Meeting Upon An Unspoken Path

Omens were a fickle thing. They could come in many forms, and rarely could they be read accurately until the time came that their interpretation was vital. Or sometimes they weren't even hints towards the future: sometimes they just guided your hand. Today was an example of the latter.

Itori was out in the fields, trying to gather some food. While she could always go shopping inside civilization she didn't want to get too accustomed to getting all of her food from stores. If a time came that she couldn't rely on shops and markets she'd still need to be able to gather food on her own terms. As her sandalled feet waded through tall grass the kitsune looked around, vermillion eyes sharp and her nose tilted slightly upwards as she sniffed the air. No wildlife directly in her surroundings, no choice but to keep moving onwards. At least her mask prevented the animals of the wild easily spotting her, otherwise this could take the entirety of the day.

A twitch of her ear and the white-tailed medium stopped walking, instead looking upwards as a shadow moved across her face. High above her something fluttered in the breeze, slowly falling downwards. A scrap of parchment, except it was too regular for it to just be a piece of trash. Furthermore, the closer it came to the ground the more clear it became that it would end right on top of Itori, so the fox patiently waited for it to finish its slow descent. Once the parchment was low enough she held out her hand, the wind carrying the scrap right into her hand even before she used her thumb to prevent it blowing away again. Bringing it down to her face she read the letter silently.

Mysterious Individual wrote:

Spirit Fox,

You seem strong, and to see if you are truly worthy I wish to observe that strength for myself, and thus bring this challenge before you; head towards the Forest of Lost Cries, where sunshine no longer penetrates the ground and defeat the forces that have tainted to world within. If you succeed, the path towards your salvation shall reveal itself before you... as will the reward.

Free the soul bound by greed

Itori read the letter several times, after which the parchment was consumed in a brief burst of pale blue flames. With the ashes scattering upon the winds the humanoid fox stood there for minutes, then turned around and headed towards the Forest of Lost Cries, more commonly called the Spooky Forest by many. She had no clue who had written the letter or what their true intentions were, but she felt like she couldn't just dismiss this out of hand.

---

Approaching the outskirts of the forest Itori narrowed her eyes behind her mask as she could already sense that this was an unusual place. The liveliness of the world outside couldn't penetrate the still shadows that engulfed the forest. This was a place inhabited by the nastier type of spirits, who filled the air with negativity and who would possess the weakminded if given an opportunity. Standing in front of the first tree Itori placed her hand against the bark, concentrating briefly before shaking her head. She couldn't get rid of this gloomy aura. It was ancient and as much part of the forest as the trees themselves. She might be able to remove individual spirits, but this place would attract the darker type of spirits no matter how many she might exorcise.

Instead of wasting her time feeling bothered by this knowledge the fox stepped inside, her own presence barely noticeable as her mask made her appear more a wandering ghost than an actual person. Her white and red quickly faded in with the rest of the gloomy outgrowth as she made her way deeper, her ears sharp and directed outwards as her vermilion eyes scanned the world before her. Her eyes weren't as sharp as those of humans, but she still had the better night vision. Together with the gloomy aura the forest had the typical results of being inhabited by the lower kind of spiritual entity: the trees might have plenty of leafs to somewhat justify the darkened atmosphere, but they had grown twisted and with faded colours. No surprise that it was called the Spooky Forest.

As she walked Itori abruptly turned her head as she head footsteps from someone else, her own muffled by the enchantment of her mask. Those weren't footsteps of a spirit. Who else was here, and why would they visit this place? Her three tails trailed behind her as she moved away from her own path and instead silently headed towards the other person who had decided to infiltrate this forest, relying on her own stealth and the power of her mask to let her get the first look. If this was someone who had just wandered in by accident (unlikely as that was) she'd have to make sure they got out safely before she continued her own journey. This place wasn't safe for outsiders.


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The owner of the footsteps was still relatively far away, the only reason why Itori even picked up on it being the fact that there was nearly no other sound and the fact that her ears were really, really good. This was good, since she wanted some time to prepare in case the walker wasn't friendly. Her cursed prayer beads were wrapped around her left arm, and with a single shake she could make them slide down to curse and seal a target. It had taken a lot of practice before she could position it to be shaken loose that easily without it constantly sliding out at the worst moment. Her right hand rested on the hilt of her sheathed sword, ready to draw and strike with a single moment. Beyond that she moved cautiously, combining the strange magic of her mask with years of travelling alone to make herself little more than a faint spirit as she slipped from tree to tree. With the faintest of illusion magic she augmented the effect even further, making her outlines appear vague and uncertain to anyone who managed to see her so they'd have trouble seeing whether she was real or just an image. It wouldn't make her invisible, but piling a lot of little things on top of one another was often as good as using one powerful effect.

As she got closer she also got the opportunity to listen closer to what this other wanderer was doing. Her footsteps were clear but she was moving relatively slowly. Wary but not skulking, and from the steady stride it was also clear that this person wasn't afraid, or at least wasn't letting it influence their legs. She closed her eyes briefly as around her the world unfolded into a complex map of echoes, her sharp ears picking up on them with accuracy and sharpness surpassing that of a bat. Further ahead... The weight behind the footsteps combined with the length of the stride indicated an adult female. An adult male would have been heavier, a child taking big steps wouldn't have such a regular and steady walk. At least, if this was a human. The footsteps sounded like those of a humanoid, but if it was something else Itori would have to be closer to be sure. For now she just kept moving. The wanderer was moving deeper into the forest, and if they went too deep getting the wanderer back out if they didn't belong here would get troublesome. Nests of darkness like these rarely gave up their prey easily.

When she had gotten close Itori confirmed with her ears that it was a humanoid, although her spiritual side sensed something that made her uneasy. Whatever was up ahead, it wasn't fully human. And it carried with it the dangerous vibe of something from the planes of agony and rage. Demon? What would one of those be doing here? Itori's grip on her hilt tightened as her vermilion eyes narrowed almost into slits. Her stance with the twisted spirits was dubious: she was aware that they were formed of suffering and thus pitied them, but they threatened to destroy souls which was unforgivable. What would she do if she were facing a demon here?

No time to think about it, because it looked like the wanderer had sensed her presence. Dangerous. How had she done that? Itori didn't think she'd betrayed her approach, but apparently she had been careless in some way. Maybe this person didn't sense her using physical means... hiding yourself from someone with sharp supernatural senses was always tricky. Itori could solve it with illusions, but the more illusions you used the harder it was to conceal that something was amiss... and she wasn't strong enough to completely dominate someone's reality without some serious effort.

The wanderer was demanding that she showed herself, so Itori had little choice but to step out from between the trees and face her fellow stranger. Several yards ahead of her Kenna would see a rather traditional figure step out: a woman with a white kimono jacket and a red divided skirt, with a kitsune mask covering her face. Silver-white hair framing the mask and reaching to the shoulders with prominent fox ears, and behind the woman three long flowing fox tails covered with fur of the same hue as her hair. One hand hidden by the wide sleeve of the jacket, and the other hand resting on the hilt of a pure white katana hanging from her hip in a pure white sheath.

"Why have you entered this realm? It is a dangerous place for those who don't reside here." The woman appeared to make no sound except from her voice, which was lyrical and soft but with an ethereal and nearly haunting tone to it. "Were you lured here? The denizens of this forest most likely call outsiders with whispers and dreams."

Itori was pretty sure she heard more than one voice, but that didn't change much. For now she focused on appearing too otherworldly to attack recklessly. Trying to appear hostile would just make it easier for this woman to treat her as an enemy, and acting too friendly could make the woman too demanding. With her mask augmenting her already spiritual nature and with her entire appearance looking like it belonged to a creature from folklore she could hopefully figure out what this woman needed and why she was here before deciding to guide her back outside or... whatever else she had to do.

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Standing in front of the woman Itori could determine that this most certainly wasn't a human. While she looked the part on the physical level the kitsune's spiritual senses were finely attuned, allowing her to see the stranger's true nature: that of a demon. This immediately made the potential threat level skyrocket, as there were few creatures that Itori was more cautious about than demons. Twisted spirits formed from unbearable hatred and anguish, they were natural sadists and devious tricksters. Worse than their raw power or their techniques was their tendency to harm the very souls of those they targeted, either corrupting them or consuming them for more power. As someone who tried to protect spirits Itori was very wary around demons.

However it looked like so far she was in a good position. The demon appeared uncertain about Itori's presence or her nature, and wasn't showing any open hostility beyond the sword. The white-haired woman certainly wasn't leaving herself open, but if Itori was careful she might be able to navigate through this encounter with minimal risk to herself. Of course there was the question whether she should be telling the demon to leave or let her be consumed by whatever dark effect had taken hold of this place. It would be an easy way to get rid of a potential threat... but on the other hand this demoness hadn't given her any reason to condemn her yet. Maybe she shouldn't be quick to treat her as an enemy.

Hearing the second voice Itori didn't move aside from a single twitch of her ears, her masked face staying focused on Kenna's as she listened to the additional information. It looked like the demon was wary of her as well. She wasn't entirely sure what aura she could have that would make a demon wary.

"Whispers can come in many forms, only the nature staying the same. What can feel like your own decision can end up being the design of another. When dealing with forces like this you should be wary of your own actions. Those who are confident that they are in control may not feel the strings pulling on them." Upon hearing the declaration of being a mage of Sabertooth Itori fell quiet, not responding to the rest of what Kenna said as her thoughts raced. Was this a coincidence? From what she had heard so far she had successfully hidden her identity, so it couldn't be that the demoness was trying to make her lower her guard. A lucky guess? That also seemed unlikely. And it wouldn't be the first time that a demon had been part of Sabertooth... a decision which Itori wasn't too happy with, but if a demon had decided to help the mortal races rather than treat them as prey the kitsune wasn't going to force them to reconsider that decision.

Unmoving she stared at Kenna through her mask, trying to make up her mind. The odds of this woman lying were low, and if she was speaking the truth there was no reason for them to treat each other as strangers or enemies. And given the circumstances infighting would just leave them open to whatever malignant force was at work here. Making up her mind Itori spoke again, this time a bit more loudly.

"There is definitely something wrong here. This entire forest has been consumed by a dark force which is attempting to draw in creatures from the outside. I am unsure of the purpose but most likely it either requires sustenance or is attempting to spread its influence beyond the borders of the forest. However you are also correct that I myself am not a part of this forest. I believe introductions are in order."

Moving slowly as to not alarm the other woman she lifted the hand that was not resting on the hilt of her sword, then used the other hand to move the sleeve back until her forearm was exposed. The first thing Kenna would see were the prayer beads wrapped around Itori's arm, followed up by the vermilion Sabertooth mark adorning her upper forearm. Once her arm was laid bare Itori pushed the kitsune mask back to reveal her face, dispelling the illusions that were making her appear ethereal even as her vulpine features remained prominent.

"I am Shirokawa Itori, another mage from Sabertooth. I came here for the same reason as you. Although I once again want to warn you of the dangers of this place if you insist on staying I suggest we work together.

Once Kenna had gotten a good look at the Sabertooth guild mark Itori let her arm drop, glancing around as she once again rested one hand on the hilt of her sword. "My apologies if I came across as hostile or demanding, but this truly is a dangerous place to be. If it were not for you also being a mage of Sabertooth I would have insisted on you leaving at once. As it is, if you insist on staying I would ask your name." Her vermilion eyes studied their surroundings before returning to Kenna, her expression more open now although she still looked cautious due to the area they were in.

WC: 874
TWC: 3,441/3,500
TTWC: 5,552/7,000