"What do you want from us?" Kuroyuri questioned as we looked between the old man and Jubei.
"That's simple," Dakuan spoke joyfully, "We both have a common enemy that wants to kill us. They will not stop until they killed you all as they did with my previous team. I was the only one left alive until I recruited Jubei here."
Fuck, it seems that I was right and we'll have to fight them to the death it seems. We traded looks with each other and knew that the old man was right. It would be better to have help since even a single mistake would spell our deaths. After we discussed it privately, I and a very reluctant Midori agreed that we should help them.
Kuroyuri one of our senior taimanin and leader spoke, "We'll help you, but we need to know what we're going up against."
"They're a group of ninjas that work for the so-called shogun of the dark, the ex-ruler of Japan. He plans to overthrow the Tokugawa Shounen government and rule it as his personal playground. If we don't stop whatever their plan is, there will be chaos and untold bloodshed all across Japan."
"How many are there that's after us? What kind of techniques do they have that you can tell us about," Midori questioned, wanting as much information as we can get.
"I only know of three, well two ninjas, you killed that rock one. There's one who uses ninja wires to conduct electricity, and the last is the one you just encountered, that woman who controls snakes." He spoke seriously, pulling his hat down over his eyes as he remembered his teammate's screams of pain, their looks of horror just before meeting their unjust demise.
We gathered some supplies that were left behind before leaving soon after, in the opposite direction that the civilians went through. A minute later, I received the rewards from the battle along with my daily card pack.
[Killed 44 poisonous snakes. 1,950xp and 1,950 Summoning points.]
[John Level up! ×1]
[Rinko Leveled Up! ×1]
[Midori Leveled Up! ×6]
Kuroyuri Leveled Up! ×2]
[Draw a card?]
[Draw a card pack?]
[Yes/No]
I looked at Jubei who was talking to Kuroyuri about something and then at Dakuan who was staring at me before turning his attention to everyone else. I bit my lip before picking the card pack first since it's invisible to everyone but me.
[Summoning...]
-----------------------------
Wooden Claw (N)
Revolvers (N)
Ema Harver (R)
Kurumi S. Sakazaki (R)
Tenka (R)
-----------------------------
[Transferring to Deck]
I stared curiously at the revolver as it went into my deck before looking at something else. I now had to make the most important decision I will ever make... for now.
[Draw a Card?]
[Yes/No]
I took a deep breath and decided to think this through before making a decision. There are 7 demons left and we have 4 people that can fight; the old man and I not included. Though I can say for sure that the enemy would target the weakest link first, which is me, to force the rest to surrender or watch me die. If I have one of them staying back to protect me then it'll be 3 vs 7. It's unclear if all of them will attack us at the same time, or wait to attack after we killed one.
It would be better to summon them now and say they were scouting for us. If it's an item, I can keep it with me. Even if it makes Dakuan more curious about us than he already is, I will rather be alive than dead.
I got the chance an hour later when we stopped to eat and take a small break.
I left to go to the bathroom and to draw said card. Midori, using her ninja skills, carried me somewhere a little farther away from the main group, so I can draw a card without being noticed. I did my business and washed my hands before hiding behind a tree as she used her Ninja Arts to stay unseen by all.
[Draw a card?]
[Yes/No]
I let out a sigh before pausing and I just drew the card instead of picking yes. I drew the card, a little surprised that it actually works and the result of what I drew.
-----------------------------
Misao Yukishiro (UR)
Faction: Demon
Lv 1/55
HP: 7,500
MP: 650
Attack: 236
Defense: 440
Special Skill: Ninjutsu: Phoenix (Lv 1/5)
Increases DEF of ally Demon by 40%.
Increases DEF of ally Demon by 1250.
Activation: 3/3
-----------------------------
I blinked once, twice, and a third time before it truly sank in. I started grinning like a fool and did a quick fist pump before calming down. Then I used my mana to summon her.
[- 750]
[10,250 MP]
I felt the card taking in my mana, and as it grew brighter, the gentle breeze suddenly changed]. The howling wind blew fiercely from all directions as thick dark clouds covered the sky, shrouding the entire area in almost complete darkness.
When the card finally absorbed enough of my mana, it quickly let out a blinding light before disappearing just as fast. The wind started calming down but the clouds stayed where they were.
I had to blink a few times before the spots left my vision. Then I noticed her,
Misao is staring back at me with a confused look on her face. I couldn't help but notice that she looked a little similar to Saeko Busujima. Maybe it was the hairstyle or something like that.
She's a young woman with creamy pale skin with blue/dark purple hair that goes down to her waist and blue/dark purple eyes. She's wearing a modified ninja suit that stops at her crotch area, leaving most of her breasts and legs to be seen. There's a black metal plate around her stomach, gloves with small plates that stops at the elbow, and knee-high boots that left her toes out in the open.
Our impromptu staring contest didn't last long before she drew her weapon, and a blue flame erupted forth, enveloping it before it was pointed at me.
"The cursed secret of my hometown of Homura, Ninjutsu: Phoenix. These blue flames resurrect the dead and push the living into madness. If you want to keep your sanity, I'd suggest you do not come near me."
-----------------------------
(Yukishiro Misao POV)
One day, nearby Homura no Sato
where Misao served as the village leader, strange events were unfolding in her lands.
One after another, in the mountains
near the village, ninjas began to
disappear. It was not only the people of Homura no Sato but also residents in the neighboring areas that were also disappearing. There was no pattern to it, men, women, children, young or old, they all vanished without a trace.
Misao set off into the mountains on a search-and-destroy mission with her friend, the female ninja, Keika, and her younger brother, Kamina.
The search had yielded nothing since morning and, frustrated with the lack of clues, she had ordered them to return.
Just as Misao herself was preparing
to return to the village, twilight had just fallen when "It" suddenly appeared. She
sensed something behind her, a suspicious shadow, or that's how she perceived it. She quickly turned around with her hand on her sword.
"Who are you," she demanded, and at that moment, Misao was engulfed in complete darkness.
Her last thought was, 'So I too, am to be spirited away...'
By the time Keika turned around to
call out for Misao, she was already
gone.
...
When awareness finally returned to
her, she realized that she had been transported to this strange and unfamiliar forest. The first thing she noticed was a young man standing in front of her and the second was the air, no the entire world itself. It felt... different. She couldn't describe it more than it felt more... alive somehow.
'Am I dead...?' She thought for a moment, but Misao shook her head, sending her long blue hair swirling all
about.
'No, I'm alive.' She was certain of that. She could still feel the flame of life still burning within her. Without a doubt, this was real. Which meant that person in front of her had the answers she seeks.
She unsheathed her blade and coated it with her Ninja Arts: Phoenix, before pointing it at him. "Where am I?"
"You're in a forest somewhere in Japan." He told her in a calm tone, despite having a weapon pointing at him. She couldn't help but be surprised by his reaction to her threat, making her suspicious.
"Tell me, how was I transported here?" She waited for the young man to answer as she kept her senses sharp. She stiffened up in surprise, feeling a slight stinging sensation on her neck as someone suddenly appeared behind her.
"Now now, is that how you greet someone?" She heard a woman's voice whispering into her ear.
Misao gritted her teeth at allowing yet another person to get under her guard and she lowered her sword in surrender. "Why did you bring me to this place? Are you working with that shadowy figure that kidnapped the people of Homura no Sato?"
"Eh? What shadowy figure?" He asked with a confused look on his face. "I was the one that summoned you."
She blinked nonpulsed for a moment before she felt that he was right and wrong at the same time. It's a weird feeling for her to experience.
"My deepest apologies, I was patrolling with my team when someone or something attacked me from behind. The next thing I knew, I'm here with you and I thought you were involved." She told them, sheathing her blade and relaxing as the blade was removed from her neck.
"It's no problem, mistakes happen. My name is John and she's Midori," John spoke introducing themselves to her.
"My name is Yukishiro Misao, the... former leader of Homura no Sato. It is pleasure to meet you both." She greeted politely.
She listened to John as he explained what was going on and the plan of introducing her to the rest of his team as Midori gave her some old clothes to wear to blend in better. At least it's not restrictive as she feared it would be, it left plenty of room for her to move.
She couldn't help but silently wonder what was wrong with the clothes she was wearing right now. She's used to men who stared at her with lust and she uses that to her advantage.
It must have shown on her face when John spoke, "It's to hide the fact that there's armor underneath your regular clothes. If they slashed at your stomach, you can catch them by surprise when there's no blood and retaliate against them."
"I see how that would be useful."
-----------------------------
(John POV)
We started walking back towards camp, but I couldn't help but wonder what Misao meant by a 'shadowy figure' that 'spirited her away' before she was summoned. I have a bad feeling that I'm not going to like it when I find out.
I looked up and noticed that the sky was starting to clear up which was good since I'm not prepared for the rain. I'm very curious about what would happen if I summoned an LR card if a UR card caused that storm.
When we finally got back to the others, they were curious about her, so I introduced her, "Jubei and Dakuan, this is Yukishiro Misao. She just arrived back from doing an important mission for us."
"It's nice to meet you, Yukishiro. I'm Jubei," He nonchalantly greeted her and started to eat his food again.
"Oh yes, it's nice to meet an attractive woman like you," Dakuan spoke in a joyful tone, enjoying how she was dressed, especially if he stands behind her. 'It's curious how many attractive women surround that young man. Who are you really and are you connected to the storm clouds that appeared?' Dakuan thought, staring at him while eating his lunch.
Misao's stomach grumbled in hunger at the food which caused her to blush slightly. She never did have a chance to eat before she was spirited away.
"Here, eat some food, we have enough," Kuroyuri spoke, happily handing her some before going back to her own.
"Thank you," Misao nodded and started to eat.
After letting the food digest for 10 minutes, we started following Dakuan who was reluctantly leading us. He wanted to stand in the back and watch all those ladies' butts shake and jiggle.
An hour later, we were soon forced to take a small boat that was a little cramped with 6 people in it and Dukuan was on top steering it.
"We'll be there in about a few hours, so I suggest you all take some rest while you can."
-----------------------------
(Benisato POV)
She arrived back at the safe house and saw Zakuro, her... not quite a friend, an ally of sorts eating her lunch alone in a solemn mood, drinking cheap sake judging by the smell. She looked around hoping for something, to prolong the inevitable report she has to give to that smug bastard.
"Oh? Your back early, Benisato. How was the mission?" Zakuro greeted her, feeling a little curious about how her mission went. There's no bloody heads in the bags and the foul look on her face indicates that she must have failed.
Benisato felt her eye twitch at the question and countered Zakuro's question with her own, "Did you confess your undying love for Yurimaru, yet?"
She saw how Zakuro glared at her before taking a big gulp and she couldn't help herself, "Oh~? I guess it didn't go so well, I take it. I did warn you, but you didn't want to listen."
"S-shut it B-Benisato! I-I c-confessed, sniff, my undying l-love, but he -rejected me," Zakuro spoke in a slurred tone, her voice wavering slightly. "He's upstairs, waiting for you."
She sighed and reluctantly started walking up the stairs hoping to get this over with. When she reached the top, she saw Yurimaru with his back turned towards her. She sat down in a seiza and waited.
She waited for over 30 minutes before he acknowledged her presence. "Why did you retreat from the battle, Benisato?" Yurimaru questioned with a small frown on his face.
She should have figured that he would keep tabs on her. "I was about to be overwhelmed since you never told me there would be another female ninja with an unknown ability to escape all of my senses. It was like she was invisible but worse." She wondered if he tried to have her killed by withholding such important detail.
At that, he paused in his calligraphy at the unknown variable. He frowned, thinking that he should have taken charge instead of letting her do it, and cursed those people for not killing her when they had the chance. Now how can he use this to his advantage? "Do you know where they are going next?"
"...Not really. I found out that they wanted to go to some place called Tokyo. Though I know for sure that they started traveling east with the remaining spies and are headed towards 'that' place."
"It doesn't matter, you should have at least tried to kill one before retreating. I wonder how our lord Genma will react to this failure?" Yurimaru spoke in a light tone like it was not important, but they both knew it was.
"I'm just as curious of what he would say to the fact that you didn't ambush them while their attention was solely on me. Or were you hoping to get rid of the competition?" Benisato easily countered his accusation with her own to which he didn't have a reasonable explanation.
"I'll deal with them before then, and tell him the great news when I'll see him in his bed later on," Benisato stated, turning her head to the side, trying to rile him up.
Yurimaru partially turned his head to stare at her and narrowed his eyes, "You better accomplish that mission then. We wouldn't want to disappoint him now, do we? Amongst other things..." He trailed off, looking her body up and down.
Benisato gritted her teeth in anger at the insinuation. She knew that she shouldn't say anything, but her pride wouldn't let him get away with it, "Well it's a good thing that he enjoys my body every night, then. I know I love it when he fills me with his love." She smirked, rubbing her stomach before flinching back in fear when he wrapped his wire around her wrist.
"Yurimaru!? What's the meaning of this?!" She hissed in pain as the wire dug deeper into her wrist. Blood dripped down her wrist before Yurimaru regained control of his emotions and took back his wire.
"Leave! I want to be alone," He spoke coldly with his eyes closed, nostrils flared.
She shakily stood on her feet before walking down the stairs. She stopped in the middle and glared down at her trembling hands, angrily. She clenched them tightly, glaring back up at the stairs, and started to plan her revenge. Though she did feel a little better when she heard him throwing things in his room.
When she got back downstairs, her instincts told her that he would kill her regardless if she was successful or not. The question is, how can she escape this with her life intact? She wrinkled her nose at the smell of the cheap sake as an idea planted itself in her head when Zakuro came into her view.
Before that though, she stripped down naked, using her hands and snakes to make sure there were no wires around herself. She wouldn't put it past him to place a one on her to make sure she doesn't come back alive.
When she didn't find anything, she left her clothes there and forced Zakuro to do the same much to her confusion before leaving the safe house. After making sure the place was clean and that they were alone, she started her plan.
"Hey Zakuro, how would you like to help me get back at Yurimaru?" Benisato questioned as her plan started to form in her mind. Hopefully, it wouldn't take much time for it to work.
"W-what kind, sniff, of plan?"
-----------------------------
(John POV)
(A few hours later)
"We're getting closer, thankfully there's a fog coming in to help mask our arrival," Dakuan softly spoke, stopping the boat. "Don't split up to far. There's should be a temple somewhere up north, my contact is residing there."
"Damn fog, I can't see anything properly," I muttered as I got off the boat, and I almost tripped thanks to a soft slippery patch of mud if Midori hadn't helped steady me.
"Careful master, the ground is slippery," She whispers in my ear while holding my shoulders steady. I shivered feeling her warm breath on my ear.
"Thank you, Midori," I whispered back before staring at the ground. I took another hesitant step forward before relaxing and started walking.
"It won't take us long, but keep your eyes peeled and your senses sharp. Who knows what evil lurks here," Dakuan spoke, walking straight into the dense fog.
"That's not ominous at all," Kuroyuri muttered dryly, rolling her eyes at that remark and we all followed behind him. She took out her kunai's, keeping them in her hand as everyone else kept their hands near their weapons.
After walking for some time, I couldn't help but notice the fog was starting to get thicker and everyone was becoming more transparent. "Kuroyuri?" I asked trying to reach for her, but my hand slipped through her body before she disappeared. "Shit! Jubei? Dakuan?" I asked turning around and trying to see if anyone was still there, though I was relieved that Midori and Rinko were next to me.
"Something's wrong," Rinko whispered, her instincts telling her something very dangerous was nearby. She drew her sword and we followed her example as she started walking forward, more cautiously.
I received a message that made me smile.
[Draw a Card?]
[Yes/No]
I quickly drew the card while keeping an eye out as we walked.
-----------------------------
Tenka (R)
Faction: Demon
Lv 1/35 (0/300)
ATK: 132
DEF: 139
Skills: Crazed Pleasure (Lv1/5)
Cost: 50
Increases DEF of ally Demon by 25%.
-----------------------------
I was a little disappointed that I didn't draw the revolvers, but she's better than some others.
The fog started to thin enough to allow us to see that we were near a riverbank. I glanced around hoping to find anyone, but we were all alone.
All of a sudden, a woman's voice was heard yelling out, "Help! Someone, please, cough, help us!"
We all paused as we heard her calling out again but this time it was fainter. I shot at Midori and Rinko a dubious look which they nodded in agreement. We all
started walking towards the source of the yelling cautiously, even though it might be a trap.
I crossed my fingers hoping that I can actually use their special skills even if some of them aren't here. I never had a chance to test it since I didn't really think about it.
-----------------------------
Activating skills x1:
[Air Evasion]
Cost: 60MP
• Increases ATK of all Taimanin by 3000. • Increases ATK of all Taimanin by 17%.
[Licentious Technique]
Cost: 50
• Cuts damage from enemy Demon by 22%.
[Pebble on the road]
Cost: 40MP
Increases DEF of ally Taimanin by 2000.
[Ninjutsu: Phoenix]
Cost: 80MP
• Increases DEF of ally Demon by 40%.
• Increases DEF of ally Demon by 1250.
[-230 MP]
[MP: 870/1100MP]
[Rinko: Attack: 6037 /Defense: 5551]
[Midori: Attack: 3897 /Defense: 4875]
-----------------------------
"Rinko, I don't see anyone," I whispered to her, but she didn't say anything. She narrowed her eyes, trying to peer through the fog and I stared in the same direction as her. It took a few seconds but I saw it, a dark shadowy figure approaching us through the mist and when it drew closer, we saw who it really was.
It only took a minute before we found her, and the first thing I noticed was that she was soaking wet, like she had just come up from the river wet. Her hair was blocking most of her face, leaving only one eye and part of her mouth to be seen and her kimono is covered with mud. She has a distressed look on her face, holding the bundle tighter to her chest as she kneed walked closer to us and stuttered, "P-please, he-help us!"
[Nure Onna Lv 32 ATT 4500/ DEF 3600]
"P-please, help me... m-my baby, she n-needs t-to get w-warm," Nure Onna pleaded in a stuttering tone, with tears in her eyes, before softly muttering words to her bundled-up baby.
Midori stared at the bundle, feeling her maternal instinct rising, and cautiously said, "Here, give her to me." She reached for the bundle and noticed Nure Onna was smiling gleefully as her hands grew closer causing her instincts to flair. She stopped short and jumped backward as fast as she could. It was a good thing too since the so-called "baby" suddenly turned into a rock that landed with a heavy thud.
"Tch! So close too!" Nure Onna cursed before she transformed into a reptilian creature with the upper half of a beautiful woman and the lower half of a snake.
"I hope everyone else is having better luck than we are," I muttered angrily to myself as Nure Onna attacked.
----------------------------------------------------------
John McClain
World: Ninja Scroll/ InuYasha/?
Lv. 20 [1698/2,000]
Class: The Summoner
Alignment: Neutral
HP: 17,000 + 500 = 17,500
{Regen 17 per min}
MP: 10,500 + 500 = 11,000
{Regen 28 per minute}
Deck: 18
Summoning Points: 22,350
Cards in Storage: 0
Available Draw: 0 (03:50:04)
Graveyard: 0
-----------------------------
[Savage Hunter] Rinko Akiyama (SR)
Lv: 25/45 (1470/2760)
Faction: Taimanin
HP: 7,200+ 200 = 7,400
TP: 1,100 + 25 = 1,125
ATK: 2,034 + = 2,160
DEF: 1,013+ = 1,072
Special Skill: Ninjutsu: Air Evasion Lv 1
Cost: 60 MP
Increases ATK of all Taimanin by 3000.
Increases ATK of all Taimanin by 17%.
Activation: 3/3
-----------------------------
Kuzu Kuroyuri (R)
Faction: Taimanin
Lv 34/35 (2450/2609)
HP: 4,450 + 200 = 4,650
TP: 1,200 + 50 = 1,300
ATK: 1,887 + 113 = 2,000
DEF: 1813 + 108 = 1,921
Special Skill: Licentious Techn. Lv 1/5
Cost: 50MP
Cuts damage from enemy Demon by 22%.
-----------------------------
Houma Midori (R)
Faction: Taimanin
Lv 6/35 (1950/2085)
HP: 1,250 + 500 = 1750
TP: 450 + 200 = 650
ATK: 116 + 115 = 331
DEF: 168 + 421 = 589
Special Skill: Pebble on the road (Lv1/5)
Cost: 40MP
Increases DEF of ally Taimanin by 2000.
Activation: 3/3
-----------------------------
Misao Yukishiro (UR)
Faction: Demon
Lv 1/55 (0/400)
HP: 7,500
MP: 650
Attack: 236
Defense: 440
Special Skill: Ninjutsu: Phoenix (Lv 1/5)
Cost: 80MP
Increases DEF of ally Demon by 40%.
Increases DEF of ally Demon by 1250.
Activation: 3/3
-----------------------------
