[Trespassers V2 Subplot] Okami: Stains upon the Canvas

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Castle

 

While others were drawn to their new missions through clear cut signs, such as capsules or books, what led Spicy HG, Lexiel, Kino, Misturugi, and Mot to a rather remote section of the Castle was… A mere tugging sensation. Something was trying to draw them somewhere, and due to the fact that they were all gathered around a small breach in the very fabric of reality, brely the The exact feeling that the breach varied from person to person, but for the divine, it was easy to understand.

 

There was a putrid wrongness emanating from the breach, leaking out of the breach like smog, only to quickly evaporate once it left, like something was already trying to strangle them from the other side. And yet there was a small part that remained that was far softer and gentle, trying to urge them through.

Sort of like a cry for help.

 

And then, in a blink of the eye, the breach tore itself open, a sudden vacuum pulling the five in quick succession. Once they were all inside, the tear closed itself with a satisfying pop.

 

Current Background Music

Spoiler

 

 

Sorina

 

Suddenly, with a loud pop, Sorina found herself floating in the air above a small dirt road, leading up to a large ornate bell shrine, and just a few feet away from that, was a large, yet bare ocean, save for a single old and practically decimated ship. It was a rather interesting sight all in all.

 

At least until she suddenly stopped floating and feel straight to the ground.

 

After getting up, Sorina would notice four paths. Two leading North and South of the bell, while two others moved to the east, one towards a small cave in the mountains, while another led to a walled shrine, which despite its simplicity, stood rather vibrantly next to the lands surrounding it.

 

But before she could actually do anything about it, she was knocked back into the ground by the arrival of five other people.

 

Note

Spoiler

Due to the fact that I had forgotten this earlier, I needed to add this in: Currently, due to everyone hanging around gods and otherworldly things, seeing the various mythical wonders of Nippon are available to the entire party. However, the party's actual Goddess, Mitsurugi, has gained notable red tattoos that cover her body, several going up to her face and around her eyes. 

 

So yeah.

 

[Irbsandcheese]

Sorina carefully scoots out from underneath everyone else, trying not to disturb the pile too much. She stands and brushes the dust off her void-worn clothes and adjusts the large sack on her back, jingling with every motion. 
"Oh, dearies. I'm as shameful as a chameleon on a rosebud. I didn't mean to be in the way, here. Lemme help y'all up and maybe you lovely fellas could help me out. I must admit I'm a bit lost." She reaches out a hand to the pile of strangers with a smile.

Her eyes dart quickly between the strange people and the strange surroundings. It only takes a moment for her to recognize that they are very different kinds of strange. Sorina peers at the newcomers, curious as to whether they are natives or also interlopers on this world.

[DragonRage]

Upon realizing she's falling, Lexiel reflexively extends her wings and manages to at least land on her feet atop the pile rather than slamming face-first into the ground.   Hopping down to more stable footing, she starts checking the surrounding area for anything that looks dangerous, keeping half an eye on the seemingly-harmless old lady.  "You likely know more about where we are than we do at this point, ma'am," The angel shares, "I am Lexiel.  I'd call it a pleasure but if the pattern holds we're shortly going to have someone show up eager to spout exposition or bullets at us, and that sort of experience is rarely pleasant."

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi, for her part, managed to right herself, though she ended up rather closer to Lexiel than she'd initially intended to. She deftly stepped backward onto the air, letting herself gently float down to the earth as she assessed her surroundings. They felt. . . familiar. Not quite like home, but there was that feeling of magic and divinity in the air, like how the outside world had felt before humanity had drifted down the path of rationalism and faith in ideas over gods. She took a deep breath, feeling almost invigorated by it. Nobody here was her worshipper, of course. . . but perhaps that would change. "I'm not certain of what this place is, but it seems very similar to the way my home looked many, many years ago." 

[Noir]

Kino and Enma

 

The surroundings seemed familiar as Kino and Enma gently floated to the ground-- or perhaps comforting was the better word. Enma's attention immediately became fixated on the distant, abandoned ship atop a sea without water, evidently excited over the sight. The two seemed to have yet to pay attention to Sorina as of yet, even though she did appear to be someone that the two would likely get along with. "Oh look, sister! A giant ship! Oh, can I go over and check it out! Please! C'mon, sister, let me-"

 

She abruptly silenced herself as if someone else had forcefully done so, as her eyes turned to Kino, whose gaze seemed to be fixated on the bell and the diverging paths close to it. It had been so long since Kino last saw something like it. Even Enma felt something stir within her, a mix of joy, sadness and anger at the sight that once graced their home that was the isolated shrine that housed the aiding waters, before being ransacked by the pillagers. But what stirred most was the countless kin of spirits tucked within Kino -- her eye twitched slightly as the stirring of emotions of the ghouls within her tore at her mind like impatient, shrill screams begging for release. She had to do all that she could to keep restraint -- it wouldn't do to let them take over and run wild, especially not in such a familiar, yet so foreign land. 

[StormLord]

Upon realizing she's falling Spicy HG starts flailing about before landing face-first on the ground.  She quickly stood back up though and wiped off the non-present dust from her clothes.

"Wow this place looks amazing, like something out of an old painting of Leanbox."

Spicy HG turned to the new person to give a slightly more in-depth explanation.

"We followed some strange dark haze through a portal and now we're here.  It's sort of what we do."

[Irbsandcheese]

"Well, ain't those some helpful tricks right there. Being able to float around like that takes a little more effort on my part. It's been quite a bit since I've seen an angel. They weren't very friendly though. And I couldn't break them down for parts without being eviscerated. Almost got me killed just for lookin'. " This newcomer does remind Sorina a bit too much of the mechanical angels, but Lexiel looks alive and doesn't act anything like the so-called 'perfect' angels created by mad scientists. Besides, on new worlds Sorina would rather not judge anything or anyone based on past experiences or other worlds, even world-hoppers like herself. Except zombies. Zombies on one world are just as unpleasant as zombies on another. The thought sends a chill down her spine. At least no one in sight looks like a zombie. 

 

"Oh, muffins! Where are my manners? It's a fine pleasure to meet ya, Lexiel. I'm Sorina, traveler of worlds and finder of knick-knacks." She takes a quick bow and some of her auburn hair falls out of her bun. Hastily redoing it, she looks around again to assess the area. It reminds her a bit of old Hyrule, but is also entirely its own. The large bell draws her attention the most, and her empty hands itch to rummage around in her bag for some rubbing paper or a sketchpad. But that would be rude. Besides, there are more important matters for the moment.

"It's nice to know that people randomly falling from the sky is likely not a common occurrence then. I'm afraid I know about as much about this place as I can see from here. It seems we're at a sort of crossroads. Though, I'd bet my left spoon that ol' bell up there is somethin' important."

 

 

[DragonRage]

"I dearly hope I am missing important context here, because it sounded a whole lot like you just said you dismember people for parts," Lexiel flies up a bit, out of easy reach of Sorina, and starts channelling mana through her focusing gauntlet, causing the Izzet insignia to light up red and blue, "It's always the ones that look nice.  They invite you home for tea, you talk about their grandkids, and then you find a freezer full of somebody else's organs in their basement..."

[Yours Truly]

Mot rather strangely found himself floating above the dirt road for a moment, and with a flip of a switch he quickly activated the G-Diffuser he had before he landed down on the dirt road harder than any man seated on a motorcycle would want to land. He then performed a cursory check of his surroundings and his equipment and put on his helmet once more before he said, "Well I'll be darned, an actual honest to God angel, didn't expect to see another one of you so soon. My name's Mot, and I reckon that it would be a mighty fine idea to introduce ourselves before we head any further, seeing as I haven't met most of you before."

[Chevaleresse]

"An explanation of that would be welcome." Mitsurugi didn't take motions to prepare for combat, partially for the benefit of the doubt and partially because any swordswoman worth her salt wouldn't need to. The idea of breaking angels down for parts concerned her as well; while she was fairly neutral on the matter of celestials (having no real issues with them, but disliking their frivolousness and detachment from worldly affairs,) dismembering them for parts was certainly well beyond what she deemed acceptable. She glanced to the side, spotting Mot - someone she couldn't say she had seen before - and turning slightly to face him. "Saigai Mitsurugi, goddess of natural disaster and guardian spirit." Her face shifted imperceptibly; it grated, every time she introduced herself, because the titles themselves reminded her of her failure. Still, now was not the time to dwell.

[Irbsandcheese]

"Oh, Goodness, No! I'm sorry, I've gotten quite comfy talkin' to people who either know where I've been or talkin' to those who are best off not knowing about other, far stranger worlds. I'm speakin' of the angels of Kaladesh. They're mechanical beings. Made to perfection, or at least that's what their creators think. They are actually right loonies. I deal in matters of mechanics and magical items, not necromancy or fleshy bits. Undead things with no sense of self or emotion? They give me the heebie-jeebies. You see, I've traveled around for some time now and I sometimes forget how things sound to the unexperienced, so I do rightly apologize."

Sorina looks a little worried about being annihilated on the spot, but her voice is calm. She's been in situations like this before and learned how to properly deal with it.

"Rest assured, I have no intention of harmin' anyone who don't deserve it."

[DragonRage]

Lexiel vents the mana charge from her gauntlet and drops back to the ground, folding her wings down into a tight, feathery bundle across her back.  "Kaladesh?  I've never been there myself, but I've heard it would be a beautiful place, if not for the nearly all-powerful, astonishingly corrupt government that doesn't even bother to try to glove its iron fist.  Yes, I can see how a place like that, where law and order are misused for the benefit of a few, might produce angels one would not wish to meet in a dark alley.  I am Lexiel, archangel of balance, for those of you I have not yet met."

[Irbsandcheese]

Sorina examines Lexiel and gives a nod of approval. "I'm surprised you've ever heard of it. I'll be guessin' that y'all're a bit more well-traveled than the average void-farer. Well, Kaladesh certainly ain't a place for extended stays, but it ain't bad for a visit to scrounge up some scraps. And if I can manage to get my hands on an artifact of any decent power while I'm there, I consider the trip a success." 

 

The others are likely just as experienced and might even help Sorina with her void travels. Sorina reaches a hand towards one of the side pockets of her pack and pulls out a small glass case, containing a gelatinous blue star with green accents. This particular mode of transportation has gotten her into more than a few kerfuffles. A shiver runs down her spine as she puts it back and looks at the group. "Mot, Goddess uh... Meet-sue-guy-row, everyone else. It's lovely to meet ya, and while Miss Hotcakes over there gave a very nice description of how y'all're here, might I ask how it is that you usually make your way about the 'verse?" 

[StormLord]

Spicy HG completely ignored the "Hotcakes" remark and simply nodded.

"Pretty much.  A portal or someone usually shows up and tells us to go somewhere and help someone."

She paused for a moment, looking around suspiciously.

"Though usually we would've been jumped or given some kind of prompt by the locals by now...Maybe this world is a bit different?"

"That bell looks like the closest place of interest, maybe we'll figure out what our quest is there?"

She gestured out towards the nearby bellshrine.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

???

 

"Hail there!"

 

A sudden voice shouted out from southern path, quickly becoming apparent that it belonged to a rather fat Japanese man, wearing a green tunic, plain kasa, and a gigantic purple bag on his back, an equally large umbrella and pipe in both of his hands as well, "How do you folks do this fine day?" he asked as he approached, taking a quick puff of his pipe as he did so.

[Chevaleresse]

"Hello, stranger," Mitsurugi responded, turning to face the oncoming man. A merchant of some kind, maybe? Or just an odd sort of traveler. "I believe we're doing well, all things considered. And yourself?" It seemed they'd be delayed slightly in investigating this world. She caught a glance of herself as she moved, something unusual catching her eye. Her hand, where it poked out from beneath her robes, seemed to have some manner of tattoos on it. A brief glance at the other confirmed the same. Strange. Though nobody else had commented on them as of yet.

[DragonRage]

"This seems to be a day for introductions.  I am Lexiel.  Might I inquire of your name?" The angel greets the newcomer cautiously.  She's still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Merchant

 

"I am doing quite fine. Business is slow, but that seems to be normal nowadays" the man replies, taking another puff of his pipe, before turning to Lexiel, "My name Tanabe Seketsune, wandering Merchant" Tanabe greets with a small bow, "If I may, I would like to ask for your names as well. It's not often that I see such exotic folks, even near Sei-an City."

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi gave the man - Tanabe - a slight bow. Not quite a dismissive one, but the one she tended to give to all strangers, one indicating that she was likely of higher status than them. "My name is Saigai Mitsurugi." She straightened herself out. "I'm afraid we are strangers to this land. It is fortuitous, then, that we would meet one such as yourself at this time." A traveling merchant; he could be an excellent source of information about the area. If he could be trusted, of course; merchants were not always as friendly as they liked to pretend, though they were typically not too untrustworthy, on account of not wanting to be caught in a lie or scam among strangers.

[Irbsandcheese]

Sorina immediately takes in the man's humble appearance and labels him as one of the natives. "Yes-sir-e, we're a bit lost in the cornfield. It'd be dandy if ya could give us some directions, or maybe something for trade. I'm a bit of a trader of goods, myself." She reaches back to her bag and starts to shuffle through her items.

 

"If you like sweets, I've got some everlasting gobstoppers. Where I'm from, they were only a story-book sweet, but when I went wandering, I found a place that used a reality warping magic to create infinite sugar. It's a bit broken though, so it only lasts for half of infinity. Got it at a discount." She gives a hearty laugh for a moment, reminded of the man who believed her faulty assessment of the batch of candy. At the time, she was excited that her ruse had worked, but after leaving the world, she began to think that no one was truly fooled in that factory but herself. 

 

She shakes herself out of the memory. "I've got a few other things lying about, but I haven't checked inventory since my last pit-stop. I do, however, take requests. What do you have for sale or trade?" She takes a few eager steps closer to Tanabe and barely restrains herself from rummaging through his pack herself. Her hungry eyes seek out the treasures and trinkets of this world to add to her collection.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Tanabe

 

When Mitsurugi introduced herself, Tanabe gave the goddess a small nod, “A pleasure to meet you, Lady Mitsurugi” he replied. And then, at Sorina’s insistence of seeing his wares, Tanabe merely brought up a hand to stop her, although said hand was still holding his pipe, “It’s refreshing to see other Merchants having as much love for the craft as I, but I shall have to deny any business right now. Simply put, getting everything out of this pack right now would be too much of a hassle, especially when I’m already so close to Sei-an City. However…” he trailed off, glancing at the rest of the group before looking back at Sorina, 

 

“Your stories interest me, so I shall give you a small dose of what I offer, I am a collector, I go around Nippon to find relics and artifacts of old. Some are simply antiques and whatnot, but I’ve collected several artifacts that I believe to be used for worship of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu long ago. And, as such, due to my travels I am required to know quite a bit of how the rest of the Country is doing, so as a favor from one merchant to another, I would be willing to offer you information, at no charge” he replied, giving Sorina a smile before taking another puff of his pipe, “But, I don’t believe I got your name, Miss…?”
 

[Irbsandcheese]

Sorina's eyes widen as she realizes her mistake. First impressions are the most important thing on new worlds.

"Oh dearie me, how could I forget my manners. The name's Sorina. Sorina Dari. Pleasure to meet ya. Might I ask, where exactly are we? We ain't exactly locals."

She looks back towards the group, unsure of how much information they are willing to reveal to a native. Although they seemed pretty forthright with her, so announcing their alien nature to everyone they meet might be customary.

 

Either way, she takes a metaphorical step away from the conversation.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Tanabe

 

"A pleasure as well, Miss Sorina. But, currently, we are at Ryoshima Coast, just south of the capital, which would be-" Tanabe explained, pointing at the Northern road with his pipe, "That way. The entrance of which is unmistakable. The City Checkpoint that leads further into the mainland, however, is that way-" he continued, turning to point at the southern path, "And right here is merely the Shrine of Amaterasu. At least, that is what the Shrine Maiden has repurposed the area for. I'm unsure what the previous owner did with it..." he muttered, taking another puff of his pipe, "Regardless, this area is practically a crossroad between the rich, the poor, and the religious."

[Chevaleresse]

Amaterasu. Similar to her world, indeed. The old times, when gods roamed free and all humans paid them their due; the names and places were different in ways, but the fundamentals seemed to be much the same. This shrine, though, was a bit curious. It wasn't strange to see a place repurposed into a shrine, though by the looks of it, it had probably belonged to another before; she made a note to watch for irritable deities nearby. "Is the miko nearby? I did have a religious matter in need of discussion." Said matter being herself, of course. The others in the group, though accepting her divinity, didn't pay it any reverence; while she understood it, she did not like it. Furthermore, she still needed it.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Tanabe

 

At Mitsu's question, Tanabe merely pointed at the shrine, "She's normally in there. Normally if she wasn't, I would say she'd be in Sei'-an City, but in these times, I would have no idea" he explained with a shrug, "At the least, I can say I haven't seen her on the road from here to the City Checkpoint."