint and carved reliefs that had been worn away over the eons since the temple was last in use. Several corners and nooks of the room weren't visible to Atsu, obscured by darkness that the light from outside and the occasional lit brazier could not reach.

The lesser god peered towards a large stone door. He spied Guy excitedly perched in front of it, frantically working away at what he assumed was the process of opening it. Atsu awaited his new partners at the entrance as their client jumped from stone mechanism to stone mechanism.

Both Wizards from Sabertooth looked down at Atsu's arm and grinned. "Atsu it is. That other name doesn't suit you at all. Say are you single? You look like you could use a girlfriend." Itsu flirted but stopped talking when a soft voice carried over the group and a man in a fancy suit with a bull whip stepped out of the temple. Mashyuu spun around to face the man and Itsu simply smiled at the man and waved. "Pleasure to meet you Guy, I suppose we will be keeping you protected on this job? Seeing as how I don't know what Atsu's skill set is I'd like for you to stay in eye sight of me for now. I'm Mashyuu, this is Itsu and Atsu." Mashyuu stated in a calm tone but by the time he had finished talking the man was already walking and Atsu was trailing behind.

"Mash, I don't think they care." Itsu joked. Mashyuu cracked a smile and started to walk behind the two. When he entered the tomb he noticed how dark some of the corners were and grinned. "One moment." He flared up with a white light, a side effect of his light dragon slayer powers and lit up the room. "Wow, that's a long tunnel. What do you think is on the other side?" Itsu asked and walked over to the edge of the hall where Guy started to work.

Mashyuu joined Atsu and looked at the man with glasses. "Can you see okay with those glasses on? I can make it brighter in here. So what's your story? You kind of smell like a god." Mashyuu pointed to his nose and let his nostrils flare up. "No, I don't go around killing every god that shows up around here. I just keep others safe when a God tries to kill mortals." Mashyuu explained. He watched Guy start to jump from tile to tile and raised a brow. "You would think that guy would explain what he was doing before doing it so we could maybe help keep him safe." Mashyuu looked at the ground under the man and took careful aim, getting ready to cast a spell to help the man should something terrible happen.

Total: 982

Hollow clicks reverberated against the walls of the entrance hall as Guy continued to work on opening the door. Atsu peered from behind him, scanning the stone door and pondering what could be behind it that he wasn't able to handle on his own?

"Now, this is the entrance to the tomb of the great King Gen'atoh of the ancient Jald Kingdom!" he began, slightly out of breath, as he continued his work with impressive speed, "It was carved out of this canyon to protect their king's body from robbers and the Xidraxi Horde, the Jald Kingdom's greatest enemies."

The scholar's words came hurried and excited, but surprisingly understandable considering how quickly the spat them out.

"It was a perfect spot! There is only one entrance, the opening behind you, and one exit! So if you want into the tomb, you either have to brave the temple's defenses or somehow burrow through the stone and find the tomb in the middle of this massive formation of rock!" Guy's words became less coherent as Atsu payed less attention. The cause of the god's gaze being stolen away was a bright light that illuminated a portion of the room that was previously shrouded in black. The hermit's mop-like head of hair shivered as he turned his head to look at the light's source. It was Mashyuu, producing a mote of light from his palm. Well he did mention something about light when he exposited his abilities.

"Can you see okay with those glasses on? I can make it brighter in here." Atsu smirked. In truth, his glasses didn't restrict his vision or even filter out sunlight. They were mostly there for show. He was about to respond before Mashyuu moved on to another thought, "So what's your story? You kind of smell like a god."

The lesser god's eyebrow arched over the rim of his glasses. To his knowledge, his vessel only smelled of grave soil thanks to being mostly comprised of it. Of course, he had never smelled a god before. His fellow Geists never gave off a scent. In fact, nothing in Purgatory did. Being able to smell again the first day he jumped into his vessel was such an assault on the senses that he spent the entire first day laying in the grass and making sense of what he was experiencing. When one goes so long without a sense that they forget what it's called and how it feels, suddenly having it back would be enough to destroy the mind of a lesser being.

As for smelling like a god, at first Atsu felt apprehension. Was he found out? Did this "god slayer" possess some sort of tracking sense for godly beings? However, it didn't seem that he was truly discovered. The way Mashu spoke, it seemed like he was simply throwing out a possibility. Perhaps he could stay incognito as long as he played his cards right.

"Smell like a god?" he began with a slight chuckle, "That's wild, brother!"

Atsu went into a hearty laugh and adjusted his loose tie, not really fixing anything. He shoved a hand in his pocket again and looked over at Guy who seemed to be nearly finished. His mach speed history lesson was beginning to slow down.

"I'm just a bit of a wanderer, really. Enjoying the sights and the people of this fine land. I'm not exactly from here, you dig?" he said with a passive smile, "Gods killing mortals, though. That's some bad juju, man. I don't envy someone with a job like that."

Just as Mashyuu was making his comment about Guy explaining what he was doing -- which Atsu had figured that was exactly what he was doing before the three of them began ignoring their client -- the bespectacled scholar stopped his whirlwind of movements and words and turned to look at them.

"And that's basically it! If you need me to explain it again then I'll happily do so, but first..." Guy pressed on a seemingly innocuous stone in the wall. The room suddenly sprang to life with the sounds of stone sliding against stone, metal components clicking and unlatching from one another and finally the entire hall began to rumble as the massive door slowly slid open. As the doors swung toward them, they revealed an impossibly large room beyond, colored tiles adorning the floor. Atsu instinctively stepped toward it, sandals once again clacking against the stone tile.

"Welcome to the first -- woah, there!" Guy jumped in front of Atsu, barring him from stepping into the room, "Slow down, partner! This is a trap. You don't read many adventure novels, do you?"

Atsu shoved his other hand into his pocket, a little embarrassed at his lack of foresight. The itching came again at the back of his mind.

"Ha!" mocked Hyouryu. He could feel that Mitsuhide was stifling his own laughter, not wanting to disrespect his esteemed lord.

"You see, this room is rigged with a device that produces a force similar to gravity magic." the tall scholar knelt down and plucked a loose bit of tile from the floor no larger than a skipping stone, "Step on the wrong tile and..."

Guy tossed the stone into the room. It arced and fell onto a red colored tile. A second passed before it was violently lifted into the air by an unknown force. Hanging in midair, the stone suddenly became smaller. As if being crushed from the outside. This happened three more times in rapid succession before it disappeared altogether.

"You implode until nothing is left. I have spent a week testing and prodding at this trap and I can't find a way to disable it. What's why I need you three!" he pointed proudly at his mercenaries, "I have found that all of the tiles cause this effect except for the yellow ones. So normally, one could hop along the yellow tiles and get through just fine. The problem I have found is that there is a large block of tiles in the middle of the room devoid of any yellow. I haven't attempted leaping over them because that is foolhardy and stupid, but I know I don't possess the ability to. I specifically requested someone with magic that could carry them -- and maybe a passenger -- over that distance. Hopefully, one of you can do that!"

Guy looked at the three wizards expectantly. Atsu could certainly make the trek in many different ways. He could summon Hyouryu and have him vault over it, summon Mitsuhide and have him glide over it, or even fuse with Hyouryu and walk along the walls. However, Atsu was interested in this "god slayer" magic. He crossed his arms and attempted to don a sympathetic expression.

"Not so sure if I can help you out with that, but maybe my new friend here can?" Atsu peered at Mashyuu, wondering what he would come up with.

In all honesty Mashyuu hadn't been listening to Guy droll on and on about the tomb but Itsu, being a history lover was eating everything up. She followed Guy as close as she could, only glancing back to make sure that Mashyuu and Atsu were at least paying enough attention for them to know when to get closer to the other two.

"Oh a wanderer? Cool cool cool. I used to do that before I joined up with Sabertooth. If you ever decided you need a home, Sabertooth is always open to those with good intent." Mashyuu offered. He was curious about the man who smelled like a god, maybe he wasn't one but the earth Wizards nose had never steered him wrong in the past.

At that point the two started to walk forward, Mashyuu adjusting his brown gi to hang tight on his shoulders. Just like Atsu, Mashyuu stopped when Guy told the group to wait and went on to explain the situation. Mashyuu nodded up and down, understanding the situation. He sat down and leaned against a near by wall while thinking.

"Well, I can eat a tunnel under ground and we can come up on the other side. That would be the easiest way to do it but we have no idea how deep the magical trap runs. I can manipulate the ground to suck up the tiles and re-arrange them. Or I could make a wall shoot out the side of our wall, and we can ride that wall to the end of the hall where I'll count on one of you guys to open the door. If you can even get the door open a crack I can turn to sand and go through the other side if needed. Or I can eat our way through the wall on the other side. I think the wall riding would be the best bet on this." Mashyuu said in a lazy tone, clearly barely amused by the trap at hand.

He took a moment to roll his eyes and slammed his fist on the wall next to him. "Earth Gods Stone Wall." His voice dragged out, making his words sound almost upset that he had to waste the magic. "Okay, all aboard." Mashyuu said while standing on the wall that sprang out of the wall next to them so they could stand on the five foot wide, six foot long wall. Mashyuu was the first to stand on the wall and once everyone was on he pushed his hand forward, forcing the wall to slowly coast along, all the way to the end of the hall. "Okay Guy, open the door quick. This spel doesn't last too long unless I really push myself here."

WC: 463
Total: 1445

"I don't think guilds are really my bag, man. Atsu replied apologetically, "I mean, I can't speak for the future, but right now I'm just gonna coast on the waves of life, ya dig?"

Mashyuu seemed to be alright with his answer as he went directly into explaining how he could get around the trap. It was true that burrowing around it could work, but there was no telling how deep it went and where you would wind up once surfacing. This "wall" idea was interesting, however. Before Atsu could ask about what he meant, the earth wizard had barreled a fist into the frame of the door. The room ignited in magical presence before a sheet of stone jutted out from the far wall of the chamber. So Mashyuu would be able to move this freely? Fascinating.

Guy seemed to be equally interested in the spell as he excitedly leaped atop the wall and began poking and prodding it as if it were a mummy to examine.

"Astounding! I knew you wizards could perform miraculous feats, but I'd never seen one of these... what do you call them? Spells?" Guy turned his attention to the three wizards as he ended his inquiry. The lesser god grasped the edge of the stone sheet and hoisted himself on top, breathing a grunt of effort before his wooden sandals landed on the stone with a hollow clacking sound.

"That's the usual nomenclature, yeah." Atsu responded after adjusting his glasses once more, trying to sound like an expert. The reality was that he wasn't truly a wizard and didn't use spells. Hie powers seemed to have the same nature as this realm's "magic", but it came from a different place entirely. This was actually only the third time he had heard of the abilities displayed by wizards being referred to as "spells", but it happened often enough for him to assume that was a common term for them. Odd word, he felt. Or course, he did come from a place called "Limbo City" so he really had little room to judge.

After everyone was aboard, the wall began gliding over the tile, Mashyuu seemingly exerting himself to keep it intact. Guy was instructed to open the door on the other side. The scholar scrambled to the edge of the constructed platform and fiddled with the wall before finding a panel, a design emblazoned on its face shamed like an open hand. The archaeologist placed his hand on the panel and laid if flat. The moment his palm touched the panel, it illuminated in runes of six brilliant colors which skittered over towards the door. The runes rested at the center of the door, one after another, in a ring and then went out. After a few seconds, the entire chamber rocked before dying to a dull rumble as the door in front of them slowly slid open. Before the door was fully opened, the eager scholar leaped through into the hallway beyond. Atsu -- worried for his client -- sprang forward after him with incredible speed for someone of his vessel's build, sliding on the stone sheet and launching himself into the hallway. One hand caught the door frame and allowed him to vault himself forward. The lesser god had no clue if the tiles on the floor were equally as dangerous as the previous room. As such, he did everything he could to keep from landing on the floor. As he sailed through the air, he noticed a sturdy looking brass wall sconce. Atsu reached for it, hoping he had enough momentum to reach it. His fingers just barely managed to wrap around it, stopping his decent. The hermit grasped the sconce as it creaked under his weight -- which was unnaturally light for his size -- and hung there, staring at Guy who was dustign himself off on the ground.

"Er... did you know the floor was safe?" Atsu called out to his client, still hanging from the wall. It was clearly safe given his client's current state of health, but if he had to get help to make it through the door then Atsu puzzled over how he could have known beforehand.

"Oh! Haha." Atsu's benefactor chuckled nervously, "I, uh. I kind of didn't? I might have been a bit excited to get through that door finally."

Atsu raised an eyebrow. For a scholar, Guy seemed to lack logic. However, that did seem to be common with bookish typed like him. He let go of the sconce and landed on the floor. After tapping the tile with his sandal just to make sure, he waited for Mashyuu and Itsu to make their way inside as well. Atsu almost didn't notice Guy walking right past him into the dark hallway beyond.

"Come, friends! There is history to uncover!" he shouted eagerly as he trudged along. Atsu shrugged and turned to face the opposite wall, attempting to keep an eye on both parties. He wanted to follow Guy and keep him safe, but he didn't want to lose his partners.

"Hey, guilds aren't for everyone. No judgement from me buddy, keep on riding the wave called life. If you ask me, you already have a friend in me." Mashyuu responded then moved forward to explain the options to the others. Granted there was one other trick he had to getting past the stone trap but he would only be able to get one person over at a time with it and he didn't consider it a time saving and effective option.

"Mhm, my spells aren't normally very flashy but they do what I need them to do." Mashyuu said with a lazy tone to his voice. Once everyone was on the wall started to slide across the gap. Mashyuu and Itsu watched as Guy started to fumble with the wall before them and forced the thing to move when he placed his hand on a small print. "Of course. Even if you did manage to walk across the floor the time it took to find the switch would likely result in your death. Clever." Just as Mashyuu finished speaking Guy jumped over the sliding wall and Atsu swiftly followed behind. Itsu went to move as well but Mashyuu grabbed her arm and forced her to wait. "Fools go rushing in." Mashyuu said in a calm manner and watched to see what would happen to the rest of the team.

Once they were sure the way was clear Mashyuu and Itsu jumped into the room and started to walk with Atsu. Again Mashyuu lit up with a golden light, making even his hair change to a golden blonde color, lighting up the room so they could see without any issues. "You would think there would be guardians or something in this room. Ya know, like a giant stone golem or something." Itsu chimed in.

Mashyuu chuckled but stopped when he spotted a large coffin, at the feet of a large statue holding a massive shield with various gemstones. "Not gonna lie, that looks really cool. Guy, is that what we are after? Maybe you should let us take care of things for a bit and just sit back."

WC: 363
Total: 1808

The hallway seemed to drag on forever. Atsu followed with Mashyuu and Itsu at Guy's heel's, wooden shoes creating hollow reverberations along the bare walls of the corridor. It was difficult to see, the wall sconces having long since gone out. However, Atsu's partner in this venture once again provided light for the group. The lesser good tried to peer past their client, wondering if it was wise to allow him to take point. Another emotion plaguing Atsu's mind was slight shame at how little use he had been thus far. He was hesitant to use his powers in general, only resorting to it when necessary, but the slayer wizard next to him had been the one to truly show that he was of use. By comparison, Atsu hadn't yet earned his cut of the reward. The lesser god hid his look of disappointment in himself behind his shades and mop of hair, trying to stand straight as he followed along the corridor.

After what felt like hours had passed, and the hallways had made several turns and curves along the way, Atsu lost track of how far into the mountain they had ventured. Was this another test? Build an impossibly long corridor and see if anyone can make it to the end without falling over from hunger or exhaustion? Thankfully, neither of those things could affect Atsu's vessel. However, he was worried about the others. They were human, as far as he could tell, and it was likely that fatigue would begin setting in soon.

As if on queue, Guy let out an exhausted sigh.

"This certainly is a long one, isn't it? I'd never been this far in before. In truth, I have no clue where we're going." he said with a nervous chuckle.

"Well we're all in the same boat, then. Just stay close and --" it was at that moment that everything seemed to go pitch black. Just as the exit seemed to make itself known, a glimpse of a statue holding a shield off in the distance. Atsu looked to where Mashyuu was, wondering if he had simply become too tired to keep up the light, but his partner was no longer there. In addition, neither was Itsu or, as he shot a look forward, neither was Guy. The hairs on the lesser god's neck began to stand on end as the corridor was bathed in a cold presence. As if from instinct, Atsu sprang forward towards where he glimpsed the exit. However, after a few moments of running, all he found was a flat stone wall. His eyes widened, pupils dilating to try and gain better vision in the darkness.

Something began to rumble in the distance. The sound of gravel and stone piling together followed by a crash that shook the entire hallway. Then came an impossibly deep voice unknown to Atsu, echoing from the darkness.

"Initiating defense code: PR17." it rang, followed by pairs of floating orbs one could only describe as eyes.

Seeing as it appeared his companions were nowhere to be seen, Atsu knew he had to defend himself. He thrust a hand forward, the spot his palm pointed at seething with mana before erupting in reality-warping energy. The spot in front of him ripped open, the light bending in an oval shape. Mere moments later, out stepped a man clad in obsidian colored armor from head to toe. At his sides hung three swords each for a total of six. As he finally stepped out from the portal, he flashed a wild grin and glared down the hallway at the advancing adversaries with his single eye.


"I knew you would have to tag me in eventually." came his confident tone. Atsu shrugged and, after closing the portal, pat his eons-long friend on the back.

"I couldn't let you miss out on the fun, now could I?"

Hyouryu scoffed a chuckle.

"Yeah. Pretty sure I'd kill you if you did." Atsu stifled laughter. As if he could actually kill him. The long dead samurai grasped one of his blades and, with a shimmering ring that echoed across the hallway, drew it from its scabbard. The ghost stretched his neck -- cracking it in a few places -- before crouching low into a stance primed for battle, a fire burning in his one eye.

"Alright. Let's party!"

The member 'Atsusemimaru Morinaga' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

(Rolling for monsters)

The member 'Mashyuu Kumonosu' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Mashyuu hadn't noticed it at first, how Atsu had vanished as the group walked closer to the shield but soon enough the Slayer stopped in his tracks and turned to look behind him. Blue eyes glanced around and frowned. "Damn it." He whispered under his breath. Suddenly Itsu placed her chin on his shoulder and whispered. "Atsu vanished. I think I should go back and try to find him." Mashyuu nodded and sighed. "All right. Be safe." Mashyuu sadly stated. He didn't want to see anyone get hurt.

As he turned around he noticed that Guy was gone too and now Mashyuu and Itsu were standing alone in a long hallway. Mashyuu gulped and grasped Itsu's arm. "Wait. This is a trap. We need to be careful and on guard." Itsu looked over her shoulder at Mashyuu and swallowed a lump of annoyed fear.

The pair looked at the dark hall and tried to see some movement, anything to indicate danger from the hall. Why had Guy and Atsu vanished? Where they actually still in the hall? Mashyuu sniffed the air to try to find them but couldn't pick up any scent. Either the illusion was perfect or they truly had managed to wander off in various directions. Mashyuu knew they hadn't teleported to the hall they were in now or Itsu wouldn't have been with him. "Mashyuu, this isn't a good situation. I'm worried about Guy. Atsu can handle himself just fine I'd imagine but Guy isn't a Wizard and I can't sense his magical power." Mashyuu looked at Itsu and placed his finger to his lips to silence her. "Silence. We need to be on our guard." The Wizard ordered Itsu.

WC: 289
Total: 2097

"Hostiles engaged. Commencing assault protocol." came the deep voice once more. This time, it was identifiable as coming from the three creatures making their way towards Atsu and Hyou. As they came closer, Atsu could make out that they were made of stone -- covered in vines and moss from eons of laying dormant. All three carried a gigantic hammer each on their shoulders that looked like it could crush any normal man under its weight. As the golems picked up their pace, Hyouryu made his impatience known.

"You find the most interesting things to fight, you know that?!" he shouted before tossing his sword back into its scabbard and placing his hands at his hips. His armored fingers curled around the hilts of his six katana before grasping them and pulling them all out, the satisfying ring echoing about the hallway once more. The samurai stood in a low stance, three swords in each hand -- each one held between his fingers. Hyouryu roared a battle cry as his blades began to crackle with elcetricity. Within the blink of an eye, he was in the air, swords fanned out in front of him. Blue lightning trailed behind him and he sailed towards the three stone guardians.

"Dragon's Crash!" he wailed before slamming directly into one of the golems. From the impact, a sound like a thunder clap erupted from the impact and blew the three stone giants backwards and into the walls of the corridor. The samurai didn't let any time pass before following up with his next attack. Hyouryu's straw sandal-clad foot hit the tile hand as he shifted his weight and spun, slashing at the golem to the right before they could have a chance to recover from the knock back. The hit landed, slicing off a chunk of stone from the golem's arm. The samurai hadn't noticed one of the sentries winding up to strike with its hammer. However, Atsu did.

"On your left, Hyou!" the lesser god shouted. The samurai turned his helmeted head, golden crest glinting in the dim light of the corridor, in time to see the flat surface of a giant stone hammer inches from his face. Instantly, he arched backwards, sticking the tips of his blades into the grout of the tile to hold his weight. The hammer sailed over his body harmlessly, but another blow was coming directly on top of him. With a grunt of effort, Hyouryu vaulted himself backwards, away from the incoming hammer -- which managed to barrel right into another golem -- and slid backwards toward Atsu after landing.

"Thanks for the heads up, Atsu." the samurai spirit said graciously, slightly out of breath.

"Hey. Someone has to stand in for your left eye, brother." Hyouryu chuckled and tapped the black eye patch that covered his vacant eye socket.

"True, that." Hyouryu breathed as he hoisted his blades up once more. The golems, slightly battered, turned their attention towards Atsu.

"Support to hostile identified. Eradicating."it seemed the golems could strategize. The golem at the center raised its hand, palm pointed at Atsu. A jewel in the center began to glow a menacing purple before thick vines suddenly sprouted from the floor, attempting to wrap around Atsu. He prepared to brace for some kind of attack before realizing that nothing was actually happening. He then heard the golem repeat its phrase and saw it once again raise its hand -- just like he had seen. This time, Atsu knew what the gesture meant. The lesser god leaped out of the way as he heard the tiles begin to shift. This time, the vines sprouted from the ground, but found nothing to grasp. Atsu stood there, stunned at what just happened. Did he just see a glimpse of the future? A vision of the danger about to befall him? It seemed impossible, but there he was; unharmed because he had seen the attack before it happened. The only thing that managed to knock him out of his trance was Hyouryu's voice.

"Dragon's Rift!" he shouted before slicing a blade downward. Apparently, he had replaced his swords except for one while Atsu was distracted. The blade clanged against the tile and the floor in front of it sprang upwards with electricity, travelling like a wave towards the center golem. That had always been Hyouryu's style when fighting multiple opponents. Take them out one at a time. Reduce their numbers until they are no longer a threat. The wave of lightning sped toward the golem and almost reached it before the guardian to the right of it jumped in front. The wave slammed into the stone enemy and sent it into the air. The hammer it was holding flew out of its hand, nearly slamming into the golem it was trying to protect, and it came down hard on top of the guardian that was now behind it.

Atsu always felt useless when he let his friends do the fighting for him. That same feeling began to settle in as Hyouryu once again leaped into the thick of the battle. If anything, he felt like a liability until he could learn to use his other powers beyond summoning in the mortal world. It was often that Hyouryu and Mitsuhide would spend a good amount of their energy on protecting him. The only time he could fight for himself was when he let one of them into his vessel. Even then, the concentration it required kept him from being able to sustain the other spirit's presence. He truly was fighting alone in that form.

Hyouryu had been slicing away at the golems again. Yet another Dragon's Crash had reduced the center golem to rubble finally. It wouldn't be long before they were all --

Atsu's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of a golem directly in front of him, hammer raised above its head. Was he so lost in thought that he didn't even notice it approaching him? He needed to move. But why couldn't he? Looking down, he found his answer. Thick vines wrapped around his legs, restricting movement of any kind. When did that happen? Over the course of a second -- but what felt like an eternity -- the hammer came down. Atsu's brain moved so quickly that time seemed to slow down. He looked to Hyouryu who was already running towards him, swords in their homes and hand outstretched. Just before the hammer reached him, Atsu grasped his friend's hand and Hyouryu disappeared. The sound of clanging metal echoed through the hallway as the hammer was parried and another as the vines were cut away. The golem fell backwards before the glowing god before it. There Atsu stood, entire body crackling with blue lightning. Along his arms and neck, blue tattoos burned with mana. His eyes, now free of their glasses, burned a deep blue flame. In Atsu's hand was one of Hyouryu's six katana, the other five resting at his hips; floating like ghostly weapons.


"Alright. Time to end this." came a merging of Atsu and Hyouryu's voices. Like a flash  of lightning, the empowered god appeared before the father golem, running along the ceiling of the corridor. He deftly slid behind it and pulled three of the swords out, swiping them downward like before.

"Dragon's Rift! Atsu Special!" he roared. This time, each blade produced a wave of lighting that streaked toward the golems. The nearest one crashing right through it, reducing it to rubble, and the final golem being hit before it had a chance to recover from toppling over. The force of the wave managed to kock the guardian into the air -- just like last time -- and the lesser god took his chance to strike. He replaced the three swords and held the one in his main hand in both hands, point aimed at the golem. With another burst of incredible speed, he was in the air, sword raised above his head. He send the blade down into the golem. Finding a crack in its chest, he focused on driving the blade into its weak point. Apparently, the attack was enough to fell the guardian once and for all. The golem, still in the air, exploded into dust and rubble.

The lesser god landed on the ground with a clack from his sandals. He breathed a sigh and closed his eyes. After opening them, he noticed that he was back in the original corridor along with his partners. Mashyuu, Itsu, and Guy all stood around him. Well, Guy was less standing and more hunched over as if he was about to lose his lunch. Atsu raised a tattooed hand and waved.

"Um. Hi everyone!" he exclaimed before noticing that he was still fused with Hyouryu, "Oops!"

Suddenly, the samurai burst from his body and Atsu returned to normal. He pulled his glasses from his pocket and replaced them on his face.

"So. Did anyone else just have to fight three rock beasts or was that just me?" he attempted to ask as if brushing his appearance from just a few seconds ago under the rug. He gestured at his samurai friend, "This is Hyouryu, by the way. Say hi, Hyouryu!"

"Um... hi." the samurai said reluctantly, mimicking Atsu's wave.

Three stone golems stepped out of dark walls and their eyes lit up. Mashyuu tilted his head and started to giggle under his breath. "Oh boy you guys picked the wrong person to attack. You are gonna make my magical power go off the charts." Mashyuu pushed Itsu behind him and grinned wide. The three golems moved in unison to make a series of attacks with stone hammers. Mashyuu took a half step back, dodging a diagonal swing as Itsu jumped backwards and drew a deep breath then unleashed the blast, smacking two of the golems and pushed them backwards away from the lead golem.

Mashyuu tucked and rolled after dodging his foes attack and sprang up near the monsters hand. His head twisted and bit through the stone shaft of the weapon, breaking it. He chomped down and stole the magical power of the Golem's weapon. Itsu looked at Mashyuu and he held up his hand to stay the woman from attacking again. "No worries, I have this under control." Mashyuu called out. Already he could feel the stone golems moving in on him while the one before him lifted its arms. "Earth Gods Explosive Field." Mashyuu commanded, causing the ground under the three golems to light up.

Just as Mashyuu jumped back the ground exploded, upturning stones and making the golems fall over, their feet rocked and chipped from the blast Mashyuu created. Again the ground lit up under them and blew up again, chipping away more of the Golem's body in the process. While the Golems scrambled up to their feet Mashyuu pushed a palm forward and spoke. "Earth Gods Combo: Part One.." A single stone pillar shot up under the golems, cracking their knees and knocking them down to one leg. "Earth Gods Combo: Part Two." Mashyuu placed a palm to the ground and watched as it split out away from him, swallowing the three Golems and closing around until only their necks were exposed. Casually Mashyuu walked over to the Golems and ate each of their heads, restoring his magical power to its brim.

Shortly after the ground exploded and a fused form of Atsu and some other creature appeared. Mashyuu twisted around and raised his arms but the fusion ended and the Wizard started to laugh. "Yeah... we battled three stone golems. I ate them.." Mashyuu looked at Guy and furrowed his brow. "What's wrong with him?"

WC: 410
Total: 2507

"You... ate them?" Atsu asked, more confused than he'd been in a long while. He had never heard of a human eating stone before. Was that a normal thing these days? It certainly didn't sound like a typical snack to him. It was then that attention was brought to Guy who was just beginning to pick himself up off the ground. The hermit made his way to this client, placing a hand on his shoulder and attempting to support him as he gathered himself.

"You okay, buddy?" he asked, honestly concerned for Guy's well being. It was likely he had encountered the golems as well and to Atsu's knowledge,the scholar wasn't much of a fighter.

"I... I think so." Guy responded in a tone that didn't inspire confidence, "Just give me a bit to let the room stop spinning."

Hyouryu crossed his arms, black armor plates clacking against one another, and scoffed in disapproval.

"Interesting company you're keeping these days." he jabbed. Atsu sighed. He could tell Hyou was getting annoyed.

"This is Guy, our client for the gig. Brother's got a brain, but he ain't too keen on battle." he explained to his temperamental friend, "If you'd rather hop on the bench for a bit I can send you back."

There was a slight bite to Atsu's words. As close as he was with Hyouryu, he still carried a certain amount of distaste for when his friend's patience ran thin.

"I'm good." Hyouryu responded after a moment of tense silence, "Besides, you need your bodyguard in case things go sour again."

With the subject successfully shelved, Atsu turned back to Guy.

"So, did you happen to run into those golems, too? I'm surprised you're alive."

"Yeah..." the scholar began, still visibly shaken, "The guardians appeared. I had read about them before, but never had I seen them in working condition. Sure, we'd uncovered inert husks in other temples, but these were walking and talking golems."

Guy almost seemed to be speaking on auto pilot, so dazed that he didn't move his eyes from a fized point on the opposite wall.

"But you said they attacked you. I thought they were going to do the same to me, too. I was ready to accept whatever beating they had planned, but then they just... stopped." the scholar's gaze made its way to Atsu. The look in his eyes showed both confusion and fear.

"They stopped?" Atsu parroted.

"Yeah. And then they disappeared."

Atsu's mind raced over what the reason they spared Guy could have been. Why would they attack him and Mashyuu and not the defenseless would-be grave robber? Did they sense that he couldn't defend himself? That wouldn't make any sense. After all, why drop your defenses against the weakest intruder?

"They probably saw how helpless you are and took pity on you." Hyouryu mocked. He began to move towards the room at the end of the corridor, straw sandals scuffing on the tiles, "Come on. I want to get this over with before my time limit is up."

Atsu sighed, but he knew Hyouryu was right. If they took too long, he would lose the use of one of his only methods of defending himself for some time while Hyouryu recovered. He still had Mitsuhide, but he'd rather be as prepared as possible. The lesser god followed his friend into the room. The moment he crossed through the opening, Atsu was assaulted with a cold sense of lingering spirits. Guy immediately rushed inside, excited once again, while Hyouryu placed a hand on Atsu's shoulder.

"You feel that?" he asked, eyes darting around the circular room.

"Yeah. We're not alone. Stay on guard." he responded, tone suddenly devoid of his typical lackadaisical attitude. He looked about at the features of the room. The six upright coffins at the walls didn't seem too dangerous, but he didn't want to take many chances. Same went for the gigantic statue looking over the stone sarcophagus in the center of the room and the multitude of decayed skeletons clad in armor littering the floor and propped up against the wall.

The archaeologist bounced about the room, musing over the historical significance of each feature.

"This is the Tomb of Gen'atoh! You see those six coffins? Those are home to the bodies of his six Prism Knights! They were the king's personal guard, imbued with powers similar to today's magic by use of magical crystals. You see, the king wanted to ensure that he always had six knights so if one fell he could transfer the powers to a new candidate. It very well may have been a primitive form of today's lacrima crystals! And this..." Guy scurried to the center of the room. He nearly tripped over the sarcophagus, but caught himself and continued his rant, "This is THE King Gen'atoh! Well, his final resting place, that is. And..."

The scholar pointed a finger up at the object being clutched by the statue. It seemed to be a gigantic ornate shield worn and rusted from eons of rest in the tomb. At the center of the shield was socketed six different colored spherical gems.

"This is the Prismatic Aegis of Gen'atoh! At the center are the six gems I mentioned that gave the knights their power! I doubt they work these days, but it is no doubt and incredible artifact! Study of this shield could provide great insight into how the ancients imbued objects with power and may very well give clues into the very origin of magic itself!" he was nearly yelling at this point, clearly lost in the excitement of finally finding the shield, "If I can only... touch it..."

Guy began reaching for the shield, not paying attention to where his feet were stepping. A series of scuffles and crashes sounded from the center of the room as Guy tripped over the sarcophagus. Suddenly, the room itself began to rumble.

"Um... I think I goofed."

"What did you do?!" Hyouryu shouted. There was no response. Looking over to their client, the wizards found him transfixed by the shield which was quickly cleaning itself -- as if time itself was being turned backwards only on the aegis. Millennia of rust and grime wiped away as it regained it's past luster. Finally, the stones at the center lit up in colors mirroring the colors of the stones before flying up and out of the hole in the roof of the tomb. All except for the red stone which zoomed towards Guy, disappearing into his chest and then engulfing their client in a brilliant red light.

It was at that moment that the spirits Atsu sensed earlier began to stir. An intense feeling of malice and bloodlust hung in the air as the skeletons in the room began to rattle. Hyouryu drew one of his blades, the familiar ring echoing through the room.

"I don't know what just happened, but things just got interesting again!" he shouted, lowering into a ready stance once more. The piles of bones slowly began to stand up, gnashing hisses and slurs in a language Atsu didn't understand wafting in from the slowly forming enemies.

"Yeah I ate them.. Slayers have the ability to eat the elements that they command. For instance. I am both an Earth God Slayer and a Light Dragon Slayer and as such I can eat both earth and light. This restores my magical energy. If I eat a source of that element that is infused with magic it can drive me into something called force, and that makes me roughly ten times stronger." Mashyuu explained slowly, seeing that his job partner hadn't seemed to understand what Mashyuu was even talking about. "You aren't from this realm or planet are you? It's like you are a man from a different time period." Itsu questioned Atsu.

When Guy asked for the team to give him a minute to make sure that the room wasn't spinning Mashyuu patted the mans back. "Don't move." He ordered the man. Mashyuu started to whisper a soft word of prayer to Guy and finished with "Light Dragons Healing Word: Cleanse." A white light shot off Mashyuu and wrapped around Guy, removing any ill feelings he may have had.

The two Sabertooth Wizards watched the exchange between Atsu and his friend when a light switch went off in Mashyuu's head. In a time passed Mashyuu had inner demons he could summon to do his bidding. "OH! A summoning Wizard! That's fantastic. I knew there was something special about you. But.. you don't seem like much of a fighter yourself Atsu. Do you at least have a bow?" Mashyuu asked while reaching into his sleeve and pulling out a small chain with a cross that was on his wrist. He was about to take off the chain and hand it to Atsu when the group started to walk again and they all found themselves standing in what Mashyuu was sure was a crypt. "I doubt they were lacrima, once a larcima has selected a user it can't be transfered even after death. It's more likely that they are simply enchanted stones. Sort of like a magical weapon or ring." Mashyuu went on to reason, showing that he too could do some thinking of his own.

Mashyuu's nose flared up and he looked to the others in the group, but Atsu and his friend knew they weren't alone. "Itsu, do you sense any undead?" Mashyuu asked. Itsu drew a black dagger attached to a metal cord from the small of her back and nodded up and down. "Yep, and they are close by, plus the sun's set since we entered. I can activate the magic of my dagger." She flipped the weapon to face the ground and called out. "Call of the Dead: Huey, Dewy, Luey!" She slashed the two pronged dagger through the air three times and let it glow, materializing three Skeletal soldiers with blades.

Swiftly Mashyuu placed the chain on his wrist in Atsu's palm and made a demand. "Put your focus into it and it will make a bow stay with Guy and take out anything that gets past us. Itsu! You and your friends are the last line of defense just in case these things get past me and Hyouryu." Itsu nodded and waved her glowing weapon, commanding the three skeletons to move to join her. In the meantime Mashyuu ran up to join Hyouryu at the front line. Just then a swarm of skeletons shot up out of the ground from where bone piles had just been. Mashyuu grinned wide and glanced at his current friend in battle. "Alright, I'll take the half on the left, you take the ones on the right. If you get hurt let me know and I'll heal you." Mashyuu shouted then charged forward.

Swarms of skeletons charged Mashyuu and he jumped up, pulled his right arm back and drove it out in a straight slam, knocking off the head of a skeleton, sending it crashing to the ground. He landed and caught a bony fist smashing into his jaw but barely flinched. Mashyuu reached out and grabbed the skeletons arm and twisted, spinning the skeleton around with the Wizard, driving the heap of bones into a group that was drawing on Mashyuu. The Wizard jumped backwards and pulled both his palms back to his hips while condensing energy in his palms. He extended his hands out and shouted. "Light Dragons Holy Shower!" A blast ejected from his hands, smashing up a ton of skeletons, knocking them over in a single shot. Mashyuu glanced around and saw that no matter how many the group took out that the monsters just kept coming. "Well this is fantastic..." He complained.

WC: 782
Total: 3289

"Where I'm from? It's a... long story." the lesser god said with hesitation in response to Itsu's assertion. It seemed he didn't do as thorough of a job with blending in as he had hoped. After responding to Hyouryu's question once they were inside the tomb, he turned back to Itsu, "Maybe I'll tell you if we get through this."

Things seemed to progress as if in fast forward from that moment. The light, the stones, the skeletons. All Atsu knew was that they needed to defend their client. Suddenly, he felt his hand get grabbed forcibly, a cold metal trinket unceremoniously shoved into his palm. The otherworldly spirit looked at his partner, taking in the instructions before focusing on Hyouryu. He closed his bony fingers around the pendant, watching helplessly as his eons long friend sliced at the advancing husks. The samurai leaped into the crowd of animated bones. They quickly surrounded him, cutting off Atsu's line of sight. In that moment, the lesser god felt alone. Despite the presence of Itsu by his side, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of isolation. The sounds of clanging metal and the cries of battle sent him right back to the battle that ended his time as a mortal. The one final defining moment of his otherwise unremarkable 34 years of life. His death on that day may have been what made him extraordinary, but the very nature of a Geist was to dwell on the moment of their death. It fueled them and gave them their power, but also left deep scars that could never be wiped away. Atsu grit his teeth and let out a hissing growl at the frustration of not being able to do anything to help. He clutched the rosary tightly. Perhaps this could help? Doing what he was ordered, he focused on the trinket and tried to fuel it with mana. He wasn't exactly certain how to do such a thing, but that was all the instructions he was given.

Atsu had been so focused on trying to make the bow work that he hadn't noticed the skeletons literally climbing on top of Hyouryu, attempting to pry the very armor from his body. He threw each one off as he continued to slice at their decayed bodies bereft of sinew. It almost became too much for the samurai to handle before he summoned the rage that gave him the name of One Eyed Dragon of Ning.

"AAAAAGGGHH!" he roared with the volume of rolling thunder streaming through the air, "You are nothing! I am the One Eyed Dragon!"

At that moment, the skeletons were all throw backwards, the sound of several blades being pulled from their scabbards accompanying the spectacle. In the middle stood Hyouryu, all six swords clutched between his fingers.

"Your descendants will regret the day you made me bare my claws!" with that, the samurai disappeared -- leaping into the air and landing atop the statue above Atsu who still couldn't get the bow to activate. He snapped from his trance of self-pity and smirked at his friend's theatrics. He was fairly certain the descendants of these undead warriors had no clue Hyouryu ever existed. Let alone regret the defeat of their ancestors' reanimated bones. Still, the joy Hyouryu took in the chaos of battle seemed to give him renewed vigor. He watched as the blades of his friend's katana crackled with blue lightning and he leaped back into the air, placing his "claws" in front of him as he descended upon the crowd of bones.

"Dragons Crash!" came the samurai's voice as he slammed into the middle of the huddle. A thunder clap resulted from the impact that shook the chamber and blew back the skeletons once more. A good number fell to the ground, shattered and devoid of the spiritual presence they once had. Watching his friend fight so valiantly made Atsu desperate in his attempts to make the bow work. However, not matter how much he tried to pump it full of mana, it wouldn't change. Was the artifact defective? Or perhaps his existence as an otherworldly spirit possessing a vessel made of grave soil prevented him from using the weapon? Fed up with trying, he shoved the rosary into his pants pocket. There was one more thing he could try. He'd never tried it before, but he knew his reserves could handle it in theory. Thrusting a hand out to the side he focused on the air next to him. Suddenly, the light began to warp -- opening another portal.

"Milord! What are you doing?" came the voice of his other companion from Limbo City.

"I need some extra help, Mitsu." he responded, pushing his glasses closer to his face, "Show your lord what service you can give."

Summoning a second companion had proven to be more strenuous than he thought. Atsu found it more difficult to breathe. He almost hadn't noticed the pair of skeletons rushing towards him, rusted blades drawn. The lesser god let out a strained cry of effort as he ripped the portal to Purgatory open. From the opening poured a torrent of plum blossom petals that obscured Atsu from the skeletons sight followed by a gigantic bladed chakram streaming out of the portal at the assailants, creating a hollow ringing noise as it traveled. The weapon collided with each, knocking them apart and littering the ground with their scattered bones. Following the weapon, a green blurred figure sped towards it -- more plum blossoms trailing in its wake. Atsu closed the portal, sighing in relief, as the blur stopped moving. A gloved finger tapped his weapon, stopping its movement, and he spun elegantly in the air with his chakram. Finally, he stopped his battle dance and descended in front of his lord, weapon gently spinning around his verdant armored body.


"You shall not harm my lord this day!" shouted the former priest. At that moment, he felt a twinge in the air currents near one of his petals behind his benefactor. His chakram separated into a pair of blades and one half shot behind him and Atsu directly into the skull of a skeleton attempting to sneak up on the summoner.

"Nor you, vile demon." Mitsuhide's chakram returned to normal and he turned to address Atsu, "Milord, you are not injured, are you?"

"I'm fine, Mitsu. Worry about the others." he commanded. The battle priest nodded and scanned the chamber with the help of his sentry petals. Picking up a sudden movement behind Itsu, he sent his chakram towards it. It scraped along the ground, sending sparks flying on its way, and slammed into another skeletal assassin. Then, spying another sudden change near Mashyuu, he broke his chakram apart again and sent the resulting blades across the room to sever the heads of a pair of skeletons heading for the slayer wizard. The priest continued to maneuver his weapon while staying beside his lord, manipulating the air inside the chamber to his bidding. Atsu could only stand in wonder, patting himself on the back for being able to successfully summon two companions at once.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed. Atsu noticed the light near the statue -- the light that swallowed up Guy -- grow in intensity before exploding in a gout of flame. From the fire materialized a figure glad in a red and white suit, a black visored helmet atop its head. The figure landed on the tile of the chamber, flames bursting from his boots as he touched down. He thrust a hand forward and from it fire erupted and formed a long shaft. The flame disappeared and a red spear was left behind, glowing embers being blown from its blade from the Mitsuhide's winds. The warrior twirled the staff expertly and then struck a heroic pose.

"Surging with Flame! Aegiranger Ruby Knight!" a familiar voice shouted. At that moment, every single skeleton stopped their attack and shot their gaze at the newcomer. At the same time, each of the revenants let out a piercing, hissing shriek and took off towards the knight -- bloodlust coating the air as they advanced. A few of the skeletons stayed behind, a green smoke billowing from their mouths that seemed to burn the very air it mingled with. Hyouryu, Atsu, and Mitsuhide all looked on in confusion, stunned by the sudden change. The knight twirled his spear once more then held firm, ready to engage the attackers.

Itsu watched while Mashyuu and the Samurai that had shown up (She wasn't paying attention to his name) battled the living dead, doing their best to keep the monsters at bay. The pair smashed, slashed and generally destroyed undead with seemingly every attack they made but it wouldn't be enough, how could anyone beat a horde that just kept coming? Itsu looked at Atsu, an infuriated look on her face. "Hey! Snap out of whatever mood you're in! We need to fight too!" Itsu yelled then compressed magical power and teleported to Atsu's side, swinging her fist and connecting with a skeleton's face, knocking its head off its body. Knowing times were desperate Itsu called out. "MASHYUU!" Drawing the Earth Gods attention. Itsu fired off a beam of light energy from her mouth right at the Wizard. In turn Mashyuu inhaled the blast while "The One eyed dragon" went on his killing spree. The beam that Itsu released filled Mashyuu's belly to the point that magical power began to swarm out of his body.

With Dragon Gods Force activated Mashyuu's body naturally flooded with light and power. This forced the monsters around the man back a few paces as they recoiled in terror. Mashyuu wiped his mouth with his forearm while Atsu summoned up yet another partner. Together the three continued their attack, even driving the forces of undead back for a time, apparently destroying them faster than the monsters could rise from the dead, but that was only for a time. Soon they were once again surrounded and had little hope of victory that was until a familiar voice called out what Mashyuu could only describe as a strange battle cry. Then a man in a strange red body suit, maybe armor, with a spear jumped into battle to make the save. Mashyuu turned back to look at Atsu and Itsu but found them both standing there. "What the hell is happening!?"

WC: 326
Total: 3615

The mysterious figure in red spun around, catching a skeleton on the hook at the end of his spear and tossing it into another approaching demon. After this move, Atsu was able to clearly see the armor that adorned his back. It certainly felt odd for him to be armored at the back and nowhere else, but upon closer inspection, he noticed that the back plate was not, in fact, armor plating -- it was the artifact they had fought to recover. Much smaller than before, but in every way identical to the shield that was being clutched by the statue. The lesser god shot a glance at the depiction of King Gen'atoh and confirmed that the shield was no longer in its grasp. Additionally, Guy and the light that enveloped him had disappeared.

The knight continued to fight off the skeletons whose attention seemed to be singularly focused upon him. Why would they suddenly only be interested in him? He didn't have much of an opportunity to think it over as the green smoke billowing forth from the maws of the skeletons in the back had risen to head level. The lesser god clutched his hand to his nose and mouth, assuming the worst, but the inexperienced combatant managed to inhale some of it anyway. The miasma entered his constructed lungs and he felt an intense burning surged in the pit of his chest. Atsu sputtered into a coughing fit as he felt his insides begin to melt. Mitsuhide turned to his lord and recalled his weapon, rushing to steady Atsu in his painful wretching.

"Milord! What ails you?!" shouted the concerned war priest. All Atsu could do in response was cough with even greater intensity. Given that Mitsuhide and Hyouryu had no true inner workings -- being souls given physical manifestations -- and did not need to breathe, the smoke didn't seem to affect them. For this reason, it took far longer than it should have for Mitsuhide to sleuth the cause of his lord's pain. Soon enough, however, he understood.

"Milord! Allow me to share your vessel and I can purge the miasma!" he pleaded. Atsu nearly punched himself for not thinking of it before. Of course! Mitsuhide had control over air currents so it would be a trivial thing to get rid of a gaseous intruder. The lesser god grasped his anscestor's hand and focused. He'd never merged with Mitsuhide before. He wasn't quite sure what would happen. Suddenly, the body of his loyal retainer became a featureless pale green silhouette. The figure was then pulled into Atsu's body, causing a burst of wind and plum blossom petals to emanate from it and blow away the offending green smoke. A bony hand was raised to Atsu's temple, removing his glasses to reveal green eyes that burned with a pale green flame. Down his arms and up his neck, green tattoos shimmered across his skin. Finally, Mitsuhide's chakram formed in its usual position around its wielder's body.

It was child's play for Atsu to force the smoke from his vessel's lungs. The miasma trailed from his mouth as effortlessly as exhaling normal air.

"Now to rid us of this offender." came Atsu and Mitsuhide's voices in unison. The empowered god hopped into the air with the grace of a trained battle dancer and landed in the center of the fight next to the red warrior. He lifted his blade on a current of air and held it to his side, spinning it in place -- increasing the speed incrementally. He raised the weapon and moved it outward, maneuvering it in a circular motion until it reached a radius large enough to encompass the size of the battlefield. At that moment, the winds in the area kicked up violently, knocking the smoke and skeletons not within the eye of the storm into the air.

"Melancholy Dirge of Cherry Blossoms!Atsu Special!"

The only friendly member of the group not within the eye was Hyouryu, who noticed what was happening and leaped towards it, nearly being picked up himself.

"Hey! Try warning a guy the next time you --" the samurai wasn't able to finish his sentence before he faded from the realm altogether. Atsu was about to call out for him before he felt the telltale itching at the back of his head once more.

"What the hell?! Why did you send me back?!" raged Hyouryu, now back in Purgatory. It seemed that merging with one of his friends used up so much of Atsu's concentration that he wasn't able to sustain any of his other companions in the mortal world. Perhaps that would change with some training, but it was good to know for now. The fact that he could have more than one summoned at all was a big revelation to him.

Atsu ignored his enraged friend as he maneuvered the chakram within the windstorm. Splitting it into its individual blades, he deftly moved it in the direction of the tempest, slicing and slamming into the enemies caught int he storm. Meanwhile, the knight continued his assault on the skeletons inside the eye. He leaped into the air and and pointed the tip of his spear at the ground as he descended.

"Ruby Sphere!" shouted the knight as he crashed down and sent an explosion of flame in all directions from the impact. The blast blew the remaining skeletons apart and he followed up by leaping into the wind storm. Atsu was about to call it off, thinking the red knight foolish, but he expertly navigated the winds, even using the swirling blades inside the storm as platforms as he hopped along dispatching the final enemies. When the winds died and Atsu returned Mitsuhide's weapon it its resting place, he surveyed the battlefield. It seemed that they had won. The floor was littered with the decayed bones -- not a one giving any sense of lingering spiritual presence.

"I... I think we won." he panted in exhaustion. He barely had the time to rest before the red knight turned to face the three wizards. Without saying a word, he removed his helmet. Underneath was a familiar face covered in sweat, hair damp and glasses crooked. Guy quickly adjusted his spectacles and smiled.

"Er... hi." he said sheepishly. Atsu had figured this warrior might have been Guy, but regardless of his foresight, seeing their client reveal himself was still surprising. The lesser god lost his concentration and Mitsuhide burst forth from his body, returning Atsu to normal. He quickly retrieved his glasses from his pocket and placed them on his face.

"Guy? What... what happened?"

The scholar, who seemed to be having trouble standing properly, began explaining at his usual light speed pace.

"I don't know if I can adequately explain it, but as far as I know I've been chosen to carry on the legacy of the Ruby Knight -- leader of King Gen'atoh's Six Prismatic Knights! A voice spoke to me in that light -- which I would love to describe to you one day; you would not believe what it was like in there! -- and told me to fight! Also, after I was told that I was urged to find the other heirs to the knighthood! After that, my body mostly moved on its own. I..." Guy's knees buckled and he fell forward. Atsu rushed to catch his client and helped him back up with Mitsuhide's assistance.

"Thanks. Um... so I guess this is mission accomplished. If no other baddies want to leap out from the shadows, I can pay you and be on my way. I mean, we did retrieve the artifact, after all." Guy made a thumbs up with his hand and pointed at the shield on his back, Besides -- I have a new task, now. From the King himself!"

"Sure, but maybe you should rest a while? Maybe see a doctor?" Atsu suggested, concerned at Guy's sudden exhaustion.

"Yeah. That wouldn't be a bad idea." chuckled the new knight.

After finding a passage that led to a secret back exit, everyone was paid and said their goodbyes. The hollow wind that rustled the small shrubs dotting the canyon was welcome after being stuck in that tomb for so long. It was as music to Atsu's ears. Atsu walked away with a new learning experience under his belt. That and new friends in Mashyuu, Itsu, and Guy. He had a feeling that their fates would bring them together again in the not too distant future.

The itching came roaring back to Atsu's mind.

"So what was that about sending me back, asshole?!" shouted the still enraged Hyouryu. Atsu sighed and responded silently, wooden sandals scuffing the dusty road as he walked.

"I'll tell you once I've had it all figured out. I think I need more training, to give it to ya straight."

"Training? Well I'm always up for that." came the voice of the suddenly content samurai.