The Helicopter has been flying for about three hours, having left around 8 the group is about to arrive in the forest where their mission is. As the helicopter approaches where it will be letting them off Gemma begins to speak. "We're helping an older couple find some missing people. They make a habit of helping people who newly fall in make it to a city with the area being a hotspot for people to fall in at."


Gemma frowns a bit before continuing, "The pay for this one is god-awful, but Raion is up on his high horse about heroes needing to help everyone, and he pays the rent on the hall, so it needs to get done."


Damesik polishes his shield as he sits back in the seat, more or less seeming to just move the stains around on the tower shield.


Narukami just stares at his card, his glasses on his face, his face blank.

Porslain stares intently at the wall.

"Shit pay, is better than no pay." Damesik spits on his shield and continues to wipe it down, the fluid hardly helping at all.


As the helicopter lands, the group begins walking down a small path into the forest as it takes off again, Gemma mutters something about getting free drinks out of “him” as they walk. “Maybe I’ll be able to talk him into free drinks after this nothing. “Howdy there folks, Glad to see you made it out to our little slice of paradise.”


Damesik gives a nod to the old couple.

Narukami smiles and nods, bowing low. "Hello, sir."

Porslain was there too.

The man chuckle at the teenagers bow "Hello to you too son, please, just call me Jeb, yah don't gotta go bowing and all that. His wife comes out with a platter holding glasses of Iced Tea. “We’re a bit worried is all, we heard a crash and our dog ran out ahead to greet whoever fell in, She's a sweetheart you know" The woman frowns as the man picks up where she left off. "By the time I got to the clearing the dog was gone and no one was around, It's probably nothing but I'm getting older and can't spend all day running around the woods looking."


Narukami takes a glass and sips from it. "I'm sure that everything's fine. We'll go find your dog, and whoever fell in."


The woman smiles, "Oh such nice young people, She's a collie, very friendly. You'll know her when you see her!" Gemma begins to walk away towards the aforementioned clearing, muttering something to herself, listening closely you could probably hear the name Raion as well as a few swears. The man frowns, "All the same you folks best get started, wouldn't want to keep you out here all night".


Damesik chuckles a bit as he wanders after Gemma "I assure you, we can handle ourselves against nature, night or day."

Narukami nods. "We shall, Thank you for the tea." he bows again, and then begins to head out to look.

The clearing is nothing special, it's about 10 minutes away from the house and there's a large bell connected to something under a large mattress, presumably a pressure plate of some kind. There's nothing else all that special in the forest, though there is a very odd smell coming from the west the thick bushes to the west and there's a loud buzzing, like a swarm of flies.

Gemma kicked the mattress and the bell rang out loudly, "Whelp this is the place. I guess we search around the woods for a bit until we find the dog or it gets dark...Or a body, Hell if we find a body we can probably just call it a day and go home."

Narukami blinks, and then looks at his card. "Well... couldn't hurt to have another set of eyes..." He crushes the card in his hand. It shatters, and to his side appears a tall man in a long black cloak and a full helm. It wields a long naginata, its blade appearing like a serrated combat knife. It looks down at Narukami. "Izanagi, we're looking for a dog... and another person. Help us look, and keep an eye out for danger, yeah?" Izanagi nods, and then begins looking around.

There the whole time, cloaked in silence, PorSlain floated along. It examined the bushes in which the sound of flies was coming from. Giving a returning glance back to Narukami and his newly conjured companion, then to the other two before gliding to the bushes, beside Damesik, moving whatever shrubbery may be blocking its way.

Damesik looks over toward the buzzing bushes, strapping his shield onto his arm as he approaches it, nudging the leaves out of the way a bit before grimacing "Hey guys... found it...."



Gemma stopped playing with the bell and moved towards the bushes to join the others, she gagged a little when the full smell of it hit her... They found the dog all right! it was right there!... and there... and there... and a bit over there.. Gemma stepped forward and began to look around before turning pale. "Oh." On a tree, a crooked smile was carved painted in with blood.



Looking down at the ground, a sequence of '.'-'.'-'!'-'?' popped above its head, each new one replacing the previous. Not really sure how to proceed, PorSlain looked at the others, hold up its hands as a '?-?' popped above its head, the two question marks traded colors for a bit before vanishing entirely.




Damesik sucks at his teeth a bit and spits off to the side "Looks like someone was hungry when they fell in. Of course they also appear to be amateur hunters, there’s a whole lot of waste here." he shook his head, looking a bit disappointed for one reason or another.


Narukami blinks, and then sighs. Izanagi holds onto its naginata tighter, and then looks down at its summoner. "I know... it's a shame."



Gemma backed away slowly from the carving on the tree... Almost whimpering.. "We... we messed up... we should have left someone..." She trails off into gibberish before almost shouting" WE NEED TO GO BACK! Right now!"



Gemma turns and starts to run off, regardless if the others are following or not, whatever the carving was, it at the very least meant something to her.


Pointing at the mess, and then gesturing to the surroundings, PorSlain tried to point out that whatever did this might still be- PorSlain stopped to watch Gemma shout and run off. PorSlain glanced about its surroundings as it flew up and started to trail Gemma, its back facing the direction it’s headed, trying to make out what Gemma might have seen.



Damesik realizes the problem almost immediately and begins to dash at once back toward the house, seeming to start to catch up with Gemma before slowing back down to a jog, breathing heavily.


Narukami begins to move, not saying anything, Izanagi following close behind.


The house is still standing; really there is no sign at all of anything being wrong. Except that the door is wide open, not broken off the hinges or destroyed, just open. Gemma pauses upon reaching the house, shaking slightly. "She waited for the bell.. She was waiting for the bell the whole time, it's my fault, I fucked up."


PorSlain turned around to face the right direction until catching up to Damesik, gliding beside him and rotating awkwardly, as it scanned their surroundings, still not sure what they were fleeing from. After confirming it was nothing that it could perceive, PorSlain caught up to Gemma, presenting a much larger '?', above its head.


Damesik practically pants as he stops near the house, almost going down as he braces himself with his oversized shield "... fuuck..."


Narukami blinks. He looks to Izanagi, who spins his naginata, electricity sparking off of it. He then nods, looking back. "We're ready."




Gemma looks behind her, as if just remembering she had a team with her. "This is.. a very old acquaintance of mine, I've known her since I was a kid... Before I fell in. I was rescued from a very bad place by Raion and his jolly band of idiots.. also known as "Heros For hire".... I can't.. Just be careful".





Damesik stays down with a hand on his knees "I was... sincerely... hoping we... wouldn't need to... run... today..." he continues to try to catch his breath, as he looks up at the empty house, a strange emotion crossing his face.



Folding its arms, PorSlain started to spin in place again, slower than before. Not really sure what it should be doing, if anything. After several passes around, PorSlain drifted downward until its feet softly planted onto the ground. It then began to study the others, and gather what they were thinking, maybe.

Narukami blink, his eyes becoming a bit more serious. Izanagi taps the end of his naginata against the ground, sparking more electricity from it.

Singing is echoing from the house, a faint voice "Stupid message is way over planned; Dellllivered or not I just don't give a damn." Gemma shudders. "Well, knights first?" she says, gesturing towards the door.


Damesik sighs as he stands back up, holding his shield up before himself "Those free drinks... count me... in..." he walks for, and possibly through, the door, shield blocking much of his body.


Narukami motions for Izanagi to follow him, which he does, as they both follow Damesik.


Looking at the house, PorSlain shook off its confusion. 'Running from? Oh! We were running TO! That makes sense now.', it thought to itself, possibly wrong. PorSlain started to raise off of the ground several inches again, floating to a spot next to the door, its head following Damesik, Narukami, and Izanagi. PorSlain then floated in behind them, gesturing to Gemma.

As Damesik entered the doorway SUDDENLY nothing happened. There was blood however... a lot of it, painted on the walls, Crude drawings, half-finished messages. It's amazing the human body could even hold this much blood... The door opens up into a large living room, The old man from earlier is dead, draped over what might've been a very nice couch... The old woman from earlier is busy painting away on the northern wall of the living room. Happily singing.(The Woman is facing the group, screaming at them to get out, to go away.) a large knife lay off to her side. ""Soooon you'll laugh at everything, dancing faster like an idiot with me".

Damesik spat off to the side again as he walked toward the old woman, not bothering to make it quiet "You have personally destroyed the sanctity of your union. By blood and flames your s-... wrongs can be purged with you."

Following everyone in, PorSlain looked around the interior of the house. The horrid display of what a deranged minded person might call art. It held its stomach and leaned over as if to puke, its back even arching as it leaned, though no sound or vomit was made. PorSlain strained a bit before returning to a straight up posture, facing the old woman.

Narukami looked around at the horror, then looked at the woman with anger in his eyes. Izanagi held its weapon out to her, blade first and electricity sparking from it.

Gemma almost yelled "Wait! This isn't..." she stopped as suddenly the woman was gone replaced by a deformed corpse of sorts, a monster lungeing directly at Damesik. Knife in hand.(The Woman had stood up, wielding her knife, she screams at them to leave screaming that she doesn’t know what is real anymore, she lunges.)


Damesik simply keeps his shield before him, waiting for the malformed creature to get near him before sweeping his large shield at it, his other hand reaching for his sheathless sword "May the gods show you all the mercy you have shown so far!"

The creature is suddenly gone, replaced again by the old woman, and the shield bash sends the old woman flying into the wall, killing her on impact.



Damesik walked up and spat on the ground near the woman as she stayed down "Far more mercy than I would have preferred, but I won't question it." there’s a light sniff as he looks down at his shield, the stains already on it now worsened "A waste...."


Narukami gasps as the creature lunges at Damesik, and then just watches in horror as it turns back into the woman. He doesn't say anything as he stares at her corpse. Izanagi bring his weapon back to have the blade up towards the ceiling.

Rushing over to stop Damesik, PorSlain grabbed his shoulder just in time for the woman to go sailing. PorSlain releases its grip on Damesik's shoulder and glided over to the lifeless corpse, kneeling beside it. PorSlain removed a money bag from under its cloak. Dumping the money into its hand, PorSlain sifted through a few silver coins for a gold one and slips it into the woman's mouth and closing her eye lids


A dimly lit ':-(' appeared above its dropped head. PorSlain floated back up and went back out through the door, waiting just outside. In its idle, its glove glowed slightly before a small flame formed on its hand as a chaotic pulsating ball that the robed person stared into with its empty sockets.


Damesik watches the golem for a moment, before wandering over to the man, drawing a single gold from his pocket and placing it within the man's mouth "May the cleansing flame grant you both respite..." he bowed his head and closed his eyes for a moment, before standing again and turning to walk from the house "Take what you want, burn the rest, I'll have nothing else to do with this fiasco..."



Gemma is looking on, horrified.. "I should've said something... it's not, she wasn't I-" Gemma is cut off, by what one could describe as the most irritating voice they've ever heard. "Gemmmmmmma!" a woman,cloaked head to toe in a robe with a mask covering their face with the same crooked smile that was carved into the tree. Enters from the entry way to another room. on her sides are two large knights clad in full chainmail sets, both holding swords and shields with large white crosses on them. "Oh Gemma darling it's been far too long. You've gotten so skinny, does that Hero brute even feed you? (A single knight, dressed as described enters from the other side of the room, there is no woman, and nothing was said. The knight slowly approaches Damesik, sword raised.)

Damesik growled as he turns to look at the knights and the horrible witch between them "Forget looting... burn it now, and get out of here. I'll block the door, and take them with me if I need to." he slams his shield into the floor with a shattering crack as his sword slides into his hand.


Narukami turned to look at the woman and two knights. "You won't get away with any of this, you psychopath." Izanagi spins his naginata again, more electricity coming from it. "Zi..."


Hearing familiar voices inside, PorSlain moved its hand away from the flame, leaving it left to float in the air and turning to see what Damesik was yelling about. Flying through the doorway, though anyone that might be standing there, and haulting behind the knight, behind Damesik. PorSlain's hand raised and its glove flashed as the armor on the knight started to glow with heat.




As the light faded from the glove, it started to turn to ash, fluttering down to the floor, chasing after a ring that was worn over the glove. PorSlain brought its handless arm under its cloak, trying to keep it from view of the others as it flew to Damesik's side, poking at his sword gripped arm. His sword was also starting to glow with heat. Perhaps the robed person was warning him?

Suddenly, There was no one in the entry way, but there was however a very angry knight a few inches from Damesik, and a sword and shield dropped to the ground next to him, He was screaming in pain.


Damesik removes his arm from the shield with a hiss as it begins to heat, his attention distracted for a moment as they disappear from the entryway, getting his bearings back as he turns to stab at the knight who is run through by the unexpected attack. "You Damn Witch! That's cheating!"


After seeing the knight drop its weapon, PorSlain floated over to Izanagi and pointed at his weapon as it projected a bright red '!' above its head followed by pointing out the window. The robed figure then circled back through the house to the front door, looking at the ball of fire it had left out there.



Narukami blinks, then points at Izanagi's weapon. Izanagi makes it disappear, then looks around for a different target to direct his focus to.


Whistling can be heard from outside, the old man who was just draped over the couch is outside, whistling a tune as he hammers the corpse of the helicopter pilot to a cross in the center of the lawn. (A knight is standing next to the corpse of the pilot, carelessly thrown on the ground, he fires a bow aimed at Porslain).Gemma has, since the start of the events inside the house. Curled up into a ball in the corner of the room and begun quietly and quickly talking to herself, through the gibberish you can probably hear "I'm big now I'm big now".


"... golem, do me a favor, and point out the witch. I want to punch her in the throat, so hard..." Damesik looks around a bit for any telltale sign of any kind of magic.

Narukami holds his head tightly, closing his eyes tight. Izanagi works to find the source of the discomfort, summoning his naginata to his hands, the electricity of the spell its master was working on built up in the blade. He turns to PorSlain, waiting for direction, as his master can't give it, nor can the knight.


As a rouge arrow jabbed into PorSlain's arm, PorSlain used its only hand to try and pull it out but BOOOM! the entire arm and part of the shoulder were blown into a rain of clothing shreds that rained down inside the house. As PorSlain's levitation gave way, it collapsed onto the floor with a white glow coming from its eye sockets. With its head on the floor and eyelevel with the knight’s boots, his boot would start to shimmer.


Izanagi, enraged by Narukami's discomfort, swung his naginata at the shimmering target outside, sending the full volley of electricity in his weapon out towards the target.


Damesik shields his face from the explosion, grumbling a bit as he pants, starting to get rather warm near all this heated metal around, moving over and kicking his shield out the door, before grabbing the golem and dragging it along "Come on, lets get you pointing a bit better at that bow that took your arm."

Just as suddenly as it was there. The whistling man and his corpse on a cross were gone, replaced by a corpse dumped to the ground with a bow carelessly dropped on top of him., and a knight holding a sword, and a shield braced for impact is standing there.

The electricity forces the knight to dodge, unfortunately, his boot decided now was a great time to take up tap dancing, and he trips to the side over the corpse.

Damesik sets the golem upright against the house, where it can look around hopefully "Well, if you have a witch to set on fire, that would be amazing."

Narukami opens his eyes, stumbling out of the house, pointing at the shimmering boot. "ZIO!" Izanagi leapt out of the house, sending another spark towards the target.
Having difficulty dealing with his foot That was obviously born to dance The knight is unable to stand up, or even properly dodge.. forcing him to take the attack. The lightning also inadvertently triggers some rune etched inside his armor, causing the knight to violently explode.



Suddenly, both corpses, are gone. And there stands the woman again, "Oh that was just a treat, I was hoping to see how much little Gemma grew since she's been away... but I see that Raion has found new allies." She lets out a very haughty laugh before continuing. " I left some gifts inside your helicopter for darling little Gemma., do make sure she gets them, Oh and make sure she eats more, I'd hate to see all my gifts wasted because she starved herself." The woman vanishes.(Absolutely nothing happened.)


As she vanishes both corpses reappear, where they were before she appeared. Gemma is still inside the house, in the corner.. On the verge of tears, her babble has gotten to the point where it's hard to understand, what you can make out has a lot to do with "Being a big girl now”, but that's pretty much it.



Narukami shakes his head, looking at the carnage. He sighs, then takes his glasses off and puts them away. He goes back into the house, Izanagi following close behind, to see to Gemma. "Ma'am? Ma'am? Hey, miss, snap out of it! She's gone. We're safe... for now."


PorSlain stood up, and gave Damesik a nod before walking back over to the hovering fireball it had left outside. It circled the fireball until the flame was between PorSlain and the house. Narukami went inside and PorSlain waited for him and Gemma to come back out, as it held its nub up to the flame.



Damesik moves inside as well, walking over to the man and gathers him up, setting him down beside his wife, saying his blessing about clensing flames once more, before moving over to kick the helmet off the dead Knight's head with as much anger he could put into it, dragging the corpse forcibly from the house by the hair "The flames, are not for your soul. May your rotten soul forever dwell within your rotting and useless body." he heaves the body out onto the grass before kicking the knight's discarded equipment out after him


Narukami sighs, then puts his arms underneath Gemma, lifting her gently. "I got you, Miss." He then carries her out of the house, nodding to the sword stuck in the tree. Izanagi goes and pulls it out of the tree, also going to retrieve a sheathe from one of the bodies. He carries the sword after his summoner, both of them heading to the chopper.



Damesik stands nearby the golem outside, looking away from the house and over the body of the intact knight "Your death was far too swift. I will make certain the witch's death takes longer than that." he kicks the knight in the head again before walking off to pick up his cooling shield.


As Gemma was carried out of the house by Narukami, followed by Izanagi, PorSlain pushed the ball of fire with its nub. The fireball spun as it floated toward the house. It spun faster and faster until it passed the doorway, then errupting into a large tower of flames, that instantly sent smoke rolling out any crevices of the house and projected flashes of light through the windows. A roaring of fire, accompanied by pops would be heard.



Watching the flames take to the house, PorSlain looked to Damesik and projected a dim yellow ':)' above its head before turning away from him. As PorSlain gimped away, its cloak flashed and a large red door appeared in its path. The door seemed to open all on its own and lead into an odd looking farmland. Once PorSlain cleared the door, it closed behind it and vanished with a small light show. *Twinkle-pop*




As the house burned.. Distorted music began to play " Ah, I'm brokkken, Or that's what they like to tell me anyway, I... want you to know, what's deep deep down inside" The music then abruptly stopped and the house continued to burn down as normally as a house could burn down. (Of course it was just the house burning down).



Damesik walked to the helicopter with his shield, not looking back at the crackling flames, stopping at the door for a moment "Golem, could y-" he looks over to see... nothing, nobody there, the golem long gone. Damesik shook his head and looked worriedly at the helicopter, before glancing at its passengers, closing the door with a sigh before climbing into the pilot's chair "So... time to learn by doing..."

Suddenly, as the door closed. The interior changed; there was blood all over the walls... the seats, the windows. Everywhere, In the same types of drawings as the inside of the house. Sitting on the dashboard, are two small gems, with a large word written in blood above them that says "GIFTS!"

Damesik's shield is quickly up before him, his body and shield moving to cover the gems, bracing for an impact that doesn't come and just waiting a few moments with heavy breath. Soon lowering the shield and looking into the gems with a sigh "Fine.... non-exploding gifts, I can handle that."

Damesik pockets the gems and flips a few switches here and there on the console, before deciding he really doesn't know what any of the dials mean and gets out, nudging Narukami before he lifts Gemma "Hey, mage, or whatever the hell you are, time to go, I'm not gonna be able to carry you both to that building I saw before we landed."

Narukami blinks at the carnage, then falls back a bit. Izanagi catches him, working to keep him up, looking rather tired. "Izanagi... help me back, would you please?" Izanagi nods, then works to keep his summoner up as they slowly begin walking behind Damesik.

The group headed to the nearby Monastery and spent the night, In the morning a shaken Gemma called for a ride home and they set out to the pick-up zone. They found the missing persons, and did their duty as Heros!