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[StormLord]

Spicy HG couldn't help but give a slight smile as the imp scurried and darted between the shadows around them as they passed by.  Sure they were certainly reporting their movements back to their leaders, and sure the party would probably be ambushed at least once, but she found some sense of satisfaction in scaring them to such a degree.

Once they made it to the forest however she happily took in the impressive vistas, commenting on her own world as she did.
"You know we've got a few swamps like this were I'm from, flooded with water, threes like skyscrapers, and an uneasy chill.  They say they're the places spirits from before the Goddesses took their rest, but I don't know if I believe it.  I do know they're usually chop full of high level monsters like Hydras though, so be on your guard."

[AzyWng]

Spray

Spray just kept his ears open, listening carefully to what was being said, even if he didn't understand much of it.

The last thing he needed was to cause an incident like last time.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Ako

With Aurora's question, Ako opened her mouth to speak, then paused and brought a hand to her chin, "I... Hm, I never actually wondered what kind of spirits lived here. There's bound to be some, and I heard stories about a fish that devoured the moon's reflection many years ago. But otherwise, I haven't seen much out of the normal in the area aside from the Moon Cave once again vanishing from the lake nearby, much like the last time He tried to awaken. As far as the forest though, it's just a feeling I get. I can't tell if it's actually getting bigger or if it just feels that way. Demons don't tend to cause a lot of problems here, thanks to the divine spring located nearby" Ako explained, glancing up at the large branches above them, "Of course, an associate of mine likes to come to this forest once in a while, so demons might avoid this place thanks to him."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Aurora

"I see..." Aurora shrugged, clearly still bothered by something even as she continued, "Well, if that's the case, I suppose we'd best be off. The sooner we solve this demon issue, the better."

She didn't know why this place concerned her so. It was beyond what the presence of mere spirits would do- in her own world they'd seldom been more than fleeting blips on her radar. She could have sworn that this weald was alive, in it's own bizarre way. This feeling was too pronounced for it not to be. Whatever the truth of it was, however, Mitsu was correct; they had far more dire matters to attend to.

Aurora just couldn't help but wonder if Mitsu realized that she was included among them.

[StormLord]

Spicy HG nods at Aurora's comments.
"I agree.  We should go."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Ako

“Alright. Just keep following me, we’ll be through with Agata soon, hopefully.” Ako stated, stepping away from the waterfall and back onto the path, prepared to lead the group to their destination.

? ? ?

High above, perched upon the massive branches of the forest’s ceiling, a single man watched the shrine maiden move along, his shadowed gaze taking in the sight of the group that accompanied her. One seemed rather plain; Oddly dressed and carrying odd items, but plain in every other regard. To the man, however, the other three easily caught his notice, for each of them practically radiated the aura of the gods, much like Her. It had been centuries since he had seen such a concentration of divine entities.

Yet for all their brightness, he could still sense a shadow lurking with them.

Tapping his flute on his folded arm, the man let out a small sigh. He’d have to keep an eye on them for the meantime. Though when he should properly introduce himself was another question entirely...


Ako

As expected, Agata Forest was extremely huge, and in their walk through, it was clear that life was still abundant around them. In fact, once or twice, a large shadow could be seen on the water’s surface resembling a fish, lurking deep within the waters. But, like with their journey so far, nothing attempted to jump out at them as Ako led the group through a long tunnel, one that initially seemed like a water way at some point before being dried out and replaced with a wooden walkway. As they headed through, the more attentive members of the party noticed that Ako suddenly gained a renewed spring in her step, as if looking forward to what lied ahead...


Shinshu Field

 … And once the group reached the end of the tunnel, it wasn’t hard to see why. Past the massive forest and torchlit tunnel was a large, sea-side cliff, and to the left of them lay another field watched over by yet another large Sakura tree, sitting next to a river that cut through the land. A warm, gentle breeze brushed through the air, and in the distance, looming over the large cliff walls that surrounded the field was yet another Sakura tree… Far larger than any other before it. Finally, to the right of the tunnel’s exit was the sea, with a steep path leading down to a large, ornate gate… And nothing else. As far as one could see, the path seemed to abruptly stop once it reached the gate, as if something had just cut it away.

“Aah, never a dull sight. Welcome to Shinshu Field, probably my favorite place in Nippon. Kamiki village should be just over there” Ako stated, pointing in the direction of the gigantic tree in the distance.

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Aurora
"My, that's quite... impressive. The tree must be absolutely ancient to reach such a size naturally." The past immediately came flooding back in as soon as she set eyes on the massive canopy beyond the hill. "It's been a long while since I've seen such a specimen. The Elves used to be famous for cultivating trees greater than any others, some of which could grow to this size or even larger. They were quite proud about it too, their ability to turn whole sections of forests into natural fortresses. Imagine tens, sometimes hundreds of trees just like that one, all linked together, the very wood of their branches magically fused to form any structure their occupants needed. Back in those days, the forest floor was so dark and hostile in both beast and underbrush that no one without the lineage of the Feywild or their blessing dared tread through it. They were practically untouchable among the common races, borderline god-like in their understanding of the natural order and the power that could be derived from it... so aloof to the outside world that in some places people believed the mere sight of an Elven traveler brought good fortune. But justified though their pride was, they eventually fell into the trap of complacency. And thus their empire was doomed to fall..."

She neglected to mention that she had been the reason it did just that. One of the first wars she had ever sent her children on, and even until the end of their race, one of the most successful by far. No one on the mainland had even an inkling of their existence until that fateful day, but the elves who survived would be the first to spread their legend throughout the continent.

The remains of their once glorious capital remained infested for centuries afterwards, and their fortresses soon abandoned as the Arachni lands steadily expanded outwards from it for centuries. Their conquest would've been complete had it not been for some disgraced band of old elvish fools, come seeking atonement for their failures on the day the motherland fell. Old fools she had underestimated, yet proved powerful enough to slay her own firstborn and bath their lands in cleansing fire borrowed from that old wicked sun she had come to so abhor.
     But failed though she had, Arachne had still learned much from that chain of events, and they were the primary reason her children began to live as they did up until the very last moment of their race. Soil and stone burned nowhere near as easily as wood, and decentralizing their civilization to largely autonomous units provided both redundancy and a built in contingency plan in case of disaster... most disasters. And besides, even with that defeat, they had still gained far more than they lost; Among the common races only the ancient Elves held the arcane power, the longevity, and the sheer force of will to fight an open war against her children. And that was part of why she had broken them first. With them scattered and directionless, there was nothing that could pose a genuine threat to the Arachni race as a whole.

Not until the Arcadians and their wicked little plague.

Despite her own wickedness back then, she couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia for those early days. She was a young, foolish god full of scorn and fury. Times were simpler, the world was her enemy and thus she was justified in her crusade against all mankind and his various allies. But age has a way of revealing the lies we tell ourselves as children, and Arachne, for all her lack of humanity by now, was no different. 

A wistful smile graced her face as she shook the darkness of those days away, muttering to herself as she walked off towards where Ako was pointing. "Perhaps someday, trees of such magnificence will again kiss the skies of my world with their canopies... there was a certain beauty in what the Elves could accomplish for a race so disinterested in conquest or domination."

[DragonRage]

"Ech, at least it isn't a swamp," Lexiel grumbles, "Probably still infested with bugs, Druids, and ravenous beasts.  Hopefully we won't have to go too deep within.  So many closed skylines make my feathers itch.  Or maybe that's the bugs..."

[Chevaleresse]

"None of the trees I am accustomed to ever managed to reach that size. It's even more impressive for still maintaining the normal grace of the sakura while towering so." Her heart was still troubled, but being able to simply exist in a world so full of nature and energy soothed it slightly. It brought to mind warmer memories of centuries long past, before the slow decline began to claim her, when humanity understood and revered her. "Sadly, we cannot stop to contemplate it. Lead on, Ako."

[AzyWng]

"Should we be worried about the wildlife also reaching larger-than-normal size? I'm not exactly keen on fighting a bird or something that sees us as intruders..." Spray looked around the area, checking for anything that might attack the party. "I'm good to keep going when you are."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Ako

Taking the lead once again, Ako began leading the group down the path of Shinsu field, occasionally glancing at the wonderous sights held within the fields. Still, she kept attentive to the others, seemingly interested in the tales of the 'Elves' and other such things, "I don't think you have to worry about any excessively large animals around here Spray. Aside from the shores, I've heard of large fish being seen by the locals occasionally. But this place is always peaceful thanks to the presence of the Guardian Tree. Or at least... Normally, when He's not around" Ako explained, trailing off for a few moments before shaking her head, "Gah, this whole thing's just a mess. Kamiki really doesn't deserve being terrorized by that thing anymore, and yet it just keeps coming back" she stated, her annoyance towards the Demon Lord rather clear as the group walked past a small crossroads, overlooked by one of the averagely sized sakura trees.

[DragonRage]

"Are we not here to vanquish evil and protect the people of this world?" Lexiel asks, "Even if they show little taste for living conditions.  What, was a city not good enough for them?  Or a nice farm?"  She grumbles rhetorically, "But they must be protected regardless.  We will need to confront whatever dark force has infested this place and evict it promptly."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Ako

Leading the group through Shinsu, there was still a lack of assaults on them. The demons, for what it was worth, didn’t see fit to waste their time trying to harass travelers at the moment, and the only landmarks that seemed slightly interesting was an old woodwork nestled by the river and an even older, decaying set of samurai armor perched on a hilltop, overlooking most of the field.

Still, it was nothing to outright demand the group’s attention, and so Ako simply kept moving on, leading them into a path within the cliffs, after a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at their proper destination… Kamiki. A surprisingly small village all things considered, with only a few houses dotting a small clearing that was still split up into two thanks to a river, likely developed by the nearby waterfall. The colossal sakura tree was now even closer, directly overlooking the village. For those attuned with divinity, they would even be able to feel the trace of a powerful spirit’s protection flowing through the area.

“Welcome to Kamiki! For however long we’ll be here anyway. Thankfully Susano’o lives close to the village entrance, so it shouldn’t be too long to get him out. If he hasn’t drank himself into a coma…” Ako commented, guiding the group past a small merchant post (seemingly unmanned and unstocked) and towards a small house standing just before the river that ran through the town, a field of half destroyed training dummies littering the grounds behind it. Taking the lead once more, Ako stepped up to the doorway, stretching her fingers for a brief moment before loudly knocking on the front door, "SUSANO'O! IT'S AKO! WE NEED TO TALK!" she shouted, punctuating her words with a knock. After a few seconds of silence, puncuated by Ako impatiently tapping her foot, the shrine maiden continued knocking again, which was followed by another moment of silence. And another. And another.

"Oh fantastic. Either he's not home, or he really did drink himself into a coma. We never ran into him while coming here, so he should be here..." Ako stated after her futile attempts, stepping away from the door as she took a look around. Despite the overly loud shouting Ako had just done, none of the villagers seemed too bothered, instead simply continuing their daily lives. One old woman washing clothes by the river, another younger woman tending a field, and a boy running through the village with his dog and what seemed to be a fly on a leash. Aside from that, it seemed like a natural day for Kamiki.

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi shook her head. "How would we go about finding him, then?" The peaceful feeling was being nibbled away by frustration already. There wasn't time for this nonsense, they needed to face Orochi and destroy him as quickly as possible.

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Aurora

As they waited, Aurora briefly examined the passing villagers, so seemingly unbothered by the demonic incursion upon their lands or the loud shouting of the shrine maiden. Had they been brought there without any context she'd have a hard time believing anything was amiss. Perhaps there was even more to that massive Sakura tree overhead than it seemed.
    "Is this a... habit of his?" She finally asked Ako after several moments of standing there. "And what does this Susano fellow do around here, exactly? Judging by the ruined practice grounds I'd assume he's local guardsmen but..."

Even as she spoke, Aurora focused her passive senses more acutely on the hut before them, searching for any life signature that may be present within. Especially any belonging to inebriated humanoids.