The path into the yokai lands wasn't as hard to find or reach as most people believed." It was through some toro gates. Well, it was the path a Nekomata led Sam's group through. Sam didn't mind the hour-long walk. 'How nostalgic.' All those years of traversing through the wild were coming back, the smell of the trees and pollen. The sound of animals. The subtle change in the air when walking into a supernatural location.
The faint feeling of growing danger, his forces buzzing slightly. 'Okay, that I don't remember happening.' Placing his hands, he felt the cores vibrating, 'Did this happen before?' he reached into his spotty memory, trying to find an example. There was half of something there.' But he couldn't pull what it was; the cores vibrated at certain locations, but he couldn't remember what caused it.
He kept an eye on them as they walked through the fog, through a space through the realms. Until they came upon a city, a mix of dozens of styles. Japan over the centuries. He glared at a statue," I'm sure I've had a problem with that statue."
"I know I have a problem with you, beast!" Sam hissed at the stone creature. Flicking his wrist and releasing his ribbon. The statue moved, standing on its paws as its entire form rumbled, glaring down at him." Okay, let's not start something." Lifting Sam by his armpits, Natalie carried him away. Who was definitely signing curses at the statue. Who was responding in a feline launge.
Sam barked at them, and the statue almost jumped off its pedestal." Let's go!" Natal started running as someone held the statue back. It wasn't until they could no longer see the statue that they stopped," Do you even remember them?"
"No, but I know I must reclaim my honor!"
"[what honer you cheat at cheakcers.]" Tyrone text. "I wasn't aware you had noticed that, either way, my honer. which I do have!" You can tell from the recules face that he wasn't buying it. Sam shrugged after a moment and instead continued to follow the nekomata. Who led them towards the largest building in the hidden city?
"Now that is a sight," Sam hummed in agreement, watching the dancing lanterns around the building for a moment. "I've danced here before, I think." While it didn't surprise him that he had been here, the first thing he remembered was dancing.
He wasn't dancing with anyone, but there were people who watched as he danced to different songs, with different outfits and styles. "Why did I dance here again?"
"For blessings, for knowledge." A joroguma clicked as she walked down the steps. There was a brief moment when everyone was taken in by her beauty. Her lucocis curves and flirtatious features were enhanced by the faint makeup she wore.
As she came closer, you could catch hints of the sakura perfume she was wearing, "I'm glad to see you again, you're going by sam now, right?" she asked as her yukata fell slightly, exposing her shoulders. The upper parts of her chest. "Look how well you've grown. I remember the last time we met."
"You tried to eat me," Sam replied, shaking his head slightly. "Cease your magic." Her laughter was like bells, bubbles of joy in his stomach. "Oh, don't be so cold, I just want to have a bit of fun together. Like when we first met, where you tried to eat me!" Her mouth opened full, revealing the number of venomous fangs she had." Ahahaha! Sure!" Sam jumped at her, rearing his hand back, feeling it shift with the full force of the midnight hour.
In the same action, she pulled a fan from between her breasts. Bringin' it back as it glowed with dark mana. "Are you two going to make a mess on the front steps of our building?"
"No," Sam replied as his feet touched the ground, his arm shifted back to its human form. "Of course not," the joroguma put away her fan, turning and bowing to the 7-tailed fox. Her fur was twinkling like the stars. "Take that, that is not how we treat those we invite onto our lands." Like that of falling snow, the fox moved down the steps." If you wish to settle some score, seduce a time in the arena."
"Of course, your lady, kao." The kitsuna giggled as she came to a stop before Sam." Hello beast of three, or as you now know, Sam vegal. I welcome you back to the house of yokai. Where our people take care of a large portion of our meetings. Occasionally hosting parties and dances."
"That, I can kind of remember," Sam mumbled, looking up at the building. "It started with someone trying to bribe me?"
"Actually, it was offering, trying to strike a deal with a being who was very quickly rising in power and skill. That stick you treated like a sword was a great example of that." Sam nodded, though it now made up the handle of his sword, it had been covered in a considerable amount of blood over time.
Being heard told him that some of it was yokai." we wanted my help with restless dead right?" the kitsuna nodded," yes, ghoust whiper. you helped many achieve peace, or helped us seal for purification. i must thank you for that again?" she turned and started walking up the steps." come the rest of the parliament would like to meet you."
Sam followed her up the steps. Giving the spider woman a look," You know I learned a purification technique if you're still struggling with restless ghosts," the kitsuna commented, which was a discussion for after the meeting. She let the way through he halls to a large oval meeting room. Where representatives of each yokai race sat looking down at Sam, who folded his arms behind his back, his only attempt to display non-threatening.
"Sam Vegal," a large tengu looks down on him, dark feathers glinting like the deeps of the sea. "Beast of three, ghost whisperer, prince of moonlight, curses, and many other names across the world. You stand before the court. Anything to say before we begin?"
"If I did something to you before this visit, I don't remember it!"
"why? a naga asked." bad coping with my various trama." he replied, serval oft hem mumbled in understanding. some commenting on there own bad coping habits. "i put forward a momention that if he has done something to someone they sent him message over the matter after this meeting!" what looked like stalks of walking bamabo spoke up. some agreed some grumbled. but they voted and soon." the motion has been agreed upon."
"The main matter that you have been invited here for is simple. What are your intentions in visiting our home country?" Sam paused for a moment, thinking over the quickest way to explain this to them. Letting out a sigh, he started talking," legal action, visiting an old friend's business. Tracing my footsteps for my missing memories."
The representative discussed, going back and forth over the topic of letting him stay to do this. Most were arguing that it would hurt to let him, nor was it really worth it to try to stop him. But a few were arguing, were afraid of what Sam would do. How could he cause them problems or cost them one?
Too many conversations were going on for Sam to actually follow what everyone was saying, so instead, he listened to snips and bits, finding people he decided he didn't like, like those whose biggest concern was money. He didn't use to lose respect for people so fast. But these people.
Sighing, he flexed his legs, waiting for them to talk. But he forgot this one little detail about the creature that lived so long, they could literally talk for days. After the 6th hour, Sam turned and walked out of the meeting. No one connected this course of action, as he asked for a duration from a kappa to a place to rest.
Xe, as Xe had announced, their pronouns led Sam to one of the suits connected to the building, where they climbed into a bed and fell asleep, and ignored the world for a while. Of course, if only the world could leave him alone as he wished, as this pair of nenkomata knock on the door of his room.
When he tried to ignore them, they knocked it down. "Of course." Sitting up, wrapped the blanket around himself and looked at them, a grey tabby and a silver one. Sam looked at them for a long moment, especially the symbol hanging from their neck.
"Two students of cat martial arts," he was suddenly brought back to the combat ring. " It's been a while since I met one of you." He stepped off the bed." What can I do for you?"
"Oh, something simple, more than fifty years ago," the tabby spoke." A rabid child broke into one of our schools and challenged a number of us. Then, broke out with one of our school relics."
"Some rabid kid... you're talking about me, aren't you?"
"Yes, you bitch, you broke through the school door and stole an artifact." Sam sighed, cursing his past self. He probably had some reason, but he couldn't remember it, nor remember what he did with it.
"Do you know if it was cursed?" The silver immediately told him they knew it wasn't, as it was a blessed artifact from a cat god. Specifically, Baset." That caused Sam to pause." I've been to Egypt. What did I do there?" he really hoped it wasn't make enemies with those old ass gods. "Okay, you've probably heard but-."
"Your memory is a mess because of bad coping," Sam nodded." Unless it was cursed, there is a low chance I broke your relic. But it's probably hidden or lost." The cats sighed," Well, if you remember something, call our school."
"Of course," they walked out, and the runes of the doorway glowed and repaired the door. "I should get those." sighing, he lay down in the bed." Well, they don't see that made so that some silver lining." though he was fully expecting more trouble." But it's just some yokai I wronged. Do you think you can help me find what I stole and what I did with it?"
I've tracked down many sightings of you through your planet's information networks. working out a vague path you might have traveled.' Sam luahged a bit, "How was my path?"
'Erratic, you seemed to follow a path up, down, left, and right all over the country. Also, people think you're some kind of cryptid from the number of blurry and low-light pictures I found.' Sam blinked, "Okay, something to look into."
"Do you know when I encountered the feline material art skill?" Based on this one picture of him being chased by cats. 'Yes, the problem is you dispersed after that. Not showing up on any camera for a full month.' Sam groaned, "Okay, I can use that," thinking for a moment." Yes, there's a moonlight spell that will reveal the path I took." he's like to wrap this up nice and quickly.
Pulling up a screen he started checking for what he would need to buy, putting an order in with the near by witch supplie store. as he did a young ghost acme to inform him the repreastives wanted to speak with him." great," smooithing down his clothing with a bit of heat he moved to talk to them.
It was mostly they asking questions about his current ability. Glaring at the ceiling, he answered some of their questions. he didn't care who they were; no one got a full description of his power. Partly because he didn't remember his full power, he fought god but could only remember part of the battle.
"You must answer!" The bamboo spirit choked on Sam's bloodlust." No, no, I don't! Remember you pace, little plant." The bamboo spirit stepped back. Someone else quickly asked a question. This got a much less aggressive response. The one after that, not so much. Sam didn't let his blood lust flare, but he didn't like that he was asked about his reaction to people he now knew were gone.
It was a few questions later that Sam realized they were testing his boundaries. Seeing what was safe and what were the bad ones. 'It's as smart as it is annoying,' tapping his finger against his thigh, he let it continue. he needed these questions done, and at the same time, he didn't really know his limits.
Sam had a high tolerance for so much that sometimes he forgot them. While he was answering the questions, he was willing to answer, shutting down others. Then he felt something, an abnormal rising in lust. It was faint, and his lust core almost didn't react to it."
Staying calm, he directed some energy to his eyes. Causing the pupil to become hearts. Seeing the lust of everyone, 'there shouldn't be that high!' he should have checked them sooner. Looking over a number of them, they had higher than humans. Is that normal for yokai, or was it something he could be concerned about?. What he was more concerned about was how the beast outplayed him.
'I've gotten so used to a large amount of lust muddying the air," because of that he stopped paying attion to the lust of people. "well played beast," calloling on his lust core he foucsed it in his hand dragging the engery from the air. 'i hope the witch summet goes well.' he thought as he formed a line of runes. For repelling and protection. Made completely from dense lust energy.
He could feel it, over the thousand years, runes had been refined for the use of mana and mana alone. It's why witches used a different set of runes. The Devils always had their own language, for it was never a problem for them unless they were fighting beings of Earth.
As someone who used several different engines, Sam knew the struggle. Lust was an energy he still didn't have the best grasp of. Ajusting runes would take time; once he had that, his use of lust energy would be all the more dangerous.
With Sam at the center, a barrier formed and spread out, covering the area. He realized a few of them noticed, but decided to wait on commenting.