Leita felt lucky to have Sanaki with her. Alone, she would have been caught and….she tried not to think about it. The city was unsafe and even if they could return, she wasn't sure she wanted to. The stench of the water war horrid but it was better than an actual sewer. Sanaki began to talk about her theory and if she was correct then it was a powerful sorcerer. But if it was a mortal sorcerer, then it could be killed by mortals. She hoped the source of the problem was mortal. If not, then they'd need way more than a number of adventurers trying to save everybody. Sanaki suggested heading towards the jungle and Leita nodded in agreement. They might be able to find more clues there, like an abandoned temple or more answers about the mysterious vines mentioned in one of the researchers' letters. 

She watched as Sanaki brought out a dark wooden lantern and ignited a flame inside the little box. It helped illuminate the area but Leita didn't see how that little flame would help them. Then the lantern began guiding them towards the rainforest. Leita began thinking about what their next steps should be if the forest held no answers. They could create a force to fight back? No that would take up time they didn't have. Maybe they needed to send out a message to the mainland? Then again, that could just bring more victims instead of people to stop it.

Wracking her brain for idea, she was surprised when they came to a stop. Sanaki whispered about something else in the tunnel with them and subtly motioned with her eyes. The problem was, they were a literal beacon of light in the dark tunnels. There wasn't a place to hide nor any hidden areas to escape to. If they had somebody following them, they would have to confront the stranger the old fashioned way. Her heart became louder as she decided that it was now or never. 

"I swear if its another freaky local…." Leita muttered under her breath. 

She motioned for Sanaki to get her fan ready before turning around to see whoever this stranger was. Her hand held up the torch in Maximellian's direction. He was a tall bulky man with shiny plate armor and a sword by his side. Unlike the locals, he didn't wear any flowy clothing. And since there were no guards or anybody who wore armor in the entire city, she had to assume she was a tourist like them. The only question that remained is if he had been taken over like the others. 

"Well….he's not a local." She said. 

Slowly and begrudgingly making his way to the foot of this rancid hall of tunnels, Maximellian turned to see a flicker of light beyond his armour, followed by the whisper of voices. “Well…he’s not local,” was all he caught as he descended the small tight space with a reasonable amount of difficulty. Subtlety was not the strong suit of plate, nor was it one of his and although he tried his hardest to be as quiet as possible clanking down the small ladder, a tiny clunk could still be heard in his footsteps.

“Not local no,” he replied casually, easing himself away from the side of the murky walls to finally eye the two wonderful women standing before him. They were a sight for sore eyes. One held her own simplistic beauty with long brown rich hair and sapphire coloured eyes, dressed for an expedition. The other exotic with the longest, pink locks of hair he had ever seen and eyes like amethysts. Bewildered by the exotic woman’s appearance, he could not help but stare for a moment in awe of what she was.

She really was something like anything he had ever seen, another first among firsts.

A moment passed before he realised he was being discourteous.  “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Maximellian Rosa Chinesis The Third, Heir to the House of the Thorned Rose and Knave. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” the paladin gave a grand bow to what he assumed were two adventurers wandering these lands. His days of traversing a foreign jungle alone were over, or so he had hoped.

“I am here to seek an individual by the name of Metaya Doum. One of my people came to me seeking help in a time of need. Whether this person is real or dead, if there is someone who needs to be saved on this island; I will gladly risk my life for the greater good,” warmth entered the noble’s features as he stood up to address the both of them properly, he was overwhelmingly happy to finally be in the presence of others. Something told him that traversing this place in numbers would be better than taking it alone. “…Though as much as I like risking my life, If I have the choice to keep it I would prefer to take the option where I don’t die. Do you need another?”  

They turned to face the stranger who had been following them, revealing a man clad in armor. From his attire it was clear he was not a Kavalan, though both Sanaki and Leita were still on edge. She had to reassure herself that if things went sour, they would have a better chance of escaping one armed individual than several of the kingdom's denizens. There was a long pause as both sides were trying to figure each other out, until the man broke the stalemate. He introduced himself to them, giving his name and station. From the way he arranged his words, the priestess thought it was safe to assume he was a noble of some sort, or at least one with some significant family background. Reusing the same name for one's descendants was an uncommon practice in Nisshoki, though the people there were more of a superstitious lot. The man bowed as a sign of respect, and explained his reasons for coming to the island. He came at the behest of someone requesting aid for a person who had come to Kavala and had failed to return. With the formalities behind him, he offered them his assistance in exchange for their company–after all they were all strangers in a strange land.

As the young lord spoke. Sanaki had been carefully watching and listening to his every word and action. As far as she could discern, he was telling the truth. She also failed to smell any ambrosia or lotus from him. She first turned to look to Leita before addressing Maximellian. "Then we share a common thread among us all. We too have come seeking the whereabouts of others who have arrived before us but failed to return. I am Sanaki, and am a priestess by station. This here is my acquaintance and friend, Leita. Forgive my lack of courtesy–but we would be more at ease to continue conversing once we are in the presence of daylight. Our current situation has grown quite urgent and time is of the essence." If they were to enter a physical confrontation, they would have more of an advantage in an open area than the confined space of the city's drainage system. She made sure to keep her tone amicable, lest she give reason for offense. Despite having a lantern in one hand, she was still armed with her enchanted folding fan which was still firmly held in her right.  

Leita held her breath in anticipation of what he might say next. The lingering possibility that he was a corrupted tourist remained. He didn't seem to have any ambrosia or food with him but if he started talking about happiness, then the truth would be clear. Instead he introduced himself with a long list for a name. Leita had never met a real noble in her life. Her novels usually had a duke but that character was often shirtless. Besides those books….weren't exactly an accurate representation of reality. And he mentioned being a knave? She noticed he had weapons and realized that noble or not, he would be helpful if they got in a fight. Sanaki began to speak to him and the basics of why they were there. They couldn't speak too loud, lest the people above the drainage system hear. After Sanaki explained themselves, Leita followed Sanaki's lead as they began walking towards the rainforest. The sooner they could get out of the disgusting tunnel, the better. As she walked a dim glow of light at the end of the tunnel showed they drew closer to the jungle. The water flowed out of a hole into a small lake, close to the pipe. The sight of the rainforest made Leita's heart soar. Even though she knew they would have to face the city again, the fresh green leaves and sounds of animals helped her feel safe. The animals wouldn't treat them like the people did. 

Leita moved away from the lake and found a clearing where the weeds of the jungle wouldn't get tangled with their stuff. Swinging her backpack off, she took a moment to stretch out her legs. All that running made her legs sore. She was used to reading, not running. Reaching down to her bag she began rummaging through it until she found some canteens of water. The canteens were supposed to be for Miss Einsecc and the researchers she hoped to find but keeping her current allies in good shape seemed more important. Leita handed one to Sanaki and the other to Max. 

"Don't worry, its just plain old water." She said, "I filled it before coming to the island. I also have some dried meat and crackers in case anybody's hungry." 

The water in the canteens was still clean, untainted by the lotus petals. As for the food it was mostly dried meat and salty crackers. Thanks to the letters Leita knew to bring supplies but she was in such a rush that she only was able to afford the basics. The food and water would keep them going and she had enough for three days. If they couldn't solve this mystery by then they would have to leave. 

"What's our plan?" Leita asked, "We can't really go into the city and the ship isn't coming back for a while."

She took her own canteen and chugged down a portion of the water but was careful to keep some for later. There were more canteens in her bag but it was a finite resource. After taking the small break, she put on her backpack and looked to the other two. It was a relief to have them by her side, even if she didn't know much about Max. On her own she would have felt lost but with Sanaki and the big noble guy, things felt easier to handle. 

Bound toward the jungle with his two new compatriots, Maximilian followed at the rear. The task of masking the clang of plated footfalls had proven to be a challenge for the paladin and he had slowly fallen a touch behind the others in his best attempts to remain quiet. Repulsed by the atmosphere, the noble could do naught but cringe at the repugnant odor of sewage as they navigated around the sewers. Each squelch of liquid beneath his boots was another invitation for discomfort.

 Dim light at the end of the dark was his promise of freedom, and freedom it gave. They had returned to the fresh air. Whatever discomfort Maximilian had for returning to the jungle was heavily outweighed by his relief of no longer having to deal with any more of that nonsense.

Maximilian assisted Leita removing the vines from their path until they finally stopped at a clearing where the researcher offered him some water “Thank you,” the paladin responded and took the canteen “There was little chance for me to reply to you before, but it is a pleasure to meet you, Leita and Sanaki.”

Grateful to have a moment to drink after his marathon in heavy armour, Maximilian settled at the base of a nearby tree and sprawled one leg in front of him as he united the nozzle of the canteen and drank from it. For just a moment he relished in it as the cool water doused the heat that rose through his face “I know little of this place,” he began, parting the canteen from his lips “We could try to infiltrate the city, but I get the feeling you tried that and it didn’t end well. Do either of you know where these people may have gone? Some cult? Beast? Taken as a sacrifice for some ancient being or ritual?” He was making it up as he went along at this point. This was all a little out of the depth of what he had expected of this venture.

To say things were frustrating was an understatement. "Before meeting you, Leita and I attempted to search for the people we were looking for on our own. Unfortunately, we found one of them before they…the Kavalans forced him to drink their ambrosia." There was an audible pause as Sanaki changed her choice of words while trying to maintain her composure. The sight the two women saw still left them shaken. "It seems no one really knows what is going on here on this island. The most that we know is from people who had better luck than we did, but even those individuals never made it back to the mainland. There are three things which we know with absolute certainty. One–the Kavalans are not to be trusted. Two–never eat or drink anything they offer you. And three–the lotus flowers seem to be the main ingredient in the food and ambrosia. The rest is up for speculation." She leaned against the trunk of a tree and heaved a sigh.

"Before I met both of you, there was something that deeply disturbed me when I was at the shore. As I am a priestess, I attempted to use my power to divine where any possible sources of spiritual influence were located. This is a method I and my fellow sisters use to locate the causes of phenomena. To my horror, I could not find it. Or rather, instead of sensing the point of origin and its general location, I was met with an overwhelming presence." Sanaki's eyes were downcast, her face pale and sapped of emotion. "In simpler terms, that can mean one of two things: either something is interfering with my power, or that my reading wasn't wrong–which would mean the spiritual influence is coming from the entire island itself." The entire island was the source of the spiritual force.

If that was the case, then there was nothing she could do to fully protect them against what might possibly happen. Putting her head in her hands, Sanaki's mind was reeling from the terrible reality that was before them. Her body was actually shaking, as she knew what that meant. "If–if we take what the Kavalans said at face value, if everything that we've heard is directly caused by Kavala's king–then we are dealing with a very powerful jinushigami, or land master. A land master is an entity or spirit that quite literally is the lord and master of the region it holds dominion over. They can cause natural disasters like floods or famine, they can curse anyone who lives on or passes through their territory, they can even shape the land according to their own will. No matter what they do they have the advantage, as long as they are on their own terrain." 

As she spoke, the priestess was entering a state of panic as she was starting to mildly hyperventilate. There was no way a single priestess like her would be able to take on a jinushigami–especially one this deeply rooted into the land. Even worse, the land in question was an island! There weren't any surrounding territories which they could use to draw away its strength. 

"Nice to meet you." She said politely to Max.

There was much to tell him but Leita felt at a loss for words. How could they explain the chaos they had seen earlier? The memory of the researcher was fresh in her mind and heart. Thankfully, Sanaki began explaining the information they knew so far, which wasn't much. The truth was that they hardly knew anything. It wouldn't be enough to defeat the evil running through the veins of the island. As she gave Max the rules they needed to follow, Leita's eyes wandered to the trees above them, searching for the beams of light peaking around the fresh green leaves. When Sanaki began talking about something that had disturbed her, Leita turned her attention to Sanaki. As she explained, Leita began to realize that the enemy, whoever they might be was far stronger than what the three of them could take on. If her divine thing to locate the possible spirit cause was correct, then it meant the island was the problem. A jinushigami, a powerful being who could do almost anything. Should this creature happen to be anything else, the power to take over an island was still a force to be recon with.

But when Leita saw Sanaki's panicked face, her own heart hardened with resolve. Walking towards Sanaki, she wrapped her arms around her friend in a tight embrace. A hug wouldn't make the pain go away. A hug wouldn't cancel that overwhelming fear that could drive a person mad. All it could do was remind Sanaki that she wasn't alone. She wouldn't have to face the dangers on her own and as long as they were there by her side, they would fight with her. Leita was trying to give her a warmth that would thaw her despair.

"They don't have us beat yet." She reminded her. 

Freeing Sanaki from the warm embrace, she looked to both her and Max like a woman on a mission. Her determined eyes ablaze with the will to live. Out of everybody else, she was surely the weakest of the bunch. But that didn't make her resigned to a fate like this. So what they didn't have as much power as the king? Power was a fleeting thing anyway, flowing from one stranger to the next. They had something else that counted way more.

"Here's our plan." Leita declared, "We'll have to confirm whether or not it is a jinushigami. But once we do, this information goes straight back to the mainland. We won't be able to stop this thing on our own. However, I know that Revaliir can. Think about it! Revaliir's taken on the biggest of challenges and the sneakiest of foes throughout the centuries. If they know what they're up against, then nothing will save this king from his demise! Once we confirm our suspicions, then we take this information back by whatever means necessary." 

Her sharp eyes turned to Max, glad to see that sword by his side. 

"Lord Maximillian, you will be in charge of guarding us from the locals or any other threat. If you see something tell us immediately." She instructed before looking to Sanaki, "We'll need you're expertise when it comes to the Jinushigami and your powers to sense them. Do you know of any way to check for Jinushigami?" 

Word for word, Maximellian paid close attention to the priestess’s dialogue as she explained unto him the happenings of this strange island. His brow furrowed into deep thought. If anyone was to be saved on this island, they would have to get rid of the root of it and going by Sanaki’s fears, this voodoo doctor or whatever he was had some kind of ‘spiritual power.’ His eyes cast to the island for a moment as his gauntleted fingers traced along the bark below him.

“Spiritual force… does this imply that the island is actually alive?” the paladin asked, returning his gaze to the rose haired maiden. The talk of voodoo doctors or jinushigami or whatever she the woman was speaking of sounded like a wild goose chase. He’d never heard of anything like it in his life. Was this woman insane? Uncertainty gripped his breast as his gaze shifted to Leita. She seemed normal for the most part, though it was clear they were a part of the same ploy. Maximellian speculated on his decisions for a moment then nodded his head “I will follow your rules to the best of my ability while we remain on this island,” the paladin replied, capping the canteen and placing it in his pack. If they were truly in as much danger as Sanaki suggested, the paladin knew that lingering was against their best interests.

Maximellian rose to his feet “We should go before-” he trailed off when he saw Sanaki and Leita having a heart warming hug in the middle of the jungle.  Civilians were interesting creatures and though he had seen this stranger use powers that were beyond his knowledge, the paladin starred at the two perplexed by their emotional states of being. Duty in these situations was above all else. Leita proved herself to be the stronger of the two women. Sanaki was the one he worried for as he silently prayed to Sirona that her anxiety would not be the doom of them all. Compassion was what was needed right now and fortunately Leita had it to give. Resolute in the face of her friend's despair, Leita came up with the framework of a plan. Maximellian could not help but smile at his companion's strength of being. If not for her, he would have eventually done something similar. They were in it together and together they would conquer.

“Very well. I shall protect you both from the rear, I know little of this island and they are more likely to ambush you from the trees in a battlefield like this. They could come from any direction, so we should all be on guard. If anything comes at you, call out ‘Rose’ and I will rush to take whatever force dares to mingle with my comrades, ” the paladin confidently awaited for his comrades to start moving, “We should not underestimate this Juju-mani, but remember that none of us are alone and as long as we work as a unit, we can accomplish great things. We will not fall. Not today.”  

When the world began to spin and panic flooded her mind, Leita was the one who helped her maintain her footing. There was some relief in her words–after all, they weren't absolutely sure that they were dealing with a jinushigami. It was possible it was something else, and that all hope wasn't lost for their cause. "Yes…both of you are right." Regaining her resolve, Sanaki began to recall the information she was taught in her years of training. "If that is our chosen course of action, then allow me to inform you on everything I know should my previous assumptions prove correct. Although they are masters of the land, jinushigami primarily gain their power through belief. This characteristic makes them both incredibly powerful and incredibly vulnerable. The stronger the belief those who dwell in the land possess towards them, the greater their influence. Just as a king only wields power if his citizens pay homage to him, the same holds true for a land master. Normally to weaken a jinushigami you would start by destroying or removing any shrines and objects made in their image, but if there is enough support through mere belief alone–things might become a bit difficult."

When she thought about it, placing oneself as the ruler over a kingdom was an ingenious ploy for a jinushigami to gain a sufficient power base. With the reverence given by the populace and the political authority to enforce laws and edicts that were self-serving, this made uprooting it from the land a complicated matter. The people would place so much faith in their ruler that they would follow blindly, especially since the regent had the spiritual power to falsify prophecies and divine retribution. There was the other issue of revealing the being's true form, as that would give clues towards what kind of spirit it was. Thinking on what she and Leita had seen in the city's artwork, there were a few possible candidates: the lotus flower or the serpentine dragon. 

"I hope none of you hold any reservations against the possibility of deposing a land's reg-" Sanaki suddenly stopped mid-sentence, when she heard a sound, then all color drained from her face when she saw something step out from behind the trees. Covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes went wide as two figures emerged from the jungle. 

"Sanaki." There was a man and woman standing several meters away from them, dressed in Ataiyan clothes. The man had dark hair and purple eyes while the woman's eyes were brown, with pink hair the same color as hers. Sanaki stared back in confusion. The feelings she had at this moment were a mixture of joy and sheer horror. "Mother…father? But how–?" 

With outstretched arms, the woman gave a wistful smile. "Sanaki, it's been so long. You've grown so much. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be by your side. If we had been able to stay with you a little longer, you wouldn't have had to suffer so much hardship." The man placed his hands on his wife's shoulders, and said. "Your mother and I regret leaving you behind back then. If fate had been kind, we would've been able to watch you grow up." The priestess was now on the verge of tears. Her throat tightened and was parched as she choked out words in response. "…Why? How could you..?"   

"It's alright now, father and I are here. You don't need to blame yourself anymore." Her mother comforted her. Covering her face with her hands, Sanaki visibly shook as she was holding back from breaking down crying. "BUT THEY BURIED YOU! I saw them lower your casket! I was there when they surrounded you and father with white chrysanthemums! They buried you together because you told them you didn't want to be separated in the afterlife!"

Grief turned to anger as she was now shouting at the top of her voice. "How dare you…How dare you wear the face of my father and mother!" Tears began to stream down her face as two horns began to slowly manifest from her head. Summoning a glaive into her hands, she called out: "ROSE!"

She could tell that the paladin was doubtful of Sanaki's explanation. It wasn't that he hoped the jinushigami didn't exist, rather he'd heard nothing about this kind of magic. Leita had never heard of a Jinushigami either but there was one thing she had learned with Caroline. The world was filled with impossibilities and thousands of dangers. Some would deny that ghosts, goblins, and ghouls existed. Some would say giants are impossible and legends were stuff of nonsense. But Leita and Caroline had seen impossible things. Done impossible acts. That was why she believed Sanaki. Her experience with the strange and odd helped her see that. However, she still wanted to confirm that the jinushigami was real. Misinformation to the mainland would put them at a serious disadvantage. If this thing turned out to be a normal guy or worse, something stronger then they could potentially lead hundreds to their deaths.

Leita listened to Maximellian's advice about how to take on threats. He mentioned ambushing from the trees and the fact that they could come in at any direction. They would need to stick together, as tight as possible. She nodded towards Max then turned to Sanaki to listen to her knowledge. Every bit of knowledge would help them survive. Belief was a main factor and explained the images of the dragon. If the dragon and king were one in the same, then it would explain why that symbol was everywhere instead of an image of a king. There was a small issue, destroying their world. It would have to be done to save the city but a part of her would fill guilty for the destruction that would be brought to the island. Destroying somebody's culture and home felt…wrong, even if it was to save the locals and the tourists. It was another reason to double check this was a Jinushigami.

"I suppose we'll have to do what we must." Leita muttered.

Just as they were about to talk some more, there was a sound then a pair stepping out from behind the trees. It was a man and a woman dressed in Ataiyan clothes. Tourists? That was her only guess. Then Sanaki identified them. Mother and father? Confusion filled her face. Sanaki would have mentioned if her parents were trapped here. Or did her parents come looking for them? Still, how would they know they were in the jungle? Questions continued on as the woman began to speak. When Leita looked to Sanaki, she was surprised to see her so upset. Until she mentioned her parent's burial. All of the sudden, she realized that these people had to be fake. Either a mirage or an imitation spell of some sort. Perhaps even shapeshifting.

Just as Leita was about to reach over to Sanaki, her grief turned to blind fury. The glaive was summoned and her friend shouted out the word for battle. Rose. Leita rushed to her friend's side with her grappling hook pointed at the enemy. She didn't have any actual weapons other than some weak earth magic. The most she could do was a wall once a day and the little earth dolls. Also a 6 inch lump in the dirt could be formed. Otherwise, her magic was completely useless. It was something she was trying to work on at Sirona's temple. But for now, she would clutch to her grappling hook like it was a proper weapon.