((Can you just say we got there? I'm unsure of how fast we are in comparison to the Yure and what they're doing and just about everything (your last post wasn't easy to reply to, no offense)

Oh, and what happened to WarPanda?))

((Only if someone else complains.))

OOC: What? Nooo! He's dead?!

Despite the treacherous conditions created by the rain, which she now regretted summoning, Mistuki continued to run unhindered, pushed forward by adrenaline and the hisses of the Yure that undoubtedly scrabbled for their flesh behind them. She did however understand that at least the rain had stopped the threat of spreading fire throughout the town and towards the temple, things would have gotten a tad bit sticky if they were boxed in by fire. They approached the temple at a quick pace and she was thankful to reach the confines of the holiest of grounds nearby. She knew it wouldn't protect them, these Yure seemed unhindered.

Quite familiar with the priests and miko of the temple she nodded to them as she walked up the stone steps, despite the fact that it really wasn't the time for pleasantries. The warrior monks stood in the first ranks, their kimonos blowing in the wind as they stood absolutely still, hoping for a miracle though prepared to fight when the time came. Other templars stood in between their ranks with long spears prepared to fight along with the monks. A few of the miko and the other priests chanted in a hushed tone. She saw a few arrows loosed into the mass of Yure however it looked like it did nothing to affect them there were too many.

"Come on people!" she exclaimed clearly frustrated. "We are on the side of the Heavenly Master and he would never abandon us! Exorcists, we must create a seal to preserve this area or at least slow the approach of the Yure, after which we'll try to exorcise any of the Yure that come too close. Monks and foot soldiers, you must prevent the Yure from getting near the temple! Archers, watch the backs of those who fight below, fire at the Yure who may try to sneak up on a soldier! Everyone else! If you can capably fight, do so. If you can't, we need to make sure that we have a constant supply of weapons and I need more spell tags! We don't have to win, we just have to survive until dawn."

((Panda isn't dead yet but he's on the list of the first to go. Don't give up on me now people, we still have two more major events before a conclusion!))

And as Sasaki raged against the Heavens, God seemed to reply in turn, thundering down an incandescent bolt that gouged out a hole in the ranks of the Yure. It mattered little as they met the defenders. Claws first, and the screams of pain erupted along the line. Soon followed by "OSU!" as the melee started.

Sasaki managed to earn some respite despite the fierce fighting behind her, catching her breath as quickly as she could. Looking further in to the temple grounds, she saw her senior Akane baring the doorway of one the buildings, only she was facing inwards, as if keeping something inside.

Zhang, Yamada and Ryouichi were only able to turn around before parts of the line collapsed; the Yure clawing resistance apart and treading heavily upon the fallen. They would have to fill the gap.

Li Tsu groaned, This was starting to get serious and he was getting bored. Unsure about whether or not he was supposed to, he tightened his helmet and pulled out his hammer. Then, roaring, he thrust himself into the fray, swinging his hammer around. An uppercut sent a nearby Yure screeching up into the air only to land on another two a metre or so down the track. Another swing, and three more Yure to the left were thrown backwards, landing in an unmoving heap. A quick kick to the knee of an incoming beast dropped it to its chest, only to die by having its head obliterated by Zhang's rapidly descending blow.

This may take a while

((Panda better respond or he's going by the end of the first part. Anyhow I'm just here to introduce Whimmy. Finish your actions.))

They were called the Midnight Riders. A regiment of horse shrouded in myth. From atop a black steed, these lightly armoured s**** rode through the night exterminating what they called Khiimori. They hailed from the north eastern lands of Tartariya and were skilled s****, who were able to hit a target the width of a horse's mane from fifty paces with a thrown spear. There, their names were different than other Tartariyans and it could be argued they were their own state with their own culture if they did not swear allegiance to the central power in the Black Mesa. However, tonight, many of the Shokun Empire's most loyal citizens would catch a glimpse of them. Many might not recognise them however, as they did not sport the regular Hayaijin wings that many identify as Tartariyans. Despite this, their slightly darker olive skin gave them away if one looked. It was hard not to, they were bare-chested, clothed and armoured only below the waist.

The captain of the regiment stood just beyond the village, right within the radius of the storm that had formed over the area. A well mannered man, he would have attacked the Khiimori from behind from his position and his men would have charged after him too if they weren't for their guest whom they had been asked to escort. Turning to his guest, he half smiled.

"It seems we are early Çetinkaya," he started, "Despite your skill, I would not wager against the foe we face tonight. You may ride with us if you want, we have a spare lance, but you must deliver what you were asked to. It is very important that you do."

With that, the regiment formed up in to a wide angled triangle before trotting off, breaking in to full gallop by the midway point, their lances down and ready to engage.

As for Çetinkaya, he was alone, the lance that was offered stuck in to the ground beside him and his steed. He was tasked by Master Adjudicator Hohoemi Shiranui himself of all people, to deliver a message to his adopted brother and a sword, to his adopted sister. It remained to be seen whether the recipients would still be alive to read the message or use the sword. Either way, his work was cut out for him.

The clamor of battle raged outside the temple ground, she could hear the chilling screams as the Yure struck one of the warriors. It was chilling. Mitsuki hoped that her new found allies would be well. She walked robustly through the temple grounds she would have to get a whole bunch of sealing tags as she had asked for earlier. It was then that she noticed that someone was baring off one of the doorways of the temple buildings. It was Lady Akane! Normally Mitsuki would have been quick to shout a greeting though right now, Akane looked as if she were trying to contain something within. Not wanting to disturb the miko she walked over to Akane's side with one of her last sealing tags in her hands. Mitsuki looked trying to see what could possibly be in the building that required Akane's force to resist.

Zanji couldn't believe his eyes, a comrade who he may have just met put his life before everyone else. He respected this man greatly, even though he didn't even hear his name. Now he had a new priority, protecting the temple just like that man protected them. Zanji knew that simply slashing them while their body armor was directly head on would be useless, so he whacked a few Yure with the butt of the naginata to push them away.

"We can do this everyone, just keep your chins up and prepare for anything!"

What Akane was barring the exit to was like a miniature version of herself. It was Hohoemi Suzu, who barely stood above the older woman's waist. Her hair fell below her waist, with her locks on the side tied with white ribbons on either side. Her forehead was covered but the hair abruptly stopped growing past her fierce eyes with the colour of an Autumn blaze. Frowning tremendously as she tried to force her way past the grown woman, she spoke,

"Kutama is still out there, I must find him!"

Upon closer inspection, she was clothed like a miko, white and red from top to bottom respectively, and yet she seemed so frail and barely capable of even moving around on her own two feet.

The Yure fell backwards from Ryouichi's blows but the ones behind simply clambered on top, ceasing not the assault. One stood before him, rearing up and then bearing down on him with as much speed it could muster.

((Okay, I just need Green and Panda to post and then I can wrap up this fight.))

What was, or should I say am, doing? Otomo thought, his mind wandering. It seemed fatigue caught him, heavily in fact. He wasn't sure where he was, or even what was he about to do. Was he defending a temple? He couldn't recall. Otomo thought he was fighting, he could feel something in his limbs. Was it pain from grasping his staff too tightly? Or maybe the Yure wounded him, and he was on his death throes. Either way, the only thing he could consciously do was try and focus on his blurry surroundings.

OOC: I assume the recipients are beyond the storm.

"Bah, a lance is no good," Karakurt muttered, twisting weapon from the earth. "But it will do for now."
Truthfully, he wanted to display the strength of Yağlı Güreş in an unsanctioned bout; however, that would have to wait. Instead, he decided to follow suit and join the riders en route.
"YAH!" he cawed, slapping the horse's hindquarters. It responded almost immediately with a forceful gallop.
There was no point that he should step down from his perfect position. He was Karakurt Çetinkaya, prized contender and the utmost master in Yağlı Güreş! He neither desired nor needed this lance, but it would make a fine projectile for his entrance.

His main goal was to cut through the edges of the storm towards his destination. Unlike the riders, he saw no point in charging the eye, and therefore would encounter less resistance. Essentially, if this plan was successful, he would bypass the storm, exit its furthest radius, and be en route to his destination.

Mitsuki blinked seeing the feeble girl fighting earnestly to leave the room that Akane forbade her to leave. Her mind reeled when she mentioned the name of the man whom she had just met in what felt like moments before. She wasn't sure of his fate, and she hoped within the depths of her heart that he had survived the monstrous Yure. If only he weren't such a high ranked officer, otherwise she would have disobeyed him without thinking. Those two other cowards, and their majority decision to abandon the village. It made her blood run cold, though there was no use dwelling on "what ifs" and "what abouts". Now they had to survive the rest of the night until the first rays of glorious sunlight pierced through the ethereal flesh of the Yure, or so she hoped. These Yure were quite unusual, even daring to attack her beloved temple.

"Umm, excuse me" said Mitsuki, making her presence well aware to her tutor and the young miko who was acquainted to the man whom she barely knew. "No one can leave the temple grounds right now" she said as reasonably as she could "I'm sure that Kutama would not want you to endanger yourself." She smiled at the girl "I'm Sasaki Mitsuki, up and coming exorcist."

((Oooh Whim posted, Panda's dead for sure now.))

Çetinkaya was correct as he went around the main horde, approaching the temple from the rear. He could see the regiment engage with great ferocity, their lances and swords and spears banishing Yure as they swept up the very vulnerable rear of the Yure. By now, the storm started to dissipate and the rain became a slight drizzle. The highest point of the temple, the bell tower caught the first ray of sunlight but yet the shadow remained and the Yure would still be able to hide and prey on the unwary until it was fully day. In front of Çetinkaya were two stray Yure, one whose attention was turned else where. Perfect for perforation by lance. The other one saw him coming though and it hissed as it reared back.

Otomo fully came to underneath the glazed and lifeless eyes of Yamada. Apparently, he had fallen from a deep gouge on his back that also took with his leg. It was too late to save Yamada at this point and Otomo could only try to escape being pinned underneath a corpse lest he be mistaken for one.

Zhang and Ryouichi saw riders atop dark horses riding in from the rear. They were the reinforcements! A great cheer erupted from the line and the defence doubled their efforts to catch the Yure between their unbudging anvil and the rider's hammer thrust.

The girl stared back with eyes that commanded authority.

"And I am Hohoemi Suzu, younger sister to Hohoemi Shiranui, betrothed of Onimodo Kutama, heiress to the Balancer school of Maiden Supreme Swordsmanship and Weh no Su," she replied.

Her spirit was strong, as opposed her physical self and she would brook no interference if she had the power to.

"You speak of him too familiarly Sasaki-san. That can not bode well either way."

Mitsuki's eyes widened, completely caught off guard by her title, the woman seemed much more in control than she had previously thought and she was surprised that Akane did not shrink back from the girl's rebukes, as she just had. That was what made Akane so great, she did not care who you were or what you've done, she would do whatever she thought was right and in most cases it turned out that she was. Mitsuki decided that she too would keep Suzu within the confines of the temple for as long as necessary, it wouldn't be long until day break anyways. In the back of her mind, she worried about what would remain of the village and the surrounding lands as the sun rose to reveal all that could not be seen while enshrouded in night and the Yure's aura of darkness.


Mitsuki bowed before the woman as a sign of respect, "A thousand pardons Hohoemi-san" she said apologetically "It is a pleasure to meet another Weh no Su such as myself...However I am afraid that you still cannot go. Kut-Onimodo-san would not want you to go out in such conditions, especially when you're in such a state. Were you not the girl who collapsed in one of these halls?"

Karakurt eyed the Yure before him with much consideration. Without a word he readied the lance, aimed towards the Yure that stood with its back turned. Without so much as a blurb of noise, he launched the lance at the Yure with sheer, unforgiving force. Even if it did not mortally damage the creature, the wound would suffice in preventing further action.
Karakurt then shifted his body weight further forwards, lifting his body from the saddle, his feet still firmly planted in the stirrups. With the other Yure aware of his presence, he wanted to leap from the horse and "toss" it at the creature to act as a frontal assault. He hoped that the shift in weight would allow the horse to disrupt the Yure's movement or even disrupt its center of balance. Once it began to struggle, he would land on the creature and put it into submission.
His skill affected all his moves from here on in, and he had faith in his ability.