Plotlogs
Tsubaki No Chikai Sr Ritsuka 250419
In the ancient city of Kyoto, a clandestine meeting unfolds beneath the enveloping darkness of pre-dawn light. Edith, Lanaeis, Liliane, and Ritsuka gather to undertake a mission shrouded in the supernatural, in a world where power courses unseen beneath the streets and Yokai walk hidden paths. Their goal is both simple and complex: to secure and cleanse a spiritual foothold deep within the city, a task complicated by the presence of vengeful Onryo spirits and elusive fox spirits.
The group, each with their unique abilities and preparations, ventures into a mist-filled forest leading to a hidden chamber near the main Inari shrine. They are briefed by Ritsuka about the dangers of Onryo spirits and fox spirits, setting the stage for the supernatural encounters to follow.
As they advance through a moss-covered chamber lit by bioluminescent flora, they find themselves followed by watchful, ghostly fox spirits. Lanaeis, touched by the divine yet hindered by his visible corporeality, struggles against the unseen grasp of cold hands as the spirits attempt to curse and slow him. Liliane, driven by a mixture of determination and a simmering rage that's not entirely her own, advances towards the altar with a drop of angelic blood, the key to their mission's success.
Edith, wielding her profound necromantic powers, becomes an anchor for the group, her control over the dead and the dark arcane energies cutting a path through the spiritual resistance they face. It's her salt and sorcery that beat back the assaults of the Onryo, laying bare the path to their objective.
The climax occurs at the heart of the spiritual nexus, where, under Edith's protective sorcery and amidst the confusion of battle, Liliane completes the ritual. She releases the angelic blood over the artifact at the altar, igniting a beacon of pure, radiant light. This light, burning even to Edith's undead flesh, signifies their hard-won victory. It transforms the chamber, revealing it as a dimensional crossroads overlaid upon ancient Kyoto. The ghosts find peace, merging into their respective statues, as Kin'Yoko's spirit, bolstered by the ritual, manifests brightly, proclaiming one step of her ascension complete.
The aftermath finds the group back in the mundane reality of daylight Kyoto, sharing a van ride back to their stronghold. Despite the surreal trials they faced, the spiritual turmoil they quelled, and the personal dynamics at play, their mission concludes successfully, the city unknowingly shielded by their efforts. Ritsuka, ever practical, inquires about Edith's expected compensation, a question that serves as a grounding coda to their otherworldly endeavor. The hurricane's disruption of communications is lamented, a minor yet poignant reminder of the chaotic world they navigate, both seen and unseen.
(Tsubaki no Chikai(SRRitsuka):SRRitsuka)
[Fri Apr 18 2025]
On Foothold in Kyoto
Tucked away in the winding backstreets of Kyoto, behind an unassuming wooden gate marked only by a single, weathered camellia crest, lies a foothold in Japan. The air is thick with the scent of incense and the cold outside, the silence broken only by the distant chime of temple bells or the occasional murmur of unseen watchers.
Beyond the entrance, the locations fits into the surroundings, traditional sliding doors conceal fortified chambers, and a garden disguises hidden pathways beneath its moss-covered stones. Paper lanterns cast flickering shadows against lacquered wood, their crimson glow reflecting in the eyes of those who may take a moment to watch.
Power flows like an unseen current beneath Kyoto's ancient streets. Only those who walk the path of along the Yokai may ever uncover this current.
It is about 60F(15C) degrees.
Prepping for the encounter back in the orient, Edith doesn't put all that much effort in this time; A change from the usual, as there will be no need to compensate for the insanity caused by rogue elements within the Tsubaki No Tetsu. To the contrary, Edith meets with liliane, Ritsuka and Lanaeis under more sedate conditions, intending to perform exactly what is required without compensating for the lack of other's ability. The usuals are tucked away-- Grenades, landmines, bolas, bandages, pepperspray taser darts and a tranq, and Edith's deadman switch is set and charged for maximized destruction in a contained sphere of influence. What information that needed be shared before hand was, and so Edith is ready, confident enough that she is in street clothing and with only an assortment of (poisoned) weapons.
Not having any actual weapons on him, Lanaeis has arrived to the meeting point, taking up position and lightly brushing his fingers against his cross for a moment.
The soft click of Liliane's cane snaps through the air as she approaches, adjusting her sweater to avoid the printing of her weapon with her free hand and carrying all that she does daily. Looking up, Liliane smiles at Lanaeis though she seems hesitant to approach, her attention instead drawn towards Edith who she offers a faint, almost noncommital wave to.
It is early into the morning in Kyoto, an hour away before people would start the activities of their day at six in the morning when Ritsuka opens the path for Liliane and Lanaeis, as well as Edith where needed. It starts by her drawing her own blood, which opens into a rift that opens into a mist-filled forest where only the empty branches of the surrounding trees can be seen. "Do not step from the path. Or you will forever be lost. Stay close." She instructs to Liliane specifically. It is a trip that only takes a couple of minutes, for by the end of it, they step out, into a building near the main Inari shrine within Kyoto.
Once there, Ritsuka looks over everyone. "I will be short for this one. There is more hidden beneath the Higashiyama ward. Kin'Yoko found an entrance to an underground area- from what she has shared there is an entrance somewhere-" Shuffling for a map in a shelf, she retrieves one and opens it "There." She places her index finger on the map somewhere over the ward. "This is not so much a recovery - but more cleansing and securing. There will be ghosts, like there always are in Kyoto..."
And then she mentions "Onryo spirits mainly. Vengeful ghosts that only exist for vengeance. They will not just try to assault you but curse you. These were betrayed priestesses. Fox spirits are also there, they will likely be more aggressive and try to play trickeries on you. So expect attempts at illusions."
"Oh good." Lanaeis says, beside Liliane in a moment-when exactly did he move-as he folds his arms over his chest. "So. Keep Edith from getting her concentration broken, and try to not get cursed too much. Sounds easy enough right?"
"This should be little issue." Edith nods to Ritsuka who likely already knows, explaining to Lanaeis and Liliane, "My mind is warded from mental intrusions though as you know, I am adept with the undead. Though incorporiality may prove an issue if you are not ready to deal with them. The undead, spectres especially are very good at evading damage lest you use fire, which you Lanaeis should be able to manage, or salt, which disrupts incorporial dead. They will be weaker here during the day as the sun is rising. I too am weakened, though much of what the dead can do, I am immune to."
Flinching a bit at the suddenness of Lanaeis's move, Liliane shoots him a glare followed by a raised eyebrow that looks more amused than anything else. Her positioning remains consistently close to Lanaeis or Ritsuka, whichever remains closer, as she follows Ritsuka through the path and farther than she could have imagined.
Eyes flicker left and right, taking in the room before attention locks onto Ritsuka and then Edith as the duo offer explanations. "I don't know if I'd call any of that very easy..." she mumbles, her weight on her cane as an exhale rolls out of her lungs.
"So, do any of us have salt?" Lanaeis asks, a flicker of golden-black fire dancing around his knuckles for a moment. "I can handle the fire part, yes."
"How good are you with that prosthetic?" Edith asks of Liliane bluntly. "If running is needed, are you able more specifically?"
Liliane nods firmly, "Really, I'm just as fast as I was before it, more or less. It just aches a bit."
"Running isn't an issue for her. I will carry her if needed." Lanaeis says, letting his hands fall as he speaks. "Only if needed. Hopefully it won't be." Shifting onto his heels, then back forward, Lanaeis looks closer at the map, seeming to try to memorize it.
"Excellent, that will make this easier." Ritsuka tells and comments from what Edith and Lanaeis say, making a nod of her head. "Historically it is the usual... men betrayed priestesses.... and the artifact is called, in English, the Vow of Camellia. At least this is what Kin'Yoko has told me it is called." She looks up from the map and over to Liliane and then to Lanaeis "Salt is easy enough to find..." She slides away and turns around, leaving the room, returning a minute later with four bags of salt, holding them out to Lanaeis and Liliane.
She does wait for Edith to do her own questioning and for answers to come together before saying "The vow can be activated with a drop of angelblood. It will become the first site necessary for Kin'Yoko's ascension and will bring up wards to protect the city..." A pause. "I will also say... Kyoto is under our control, and after this we will publish the rule of law we apply to Kyoto for the supernatural, in cooperation with the Hanshin Group."
Reaching out towards Ritsuka immediately upon return, Liliane takes two bags and then with a look shot towards Lanaeis, Liliane reaches for a third. "Allow me, it's more useful unmelted," she comments with a smirk, an self-amused tone to her voice.
As to Lanaeis's question, Edith opens her handbag, which appears to be bottomless. Within, placed beside an assortment of tools and arcane items are a number of industrial sized salt shakers. "I am a necromancer." she tells Ritsuka, Lanaeis and Liliane by way of reason. "I am skilled at ridding the unwanted dead." A nod to Liliane's answer and she steps closer, reviewing the map more fully. "We have distractions and cover stories established? If there are numbers this will be harder to cover up than Arkwright cemetery." A nod then to Ritsuka and the exposition of intent for Kyoto.
"Angelblood. How pleasant. Will it care that the blood came from a man?" Lanaeis asks, lips thinning as he takes a single bag for himself. "Men really are much more idiotic over here, aren't they."
Opening one of the bags, the others stuffed into the duffle bag slung around her chest, Liliane inspects the salt by poking at it with a finger and comments a bit offhandedly, "Men can be idiots everywhere, Lanaeis."
Edith asks Ritsuka more specifically, "Are we expecting any corporial dead? I would rather not damage the established infrastructure, but if there are any sentient, or wights," Interesting that she doesn't consider wights sentient when she very much knows different, "Then we will have to evoke property damage." A smirk is shot to Lanaeis, "Men are always idiotic. The testosterone and bravado. It is somewhat pressing no matter where the man originates."
"Anyone can be an idiot anywhere, but it seems over here you get the rotten fruit on every tree." Lanaeis shakes his head in disappointment. "No matter. I'm ready whenever."
"No..." SRRitsuka just answers directly to Lanaeis, turning around again to withdraw a bag with blood, to hold it out to Liliane "Raina's blood." is all she says about it before her gaze turns to Edith "Only incorporeal. These Yurei are guardian spirits on a technical term. I would presume they are sentient, but also activating the vow should, as far as Kin'Yoko's occultist has found, subjugate them and make them not be a problem anymore. Avoiding structural damage would be preferred as it is underground and I am clueless to how robust the structure is. I will be outside, at the entrance to handle if there is a need to save ourselves from a breach of secrecy."
She does look to Liliane again. "Edith is very able. Lanaeis is loyal to you. You should be able to handle this, Liliane. Keep your head together and clear, listen to what Edith determines and rely on Lanaeis for your protection." And then, after a short pause "Are there any more questions, or would everyone be ready to go? I do have a van prepared for us, might need to squeeze in... Lanaeis is kind of too big..."
"He is rather large." Edith agrees with Ritsuka. "We know what we are to look for and we know the objective. I have no more questions." Edith nods to Liliane then, looking to somewhere at her core. "Good day, Kin'Yoko." she greets, waiting on Ritsuka, Lanaeis and Liliane to be ready and the van itself.
A hint of hesitation creeps over Liliane's arms as she reaches for a bag, a hesitation not born by the sight of it but upon the relevation of its previous owner. Regardless, Liliane takes it and holds it close to her chest before pushing it into her duffle bag as well. A serious look creeps over her face when Ritsuka addresses her once more and Liliane nods, responding, "Thank you for your faith, Miss Ritsuka," before her head turns to Lanaeis and then back to Ritsuka, "I'm sure he'll fit. If it comes down to it we can have him lay down on the floor instead of taking up seat space."
Ritsuka didn't actually say that.
Lanaeis's lips thin again, considering, before offering, with notably little dedication to the suggestion "I could run alongside. I can manage it, I believe, but that would be..." Lanaeis shrugs. "Probably not."
offers her own shrug. "You could not keep the pace of even inner city travel up for more than twenty seconds at a time. Thirty at a push, to say little of the breaching." A nod over to Liliane, "I am good at my craft, Kin'Yoko. Though if it helps, you and Thokk are the most stealthy active eidolons of late." A beat then, and Edith adds, "I could also fleshform him smaller if needs be."
Without argument on that point, Lanaeis places a hand against the side of the van, before opening the door, slipping inside and scrunching himself up against the opposite side.""
Lanaeis accidentally put a " there."
A silent stare is given to Lanaeis from Ritsuka, mentioning "Secrecy, Lanaeis." But then she turns away from Lanaeis, Edith and Liliane again, opening yet another shelf as she retrieves a set of keys. "Vehicle is parked down the pathway..."
Of course, even from the distance, the many torii fates of Inari's main shrine could be seen and that the courtyard is opened by a single one, too. Its foundation and the upper-mose roof, covered with black, protective metal. The van was just that. A white van, the appropriate size for Japanese streets which run significantly more narrow compared to ones in America, and Ritsuka takes the driver seat. "I will be leaving you to yourselves when we get there." The digital display for temperature shows relatively moderate temperatures right now, but what could be deduced for Saturday displays a whole 84F(29C).
The driver over is relatively peaceful. People were still sleeping, but even on that, some have started to rise to start their days, delivery vehicles moving the necessary items around. Bakeries starting up their first baked goods and once they arrive, it is similarly not all that exciting. The van door opens, Ritsuka makes a nod, and then moves away some shrubberies into what seems to lead down and down again. This time it takes a very long while to get there, Edith perhaps could deduce that they got to be really far deep. At one point, thick roots open the way trough, and they find themselves into an opened chamber. Phones have no signal here, and did anyone think to bring a torchlight? Because it is incredibly dark here, though Edith finds no difficulty to see at all.
Golden-black flames erupt in Lanaeis's eyes, followed by a pair of spectral wings that illuminate the room, driving back the shadows in moments as he nods.
Liliane's muted green eyes stare out at the world through any gap or window they can find on the ride over, head craning back and forth at unfamiliar architecture. On arrival though, Liliane's steps are taken downward with hesitation at first, eyes straining against the darkness as she turns to unzip her duffle bag and pull out a flashlight. Just as she prepares to turn it on she blinks, the darkness lit by Lanaeis's spectral wings as she offers him a pleased smile. "Thank you, Lanaeis," Liliane comments, each footstep now a bit more sure as Liliane looks down to ensure she retains proper footing.
Having not even considered the lack of light to be a problem, Edith follows Ritsuka through the foundations and into this undercroft with the grace of a restless phantom, inevitable motion without the need for rest or aught else. Once Lanaeis and Liliane join and the light is established via Lanaeis's innate gifts, Edith steps back to the enterence. A shaker is produced; A small one, and a line of salt is shaken out across the enterence way, the explanatiog given as she does so. "This wont stop anything physical, though it means the spirits will not escapehere. We can repeat the same at each intersection or junction and we will find our trek easier with repeated fallbacks." Looking around, Edith asks the others, "Are either of you clairvoyant or audient? If the spirits do not make themselves physically known, this may create somewhat of an issue if you are unable to see what we fight."
"I am not." Lanaeis shakes his head, eyes moving to the passage further in, moving out in front of Liliane and Edith.
Liliane shakes her head as well, shrugging a bit as she places her flashlight back into her back and begins to secure a bag of salt to a beltloop with a small piece of twine. "I'm most definitely not," Liliane replies, taking a handful of salt at the ready as she looks over the walls. "Hopefully.. That just doesn't end up being a problem. Worst comes to worse we can just have Lanaeis swing his flaming hands around blindly, I guess."
Just as they arrive, Ritsuka does make her way back around "I will be keeping a check on any secrecy problems." And then disappears again, leaving the three to themselves. The chamber is just that, large, bellowing, there is probably about thirty feet from ground to ceiling at the center as it curves on the outer sides. This chamber itself is floored with moss-grown stone, roots that have pieces the earth and two pathways that seem to possibly lead the way onwards on the other side of the room.
Almost immediately upon Ritsuka's disappearance Liliane freezes, eyes wide and staring forward. Her breathing unsteadies, hands shaking as she opens and closes her mouth wordlessly. A step is taken backwards, and then another before both real and synthetic freeze in place.
Drawing Edith's dagger from its hidden sheath, Edith keeps it to hand. For any in the know, they will see the runes that denote it as a focus-- Though any who have spent time around Edith would know that this is one of many bladed focuses that the vampire keeps to hand at any one moment. The silver ring she owns gives off a single flash and as her foot falls continue, circling the room, she appears to almost vanish into the shadows. (stealth going from 3 to 4) There's a moment as she appears to listen, the other item she holds, the earrings imbued to hear the wishes of those around her and then a pause-- A blink. "It begins." Edith sniffs. "Don't make me slap you, Dear." she mentions casually to Liliane. "Mental tricks. Beware."
Considering the distance, Lanaeis seems to hesitate for a split second. Then, in a single moment, he's against the wall, out of the path of those manticores, far too many for him to handle on his own.
"Both of you listen." Edith smarms, arms crossing, Edith's dagger resting under Edith's arm casually. "Before we go further, you are going to use your coms. You are going to call for your ritualists to ward both of your minds because I am not playing Mother Hen as you see things."
As Edith circles around, she then sees them, the glimmer of hands as they reach for feet. A set of ghostly white hands that clasp and wrap around her, Lanaeis and Liliane's ankles, and keep holding on to them. The air around her shifts, growing from the clarity she had seen before, into the faintest fog only visible to someone with as precise a vision as hers. To Lanaeis light, it dims, but not to a point where it is noticed. The small, bare minimum shift of a centimeter. Neither he nor Liliane can see their feet. It lasts only a few seconds longer... before they are left to go, hands unclasping, and vanishing beneath if not interrupted.
"Spiritual activity." Edith shares with Lanaeis and Liliane. "Below the ground. I will be aware of this and control them if they grow obstructive." Edith's gaze tracks the earth, around Lanaeis and Liliane's ankles and the slight fog around the area.
Shrugging off the voice, Lanaeis is back by Edith in a blur of motion, hands clasping at his waist.
There's an almost careless motion as Edith salts the hands that grasp at Edith's own legs. Not outwardly aggressive by any means, though unquestionably pointed. It's almost as though the vampire were conducting an experiment to identify if these things were harmed overly much by the contact with the salt or if it simply caused them to withdraw.
Breathing somewhat more regulated, Liliane clenches her teeth and shakes her head. "No.." she mumbles, eyes blinking clear before she steps forward as soon as the hands vanish and her vision snaps to focus, a glare on her face as she exhales deeply and says, "I mean. Ugh. Yes. They will probably try." She reaches up to her ear but, seemingly hearing nothing but static, Liliane starts to walk foward, "I get it now... Okay."
Two ways ahead." Edith muses, addressing Lanaeis and Liliane. "I will salt both, though which do we wish to take?" It's either genuine a question, or Edith is more than willing to have Liliane and Lanaeis use themselves as human shields. It's likely the former, though one truly cant be certain."
As far as Edith can see, they withdraw from the salt, and the trio of Yurei rise up from the ground. She can see it, the motions, then as they float down together into one of the two ways beyond the chamber. Liliane and Lanaeis on the other hand, watch as rocks rise into the air - and then explode, fling around, SCREAMS. So so many SCREAMS, right into their ears. It is almost deafening. Edith sees none of it, beyond their reactions which seem to be, to not attempt to call any ritualists to gain additional protection. After this brief shout-out by the Yurei, the room falls to silence. No more visions, but the air continues to carry its light fog.
"I suppose the choice is made for us." Edith goes on, still unaware of the ordeal that Lanaeis and Liliane are going through. A gesture to a specific exit once she has Lanaeis and Liliane's attention then. "The spirits went this a way."
Teeth gritting, Lanaeis remains behind Edith, following with forcibly even steps as he tries to resist the sounds of the spirits.
Eyes squeezing tightly shut, Liliane clenches her teeth again but this time there is little to no submission to her posture. Only annoyance, anger, and pain show on her face before she nods and points in the same direction as Edith's gesture. "Lanaeis. You first," she says, her voice growling with command.
Muscles tensing, Lanaeis falters for a moment before he's out in front of Edith, already in the hallway and walking further in.
"Quite so." Edith agrees with Liliane. It's human canary then she expects from Lanaeis.
as Edith follows on with Liliane, an eye kept on Lanaeis, Edith sprinkles salt across the doorway that they head through, being certain to conserve itas she sinks into the shadows behind Lanaeis's light and where Liliane treads, ever the natural predator.
And so the way goes after the three moving yurei. It is a thin hallway, barely enough for Lanaeis or Edith to fit in. Definitely intended for smaller people, and Lanaeis has to almost crouch and make his way sideways. Darn smaller people! And here, everything... just seems to fall to silence. Not a single sound, even the steps of each other reaches nowhere. It all changes up as Lanaeis gazes at something bright in the distance, another room, a place that opens up once more. This one was, in the most simple wording of putting it, an egg. And they found themselves at the top of it. Light blue flames seem to fly on all around them, glowing plants and mushrooms grow from the ground, not so much shedding light, but persisting within bioluminescence. Definitely not something that should exist on Earth in most places. There are pathways that spin around, as the party are at the top, these pathways crawl along the wall downwards with stairs, many broken, some smooth, filled by dirt. The flames are what actually offers the room its brightness. On each step down, by the wall, stands the statue of a single, white, kitsune, gazing out along the stairs. So far, nothing happens at first.
Being a smaller people herself, even canebound Liliane seems to have little difficulty traversing the hallway. Liliane's expression, tense before, softens as they walk into the room, her eyes tracing their way over stonework, plants and never before seen mushrooms. Hesitantly, she makes her way over to the closest statue, unwilling to touch but more than willing to look the white kitsune over with an appraising eye. "I don't suppose you two see anything out of place?"
Shaking his head, Lanaeis surveys the room for threats, hand falling to a sword that isn't there. "If the spirits came this way... I don't trust that they aren't waiting in here for us. Doctor Rose?"
"Have a care." Edith warns Lanaeis as the group come upon the light ahead. Tools are readied, and blades loosened in sheaths, and Edith makes certain to salt the enterence of the chamber after the three enter. Edith's eyes narrow at the sight of it, a considering look that takes note of the shape of the chamber and the statues, their fox fire and the way ahead, along with each figure along with the statues. "I do believe we may have found roughly what we need." the vampire decides, tone hushed so it wont carry overly far. To Liliane, she notes, "Spectral foxes with the same number of tails as the statue they sttand beside, but so far, not all that much else." Fortunately, Edith is a slight thing if one disregards the boobs, so it's likely Lanaeis who had the largest issue traversing the tunnel that came before. Edith's gaze tracks the area, eyes pealed for potential threats, both mundane and supernatural before answering Lanaeis, the consideration given before giving an incorrect answer.
Glancing around the rock, there is nothing evidently dangerous. Edith can see the fox spirits, which by now, all watch. Every single one from the top most stairs, all the way down. Each and every single one of them. The Yurei, Edith spies when she takes a few steps forward, and then begins to gaze down, as they circle around of a box, scream up, loudly, that all three of them can hear it, before disappearing behind another exit again down below. Seems it goes further along, downstairs to the bottom of the egg-shaped room.
"Come..."
"Each fox watches us." Edith shares with Lanaeis and Liliane. "They are likely dangerous." isn't Edith comforting in her assessments? "Though if they are true guardians and not corrupt," unlikely, "They will likely ignore us if we mean no harm." Stepping forward to look down, Edith nods. "The shrine maidens are down there, heading further in."
A motion of Liliane's head signals for Lanaeis to continue after Liliane takes the time to lay a line of salt at the top of any nearby staircases. "Let's go," she says but then she stops in place, a momentary pause before she says, "Actually.. I'll go first," and attempts to move ahead of Lanaeis towards the beckoning voice.
"Then we follow them. I would say we should likely avoid the fox spirits if possible. Perhaps we could path to the shrine maidens? It may be easier that way." Lanaeis steps a little closer to the indicated passage, and the edge. Glancing down, he lifts a shoulder. "I leave this up to the arcane expert, though. I cannot even see these spirits."
nods to Liliane. "Lanaeis has a point, though can you path with that amount of skill?" Posed as it is, Edith asks this of both Liliane and Lanaeis. "Short term paths are rather hard and one cant take others with them. It would bypass the spirit foxes however, as I do not believe a hand full of kibble would satisfy them. Do oriental beasts enjoy rice and raw fish like oriental people, one must wonder..."
And then Liliane leads the way. She takes the first step down - the eyes of the statue begin to glow... blue. And then another, blue. And then another, blue again. Even as Edith and Lanaeis should follow, they find that the spirits remain dormant for the moment. Something about Liliane seems to keep them in check, passes, or whatever else. Edith could perhaps deduce that there is two parts to it. Even as these would be corrupt fox spirits, they respond to the divine fox spirit inside Liliane, and her being a woman, the two parts seem to keep their rage and want for vengeance in check, which in turns makes the way down happen without any difficulty. The only thing that Edith may see, should she glance back, they all have left their statues, stepped up to the edge of the way down, and look, watch the group as they reach the bottom. Here, there is three ways forward. At the center lies a closed box, wood dry and looking as if it would be easy to break if there was the wish to do so.
As Liliane attempts to pass him, Lanaeis's hand falls on Liliane's shoulder. "Wait. Brave." Lanaeis says, eyes locked on the passage. "I can open a temporary path, yes. I will bring Liliane. Its likely the safest way, yes. And even if kibble would work, I didn't bring my travel bag of fox kibble today." The words are delivered with deadly seriousness, despite the absurdity of them.
Lanaeis would not do that then.
Lanaeis would instead just follow behind.
"I in contrast did bring animal food." Edith notes as the group travel down. "One can never be certain, and orientals do like their offerings." racist? Certainly. True? Unquestionably, and so Edith opens a travel pack of dog treats, leaving one before each statue as an offering. Once Lanaeis and Liliane and Edith reach the bottom however, Edith does note the fox gathering above, pointing out where they are and what they are doing as they amass.
"I aught ask if we look at this box?" Edith asks Lanaeis and Liliane, inspecting the box without touching it, checking for magical signs or runes.
A smile passes as Liliane comments to Edith, "I'm sure the spirits will love it". Then as the group reaches the bottom, Liliane seemingly unconcerned with the foxes and perhaps overly casual in her movements, Liliane looks over the box in the center and then to Edith. A look that requests explanation draws upon Liliane's face, a finger pointed to the box while shoulders shrug. "Anything weird about this?" Liliane asks before her attention turns to the three ways forward, inspecting the start of each path or passageway with a single eye on the box itself.
The box is old, very very old and Edith cannot see anything on it that would indicate a trap, a magical seal or anything else. The wood is dry and would probably be easy to light up. The wood is full of dust and has probably not been touched for at least several centuries. A glance up to the fox spirits, Edith can notice that they start to growl when she gets too close to the box. This box is theirs. They do not look like they would be happy with it being touched... on the other hand, what if there is treasures inside? An old artifact or relic that could be used. Would be only one way to find out to know for sure.
Looking the box over, Edith nods to someone, explaining to someone and her, "This appears to be the box of the foxes. They do not like me getting too close. Make of that what you will."
Looking the box over, Edith nods to Liliane, explaining to someone and her, "This appears to be the box of the foxes. They do not like me getting too close. Make of that what you will."
Looking the box over, Edith nods to Liliane, explaining to Lanaeis and her, "This appears to be the box of the foxes. They do not like me getting too close. Make of that what you will."
"There may be something within if either of you wished to check." Edith adds, looking up to the foxes and stepping away pointedly.
"I have the only relic I need, thank you." Lanaeis says, fingers brushing his cross as he follows Edith's example in stepping aside.
Liliane turns her head upwards towards the staircase but, seeing nothing, Liliane comments, "I think we should leave it to them then. As burning as my curiosity is I don't think we should anger more than we have to down here."
Edith nods. "Very well. We are here for the specific item that Kin'Yoko requires and she is riding you, so can tell us if she sees it."
And so attention draws away from the box. There is three ways forward. Edith could see the Yurei pass through one of them when she was up at the top of the chamber. When Liliane glances to the entrances of each of the ways forward, she only sees darkness, the light does not reach to anywhere ahead, and even if either of the three were to look, it would only look like a slightly declining way forward, going deeper underground.
"I'm sure the foxes will appreciate our respect, as well," she mumbles, eyes glancing over each of the three ways forward. Under her breath, Liliane mumbles, "Which way?" but then turns back to Edith and asks, "Did you notice anything else, Doctor Rose? That might make where we need to go more obvious?"
"Indeed." Edith nods. " It's this path that I saw the spirits leave through." Pointing to the specific one she saw, Edith moves to each enterence, salting the earth across each before waiting for Lanaeis and Liliane to lead the way.
Again, Lanaeis steps forward, but wouldn't object if Liliane decides to retake the lead.
Liliane looks at Lanaeis for a pensive moment but shakes her head and retakes the lead down Edith's pointed pathway.
This time, their steps lead the way on and on without a trouble. There was no silence to them this time, and it is several more minutes before it curves, and then a few more steps before it opens up into a new room. This one is rectangular, surrounded by moss on all sides where it overgrows the stone. At the center of the room, lies what has become a likely familiar sight to Edith, Lanaeis and Liliane, being affiliated or working with the Tsubaki no Tetsu. An elevated platform upon which resides a shrine, a box and a pavilion that would cover it. Now that they are looking, this room, is similarly bright. The same statues as there was before along one side of the wall while the other shows engravings, depictions of ritualistic processions for shrine maidens.
Edith can see them all. The three she had seen before. The fox spirits that sit before their own statues, all of their gazes turned towards her, towards Liliane, towards Lanaeis. There is hatred, anger, and if one were to count. There is two to three dozens of them.
"There are two-- No, three dozen maidens here. They're trying -something- mental." Edith notes. The altar is noted, of course. It's the obvious objective, though with so many hostiles, that may be a problem. A glance around, though aside from keeping an eye on Lanaeis and Liliane, no move just yet.
Eyes studying the array before him, Lanaeis shakes his head. "An idiot's choice." Lanaeis says quietly, to the others it might seem like he's talking to himself. "Arm them. We will not stoop so low. Return their weapons. Any that do not know the combat style of the Angelic Champions, have them taught. One final push." Lanaeis turns to... who? No one is there. "You. Are a fool. Why did I accept you again? Out of my sight. It appears that even the Blood Kin can be turned against one another." Lips curling into a dark frown, Lanaeis turns back, clasping his hands behind his back as he surveys again, the invisible ranks, a slow sigh escaping his lips.
Liliane remains silent through the passageway, eyes straining to retain the path until the room opens up. She stops a few steps in, eyes flickering over statues, shrine, pavilion and then muted green eyes lock on the box, lock on something. Her fingers tense around her cane, an uneasy rage building white knuckled in her posture before she lashes out forwards with her the shaft, swinging it several times rather awkwardly before her before taking the first step forward.
"I did." Lanaeis responds to the strange voice that likely only he hears. "And you let anger blind you. Controlled fury." The frown turns to a smirk. "How does it feel? To know you trap yourselves here by means of something easily broken." Striding out past the others, Lanaeis approaches the center of the room.
Just as Liliane and Lanaeis go into their own episodes, the fog around this room begin to rise. Edith is the only one who can see the agitation of the spirits begin to rise. The fox spirit here growl, the Onryo shrine maidens scream and look beyond furious. Their rage seems to only increase and rise, and this seems to be the source of the fog, and they begin to spin around the trio, starting to delve into the walls, some draw close to Lanaeis, grasping for his body, his spirit, and to Edith it looks as if they begin to reach, grasp and begin to pull on it. He feels cold. And colder. And colder... and even his fire will offer him no solace from the cold. His steps become slower and slower...
Edith can see the desired artifact lie atop of the altar. Lanaeis cannot. Liliane could, but he, Lanaeis won't.
Another step follows but eyes track Lanaeis as he moves forward, cane dropping to the floor as Liliane's breathing quickens, audible in the room. Her hand trails to her waist, the movement shaky as she shouts, "LANAEIS!" Her hand rests on the pistol, shaky fingers wrapping around the grip before she rips them away and pulls out the pepper spray sheathed immediately to the side, her rage pushing her to be more than ready to hurt as an arc of liquid capsaicin spreads through the air towards the angelborn.
Knees weakening at the cold, Lanaeis begins to waver, walking closer, closer still. Artifact? There is no artifact. Kin'yoko must want something from here, but Lanaeis can't see anything of value. What he can do is get to that altar. Get to that altar. Fingers rise, resting against his cross. Gripping it in a hand, he begins to lift it, presenting it in his palm as he moves. Closer. Step. Step. One foot. Then another. Push through the pain. Step. Step. Again. Again.
The mexican standoff continues, and Edith leaves Liliane and Lanaeis to what ever they see. There's little to be done right now, and Edith is no hero. She is here for the objective, though the objective is something that should be claimed by Liliane. Indeed, it is entirely possible that for now, Edith has entirely forgotten about Lanaeis, though the maidens have Edith's attention, and though powerful-- A sorceress, the vampire isn't quite as strong this far from Haven's realm gates. Without the boost from the Other, Wilds, Hell and the Guard Realm, even sorcery is weaker, and so when Edith takes up her focus, it's preparatory. In Edith's other hand the air begins to warp as an insidious globe of roiling energy manifests above it. For now, it remains where it is. The vampire focuses on the maidens and that ball of sorcery is overpowered, growing in strength and size as color and life from the universe around it dulls to muted greys, blacks and whites, the deleterious decay of the darkness itself as shadows begin to dance and gather, cavorting like spectres around Edith as not magic, but that arcane beyond training is coalessed, building. "You dare." Edith all but snarls, fangs extending. "You dare try to claim what belongs to me." There's no question. Edith is a living siege engine of mass destruction. She is the monster in this situation. The necromancer in a room of the dead and wielding sorcerous power. "Begone." And like that, salt is produced; It's not shaken. It's plucked from Edith's bag. The industrial sized canister is raised above Edith's head and not opened, but savagely pulped, the plastic bursting as though it were nothing but an afterthought. Salt flies in all directions and then, so does that ball of roiling dark sorcery-- A warning shot, though a powerful one for all of its might. "The altar." It's not a suggestion but a demand from Edith, and one directed to Liliane and Lanaeis, the intention behind it tailored to seductively worm its way through the mind of an angel-- To Lanaeis, to obey and get Liliane to the box with the blood.
Continuing forward to the altar, Lanaeis glances back... to receive pepper spray in the face. Coughing, squinting, and with teeth bared, Lanaeis chokes out through a mouthful of the stuff. "Altar. Path." Then, using all that he has, Lanaeis sprints for the altar blindly, his travel barely more than a blur of motion.
Spurred on by anger, Liliane immediately gives chase and rushes after Lanaeis without thought. Her taser rips from her sheath, pain sought over slaughter though to an outsider her movement compared to Lanaeis may as well have been slow motion.
The ball of dark magic spins around. The salt already drives the Yurei back, it lands everywhere, atop of Liliane and Lanaeis as well, less so on Edith but she has less difficulty with them than the other two do. Liliane is wrought and consumed by anger, and Edith may recognize that it is not just her own, but that of the Yurei, the ghosts, too. Bundled in, and Lanaeis is just a male. A perfect target to hurt and use and torture to enact their vengeance. But right now, they scream, some get hit by the dark energy and are pushed back. By the end of it, they seem all stuck in their statues, trying to breach forward and break out again, but unable to do so right now. The way to the altar is free. Lanaeis stumbles into a pillar that holds the roof of the shrine up, faceplanting right into it. Liliane needs a moment longer, but she is close. So so very close to him to taze the fucker up. He deserves it after all! Or so she is probably feeling right now. The angelblood that Liliane possesses does begin to glow...
After eating the rock, Lanaeis steps back, rubbing his eyes. "Shit that burns." Lanaeis grumbles. Turning, he's just in time to... "Shit!" Lanaeis suddenly vanishes, reappearing by Edith in a moment, pathing to her to avoid Liliane in that split second.
The taser swishes through air, the crackle of electricity arcing between the probes echoing off the walls as salt spills from Liliane's hair with the movement. She pauses, expression dispalying confusion before she whips around, a whip filled with rage that recedes when she catches sight of the altar so close and the spirits themselves are distracted by Edith. Dropping the taser she immediately rushes towards the altar instead, angelic blood pulled from the duffle bag and its container ripped open with teeth before she grips the box, crudely opened glowing blood at the ready.
As the dark sorcery and salt flies, Edith is finally afforded a moment to take stock; Infighting. Edith has something for this, especially when born of anger. She has many things, some more lethal than others, though the path least traveled is the one that is the most ideal in this case. As Lanaeis paths to beside Edith, the vampire points at Liliane, telling her, "Calm." It's not forceful, though behind it is a psionic pressure beyond suggestion. It's a felt thing that bypasses thought and instinct to stop it. It's a feeling that is wielded like a great maul, not fleeting and carefully applied as it should be, but as an edict born of the inherant superiority of a true monster. Though thankfully, this in conjunction with the trapped spirits (for now) and Liliane's personal mental fortitude is enough. Edith watches the woman make her way to the altar, another canister of salt is produced, just in case, and Edith simply waits for the outcome.
Blood pours over the artifact as Liliane makes her way over, it spills, turns the dark, previously indecipherable shape into a washed, golden hue, and then alights it with pure, radiant light, like the dawn of a new rising sun. Its beams rise and shine all around, even burning at Edith's skin for but a moment, and then, the room is as if daylight itself was blossoming through from above from the morning sun that is currently still rising in Kyoto. The ghosts merge into the statues, and then grow still. Previously their images were gruesomely distorted, now they are turning more into how they used to look. the walls begin to grow transparent, and the world around them seem to change, as they now gazes on out, as if from a chamber residing in the sky above the ancient city. They can look into every direction, and light forms along the streets, rippling along the leyline while a sort of barrier builds around the city consisting entirely of spirits. They will later learn that this was only visible from here, if it was even real.
The fox spirits they had seen before, the Onryo, they all watch and look, gathering around, and from the ceiling, a golden Camellia begins to bloom and the spirit of Kin'Yoko becomes visible with ease here, slipping out of Liliane as a golden hued pale woman with golden tresses. When she smiles, she looks very present. This is who she will be. "One step is done... more lie ahead." She says, her lips moving with the feminine sultry tone those who have heard her known her to have.
Hands clasping behind his back, Lanaeis straightens, shoulders coming back as well as he stands next to Edith, the light making his spectral wings of light completely invisible in its sudden glare, save for the eerie black lines that corrupt the gold.
Catching her breath, Liliane lifts herself back to full height and leans slightly leftward as the room shifts and changes. The anger on her face has completely receded as she turns back to face the spirit of Kin'Yoko and then turns to face Lanaeis and Edith, eyes looking over the chamber with a glimmer of wonder when the leyline in her sight pulses. A deep exhale escapes her lungs, the crumpled, bloody bag she holds staining her hand before her eyes look upon and then remain locked on Kin'yoko's form silently.
Though expected of a vampire-- Though the sunlight burns, Edith remains stoic. A small hiss escapes Edith's lips, though the vampire is over a hundred years old, and though this burns-- All light does-- Edith weathers it with the grace of someone forcing themselves to do so. To it, a flintch, then Edith's sunglasses are slipped over Edith's eyes. As Kin'Yoko's form manifests, that strain appears to leave the vampire and she nods to the woman. A nod is given then, and Edith crosses her arms, simply waiting.
The three wait, but nothing more happens here. The spirit cannot leave this place, even if she is manifest here, where the magic is strong. Something Edith would notice. Not the way it is in the Other, not the way it is near a gate in Haven, still weaker, but more than is usual. It is only a few moments, before the manifestation just raises a hand to wave and the three find themselves stranding right back with Ritsuka, who does not seem to notice or hear the three until they make their presence known.
Whenever that happens, she turns back to them and mentions "It- looks like it is done? Any report or should it just be handled with everything else later? Let's get into the way back anyway, we are out in the middle of the day, let's not be."
"It is done, yes." Lanaeis confirms, glancing over a shoulder before his eyes turn to Edith. "Good idea. Going home sounds nice."
Ritsuka does turn around a little bit. Her tiddies jiggle and she lets out a little "Hehehehehe-" suddenly. Makes her look around warily and say "Uh- I think someone is feeling a little mischievous. Let's get it along." She nods to Lanaeis and opens the van doors for everyone.
Liliane exhales loudly, shoves her hand deep into her duffle bag and keeps it there. "Yeah... Out of the open at the very least." Liliane comments before stepping into the van.
Scrunching himself into the van, Lanaeis turns his face to the window... probably because he has no choice, but that's aside the point.
Nods, though by the time that nod is finished, Edith has already pathed into the van's comforthing gloom.
And so... the journey through Kyoto definitely draws to an end. One territory claimed. More to gain. But that will be a struggle on its own. When back at the stronghold, Ritsuka will learn about what happened, as much as people are willing to say, which likely means Edith. And at the end of it, there is only one last question left. "Edith-san," Ritsuka asks. "You did reply in a text and came, what was the answer? Were you expecting any particular payment? The hurricane meant I did not receive enough to read what it said."
nods. "Yes, payment monitarily." Edith tells Ritsuka. "The hurricane is rather annoying for communications."
The group, each with their unique abilities and preparations, ventures into a mist-filled forest leading to a hidden chamber near the main Inari shrine. They are briefed by Ritsuka about the dangers of Onryo spirits and fox spirits, setting the stage for the supernatural encounters to follow.
As they advance through a moss-covered chamber lit by bioluminescent flora, they find themselves followed by watchful, ghostly fox spirits. Lanaeis, touched by the divine yet hindered by his visible corporeality, struggles against the unseen grasp of cold hands as the spirits attempt to curse and slow him. Liliane, driven by a mixture of determination and a simmering rage that's not entirely her own, advances towards the altar with a drop of angelic blood, the key to their mission's success.
Edith, wielding her profound necromantic powers, becomes an anchor for the group, her control over the dead and the dark arcane energies cutting a path through the spiritual resistance they face. It's her salt and sorcery that beat back the assaults of the Onryo, laying bare the path to their objective.
The climax occurs at the heart of the spiritual nexus, where, under Edith's protective sorcery and amidst the confusion of battle, Liliane completes the ritual. She releases the angelic blood over the artifact at the altar, igniting a beacon of pure, radiant light. This light, burning even to Edith's undead flesh, signifies their hard-won victory. It transforms the chamber, revealing it as a dimensional crossroads overlaid upon ancient Kyoto. The ghosts find peace, merging into their respective statues, as Kin'Yoko's spirit, bolstered by the ritual, manifests brightly, proclaiming one step of her ascension complete.
The aftermath finds the group back in the mundane reality of daylight Kyoto, sharing a van ride back to their stronghold. Despite the surreal trials they faced, the spiritual turmoil they quelled, and the personal dynamics at play, their mission concludes successfully, the city unknowingly shielded by their efforts. Ritsuka, ever practical, inquires about Edith's expected compensation, a question that serves as a grounding coda to their otherworldly endeavor. The hurricane's disruption of communications is lamented, a minor yet poignant reminder of the chaotic world they navigate, both seen and unseen.
(Tsubaki no Chikai(SRRitsuka):SRRitsuka)
[Fri Apr 18 2025]
On Foothold in Kyoto
Tucked away in the winding backstreets of Kyoto, behind an unassuming wooden gate marked only by a single, weathered camellia crest, lies a foothold in Japan. The air is thick with the scent of incense and the cold outside, the silence broken only by the distant chime of temple bells or the occasional murmur of unseen watchers.
Beyond the entrance, the locations fits into the surroundings, traditional sliding doors conceal fortified chambers, and a garden disguises hidden pathways beneath its moss-covered stones. Paper lanterns cast flickering shadows against lacquered wood, their crimson glow reflecting in the eyes of those who may take a moment to watch.
Power flows like an unseen current beneath Kyoto's ancient streets. Only those who walk the path of along the Yokai may ever uncover this current.
It is about 60F(15C) degrees.
Prepping for the encounter back in the orient, Edith doesn't put all that much effort in this time; A change from the usual, as there will be no need to compensate for the insanity caused by rogue elements within the Tsubaki No Tetsu. To the contrary, Edith meets with liliane, Ritsuka and Lanaeis under more sedate conditions, intending to perform exactly what is required without compensating for the lack of other's ability. The usuals are tucked away-- Grenades, landmines, bolas, bandages, pepperspray taser darts and a tranq, and Edith's deadman switch is set and charged for maximized destruction in a contained sphere of influence. What information that needed be shared before hand was, and so Edith is ready, confident enough that she is in street clothing and with only an assortment of (poisoned) weapons.
Not having any actual weapons on him, Lanaeis has arrived to the meeting point, taking up position and lightly brushing his fingers against his cross for a moment.
The soft click of Liliane's cane snaps through the air as she approaches, adjusting her sweater to avoid the printing of her weapon with her free hand and carrying all that she does daily. Looking up, Liliane smiles at Lanaeis though she seems hesitant to approach, her attention instead drawn towards Edith who she offers a faint, almost noncommital wave to.
It is early into the morning in Kyoto, an hour away before people would start the activities of their day at six in the morning when Ritsuka opens the path for Liliane and Lanaeis, as well as Edith where needed. It starts by her drawing her own blood, which opens into a rift that opens into a mist-filled forest where only the empty branches of the surrounding trees can be seen. "Do not step from the path. Or you will forever be lost. Stay close." She instructs to Liliane specifically. It is a trip that only takes a couple of minutes, for by the end of it, they step out, into a building near the main Inari shrine within Kyoto.
Once there, Ritsuka looks over everyone. "I will be short for this one. There is more hidden beneath the Higashiyama ward. Kin'Yoko found an entrance to an underground area- from what she has shared there is an entrance somewhere-" Shuffling for a map in a shelf, she retrieves one and opens it "There." She places her index finger on the map somewhere over the ward. "This is not so much a recovery - but more cleansing and securing. There will be ghosts, like there always are in Kyoto..."
And then she mentions "Onryo spirits mainly. Vengeful ghosts that only exist for vengeance. They will not just try to assault you but curse you. These were betrayed priestesses. Fox spirits are also there, they will likely be more aggressive and try to play trickeries on you. So expect attempts at illusions."
"Oh good." Lanaeis says, beside Liliane in a moment-when exactly did he move-as he folds his arms over his chest. "So. Keep Edith from getting her concentration broken, and try to not get cursed too much. Sounds easy enough right?"
"This should be little issue." Edith nods to Ritsuka who likely already knows, explaining to Lanaeis and Liliane, "My mind is warded from mental intrusions though as you know, I am adept with the undead. Though incorporiality may prove an issue if you are not ready to deal with them. The undead, spectres especially are very good at evading damage lest you use fire, which you Lanaeis should be able to manage, or salt, which disrupts incorporial dead. They will be weaker here during the day as the sun is rising. I too am weakened, though much of what the dead can do, I am immune to."
Flinching a bit at the suddenness of Lanaeis's move, Liliane shoots him a glare followed by a raised eyebrow that looks more amused than anything else. Her positioning remains consistently close to Lanaeis or Ritsuka, whichever remains closer, as she follows Ritsuka through the path and farther than she could have imagined.
Eyes flicker left and right, taking in the room before attention locks onto Ritsuka and then Edith as the duo offer explanations. "I don't know if I'd call any of that very easy..." she mumbles, her weight on her cane as an exhale rolls out of her lungs.
"So, do any of us have salt?" Lanaeis asks, a flicker of golden-black fire dancing around his knuckles for a moment. "I can handle the fire part, yes."
"How good are you with that prosthetic?" Edith asks of Liliane bluntly. "If running is needed, are you able more specifically?"
Liliane nods firmly, "Really, I'm just as fast as I was before it, more or less. It just aches a bit."
"Running isn't an issue for her. I will carry her if needed." Lanaeis says, letting his hands fall as he speaks. "Only if needed. Hopefully it won't be." Shifting onto his heels, then back forward, Lanaeis looks closer at the map, seeming to try to memorize it.
"Excellent, that will make this easier." Ritsuka tells and comments from what Edith and Lanaeis say, making a nod of her head. "Historically it is the usual... men betrayed priestesses.... and the artifact is called, in English, the Vow of Camellia. At least this is what Kin'Yoko has told me it is called." She looks up from the map and over to Liliane and then to Lanaeis "Salt is easy enough to find..." She slides away and turns around, leaving the room, returning a minute later with four bags of salt, holding them out to Lanaeis and Liliane.
She does wait for Edith to do her own questioning and for answers to come together before saying "The vow can be activated with a drop of angelblood. It will become the first site necessary for Kin'Yoko's ascension and will bring up wards to protect the city..." A pause. "I will also say... Kyoto is under our control, and after this we will publish the rule of law we apply to Kyoto for the supernatural, in cooperation with the Hanshin Group."
Reaching out towards Ritsuka immediately upon return, Liliane takes two bags and then with a look shot towards Lanaeis, Liliane reaches for a third. "Allow me, it's more useful unmelted," she comments with a smirk, an self-amused tone to her voice.
As to Lanaeis's question, Edith opens her handbag, which appears to be bottomless. Within, placed beside an assortment of tools and arcane items are a number of industrial sized salt shakers. "I am a necromancer." she tells Ritsuka, Lanaeis and Liliane by way of reason. "I am skilled at ridding the unwanted dead." A nod to Liliane's answer and she steps closer, reviewing the map more fully. "We have distractions and cover stories established? If there are numbers this will be harder to cover up than Arkwright cemetery." A nod then to Ritsuka and the exposition of intent for Kyoto.
"Angelblood. How pleasant. Will it care that the blood came from a man?" Lanaeis asks, lips thinning as he takes a single bag for himself. "Men really are much more idiotic over here, aren't they."
Opening one of the bags, the others stuffed into the duffle bag slung around her chest, Liliane inspects the salt by poking at it with a finger and comments a bit offhandedly, "Men can be idiots everywhere, Lanaeis."
Edith asks Ritsuka more specifically, "Are we expecting any corporial dead? I would rather not damage the established infrastructure, but if there are any sentient, or wights," Interesting that she doesn't consider wights sentient when she very much knows different, "Then we will have to evoke property damage." A smirk is shot to Lanaeis, "Men are always idiotic. The testosterone and bravado. It is somewhat pressing no matter where the man originates."
"Anyone can be an idiot anywhere, but it seems over here you get the rotten fruit on every tree." Lanaeis shakes his head in disappointment. "No matter. I'm ready whenever."
"No..." SRRitsuka just answers directly to Lanaeis, turning around again to withdraw a bag with blood, to hold it out to Liliane "Raina's blood." is all she says about it before her gaze turns to Edith "Only incorporeal. These Yurei are guardian spirits on a technical term. I would presume they are sentient, but also activating the vow should, as far as Kin'Yoko's occultist has found, subjugate them and make them not be a problem anymore. Avoiding structural damage would be preferred as it is underground and I am clueless to how robust the structure is. I will be outside, at the entrance to handle if there is a need to save ourselves from a breach of secrecy."
She does look to Liliane again. "Edith is very able. Lanaeis is loyal to you. You should be able to handle this, Liliane. Keep your head together and clear, listen to what Edith determines and rely on Lanaeis for your protection." And then, after a short pause "Are there any more questions, or would everyone be ready to go? I do have a van prepared for us, might need to squeeze in... Lanaeis is kind of too big..."
"He is rather large." Edith agrees with Ritsuka. "We know what we are to look for and we know the objective. I have no more questions." Edith nods to Liliane then, looking to somewhere at her core. "Good day, Kin'Yoko." she greets, waiting on Ritsuka, Lanaeis and Liliane to be ready and the van itself.
A hint of hesitation creeps over Liliane's arms as she reaches for a bag, a hesitation not born by the sight of it but upon the relevation of its previous owner. Regardless, Liliane takes it and holds it close to her chest before pushing it into her duffle bag as well. A serious look creeps over her face when Ritsuka addresses her once more and Liliane nods, responding, "Thank you for your faith, Miss Ritsuka," before her head turns to Lanaeis and then back to Ritsuka, "I'm sure he'll fit. If it comes down to it we can have him lay down on the floor instead of taking up seat space."
Ritsuka didn't actually say that.
Lanaeis's lips thin again, considering, before offering, with notably little dedication to the suggestion "I could run alongside. I can manage it, I believe, but that would be..." Lanaeis shrugs. "Probably not."
offers her own shrug. "You could not keep the pace of even inner city travel up for more than twenty seconds at a time. Thirty at a push, to say little of the breaching." A nod over to Liliane, "I am good at my craft, Kin'Yoko. Though if it helps, you and Thokk are the most stealthy active eidolons of late." A beat then, and Edith adds, "I could also fleshform him smaller if needs be."
Without argument on that point, Lanaeis places a hand against the side of the van, before opening the door, slipping inside and scrunching himself up against the opposite side.""
Lanaeis accidentally put a " there."
A silent stare is given to Lanaeis from Ritsuka, mentioning "Secrecy, Lanaeis." But then she turns away from Lanaeis, Edith and Liliane again, opening yet another shelf as she retrieves a set of keys. "Vehicle is parked down the pathway..."
Of course, even from the distance, the many torii fates of Inari's main shrine could be seen and that the courtyard is opened by a single one, too. Its foundation and the upper-mose roof, covered with black, protective metal. The van was just that. A white van, the appropriate size for Japanese streets which run significantly more narrow compared to ones in America, and Ritsuka takes the driver seat. "I will be leaving you to yourselves when we get there." The digital display for temperature shows relatively moderate temperatures right now, but what could be deduced for Saturday displays a whole 84F(29C).
The driver over is relatively peaceful. People were still sleeping, but even on that, some have started to rise to start their days, delivery vehicles moving the necessary items around. Bakeries starting up their first baked goods and once they arrive, it is similarly not all that exciting. The van door opens, Ritsuka makes a nod, and then moves away some shrubberies into what seems to lead down and down again. This time it takes a very long while to get there, Edith perhaps could deduce that they got to be really far deep. At one point, thick roots open the way trough, and they find themselves into an opened chamber. Phones have no signal here, and did anyone think to bring a torchlight? Because it is incredibly dark here, though Edith finds no difficulty to see at all.
Golden-black flames erupt in Lanaeis's eyes, followed by a pair of spectral wings that illuminate the room, driving back the shadows in moments as he nods.
Liliane's muted green eyes stare out at the world through any gap or window they can find on the ride over, head craning back and forth at unfamiliar architecture. On arrival though, Liliane's steps are taken downward with hesitation at first, eyes straining against the darkness as she turns to unzip her duffle bag and pull out a flashlight. Just as she prepares to turn it on she blinks, the darkness lit by Lanaeis's spectral wings as she offers him a pleased smile. "Thank you, Lanaeis," Liliane comments, each footstep now a bit more sure as Liliane looks down to ensure she retains proper footing.
Having not even considered the lack of light to be a problem, Edith follows Ritsuka through the foundations and into this undercroft with the grace of a restless phantom, inevitable motion without the need for rest or aught else. Once Lanaeis and Liliane join and the light is established via Lanaeis's innate gifts, Edith steps back to the enterence. A shaker is produced; A small one, and a line of salt is shaken out across the enterence way, the explanatiog given as she does so. "This wont stop anything physical, though it means the spirits will not escapehere. We can repeat the same at each intersection or junction and we will find our trek easier with repeated fallbacks." Looking around, Edith asks the others, "Are either of you clairvoyant or audient? If the spirits do not make themselves physically known, this may create somewhat of an issue if you are unable to see what we fight."
"I am not." Lanaeis shakes his head, eyes moving to the passage further in, moving out in front of Liliane and Edith.
Liliane shakes her head as well, shrugging a bit as she places her flashlight back into her back and begins to secure a bag of salt to a beltloop with a small piece of twine. "I'm most definitely not," Liliane replies, taking a handful of salt at the ready as she looks over the walls. "Hopefully.. That just doesn't end up being a problem. Worst comes to worse we can just have Lanaeis swing his flaming hands around blindly, I guess."
Just as they arrive, Ritsuka does make her way back around "I will be keeping a check on any secrecy problems." And then disappears again, leaving the three to themselves. The chamber is just that, large, bellowing, there is probably about thirty feet from ground to ceiling at the center as it curves on the outer sides. This chamber itself is floored with moss-grown stone, roots that have pieces the earth and two pathways that seem to possibly lead the way onwards on the other side of the room.
Almost immediately upon Ritsuka's disappearance Liliane freezes, eyes wide and staring forward. Her breathing unsteadies, hands shaking as she opens and closes her mouth wordlessly. A step is taken backwards, and then another before both real and synthetic freeze in place.
Drawing Edith's dagger from its hidden sheath, Edith keeps it to hand. For any in the know, they will see the runes that denote it as a focus-- Though any who have spent time around Edith would know that this is one of many bladed focuses that the vampire keeps to hand at any one moment. The silver ring she owns gives off a single flash and as her foot falls continue, circling the room, she appears to almost vanish into the shadows. (stealth going from 3 to 4) There's a moment as she appears to listen, the other item she holds, the earrings imbued to hear the wishes of those around her and then a pause-- A blink. "It begins." Edith sniffs. "Don't make me slap you, Dear." she mentions casually to Liliane. "Mental tricks. Beware."
Considering the distance, Lanaeis seems to hesitate for a split second. Then, in a single moment, he's against the wall, out of the path of those manticores, far too many for him to handle on his own.
"Both of you listen." Edith smarms, arms crossing, Edith's dagger resting under Edith's arm casually. "Before we go further, you are going to use your coms. You are going to call for your ritualists to ward both of your minds because I am not playing Mother Hen as you see things."
As Edith circles around, she then sees them, the glimmer of hands as they reach for feet. A set of ghostly white hands that clasp and wrap around her, Lanaeis and Liliane's ankles, and keep holding on to them. The air around her shifts, growing from the clarity she had seen before, into the faintest fog only visible to someone with as precise a vision as hers. To Lanaeis light, it dims, but not to a point where it is noticed. The small, bare minimum shift of a centimeter. Neither he nor Liliane can see their feet. It lasts only a few seconds longer... before they are left to go, hands unclasping, and vanishing beneath if not interrupted.
"Spiritual activity." Edith shares with Lanaeis and Liliane. "Below the ground. I will be aware of this and control them if they grow obstructive." Edith's gaze tracks the earth, around Lanaeis and Liliane's ankles and the slight fog around the area.
Shrugging off the voice, Lanaeis is back by Edith in a blur of motion, hands clasping at his waist.
There's an almost careless motion as Edith salts the hands that grasp at Edith's own legs. Not outwardly aggressive by any means, though unquestionably pointed. It's almost as though the vampire were conducting an experiment to identify if these things were harmed overly much by the contact with the salt or if it simply caused them to withdraw.
Breathing somewhat more regulated, Liliane clenches her teeth and shakes her head. "No.." she mumbles, eyes blinking clear before she steps forward as soon as the hands vanish and her vision snaps to focus, a glare on her face as she exhales deeply and says, "I mean. Ugh. Yes. They will probably try." She reaches up to her ear but, seemingly hearing nothing but static, Liliane starts to walk foward, "I get it now... Okay."
Two ways ahead." Edith muses, addressing Lanaeis and Liliane. "I will salt both, though which do we wish to take?" It's either genuine a question, or Edith is more than willing to have Liliane and Lanaeis use themselves as human shields. It's likely the former, though one truly cant be certain."
As far as Edith can see, they withdraw from the salt, and the trio of Yurei rise up from the ground. She can see it, the motions, then as they float down together into one of the two ways beyond the chamber. Liliane and Lanaeis on the other hand, watch as rocks rise into the air - and then explode, fling around, SCREAMS. So so many SCREAMS, right into their ears. It is almost deafening. Edith sees none of it, beyond their reactions which seem to be, to not attempt to call any ritualists to gain additional protection. After this brief shout-out by the Yurei, the room falls to silence. No more visions, but the air continues to carry its light fog.
"I suppose the choice is made for us." Edith goes on, still unaware of the ordeal that Lanaeis and Liliane are going through. A gesture to a specific exit once she has Lanaeis and Liliane's attention then. "The spirits went this a way."
Teeth gritting, Lanaeis remains behind Edith, following with forcibly even steps as he tries to resist the sounds of the spirits.
Eyes squeezing tightly shut, Liliane clenches her teeth again but this time there is little to no submission to her posture. Only annoyance, anger, and pain show on her face before she nods and points in the same direction as Edith's gesture. "Lanaeis. You first," she says, her voice growling with command.
Muscles tensing, Lanaeis falters for a moment before he's out in front of Edith, already in the hallway and walking further in.
"Quite so." Edith agrees with Liliane. It's human canary then she expects from Lanaeis.
as Edith follows on with Liliane, an eye kept on Lanaeis, Edith sprinkles salt across the doorway that they head through, being certain to conserve itas she sinks into the shadows behind Lanaeis's light and where Liliane treads, ever the natural predator.
And so the way goes after the three moving yurei. It is a thin hallway, barely enough for Lanaeis or Edith to fit in. Definitely intended for smaller people, and Lanaeis has to almost crouch and make his way sideways. Darn smaller people! And here, everything... just seems to fall to silence. Not a single sound, even the steps of each other reaches nowhere. It all changes up as Lanaeis gazes at something bright in the distance, another room, a place that opens up once more. This one was, in the most simple wording of putting it, an egg. And they found themselves at the top of it. Light blue flames seem to fly on all around them, glowing plants and mushrooms grow from the ground, not so much shedding light, but persisting within bioluminescence. Definitely not something that should exist on Earth in most places. There are pathways that spin around, as the party are at the top, these pathways crawl along the wall downwards with stairs, many broken, some smooth, filled by dirt. The flames are what actually offers the room its brightness. On each step down, by the wall, stands the statue of a single, white, kitsune, gazing out along the stairs. So far, nothing happens at first.
Being a smaller people herself, even canebound Liliane seems to have little difficulty traversing the hallway. Liliane's expression, tense before, softens as they walk into the room, her eyes tracing their way over stonework, plants and never before seen mushrooms. Hesitantly, she makes her way over to the closest statue, unwilling to touch but more than willing to look the white kitsune over with an appraising eye. "I don't suppose you two see anything out of place?"
Shaking his head, Lanaeis surveys the room for threats, hand falling to a sword that isn't there. "If the spirits came this way... I don't trust that they aren't waiting in here for us. Doctor Rose?"
"Have a care." Edith warns Lanaeis as the group come upon the light ahead. Tools are readied, and blades loosened in sheaths, and Edith makes certain to salt the enterence of the chamber after the three enter. Edith's eyes narrow at the sight of it, a considering look that takes note of the shape of the chamber and the statues, their fox fire and the way ahead, along with each figure along with the statues. "I do believe we may have found roughly what we need." the vampire decides, tone hushed so it wont carry overly far. To Liliane, she notes, "Spectral foxes with the same number of tails as the statue they sttand beside, but so far, not all that much else." Fortunately, Edith is a slight thing if one disregards the boobs, so it's likely Lanaeis who had the largest issue traversing the tunnel that came before. Edith's gaze tracks the area, eyes pealed for potential threats, both mundane and supernatural before answering Lanaeis, the consideration given before giving an incorrect answer.
Glancing around the rock, there is nothing evidently dangerous. Edith can see the fox spirits, which by now, all watch. Every single one from the top most stairs, all the way down. Each and every single one of them. The Yurei, Edith spies when she takes a few steps forward, and then begins to gaze down, as they circle around of a box, scream up, loudly, that all three of them can hear it, before disappearing behind another exit again down below. Seems it goes further along, downstairs to the bottom of the egg-shaped room.
"Come..."
"Each fox watches us." Edith shares with Lanaeis and Liliane. "They are likely dangerous." isn't Edith comforting in her assessments? "Though if they are true guardians and not corrupt," unlikely, "They will likely ignore us if we mean no harm." Stepping forward to look down, Edith nods. "The shrine maidens are down there, heading further in."
A motion of Liliane's head signals for Lanaeis to continue after Liliane takes the time to lay a line of salt at the top of any nearby staircases. "Let's go," she says but then she stops in place, a momentary pause before she says, "Actually.. I'll go first," and attempts to move ahead of Lanaeis towards the beckoning voice.
"Then we follow them. I would say we should likely avoid the fox spirits if possible. Perhaps we could path to the shrine maidens? It may be easier that way." Lanaeis steps a little closer to the indicated passage, and the edge. Glancing down, he lifts a shoulder. "I leave this up to the arcane expert, though. I cannot even see these spirits."
nods to Liliane. "Lanaeis has a point, though can you path with that amount of skill?" Posed as it is, Edith asks this of both Liliane and Lanaeis. "Short term paths are rather hard and one cant take others with them. It would bypass the spirit foxes however, as I do not believe a hand full of kibble would satisfy them. Do oriental beasts enjoy rice and raw fish like oriental people, one must wonder..."
And then Liliane leads the way. She takes the first step down - the eyes of the statue begin to glow... blue. And then another, blue. And then another, blue again. Even as Edith and Lanaeis should follow, they find that the spirits remain dormant for the moment. Something about Liliane seems to keep them in check, passes, or whatever else. Edith could perhaps deduce that there is two parts to it. Even as these would be corrupt fox spirits, they respond to the divine fox spirit inside Liliane, and her being a woman, the two parts seem to keep their rage and want for vengeance in check, which in turns makes the way down happen without any difficulty. The only thing that Edith may see, should she glance back, they all have left their statues, stepped up to the edge of the way down, and look, watch the group as they reach the bottom. Here, there is three ways forward. At the center lies a closed box, wood dry and looking as if it would be easy to break if there was the wish to do so.
As Liliane attempts to pass him, Lanaeis's hand falls on Liliane's shoulder. "Wait. Brave." Lanaeis says, eyes locked on the passage. "I can open a temporary path, yes. I will bring Liliane. Its likely the safest way, yes. And even if kibble would work, I didn't bring my travel bag of fox kibble today." The words are delivered with deadly seriousness, despite the absurdity of them.
Lanaeis would not do that then.
Lanaeis would instead just follow behind.
"I in contrast did bring animal food." Edith notes as the group travel down. "One can never be certain, and orientals do like their offerings." racist? Certainly. True? Unquestionably, and so Edith opens a travel pack of dog treats, leaving one before each statue as an offering. Once Lanaeis and Liliane and Edith reach the bottom however, Edith does note the fox gathering above, pointing out where they are and what they are doing as they amass.
"I aught ask if we look at this box?" Edith asks Lanaeis and Liliane, inspecting the box without touching it, checking for magical signs or runes.
A smile passes as Liliane comments to Edith, "I'm sure the spirits will love it". Then as the group reaches the bottom, Liliane seemingly unconcerned with the foxes and perhaps overly casual in her movements, Liliane looks over the box in the center and then to Edith. A look that requests explanation draws upon Liliane's face, a finger pointed to the box while shoulders shrug. "Anything weird about this?" Liliane asks before her attention turns to the three ways forward, inspecting the start of each path or passageway with a single eye on the box itself.
The box is old, very very old and Edith cannot see anything on it that would indicate a trap, a magical seal or anything else. The wood is dry and would probably be easy to light up. The wood is full of dust and has probably not been touched for at least several centuries. A glance up to the fox spirits, Edith can notice that they start to growl when she gets too close to the box. This box is theirs. They do not look like they would be happy with it being touched... on the other hand, what if there is treasures inside? An old artifact or relic that could be used. Would be only one way to find out to know for sure.
Looking the box over, Edith nods to someone, explaining to someone and her, "This appears to be the box of the foxes. They do not like me getting too close. Make of that what you will."
Looking the box over, Edith nods to Liliane, explaining to someone and her, "This appears to be the box of the foxes. They do not like me getting too close. Make of that what you will."
Looking the box over, Edith nods to Liliane, explaining to Lanaeis and her, "This appears to be the box of the foxes. They do not like me getting too close. Make of that what you will."
"There may be something within if either of you wished to check." Edith adds, looking up to the foxes and stepping away pointedly.
"I have the only relic I need, thank you." Lanaeis says, fingers brushing his cross as he follows Edith's example in stepping aside.
Liliane turns her head upwards towards the staircase but, seeing nothing, Liliane comments, "I think we should leave it to them then. As burning as my curiosity is I don't think we should anger more than we have to down here."
Edith nods. "Very well. We are here for the specific item that Kin'Yoko requires and she is riding you, so can tell us if she sees it."
And so attention draws away from the box. There is three ways forward. Edith could see the Yurei pass through one of them when she was up at the top of the chamber. When Liliane glances to the entrances of each of the ways forward, she only sees darkness, the light does not reach to anywhere ahead, and even if either of the three were to look, it would only look like a slightly declining way forward, going deeper underground.
"I'm sure the foxes will appreciate our respect, as well," she mumbles, eyes glancing over each of the three ways forward. Under her breath, Liliane mumbles, "Which way?" but then turns back to Edith and asks, "Did you notice anything else, Doctor Rose? That might make where we need to go more obvious?"
"Indeed." Edith nods. " It's this path that I saw the spirits leave through." Pointing to the specific one she saw, Edith moves to each enterence, salting the earth across each before waiting for Lanaeis and Liliane to lead the way.
Again, Lanaeis steps forward, but wouldn't object if Liliane decides to retake the lead.
Liliane looks at Lanaeis for a pensive moment but shakes her head and retakes the lead down Edith's pointed pathway.
This time, their steps lead the way on and on without a trouble. There was no silence to them this time, and it is several more minutes before it curves, and then a few more steps before it opens up into a new room. This one is rectangular, surrounded by moss on all sides where it overgrows the stone. At the center of the room, lies what has become a likely familiar sight to Edith, Lanaeis and Liliane, being affiliated or working with the Tsubaki no Tetsu. An elevated platform upon which resides a shrine, a box and a pavilion that would cover it. Now that they are looking, this room, is similarly bright. The same statues as there was before along one side of the wall while the other shows engravings, depictions of ritualistic processions for shrine maidens.
Edith can see them all. The three she had seen before. The fox spirits that sit before their own statues, all of their gazes turned towards her, towards Liliane, towards Lanaeis. There is hatred, anger, and if one were to count. There is two to three dozens of them.
"There are two-- No, three dozen maidens here. They're trying -something- mental." Edith notes. The altar is noted, of course. It's the obvious objective, though with so many hostiles, that may be a problem. A glance around, though aside from keeping an eye on Lanaeis and Liliane, no move just yet.
Eyes studying the array before him, Lanaeis shakes his head. "An idiot's choice." Lanaeis says quietly, to the others it might seem like he's talking to himself. "Arm them. We will not stoop so low. Return their weapons. Any that do not know the combat style of the Angelic Champions, have them taught. One final push." Lanaeis turns to... who? No one is there. "You. Are a fool. Why did I accept you again? Out of my sight. It appears that even the Blood Kin can be turned against one another." Lips curling into a dark frown, Lanaeis turns back, clasping his hands behind his back as he surveys again, the invisible ranks, a slow sigh escaping his lips.
Liliane remains silent through the passageway, eyes straining to retain the path until the room opens up. She stops a few steps in, eyes flickering over statues, shrine, pavilion and then muted green eyes lock on the box, lock on something. Her fingers tense around her cane, an uneasy rage building white knuckled in her posture before she lashes out forwards with her the shaft, swinging it several times rather awkwardly before her before taking the first step forward.
"I did." Lanaeis responds to the strange voice that likely only he hears. "And you let anger blind you. Controlled fury." The frown turns to a smirk. "How does it feel? To know you trap yourselves here by means of something easily broken." Striding out past the others, Lanaeis approaches the center of the room.
Just as Liliane and Lanaeis go into their own episodes, the fog around this room begin to rise. Edith is the only one who can see the agitation of the spirits begin to rise. The fox spirit here growl, the Onryo shrine maidens scream and look beyond furious. Their rage seems to only increase and rise, and this seems to be the source of the fog, and they begin to spin around the trio, starting to delve into the walls, some draw close to Lanaeis, grasping for his body, his spirit, and to Edith it looks as if they begin to reach, grasp and begin to pull on it. He feels cold. And colder. And colder... and even his fire will offer him no solace from the cold. His steps become slower and slower...
Edith can see the desired artifact lie atop of the altar. Lanaeis cannot. Liliane could, but he, Lanaeis won't.
Another step follows but eyes track Lanaeis as he moves forward, cane dropping to the floor as Liliane's breathing quickens, audible in the room. Her hand trails to her waist, the movement shaky as she shouts, "LANAEIS!" Her hand rests on the pistol, shaky fingers wrapping around the grip before she rips them away and pulls out the pepper spray sheathed immediately to the side, her rage pushing her to be more than ready to hurt as an arc of liquid capsaicin spreads through the air towards the angelborn.
Knees weakening at the cold, Lanaeis begins to waver, walking closer, closer still. Artifact? There is no artifact. Kin'yoko must want something from here, but Lanaeis can't see anything of value. What he can do is get to that altar. Get to that altar. Fingers rise, resting against his cross. Gripping it in a hand, he begins to lift it, presenting it in his palm as he moves. Closer. Step. Step. One foot. Then another. Push through the pain. Step. Step. Again. Again.
The mexican standoff continues, and Edith leaves Liliane and Lanaeis to what ever they see. There's little to be done right now, and Edith is no hero. She is here for the objective, though the objective is something that should be claimed by Liliane. Indeed, it is entirely possible that for now, Edith has entirely forgotten about Lanaeis, though the maidens have Edith's attention, and though powerful-- A sorceress, the vampire isn't quite as strong this far from Haven's realm gates. Without the boost from the Other, Wilds, Hell and the Guard Realm, even sorcery is weaker, and so when Edith takes up her focus, it's preparatory. In Edith's other hand the air begins to warp as an insidious globe of roiling energy manifests above it. For now, it remains where it is. The vampire focuses on the maidens and that ball of sorcery is overpowered, growing in strength and size as color and life from the universe around it dulls to muted greys, blacks and whites, the deleterious decay of the darkness itself as shadows begin to dance and gather, cavorting like spectres around Edith as not magic, but that arcane beyond training is coalessed, building. "You dare." Edith all but snarls, fangs extending. "You dare try to claim what belongs to me." There's no question. Edith is a living siege engine of mass destruction. She is the monster in this situation. The necromancer in a room of the dead and wielding sorcerous power. "Begone." And like that, salt is produced; It's not shaken. It's plucked from Edith's bag. The industrial sized canister is raised above Edith's head and not opened, but savagely pulped, the plastic bursting as though it were nothing but an afterthought. Salt flies in all directions and then, so does that ball of roiling dark sorcery-- A warning shot, though a powerful one for all of its might. "The altar." It's not a suggestion but a demand from Edith, and one directed to Liliane and Lanaeis, the intention behind it tailored to seductively worm its way through the mind of an angel-- To Lanaeis, to obey and get Liliane to the box with the blood.
Continuing forward to the altar, Lanaeis glances back... to receive pepper spray in the face. Coughing, squinting, and with teeth bared, Lanaeis chokes out through a mouthful of the stuff. "Altar. Path." Then, using all that he has, Lanaeis sprints for the altar blindly, his travel barely more than a blur of motion.
Spurred on by anger, Liliane immediately gives chase and rushes after Lanaeis without thought. Her taser rips from her sheath, pain sought over slaughter though to an outsider her movement compared to Lanaeis may as well have been slow motion.
The ball of dark magic spins around. The salt already drives the Yurei back, it lands everywhere, atop of Liliane and Lanaeis as well, less so on Edith but she has less difficulty with them than the other two do. Liliane is wrought and consumed by anger, and Edith may recognize that it is not just her own, but that of the Yurei, the ghosts, too. Bundled in, and Lanaeis is just a male. A perfect target to hurt and use and torture to enact their vengeance. But right now, they scream, some get hit by the dark energy and are pushed back. By the end of it, they seem all stuck in their statues, trying to breach forward and break out again, but unable to do so right now. The way to the altar is free. Lanaeis stumbles into a pillar that holds the roof of the shrine up, faceplanting right into it. Liliane needs a moment longer, but she is close. So so very close to him to taze the fucker up. He deserves it after all! Or so she is probably feeling right now. The angelblood that Liliane possesses does begin to glow...
After eating the rock, Lanaeis steps back, rubbing his eyes. "Shit that burns." Lanaeis grumbles. Turning, he's just in time to... "Shit!" Lanaeis suddenly vanishes, reappearing by Edith in a moment, pathing to her to avoid Liliane in that split second.
The taser swishes through air, the crackle of electricity arcing between the probes echoing off the walls as salt spills from Liliane's hair with the movement. She pauses, expression dispalying confusion before she whips around, a whip filled with rage that recedes when she catches sight of the altar so close and the spirits themselves are distracted by Edith. Dropping the taser she immediately rushes towards the altar instead, angelic blood pulled from the duffle bag and its container ripped open with teeth before she grips the box, crudely opened glowing blood at the ready.
As the dark sorcery and salt flies, Edith is finally afforded a moment to take stock; Infighting. Edith has something for this, especially when born of anger. She has many things, some more lethal than others, though the path least traveled is the one that is the most ideal in this case. As Lanaeis paths to beside Edith, the vampire points at Liliane, telling her, "Calm." It's not forceful, though behind it is a psionic pressure beyond suggestion. It's a felt thing that bypasses thought and instinct to stop it. It's a feeling that is wielded like a great maul, not fleeting and carefully applied as it should be, but as an edict born of the inherant superiority of a true monster. Though thankfully, this in conjunction with the trapped spirits (for now) and Liliane's personal mental fortitude is enough. Edith watches the woman make her way to the altar, another canister of salt is produced, just in case, and Edith simply waits for the outcome.
Blood pours over the artifact as Liliane makes her way over, it spills, turns the dark, previously indecipherable shape into a washed, golden hue, and then alights it with pure, radiant light, like the dawn of a new rising sun. Its beams rise and shine all around, even burning at Edith's skin for but a moment, and then, the room is as if daylight itself was blossoming through from above from the morning sun that is currently still rising in Kyoto. The ghosts merge into the statues, and then grow still. Previously their images were gruesomely distorted, now they are turning more into how they used to look. the walls begin to grow transparent, and the world around them seem to change, as they now gazes on out, as if from a chamber residing in the sky above the ancient city. They can look into every direction, and light forms along the streets, rippling along the leyline while a sort of barrier builds around the city consisting entirely of spirits. They will later learn that this was only visible from here, if it was even real.
The fox spirits they had seen before, the Onryo, they all watch and look, gathering around, and from the ceiling, a golden Camellia begins to bloom and the spirit of Kin'Yoko becomes visible with ease here, slipping out of Liliane as a golden hued pale woman with golden tresses. When she smiles, she looks very present. This is who she will be. "One step is done... more lie ahead." She says, her lips moving with the feminine sultry tone those who have heard her known her to have.
Hands clasping behind his back, Lanaeis straightens, shoulders coming back as well as he stands next to Edith, the light making his spectral wings of light completely invisible in its sudden glare, save for the eerie black lines that corrupt the gold.
Catching her breath, Liliane lifts herself back to full height and leans slightly leftward as the room shifts and changes. The anger on her face has completely receded as she turns back to face the spirit of Kin'Yoko and then turns to face Lanaeis and Edith, eyes looking over the chamber with a glimmer of wonder when the leyline in her sight pulses. A deep exhale escapes her lungs, the crumpled, bloody bag she holds staining her hand before her eyes look upon and then remain locked on Kin'yoko's form silently.
Though expected of a vampire-- Though the sunlight burns, Edith remains stoic. A small hiss escapes Edith's lips, though the vampire is over a hundred years old, and though this burns-- All light does-- Edith weathers it with the grace of someone forcing themselves to do so. To it, a flintch, then Edith's sunglasses are slipped over Edith's eyes. As Kin'Yoko's form manifests, that strain appears to leave the vampire and she nods to the woman. A nod is given then, and Edith crosses her arms, simply waiting.
The three wait, but nothing more happens here. The spirit cannot leave this place, even if she is manifest here, where the magic is strong. Something Edith would notice. Not the way it is in the Other, not the way it is near a gate in Haven, still weaker, but more than is usual. It is only a few moments, before the manifestation just raises a hand to wave and the three find themselves stranding right back with Ritsuka, who does not seem to notice or hear the three until they make their presence known.
Whenever that happens, she turns back to them and mentions "It- looks like it is done? Any report or should it just be handled with everything else later? Let's get into the way back anyway, we are out in the middle of the day, let's not be."
"It is done, yes." Lanaeis confirms, glancing over a shoulder before his eyes turn to Edith. "Good idea. Going home sounds nice."
Ritsuka does turn around a little bit. Her tiddies jiggle and she lets out a little "Hehehehehe-" suddenly. Makes her look around warily and say "Uh- I think someone is feeling a little mischievous. Let's get it along." She nods to Lanaeis and opens the van doors for everyone.
Liliane exhales loudly, shoves her hand deep into her duffle bag and keeps it there. "Yeah... Out of the open at the very least." Liliane comments before stepping into the van.
Scrunching himself into the van, Lanaeis turns his face to the window... probably because he has no choice, but that's aside the point.
Nods, though by the time that nod is finished, Edith has already pathed into the van's comforthing gloom.
And so... the journey through Kyoto definitely draws to an end. One territory claimed. More to gain. But that will be a struggle on its own. When back at the stronghold, Ritsuka will learn about what happened, as much as people are willing to say, which likely means Edith. And at the end of it, there is only one last question left. "Edith-san," Ritsuka asks. "You did reply in a text and came, what was the answer? Were you expecting any particular payment? The hurricane meant I did not receive enough to read what it said."
nods. "Yes, payment monitarily." Edith tells Ritsuka. "The hurricane is rather annoying for communications."