The Temple of Inari

[Fenric]

[Winterhearth]

The imp sighs

My old job back just working for you? Well... I guess. Your dark Lady won't be that huge a change, and you two can't possibly be as much of a twit as my former boss. Glad you can recognize that as I'm Lawful Evil, I'm bound by anything I swear to... but what do you want me to swear on or by, though? And heh... I wasn't in collections, sir - I was an office boy, I didn't do field-work.

Besides, who's going to sell their soul to someone who doesn't quite make two feet tall?

Caroline sighs and shakes her head

You would be surprised. And I'm sure Tamamo would be suitable for binding you oath, wouldn't you think, Steven?

By that antique and rather odd system, I believe she gets categorized as "Lawful Neutral", though from all of my readings that is a horrible oversimplification.

[Keeper]

Winterhearth

Steven gives the sea-dragon equivalent of rolling his shoulders, letting his extra heads manifest. He's glad Caroline didn't object to him making this offer without consulting her.
"We are quite used to associating with all types." That probably speaks for itself.
Well you can't really swear by Hell if you're swearing your allegiance to another power. I suppose Caroline is right. If you do wish for this, and I am not requiring that you take this deal, you would swear on Tamamo, as she would be your Lady as well as mine. You could perhaps put in a request to be taller if it does bother you."

[Fenric]

[Winterhearth]

The little imp blinks at the transformation, then smirks and shakes his head

I imagine you are! Well, that'll seal it well enough...

I, Zareck of no house, do declare my old oath to be null and void due to violent acts and threats against my person by my former master, and do hereby swear my allegiance to Tamamo no Mae: to be a true and faithful servant under the Ancient Pact.

The shadows in the caver briefly grow stronger and the light goes dim, and Zareck is envolped in a darkness that obscures both his form and size. He grunts in surprise and apparent pain, and when the shadows clear he has been obviously changed.

Should have figured...

But oh, no: not a fox. Instead, he now sports the slender tail, toothy muzzle, lithe form, curving horns, sharp claws, and ink-black scales of one of Orochi's people. A wingless shadow draconian that still has the look of an aquatic fish-eater.

Caroline laughs softly

It does make sense, I suppose.

[Keeper]

Winterhearth

Steven can't help but feel pride welling in his dragony chest. He shouldn't, but his very own draconian minion like Orochi's was simply bound to happen eventually. He takes this as a sign that Tamamo approves of this arrangement and of his new rate of slightly taking after her father.
"Well, I'm sorry about your wings but they wouldn't have been much use in our lair anyway. You're much better adapted to our needs, and you got your wish to be taller after all." Steven doesn't comment that he's lost his rippling muscles as well. He doesn't want to make his new servant feel bad.
"We'll just have to get you a proper uniform later. Right now, we might as well collect the ice we came here for. And anything you want to take with you. Unless you'd rather stay here for a while?" Steven will have to ask about what materials look properly formal but will survive being underwater for long periods of time.
Leaving Zareck here might actually be a bad idea. As a shadow draconian instead of a ice devil he might actually be uncomfortable sitting in an ice floe for long periods of time.

[Fenric]

[Winterhearth]

Zareck stretches, and seems to be impressed by his new agility

Hmm... let me think: Useless wings and rubber-suit muscles, or a body that can actually move... Hm... I'm good.

He looks back at the completely empty hole in the ice where he came from

I think I can stand to leave all that 'nothing' here. I'm sure I can find more, boss.

And no way am I staying: let's get out of here as soon as we can - I bet that transformation made enough noise that scouts are already trying to find their way here: they probably couldn't tell it was me, but they'll know someone from Cania just defected. I'd rather not be here when they arrive.

Caroline looks around with just a hint of nervousness, but there's certainly nothing extra-planar here right now.

[Rebonack]

[Sanctuary]

One Khannie Vallarm arrives.

It's evening, of course.

She can only really get away from the PREP campus in the evenings. That, or on the weekends. But she mostly spends time with her family on the weekends. Besides, evening is the right time to be here anyway considering the fact that she's wanting to speak with someone specific. Step one is, of course, glancing around the sanctuary and gardens to check if Keiko is already out and about and making trouble.

Considering how often that happens there's a pretty good chance that she won't have to move on to step two.

Though...

It's probably worth doing anyway just because it's polite.

Khannie breaks out the package of rice cakes she had picked up at Fluxmart on the way here and sets one of the altar along with all the other food offerings. Which leaves the question of what to do with the rest?

Eat them herself?

Break them up and toss them to the fish?

Khannie really has no idea. Would it be rude to eat them in the sanctuary while she's waiting? Would the acolytes get upset about crumbs on the floor?

Life is full of mysteries.

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

Khannie came to the sanctuary looking especially for Keiko, and made an offering. So she gets Keiko to arrive indeed, looking a little scarier than usual with a shadowy aura and dressed in odd black chainmail. But while her appearance might be a little edgier, her expression is utterly baffled

Uh... huh? Wha? Who? I could have sworn...

Then she notices

Khannie?

[Keeper]

Winterhearth

Steven nods thrice at once.
"Let us be about it then."
Caroline brought a number of sacks to store the ice, and between Steven's claws and the shadows that lash out at the walls at his command it should be only fifteen or so minutes to completely fill them.
Of course Zareck has to carry one himself. He did just swear himself in as a servant.

"Now, that just leaves our exit."
Unless they can make a teleport circle in about five minutes it's probably more practical to just swim for it despite the load.

[Rebonack]

[Sanctuary]

Okay wow that isn't quite what Khannie was expecting.

"Yeah, hi Keiko!" Khannie says, still holding the mostly full package of rice cakes awkwardly on account of having no idea what to do with them. "I decided to stop by and say hi? Tell you about school. Umm... and that we figured out how to break the magical girl contract with the white butt-gremlin! So I don't have to worry about dying and turning into a Witch!"

Which is good!

Hooray!

"But also that broke my wish so... I'm not human anymore, either," she adds, sounding disappointed.

Then?

She lets the shadows slough off her, her human shape flowing away and merging into the darkness to reveal the distinctively fox-like pokemon under it. Khannie opens her mouth to speak again, flashes a look of deep consternation, and instead fashions a ghost sound to speak for her on account of only being able to make pokemon noises.

"So... I'm needing to figure out how to do wizard somatics by flopping my tails around like a doof," she says, her words not quite matching up with the movements of her mouth.

[Fenric]

[Winterhearth]

The blue ice is otherwise "normal", and cuts just as expected. Caroline and Zareck deftly scoop it up and it's not long until there are many nice full sacks.

Zareck gives Stephen a quizzical look, but Caroline nuzzles her mate

You can't expect my dear Steven to remember everything!

Darling, turn out the light and then you will be able to shift all of us to the Shadows without even trying particularly hard. Then we just find a suitable place to come back out of that is above water - I'm sure Tamamo can suggest somewhere.

Zareck blinks

That's all it takes?!?!

----

[Sanctuary]

Keiko listens carefully to the first part, and nods

That's great news! A little side-effecty, but that's what you get with wish-pacts and creepy psychos that prey on little girls.

Oh, and you eat the rest to symbolize accepting my teachings and blessings.

She grins

Things are a bit weird right this instant because you came here and made an offering while thinking of me but without starting with either of the normal invocations...

He speech, while unquestionably "Keiko", is also a little more refined and sophisticated. Her diction is more proper and her enunciation more clear. She sounds distnictly more mature and capable than usual, somehow.

You know... knothing in this temple can ever be simple and straightforward.

But regardless: you are once again a Pokemon. I would suggest talking to the completely unimaginatively named Delphie: she is a Delphox cleric who dwells at the temple's facility for such things and will likely be able to best assist you in adjusting to using magic while in a form that doesn't lend itself to the human-derived spells while under the particular restrictions of that world.

[Rebonack]

[Sanctuary]

Eat the rest?

Right here in the sanctuary?

What if that leaves crumbs everywhere that might attract mice!

...which would probably be considered an upside, wouldn't it?

Khannie pulls out another rice cake and begins eating it while Keiko supplies teachings and blessings of possibly dubious substance. Crunch crunch crunch.

"I've figured out a few-" at 'few' a spray of crumbs escape from Khannie's mouth. She looks suitably embarrassed and quickly finishes eating so she doesn't have to talk with her mouth full. She still sort of physically talks while using her illusionary voice. Just not forcefully enough to make dorky animal sounds. "A few tricks. But that's still a good idea."

Khannie considers several very important questions next.

"What were the normal invocations, again?" A beat. "And how do you sit in chairs when you've gotta giant mess of tails?"

Giant messes of tails seem like they're way more trouble than they're worth.

[Keeper]

Winterhearth

"Would you believe me if I told you that even as high priest of Tamamo it actually doesn't come up very often?" The Shadows have their own set of rules and usually it's easier to just walk. Steven isn't usually in need to go there. And he's also not one to go on trips alone, which is a problem when most people aren't adapted for long stays in the Shadows. In this case, two certainly are and Caroline is almost certainly protected by her position.

Steven douses the light and hums, doing his best to open a way to the Shadows. He's actually never done it himself; his previous trip was done by Keiko if he recalls correctly.

[Fenric]

[Winterhearth -> Shadows]

Caroline chuckles, and Zareck blinks

High... priest...

True to Caroline's statement, Steven doesn't really need to exert any particular effort: just wanting to go there takes the group to the analogous destination. From the point of view of the shadows, this is a lovely open plain... far from any settlement and basically inhabited.

Caroline and Zareck look around in shock at going from a fully enclosed cave to such a wilderness. But Steven will be the only one for whom natural instincts (and prompting from his goddess) scream danger.

---

[Sanctuary]

Several acolytes notice the crumbs, but they'll wait to sweep up until the guest has moved on. Kieko chuckles

So: the humans greet Inari with "Holy Inari, giver of rice...". The foxes of course are all "Holy Inari, mother of foxes". Tamamo's folks are "Holy Tamamo, Lady of Shadows", and my cultists prefer "Dark Keiko, terror of the wicked".

Keiko shakes her head

To be fair: I do not usually keep all nine manifested because it is such a difficulty. They do bend up a long way, though, so as long as you do not try to lean back, you can sit on the floor. You can also bend them down into a cushion of sorts and sit on them if you need to.

[Rebonack]

[Sanctuary]

Okay.

That's some useful information. Khannie mulls it over as she pulls out another sweet and spicy rice cake and chews on it.

Om nom cronch cronch.

"So... I still want to be human. So does that mean I should do the rice one? Or the fox one? I don't really know Inari or Tamamo but I DO know you, Keiko. Um... What does being the terror of the wicked mean?"

If Khannie is going to try out this offering stuff she may as well know what it's all about, right?

She never really did the religious lessons here. It was all the regular scholastics. Which made sense as she was neither a rice farmer nor a fox at the time.

At the tail talk she glances back and the nest of floof dwelling behind her. "They kind of clip through my clothing like it isn't there, but it hurts if I sit on them. How do you make the extra tails disappear? Can I even do that?"

She hasn't got the faintest idea.

But!

As she was before making her wish Khannie is Ghost-Type. Ghost/Normal, specifically. Her physical form is... dubious. Ish. And she's never really been clear on whether she's an actual ghost like the ones that inhabit the Glog campground or just... ghost-like? Ghost pokemon are weird and she's no exception.

[Keeper]

Shadows

"What? Did you think us just passing dragons who could invoke Her name?" Steven chuckles, but it dies on his lips (jaws?) as he surveys around.
"We shouldn't tarry here. It's not safe." Steven starts walking in the direction he gets the general idea is where Winterhearth will be when they pop back into the mortal plane. They shouldn't stay here long.

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

Keiko shrugs

Odd that it would hurt. I can sit on my tail just fine... it is the common signal to males around that you are NOT interested in their attention.

As to hiding them... I just do: shapeshifting is natural to me. I m not sure if you can or not... I do not believe it is common among Pokemon.

Then Keiko shakes her head with a sigh

So... where I'm from, it's people's belief that gives power, and because of that there's two kinds of gods: there are ones that come into existance because of that belief eventually getting to the point that it's enough of a focus to take on a life of it's own, and then there's folks who get believed in for one reason or another.

One night during the time I was a little bit banished, I was out late, might have been just a teeny bit drunk, and feeling hungry. I found a gang of very unpleasant people who were in the process of doing very unpleasant things, and I made them all rather dead in somewhat showy fashion. Well, their victims and would-be victims and a few onlookers saw all that and decided that I must be some spirit of vengeful justice and started worshipping me as such. Given my state otherwise, I basically became a demigod not quite instantly.

It all worked out in the end: Tammy took me back in as subordinate to her, so I've got a little statue on the altar here now. And a.. uh.. "church" of sorts in the not-very-nice part of Inside where, as you can imagine, there's a lot of wicked to get vengance on. And um... I might have increased the shadow-wraith population just a little more than was entirely reasonable before I got a handle on converting my targets properly.

[Fenric]

[Shadows]

Zareck shakes his head

I don't know how those things work. I know he wanted to get her into his bed badly enough, that's about the extent of my knowledge of our Goddess: you're going to need to catch me up.

Caroline immediately picks up on Steven's reaction and follows. Zareck doesn't dawdle.

What is it?

As if in answer to her question, a wailing cry of despair, loneliness, hunger, and hate shatters the silence. Not immediately nearby but far too close for comfort with such a sound: Caroline and Zareck look around worriedly and start to walk faster. But for Steven, the built-in instincts and knowledge he gained along with this form give the answer instantly...

A shadow-wraith. And a big one by the sound of it: liable to have a pack of lesser ones to help hunt down prey here in the wilds.

[Rebonack]

[Sanctuary]

Not interested in attention.

Hah.

Sure. Khannie probably doesn't have to worry about that one... too... much? At least not yet. One of these days. Just not these days.

"I can hide 'em but they're still there," Khannie confides. "I don't... I can't shape-shift. Not for real. Everything I do is all illusions. Some of 'em are just way fancier than others."

The girl-Khannie illusion being the fanciest.

Khannie packs it with all the substance she can muster.

It feels so real she can almost let herself believe it is real.

But as far as Khannie is concerned pretending to be human and actually being human are still two very different things.

Then?

Story time!

"Oh!"

Khannie perks up!

"You're doing vigilante hero stuff! That's cool I've done that before just..."

She wrinkles her nose.

"Without... eating anyone."

Khannie isn't too big on the whole eating people thing.

"Umm... So if you're a super-hero demi-god who does vengeance and things can you do some vengeance on Kyubie for what he keeps doing to the girls in the Nexus? He's making contracts but it's mostly from tricking dumb kids who don't know better. Like... um... me?"

Khannie was a dumb kid who didn't know better.

But she is older and wiser now!

[Keeper]

Shadows

"That would be a wraith" Steven says flatly.
"Keiko took me hunting for them once but that one sounds rather big. And you've only been like that for two minutes so fighting is probably inadvisable." He's also never fought anything as a dragon. He'd have to either trust his instincts for a proper grapple or switch to his humanoid form to use Eclipse. Didn't Keiko basically eat the shadow wraiths? He does kind of wonder what they taste like.
"The safest option would be to go as far as we can and simply shift back to the material plane when they get close. We'll have to swim the rest of the way but it was only a few minutes from Winterhearth anyway."

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

Keiko winces just a bit... but doesn't lie

I would love to say that I never ate anyone the way you are thinking... but there have been a couple of times where the ... person ... in question really needed something a bit worse than a tap on the shoulder.

But normally... well, I am a shadow: usually when I say "eat" that just means that I touch them and drain their strength until they die. If I do it properly, they become shadows under my control and I send them home to be rehabilitated. The thing is... the power of the shadow that is created depends on the natural power of the target's spirit. Usually they're just little imps but sometimes they surprise me, and unfortunately it was those surprises that made me release my grip in the early days. I'm much better at it now.

And I wanted to go perform acts of violence toward that "Kyubie", but you said it would not do any good.

---

[Shadows]

Caroline nods and darts foward as fast as her snakelike form will allow... which, it turns out, is really fast

Yes, let's go! Their touch attacks can't hurt you two... I don't think I'm so lucky.

Zareck starts off trying to run upright but as he falls behind, he drops to all fours and then can keep up quite handily

Is it always this exciting around you two?

Another wail pierces the air, and this time it is joined by others as four smaller voices respond from points around the area. The hunt is on!

[Rebonack]

[Sanctuary]

Khannie gets a lesson on making shadows!

Which definitely sounds creepy as heck.

"I... I dunno if I'm just a pokemon. I'm hungry for something but I dunno what it actually is," Khannie admits, her ears drooping. "How am I supposed to fix being hungry if I don't know what the thing I'm hungry for is? I mean... I'm ghost type and ghost types usually do some really creepy stuff and eat weird things and I'm kind of nervous it might be something bad."

That's a pretty big admission on her part.

And on the subject of Kyubie?

"Yeah I DID say that but that was before I knew you were a goddess of VENGEANCE right!?" Khannie asks, perking up and looking a bit more excited. "That means you could do... things?"

Khannie doesn't know how being a goddess works.

"Kyubie is like this THING controlling lots of little things but I don't know if anyone really knows where the real one is or what it is or ANYTHING. It makes it hard to do anything if he's just got all these little puppets he controls. I guess if you kept popping all the puppets as soon as they showed up he couldn't keep tricking girls?"

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

Keiko shrugs

Easiest thing is to try: you don't usually have to kill anyone to feed. I can just take a tiny sip of someone's strength and they'll recover in an hour or two. Frankly, I'm good enough at it these days that I can do it without the person even noticing.

Or you get the true kitsune and nogitsune who eat emotions - they can't actually kill anyone that way no matter what they do.

Or something not as common... maybe you want to eat beets now?

Or maybe you just want that weird little baked treat they all seem to love so much? Like I said at the beginning: head on down to the gym/daycare place - they can probably help you best.

Then she chuckles sadly

Demigoddess, yes... I have thirty-seven followers as of this morning... the number isn't all that stable, you know. And I can't be in more than one place at a time on the same plane in my "terror of the wicked" form, so hunting... down... many...

she trails off. While she, herself, is limited to one manifestation: she has a small army of respectably powerful, pack-hunting monstrosities.

No... I just need some way for my wraiths to not get exterminated like they were wild ones...

[Keeper]

Shadows

"Oh, this sort of thing happens once or twice a year. And for the record, you're theoretically made of similar stuff as me and them, so if any of them jump us don't be afraid to get bitey."
Of course if they were mortals that could end up with him having his own shadows as Keiko described in her own scene. Here the stronger shadow would just eat the other.

[Fenric]

[Shadows]

Caroline huffs slightly: this much exertion a bit more than she's used to, even with magical assistance.

I've heard Keiko's tales of the wild wraiths, and I am not in a hurry to meet any of the larger ones. Keiko may very well rip them up and eat them raw, that sounds very much like something she would do, but...

With a hungry hiss, one of the smaller wraiths jumps in front of her: causing her to try to dodge abruptly and fall crashing in a tangled heap. The monster jumps at her but doesn't fare well as she blasts it with her breath of supernatural cold turning it into a dark statue. Then she whimpers

Ooooooowwwww.... my leg! My shoulder! My back! Owww......

She struggles to straighten out and stand back up. The hisssing of the other three is right on top of them now: three pairs of glowing red eyes burning in the dim light. Zareck bares his long, needly teeth in a snarl

I don't suppose I have a breath weapon?

[Keeper]

Shadows

"I haven't actually spoken to many shadow draconians so I don't entirely I suggest you try while not facing any of us."

Steven moves forward to defend Caroline. He has to face off against the wraiths now so she'll just have to either wait or channel positive energy on herself.
Conveniently, three pairs of eyes work as perfect "please aim here" targets for Steven's three heads, which immediately blast each with his disintegration breath.
He has only ever practiced it once or twice in abandoned locations due to the EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE nature of a power called "disintegration breath" so he doesn't actually know how it affects immaterial beings like wraiths.

[Fenric]

[Shadows]

Semi-immaterial back on the Prime, they're quite "solid" at home. And Steven's breath is specifically a weapon of a shadow creature: the three lesser wraiths dissolve into sparkling dust and are no more.

Meanwhile, the greater wraith has finally come up close enough to see what is going on. He is clearly visible, and raises his hands with burning red eyes wide

Dragons... apologies... I only heard voices... the pack should have withdrawn.

[Keeper]

Shadows

Steven glances about at the single frozen wraith and the three no-longer-existing ones.
"I'd say that they have payed a reasonable price for the transgression. We don't have further quarrel with you." The loss of four wraiths is enough of a price from the 'huntmaster' for Steven to call it even.

[Fenric]

[Shadows]

The wraith looks at Steven and Zareck, then particularly Zareck.

His daughter did this to me...

Zareck looks utterly baffled, but the wraith says no more and turns to leave. Caroline has managed to get back to her feet and is trying to stretch out the various pains that her tumble had caused.

[Keeper]

Shadows

Well that's certainly cryptic.
"Do you um. Have children, Zareck?" he asks the draconian. It didn't sound like a position that would result in such things. Steven starts charging up a healing spell for Caroline.
"Just a moment, dear..."

[Fenric]

[Shadows]

Caroline holds still

Not Zareck… the master of the draconians. He must be one of Keiko’s mistakes.

She raises her voice

Wait! Wait! Keiko didn’t mean to abandon you!

The wraith turns back with a curious look