Plotlogs
Sacrifices In Vain Sr Lanaeis 250420
In an ancient, haunted forest filled with whispers of the past and markers of countless lost souls, an uneasy alliance forms between Ezra, a college student and apprentice in dark arts, mentored by the notorious sorcerer Dr. Edith Rose, and Ritsuka, a skilled individual with a protective mind ward, under the watchful eyes of Daniel and Derek, representatives of the Black and White Circles, respectively. Their mission: secure and study a site of powerful, corrupt magic at the heart of the forest, resulting from a failed immortality ritual by a sorcerer long past.
Despite their initial reluctance and the clear dangers within the forest, including spectral figures, ghostly attacks, and a forest that seems to live and breathe with malevolent intent, Ezra and Ritsuka press on. Their path is fraught with terrifying encounters, such as a skeletal figure wielding dark sorcery, a haunted clearing with an altar dripping in blood, and a monstrous, axe-wielding colossus guarding their objective.
Ritsuka, showing remarkable bravery and adaptability, transforms into a kitsune to combat the threats head-on, including a direct assault on the horrifying skeletal guardian. Meanwhile, Ezra uses his knowledge and skills to temporarily paralyze the skeletal figure and makes a bold grab for a magically imbued knife, integral to the ritual site's power.
The duo's efforts culminate in a chaotic showdown at the site's heart, where Ritsuka's fierce determination and Ezra's tactical use of dark sorcery manage to break the ritual's hold over the area. The forest reacts violently to the disruption, expelling Ritsuka and Ezra and sealing itself shut.
In the aftermath, standing just outside the now-closed forest with the storm finally breaking above them, Daniel takes the mystical knife with a promise to report Ezra's success to his mentor, while Derek acknowledges Ritsuka's vital contributions and assures her that the White Circle will remember her assistance. Despite the ordeal, there's a mutual recognition of each other's strengths, with Ritsuka kindly vowing to mention Ezra's usefulness to his mentor, hinting at a newfound respect between the once-unlikely allies.
As the rain washes over them, marking the end of their harrowing journey, Ezra and Ritsuka part ways, leaving behind the silent, dead forest and its century-old secrets. The sacrifices made in pursuit of immortality, it seems, were all in vain—leaving only stories and whispers behind.
(Sacrifices In Vain(SRLanaeis):SRLanaeis)
[Sat Apr 19 2025]
In an ancient forest
Trees that rise as high as the eye can see fill this ancient forest, the bark of these giants covered in moss that drips from the branches above like gauzy curtains.
A path winds into these trees, flanked by roughly carved markers.
Dozens upon dozens of these markers guide those foolish enough to follow deeper into the oppressive gloom of this place, a thousand names carved upon their surfaces from a thousand people that will never be known.
It is afternoon, about 48F(8C) degrees,
Ezra is more or less his usual frumpy college self, having not really dressed for the occasion or whatever that occasion might be.
Overhead the sky is covered with storm clouds, heralding an oncoming downpour that no matter what, never seems to advance upon this forest. Under the cover of towering trees that must be thousands of years old-for these are trees that no one has named since the beginning of time-flank the dirt path that winds its way deep into the heart of the maze of this forest. The wind, whispering through the leaves of these ancient trees, tells stories. Stories that nag at the edges of one's mind. Stories of long ago blood spilling onto this once peaceful ground. However, today is different. Today is not the usual silence of the forest. Today there are interlopers. Humans. They stand at the entrance to the path, two figures, one clad in black, one in white. Each keeps as far from the other as possible, a tense silence, so thick you could cut it with a knife, stretching between them. They await something. Or someone. As Ezra, Ritsuka, and Daichi arrive, the two figures break the tense staring contest and turn to face the group. Waiting to give instructions to those that have accepted their call. Behind them, the forest seems to whisper, tempting the group closer. When they have reached earshot of the pair, the one in white speaks up. "Good afternoon. I am Derek Hymner, the representative of the White Circle sent to oversee this mission. As you received our letter, and have accepted the offer, I will now explain the nature of this mission. Long ago, this forest was the home of a sorcerer of incredible power. He lived in a time shortly after the Gods had begun to rise to their places. He was as powerful as any of the sorcerers that sought and attained godhood, but he wanted more. In an attempt to rise even higher, he gathered sacrifices. Forming a massive ritual circle that encompassed this entire forest, he used their life energies to infuse himself. He became immortal, as he'd wanted. But not in the way he planned. Our records tell nothing more than that. But after the ritual, these markers appeared from the ground of the forest. We have not been able to destroy them. At the center of this forest, in the original cite of the ritual, we have located a very strong concentration of corrupt magic. We need you to secure it, so that it might be studied, contained, and then cleansed." Meanwhile, the figure in black has informed his group of much the same, though his task is different. "We need you to secure the ritual cite. Gather all the information you can, and report back to me, so that we can capture and study the magic. Perhaps we will be able to use it, or at least learn from the advanced blood magic used in the original ritual."
Ritsuka puts a phone into a pocket, blue eyes briefly drawing up to the cloud that announce an incoming rain. The invitation she had gotten, she is holding under her phone and she opens it up again, her eyes turning to quickly go through them again. "I think you contacted the wrong person, mister. I am no arcanist." She glances back down. "And Sorcerer are usually especially powerful, how did this thing become 'immortal in a way he did not intend'? And what do you mean precisely with corrupt magic? Just so we are on the same page because of a cultural difficulty."
Ezra looks to the man in black and nods once, slowly and firmly. He understands the assignment.
"We have no idea." Derek admits. "The corrupt magic... its like something we've never seen before. An anomaly, if you will. As for your lack of arcane knowledge, we expect you to explore and secure the cite. You will be..." Derek swallows, lips twisting in visible disgust. "Working with the Black Circle's representative as well to reach the cite. You need only get there, and clear a way for me. I will handle the containment." The man in Black, who would introduce himself as Daniel Collins, returns the firm nod to Ezra, stepping aside. The forest path is now open, should any choose to enter... Derek continues speaking... "Your task is not to use or manipulate the magic present. It is to contain it. Secure it so that we can easily access it. Better yet, if you find the source somehow, destroy it so the Black Circle can't use it." Daniel gives Derek an icy glare at that. Above, a flash of lightning rips the sky in half, thunder roaring in the distance like an angry beast. And yet, as rain falls just twenty feet from the forest's edge... None falls within a twenty foot circle around the forest. How odd...
"Alright that is simple enough. Can't mess with the magic anyway." Ritsuka quietly supposes before she glances the asian man and then Ezra over. "Konichiwa." She says, only barely making a dip of her head. "You both will be working for the Black Circle? The cooperating competition to the White Circle?"She asks.
"Right, don't use the magic," Ezra nods giving his understanding in a way that clearly means whatever Derek doesn't know won't hurt him. "Just work with her, get the artifacts and bring them back here." He does look around and Lower his voice to Daniel, "So just that we are clear, this is just apprentice level work right?"
Ezra bows his head to Ritsuka. "Ezra. Pleased to meet you. Yes I suppose I shall."
Stepping in, Derek motions to the asian man. "He is with you, working for us. That one..." to Ezra. "Is with 'him'." When Ezra lowers his voice to someone, the man pauses, staring blankly at Ezra. "Yes and no. This calls for a sorcerer, but an apprentice is easier to replace." Callous. But what else did Ezra expect really? "I will leave you to it, then." Derek says, stepping aside himself. "Good luck. Don't trust anything you see." Daniel studies Ezra. "We have heard of your Mistress. The sorcerer Doctor Edith Rose. Your training under her has been noted. Do not fail. Any artifacts you find along the way, return to me." Daniel braces the staff in his hand, a length of blackened wood carved with intricate runes, marks of power that glow slightly with the residue of ritualistic blood magic.
Stepping in, Derek motions to the asian man. "He is with you, working for us. That one..." to Ezra. "Is with 'him'." When Ezra lowers his voice to daniel, the man pauses, staring blankly at Ezra. "Yes and no. This calls for a sorcerer, but an apprentice is easier to replace." Callous. But what else did Ezra expect really? "I will leave you to it, then." Derek says, stepping aside himself. "Good luck. Don't trust anything you see." Daniel studies Ezra. "We have heard of your Mistress. The sorcerer Doctor Edith Rose. Your training under her has been noted. Do not fail. Any artifacts you find along the way, return to me." Daniel braces the staff in his hand, a length of blackened wood carved with intricate runes, marks of power that glow slightly with the residue of ritualistic blood magic. As the wood touches the ground, a shimmer appears in the air, distorting before settling into a replica of the forest. Daniel thrusts a gnarled finger towards what looks to be the center of the map. "That is the point of interest." He drags a finger through the image, causing a line to extend out in its wake, drawing a mapped out route for Ezra. "We are here." Daniel finally says, drawing his hand away. The line appears to be mostly straight, with a few switchbacks here and there. "Stay on the path. We've sent in sorcerers who strayed from this path. The ones that survived the longest followed this route." Survived the longest, might stick out...
"Student then." Ritsuka quietly supposes, a smile forming over her lips before she glances to Derek. Oh, smart smart Deerk, but she just raises her hands along of a shrug. "Alright then. I guess I will be paid babysitter today." She picks up her phone again, maing a quick call, taking a few steps away where her voice is a bit too quiet to tell what is going on and she is doing it for.
"Well if you don't wish to be here you can leave," Ezra supposes to Ritsuka in a dry tone. Not offensive but certainly not expecting her to continue. Turning back to Daniel he nods again, he knows, he understands. It is what it is and as such he takes a step off and into the woods following the path, just assuming the others are behind him. Apprentices are, after all, easy to replace. "Come along then, Miss. You might learn something. Or make a friend."
"Darling, if you talk too much I am going to hang you upside down from a tree, and we can see how long it will take Edith or your friend over there to find you." Ritsuka answers, looking down at Ezra. "You will walk ahead. You are disposable." She gestures for Ezra to take point, go on in first, whichever it is worded.
"Hmm," Ezra acknowledges Ritsuka's request but doesn't comment on it further.
As soon as the group steps across the line where trees fade away, there is an almost tangible change. A feeling like static electricity begins to crackle on their skin. Past the first pair of markers, they continue out, spaced a foot apart each. Once the forest has been entered, the whispers grow stronger. Yes. They are whispers. A thousand voices, all clamoring just at the edge of hearing. "Hel-... sa... mi... where... no!... ta..." Fragmented words reach the ears, each more confusing and distorted than the last. A low buzz is just beneath the whispers, a constant, mind numbing sound that even Ritsuka feels, which is surprising given her recent acquisition of a mind warding ritual. As Ezra passes the tenth marker, a figure steps between the fifteenth and sixteenth markers, blocking his path forward. Ritsuka wouldn't see the figure unless or until she also passed this point. The figure is a mountain of black armor, four horns rising from a helm on its head, and soulless black pits behind the eye slits. In its hands it holds an axe that is at least twice as long as Ezra is tall. The black blade of the axe comes down with a resounding, metallic 'thunk' next to Ezra, the figure staring at him as the axe remains lodged in the ground. But in the next moment... It is gone. No axe. No figure. No mark of the strike. Not even a whisp of what just happened. The trees seem to bend in from either side. Or... were they always that close to the path? Looking back... they are all that close. The twenty markers between the group and the forest's entrance all have a tree two feet behind them. Daniel has turned to stare into the forest, tracking their progress, they would note if looking back. In his hand is the staff. The red orb at the top glowing, his exposed skull grinning madly, and the beating heart of the first sacrifice clutched in his bony grip. The altar just behind him... wait. That's not right, is it? No... its just Daniel, his back to them, greying hair blowing slightly in the wind.
Looking back up to the sky, and seeing it is afternoon, and with the weather seeming to not turn towards any rain within the forest, Ritsuka just turns down to look to her phone, starting to play some trashy, mind-numbing game on it. It is noisy and definitely not what anyone that wants to be stealthy should be doing. When the horned thing appears, she looks up at it, if it does not touch her mindward or pings as odd, she would be more serious towards going against it, but the meatshield is fine, she can always handle it if something happens to murder it and if it hasn't murdered it, it is probably not real.
"I didn't catch your name," Ezra says to Ritsuka after the blow comes down. He flinches a moment, immediately after the force of the impact, because who wouldn't? When the specter fades from view he absentmindedly fiddles with one of his rings before continuing their journey. "You wear an emblem that a friend of mine wears."
stares up the path at where they went and squints slightly. "So this is how it is going to be," he reckons to himself mostly staring down the pair behind them before turning back into the forests
Ritsuka does answer that at least, though she also adds the unnecessary commentary "You havn't caught it because you havn't asked." And then "You may call me Ritsuka."
Ritsuka's game cuts through the whispers, the annoyingly cheerful music and clicks of the game breaking through into the distance. The sounds continue until, with a slight ping... they seem to grow louder. Ritsuka is not touching the volume, but her phone is beginning to heat. Does this game really cause that much stress to her phone? How strange... It continues, the music beginning to speed up, along with the images on the phone. They begin to waver, to shake, to ripple, before, like a smear, they clump together, before exploding out. In a moment, the music is gone, replaced by an ear shattering, grinding screech as bloody red images distort on Ritsuka's screen. A skeleton standing over a woman bound to a slab of stone, a knife buried in her guts. An explosion of blood. A ten feet tall armored figure with a four horned helmet, swinging a tremendous axe as he battles against shadowy tentacles that slowly rip him apart... image after image flash over the screen before it all... stops. The screen goes black, the phone silent. Then, in the air before Ritsuka, a bony hand shoots out, grabbing onto her wrist with bone crushing force. "No!" A horrid, gurgling voice snarls, jerking Ritsuka forward and tossing her towards Ezra's back like she were a rag doll. The hand vanishes seconds after, leaving them to deal with the situation as they pass the thirtieth marker that lines the path. The whispers seem to be growing more insistent now. Words garbling in their ears as if someone were leaning over to speak directly into their ears from behind, but still... nothing is there.
"I offered mine...," Ezra says as if he is about to comment on manners but stumbles in the darkness, preemptively trying to get out of the way of the flying Ritsuka, and tripping over his own feet. He ends up, somehow, on his back staring up at the canopy and waiting, listening.
is pulled forward, she does look displeased, though she does not let go of her phone. She was really in the middle of shutting it off when it started heating up, and then there were images, visions, whatever that tried to reach for a strand of her humanity, which it certainly doesn't find. Ezra seems to trip, and Ritsuka gets to trip, too. Too stubborn to let go of that phone to not do so. All the same, she looks to try and get up back to her feet, slips the phone away and just says "Fine, fine, stupid forest. I will pretend to pay attention to you." And then to Ezra "Why are you lying on the ground there? You aren't getting a break now, I am sure Edith did not allocate that time for it right now."
Ezra brings a finger to his lips and makes a shh motion before pointing to his ears and then the forest. Briefly, he closes his eyes and listens before pushing himself up to his feet but remaining in a crouching postions, watching and waiting, for something.
Staring up at the canopy, Ezra has found himself on his back after trying to avoid the human projectile. As he listens more intently, a single word sticks out from the whispers, again, again, again, repeated a thousand times in a thousand different voices. "Hungry... hungry... hungry..." It is insistent. Begging. Pleading. And then, just out of the corner of Ezra's eye, he catches movement above. A face... no, a skull, leering down at him from above. A bony hand reaches down, pointing a gnarled finger at Ezra's chest before it vanishes, like it was never there to begin with. Next to his head, Ezra would notice a single marker, with the name 'Danika' carved into it. Strangely, Ritsuka would begin to notice that, though she has a mind ward, it seems to be doing nothing to block out any of the forest's activities. Is that because its just too powerful? Or... perhaps because they're not illusory at all. Either way, the group is able to recollect themselves to proceed. As they do so, Ritsuka would catch the figure of the woman from her phone, standing by the marker Ezra had just fallen by. She would also see as the woman began to follow after them, her gliding steps never quite touching the forest floor...
Glancing the ghost over, Ritsuka mentions nothing about her. If Ezra was not clairvoyant, might as well see where it might be going to, allow him to be haunted for some, in the same way that she was already possessed. She breathes in through her nose. "Anything you are hearing then?" More professional, quieter toned. "It seems to delve around my mind ward, which means these are likely not illusions. Perhaps shadows or something else, Kin'Yoko could tell but she is deciding silence is her preference today."
"Ghosts," Ezra mutters to himself as he stands up and starts walking again, leading the way for Ritsuka as the walk. He doesn't try to make conversation with her any longer, they both have their roles and they are something of Frenemies now, him more reliant on her at this point. He doesn't cower like some meek child though, he is cautious but he advances up the path. "I wish I could say I have a guardian spirit," he muses after a moment of thought. "But I do believe we are... Hmm. You know Aokigahara Forest yes?"
Ritsuka makes a nod to Ezra. "It is on Honshu. A lot of people go to die there. It is very definitely haunted, are you comparing this to Aokigahara?"
"Probably some hanging that happened here as well." Kin'yoko quietly supposed to someone, but she gestures to the way onward. "You have a guest. We can see where it is going to go. If she is an Onryo - out for vengeance, or if she will give you aid in exchange for her freedom, peace, a final rest."
"Probably some hanging that happened here as well." Kin'yoko quietly supposed to Ezra, but she gestures to the way onward. "You have a guest. We can see where it is going to go. If she is an Onryo - out for vengeance, or if she will give you aid in exchange for her freedom, peace, a final rest."
The trees creak in a wind that neither Ritsuka nor Ezra can feel. The markers seem to be thinning out. Three hundred and twenty. Each just like before. A single ancient tree a foot behind. Names have been scratched into the surface of each one. Stories of people long gone from a time long passed. The ghostly woman has continued to follow, growing closer at the edge of Ritsuka's vision. Closer. Closer. Ezra begins to feel it. A cold touch at the back of his neck. A hoarse whisper in his ear. "Feed us..." Cold fingers brush Ritsuka's cheek, leaving a stinging chill in their wake. The woman is now almost within two arm lengths of Ritsuka. As they continue to speak amongst each other, its as if they are speaking quieter and quieter each time, a heavy blanket smothering the sound of their voices. This place is wrong. All of it is wrong, and this shouldn't exist. And yet it does. The clang of metal footsteps splits the whisper filled forest. Far up ahead. Growing closer. A scream tears through the air, and the footsteps pick up, charging towards them. A man sprints into view, bloody, and with one arm viciously split, his hand removed and the two arm bones pulled apart until they point straight up and down, broken at the elbow. As the man enters their view, so does that armored figure from before. Closing fast on the man, the axe sweeps out and completely bisects the fleeing sacrifice... sacrifice? When did that become what these things seemed to them? Its like a nagging voice had been reminding them of that fact each time... in half. The two parts fall to the ground in a visceral spray, then dissolve into mist that swirls about the group's feet. On the ground, right where the man fell, a patch of red still stains the ground. But there is no sign of the armored colossus or his victim...
Ezra blinks a few times at someone when the spirit speaks to him and then continues forward, "Could be a Yuri. I am not an expert on Asian spirts and demons. I mean... I know some but not an expert." He blinks a moment with the running naked axe man, "Well. You don't see that every day."
Ezra blinks a few times when the spirit speaks to him and then continues forward, "Could be a Yuri. I am not an expert on Asian spirts and demons. I mean... I know some but not an expert." He blinks a moment with the running naked axe man, "Well. You don't see that every day."
When the ghost reaches for her, Ritsuka seems to notice nothing of it. The cold of a ghost possessing her already persists, and she cannot feel the difference. "Think about it more like we have different names and classifications. You have fae, angel, demons, we only have Yokai. We have different kind of Yurei, ghosts, while you only have ghosts." At least that is as far as she explains, following up on the Eidolon speaking up. "And this looks more like a life-haunting. Not so much illusions. Looks like the circles' previous practitioner may have proved a little incompetent." She glances down to where the blood stays, takes out a little vial with mandrake tea and pours it out over the patch of blood. "May as well try and see if this 'feeds' it."
Ezra nods to Ritsuka accepting her explination and plan of attack at face value. "I think you are probably right," he conceeds before pressing forward. "Black or white, we should get these artifacts and get out of here."
Behind Ritsuka, the woman has finally closed the distance. And at last, the fury on her face is visible. Lunging forward, spectral hands formed into claws, she grabs for Ritsuka. Dark nails tear at Ritsuka's flesh. The pain is not so much physical as it is like the woman is tearing at her soul. An ear piercing shriek fills Ritsuka's head as the woman opens her mouth, revealing jagged, razor sharp teeth as she attempts to bite into Ritsuka's face. All Ezra would see is Ritsuka suddenly being held in place by some invisible force, right over the blood spot, the mandrake tea pouring out over it. but soon Ezra has his own problems to deal with. From ahead, the same skeletal figure stands. This one, at least is visible. Raising its staff towards Ezra, the orb flares before a glob of dark energy, recognizable as dark sorcery-though a variety much, much more potent then anything Ezra has seen before-rockets towards Ritsuka. "Incompetent! Ha! Foolish bitch." Eyes made of burning red hollows turn to Ezra, and the skull grins melevolently. "A student!" In a moment, the thing is in front of Ezra, a blood covered, fleshless hand grabbing Ezra's face. "Gooooood..." It hisses. And before Ezra can react... The skeleton jerks him forward. Ritsuka would see the whole thing, as the creature vanishes, taking Ezra with it. Ezra finds himself in a wide clearing. In each of the cardinal directions, a ten foot tall monolith rises, and at the very center is a smooth, perfectly carved stone block. The block's sides are carved with strange, ancient glyphs, each and every one filled with constantly flowing blood, forming an elaborate chain all over the altar. At the center of this carved chain, a skull, matching that of the creature currently holding Ezra, is carved, the chains crisscrossing over it, holding it back in the stone. "You see, mortal. You see!" The raspy voice of the skeleton hisses in Ezra's ears. Or is it his mind? Piled at the foot of the altar is a mass of bones. Thousands of them. Millions. All small bones. Human, bones.
"Oh," Ezra says before making a fist with his right hand, the runes on his ring heating up as he throws out his hand in stopping motion towards the skelleton, but when he opens his eyes he isn't where he left himself. "Oh this isn't good at all. This is some goth kid's wet dream."
Ritsuka comes to a still, she sighs in a breathe, and then glances around and watches as Ezra gets pulled away. The incorporeal affecting the corporeal is always difficult, it can always attempt so, but she holds still while whatever that is going on is going on. "I can chase after him in a moment if I care to. Probably pulled to the center, lured in. Seems this is not the original, but an imposter." She says, very idly. "And must be quite young, to have tome to throw about insults like a child."
The spirit of the woman staggers back suddenly, hands raising as she shrieks. Something, though what that something was, causes her to fall back, a blistering light searing through her. It is enough to have her dissolving into mist instantly, the faintest echoes of her scream the last thing to be heard. Five hundred. Five hundred markers behind Ritsuka on either side. Ezra is gone. The ghostly woman, too. Ritsuka can see the path extended out before her, a long ribbon that, hopefully, ends in Ezra. As for Ezra himself... Ring flaring as the skeleton speaks, the spell completes just after the teleportation. Ezra can feel a mighty, overpowering will struggle for a moment. But there is just nothing even this being can do against Necromancy, and in moments, it is paralyzed. Unable to do anything as its fingers had begun to tighten on Ezra's jaw. For the moment, Ezra can do as he likes. For the moment. But even now he can feel the thing struggling against him. The fingers, though unable to move much, are still gradually tightening, even through the paralysis.
"Something about getting lost." Ritsuka quietly says to no one in particular. "But you think we should just run in and just not care? You will make me do it because you think it is fun regardless of any consequence? Yeah yeah, I know..." She keeps talking, and then raises her hand along for a slow shrug. "Fine fine. Skeleton thing is rather rude to have just left us like this after all. Might as well give it a smack with something that is far more real." She shifts - and begins sprinting forward, trying to follow the direction in which Ezra was dragged as far as she saw. What could possibly go wrong, right?
Ezra is just a student at Dark Arts, but does have one or two tricks up his sleeve. He pushes against the skelleton trying to work his way free before the spell fades. "Get off of me!" he groans pushing with all of his limited physical strength. "And give me your artifact."
Sprinting forward, Ritsuka(Kitsune)'s paws sink into the dirt slightly as she proceeds. Looking down, the earth underfoot has been turned to red mud. Littered in the mud, like macabre plants, are the bones of humans. Large, small, all different shapes and sizes. They sprout from the earth, stuck deep in the mud or lying on its surface. They most certainly were not there before, were they? From ahead, she hears Ezra's words, and soon, she too is able to see this clearing. However, blocking her path is that same axe wielding giant. It stands like a sentinel in Ritsuka(Kitsune)'s way, completely blocking the way forward. Ezra could see that it had materialized from nowhere, standing there with its back to him. While Ezra's physical strength isn't much, paralyzed as it is, the skeleton can't do much to resist as Ezra pushes free, though Ezra does lose a little skin in the process from the tight grip of the bony fingers. Snarling, the skeleton attempts to lunge, but its legs are still paralyzed, slowly beginning to be able to move again as Ezra's magic wears off.
Ritsuka(Kitsune) begins to sprint at the axe wielding giant, speeding up just a short distance away from it to full speed - and then waiting just for the last moment of its attack, if it does so, to jump atop of the axe, pounce over and then try to jump over its shoulder to get past it. This is very very fast, blurringly so. There was no need to waste time on it, see forward, get to the center, smack that artifact like the white circle guy said, so this whole mess of bullcrap can be put to an end. Or she thinks to remember that mention, she doesn't really care.
Ezra looks around to find something he can grab near the alter, specifically sacrifical blades, that he can use to put a little more distance between himself and the undead wizard to potentially buy someone time to get here.
Ezra looks around to find something he can grab near the alter, specifically sacrifical blades, that he can use to put a little more distance between himself and the undead wizard to potentially buy Ritsuka(Kitsune) time to get here.
Up, onto the swinging axe. Then higher, onto the shoulder of the creature. It turns its head to look at her, and for the briefest moment, Ritsuka(Kitsune) can see the hatred and pain in those pits of black. And then she's airborn, soaring past Ezra and landing on the altar, right on the face of the skull. Plunged into the skull's head, hidden by the carving, is a single knife. Elegantly made, its blade is long and straight, buried into the rock. It glows with a faint red light as Ritsuka(Kitsune) views it, and the skeleton screams, whirling round and completely ignoring Ezra. Two blobs of dark sorcery fly past Ritsuka(Kitsune)'s head, her supernatural protections and quick reflexes the only thing to save her from a painful death by those globs. Ezra would have also noticed this blade, and grabbed it, if he wishes.
Yoink. Ezra snags that blade then does what he does best, hauls ass for the ring stones and hopefully back towards the exit. He can't out run Ritsuka(Kitsune), he isn't trying to, if she really wants to she can catch up with him and take the knife back. He is just trying to get out of there.
Those void orbs make an ugly hissing noise as it just barely passes over her fur where it meets into a dark tide blue color. It looks almost as if it was trying to breach and slice onto resisting armor that is definitely supernatural and an added layer over the foxes fur. Ritsuka(Kitsune) slides around, sees the dagger, but focuses on the skull. She rushes forward, trying to ram straight into its body, at the lower spine to make the skeleton fall apart, and then to quickly crush bones with her paws. This won't be so easy, after everything and her eyes do begin to glow as adrenaline rushes through her. And this, at the least, should buy time for Ezra to escape.
As Ezra grabs the knife and flees, two more blasts of dark sorcery hit just behind his heels. Fleeing towards that armored colossus. Oddly, as Ezra approaches with the knife in hand, it begins to glow, and the colossus steps aside, allowing Ezra to retreat along the path. Ahead, the path, which seemed almost endless before, now seems like a short run to the end. Daniel and Derek, hearing Ezra's running footsteps, spin around just as Ezra erupts back into the open. As he does, the skeleton, far behind, can be heard screeching. Ritsuka(Kitsune) charges towards the skeleton, slamming into it with all the force an extremely pissed off kitsune can muster. A blast of prismatic magic accompanying it. While these don't seem to effect the skeleton, something does. The moment Ezra sprints from the forest, the skeleton doubles over, grabbing its skull and screaming. It begins floating back, slowly at first, before, like a rubber band pulled taut and released, it shoots to the altar, slamming into it and passing through it. The skull settles just over the stone skull carving, stuck in the rock. Above, blood begins to fill the hole where the skull had a knife before. Behind Ritsuka(Kitsune), the forest trembles. Trees shake, and a gale force wind slams Ritsuka(Kitsune) to the ground. The monoliths grow transparent for a moment, showing a matching axe wielding figure in each. Then the markers, thousands of people, all reaching for the edge of the forest... And in a moment, it dies down. Ezra, now with Daniel and Derek, sees Ritsuka(Kitsune) suddenly hurled from the side, rolling to a stop on her feet nearby. And while Ritsuka(Kitsune) can be sure she wasn't there before, now she is back by the others. The trees that once had been open, have now closed in like the maw of a beast slamming shut, weaving together to create an impassable barrier. All that is left is the knife clutched in Ezra's hand.
In her kitsune form, she rolls around, and then stands up, looking just fine before she then rises to her feet, stretching out and brushing some dust away from her dress. "That should do it. Now the three of you can argue what is to be done with this, right?" She lightly-toned teases. "How is everyone doing?" Ritsuka says, suddenly hiding a long yawn behind the back of her right hand.
Ezra sighs and holds out the knife to Daniel, because of course he is going to turn it over to his boss' boss. "Alright. Here you go. Thank the fox lady. She did the heavy lifting."
Daniel, still staring at the now closed forest, asks Ezra "Did you succeed?" At the same time, Derek has moved to check on the group, and, seeing them unharmed, he turns to inspect the forest himself. Turning, someone raises a bushy eyebrow at Ezra, before his eyes fall to the knife and he takes a step back. "I take it you did, by the fact you are now the center of the magic." Walking forward with his staff tapping a rhythmic thump thump thump on the ground with his steps, someone leans in to inspect the blade. "How... curious. What happened?" He asks, reaching for the knife. Derek, meanwhile, has been performing an interrogation of his own with Ritsuka. "What happened? Did you secure the cite? How was the sorcerer immortal? What did you see? How did you survive?" Question after question, only waiting for Ritsuka's responses before asking another.
Daniel, still staring at the now closed forest, asks Ezra "Did you succeed?" At the same time, Derek has moved to check on the group, and, seeing them unharmed, he turns to inspect the forest himself. Turning, daniel raises a bushy eyebrow at Ezra, before his eyes fall to the knife and he takes a step back. "I take it you did, by the fact you are now the center of the magic." Walking forward with his staff tapping a rhythmic thump thump thump on the ground with his steps, someone leans in to inspect the blade. "How... curious. What happened?" He asks, reaching for the knife. Derek, meanwhile, has been performing an interrogation of his own with Ritsuka. "What happened? Did you secure the cite? How was the sorcerer immortal? What did you see? How did you survive?" Question after question, only waiting for Ritsuka's responses before asking another. Taking the knife, Daniel tucks it away. "You did well, Apprentice. I will contact your Mistress to congratulate her on producing you." Turning away, Daniel begins making his way off, leaving Derek behind. Clearly he's not eager to let the other get a chance at that knife.
Daniel, still staring at the now closed forest, asks Ezra "Did you succeed?" At the same time, Derek has moved to check on the group, and, seeing them unharmed, he turns to inspect the forest himself. Turning, daniel raises a bushy eyebrow at Ezra, before his eyes fall to the knife and he takes a step back. "I take it you did, by the fact you are now the center of the magic." Walking forward with his staff tapping a rhythmic thump thump thump on the ground with his steps, daniel leans in to inspect the blade. "How... curious. What happened?" He asks, reaching for the knife. Derek, meanwhile, has been performing an interrogation of his own with Ritsuka. "What happened? Did you secure the cite? How was the sorcerer immortal? What did you see? How did you survive?" Question after question, only waiting for Ritsuka's responses before asking another. Taking the knife, Daniel tucks it away. "You did well, Apprentice. I will contact your Mistress to congratulate her on producing you." Turning away, Daniel begins making his way off, leaving Derek behind. Clearly he's not eager to let the other get a chance at that knife.
"For the most part. There is a big old giant in the way, a lot of ghosts that you probably won't get rid of with ease- But the space where the altar resides at should be largely clear. The trees just shunted everyone. It is not illusions. It is haunted, and by the looks of it it was some sort of necromancy, dark magic style of immortality." Ritsuka quietly retells, raising her shoulders for a shrug before she reaches for her phone again. "I will have someone document a proper report for you later, I am short on time."
Nodding in consideration, Derek doesn't seem to notice Daniel leaving. "Thank you, Miss Shimomi. Your assistance is appreciated." Turning, Derek adds over his shoulder. "We of the White Circle will not forget this." And in a moment, he too is gone, leaving only Ezra and Ritsuka just outside the forest, with its strange markers and ghostly whispers. Raindrops, once unable to reach them, pitter-patter down on their heads. Thunder rumbles above. And in the forest, an altar carved with a chained skull begins to grow a new knife. But for now, the forest is still. Silent. Dead. It appears that those sacrifices for ultimate immortality, were all in vain after all.
"Alright- time to path home, clean up, get the temple rebreather I had, and then handle something else. Delve others into corruption." Ritsuka says, smiling, then turning to look at Ezra for a moment. "You were useful, I will mention it to Edith in passing."
Ezra takes a moment and nods to Ritsuka. "Favorable comments do me well. Thank you Ritsuka-sama."
Despite their initial reluctance and the clear dangers within the forest, including spectral figures, ghostly attacks, and a forest that seems to live and breathe with malevolent intent, Ezra and Ritsuka press on. Their path is fraught with terrifying encounters, such as a skeletal figure wielding dark sorcery, a haunted clearing with an altar dripping in blood, and a monstrous, axe-wielding colossus guarding their objective.
Ritsuka, showing remarkable bravery and adaptability, transforms into a kitsune to combat the threats head-on, including a direct assault on the horrifying skeletal guardian. Meanwhile, Ezra uses his knowledge and skills to temporarily paralyze the skeletal figure and makes a bold grab for a magically imbued knife, integral to the ritual site's power.
The duo's efforts culminate in a chaotic showdown at the site's heart, where Ritsuka's fierce determination and Ezra's tactical use of dark sorcery manage to break the ritual's hold over the area. The forest reacts violently to the disruption, expelling Ritsuka and Ezra and sealing itself shut.
In the aftermath, standing just outside the now-closed forest with the storm finally breaking above them, Daniel takes the mystical knife with a promise to report Ezra's success to his mentor, while Derek acknowledges Ritsuka's vital contributions and assures her that the White Circle will remember her assistance. Despite the ordeal, there's a mutual recognition of each other's strengths, with Ritsuka kindly vowing to mention Ezra's usefulness to his mentor, hinting at a newfound respect between the once-unlikely allies.
As the rain washes over them, marking the end of their harrowing journey, Ezra and Ritsuka part ways, leaving behind the silent, dead forest and its century-old secrets. The sacrifices made in pursuit of immortality, it seems, were all in vain—leaving only stories and whispers behind.
(Sacrifices In Vain(SRLanaeis):SRLanaeis)
[Sat Apr 19 2025]
In an ancient forest
Trees that rise as high as the eye can see fill this ancient forest, the bark of these giants covered in moss that drips from the branches above like gauzy curtains.
A path winds into these trees, flanked by roughly carved markers.
Dozens upon dozens of these markers guide those foolish enough to follow deeper into the oppressive gloom of this place, a thousand names carved upon their surfaces from a thousand people that will never be known.
It is afternoon, about 48F(8C) degrees,
Ezra is more or less his usual frumpy college self, having not really dressed for the occasion or whatever that occasion might be.
Overhead the sky is covered with storm clouds, heralding an oncoming downpour that no matter what, never seems to advance upon this forest. Under the cover of towering trees that must be thousands of years old-for these are trees that no one has named since the beginning of time-flank the dirt path that winds its way deep into the heart of the maze of this forest. The wind, whispering through the leaves of these ancient trees, tells stories. Stories that nag at the edges of one's mind. Stories of long ago blood spilling onto this once peaceful ground. However, today is different. Today is not the usual silence of the forest. Today there are interlopers. Humans. They stand at the entrance to the path, two figures, one clad in black, one in white. Each keeps as far from the other as possible, a tense silence, so thick you could cut it with a knife, stretching between them. They await something. Or someone. As Ezra, Ritsuka, and Daichi arrive, the two figures break the tense staring contest and turn to face the group. Waiting to give instructions to those that have accepted their call. Behind them, the forest seems to whisper, tempting the group closer. When they have reached earshot of the pair, the one in white speaks up. "Good afternoon. I am Derek Hymner, the representative of the White Circle sent to oversee this mission. As you received our letter, and have accepted the offer, I will now explain the nature of this mission. Long ago, this forest was the home of a sorcerer of incredible power. He lived in a time shortly after the Gods had begun to rise to their places. He was as powerful as any of the sorcerers that sought and attained godhood, but he wanted more. In an attempt to rise even higher, he gathered sacrifices. Forming a massive ritual circle that encompassed this entire forest, he used their life energies to infuse himself. He became immortal, as he'd wanted. But not in the way he planned. Our records tell nothing more than that. But after the ritual, these markers appeared from the ground of the forest. We have not been able to destroy them. At the center of this forest, in the original cite of the ritual, we have located a very strong concentration of corrupt magic. We need you to secure it, so that it might be studied, contained, and then cleansed." Meanwhile, the figure in black has informed his group of much the same, though his task is different. "We need you to secure the ritual cite. Gather all the information you can, and report back to me, so that we can capture and study the magic. Perhaps we will be able to use it, or at least learn from the advanced blood magic used in the original ritual."
Ritsuka puts a phone into a pocket, blue eyes briefly drawing up to the cloud that announce an incoming rain. The invitation she had gotten, she is holding under her phone and she opens it up again, her eyes turning to quickly go through them again. "I think you contacted the wrong person, mister. I am no arcanist." She glances back down. "And Sorcerer are usually especially powerful, how did this thing become 'immortal in a way he did not intend'? And what do you mean precisely with corrupt magic? Just so we are on the same page because of a cultural difficulty."
Ezra looks to the man in black and nods once, slowly and firmly. He understands the assignment.
"We have no idea." Derek admits. "The corrupt magic... its like something we've never seen before. An anomaly, if you will. As for your lack of arcane knowledge, we expect you to explore and secure the cite. You will be..." Derek swallows, lips twisting in visible disgust. "Working with the Black Circle's representative as well to reach the cite. You need only get there, and clear a way for me. I will handle the containment." The man in Black, who would introduce himself as Daniel Collins, returns the firm nod to Ezra, stepping aside. The forest path is now open, should any choose to enter... Derek continues speaking... "Your task is not to use or manipulate the magic present. It is to contain it. Secure it so that we can easily access it. Better yet, if you find the source somehow, destroy it so the Black Circle can't use it." Daniel gives Derek an icy glare at that. Above, a flash of lightning rips the sky in half, thunder roaring in the distance like an angry beast. And yet, as rain falls just twenty feet from the forest's edge... None falls within a twenty foot circle around the forest. How odd...
"Alright that is simple enough. Can't mess with the magic anyway." Ritsuka quietly supposes before she glances the asian man and then Ezra over. "Konichiwa." She says, only barely making a dip of her head. "You both will be working for the Black Circle? The cooperating competition to the White Circle?"She asks.
"Right, don't use the magic," Ezra nods giving his understanding in a way that clearly means whatever Derek doesn't know won't hurt him. "Just work with her, get the artifacts and bring them back here." He does look around and Lower his voice to Daniel, "So just that we are clear, this is just apprentice level work right?"
Ezra bows his head to Ritsuka. "Ezra. Pleased to meet you. Yes I suppose I shall."
Stepping in, Derek motions to the asian man. "He is with you, working for us. That one..." to Ezra. "Is with 'him'." When Ezra lowers his voice to someone, the man pauses, staring blankly at Ezra. "Yes and no. This calls for a sorcerer, but an apprentice is easier to replace." Callous. But what else did Ezra expect really? "I will leave you to it, then." Derek says, stepping aside himself. "Good luck. Don't trust anything you see." Daniel studies Ezra. "We have heard of your Mistress. The sorcerer Doctor Edith Rose. Your training under her has been noted. Do not fail. Any artifacts you find along the way, return to me." Daniel braces the staff in his hand, a length of blackened wood carved with intricate runes, marks of power that glow slightly with the residue of ritualistic blood magic.
Stepping in, Derek motions to the asian man. "He is with you, working for us. That one..." to Ezra. "Is with 'him'." When Ezra lowers his voice to daniel, the man pauses, staring blankly at Ezra. "Yes and no. This calls for a sorcerer, but an apprentice is easier to replace." Callous. But what else did Ezra expect really? "I will leave you to it, then." Derek says, stepping aside himself. "Good luck. Don't trust anything you see." Daniel studies Ezra. "We have heard of your Mistress. The sorcerer Doctor Edith Rose. Your training under her has been noted. Do not fail. Any artifacts you find along the way, return to me." Daniel braces the staff in his hand, a length of blackened wood carved with intricate runes, marks of power that glow slightly with the residue of ritualistic blood magic. As the wood touches the ground, a shimmer appears in the air, distorting before settling into a replica of the forest. Daniel thrusts a gnarled finger towards what looks to be the center of the map. "That is the point of interest." He drags a finger through the image, causing a line to extend out in its wake, drawing a mapped out route for Ezra. "We are here." Daniel finally says, drawing his hand away. The line appears to be mostly straight, with a few switchbacks here and there. "Stay on the path. We've sent in sorcerers who strayed from this path. The ones that survived the longest followed this route." Survived the longest, might stick out...
"Student then." Ritsuka quietly supposes, a smile forming over her lips before she glances to Derek. Oh, smart smart Deerk, but she just raises her hands along of a shrug. "Alright then. I guess I will be paid babysitter today." She picks up her phone again, maing a quick call, taking a few steps away where her voice is a bit too quiet to tell what is going on and she is doing it for.
"Well if you don't wish to be here you can leave," Ezra supposes to Ritsuka in a dry tone. Not offensive but certainly not expecting her to continue. Turning back to Daniel he nods again, he knows, he understands. It is what it is and as such he takes a step off and into the woods following the path, just assuming the others are behind him. Apprentices are, after all, easy to replace. "Come along then, Miss. You might learn something. Or make a friend."
"Darling, if you talk too much I am going to hang you upside down from a tree, and we can see how long it will take Edith or your friend over there to find you." Ritsuka answers, looking down at Ezra. "You will walk ahead. You are disposable." She gestures for Ezra to take point, go on in first, whichever it is worded.
"Hmm," Ezra acknowledges Ritsuka's request but doesn't comment on it further.
As soon as the group steps across the line where trees fade away, there is an almost tangible change. A feeling like static electricity begins to crackle on their skin. Past the first pair of markers, they continue out, spaced a foot apart each. Once the forest has been entered, the whispers grow stronger. Yes. They are whispers. A thousand voices, all clamoring just at the edge of hearing. "Hel-... sa... mi... where... no!... ta..." Fragmented words reach the ears, each more confusing and distorted than the last. A low buzz is just beneath the whispers, a constant, mind numbing sound that even Ritsuka feels, which is surprising given her recent acquisition of a mind warding ritual. As Ezra passes the tenth marker, a figure steps between the fifteenth and sixteenth markers, blocking his path forward. Ritsuka wouldn't see the figure unless or until she also passed this point. The figure is a mountain of black armor, four horns rising from a helm on its head, and soulless black pits behind the eye slits. In its hands it holds an axe that is at least twice as long as Ezra is tall. The black blade of the axe comes down with a resounding, metallic 'thunk' next to Ezra, the figure staring at him as the axe remains lodged in the ground. But in the next moment... It is gone. No axe. No figure. No mark of the strike. Not even a whisp of what just happened. The trees seem to bend in from either side. Or... were they always that close to the path? Looking back... they are all that close. The twenty markers between the group and the forest's entrance all have a tree two feet behind them. Daniel has turned to stare into the forest, tracking their progress, they would note if looking back. In his hand is the staff. The red orb at the top glowing, his exposed skull grinning madly, and the beating heart of the first sacrifice clutched in his bony grip. The altar just behind him... wait. That's not right, is it? No... its just Daniel, his back to them, greying hair blowing slightly in the wind.
Looking back up to the sky, and seeing it is afternoon, and with the weather seeming to not turn towards any rain within the forest, Ritsuka just turns down to look to her phone, starting to play some trashy, mind-numbing game on it. It is noisy and definitely not what anyone that wants to be stealthy should be doing. When the horned thing appears, she looks up at it, if it does not touch her mindward or pings as odd, she would be more serious towards going against it, but the meatshield is fine, she can always handle it if something happens to murder it and if it hasn't murdered it, it is probably not real.
"I didn't catch your name," Ezra says to Ritsuka after the blow comes down. He flinches a moment, immediately after the force of the impact, because who wouldn't? When the specter fades from view he absentmindedly fiddles with one of his rings before continuing their journey. "You wear an emblem that a friend of mine wears."
stares up the path at where they went and squints slightly. "So this is how it is going to be," he reckons to himself mostly staring down the pair behind them before turning back into the forests
Ritsuka does answer that at least, though she also adds the unnecessary commentary "You havn't caught it because you havn't asked." And then "You may call me Ritsuka."
Ritsuka's game cuts through the whispers, the annoyingly cheerful music and clicks of the game breaking through into the distance. The sounds continue until, with a slight ping... they seem to grow louder. Ritsuka is not touching the volume, but her phone is beginning to heat. Does this game really cause that much stress to her phone? How strange... It continues, the music beginning to speed up, along with the images on the phone. They begin to waver, to shake, to ripple, before, like a smear, they clump together, before exploding out. In a moment, the music is gone, replaced by an ear shattering, grinding screech as bloody red images distort on Ritsuka's screen. A skeleton standing over a woman bound to a slab of stone, a knife buried in her guts. An explosion of blood. A ten feet tall armored figure with a four horned helmet, swinging a tremendous axe as he battles against shadowy tentacles that slowly rip him apart... image after image flash over the screen before it all... stops. The screen goes black, the phone silent. Then, in the air before Ritsuka, a bony hand shoots out, grabbing onto her wrist with bone crushing force. "No!" A horrid, gurgling voice snarls, jerking Ritsuka forward and tossing her towards Ezra's back like she were a rag doll. The hand vanishes seconds after, leaving them to deal with the situation as they pass the thirtieth marker that lines the path. The whispers seem to be growing more insistent now. Words garbling in their ears as if someone were leaning over to speak directly into their ears from behind, but still... nothing is there.
"I offered mine...," Ezra says as if he is about to comment on manners but stumbles in the darkness, preemptively trying to get out of the way of the flying Ritsuka, and tripping over his own feet. He ends up, somehow, on his back staring up at the canopy and waiting, listening.
is pulled forward, she does look displeased, though she does not let go of her phone. She was really in the middle of shutting it off when it started heating up, and then there were images, visions, whatever that tried to reach for a strand of her humanity, which it certainly doesn't find. Ezra seems to trip, and Ritsuka gets to trip, too. Too stubborn to let go of that phone to not do so. All the same, she looks to try and get up back to her feet, slips the phone away and just says "Fine, fine, stupid forest. I will pretend to pay attention to you." And then to Ezra "Why are you lying on the ground there? You aren't getting a break now, I am sure Edith did not allocate that time for it right now."
Ezra brings a finger to his lips and makes a shh motion before pointing to his ears and then the forest. Briefly, he closes his eyes and listens before pushing himself up to his feet but remaining in a crouching postions, watching and waiting, for something.
Staring up at the canopy, Ezra has found himself on his back after trying to avoid the human projectile. As he listens more intently, a single word sticks out from the whispers, again, again, again, repeated a thousand times in a thousand different voices. "Hungry... hungry... hungry..." It is insistent. Begging. Pleading. And then, just out of the corner of Ezra's eye, he catches movement above. A face... no, a skull, leering down at him from above. A bony hand reaches down, pointing a gnarled finger at Ezra's chest before it vanishes, like it was never there to begin with. Next to his head, Ezra would notice a single marker, with the name 'Danika' carved into it. Strangely, Ritsuka would begin to notice that, though she has a mind ward, it seems to be doing nothing to block out any of the forest's activities. Is that because its just too powerful? Or... perhaps because they're not illusory at all. Either way, the group is able to recollect themselves to proceed. As they do so, Ritsuka would catch the figure of the woman from her phone, standing by the marker Ezra had just fallen by. She would also see as the woman began to follow after them, her gliding steps never quite touching the forest floor...
Glancing the ghost over, Ritsuka mentions nothing about her. If Ezra was not clairvoyant, might as well see where it might be going to, allow him to be haunted for some, in the same way that she was already possessed. She breathes in through her nose. "Anything you are hearing then?" More professional, quieter toned. "It seems to delve around my mind ward, which means these are likely not illusions. Perhaps shadows or something else, Kin'Yoko could tell but she is deciding silence is her preference today."
"Ghosts," Ezra mutters to himself as he stands up and starts walking again, leading the way for Ritsuka as the walk. He doesn't try to make conversation with her any longer, they both have their roles and they are something of Frenemies now, him more reliant on her at this point. He doesn't cower like some meek child though, he is cautious but he advances up the path. "I wish I could say I have a guardian spirit," he muses after a moment of thought. "But I do believe we are... Hmm. You know Aokigahara Forest yes?"
Ritsuka makes a nod to Ezra. "It is on Honshu. A lot of people go to die there. It is very definitely haunted, are you comparing this to Aokigahara?"
"Probably some hanging that happened here as well." Kin'yoko quietly supposed to someone, but she gestures to the way onward. "You have a guest. We can see where it is going to go. If she is an Onryo - out for vengeance, or if she will give you aid in exchange for her freedom, peace, a final rest."
"Probably some hanging that happened here as well." Kin'yoko quietly supposed to Ezra, but she gestures to the way onward. "You have a guest. We can see where it is going to go. If she is an Onryo - out for vengeance, or if she will give you aid in exchange for her freedom, peace, a final rest."
The trees creak in a wind that neither Ritsuka nor Ezra can feel. The markers seem to be thinning out. Three hundred and twenty. Each just like before. A single ancient tree a foot behind. Names have been scratched into the surface of each one. Stories of people long gone from a time long passed. The ghostly woman has continued to follow, growing closer at the edge of Ritsuka's vision. Closer. Closer. Ezra begins to feel it. A cold touch at the back of his neck. A hoarse whisper in his ear. "Feed us..." Cold fingers brush Ritsuka's cheek, leaving a stinging chill in their wake. The woman is now almost within two arm lengths of Ritsuka. As they continue to speak amongst each other, its as if they are speaking quieter and quieter each time, a heavy blanket smothering the sound of their voices. This place is wrong. All of it is wrong, and this shouldn't exist. And yet it does. The clang of metal footsteps splits the whisper filled forest. Far up ahead. Growing closer. A scream tears through the air, and the footsteps pick up, charging towards them. A man sprints into view, bloody, and with one arm viciously split, his hand removed and the two arm bones pulled apart until they point straight up and down, broken at the elbow. As the man enters their view, so does that armored figure from before. Closing fast on the man, the axe sweeps out and completely bisects the fleeing sacrifice... sacrifice? When did that become what these things seemed to them? Its like a nagging voice had been reminding them of that fact each time... in half. The two parts fall to the ground in a visceral spray, then dissolve into mist that swirls about the group's feet. On the ground, right where the man fell, a patch of red still stains the ground. But there is no sign of the armored colossus or his victim...
Ezra blinks a few times at someone when the spirit speaks to him and then continues forward, "Could be a Yuri. I am not an expert on Asian spirts and demons. I mean... I know some but not an expert." He blinks a moment with the running naked axe man, "Well. You don't see that every day."
Ezra blinks a few times when the spirit speaks to him and then continues forward, "Could be a Yuri. I am not an expert on Asian spirts and demons. I mean... I know some but not an expert." He blinks a moment with the running naked axe man, "Well. You don't see that every day."
When the ghost reaches for her, Ritsuka seems to notice nothing of it. The cold of a ghost possessing her already persists, and she cannot feel the difference. "Think about it more like we have different names and classifications. You have fae, angel, demons, we only have Yokai. We have different kind of Yurei, ghosts, while you only have ghosts." At least that is as far as she explains, following up on the Eidolon speaking up. "And this looks more like a life-haunting. Not so much illusions. Looks like the circles' previous practitioner may have proved a little incompetent." She glances down to where the blood stays, takes out a little vial with mandrake tea and pours it out over the patch of blood. "May as well try and see if this 'feeds' it."
Ezra nods to Ritsuka accepting her explination and plan of attack at face value. "I think you are probably right," he conceeds before pressing forward. "Black or white, we should get these artifacts and get out of here."
Behind Ritsuka, the woman has finally closed the distance. And at last, the fury on her face is visible. Lunging forward, spectral hands formed into claws, she grabs for Ritsuka. Dark nails tear at Ritsuka's flesh. The pain is not so much physical as it is like the woman is tearing at her soul. An ear piercing shriek fills Ritsuka's head as the woman opens her mouth, revealing jagged, razor sharp teeth as she attempts to bite into Ritsuka's face. All Ezra would see is Ritsuka suddenly being held in place by some invisible force, right over the blood spot, the mandrake tea pouring out over it. but soon Ezra has his own problems to deal with. From ahead, the same skeletal figure stands. This one, at least is visible. Raising its staff towards Ezra, the orb flares before a glob of dark energy, recognizable as dark sorcery-though a variety much, much more potent then anything Ezra has seen before-rockets towards Ritsuka. "Incompetent! Ha! Foolish bitch." Eyes made of burning red hollows turn to Ezra, and the skull grins melevolently. "A student!" In a moment, the thing is in front of Ezra, a blood covered, fleshless hand grabbing Ezra's face. "Gooooood..." It hisses. And before Ezra can react... The skeleton jerks him forward. Ritsuka would see the whole thing, as the creature vanishes, taking Ezra with it. Ezra finds himself in a wide clearing. In each of the cardinal directions, a ten foot tall monolith rises, and at the very center is a smooth, perfectly carved stone block. The block's sides are carved with strange, ancient glyphs, each and every one filled with constantly flowing blood, forming an elaborate chain all over the altar. At the center of this carved chain, a skull, matching that of the creature currently holding Ezra, is carved, the chains crisscrossing over it, holding it back in the stone. "You see, mortal. You see!" The raspy voice of the skeleton hisses in Ezra's ears. Or is it his mind? Piled at the foot of the altar is a mass of bones. Thousands of them. Millions. All small bones. Human, bones.
"Oh," Ezra says before making a fist with his right hand, the runes on his ring heating up as he throws out his hand in stopping motion towards the skelleton, but when he opens his eyes he isn't where he left himself. "Oh this isn't good at all. This is some goth kid's wet dream."
Ritsuka comes to a still, she sighs in a breathe, and then glances around and watches as Ezra gets pulled away. The incorporeal affecting the corporeal is always difficult, it can always attempt so, but she holds still while whatever that is going on is going on. "I can chase after him in a moment if I care to. Probably pulled to the center, lured in. Seems this is not the original, but an imposter." She says, very idly. "And must be quite young, to have tome to throw about insults like a child."
The spirit of the woman staggers back suddenly, hands raising as she shrieks. Something, though what that something was, causes her to fall back, a blistering light searing through her. It is enough to have her dissolving into mist instantly, the faintest echoes of her scream the last thing to be heard. Five hundred. Five hundred markers behind Ritsuka on either side. Ezra is gone. The ghostly woman, too. Ritsuka can see the path extended out before her, a long ribbon that, hopefully, ends in Ezra. As for Ezra himself... Ring flaring as the skeleton speaks, the spell completes just after the teleportation. Ezra can feel a mighty, overpowering will struggle for a moment. But there is just nothing even this being can do against Necromancy, and in moments, it is paralyzed. Unable to do anything as its fingers had begun to tighten on Ezra's jaw. For the moment, Ezra can do as he likes. For the moment. But even now he can feel the thing struggling against him. The fingers, though unable to move much, are still gradually tightening, even through the paralysis.
"Something about getting lost." Ritsuka quietly says to no one in particular. "But you think we should just run in and just not care? You will make me do it because you think it is fun regardless of any consequence? Yeah yeah, I know..." She keeps talking, and then raises her hand along for a slow shrug. "Fine fine. Skeleton thing is rather rude to have just left us like this after all. Might as well give it a smack with something that is far more real." She shifts - and begins sprinting forward, trying to follow the direction in which Ezra was dragged as far as she saw. What could possibly go wrong, right?
Ezra is just a student at Dark Arts, but does have one or two tricks up his sleeve. He pushes against the skelleton trying to work his way free before the spell fades. "Get off of me!" he groans pushing with all of his limited physical strength. "And give me your artifact."
Sprinting forward, Ritsuka(Kitsune)'s paws sink into the dirt slightly as she proceeds. Looking down, the earth underfoot has been turned to red mud. Littered in the mud, like macabre plants, are the bones of humans. Large, small, all different shapes and sizes. They sprout from the earth, stuck deep in the mud or lying on its surface. They most certainly were not there before, were they? From ahead, she hears Ezra's words, and soon, she too is able to see this clearing. However, blocking her path is that same axe wielding giant. It stands like a sentinel in Ritsuka(Kitsune)'s way, completely blocking the way forward. Ezra could see that it had materialized from nowhere, standing there with its back to him. While Ezra's physical strength isn't much, paralyzed as it is, the skeleton can't do much to resist as Ezra pushes free, though Ezra does lose a little skin in the process from the tight grip of the bony fingers. Snarling, the skeleton attempts to lunge, but its legs are still paralyzed, slowly beginning to be able to move again as Ezra's magic wears off.
Ritsuka(Kitsune) begins to sprint at the axe wielding giant, speeding up just a short distance away from it to full speed - and then waiting just for the last moment of its attack, if it does so, to jump atop of the axe, pounce over and then try to jump over its shoulder to get past it. This is very very fast, blurringly so. There was no need to waste time on it, see forward, get to the center, smack that artifact like the white circle guy said, so this whole mess of bullcrap can be put to an end. Or she thinks to remember that mention, she doesn't really care.
Ezra looks around to find something he can grab near the alter, specifically sacrifical blades, that he can use to put a little more distance between himself and the undead wizard to potentially buy someone time to get here.
Ezra looks around to find something he can grab near the alter, specifically sacrifical blades, that he can use to put a little more distance between himself and the undead wizard to potentially buy Ritsuka(Kitsune) time to get here.
Up, onto the swinging axe. Then higher, onto the shoulder of the creature. It turns its head to look at her, and for the briefest moment, Ritsuka(Kitsune) can see the hatred and pain in those pits of black. And then she's airborn, soaring past Ezra and landing on the altar, right on the face of the skull. Plunged into the skull's head, hidden by the carving, is a single knife. Elegantly made, its blade is long and straight, buried into the rock. It glows with a faint red light as Ritsuka(Kitsune) views it, and the skeleton screams, whirling round and completely ignoring Ezra. Two blobs of dark sorcery fly past Ritsuka(Kitsune)'s head, her supernatural protections and quick reflexes the only thing to save her from a painful death by those globs. Ezra would have also noticed this blade, and grabbed it, if he wishes.
Yoink. Ezra snags that blade then does what he does best, hauls ass for the ring stones and hopefully back towards the exit. He can't out run Ritsuka(Kitsune), he isn't trying to, if she really wants to she can catch up with him and take the knife back. He is just trying to get out of there.
Those void orbs make an ugly hissing noise as it just barely passes over her fur where it meets into a dark tide blue color. It looks almost as if it was trying to breach and slice onto resisting armor that is definitely supernatural and an added layer over the foxes fur. Ritsuka(Kitsune) slides around, sees the dagger, but focuses on the skull. She rushes forward, trying to ram straight into its body, at the lower spine to make the skeleton fall apart, and then to quickly crush bones with her paws. This won't be so easy, after everything and her eyes do begin to glow as adrenaline rushes through her. And this, at the least, should buy time for Ezra to escape.
As Ezra grabs the knife and flees, two more blasts of dark sorcery hit just behind his heels. Fleeing towards that armored colossus. Oddly, as Ezra approaches with the knife in hand, it begins to glow, and the colossus steps aside, allowing Ezra to retreat along the path. Ahead, the path, which seemed almost endless before, now seems like a short run to the end. Daniel and Derek, hearing Ezra's running footsteps, spin around just as Ezra erupts back into the open. As he does, the skeleton, far behind, can be heard screeching. Ritsuka(Kitsune) charges towards the skeleton, slamming into it with all the force an extremely pissed off kitsune can muster. A blast of prismatic magic accompanying it. While these don't seem to effect the skeleton, something does. The moment Ezra sprints from the forest, the skeleton doubles over, grabbing its skull and screaming. It begins floating back, slowly at first, before, like a rubber band pulled taut and released, it shoots to the altar, slamming into it and passing through it. The skull settles just over the stone skull carving, stuck in the rock. Above, blood begins to fill the hole where the skull had a knife before. Behind Ritsuka(Kitsune), the forest trembles. Trees shake, and a gale force wind slams Ritsuka(Kitsune) to the ground. The monoliths grow transparent for a moment, showing a matching axe wielding figure in each. Then the markers, thousands of people, all reaching for the edge of the forest... And in a moment, it dies down. Ezra, now with Daniel and Derek, sees Ritsuka(Kitsune) suddenly hurled from the side, rolling to a stop on her feet nearby. And while Ritsuka(Kitsune) can be sure she wasn't there before, now she is back by the others. The trees that once had been open, have now closed in like the maw of a beast slamming shut, weaving together to create an impassable barrier. All that is left is the knife clutched in Ezra's hand.
In her kitsune form, she rolls around, and then stands up, looking just fine before she then rises to her feet, stretching out and brushing some dust away from her dress. "That should do it. Now the three of you can argue what is to be done with this, right?" She lightly-toned teases. "How is everyone doing?" Ritsuka says, suddenly hiding a long yawn behind the back of her right hand.
Ezra sighs and holds out the knife to Daniel, because of course he is going to turn it over to his boss' boss. "Alright. Here you go. Thank the fox lady. She did the heavy lifting."
Daniel, still staring at the now closed forest, asks Ezra "Did you succeed?" At the same time, Derek has moved to check on the group, and, seeing them unharmed, he turns to inspect the forest himself. Turning, someone raises a bushy eyebrow at Ezra, before his eyes fall to the knife and he takes a step back. "I take it you did, by the fact you are now the center of the magic." Walking forward with his staff tapping a rhythmic thump thump thump on the ground with his steps, someone leans in to inspect the blade. "How... curious. What happened?" He asks, reaching for the knife. Derek, meanwhile, has been performing an interrogation of his own with Ritsuka. "What happened? Did you secure the cite? How was the sorcerer immortal? What did you see? How did you survive?" Question after question, only waiting for Ritsuka's responses before asking another.
Daniel, still staring at the now closed forest, asks Ezra "Did you succeed?" At the same time, Derek has moved to check on the group, and, seeing them unharmed, he turns to inspect the forest himself. Turning, daniel raises a bushy eyebrow at Ezra, before his eyes fall to the knife and he takes a step back. "I take it you did, by the fact you are now the center of the magic." Walking forward with his staff tapping a rhythmic thump thump thump on the ground with his steps, someone leans in to inspect the blade. "How... curious. What happened?" He asks, reaching for the knife. Derek, meanwhile, has been performing an interrogation of his own with Ritsuka. "What happened? Did you secure the cite? How was the sorcerer immortal? What did you see? How did you survive?" Question after question, only waiting for Ritsuka's responses before asking another. Taking the knife, Daniel tucks it away. "You did well, Apprentice. I will contact your Mistress to congratulate her on producing you." Turning away, Daniel begins making his way off, leaving Derek behind. Clearly he's not eager to let the other get a chance at that knife.
Daniel, still staring at the now closed forest, asks Ezra "Did you succeed?" At the same time, Derek has moved to check on the group, and, seeing them unharmed, he turns to inspect the forest himself. Turning, daniel raises a bushy eyebrow at Ezra, before his eyes fall to the knife and he takes a step back. "I take it you did, by the fact you are now the center of the magic." Walking forward with his staff tapping a rhythmic thump thump thump on the ground with his steps, daniel leans in to inspect the blade. "How... curious. What happened?" He asks, reaching for the knife. Derek, meanwhile, has been performing an interrogation of his own with Ritsuka. "What happened? Did you secure the cite? How was the sorcerer immortal? What did you see? How did you survive?" Question after question, only waiting for Ritsuka's responses before asking another. Taking the knife, Daniel tucks it away. "You did well, Apprentice. I will contact your Mistress to congratulate her on producing you." Turning away, Daniel begins making his way off, leaving Derek behind. Clearly he's not eager to let the other get a chance at that knife.
"For the most part. There is a big old giant in the way, a lot of ghosts that you probably won't get rid of with ease- But the space where the altar resides at should be largely clear. The trees just shunted everyone. It is not illusions. It is haunted, and by the looks of it it was some sort of necromancy, dark magic style of immortality." Ritsuka quietly retells, raising her shoulders for a shrug before she reaches for her phone again. "I will have someone document a proper report for you later, I am short on time."
Nodding in consideration, Derek doesn't seem to notice Daniel leaving. "Thank you, Miss Shimomi. Your assistance is appreciated." Turning, Derek adds over his shoulder. "We of the White Circle will not forget this." And in a moment, he too is gone, leaving only Ezra and Ritsuka just outside the forest, with its strange markers and ghostly whispers. Raindrops, once unable to reach them, pitter-patter down on their heads. Thunder rumbles above. And in the forest, an altar carved with a chained skull begins to grow a new knife. But for now, the forest is still. Silent. Dead. It appears that those sacrifices for ultimate immortality, were all in vain after all.
"Alright- time to path home, clean up, get the temple rebreather I had, and then handle something else. Delve others into corruption." Ritsuka says, smiling, then turning to look at Ezra for a moment. "You were useful, I will mention it to Edith in passing."
Ezra takes a moment and nods to Ritsuka. "Favorable comments do me well. Thank you Ritsuka-sama."