It had been a quiet day so far. Itori had helped sweep the floors of the Red Dragon Inn, cleaned some of the rooms, then wandered throughout Ace of Spades and helped out people with their daily tasks. It might seem strange that she could just walk up to people and aid them with housework, but by this point, she was well-known across the city and everyone was aware that she considered it part of her duty as an Ace to help the citizens, even if it was with mundane tasks that she could finish in an instant if she but bothered to use her magic for it.

But using magic would defeat the point. Itori wasn't opposed to using magic, even for simple tasks, but there were times where you didn't want to resort to using your most potent abilities. For her wandering through the town and helping people out was as much for the sake of having something to do with her time as for the sake of altruism. Not that she was in danger of getting bored or anything: the tenko had long since forgotten what it meant to be bored. It was just that of all the things she could imagine doing with her time she quite enjoyed the idea of doing this.

It also helped that the people of the Ace of Spades were friendly and cooperative.

So no, she wouldn't use her magic to finish their chores in an instant. Unless there was an emergency or she was short on time there was simply no point to it. Life had no meaning if you only ever used the most efficient means to skip the journey and reach the goal. She'd known other long-lived people who felt the same: an entire tribe, now lost to the sands of time, who for as long as they'd lived had tried to avoid using their supernatural abilities as much as they could. They could achieve nearly everything they wanted as long as they put the effort into it, but they had realized that danger of such power and shyed away from it.

To this day Itori was quite certain that the cause of their disappearance from this world was not a natural disaster or hostilities with other people. Instead she believed that the tribe of nigh-immorttals had run out of reasons to remain in this world.

A tragic story. Depending on how you looked at it.

She thought about that as she began to stroll back towards the Red Dragon Inn, where she would use the teleportation device to return to Yggdrasil. She'd spent enough time helping people, and she had an interest in spending some time reading. The libraries inside the world tree were of such massive size that she was quite sure that even if she had a second eternity she wouldn't be able to read everything in there. Maybe Gaia could... The other Ace could read at quite an amazing pace, and that wasn't even including the enchanted glasses she used.

"Hey, Ito! Message for you from Gaia!"

Itori tilted her head to the side. Speak of the devil... She looked up above, where Nenet the phoenix quickly swooped down and landed right in front of her, holding out a letter. The fiery-winged woman was looking as chipper as usual, and Itori answered that familiar grin with a smile even as she accepted the letter. "Thank you very much Nenet. I assume you already know what the contents are?" She didn't think it was possible for anyone to explain to Nenet that there was something indecent about reading Itori's mail. Not that the tenko minded, since she trusted Nenet, but still...

"Oh, yeah. She needs your help with a job. Something about an ancient sword." Nenet shrugged as she placed her hands behind her head. "She's in Rose Garden, anyway."

Itori raised an eyebrow as she stepped to the side of the street so the two of them wouldn't interfere with the traffic while she read through the letter. "I would not have guessed that Miss Sabin would have an interest in any sword." There were plenty of mages who had an interest in weapons, whether it was ranged or melee, but Gaia had always appeared to be drawn both towards books and magic. Reading the letter herself definitely cleared up any confusion, however. "Well, it appears to be less about the blade itself, and more about the history behind it." She looked at Nenet, who was already nodding. "Could I ask you to accompany me?"

---

Arriving at the edge of Rose Garden Nenet turned back into her bipedal form after Itori had slid off of her back. While Itori was capable of travelling on her own two feet Nenet was both fast and quite a comfortable ride. Itori wasn't entirely sure whether it was because of the softness of her feathers or the warmth of her phoenix flames, which rather than scorching your flesh would warm your very soul. Regardless of the reason, she found it quite pleasant and Nenet certainly didn't mind helping out like that.

"So this Stroke guy was some master swordsman who could basically do anything with a sword? I bet he knew a lot about stroking then!" Nenet snickered at the easy joke. Itori, however had her eyes cast ahead as her ears twitched and she located Gaia's presence within the large city. "The basics of the story are accurate. Stroke was a master of the blade, with abilities of such magnitude that I imagine even Miss Nassar would have found facing them a challenge. A warrior without equal, many would say."

Nenet raised her eyebrows at that, then blinked. "Oh! Did you know him?" Itori shook her head, the phoenix girl following the tenko as the two of them began to walk towards where Gaia had to be waiting. "I heard of Stroke during my travels, but we never did cross paths. I must admit, given how this was a scant few decades ago I am mildly surprised that the story has already become something of a legend. Whether that is a testiment to how unique a person Stroke was, or merely an example of how quickly history fades from memory..." She left the thought unfinished, Nenet raising her eyebrows further before shrugging and looking around instead. "Well, the sword is definitely real."

Itori nodded this time. "Indeed it is. And we shall most likely meet more than a few individuals who would want it for themselves. For better or for worse." Her vermilion eyes were looking into the distance, looking at something beyond sight, before she returned to the here and now. "Probably one of the reasons why Gaia wants to get her hands on it." Nenet chuckled as she saw some street performers juggling flaming spheres. "I really like Rose Garden. It's always so lively." Given that her own element was fire she was right at home with the vibrant atmosphere of one of the most magic-laden cities of Fiore.

Itori didn't immediately answer that observation, but she couldn't disagree. The world was filled with places where life was tough: it was nice to visit a place like Rose Garden where you could see the fruits of people trying their hardest to create a place worth living in. It also helped strengthen her desire to help create other places of a similar nature. Ace of Spades was one of them: while it lacked the sheer liveliness of Rose Garden it was thriving and filled with warmth. The kind of city where you could spend your entire life and be content every single day, from child to elder.

As the two of them reached the spot where Gaia's letter had told them to meet up Nenet would be the first to call out towards the tarot mage, raising both hands in greeting. "Hey goodlooking! Hope we didn't make ya wait too long!" She gave her usual friendly and slightly cheeky grin. Itori meanwhile simply walked up to Gaia and gave her a light bow. "It is good to see you in good health Miss Sabin. I believe we are to aid you in recovering a powerful artefact before it is taken by those of a less savoury nature?"

WC: 1,381
PWC: 1,381
TWC: 2,745/20,000

While Gaia and Itori discussed the job at hand Nenet gazed out over the ocean. As a phoenix she didn't really have much interest in the large water bodies: for one thing, she had all her flames which she would rather not see extinguished. For the other, she could fly so it wasn't like she had any difficulty crossing such obstacles. She could count the amount of times that she had to swim on one hand. All the other instances had been more for the sake of fun than anything else, but she doubted that there would be a lot of vacation time during this job.

While Nenet was rather unusually lost in thought Itori listened attentively as Gaia explained the situation in person, nodding at the right times to show that she was keenly paying attention to the other ace's words. "Given the level of power that Stroke wielded during their time it would have been inexcusably neglectful of me to not answer your request for aid in finding their sword." She tilted her head slightly to the side. "Of course as we are members of Sabertooth dangers that originate from this realm are not necessarily our primary concern but I would be surprised if anyone commented on that."

"I shall also dedicate myself to being a worthwhile contribution to this mission." After giving Gaia a light bow Itori's ear twitched and she looked towards where the boarding whistle was blown, alerting all passengers that it was time to depart. "Nenet and I are prepared to depart, so I suggest that we hasten ourselves to board the ship." As if on cue Nenet rejoined the conversation, grinning as she looked at the boat. "Hey, if it means I can just relax and let the boat do all the work." With that she stepped on board, with Itori following behind. While Gaia might only have bought two tickets due to not having met Nenet before Itori would quickly resolve that small issue so the three of them could set sail.

Nenet wandered about on the deck, watching the crew work, while Itori joined Gaia at the railing. "I must admit that I was rather surprised to learn that Stroke is treated as a legend despite their story describing events that occurred in very recent history." She gazed out over the endless waters. "Usually such a story would only become a legend after at least half a century had passed, if not more. It makes me wonder why the story of Stroke and the blade Divinus would change from history to folklore so rapidly."

Unfortunately she had to respond negatively to Gaia's question, shaking her head as she did so. "I fear that I will not be of much use in that regard. While I did hear of the exploits of Stroke during that time I was occupied with other matters. The only thing I know is that Stroke sailed out into Cloud Sea to find the most isolated of islands, to build a shrine in which the blade Divinus would be sealed away to prevent it being abused by individuals of the same character that we mentioned earlier. As such, the only lead and suggestion that I have is that our target must be a lone island, most likely small and nameless."

Of course Itori did have some methods to help search, but she wasn't going to be able to shortcut the entire job by simply telling Gaia where the shrine with the sword was. As the two of them discussed the task the skies would remain clear, which was a good omen since being out at sea during a storm was just the worst. Nenet was spending her time flirting with one of the crew members, with varying levels of success.

"While we have mentioned the risk of less pleasant individuals obtaining the sword Divinus I find myself curious whether you have received information that such individuals are currently actively searching for it or if we are merely pre-emptively taking the sword into custody."

WC: 675
PWC: 2,057
TWC: 3,968/20,000

Itori inclined her head as Gaia expressed her gratitude, then pondered the question of why Stroke's legacy faded into legend so quickly. The tarot mage's suggestion, that it was because the blade master had been so unusually powerful that it was difficult to see such stories as anything but legends, was worth considering, the tenko folding her arms inside of her wide sleeves. "That could be part of the explanation, although even then I would have anticipated for there to be those who had known Stroke personally, and who would still be around to affirm that the blade master did, in fact, exist."

"Maybe they couldn't be arsed." Itori let out a small sigh at Nenet's casual input. The phoenix might be correct, but the tenko would rather not just attribute the situation to what was the most laziest answer possible. "That said, the fact that most people consider Stroke little more than a legend does mean there should be less individuals invested in acquiring the mythical blade. If Stroke was commonly accepted as being real entire nations might have become involved in the fight over the weapon that could guarantee victory to the wielder." The blade, Divinus, was no mere weapon after all. Stroke could have slain most opponents with little more than a kitchen knife, but it was Divinus which helped Stroke achieve feats which no mere mortal should be capable of achieving no matter how good they were with a blade.

The nine-tailed fox frowned slightly, then shook her head as Gaia suggested that there could be fakes. "It is certainly a possibility, but I would not spend too much time anticipating it. From how I remember it the stories say Stroke built the shrine housing the divine blade alone, over the span of four years. Unless the records have omitted the aid of other individuals it is more likely that Stroke did not have the luxury to also build several fake shrines." She closed her eyes as her tails swayed softly behind her. "In addition, Stroke was most firmly a blade master, utilizing no abilities or tricks beyond physical prowess and skill with the sword. If any challenges have been left behind to increase the difficulty of acquiring Divinus it is unlikely Stroke would base those challenges around deception. A master of the sword may use feints to confuse their opponent, but they would not rely on a hidden blade to strike."

"That aside, I wholeheartedly agree that it is vital for us to keep such a powerful weapon out of the hands of those who would misuse it, of which there are many." The tenko looked out ahead, vermilion eyes studying the waters ahead before her ears twitched and she glanced to the side instead. "And as we speak of the devil, may its presence be revealed to us." Her expression was one of distaste, as she was forced to listen to really poor music even before it came close enough for the others to notice.

Nenet, on the other hand, laughed once she could hear it. "Well, someone is having fun!" She looked away from the sailor who was managing to resist her playful flirting, the phoenix unbothered as she instead watched the ragtag bunch of fools with a grin. "Might as well leave them be, they're pretty funny." Even though she said that she didn't actually bother to get in Gaia's way when the tarot mage summoned one of her dragons to wash the other boat away. Instead the phoenix just leaned against the railing of their own ship and waved at the beggar-looking crew as they were carried away by the wave. "Better luck next time~"

Itori, on her side, did her best to put that bunch of nothings behind her. Gaia had gotten rid of them without harming them, so there was no reason to pay any more attention to them. Instead she kept listening to their surroundings, her brow furrowing once more as she could hear another ship in the distance. "I suspect we shall be facing a more problematic adversary within the next half an hour. They are still quite far away, but from the sounds of it they are considerably better equipped and also better trained than those men Sir Pachua just relocated."

Nenet looked into the distance, then back at Itori and Gaia. "Want me to go deal with them? A little fire on the deck should scare them off, and I might be able to get a fight in as well." Her grin made it clear that she was itching for an excuse to punch somebody.

Itori glanced at Gaia. "I suspect that might be the best course of action. The less uncout individuals we have to deal with on course to securing the weapon the better. Just be careful not to get captured..." She resisted the urge to sigh again. Knowing Nenet she might let herself get captured so she could fight her way free or something.

"I make no promises!" With that Nenet jumped into the air and spread her wings, flying off into the distance where a ship was beginning to become visible on the horizon, albeit still far, far away. Nenet's wings left behind a fiery, glowing trail as she quickly became a distant figure as well.

WC: 885
PWC: 2,942
TWC: 5,857/20,000

@Gaia

"It is true that the accomplishments of Stroke were of such scope and magnitude that more than a few might dismiss the stories as nothing more than embellishments and fanciful tales." Itori mused as Gaia contributed her own idea for why Stroke might not be better known. The tenko might have spent more time considering the question, but the band of ragtag misfits in an even shabbier boat distracted her. After that she was thinking about other things, so the question of Stroke's anonymity faded away into the back of her mind.

Itori stood next to Gaia as she peered out over the waves towards where Nenet was approaching the distance ship. Her folded arms were hidden inside the wide sleeves of her clothes, leaving little more visible of her than her nine lustrous tails and her head. She nodded as Gaia commented on their next encounter. "Indeed. To brave the waves is no small task, and those who are unprepared will either bring back tales of disaster or not return at all. Those driven away by your ally should count themselves lucky that they made it this far, given their abundant lack of skill and experience." She showed a small smile. "Thankfully, as casual as Nenet may be in mannerism, it is unlikely that a collective of common bandits, seafaring or not, would be able to overwhelm her." Itori might find Nenet's behaviour a tad too playful, but she would never deny her friend's skill.

"It is no trouble at all Mrs. Sabin. Most likely she will take her time, savouring the opportunity." Itori looked towards Gaia, ignoring the ship in the distance for the moment as she held out one hand, palm upwards. Above the hand a small illusion formed, a sphere showing a scene of a valley hidden in the Phoenix Mountains. "Some time ago Sir Uchūken fell ill, and it was deduced that the most effective medicine would consist of yellow bamboo seeds, only found in the Phoenix Mountains. I was tasked to retrieve these seeds: aside from an opportunity to test my abilities, the Phoenix Mountains can be quite dangerous for the unprepared."

In the distance a fiery light erupted from the pirate ship, and if one strained their ears they might hear sounds of battle and screams. Itori barely acknowledged it, merely flicking one ear before continuing her tale. "Finding the location I was prepared to retrieve the seeds and swiftly depart, but as it turned out a phoenix considered the valley an extension of its territory. Unsurprisingly, that phoenix was Nenet. After a brief conflict I managed to persuade her to allow me to obtain the seeds I required. However, to do so I had to rely on some unorthodox methods." The illusionary sphere above Itori's hand showed how the tenko had entered the valley only to be assaulted by Nenet in her full phoenix form, the nine-tailed fox relying on her magic barriers to keep Nenet's flames at bay until the phoenix left for seemingly no reason.

"After she realized what I had done Nenet sought me out. At first she wished to resume the fight, unsatisfied with the conclusion. However, eventually she explained that, as much as the encounter got on her nerves, she found my abilities interesting. After that she... simply decided to remain with me rather than returning to her nest." The sphere faded away as Itori folded her arms inside her sleeves once more. "All things considered it was a simple chain of events. However, as much as I wish that Nenet could be a bit more cautious and reserved at times, I would not deny that she is a pleasant companion."

In the distance more flames flared up on the pirate ship, now close enough that one could easily hear the sounds of people in distress. Itori's ear flicked again, and she sighed. "I do hope that she leaves the ship in whole enough a state that those brigands can sail away after she loses interest. Otherwise we may have to take them captive."

WC: 677
PWC: 3,619
TWC: 6,975/20,000

@Gaia

Itori was glad that Gaia was enjoying the story, true as it was. Aside from being quite amusing in a way, how she only met Nenet because the phoenix happened to be aggressive within her territory, only to then abandon said territory to follow Itori around, it was a way to keep the two of them occupied while Nenet did her work clearing out the pirate ship. There didn't appear to be any powerful entities on that ship, so they could trust the phoenix to be able to handle it... although whether she ship would still be intact was a different question entirely. For that, they'd have to rely on fate itself to deliver the answer.

"It would be safe to assume that anyone who fails to admit that they are outmatched will be incapacitated by Nenet. While she does sincerely enjoying toying with her prey, she remains aware of what our objective is, and would not tolerate these pirates to remain a threat after she has lost interest in them." The tenko looked back towards the ship in the distance. "Truthfully, their apparent weakness is a blessing in disguise. Nenet can be quite lethal when facing adversaries who pose a serious threat, but with those significantly weaker than herself she is usually careful to not go overboard." She might give the pirates broken bones and scorched skin, but probably nothing that they couldn't recover from.

After the rum was spilled there was a flare from the pirate ship as it quickly ignited, which caused the situation onboard to go from problematic to dangerous. Most of the pirates were beginning to abandon ship at this point, jumping into the water where at least Nenet's flames couldn't reach them so easily. Of course, not soon after this Gaia gave her summons permission to go and aid the phoenix, so those pirates who were seeking refuge in the water were now facing a water dragon. Their response, understandably so, was to try and get out of the dragon's way, clinging to barrels and life buoys to remain adrift. Some of them had also managed to lower a rowboat, but it couldn't really hold all of them.

Itori frowned lightly as she considered the question posed to her, but then shook her head. "It should be of little concern. Nenet may be kin of fire, due to her nature as a phoenix, but as long as they don't try to extinguish her flames she would not be biased against them. Of course, given that a water being may extinguish her flames accidentally... we shall have to hope that Sir Pichu is careful in his assistance." She gave an amused smile as Gaia's smaller companion, Noya, tried to get to the tarot mage's summoning cards. "Thankfully, I believe we shall not have to wait much longer before we can resume our journey."

On the pirate ship Nenet was facing the captain and the first mate, seemingly the only ones who hadn't jumped overboard yet. While they weren't immune to their flames the first mate could use water magic, which kept the worst at bay. The captain, meanwhile, was wielding a magical blade which produced a substance the phoenix was suspicious of: it burned, which was good, but even if it wasn't ignited it caused a hissing sound when it hit the wooden deck. With the first mate acting as support the captain was advancing with complex sword techniques, Nenet doing her best to dodge them while also attempting to land a blazing punched which wasn't quickly extinguished by the first mate. She'd go for the first mate, but the captain wasn't giving her the opportunity to switch targets or fly overhead. "Come on then, try to actually hit me!" Yet she was having fun, as the grin on her face made clear.

WC: 638
PWC: 4,257
TWC: 8,227/20,000

"Nenet might appear carefree, but she is not unintelligent. She would be aware that a dragon who is kin of water would not find any comfort in her fire and extinguish any flames obstructing their path. And Sir Pachua is an ally, so she would have no reason to take offence or perceive it as aggression." Having allies with close bonds to different elements could get tricky depending on their personalities and the way said elements interacted, but Itori trusted Nenet to not throw a fit at the water dragon getting rid of some of the fires she'd started so he could move freely. After all, even a dragon couldn't just brush off a phoenix's flame with all its mystical properties.

With Pachua swiftly gathering all the pirates who'd abandoned the ship the only targets left to deal with were the captain and the first mate. Their combination was making it difficult for Nenet to get in and punch their lights out, but at the same time they weren't managing to drive her off either. The current situation was a stalemate, and the moment Pachua showed up that stalemate was broken. Nenet rolled her eyes as Pachua asked her to wrap things up. "Fine, fine. Help me out and we can put an end to this." The captain and the first mate didn't look happy at how casually they were dismissed, but both of them knew that facing a phoenix and a dragon at the same time was bad news, even if neither of the mythical beings were taking the fight very seriously.

Nenet took the opportunity and dashed forward even as Pachua threatened the first mate with his cup. Once he released his own stream of water the first mate tried to block it, but the dragon's deluge was stronger than what he could withstand, driving him back even as he tried to maintain his footing. The captain, now without the first mate's backup, performed several slashes to keep Nenet out of striking range, but now that she no longer had to fear the first mate's water magic Nenet jumped over the captain's hissing blade. Spinning vertically in the air she kicked the captain's hands with enough force that the sword was wrested from her grasp, and upon landing Nenet spun horizontally to kick the sword away.

The captain raised her fists to try and grapple Nenet. The phoenix, having other planes, knocked the captain's arms aside with her blazing wings. With the captain's weak spots wide open Nenet first punched her opponent straight in the guts, then when the captain doubled over Nenet followed up with an uppercut which sent the poor human flying until she collapsed in a heap on the deck. "There we go! Now for the last one!" She grinned as she advanced on the first mate, who was still desperately trying to maintain his footing. The dragon's torrent was threatening to launch him right off of the ship, but so far he was barely holding on.

That ended when Nenet knocked his feet out from under him with a low roundhouse kick. The first mate barely had time to register what had happened before he flew off of the deck and into the ocean. Nenet laughed, then grabbed the captain and tossed her overboard as well. "All right then, let's go back to the others. Good job buddy." She gave Pachua a wink and a thumbs up before spreading her wings and leaving the ship behind. The ship, with all its crew overboard, continued to burn merrily. Another person might be worried about what would happen to the pirates, but Nenet figured that they'd be all right. The first mate was pretty much unharmed, after all, and having a water mage with you made surviving on the ocean a lot easier, especially if you weren't that far away from inhabited land.

Returning to the ship Gaia and Itori were on Nenet called out before landing. "That was fun! Found anything yet?"

WC: 667
PWC: 4,924
TWC: 9,361/20,000

@Gaia

With the pirates having been taken care of the four of them could afford to relax once more. Nenet nodded as Gaia explained that they were quickly approaching land. "Good. I get the feeling that as long as we stay on the waters we'll have to deal with more of those." She shrugged and gave a quick grin. "Not that I mind, but I'm guessing the two of you would rather not fight one pirate gang after another," Itori could be so boring sometimes, preferring the route of minimal violence. The tenko was a peaceful spirit, and while she definitely could fight when needed she would never choose to do so if she thought it unnecessary.

Itori indeed did nod in agreement. "Our primary objective is to secure the sword, to prevent it falling in the hands of those who would misuse it. If possible, we should avoid confrontations." Tilting her head slightly she listened to the winds and the waters. She could already hear the distant sounds of other sea vessels, even if it would take several minutes before they would get close enough to be spotted by her companions. "Once we have achieved that objective their presence would no longer be an issue, as there should be no civilian seafarers in the vicinity." Pirates and thugs could be as threatening and hostile as they wanted, but once Gaia and Itori possessed Stroke's blade it would be all for naught.

For the next ten minutes Itori would sit there and quietly meditate, listening to the song of the world. Nenet would lean over the side of the ship, gazing into the distance as she enjoyed the sensation of the wind caressing her feathered wings. More trouble would soon arrive, but for the moment at least they could enjoy the good weather. "Pirates aside, it's a good thing it's not raining or something. Imagine having to make our way through that!"

Once Pachua announced the presence of yet another ship Nenet pushed herself upright and cracked her knuckles. "Shall I go and deal with them?" While she was looking at Gaia it was clear that the question was as much aimed at Itori, who did indeed answer by shaking her head, her eyes remaining closed. "I support the plan laid out by Mrs. Sabin. Let us prioritize evasion, and only resort to more aggressive methods when conflict becomes unavoidable." Of course, given that she'd said 'when' instead of 'if', she was quite confident that eventually they'd have to fight again.

"Well, all right then." Nenet looked a bit disappointed, but didn't argue further as she instead watched the other ship in the distance, shielding her eyes with one hand against the sun. "That's a pretty big ship though. Also looks a lot different."

"That design is called a longship. It is favoured by raiders."

"Huh. Not pirates then?" Nenet looked back towards Itori, who hadn't moved from her spot.

"They are similar, but not quite identical. While raiders are also known to attack other ships they are more famous for pillaging coastal settlements. Their ships are also designed with this purpose in mind: they are fast and shallow, allowing for the raiders to quickly arrive, plunder, and depart." Itori opened her eyes. "A transport ship like the one we are utilizing will not be able to outpace a longship."

"Awesome. So, fighting time?"

Shaking her head Itori turned towards Gaia. "I agree that it would be best for us to part ways with this ship and its crew. Those raiders must be here for the sword, in which case they should not give chase if this ship were to divert its course." She looked back towards Nenet, a light smile on her face. "It might also be beneficial for us to make a scene of departing. I imagine that you know how to accomplish this."

Nenet raised an eyebrow, then pointed at herself with a thumb. "Me? Sure, let's do that then." Crouching down her form shifted: feathers quickly covered her entire body, her legs turned into full-fledged talons. Within moments she had turned into a large bird, with a magnificent coat displaying a myriad of colours while possessing the vibrance of the sun.

"Nenet and I shall follow the two of you. Our pursuers will have little difficulty noticing Nenet." A dragon was already pretty noticeable, but a blazing phoenix? Impossible to miss.

Climbing onto Nenet's back Itori settled herself, then lightly patted her companion. Flapping her wings Nenet ascended into the skies, quickly following after Pachua who was carrying Gaia. In the distance the other ships, which had been gaining on the transport the mages had been using, kept following the two flying figures while the transport ship slightly changed course to find a place to safely hide while Gaia and Itori finished their mission.

"Agreed. We should obtain the sword before the competition has an opportunity to do so. I fear that if one of them were to wield the weapon even the four of us might face significant difficulty in reclaiming it." While a lot of Stroke's power manifested in physical ability and skill, the divine weapon Stroke had wielded would still be immensely powerful and dangerous in the hands of another.

WC: 876
PWC: 5,800
TWC: 11,118/20,000

@Gaia

With Nenet flying through the air, bright and radiant as she was, there was no way that the other ships would miss her. As the Sabertooth mages kept making their way towards the island and their transport ship changed course to get to safety it was a relief to see that their plan had worked: the other ships showed no interest in the ship as it instead went after the dragon and the phoenix. While this meant that Sabertooth would have to deal with this miscreants in the process of securing the sword, at least it meant that innocent civilians would not be involved in the conflict any longer. That, and Itori thought their odds were pretty good when it came to a direct confrontation with these individuals. Numerous as they might be, none of them appeared to be truly remarkably adversaries.

However, the situation changed a little when Gaia called upon another of her draconic allies, with a call to push their pursuers back. At first the longship tried to weather the unnatural storm, but as the waters kept raging and smashing against the vessel the raiders were forced to acknowledge that a frontal charge wouldn't get them through this obstacle. The longship turned as it set course for another part of the course, far enough away from the Sabertooth mages that it would be difficult for them to use magic to prevent the raiders from making landfall. Especially since, fast as Pachu and Nenet were, these raiders clearly were familiar with the sea and knew how to make good time as well.

The second ship, bigger and slower than the longship, was further away, and not as heavily affected by Apalala's waves. While it was slowed down it kept stubbornly trudging onward. It would take some time before it would reach the shore, but Sabertooth would nevertheless have to move quickly.

Reaching land Nenet would spread her wings wide to slow herself down, then planted her talons on the sand and waited for Itori to dismount. The tenko quickly jumped off, allowing Nenet to return to her humanoid form and stretch. "So, think they noticed?"

"Most certainly." Itori commented as she looked out over the waters towards the large ship which was still slowly heading for the coast, the longship already having moved quite far in its quest to find a part of the coast which wasn't being guarded by the Sabertooth mages. "The assistance of King Apalala has bought us some valuable time. I suggest that we use it wisely."

"King who?" Nenet looked confused for a moment before comprehension dawned. "Oh, you mean the second dragon guy?" She pointed towards Apalala. "Yeah, that was a good trick. If it wasn't for the no killing thing you could've drowned them."

The phoenix shrugged as Gaia asked the rest their opinion about where the sword might be. "If the rumours say it's in a cave up the mountain we might as well look there first. We don't have any other clues, do we?" Jumping into the air she spread her wings as she looked out ahead over the dense forest, taking several seconds before coming back down. "Although we've got two mountains here, so we might have to split up if we want to make sure we get there first."

"I would rather that we remain together for the moment. Our adversaries may be weak individually, but they are numerous, which leaves us vulnerable to ambushes." Closing her eyes she brought her hands together. "If you can spare a moment I may be able to divine which direction we should take."

Nenet raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "Go ahead." Turning around she'd shield her eyes with one hand from the sun as she kept her gaze on the bigger ship in the distance. "Might not want to take too long though."

Unless either Gaia or the dragons had any objections Itori would become motionless as she cast her vision into the world beyond, gazing upon the island as if a bird flying above. Most of it was covered by dense forest, with the two mountains that Nenet had spotted before rising up from the sea of green as craggy monoliths. As she focused her vision on those mountains she noticed that their rough exterior made it difficult to discern between cliffs and caves.

After several minutes of this Itori would open her eyes. "I can not claim to be entirely certain, but I believe our odds would be better if we headed for the western mountain." Stepping forward she began to look for a way through the forest. "I should be able to guide us there, but we should hurry: the raiders have already made landfall, and they are moving with purpose."

WC: 794
PWC: 6,594
TWC: 12,798/20,000

@Gaia

With all the others quickly agreeing to follow Itori's lead the tenko walks into the forests that cover most of the island, carefully making her way past trees and brushes which appeared to have been left alone for many years. Stroke hadn't died that long ago in the grand scheme enough, but enough time had passed that nature had reclaimed most of the island... although most likely the swordmaster hadn't done much more than build a shrine for the divine blade that the Sabertooth mages were now seeking to secure.

Nevertheless, even with the dense overgrowth Itori did her best to find them a path which would lead them towards the western mountain. Viewing things from above didn't get you a clear view of the world below the foliage of the trees, but she had spotted a couple of clearings which she could use as points of reference to guide them. And fortunately, despite her clothes looking perhaps unsuited for travelling through a forest at a glance, her divided skirt meant she could still move freely, and combined with her experience travelling around the world she actually had a relatively easy time making her way onward, occasionally halting to check whether her companions were also doing well.

From the looks of it Gaia was keeping up quite well, even if she had to carry three passengers. It was interesting to see the two dragons in their minuscule forms. Nenet for her own part was hopping over brushes as if it was an afterthought, the ever-active phoenix finding a trek through the woods as unremarkable as a trip through the skies. "Man, there's a lot of trees around here. You'd almost think someone had planted them here on purpose." The fiery woman pushed a large branch out of the way, her brilliant feathers brushing against the leafs.

"That is improbable. Stroke had little reason to do so, and there are no other signs of any other individuals having visited this place since." While Nenet clearly wasn't serious with the suggestion, Itori had a hard time not giving a serious response. Perhaps she could work a little bit on that. Not that her companion minded too much, but it could become awkward under other circumstances.

When Gaia addressed her Itori turned her head to look at her fellow Ace, listening carefully to the woman's words before nodding. "Understood. The raiders should be to the northeast of our position. Most likely they will be heading for the same mountain as our group, so even after we secure the weapon we should prepare ourselves for a confrontation."

"I could go and deal with them." Nenet helpfully piped in. Itori glanced towards her friend and shook her head. "I am confident that you could, Nenet, but we shall also have to contend with the crew of the other ship. Given its size, I suspect there may be some troublesome elements present, and I would rather have you by our side when we face them." Truthfully, even such a huge ship was unlikely to hold any threats Gaia and Itori couldn't take care of, but the tenko preferred to be careful. Especially when their task was simply to secure the sword: it's not like they were here to deal with any criminals or dangerous monsters.

Nenet shrugged and flashed a grin. "All right then, I'll stick around to punch those other guys when they arrive." It didn't matter much either way to the phoenix.

At first their path onward had been level, but as they got closer to the mountain they'd have to walk up an incline in the land, the terrain also become rougher. At first they only had to make their way through the thick flora, but now they also had to watch out for places where rocks made advancement difficult. There were some vague signs of a path that Itori was trying to follow, but nature hadn't been kind to it. Still, they were steadily making progress, and if they looked back (and didn't get their vision obscured by the trees) they'd see that they were already a fair bit above sea level. "Within a few minutes we should reach the edge of the forest. Beyond there it should be easier to find the path Stroke must have built to reach the shrine, if this is indeed the correct mountain."

WC: 727
PWC: 7,321
TWC: 14,085/20,000

@Gaia

"As long as we stick to the path traversing the mountain should not yield any significant issues. That is, if Stroke deigned to built such a path." Itori frowned as she considered the possibility. "Given the nature of the weapon we are seeking it is possible that the previous owner did not wish for anyone to possess it, in which case we might find ourselves facing obstacles rather than a clear path forward." It all depended on what kind of mentality Stroke had: would the legendary sword master have believed that eventually someone worthy of the sword would arrive, or was the weapon meant to never be found or wielded again? But if it was the latter, why not simply destroy the blade, or bury it somewhere? A shrine was like a beacon: eventually it would draw in those who wished to claim the blade for themselves.

One of her ears twitched as the brief exchange between Gaia and Pachua occurred, the tenko quickly nodding as the tarot reader asked her whether she'd heard what the dragon had to say. "I did, yes. If others are already scaling the mountain as we speak we should hurry." She was rather surprised that someone was already this far: she had thought all their competition was behind them. She only had her own carelessness to blame for that. "Nenet, could you scout ahead without engaging? If they have already advanced to this point it would be better to not be reckless."

The phoenix nodded. "Sure thing. Meet you at the top of the mountain~!" Now that they'd left the forest behind she had plenty of space to spread her wings and take to the air, her vibrant feathers trailing a warm light as she quickly ascended higher and higher. Once she'd achieved a decent altitude she'd circle around the mountain, sharp eyes scanning the land below as she sought out those individuals that Pachua had managed to spot.

Itori watched Nenet leave. She'd hoped to keep the phoenix grounded to avoid giving away their position, but if their competition was already this close speed was more important than subterfuge. Her direction was drawn away when Gaia summoned a third dragon, this one with an apparent affinity for the earth. The tenko gave a light bow towards Dorolth in greeting. "Your assistance would be more than welcome, your majesty."

Gazing back towards the sea she saw that the longboat was quickly approaching the beach. In fact, even as she looked she could see small figures from raiders who were jumping into the water and wading the rest of the way to dry land, weapons in hand as they were drawn towards the same mountain as the Sabertooth mages were on, most likely attracted by Nenet's flying figure. "You would be correct in that assumption. I would rather that we retrieve the blade before we confront them, to avoid being caught unawares." As long as either of them held the sword these other groups wouldn't be able to get it unless they managed to defeat both Itori and Gaia, which was unlikely. If the sword was still in its place in the shrine a stealthy individual might be able to get away with it in the midst of combat, and while Itori didn't know the exact nature of those aboard the galley those raiders weren't going to rely on diplomacy to get what they want.

Fortunately, there was actually a path leading up the mountain now that the forest had given way to a rocky climb. It wasn't the smoothest of paths, barely more than a winding slope which had some flat stones laid down to help make the climb easier, but it was better than trying to scale the cliffs and rocks that formed the mountain's sides. "If necessary I could remain here and delay our competition while you proceed to the shrine. I believe my abilities would be more suitable if we wish to avoid a direct confrontation." If she didn't have to keep pace with Gaia and the others she could spend her time weaving some illusions and barriers to keep anyone other than themselves from getting close to the shrine.

WC: 699
PWC: 8,020
TWC: 15,360/20,000

@Gaia

Nenet's flight was swift and certain, and it didn't take long for her to spot the individuals who had managed to already make so much headway towards the shrine. They weren't following an established path, rather scaling the side of the mountain with apparent ease. They didn't appear to be raiders either: they had the look of professionals from a more sophisticated culture, and who were relying on the assistance of magic to move so quickly despite the rough terrain. From this distance, Nenet couldn't be certain of what exact magic they were using. It could be earth magic, it could be an enchantment, they could be messing with gravity for all she knew. All she knew was that Gaia and Itori would have to hurry if they wanted to reach the shrine first.

The shrine itself was also within her sights, and it was a relatively simple design. Time had yet to cause it to decay, but as it turned out a sword didn't require a very elaborate resting place, even if Stroke must have put a lot of work into it. An amazing swordmaster wasn't necessarily a good mason or carpenter, after all.

She would have flown down to study the shrine from up close, but at that point, there was a soft crack in the distance and a projectile pierced straight through one of Nenet's wings. The phoenix let out a surprised yelp as the impact of the strike made her tumble through the air before she corrected her flight, the wound already beginning to close itself and the lost feathers slowly regrowing. Harming a phoenix required more effort than simply piercing their skin, but it definitely caught her attention nonetheless. Glaring down she saw that one of the people climbing the mountain was aiming at her. Raising both of her own hands she summoned a large fireball and launched it towards the people scaling the rugged slopes of the mountain. Upon contact the flames scattered, latching onto whatever they could but for the most part failing to find anything flammable. The people themselves also didn't seem too bothered, although they had come to a halt.

If these sneaky fast folk were looking for a fight Nenet was going to give it to them. She'd been spotted anyway, so she might as well make it worth it. Without any hesitation she began to throw more fireballs down below, embers and sparks streaking through the air as the bombardment scattered against whatever barriers her targets were using to protect themselves, light and shadow dancing on the stones that surrounded them. She wasn't managing to hurt any of them, but it was hindering their advance and making it difficult for them to fire back. If nothing else, she'd buy more time for Gaia and Itori to retrieve the sword.

---

Itori nodded as Gaia asked for confirmation. "If I utilize my magic correctly I could delay them for hours, if not days. These raiders might be capable fighters and even have some experience dealing with magic, but illusion magic is one of the most suitable methods for delaying and hindering any force which has not taken precautions against it." The raiders would have to make their way through the forest before they reached the clear path to the summit of the mountain, after all, and within the forest she could help them get lost until they could no longer remember what year it was.

"I do not believe the assistance of your draconic companions is required, but I will not turn either of you down if you make such an offer. As long as Miss Sabin can retrieve the sword our objective will be complete, and I would be dedicating myself to avoiding direct conflict so far as possible." Depending on just how capable the raiders were they might be able to break free, but Itori was hardly expecting them to be masters at dealing with illusion magic. "But I would suggest that you hurry, Miss Sabin. It appears that Nenet has engaged the individuals that Sir Pachua mentioned before, which implies that time is of the essence at this point." It could be that Nenet had simply lost her cool and decided to pick a fight, but Itori chose to believe that if Nenet was getting in the way of their competition it was because said competition had a serious chance of reaching the shrine first otherwise.

Turning back to face the way theycame Itori sat down and closed her eyes, her ears pointing forward as she took in all the sounds of the world. The rustling of the trees, the very faint whistling as the wind brushed the pebbles and stones that adorned the mountainside. And, further into the distance, the noisy sound of armoured and armed seafaring roughmen making their way through the forest towards where they believed the fabled blade was kept.

Illusions were at their strongest when they supplemented reality rather than completely replacing it. Casting out her magic Itori wove it between the trees, through the air, and into the earth, forming an area in which reality became mutable. The raiders were making good headway, but as Itori began to work her magic they'd find that the same path which before had reliably led them onwards suddenly had them circling around, ending up in the same location where they'd started. Even if they stubbornly moved uphill they'd only find themselves somewhere else.

Some of them began to mark the trees to try and keep track of their path, only to encounter those same markings. The wind seemed to blow from different directions at times, the trees all looked the same, a moment of obscurity would result in two raiders being split up and not finding each other for minutes on end. What had been an orderly advance at first quickly turned into a huge argument as all the raiders were trying to figure out why they kept ending up close to the beach, and why the barren slopes of the mountain never got closer.

Itori softly hummed as she channelled her magic, the vibrations of her tune travelling through the air, far enough to reach the ears of the raiders even if it was soft enough that they didn't notice it. Truth be told, forests made such trickery far too easy: forests were difficult things to navigate in the first place so if Itori was given the opportunity to create illusory markings or shift things around a bit, not to mention using her enchanting voice to make the raiders more susceptible to confusion, there was little they could do against it.

WC: 1,107
PWC: 9,127
TWC: 16,927/20,000

@Gaia