Yuurei, Renji, and everyone else had made it out of the cave intact. It would seem like the Onis couldn’t come out of the cave. That was good because it meant that they didn’t have to fight right now. Well, the fighting never stopped. They had to fight the cold air within the mountain. It would seem like they had climbed higher on the mountain. He had thought about how long they were in that cave and how high up they had gotten from this.

Still, he was relieved that he didn’t have to fight anymore Onis. He did notice that Renji had used a lot of stuff in the fight within the cave. It would seem like he was exhausted. He looked at everyone else as he wasn’t sure it was the same for them. He would rub his shoulders as he was walking, and when he looked at Renji, it would seem like his friend was unbothered. Of course, the Exceed was used for this temperature. There wasn’t any snow on the mountain though, but altitude made it cold even if it was protected by some seal.

“We should find a crevice in the mountain to relax in. It would be good for all of us to regain our mana. We don’t know what we will be facing, and if there is truly a hoard of Onis in this place we will need to be in tiptop shape at all times.” He said to them.

He wasn’t sure if they felt the same way, but that was a decision he made for himself and Renji. The two of them would continue marching as Yuurei allowed his Exceed to hold onto his gear. It was something that would continue to protect him, and he could use it however he saw fit.

Renji would look at the path forward and he wondered what awaited them.

“So, your dad wasn’t lying when he said they sealed Onis away somewhere within Mount Kuja. I thought it was a small number, but hell that wasn’t a little bit. I felt even though we took them out more spawned.” He said to the group.

Migi would hear him as they walked and he agreed.

“I guess it was the only way to make sure Onis couldn’t cause destruction within Joya. It’s scary to know that something so dangerous is hidden within a mountain. I can only wonder what would happen if someone malicious knew about this place. What would they do?” He questioned it as he kept walking.

Yuurei would hear them both speak about the situation and he would shake his head. The Seraphim wondered if they could just stay within this place and defeat all the Onis. It would probably take too long, and keeping them sealed would be for the best.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hungry.” He said as his stomach rumbled.

Renji’s stomach would rumble now that he had mentioned it; Once they found a place to relax Yuurei could make them something hot to eat.

510

Once they left the cave Kaito collected the sword from Revy telling her to turn back to exceed form and get some rest before they kept going on as she had been pushing herself and Kaito could tell as he needed to make sure that his companion didn't over do it and get herself hurt. She did as Kaito had asked of her and she got into his hood which kept her warm as Kaito made his cloaks to be able to handle different environments and climates that he would find in them so it heats when cold and cools when their is heat which is how he usually don't seem bothered by the weather that they walked into as his cloak kept him pretty climate controlled for the most part and made his hood a good place to catch a nap.

Kaito looked at Yuurei and the others and he wonders what the plan is and how they are gonna handle it. "Anyone else feeling like this place is wrong some how?" He wanted to see if this was just a feeling he had or one that was shared with the others that were in this area with him. Kaito has no idea if they were going to be able to handle the bits that were coming as they journeyed forward but he was going to have to be ready as there was no choice as he knows no matter how bad it gets he would never abandon his friends here and that he will die here to get them to safety if it comes to it. Kaito takes a seat to rest a bit himself before they go any farther.  Then he looks at the other two men and he speaks. "If I get taken over kill me swiftly and without hesitation."

Kaito is unsure if they could even do that but he knows his magic in the wrong hands would do a lot of damage and chaos if left unchecked, so he needed to make it a point to tell them to not hold back if he was to be taken over as he rather not have the world in chaos again. It was just easier for them to taken him and the body snatcher out then to let it run amuck among the people sending them all to who knows where to be killed by who knows what. This was a huge step he guessed but he was going to wait for their reactions before he said anything else farther as he knows that Revy was already asleep so she probably wouldn't know that he asked this of them in case the worse came to pass and he fails and something gets ahold of him. So the creature can't use him to get pity from them and make them think he was okay with being controlled.
(484)

They finally exited the cave, back into the open, beneath the sky as they continued their way up the mountain. Brone Heavyaxe took in a deep breath; the air at this altitude was refreshing to him, reminding him of home. "Don't ye worry, we'll find one soon enough" he told Yuurei as he looked about. He made sure to lead the group closer to an area where the ground was steep, usually a good indicator of a crevice would be somewhere in said area.

"Well if anyone tried to claim or free the oni, then by Murphy's law, it should have happened already, which means someone in the Starlight clan had set up powerful wards or protections to keep the oni's from being freed so easily" Gnicholas had pulled himself out from the dwarf's cowl and sat on his friend's shoulder. The gnome entertained the conversation Renji and Migi started, but Brone's concern was with Yuurei's... hunger.

"Aye, Yuurei, we'll get to the crevice so ye can start on the meal" Brone said as he looked about as they all continued to walk on towards steeper paths.

What threw off Brone, was Kaito's request. The dwarf stared at him, confused of what he asked. He wanted to ask if the dragon slayer was alright, but he wasn't sure how to approach him about that, wondering if Kaito would retract back into himself if prodded or questioned, so the dwarf simply nodded, albeit still confused and hesitant, "Sure, lad, we'll behead ye just to make sure" He tried his best to sound serious and genuine. This wasn't the first time the dwarf had been heard of such requests; his father, when he was still an adventurer, fought along side great dwarves, and to the elder, it wasn't foreign to see a warrior ask for swift deaths if they happen to lose their mind or become an anchor. This was to prevent their company or family from being hindered, and it was usually seen as an honorable death.

The problem with Brone was that he never been asked this request, and he liked Kaito too much to bring the axe down upon him if there was another possible way to overcome whatever issue he may be dealing with. But for the sake of Kaito's honor, the dwarf agreed.

It wouldn't be long before Brone spotted a crevice; he would point it out, [color=#996633]"Ye just need to follow the direction of the wind; over the centuries, rocks get withered by the wind if the direction is constantly blown without much change. The dwarf would knock his knuckles against the side of the western wall of the crevice, inspecting it to make sure it was sturdy enough. There didn't seem to be any loose debris on the floor, so there shouldn't be any chance of rockfall. He then led his friends into the crevice until there was a spot wide enough for all of them to rest comfortably without issue.

500

While they were walking, Renji and Migi would look over at Gnicholas. He had talked and given them more information on the subject.

“I see, so as long as Yuurei doesn’t break the seal, then we don’t have to worry about anything.” He said to Gnicholas.

“Isn’t he like the only Starlight left? Besides his father?” Migi said out loud.

Renji would look at him and he would put his hands behind his head.

“Those two are the only Starlight blood left that we know of. Let’s hope it stays that way throughout this journey right now.” He said to Migi.

Yuurei heard Brone’s comment about finding a place for them to lay rest and he would nod at the dwarf.

“Thank you.” He simply said to Brone.

It wouldn’t take long, but soon enough Brone would find them a place to rest at. He explained things to them about how these crevices on the mountains are created. He always thought it was something that someone created when they were passing by, but it would seem like it was a nature thing. He enjoyed the fact that he learned something every day.

“That is something I didn’t know about, thanks for the lesson.” He said this to him as he was genuine about it.

Yuurei would use his dimension space to bring out food and things to cook. While he did that he would hear the question, and then the comment soon after that came from Kaito. The Seraphim was hoping that it would never come to that. He wouldn’t want to kill one of his friends. It would be annoying and something dreadful. He lost a friend and he didn’t need to lose another.

Renji would hear this as he would shake his head as he didn’t like that idea either. Yuurei was preparing the food for everyone as he was thinking about how to answer. He heard Brone’s comment about what he would do to Kaito if that were the case but was sure the dwarf was half joking.

“I hope it never comes to that. Revy would be very upset if that were to happen to you. We all would be and then I got to explain to Judith what happen.” He said to Kaito.

He would go back to the question Kaito had asked earlier. While prepping things for everyone he would rub his chin as he was thinking about how to answer this one.

“Well, it is wrong; from what my dad told me, this place was a sealed place to hold all the Onis that they couldn’t get rid of. It wasn’t that they were powerful, but there were too many to get rid of. Then there is the fact that somewhere on this mountain is a Starlight taken over by an Oni. That is wrong on every level. We should end his suffering. What I have been questioning this entire time is how did that man know the location of this place.” He brought up the person that they met at the beginning of their journey.

Yuurei would continue getting things done as he would start cooking soon.  

525|1035

He will keep that his necklace wouldn't really let him die, as he would rebirth once again soon after his death so Revy would only have to mourn him for a bit but he knows that. "Who knows Yuurei is a popular man he could have babies already." Kaito teased as he walked into his personal dimension and brings out supplies for Yuurei to use to cook with as he had supplies to spare as he keeps his stores ready in case people need help and a good hot meal. He was not greedy or cold hearted as he cares about people just he has trouble expressing himself and often looks more evil than he really is. Kaito looked at Brone who had agreed to killing him. "I will try not to come back and haunt you that bad for it."

Kaito laughed softly as he was teasing but he is unsure if the dwarf will take that as a joke. Kaito looks around and helps to set up some flatter stones so they could sit on them and not have to worry about sitting on the ground up here in the cold. He thinks about the starlight's and his head hurts a bit and he wonders what that was and why he felt it as something that should not just randomly happen but something seemed to keep happening and Kaito is unsure if he is the problem or if something else is and Kaito is just feeling the backlash. He kind of also wonders if the dimensional god slayer had stopped or if he was still recovering from their last fight.

Kaito looked at his necklace and he wonders if he died if what ever was already inside of him would die or if it was fully attached to him and would just revive with him. Kaito knows he should stop thinking this way that if he dies everything might just fix. He can't seem to think past it but he knows he has to as these other two need him to be focused so they don't die and he can do what ever he  can to make sure that they make it to the end of this trip and find what ever kind of power that was here that they needed to take on. So that they could get out of here but that might be easier said than done. Kaito feels like something big is going to be ahead of them and that means that he will have to keep fighting till they reach  the end of all of this stuff but Kaito is unsure if he is going to make it to that point as there was going to be a lot of people and monsters that will get in the way probably  to slow them down but Kaito can't just let that happen he will need to crack them and leave them on the ground to step over them. "What really is freedom?"
(504) (988)

Brone sat upon one of the flat stones Kaito found, and placed his blue helm at his feet. He expected Yuurei to give such an answer to Kaito. The guild master treasured his friendships as well, but he never intends to disrespect such friends when they have requests.

The cooking utensils were being pulled out of the extra dimensional spaces that both Kaito and Yuurei had tapped into. Gnicholas hopped down onto the ground from the dwarf’s shoulder. He pulled out his notebook and pen to go over his collected notes of the situation.

”A Starlight is possessed!?” Brone blurted out, nearly getting onto his feet. He couldn’t recall this being mention, though he does mentally admit to himself that he tends to block out conversations if they go on for too long, or if they become complicated or boring; so he knew it was indeed possible that he might have missed that bit of information.

Gnicholas sighed, understanding that this was going to be a delicate operation to possibly expunge the oni from the Starlight ”Then I suppose we have no choice but to-“

”Kill him to free his soul” Brone interrupted the gnome, guessing his plan.

”To EXCERSIZE the oni, and free the Starlight!” Gnicholas nearly yelled as he shot a glare at the dwarf. However, Brone nodded his head in agreement, unaware that the gnome was practically scolding him for suggesting such a morbid suggestion.

”Expelling an oni from it’s target can vary in difficulty” Benimaru floated from Brone’s back and hovered around the make-shift encampment. ”The will of the oni will be against the will of the victim”.

”And the main variable would be the strength and age of either of them” Gnicholas had assumed as he was scribbling down into his notepad.

”Indeed” Benimaru said. Brone nodded, but he ended up losing focus on the conversation. His stomach growled; his mind focusing on the food that was going to be served. He would look over to Yuurei every now and then, hoping the food would be finished soon.


343 | 843

Yuurei would start finishing his preparations for their food, and he would use the stuff that Kaito had brought them. He would shake his head when he heard Kaito say what he said. He could only wonder if that were the case now. He had some weird dreams before, and they seemed too real, but he could never truly recall them when he woke up.

“I wonder if I have kids running out there now. That would be surprising if that is the case. I did go around when someone broke my heart, so I wouldn’t be surprised.” He joked because he was sure if he did have a kid their mother would have shown up to the guild to support his family.

The Seraphim would make soup for them. He added a bunch of ingredients to it as this would be the fastest thing to cook. He would make the best soup they could eat right now, and he would just hear them speak.

It was then he would look at Kaito and then he would look at Brone. He thought Brone knew, but he forgot to mention it to his friend.

He would hear Gnicholas and Benimaru chat and talk about the situation of the Starlight being possessed.

Renji would hear this as he would lean on the wall as if he was sitting against it. He would close his eyes as he heard them.

“Yeah, I don’t think we can do what you guys talking about.” Renji said as he never opened his eyes.

Yuurei would continue to stir the food within the pot. The fire heating up; the meal that they were going to eat. He would look at the people who were curious about the possessed Starlight.

“I don’t know if we can expel the Oni from him. Well, if we do separate the Oni from the Starlight, I don’t think the Starlight would live after we get rid of the Oni, but we can free his spirit, so he could move on. The Starlight has been sealed in this place centuries from what I have been told.” He explained to Brone, Benimaru, and Gnicholas.

“Apparently this Starlight holds a power that has been lost to the Starlight clan for centuries and we’re going to bring it back to the clan, or at least to me.” He explained to them as he was almost done with their food.

“Still, I don’t know how strong this guy is going to be especially if he has an Oni possessing him.” He said.

It was then he would start handing out bowls of soup to the people around the area. He would hand it to Renji first, and then Revy. After that, he would give Gnicholas his portion of soup, and then he would start serving Kaito and Bronef. Once he was done with that, he would take his own and he would sit down, and he would start to eat. He knew that Benimaru was an Oni sealed into a weapon, so he was pretty sure he didn’t eat food.


513|1548

"Well if you do she might of been scared to come forward as she was a one night stand and bared something, or she might be mad you used her for a one night stand and is raising the child to hate you." Kaito was teasing but he knows that could be an actual thing and now he wonders if Kailani had survived would he have children right now? Would he have had a happy family to go back to and be able to spend his time with? Or would he have ruined that as well or would they just be in constant danger from him becoming so well known? Kaito sighs as he shouldn't be thinking on what could have been as he knows that something or himself would have ruined that. He knows better than to think in the end he gets a happy ending or some kind of sweet reward. His life has been a dark cloud since he was born and his curse killed his mother.

Kaito knows there is something wrong with him and that he can't just keep hoping for happiness as he was not fated for that life he was not fated to be the hero with the ride into the sun set with the woman he loves. He was fated to fight to repent for sins he had not committed but where passed to him. He remembers his master speaking that her husband had been taken by the sin of wrath when he tried to defend elven land in Joya and was controlled till she had set him free by killing him. He wonders if that is what doomed him if her not purifying the monster from him it in turn cursed her bloodline. Kaito feels this place is poisoning him and he can't shake it like something in him is growing and getting stronger here and will soon be making it's grand appearance. Kaito helps Yuurei the best he can while his own thoughts raced and fought in his mind if this all was something else and he was wrong or if she before he knew she was his grandmother told him had known what might have happened to him and why he was cursed.

Kaito needed to focus back on what was being said here. "Not sure freeing someone will be that easy from any kind of control what if they took the power willingly? Like I did when I took the dimensional dragon slayer powers." Kaito wasn't sure that they had the power to cleanse someone of their oni even if they tried as none of them are priests or have healing magic like that, but if they had taken the power willingly that means the body and the oni might have signed a pact for it and breaking pacts are a more dangerous thing if you have no idea to what you are messing with as they might come back and make that demon stronger or instantly killing off the host there was very little room for middle ground in these kind of things.
(520) (1,508)

Brone chuckled along with Yuurei's joke, though he was sure the half-elf was referring to their old friend Kailani. The idea of several of Yuurei's descendants existing was interesting to entertain, "Ah, then the Starlight clan won't fade" a great positive for such a great clan who's bloodline was running thin; a caution given that they had such great potential to pass on, "But 'tis a shame if the lads and lasses don't know their own bloodline" It was a reminder of when Yuurei was ignorant to his own heritage, not knowing what his ancestors were capable of, what they had passed down to him, such great potential, finally realized and discovered because of fate, but would the other descendants of Yuurei have the same fortune as their father? This was why dwarves were very strict about family ties and the preservation of lineage.

Once again, Kaito was the pessimistic one seeing the other possibility, but Brone laughed either way, sure that the dragon slayer was joking in some manner. It was unheard of for a dwarf to be raised to hate their own lineage, let alone have broken families; this was simply a fictional tale to Brone; little did he know that this was actually a possibility outside the mountain.

As everyone chimed in their concern about the possessed Starlight, the soup bowls were being passed around. Though the oni were proving to be a difficulty; Gnicholas and Benimaru and even Brone knew well not to doubt the Starlight clan member. If Kaito was correct of his theory, then the being would be a strong opponent to face. Starlights were known to be well skilled blacksmiths as well as talented weavers of magic in some form.

Gnicholas drank from his bowl as he contemplated the possible dangers that were ahead of them, but Brone downed his soup in just a few gulps, having no concern at all. "Don't ye fret" he said to Gnicholas as he put down his empty soup bowl. He burped before wiping his mouth with his sleeve, "We faced demi-gods on several occasions" he laughed as he gestured to Yuurei and Kaito.

Though Benimaru and Gnicholas were only present when the Monster Trio had faced off against one demi-god, such a feat is proof enough that they had the skills to probably face off against anything. Each of them had an arsenal of weapons and magic that could possibly overcome any situation; even Brone, such a simple-minded being who is usually shorter than his enemies, had the prowess to fell giants in one swing. But even with such a group so great, the gnome still had concern, given that he knew that anything was possible, so he mentally went over his calculations and sketched it down into his notepad.

"If ye ain't gonna drink yer soup, can I have it?" Brone leaned against his hand as he propped his elbow upon his knee. He stared at the gnome.

"I'm going to eat it in a moment, I'm just marking some things down" Gnicholas didn't even look the dwarf's way.

Brone shrugged, though amazed that the gnome was able to always work, even when he's supposed to be on break. He figured such a being who can work would be a great teacher to his niece.

Benimaru floated to the end of the crevice to scope out the area, in case they were possibly followed since he wasn't able to eat along with the others. Gnicholas had taken notice of this, but Brone wasn't focused on that, but of the sky, "Huginn and Muninn should have been back by now" the dwarf sounded a bit concerned as scanned the sky through the fissure above.

"We're on a high altitude, too high for ravens; not only that, this is hawk territory, so it's too dangerous for them either way" Gnicholas pointed out. The gnome had taken note of this some time back. Brone was impressed by the smaller being's intellect, but this just made the dwarf more worried, hoping the ravens kept themselves out of trouble.

687 | 1,530

Yuurei would laugh when he heard Kaito’s explanation of things. That could happen, but at the same time, they all knew what they were doing the night off. They can't blame him for just leaving them alone. They knew who he was, that he was a mage who traveled a lot. They could have found him as he hadn’t moved from the North since he became Guild Master.

“I could only imagine if something like that was happening right now. I mean, I’ve been kind to them all, but they knew it was an enjoyment to pass the night is all.” He said as he would eat his soup, so they would be full and ready to fight.

Yuurei would hear Brone’s words and he would smile. They had fought several monsters in their journey and adventures. This would be no different right? He was hoping so because he knew this would be a stepping stone for the army of Seraphims they would have to fight right? He wouldn’t mention that to them as he knew that they only had one thing to focus on right now.

Renji would eat his soup in peace as he was not getting this conversation.

“Yeah we have, I think we will be fine. As long as we work together we should be able to face anything that comes our way.” He said to them as he would continue eating.

Renji would finish his meal he would wipe his mouth and place his bowl into the empty pot. The fire was out, so he figured it would best to put it there. Yuurei would finish eating his meal soon after and he would be satisfied with what he had eaten. He would get up from where he was sitting and he would do the same thing as Renji. When he got close to the pot, the mountain would shake; he would do his best to keep his balance, and Renji almost tumbled and hit his head on the wall.

It would soon come to a stop, but what could have caused the entire mountain to shake like that?

“You guys are good? We should start moving before we get stuck in this crevice somehow.” He spoke to them as he was ready to move forward.

Renji would hear this and he would shake his head as he almost made a fool of himself. He would walk out of their resting spot and he would look around. He was trying to figure out what was, and what could have caused it.

“Do you think we’re the reason why the mountain shook so violently?” He asked Yuurei.

“I hope not, but we won’t know until we continue through with it.” He said as he would start walking through the mountain trail in front of them.

469|2017
[exit]

Kaito laughs and he wonders what it would be like to actually have a family or a woman that loves him. Kaito looked at Yuurei with a smirk "If we have both have children they can only be friends don’t need people to think we are selective breeding the strongest grandchildren that we can." He was joking as he knows that himself is never going to have children so he didn’t need to be saying these kind of things to Yuurei and now that he thinks about it he looked to Brone. "what about you got a lady that makes your earth quake?" he was unsure of what he had just said was stupid or not but he knows that Brone himself must have a ton of woman that would bow to him and allow him to start a strong relationship with them. Kaito wakes the exceed so they could all eat together and all have some of their strength recovered to them before they take on what ever might come next in this all.

Kaito looked toward where they would be needing to go but that could mean a lot of things for where he was going but he was not going to slow down, he was going to force his way to the top and take on the void if he has to. That way he can still keep his friends safe for their futures to make it all there and not have them have to lose or waste the good mark they will leave on the future and that means that he has to live long enough to see the truth and be there to save them. Maybe the girl in his heart will come and save him before he burns away and dies to the things that he can not yet see but he hopes the woman is strong as she will need to be as he travels a lot and will probably only be able to see her sometimes and if they have children he will need to make sure they are properly trained.
(349) (1,857/1,000) 50% WC (20%ring,10%guild,20%companion.) (exit)

Brone laughed after he finished his soup bowl. The conversation never came up concerning children or descendants, so it was an interesting subject to him, "Don't knock the idea of selective breeding, there are clans I've known that marry for the sake of making sure the clan stays strong" the dwarf would then pull an iron flask from his pouch and took a swig. Because the dwarf wasn't able to bring a keg with him on the journey, he would bring a flask of the strongest whisky he could find. The alcohol was so potent that the moment the top was opened, the entire crevice was filled with the scent.

"A lady?" Brone pocketed his flask, not trying to empty it so soon since he needed to stretch it for at least half the journey. He thought about Kaito's question and shrugged, "Not really, no; don't have time for courting and all that nonsense; besides, I fancy only dwarven women since they tend to be sturdy as an anvil" he winked at Kaito before blurting out another laugh.

Suddenly, the mountain shook and the dwarf was quick on his feet. Gnicholas jumped behind a small rock, looking about, trying to see what could be causing the quake. The dwarf already had his green axe, Spellcleaver, in his hand in case this was a magical attack of some kind. The quake stopped, but the dwarf still had his axe drawn. He would place an open hand upon the wall of the crevice, trying to feel the roughness and the grain, hoping he could get an answer from the Stone.

"If we're the cause of it, I would have noticed, but I don't suspect it could have been us" Gnicholas finally let his fear subside as he stood up from behind the rock and patted the dirt off his clothing.

"Could have been Brone's loud laughter that set the quake off" Benimaru said as he floated back to the encampment. Brone blurted out another laugh, finding the oni's joke clever, "You keep laughing, and we'll all be buried in a rockslide" Benimaru warned sarcastically, which only made the dwarf laugh even harder.

"You can settle down now, Brone, it wasn't that funny" Gnicholas was beginning to get annoyed by the loud laughter. He went to finish his soup despite the fact that everyone else was still concerned about the quake, "You shouldn't mind it too much; if it was indeed any enemy, they there's nothing we can do about it until we find this enemy".

"Aye" Brone said, agreeing with Gnicholas' statement. A philosophy the dwarf was close to. If trouble was out of his reach at least at the moment, then worrying about it was senseless since it will be resolved eventually.

470 | 2,000

[Exit]