The trek back to the town was a long slog, mainly because he had to drag the carcass of a very dead mutated slime, snake, worm thing. He honestly couldn't tell what it was, but he knew that it was absolutely revolting to hold, but he also knew that he couldn't ask Hitomi to hold it. Sure he probably could've asked Silbdrache to hold it, but the silver dragon was finicky in the orders it followed and didn't follow. It didn't piss Seika off too much as he was rather used to it considering he worked with Hitomi quite often. Speaking of the rather sassy yet demure woman, Seika turned his head to regard his once partner, and now secret lover, "You know, I know that this is going to jinx it but... that wasn't half bad? I just hope the townspeople accept this for now since we both know this thing is definitely not the cause for the missing fish."

Hitomi walked slightly ahead of Seika as she flicked her hand fan too and fro to kill the scent of the rotting mutated corpse that he carried back to show their employer. She wanted to throw up honestly but she understood they had a job to do. Hitomi always appreciated Seika's presence but she loved it even more so during times like these. She would happily pay someone else to drag that thing around if he wasn't with her because she is sure as the sun rises weren't going to be doing it herself. Wasn't half bad? Compared to what? the hordes of rats and cultists? Laughing at how ridiculous the situation they had gotten themselves involved in Hitomi had to disagree. This was just the start, it wasn't bad now but she knew it was going to get nothing but worse from here on out. We know it, but they don't have to.

166/2500

He laughed alongside her, the boat coming into view as night began to overtake evening, the captain was clearly ready to leave by the urgent fidgeting and heavy smoke that seemed to linger in the air. Nodding to the older man, he would return the jab to Hitomi calmly, "Well when you put it that way..." His laughter died down to chuckles as he laid the creatures corpse across the bow before taking up a position beside the Captain, giving the older man a firm shake of the hand, he'd point down at the carcass before beginning to explain. "You lot have a terrible infestation. We're going to need to do a bit more exploring before we can wrap this up. Are you the only one that ferry's people and goods out this far?"

The Captain thought hard over Seika's words, the elder man conjuring up some sort of suitable answer as he moved to start up the engine after confirmation that they were leaving. "No, the others sometimes come out this way to fish and relax, it's possible they could have brought people or goods out this far. Why do you ask?"

The Captain's response got Seika to look over at where Hitomi should have been, frowning as this only meant that they had so much more ground to cover. Looking back towards the Captain, he'd make to head downstairs to get some rest on the way back, "Hopefully sir, No reason at all."

431/2500

What a miserable day, she needed a drink and a bath after this was all said and done. Walking onto the boat she slipped downstairs ignoring the conversation between the two men. Hitomi didn't want to go back out there, as she slipped off her clothes and into a warm shower. This boat choice was a godsend with all the basic needs she needed being on it. Her mind wouldn't let her dwell on what could possibly be going on it instead slipped to Seika, someone who she couldn't help thinking about. Delicate fingers danced with the hot flow of the water down every curve of her body until it reach the warmth of her maiden's mound. Her mind replayed their last tango and it was everything she needed to push her over the edge and into the finish zone.

Soft pants were overshadowed by the heavy flow of the shower's water as she finished washing up. Taking about ten minutes with five of those in her own personal ecstasy, she quickly finished up and hopped out of the shower, grabbing a quick snack from the boat's fridge, a pear to be exact. She would be lying if she said she didn't take extra steps to make this boat comfortable for them both as she even had extra spares of clothing for them. The weight of Eternal Nightmare's influence, even in a region that had another guild was very heavy and it wasn't beneath her to throw it around. Plucking a dark pair of tight-fitting pants and a long sleeve shirt from out of the closet near the bed, she quickly got dressed and ready for another dive back into the cove. The stress relief she got from the shower had revitalized her enough that she was ready to take on whatever was in there.

Picking up Kusanagi she looked over the blade, its history steeped so deep in Joyan culture that it was a national treasure that she was blessed to own and tasked to find the other two pieces of it. Amaterasu's gifts she hadn't even thought about looking for the others but she knew eventually she would have too. Getting on her knees she gave a quick prayer for protection over her and over Seika. The connection she had grown with Amaterasu had given her a very different outlook on life and the deeper her connection with the goddess the closer she had gotten to a very different realm that lived alongside the living. A realm of spirits, demons, and gods that lived almost like humans, a mirror realm that bled in with their own with only the most spiritually attuned being able to see the world as it really is. Hitomi though named a Shrine Maiden wasn't done her training as one until she could see that realm as clear as she could see her own, and as of right now she could only see wisps of it though she could feel it all the same. If anyone asked Hitomi she would happily say that she was one hundred percent devoted to her goddess but in truth, it was more like an understanding of what Amaterasu's divine right as a sun goddess meant for the world she lived in. That respect led to her upholding the knowledge, respecting every god, spirit, and demon while living her own life the way she wanted.

It was Hitomi's hope that she was wrong about the way the wind changed, how it felt inside that cove, like a dirty pressure that kept spreading. Their missions had kept leading them down a path that she didn't want to understand, hoping that every connection was a coincidence. It was unfortunate of course that Hitomi wasn't stupid and she was trying her best to ignore the situation she knew was at hand. Something was coming, and it wasn't good.

830

Heading down into the ship after his brief encounter with the captain, Seika was left with his own thoughts as he crossed the threshold underneath the deck of the ship. Thinking back to the cove, he mentally walked back the encounter that lead to their current circumstances. The intimate setting that he and Hitomi had fostered. The heavy oppressive fog that laid thick over everything and seemed to magically sap the life and energy from the air. The clearly mutated and corrupted creature that attacked them viciously after the surprise strike from Hitomi. It all felt... darker than the usual fanfare that they were called for. Ever since Orchidia, and if he were honest, even further before then, the darker sides of society and the foul creatures that follow them seemed to be more prevalent, more dangerous, more bold. First the cult that had literally planned on sacrificing an entire major city to some obscure evil god, then the incident with Amatsu-Mikaboshi back in Joya, now this. The incidents were happening at a far faster frequency than what Sol, Amun-Ra and Amaterasu had said they would. It was as if the entity of destruction had always been throwing these things at the wall to see if they stuck, but now that the God's had collectively agreed to stay away, the incidents were becoming more common, and far more dangerous. They would need allies, they couldn't possibly stop this threat alone.

Ducking into their cabin, Seika stepped in just as Hitomi was stepping out of the shower, the man lost in his own thoughts and as such paid little mind to the fact that she was very naked, but she equally seemed lost in her own thoughts and so the scenario was not nearly as awkward as one would thing. Laying down on the bed as Hitomi examined her blade, Seika went down the list of potential allies he had all over the world and frowned as he realized that due to his nature he wasn't the most amicable person. He had not made it easy to make allies, and the ones he did have or know of, were equally as unhinged as he was. This meant that his current prospects were slim, and without some sort of push forward to change it, the status quo would remain such. Sighing at this mentally, the large man would relax his body and close his eyes to the world around him, leaving heavy breathing as the only sign that he was still alive and listening to the world around himself.

863/2500

Hitomi's face scrunched up as Seika walked past her. Since getting out of the shower all she could smell was herself and the slight scent of the salty sea. She had hoped he would go clean himself up but no, he was laying down, and even though she knew he needed the rest she wasn't happy that he wasn't clean. A pet peeve of hers sure but she wouldn't let him get by so easily just because they had a little something going on between them, if anything it caused her to act on it more. Sheathing Kusanagi then poking Seika's foot with the sheathed sword her face would form a visible frown, which was a rare sight to see. Please do us both a favor use the facilities here. I can smell that thing on you. There are a few changes of clothes fit to your size, I made sure of it so you don't have to keep wearing those if you got them dirty. Grabbing a long black rain jacket she placed Kusanagi on her hip and began to make her way towards the door.

I'll go scout ahead and do some exploring on my own. Don't worry If something is amiss or if I find something I'll come back to you and report on it and we can keep going together. If you'd like to do that as well feel free, covering more ground to find what we're supposed to should be a priority. She could thank her dragon slayer senses for never losing the man honestly as she had honed them so intensely on his scent that she could pick him out like a needle in a haystack if she wanted to. Returning her face to its soft smile she gave him a nod and made her way off the ship and back into the cave which should have led them towards the cove and she was sure it would if she didn't have anything else stopping her. Hitomi didn't fear much but she wasn't about to happily fight whatever they killed alone. It was luck on their part they were able to slay it so quickly but she could only thank gods they did. With her hand on the hilt of her katana, she stayed on high alert.

1,233

The large man blinked as a sharp sensation traveled up his leg. Looking up at Hitomi, he could see the woman standing a ways away from him with her face scrunched up in what he could only call disgust. Blinking once again in confusion, it was once she started talking and dressing down the fact that he had laid in their bed with the stench of sea and monster corpse on him that he actually blushed in embarrassment. He had been locked so deep into his thoughts that he had completely ignored the fact that he stunk to high heaven.

Quickly jumping up from the bed, he would rush to grab a change of clothes, but also balling up the sheets to throw them in the on ship laundry facilities. Muttering a soft apology, he prepared to leave the room past her when he finally noticed that she was fully dressed and equipped to head out. Stopping in front of her, he arched an eyebrow and turned to face her before she began to talk again, speaking of going out to do more scouting. Of course that made sense, they technically weren't done with the whole excursion, far from it if he were completely honest. That creature was merely something out by the door, they hadn't actually gone into the Cove yet to sus out all of the unnatural denizens that dwelled within. Nodding in agreement with the fact that some more exploration needed to be done, he wished her good luck, knowing that she could handle herself.

With that in mind, he would continue on to dump the sheets in the wash as well as his clothing. Taking the necessary materials for a shower, he would climb in before scrubbing off the filth and stink that had begun to cling to his body. He made sure to be thorough, even going so far as to rinse out his dreads so that he could clean out any potential grime that they would also hold. Once he was done, he'd climb out and dry himself before throwing on a spare pair of hakama pants. He found the remaining clothes that Hitomi was talking about but he felt the woman overstated how similar in size they were. The shirt he had managed to squeeze into was... tight for lack of a better term. Showing off his well defined form and was a sharp contrast to his rather baggy pants.

He would finish dressing by grabbing his mask and rosary beads and placing them on his body. Locating Prometheus by the wall, he would glance at Ohabari sitting beside it before frowning and grabbing the staff. He knew that one day he would actually have to wield Ohabari but today was not the day for that.

With his gear set, he would step up to the deck and greet the Captain once more, all in all it had been around thirty minutes since Hitomi had left out, and he honestly hoped that the spunky woman hadn't gotten into a great deal of trouble.

1377/2500

Before stepping into the cave Hitomi brought her hands together in a sort of cupping motion. This activated a spell that formed a beautiful gem on her chest that shone brightly with a clear white light. This was a simple spell that gave off light, something she would need while in the cave. Taking a deep breath she ventured forward, following the same path she took with Seika. Having already been down this path made her easily more cautious than she had been when she first walked in. The sounds of the cave had gotten louder, the cold air was even colder, every step she took put her on edge as her hand gripped the hilt of Kusanagi with enough force it was turning her knuckles white. Yes, it was true that she could take care of herself but things were much easier with Seika around. They were a great team she had to admit that much to herself but on her own, she wasn't as good as she was made out to be. As Hitomi walked past the area where she and her partner had slain the beast she made sure to move closer to the wall and away from the water's edge, though not enough that she couldn't see the water, after all, it was what was leading her to the cove and her destination.

Every step she took seemed to echo off the walls around her as she got further and deeper into the cave. She hadn't heard much of anything except her own breathing, her footsteps, the lapping of the water, and the dripping of the condensation of the cave. The deeper she went in the more she could see her breath, even with her body covered in warm material that was supposed to keep her body heat in, this cold penetrated her bones. She had to have been walking for ten minutes with no sign of anything around her until she came to a fork in the cave's path. Now, this was going to be a problem. Not once did Hitomi think that she was going to have to pick a path in a cave, she assumed it was a straight shot to her destination. Pausing for a moment she thought and decided that maybe just maybe she could use the scent profile from the creature they killed to show her the way. Taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment she honed in on her senses, hoping that it would pick something up. If she were being honest with herself she knew that nothing would come of it because she could no longer smell that creature when she entered the cave which was strange enough.

Nothing about this was good and everything in her body was telling her just how unnatural this cave was. There was a fifty-fifty chance of going the wrong way but it was a chance she had to take. With no more hesitation, she ended up taking the path that led to the right which ironically would lead her the wrong way. Thoughts of Seika popped back up into her head as she walked, his image in her mind was brighter than the light that was guiding her through the dark that seemed to eat away at it. The deeper she went the less effective the light she created seemed. The lapping sound of water was still present but soon another sound came into earshot causing her to stop dead in her tracks. Something was coming her way, slowly as it sounded like it was dragging itself across the floor rather than walking. The sound of something wet and heavy and the smell of something rotting caused her eyes to sting. All of her senses except touch were being assaulted as even the taste in the air turned foul. Putting her hand out to find the wall she quickly found out that was a bad idea. As her hand touched what she thought was the wall she quickly pulled it back as a burning feeling shot up her hand. She bit through the pain but the longer whatever it was that she touched lingered on her skin the worse the pain got until she made a sound that was audible enough for whatever was with her to hear.

The sound she had heard stopped for a moment and then she felt something wrap around her ankle and drag her to the water, quicker than she could draw her sword from its sheath. Within a split second, she was dragged into the water, and without enough time to take in an adequate amount of air she would be fighting for her life. Hitting the cold water nearly put her body into shock but she fought it off, the water was pitch black but she released Kusanagi from its sheath and sliced at whatever it was that was holding her back. Thankfully the blade went smoothly through and she was able to swim back up to the surface to drink in some air before being yanked back down again, this time seeing that it was tentacles that were assaulting her. The light from her gem gave her glimpses of her assailant and she moved according to the information her eyes could give her. Hitomi never thought she would be at this much of a disadvantage as with each slaying of a tentacle two more took their place and in this cold water, she could hardly focus enough to cast a single spell. Each time she reached the surface of the water she was pulled back down but one of these times she was able to avoid it and use that momentum to swim down herself. Since it was clear this thing wasn't going to let her off easy she was going to find it herself.

As Hitomi swam deeper and deeper words in her mind started to invade her thoughts. They were loud like a warning and she could tell that whatever was in the water was too deep for her to find. A soft glow of light surrounded her as if she were bathing in the light of the moon. She felt safe and reassured and she could breathe but the voice in her head told her she needed to go back and that she couldn't do this alone. Listening to those words she quickly swam back up, slicing anything that tried to pull her down. Once she got to the surface she would run back to the Cave's entrance only stopping if she had seen Seika. Her body still bathed in the light that saved her all the while.

2345

The rolling fog crept forward to engulf Seika as he trekked down the sands of the beach that lead to the Cove. His face stayed relatively impassive as he mentally prepared himself to reenter what was fast becoming a horror show. He had no intentions of staying within this deadly fog for longer than he needed to. Reaching back, he would enclose his fingers around the shaft of his staff, the cool metal was shocking to the touch, mainly because it contrasted so sharply with his warm hand. It almost made him drop it due to the sudden pain, but his will was far stronger than any illusion or hypnosis. Fingers and thumb ignoring the numbing sensation as he held a vice grip on the weapon and stepped forward, his eyes scanned the ever graying horizon, watching as it was slowly swallowed by the shifting fog.

The lack of sight might unnerve some, but it was the lack of sound that truly threw Seika for a loop. Not even his staff digging into the sand and gravel beneath him drew but a peep as he continued to walk forward, the lack of sight making it hard to gauge just how far he traveled nor how long. The constant numbing of his skin and nerves making him lose track of his foot placement and almost lead to him stumbling over an outcropping of rocks. Catching himself, the tall man stopped and held out his staff in a defensive fashion, realizing that once again he was surrounded in silence. He couldn't tell exactly what was out there, but he knew that something was watching him. Waiting patiently for him to slip up and give it an opening to strike. He made sure not to call out for Hitomi, no matter how much he worried for her safety. They should've never split up.

Starting to move forward again, he moved with a quickened pace and bit more focus as he tried to get into the Cove before he was inevitably assaulted. It seems that their dispatching of the previous creature had awoken whatever truly lurked within the Cove. He only hoped that waking up that monster hadn't lead to Hitomi being harmed. His staff began to glow as he poured mana into the weapon, a great glowing magic seal appearing around the hand gripping the staff. Fire and light sparked about, spreading outwards from his hand before fully encapsulating the staff in a plasma-like energy. Using the light and energy provided, he began to essentially cut through the thick fog, literally slicing through it as it attempted to hold him back and prevent him from moving forward. His teeth began to grit and his muscles began to strain as the mists worked harder and harder to hold him from moving forward, the clear intention being that it did not want him to enter the Cove proper for whatever reason.

Finally releasing a great shout of exertion from his lips, he aimed his glowing staff at the ghastly appendages literally holding him back before slicing through them all. Feeling the release of his body from their hold, he surged forward suddenly, breaking through the wall of fog that kept him from progressing. Stepping out onto the other side of the ghastly formation, he turned back to see the fog recede back into the sea, the clear implication being, whatever was out there had assumed that the tactic was no longer feasible to keep using. This realization caused Seika to frown as that meant that there was something actively out there hunting and hindering them every time they approached the Cove.

And so, he would take aim towards the waters. Aiming generally towards the assumed deepest part of the waters, the part where he couldn't see more than four feet beneath the murky waves. He could feel something watching him from there, its agitated emotions rippled in the air as the sea began to writhe and foam about from the creatures intensity. His eye sharpened in equal amounts of intensity as the glare and glow of his magic off the sea and stone increased exponentially. The grip on his staff tightened just before he unleashed the magical nuke that he had been brewing for awhile now.

"..." there was a bit of silence just as the bolt of literal lightning left his hands before a loud pinging sound filled the area just before the bolt struck the waters with all the fanfare of a depth charge. Water and steam exploded outwards from the impact as the bolt traveled deeper and deeper before finally coming into contact with the target that Seika had determined was down there. The following explosion that rose out of the sea was akin to a small thermo-nuclear charge. A large rippling mushroom cloud of steam and water quickly rose up higher and higher before finally collapsing and dumping all of the accumulated water back down into the sea and sending it surging towards the coast and the Cove. The whole process only took a few seconds but it was enough for Seika to know that the creature was at least potentially destroyed. And so he would turn back to the Cove to see Hitomi come running out of the cave panting and wet from whatever experience she herself had gone through.

2272/2500

Practically flinging herself in Seika's arms, Hitomi would stop to catch her breath if he chose to catch her otherwise she would be doing so on the floor and cursing him for not catching her. The beast she had to fight, the voice in her head, was she still glowing? Looking at her arms and hands she could tell that she very much was but it was slowly dimming out. What the fuck was that thing? These people didn't have a small problem, they had a big one, and it was a surprise that the whole Rune Knight squad and every other guild wasn't here to take on the task that was going unnoticed. Once she gathered herself she noticed that Seika looked like he was in a little tussle himself. Their task was one that could not be completed in a day and whatever it was he fought she knew he would understand that. " I think I killed whatever I fought. We have to go back to Astera and recoup.. I hate to say it but you were right. " Taking the lead back to the boat they would explain the situation and deliver the last thing they had slain for the reward money.

2,555
- exit -

He never took his eye off the settling waters, even as Hitomi flung her entire light bodyweight straight into his solid frame. He could feel her lush shivering body quaking against him, and considering he wasn't blind, he could see the fact she was glowing. But both of these things weren't nearly as important as their ability to actually leave the Cove. He wasn't foolish, he knew the creature wasn't dead. There was no way his spear had been able to pierce the creatures hide. The explosion likely did a good deal of damage, but that wasn't enough to put the thing down. Luckily for the both of them however, the combination was enough to disorient the creature. Taking this advantage in stride, he would quietly scoop Hitomi up into his arms and began to quickly vacate the beach surrounding the Cove. Apparently she had struck down something within the Cove which was good enough for him. He was glad that she had come around to his way of thinking, however he was equally upset that it required get going through a pretty strange trial from what he was seeing. Their debrief was definitely going to be long and thorough. They were going to have to case the town for details. Something had happened here and clearly someone wasn't being forthcoming on what that was. But that was for later, for now he was going to pamper the small woman in his arms.

Exit

2500+