Decem 8th of the year 4831 AS The wind in her ear and the feeling of the snow being crushed beneath her feet, Shizu and her comrade Touma were on full retreat as they ran as fast as they could to their camp. After rushing back, they ordered the volunteers and soldiers to prepare for battle. On their tail was a swarm of gengiri that were commanded by a few kengiri. Fortunately, the more dangerous kengiri were occupied by the smell of the curse bait and did not fully pursue. While the expedition could push a full retreat back to Shisayama, the effect that a swarm of gengiri and kengiri would have on the nearby ecosystem would be detrimental to Kujyuri as a whole. The forest near Shisayama extended into many other territories and had routes that connected these territories to Yamato and Kujyuri. Numerous merchants and travelers made use of these routes and if they were hindered during their travels, trade and commerce would be greatly affected. Wild animals and game would also dwin
Decem 9th of 4831 AS After the battle, Azi was forced to face a long and harsh scolding from Shizu and Kajima. They then attempted to get Azi in bed as the both of them were still worried sick about his health. But Azi did not go off to bed just yet, before acquiescing to their demand he first presented Shizu with her new weapon. Shizu's original metal umbrella was mainly red and slightly black in color with a light brown wooden handle. Now, her new weapon was now mainly black and with red streaks in its metallic parts with a black lacquered wooden handle. The metal of the katana and umbrella sheets were a black color with numerous streaks of crimson red magic channels. This was the result of the quality of the blood steel’s initial appearance and prominence of the red streaks were amplified by Azi's magical infusion which stored magic energy into the channels. This made them glow a bright crimson red when fully charged. The handle was also infused to allow small amounts of magic t
Decem 5th of 4831 AS Morning light shone into the room of a young girl who lived in the palace of Kujyuri. As the light shined on her face, her eyelids twitched as it reflexively responded to its touch. She slowly opened her eyes in response, still a bit sleepy, but she felt nonetheless well rested. Today felt like another usual day for her and she wiped small bits of sleepy sand from her eyes. As she was about to get dressed she realized that she was still wearing her casual clothes for the day before. A feathery red, pink, and white dress that had feather-like ends at her sleeves and with similar patterns sworn into the hem and seams of her attire. Each part was adorned with a feathery pattern in order to give her an elegant look as moved. She had long brown hair with ribbons that adorned her two fluffy ears at the sides of her head. Her ears twitched when she suddenly heard a knock at the door and she called out in response. "Who is it?" "It's me Rulu, are you ready?" Recogn
As Touma launched his flare, Azi exited Shizu’s tent. He had been sleeping for the past few hours and he felt a bit better. After being awake for 5 days straight, Azi's mental exhaustion was peeking. Ironically, due to his experience in the black void he was able to adapt to the uncomfortable feeling of sluggishness that persisted in his body by dulling some of his pain receptors unconsciously. Azi had no idea that he was doing this as the black void still seemed like a lucid dream to him. Seeing Shizu at the center bonfire of the camp site now turned small fortress, he approached her. Shizu noticed that Azi was awake and asked as he approached with a still sleepy expression. "Morning Azi, or more like good night, how is your body? Are you ok?" "*Yawn* Still a bit sluggish but my stamina and magic energy are both restored by about half. What happened while I was asleep and what's with the stone walls?" Shizu explained to Azi about the cursed bait and the current situation they n
"Lady Rulu, we should soon be arriving soon to the source of the distress flare." Said Nosuri who then turned to her brother to ask him a question. "Ougi! Can you see any sign of them in this storm?" With a spyglass in hand, Ougi bounded up out of an open carriage window and was now atop the carriage's roof. Ougi swept his sight across the expanse of snowy plains and noticed an unusual sight in the distance. "No Sister, but I see some stone walls. They must be man made as they aren't natural. We must be in the right place. I suggest we head for the wall and follow along its perimeter." The pair of mercenaries, Ougi and Nosuri, were skilled fighters but also trained scouts from their father who took up hunting as a pastime when his children were in their youth. Nosuri and Ougi were no strangers to navigating in heavy weather, so using what they learned as children they slowed the pace of the caravan to ensure that they did not deviate off course to their intended destination. Yash
After Shizu and her squad of 5 mounted soldiers were able to successfully eliminate the remaining monsters that trailed them, they retreated with Rulu, Nosuri, Ougi, and the survivors of the caravan's vanguard. They still had gengiri on their tail but since gengiri were considerably slower than Kengiri, Shizu's group did not have to worry about being attacked from behind. Azi on the other hand, moved to the destroyed caravan's rearguard. Luckily Yashimu and his four brothers were holding their own, but the soldiers were less fortunate. 5 kengiri had appeared from the snowstorm and made quick work of the 10 rearguard soldiers. Yashimu and his 4 brothers were quite skilled and worked well together so they were able to hold out. Unfortunately, team work could not overcome the ever increasing number of gengiri, so Azi had to act quickly and looked at the white scaled gloves on his hand. Coming up with a quick idea, he dashed to Yashimu's side to tell him his plan. "Yashimu, I am dete
Hearing Shizu’s concerned tone to retreat, Azi turned around and began running to the fort’s wall. He had expended much of his magic energy and was unable muster another infusion into his legs as he had not fully recovered. As he attempted to run, he also felt sluggish as his body was still fatigued but knowing that the situation was dire Azi attempted to infuse any amount of fire elemental energy just one more time into his legs so that he could make a long jump to the wall. When he was 10 meters away from the wall, a bout of dizziness and a heat began to overtake his senses. He fell forward into the snow on all four. He felt sick and when he felt his forehead with the back of his hand, he could tell that he had a fever. Azi cursed in his mind at the luck he had. 'Damnit, not now. Just a few more meters.' He attempted to crawl the rest of the way but the feeling in his body was getting faint. The fur coat he wore helped to insulate him from the snowstorm, but his lack of magic
While Shizu and Kajima lead the expedition party in repelling the incoming attack. Rulu, Yashimu, and Touma were bringing Azi to Shizu's personal tent. Along the way Rulu requested that Nosuri and Ougi bring water, clean towels, and what medicinal herbs they could find in the camp. As they entered, Touma and Yashimu set Azi down onto Shizu's cot. Azi was still shivering but his body was warm and sweated an incredible amount of moisture from every pore on his body. This reminded Rulu of the time she saw her mother ill in bed. She was only a child at the time, but she remembered the helplessness she felt that day. She was a different person now. She could do something. She! Could help this person. With a compassionate tone, Rulu commanded. "Touma, if you have any magic energy left, I need you to cast detection magic on the boy. I need you to monitor his pulse and examine his magic channels." "Understood." Touma gathered white motes of light into his hand, which then began to sprea