- Amaterasu and Fu -
Amaterasu was still slumped on the ground, being healed, ignoring the questions she was being asked. Her mind was focused on what she could have done differently in the battle.
'I can't beat him in the air. I can't beat him on land. He's physically stronger. How is he stronger? Both hands would be enough. Maybe?'
"HEY!" the shadow yokai yelled to get Amaterasu's attention.
"Huh?" Amaterasu looked up at the shadow yokai. "What, Fu?"
"Get up," Fu offered his hand.
Amaterasu grabbed Fu's hand and pulled herself up. She flinched as the phantom pain from her healed burn wounds stung her skin. She transformed into her wolf form.
"I'm going to go speak with my mother about this. As usual, don't tell Tsukuyomi more than he needs to know."
"Of course," Fu bowed.
- Peter and Xiao -
"So ya had a match with Tsukuyomi?" Peter whispered to Xiao.
The two were walking through a crowded district of stalls. The rest of the group was getting food. The shouts of merchants trying to get beings to visit stores filled the air along with the thick smell of various broths and alcohols. The two were getting more stares than they cared for but nothing more than expected.
Xiao's eyes shifted from side to side subtly. "He insulted Lina."
"So ya challenged him to a duel?" Peter's eyes kept stopping on the numerous food stalls.
Xiao sighed, "No. I was going to but he beat me to it."
"Did ya win?" Peter leaned in.
"Yes and no," Xiao said.
Peter went to ask more but was interrupted by an especially loud shout from a merchant. Instead of asking Xiao further questions, he decided to go into the stall and grab food.
"I guess I can't judge," Xiao mumbled as he tossed a small hard candy into his mouth.
- Kija -
Somewhere in the snowy mountain regions of Han'ei, a group of beings had assembled. A tall being with long white hair on one side of their head creates a pillar of ice that they use as a podium to shout to the thousands of large beings. They raised their spiked black club in the air.
"WE DO NOT LOSE LIVES FOR NOTHING! WE CONTINUE FORWARD, REMEMBERING THE LOST, THE FORGOTTEN, THE MISTREATED, CARRYING THE AMBITION OF THEM ALL! DON'T WISH FOR AN EASIER PATH MY FELLOW STRONG, WORK TO CRUSH IT AS WE MARCH!"
The cheers from the crowd were so loud that they seemed to shake the mountains around them.
"KIIIII-JA! KIIIII-JA! KIIIII-JA!"
- Xiao, Peter, Sig, Lina, Lao, Sabu, Yvere -
The group was gathered in a large empty field of frost-tipped flowers. A light snowfall blanketed the stone roof above the groups' heads as they sat down with their arrangement of food and drink. Xiao looked to Lina for confirmation that no one was around. Lina nodded.
Xiao started, "Oni, jötunn, yuki, orcs, and mixed. Mostly oni but it's difficult to say if that's the primary group involved or if the oni are just the more aggressive ones. We've spared a few beings multiple times in an attempt to get information. Unfortunately, any we don't kill, kill themselves."
Peter swallowed a large mouthful of food before speaking. "Seems more intelligent than any one of those groups should be. 'Cept maybe the yuki."
Sabu refused an offer of food from Yvere as he spoke, "Maybe they're being led by an outsider?"
"Unlikely," Sig shook her head. "Whoever's leading the forces has created a fierce loyalty, the kind that usually only comes with being from a similar background. We've ruled out yuki, given the problems the oni and the jötunn have had with them in the past."
"You have killed yuki though?" Lao asked.
"Only a few," Lina answered. "We tried saving one for questioning but they pierced their heart with an ice spike before we could stop them."
"Fuck," Peter leaned back before snapping forward. "Wait! What was the gender of the yuki ya've killed?"
"Male..." Xiao groaned. "It's one of the reasons the yuki matriarch's refused to help."
"What's the other reason?" Yvere asked.
"Me," Lina said without hesitation. "My kind are almost as distrusted as eldritch, not without good reason. Being a wendigo usually causes us some amount of trouble on missions."
"Fuck 'em," Xiao spat. "We're not a recon unit anyways. The yokai leaders being difficult only serves to increase the bloodshed."
- Amaterasu and Izanami -
Amaterasu and Izanami were sitting down sharing tea.
"Where did I go wrong?" Amaterasu asked Izanami.
Izanami took a sip of her tea before answering. "Given what you've told me, I don't think there's anything you can do. You're going to need both hands if you want to compete. Though..."
Izanami took a long sip from her cup. Amaterasu was squirming with impatience as she waited for her mother.
"Well," Izanami smiled.
'Oh no,' Amaterasu dreaded.
"You could train with Lucifer. The best opponents are ones that are slightly superior."
"Superior?" Amaterasu clicked her tongue. "Maybe while I have one hand."
"Which you do indefinitely until Death says otherwise," Izanami prodded.
Amaterasu groaned, "I don't think he'll agree to such a thing. We weren't on good terms going into the fight, much less so after."
"Won't know until you try," Izanami smiled.
'Fuck,' Amaterasu faked a grin as she stood up to leave.
"Before you go," Izanami looked up at Amaterasu. "I wanted to congratulate you for not using that song when Lucifer's flames surrounded you. I know you've struggled with similar situations in the past, so it's good to see you growing."
"T-thank you," Amaterasu stuttered before quickly leaving.
- Yamato and R'yaarj-
Yamato was making his way through the same busy district that Peter and Xiao had gone through prior. As he walked, he was having a conversation with R'yaarj in his mind.
'Can't say, haven't seen them yet,' Yamato said.
'You might be able to get that match with the other human now,' R'yaarj responded.
'Hopefully,' Yamato sighed.
- Death and Lucifer -
Lucifer met up with Death. The two were on their way to reconvene with their respective teams but were taking their time. Lucifer flew while Death rode. Death noticed that Lucifer was still damaged from the match with Amaterasu.
"Didn't let them heal you, did you?" Death said.
"I'm barely injured," Lucifer grumbled. "It was a waste of time."
"I assume you won though?" Death asked with a curious tone.
"Obviously," Lucifer sighed. "Not that it matters. Beating a handicapped opponent is nothing to be proud of. Especially given how the fight went."
Lucifer recanted the duel for Death. His tone was a mix of shame and anger as he spoke.
"She had it coming," Death assured. "Handicap or not, she stood on a battlefield, she understood the risks. If you too were having a proper battle, she'd be dead, and it would be no one's fault but her own."
Lucifer was surprised by the callous nature of what Death was saying. The unexpected harshness of the response made him feel worse.
"Still," Lucifer disagreed, "I should have handled it with more class than I did. It wasn't a battlefield, it was a duel. I was taunted into a pissing contest that, win or lose, still makes me feel like a fool."
"Are you okay?" Death mumbled.
"I don't know," Lucifer heard him. "Anger has its place in battles--actual battles, I would just prefer to do a better job at distinguishing what is and is not worth treating as an actual battle."
The two were quiet for a moment. Death wasn't sure if what he was thinking was the right thing to say but he decided it was best to just say it.
"You're not the old you."
Devil flashed in for a moment before Lucifer made him disappear. He stopped flying, skidding his feet on the ground as he landed.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Death asked as he stopped Hrom.
Lucifer shook his head slightly. "I'll be fine."
"If you say so," Death mumbled.