With this, the thread is now caught up with the old MotK thread. Voting is open.

---

Update 6

> [X] Let's search for Parsee and those missing residents.
>> [X] While searching, keep an eye out for anything that might be connected to the other two problems. They might be connected in other ways than to the current Surface incident.

> [X] Ask Yuugi if she has any further information about where these missing residents might be. Descriptions, possible locations, anything.

"...Not much. All I've heard was that they were oni and they lived here in the Ancient City. The city recordkeepers might have a better idea."

Yuugi proceeds to hand you a map (see image), detailing the surrounding areas of the first Underground layer.

She then quickly turns and briskly moves away, heading off to help other residents.

Soon after, Yamame asks you one last question.

"So, what'cha think? Should we try 'nd visit the recordkeepers and get as many details as possible? Or should we head off immediately? Time 'sn't on our side, after all..."

[X] Yes, let's visit the city record keepers. The more information we have about the missing residents, the better.
[X] No, let's get going as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the worse off they might end up...!

> [X] Yes, let's visit the city record keepers. The more information we have about the missing residents, the better.

"We should probably get an idea of who's missing, right?"

The city records office was located on the northern edge of the city, close to the path that led to Chireiden. You and Yamame began to head over there with some haste.

When the two of you reached the office, there was a lone single-horned oni sitting at the front desk. "Welcome to the Ancient City records office, how ca-"

"Yes, we're looking for some residents that have gone missing." Yamame interrupted the desk worker.

"Those... I'll get that for you." The worker handed Yamame a small stack of papers, held together by string, detailing the missing local residents, as well as Parsee.

The papers (attached to post) detailed each of the missing persons.

First was Yuko Hiramatsu, an orange-haired oni who owned a bar in the city. She had last been seen leaving the Akemi hot springs, located along the path between Chireiden and the Honomura, the so-called "Village of Flames".

Second was Kumiko Yukimura, a blue-horned oni writer wearing all-black clothes. She had last been seen in Saigo Shudan, the Village of Last Resort.

Third was Takara Nagasawa, a rather eccentric oni. Born with lime-green eyes, her hair had turned a Satori-esque shade of purple early in life. Some gave her the nickname "Komeiji's Oni" due to these, though she had no connection to either of the mind-readers. Unlike the others that've gone missing, Takara's whereabouts were completely unknown, though due to the ongoing Incident, it's highly unlikely she could have escaped to the surface herself without being seen by anyone.

Lastly, of course, was Parsee Mizuhashi. There's a subcavern at the other end of the bridge. Maybe she's there?

Leaving the records office, Yamame asked you, "Where should we start?"

[X] Search for Yuko first - head to the hot springs
[X] Search for Kumiko first - head to Saigo Shudan
[X] Search for Parsee first - head back to the bridge
[X] Search for Takara first - name a location (see map at >>17362)

> [X] Search for Kumiko first - head to Saigo Shudan
>> [X] Make a mental note to visit the Silent Temple and check it out if we pass by later

"What do you say we start with Kumiko first?" Yamame nodded. The two of you began heading for the northeast gate, en route for Saigo Shudan... the village of Last Resort.

Exiting the Ancient City, the howling of Hell's River remained constant. The path leading to Saigo Shudan was often exceedingly barren of travelers, and quite narrow. On the way there, you saw only a handful of people traveling. None of them matched the missing persons' descriptions, unfortunately.

Approaching the 'Last Resort Village', a red-horned oni wearing a stylized green dress stood at the entrance. "Hello. Welcome to Saigo Shudan," the oni greeted you and Yamame, in a rather wispy voice. "My name is Narinari. I'm looking for a good friend of mine..."

Yamame introduces herself, and you follow suit.

"Youkai... the both of you? I take it you two came here from the Ancient City... How are things doing over there?"

Yamame proceeded to explain what we had seen and learned thus far, about everything going on in the Ancient City. "Mhmm... and you said there were more missing oni?" Narinari then asked. "There were." You show her the missing person sheets that had been given to you and Yamame. She looks them over for a little while.

"Yes, this is the same Kumiko... she was a good friend of mine. Blue horn, black hair, red eyes, black clothes. I take it you're looking for her, and the other three as well?" You silently confirmed this. "I see... thank you. Please follow me. I have some information that will help you."

Narinari would proceed to bring you and Yamame to what served as her residence in the village. Inside, she would go into details about Kumiko's potential whereabouts, and also Narinari worked as an editor on a large number of oni print works in the past, at times working on some of Kumiko's scripts. The writer also sometimes turned to her for ideas and such.

> ...A little while later...

"...Now I know that Kumiko did have her competitors... writing rivalries and so on... but I don't think anyone would go so far as to abduct her."

"Y'sure about that?" Yamame rather abruptly interrupted.

"...On second thought... no, not completely. Some of those especially traditionally-minded oni tend to not like this kind of stuff."

Yamame turned to face you briefly, quietly mentioning, "If we're gonna be dealing with all these oni, what we really need is some more strength."

"Is there anything else that might help us find Kumiko?"

"There's a cave back near the entrance of the village, Kumiko once told me that she would go there sometimes when she was working on her books or whatnot."


Suddenly, there's a knock on the door. It seems harsh.

[X] Answer it yourself
[X] Have Yamame answer
[X] Have Narinari answer

> (Pardon the lengthy delay and shorter update. I've been a bit tired/wayward/lost lately.)

> [X] Answer the door yourself

The knocking became louder than before. Whoever it was might not be friendly. In fact, Narinari would probably be the next target after Kumiko, thanks to Narinari's connection with her. It wouldn't be a good idea to let her answer the door, in that case...

While you could have tried to plan out some kind of bucket drop, there wouldn't be much in the way of a surprise factor, given the visitor was already at the front door.

You did always keep a scythe-like weapon inside your bucket at all times, too. While it was small, it was functional.

Floating just off the ground in your bucket, Yamame tells the writer, "Please, move out of sight. This might get ugly 'f this is who I think it is." She shuffles behind a table.

After making sure Narinari was hidden from view, you proceeded to open the door. Opening the door, you came face to face with someone in a black suit, with a dark red stripe going down the middle. They seemed to have talons for hands as well.

"Is Narinari at this residence?" The figure spoke in a heavy tone. Yamame is standing behind you, staring the figure down.

How should you respond?

[X] "Not right now. Was there something you needed from her?" (Let's not blindly antagonize this person. Act like Narinari's somewhere else.)
[X] "Where's Kumiko!?" (Wearing something like that, this person probably has information we could use.)
[X] Skip the formalities - this figure's clearly here to take Narinari. Grab the scythe. Slash.
[X] --- (Respond some other way?)

> [X] "Not right now. Was there something you needed from her?"

"...She's not here right now. Did you need something?" You ask. The figure explained that they were also looking for Kumiko, though adamantly refusing to explain why.

You asked for their name, but they refused. "Do you know where she is?"

"No. Based off everything we know, she's gone missing." Yamame responded from behind. "...Just my luck..." They groaned, continuing, "So are you going to help me find her?"

[X] Accept.
[X] Decline, but follow behind them once they leave.
[X] Decline. Once they're gone, bring Narinari along and head to Kumiko's cave.

> [X] Accept.

The figure has been speaking in a deep voice the entire time. Perhaps it was normal for them.

You looked back at Yamame for a moment, nodding in some kind of silent agreement, before answering, "...We will. Give us a moment to prepare."

The figure sighed. "Okay, I'll be waiting outside," they said before closing the door.

Narinari proceeded to lean out from under the table she ducked under. After stalling for a moment, Yamame seemed to look a bit confused, perhaps even upset. That probably wasn't the answer she expected you to give. "Do you want to tell 'er or do you want me to?" she whispered, before you started explaining to Narinari what you and Yamame would be doing now.

"...We're... going to be leaving you here for the moment. I'm thinking that youkai, or oni, or whoever they are, I have a feeling that they know something we don't... If they're being as secretive about something as simple as their name, they've got to know something about where Kumiko might be."

Unlike Yamame, Narinari seemed a little more understanding. "I mean, you lied about me not being here. If I suddenly showed up with you two outside, whoever that was probably wouldn't be too happy. I'll just have to be careful and watch out... You two stay safe."

You ended with a nod before opening the door back up. "You two done yet?" was the response, you and Yamame stepping outside before closing the door - for good this time. "We're ready," was Yamame's rather flat answer.

"Good. Follow my lead. Or else." The figure started heading down the road. You and your earth-spider friend soon started trailing them.

The group of three left Saigo Shudan behind surprisingly quickly, even for what was just a simple village. The number of youkai and oni that you passed by fell to a trickle once again. "...While I was traveling over here, I saw several different caves that I could access from the road. I suspect that wherever Kumiko's gone off to, it might be in one of those caves. Maybe they lead to somewhere, I really don't know." The figure remarked.

"Here it is. Two of them, actually." The group came to a stop. They were on the road to the north of Saigo Shudan, at a place where the path had cut into a hill. The entrances to two caves stood around you, one to your left and the other to your right. They looked mostly identical from the outside. However, the cave to the right had a skull and a couple bones sticking out of the surrounding rock.

"I'll... I'll leave it up to you two. Which cave would you prefer to check?" The figure asked, an eagle pin attached to the end of their left sleeve.

[X] Cave to the left
[X] Cave to the right
[X] Screw these caves, let's go somewhere else (write in location)

> Things are looking better, so let's get going again.

> [X] Cave to the right

It took a little while for you to come up with an answer. The left path seemed less dangerous at first, but this odd taloned fellow was a mystery. They could mean well, or they could be looking to hurt someone, who knows...

One - or possibly both - of these caves could be a setup for something, at worst. However, you guessed that if this figure had gone and trapped one of these caves in advance, they would trap the cave with the less unnerving entrance, and not the one with the skull and bones.

"Let's go to the skullbone cave," you finally responded, making your way to the entrance. "Stay behind me." The figure and Yamame followed behind.

The entrance was fairly wide, but the cave itself quickly narrowed, and the already-dim light level that enveloped Former Hell took a further nosedive once the group took more than a dozen steps into the cave.

"Hm... Red? Talon? Don't-cha have any sort of light source?" Yamame tried to get the figure's attention. "What? I... no. I could get a fire going with magic, though... better than nothing." A dim flame subsequently appeared in their hand, emitting a bit of light around the group of three.

From the many wells you had inhabited in the past, you always had a decent sense of altitude, regardless of whether you were able to see or not. As a result, you were able to sense that the group had been descending for a while, and it was only now that the cave soon began to divide into branches. The group continued into the cavern at the first junction, but stopped at the second split they encountered.

"Talon, could you extinguish that flame for a moment?" you asked the figure - giving them a nickname in the process - to see if there were any lights that illuminated down either path. "My name's not Talon. But I could." The light from the fire disappeared, and you began to look at the two branches, squinting your eyes in search of any sign of lights down either path.

Briefly, you saw a brief shine very far away on the branching path, as if someone was shining a lantern into the cave from the other end. Shortly afterward, there was a repeating echo of footsteps, seemingly coming from inside this cave system somewhere. 'Talon' (for lack of a better name) seemed to notice the echo as well, given that they started audibly moving something around in the dark.

"Do you wanna 'eep searching the cave for Kumiko? Or do you think she's gone out the other end?" Yamame asked you.

[X] Take the branch - she's probably leaving the cave!
[X] Stay on the main path - that echo might be Kumiko!

> [X] Stay on the main path - that echo might be Kumiko!

The answer to that question was relatively simple... Kumiko was probably down here, if that noise was to be believed.

"Let's head down there," you responded, proceeding to drop down further into the main cave. Yamame and 'Talon' followed suit, and the latter resummoned their flame light source. "Is anyone down there!?" 'Talon' called out with their deep voice, which echoed down into the cave. It wasn't long before the sound of footsteps echoed back to the group, as the three of you descended into the depths.

As you were descending, the noises were getting louder. "We're 'lmost there! Calm down, stop, don't get 'urt!" Yamame encouraged. "Damned spirit mobsters... get lost already...!" You could faintly hear someone's voice respond, as you made it to what appeared to be the bottom-most part of this cavern. Little puddles of water were scattered on the ground.

The cavern was still incredibly twisty, and every turn you made made the mystery voice louder. "I said, get lost!! I can hear your steps!!" You tried to explain yourself briefly, talking out loud, "NO no no no no, we're not here to take you away, we came from the Ancient City looking for folks who went missing!"

"I can't trust you," was the voice's answer, continuing, "So get out!!" The end of the cave was getting closer, and the cavern was getting more narrow every step. It was at this moment you made one last turn. Now, in front of you was clearly an oni... one with black hair and a dark blue horn... already running straight for you...!

Before you could react any further or try to move out of the way, the panicked oni had already reached you, slamming into you and getting their horn jammed into your head. The impact also caused you and the oni to run into a cave wall. "Stop, stop, stop! We're not... ...hurt... ...Talon... ...get..." You think you could see Yamame talking in a rush, forming webs in an attempt to get the oni to settle down, but your sight was already fading. Even youkai bleed, after all. It wasn't long before you lost conciousness.

...
...
...

"...sume! Kisume... can you hear us!?" Your sight is blurry. Seems like you're still in the cave, at least, with all the gray color around. It almost resembles blobs of brown and black in front of you, with something else standing over you on your left. Somehow, you could move your arms and legs just fine, so you shook your arm a bit, making a bit of a groan in the meantime. "Good... I didn't lose you! 'ould be a damn shame if that 'as all it took for you to give up the ghost." That's... definitely Yamame speaking.

You could gradually see better and better as time progressed, and you could feel some kind of heat close to your head. "Sorry for that," a new voice timidly spoke, walking over to your right. Soon you could see the person speaking... the same oni who rushed you in a panic. "I'm Kumiko Yukimura... I'm an author from Saigo Shudan..." Lastly, on your left was that mysterious fire-summoning figure, 'Talon'. Talon seemed to have fire in one of their hands, which they held close to your head.

"Kumiko left you with a bad cut... multiple, actually, on your head... Kisume..." the black-and-red garbed figure explained in their low voice. "If you were a human, you surely would've died from blood loss, since it took so long for Yamame and I to settle Kumiko down. But you're a youkai."

Once your vision completely returned, you begun trying to stand back up, having evidently been moved, leaning on a cave wall. "Wait, wait..." Yamame and Talon speak at the same time. After a few attempts, however, you were able to stand back up, and eventually managed to get back in your trademark bucket. The bucket looks like it took a visible beating in the commotion, but it was still usable.

Looking down into a nearby puddle, you could tell that Talon was right - you had a pretty nasty gash on your forehead. "Um... you, in the black and red suit..." Kumiko spoke meekly. Oni were rarely afraid of all that much, but maybe there were exceptions... or maybe Kumiko just hadn't drunk in a while. "Yes?" Talon had their arms crossed, revealing that eagle pin from earlier.

Suddenly, another faint light flash appeared from the direction the group came from. "Come on out!!" "We know you're in there!!" Another two different voices echo from that general direction. "...Oh great... forget the introductions, we've got trouble." Talon mumbles. Before long, the two voices reveal themselves. One appeared to be a male, with white hair and red eyes. The other seemed to be a female with blonde hair and brown eyes. Both were wearing red and orange vests, with black shorts. "...Keiga underlings..." Talon appeared to mutter under their breath.

"Damned backstabber Gouyoku! Hand over the oni!" The male demanded, drawing a weapon of some sort. Talon unsheathed a long sword in response, calling back, "Not on my life... I don't know why you fools need Kumiko that badly..." The rather hostile conversation between Talon and the 'Keiga underlings' continued for a while... which will probably turn into a fight shortly, at this rate. "Not more spirit mobsters..." Kumiko whispered, her voice clearly exhausted by what has already happened, and proceeded to shift close to you and your bucket. "I'm not much of a fighter," she explains.

You, Yamame, and Kumiko have roughly three-and-a-half reasonable options here.

You could help Talon directly, with Yamame's help, and get into the fight with the Keiga mobsters. This is a rather enclosed space, so movement is at a premium in case danmaku starts flying. (You also have no spell cards. Yamame, however, does.) You could also use Kumiko's horn as a blunt force weapon instead, if you had to fight. Kumiko probably wouldn't like that, though.
You could also try and distract one or both of them once the fight begins, perhaps by dropping your bucket on top of someone. You're good at making distractions. The Keiga mobsters would definitely go after you for doing that, so you'd get in the fight anyway.
...or you could just try and escape, leaving Talon to fight the two alone. If Talon really did backstab the Keiga Family, who knows if they would remain friendly towards you, Yamame, and Kumiko after the two Keiga underlings were driven off. Then again, those underlings wanted Kumiko for something... maybe the other oni were abducted and brought down to these parts too...? If so, Talon's help going forward would certainly be useful.

"What'cha thinkin' here?" Yamame suddenly prompted you. It looks like Talon's about ready to fight.

[X] Fight head-on, with help from Yamame... help out Talon!
[X] Use Kumiko as a blunt force weapon, like Kumiko mistakenly did to you.
[X] Serve as a surprise distraction with your bucket... it's what you know best!
[X] Get us outta this cave, or at least try to...

> [X] Serve as a surprise distraction with your bucket... it's what you know best!

"Alright, you stay with Kumiko for a moment, I'm going to try something..." you said to the tsuchigumo youkai quietly. Yamame moved over to guard Kumiko in your place. Meanwhile, the fight between Talon and the two Keiga underlings - former partners, if they were to be believed - began in earnest. The male underling starts swinging around that odd weapon, some kind of sword... it glowed red, and seemed to generate danmaku as he swung it around. Sidestepping some shots and ducking under others, Talon extended their right arm, and soon fireballs appeared to fly out of their right hand towards the underlings.

Meanwhile, you started to float up to the cave's ceiling, though doing so slowly and from around a corner, as to not draw the attention of Talon's opponents. Grasping an indentation in the ceiling and hanging onto it, you started to gradually make your way over the top of the two Keiga mobsters. The female mobster appeared to have a staff, or maybe a wand, in her hand... pointing it towards Talon and whispering something resulted in an unnatural breeze whipping through the cave, followed by a wave of dust which quickly phased through the cave's walls.

Visibility dropped to near zero briefly and you could hear someone coughing behind you, probably Kumiko or Yamame, with the occasional sounds of loose pebbles hitting stone. The male underling made more swings with the danmaku sword, one of the shots hitting Talon thanks to the lack of sightlines. "Kyah!!" They shrieked, getting knocked back before quickly sending another wave of fireballs into the sea of dust.

While the lady seemingly generated the dust on cue, she couldn't see through it either, and was eventually struck by a fireball, causing the dust to finally fade. "Damn turncoat..." she grumbled, recovering to fire off a second spell. This time, she called out its name, and loudly. "Open Ocean... December Oddity!!" The wind soon returned, stronger than before, and with sheets of torrential rain now inexplicably falling inside the cave. Lanes of danmaku swirled in a spiral, heading for Talon, though he seemed able to avoid being struck a second time.

The rain was pounding, falling at high speed onto the stone-cold ground. Yamame guarded Kumiko to the best of her ability, but the wind was clearly getting to the both of them, Kumiko closing her eyes to avoid being splashed in the eyes.

However, the wind caused you trouble as well. Your bucket began to sway violently back and forth in an arc, slamming the sides and lip of the bucket into the cavern's roof. Between your bucket running into the cavern's walls and roof, the pounding of the rain, and more small stones being tossed around the cave by the wind, the noise was getting very loud.

Despite the wind, you've got a window... if your bucket doesn't slip. The dust cloud, loud noises, and now the rain have allowed you to get above Talon's opponents without making too much of a scene, but the wind might give your location away if you don't drop now. The drop height will certainly hurt your target. You've got your short range scythe in your hand. Who are you going to aim your bucket drop towards?

[X] Aim for the guy with the weird sword
[X] Aim for the lady with the wind and water magic

> [X] Aim for the lady with the wind and water magic

You cut the rope and begin dropping from the ceiling, quickly hitting the magic-using target at the top of their head. The bucket hit with such force that it knocked her out very quickly, her body collapsing onto the cave floor, and halting 'December Oddity' at once.

The head strike also made a loud cracking noise, throwing off their partner's focus. Their next slash of the unusual danmaku-generating sword completely missed Talon's position as a result. Supposed former partners turned enemies, Talon took the opportunity to reveal that they did, in fact, have a named spell.

"Bird of Prey... Eagle Claw!!"

Eagle spirits - with barely-visible forms - flew in from the direction everyone had arrived here from, firing danmaku at the sword-wielding mobster from behind. By chance, the mobster had dropped down and rolled, avoiding most of the initial shots.

The spirits flew past the mobster before turning back, then firing at their opponent from the front this time. This cycle would continue as the eagle spirits fired from regularly changing directions.

Talon followed up the aerial assault by sending off another wave of fireballs. Between the lack of magic support and the pure density of the danmaku, the "sword guy" was beginning to take some hits from both sources. He answered back with one final, and very wide, sword slash, targeting both you and Talon. Talon dodged just fine, but you had to take some drastic moves to avoid most of them. Still, despite your best efforts, you took a hit or two, putting a bit of a hole in the side of your bucket.

Eventually, however, the opponent could not take any more hits. The sound of shattered glass filled the cave, and the male was running back the way they came, with their (metaphorical) tail between their legs, dragging that weird sword with them.

It took a few seconds for you to catch your breath. With the dust of battle evaporated, you looked down at your bucket again, noticing the hole remaining in the container's side. Your bucket had already picked up a few bumps and bits taken out of it from the impacts it had taken while you were hanging on the cave roof. Unlike other object-attached youkai, you are not a tsukumogami. You are a tsurube-otoshi. While your bucket was distinctly part of your kind's identity, it is not an extension of your soul.

You came to the conclusion that you had been fairly fortunate in the battle. It may have been a spell card battle between Talon and the lady, but you didn't really have any permanent cards of your own. The one you had used during the "hot spring incident" was really just a spell card formed from instincts, and you had lost track of it after it was over.

Since you didn't have any spell cards, you were not really protected against attacks (danmaku or otherwise) causing physical injury. If you had been hit by a sword slash, the danmaku that spawned from that sword, the magic-wielding lady's spells, or even taken friendly fire from Talon's fireballs, you could have been hurt, or your bucket might have suffered further damage. That would have been a nightmare.

Speaking of that magic-wielder, you leaned out of your slightly-damaged bucket, and saw their motionless body face-down on the rocky cave floor. The magic implement she had used in the battle was also lying on the ground nearby. Stepping out of your bucket to reach it, you picked up the wand, or whatever it was. It felt a bit heavy, though you were admittedly a lightweight. You quickly tossed it into your bucket... maybe you could use it somehow.

After re-entering said bucket and looking back up, you moved over towards the other three parts of this impromptu group, gathering back together. "...So... what now...?" Kumiko spoke weakly, unsure of herself and with a growling stomach. She probably hasn't had any food, or alcohol, or both, for a while.

"Listen. I'm not a lost oni finding service," Talon glared at you and Yamame as they spoke. "If you want me to help you going forward, I'm gonna need some favors from you. You two... three... you're gonna need my help. Or somebody's help down here. And they aren't gonna help you for free." Yamame looked at you for a moment before turning back to face Talon. "What 'ind of favors?"

"Well... let's just say you're gonna need to be mean to folks. No two ways about it." Just as they refused to tell you their name, Talon refused to describe these 'favors' in any further detail.

Kumiko sighed again, speaking louder. "I... would rather-" She could barely get three words out before being interrupted. "You don't need to answer. I've already seen that you're not a fighting kind of person... odd, for being an oni. I'm just asking Kisume and Miss Spider Youkai over here."

The blue-haired oni looked around. She talked quietly to herself again, coming to some sort of conclusion internally.

"I got up to that village going a different way. But I'm assuming the other path we didn't take earlier dumps you out in some obscure section of the place, and that's how those Keiga goons got in here." Talon starts to ramble on and on about the Animal Realm and how dangerous it is, staring you and Yamame down all the while, until they finally stopped talking. "...But suffice to say, being down there without tying yourself to one of the three groups, that's pretty much a death sentence for anyone."

Yamame looked busy in thought. Kumiko was still tensed up. The cave was quiet for a while. You were weighing your options.

On one hand... if Kumiko was getting targeted by one of the groups down in the Animal Realm, perhaps the other three missing folks were also being targeted, or had already been brought there by someone. There might be lookouts on the "surface" of Former Hell, as well, so if Kumiko goes back to Saigo Shudan unattended, they could very well get taken away again. It would also be a good idea to have someone that can get you thru that place with your head (and bucket) intact... and they probably have some way to improve your rather lacking danmaku abilities.

On the other hand... you have no guarantee any of the missing people are down here. "Talon" could very well be trying to draw the three of you into a trap. Even if they weren't, these favors would probably tie the three of you in with this Gouyoku group, which Talon apparently now works under. Bringing Kumiko with you into the Animal Realm might incur further attacks from the Keiga Family as well.

After a while, Talon tapped your shoulder. "Kisume. You seem to be the leader of your little group, so are you going to answer?" they asked.

[X] Deal.
[X] No deal.

[X] Try to negotiate, either for assistance or just for information. (Write in your offer.)

> [X] Deal.

You looked back at Yamame and Kumiko. They both seemed like they weren't interested in this. But there was always that voice in your head about getting stronger, ever since that fight in the cavern during the "hot spring incident". That was the one that told you to go down to the Ancient City with Yamame in tow. If you were to ever face the red-white and the white-black again, you wouldn't just be a pushover this time. You'd actually be able to put up a challenge... or so your line of thinking went. You decided to take the deal.

"...I accept." Your voice was a bit weak, but 'Talon' heard you loud and clear. "Good. And what about your friends?" You were about to answer, but Yamame interrupted your line of thought before you could say anything. "...I would 'ave rather not been caught up in this... but it seems 'sume's made the choice for me. My only request, if you would, please don't put Kumiko 'ere in too much danger."

Talon just shook their head. "We'll see. The Animal Realm's 'rules' exist for a reason," they respond. Yamame briefly looked back at Kumiko with a slightly apologetic facial expression, before facing 'Talon' again with her deep brown eyes.

"Now that it's settled, follow me. We're going to head out the way those fools," Talon begun, gesturing to the knocked-out magician(?) still on the floor, "showed up here... and don't fall behind. I'm not waiting for any of you to catch up."

You do as you were told, following Talon out of the cave. Yamame and Kumiko followed behind, with the oni writer sticking close to the tsuchogumi.

Once the four of you finally get out of the cave, able to breathe in the (fairly heated) fresh air again, Talon suddenly stops. "...What's the... um... problem?" Kumiko sputters. Talon doesn't respond to the oni writer for a few minutes, as they're looking all over, rotating in place sometimes. You can see a few figures off in the distance - though they're too far away to see clearly - as well as a handful of little floating red dots even farther away, from all directions.

"...Well, this isn't going to do us any favors. This part of the Realm... I'm not all that familiar with it. I assume we're in hostile territory. probably either in Keiga's zone directly, or some minor faction that's subservient to the Keiga Family. Either way, we need to get the hell out of here. I'm sure that ol' sword guy's probably ran off to tell his superiors that I'm here, with that writer they wanted." Talon spoke quieter than usual. "Um...s-" Kumiko was about to ask more questions, but Talon - evidently not in the mood for Kumiko's questions - quickly cut her off. "Listen. Until she formally lets the three of you in, you need to LISTEN TO ME. OR ELSE. Don't ask questions, we don't have the time." Talon runs into a alleyway between two nearby buildings, and the trio follows after them in a chase.

The high-speed travel continued for what felt like an eternity. Talon was weaving between buildings and making sudden turns left and right, and you could barely keep up with them, narrowly avoiding the embarrassment (and potential danger) of slamming headfirst into a few walls in the process. Eventually, the secretive fellow in the red and black suit finally slowed down to a stop. The buildings were still just as tall and imposing as the ones you saw when you were leaving the cave. However, the area now looks much more purple than before, and a scattering of little purple dots littered the skies. Talon was visibly winded, leaning on a wall to catch their breath.

"Hooh... okay, this is Gouyoku territory. Take it in... because you three won't be standing here for long." Talon pulled out a couple pins from a pocket, and tossed three of them towards you. "Give those to your friends," they spoke. As the pins landed in your bucket, you crouched down to pick them up. The pins looked a bit like the one that you saw attached to Talon's sleeve, with a strange pattern: a purple eagle with strange horns on its head, on top of black droplets. But looking at Talon again, you saw that the one attached to Talon's sleeve was a red eagle, not a purple one.

Giving one to Yamame and the other to your oni writer follower, Talon then instructed further. "Okay. Wear those whenever you're down here. It doesn't really matter where you put them, just make sure people can see them. That way people know that you're under our protection, for the moment." Talon finished, putting extra emphasis on the last bit.

"Would it be fine if I attached it to the bucket?" you asked. "Hmm, probably not. You leave that bucket sometimes, don't you?" Talon was being rather stiff with their answers, and you ultimately attached the pin to the neck of your upper shirt.

"Good. Now, this is what I need you to do. If you get this done right, maybe I'll talk to my superiors about helping you find these oni or youkai or whoever the hell you were looking for." Yamame nodded rather quickly. "So there's this shop not too far away. It's a booze establishment for some of the oni down here." Kumiko suddenly looked interested now. "From what I hear they're getting uppity and aren't handing over, ahem, our share..." You tilted your head before asking Talon, "So what do you want us to do?"

"What I want you to do is, well, send them the message. They need to pay. Now. Do it however you want. Physical beatdown, danmaku fight, hell, you could try and drink them under the table for all I care. Just get it done and bring back the money they owe us." Talon explained the mission before giving some rough instructions on how to get there.

A few minutes later, you, Yamame, and Kumiko were off. The place was in some kind of business area - there were a couple other shops around, and a handful of carts selling knick-knacks and such. Standing around a nearby bench across from the place, the trio began to plan. Looking through the windows, there were a couple oni in the building, though it wasn't obvious as to whether they were patrons or if they were working there. There were also a few other folks inside that you couldn't see clearly. Looking up, some wire-bound lanterns illuminated the area, hanging from building to building.

How's this gonna go down?

[X] Go in guns-blazing. Well, danmaku-blazing. Or magic...? You have that staff...
[X] Try and get in a fist fight.
[X] See if Kumiko feels like drinkin' them under the table.
[X] Get to the roof of a building somehow. Sneak in from above.

> See image for delay explanation.

> [X] See if Kumiko feels like drinkin' them under the table.

"So, Kumiko, I assume you wouldn't turn down some booze?" You raised the plan to the oni. Kumiko would sit down, drink, maybe make a fuss, drink some more, and while that's going on - hopefully the bar staff would get distracted by having to handle the folks that was already in there. With that, you and Yamame would sneak into the staff room, or wherever the owner happened to be, and give them a talk.

"Haven't you been around oni for the past several hours? I'm starving." You shook your head, feeling a bit dumb. Of course Kumiko would want in, she's an oni and hasn't drunk a drop of alcohol in hours if not days.

"So... how is this gonna go down, for us..." Your voice trailed off, now talking to Yamame. "Do we go in with Kumiko or do we wait behind for Kumiko to rile them up..." Yamame seemed to be thinking, responding afterward. "Probably go in with Kumiko. We really should have asked that Talon idiot a few more questions about this place... because we have no idea what we're dealing with." The earth spider youkai looked a bit... unhappy, to say the least. "Damned Talon."

"...you know, the badges are probably gonna get us put on notice the moment we step in." Kumiko raised another fairly obvious concern, and the best answer you could give was a mere nod, shutting your eyes briefly for emphasis.

Raising your head (and opening your eyes) back up, you spotted someone standing at the entrance, seemingly an oni bouncer or guard, given the long horn on their head. You didn't remember them being at the door when you got here, but maybe you'd overlooked them... "Well, we're stuck with this... let's get it over with." you concluded, trying to be optimistic. "On a three-count."

"Three... two... one... go."

The three of you made your way across the street, headed for the door. A sign hanging from inside began to flash... this place was apparently called "Tear-Drop Mystral". The bouncer acknowledged the group rather quickly, and began to speak, before any of you even got close to the door. If their tone of voice was to be believed, this was a guy.

"...Well, whatever... you three, I don't recognize any of you. Completely new faces. Oni, youkai, youkai in a bucket. But I'll say, I think you two youkai got a lot of guts, coming on into a bar down here. These places aren't for the faint of heart, you know. You three from the surface or that crotchety ol' Ancient City with that idiot mind reader?" Yamame doesn't really look too sure what to make of the rambling bouncer, and Kumiko seems to just roll her eyes at his backhanded insult to her place of residence, which wasn't even correct.

"Anyway, what are you three doing down here?" the bouncer comments. His eyes seem to be shifty...

[X] Give this bouncer the time of day.
[X] Maintain just the minimum of decorum.
[X] Brush this guy aside.

> [X] Brush this guy aside.

"C'mon, let's go," Yamame whispered to you, wanting to brush this guy aside. The three of you just move on past the oni bouncer, and into the building.

"Hey, at least tell me!" The oni glared back at you as you began to walk. Well, glide in your bucket, but whatever. Looking back, you gave the quickest answer you could. "Ehh, we're just here to drink." Kumiko nodded, making a little more eye contact with the bouncer than you did.

The bouncer merely responded with a wordless grunt, followed with a "Good luck then!".

As you entered the main bar hall, a few customers had already noticed the three of you.

"Two youkai! In a bucket!" "Drinking your sorrows...?" "You three ready to fight?" ...among other... greetings. You did your best to acknowledge them all. You were here for a reason, and that reason was not necessarily to fight everyone in the bar.

"Act normal. How about we... over there at the bar..." Kumiko kept her voice down, her arms pulling you and the earth-spider youkai close together, then gesturing towards the three remaining seats at the counter. "I'll sit between the two of you, in case some of these folks... try anything."

You did your best to follow along, trying to avoid getting attacked for no reason. Stepping out of your bucket, you made something of a jump to reach the barside seats. A few TVs were blaring on the walls, mostly showing some sort of sporting event, or a news service. A gaggle of oni had gathered around one of the TVs, watching intently.

Kumiko sat down in the middle seat, and Yamame took the left seat, leaving you with the right hand seat. Sitting next to you was an oni wearing a ripped red hat, their dark brown horns poking through the hat. "They're eagles!" Kumiko and Yamame tensed up when someone else at the bar counter called out the pins you three were wearing, pointing towards them.

The bartender - another oni, this one with two beige horns (kinda like Suika's) and wearing some kind of uniform, slid down towards your section, taking orders and handing out drinks - using a device she carried, almost like a backpack, to give her a third arm of sorts. She didn't seem to change her tune when the Gouyoku pins were brought up.

"...You two are youkai? You'll have to tell me how you got down here later. And the oni... are you new?"

"You could say." Kumiko answered, the bartender nodding in acceptance. "What'll it be for the... spider... youkai, I take it?" The bartender spoke in a moderately pitched voice.

"Mhm..." Yamame looks down at the scratched sheet listing some of the booze on offer. "I'll take the... how about the Yuki-Onna?" The bartender wrote something down in a notepad. "Alright then! For the black-hair oni?"

"It's Kumiko. A Taridali, please."

"Gotcha! And for you? The bucket youkai?"

The oni to your right had been giving you a side eye ever since the other customer brought up those pins. What'll it be?

[X] "I'm a lightweight, admittedly, so..." Get something light. Let's not have a repeat of that time.
[X] Moderately strong.
[X] The heavy stuff. Probably a bad idea to show weakness in front of all these oni.