Arrival to a City in Chaos!

"By the gods..." Sans whispered, their ship had slown to a halt as the fog had finally cleared, and she had soon wished it hadn't. They were close enough now to see they had arrived near the harbor, able to witness a city at it's collapse. Houses and markets were on fire, hundreds of civilians running for their lives chased by... Honey Bees? Yea, the same kind that she saw on her route to the village earlier.

"Honey Bees." Ketsueki confirmed, turning around to ask one of the crew members. "Shouldn't we still be sailing ahead?"

"Was told strictly not to make port, miss. And judging by the looks of it, it's fair to say i's the right decision 'ere." Maris replied, eyes glued to the calamity up ahead.

"That's right, as I said before this is as far as you'll be going."

They all looked back to find Nobody approaching them, taking in the full scene. Despite it being night time, the city was glowing brightly with such fire and blight spreading around.

"Sorry toots, that's my word to you. Maris can allow you a whaleboat for smoother sailing, but that won't be necessary."

"What do you-"

Before Ketsueki could ask, the boat shook and some rope flew up before a few sailors tied them to the rails. In a few seconds, several men in dark clothing climbed aboard before rolling down a rope ladder. Stepping aside, Ketsueki frowned and glared at Nobody, who merely shrugged.

"Sorry love, may have been given a deal prior to meeting ya. You know how my life is. Safe travels though, tell your friend to keep in touch." She smirked.

Suddenly Xitlaly bursted out of the double doors and stared with large wide eyes at the city. "HOLY SHIT, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?!?"

Sans' shoulders dropped with Ketsueki growling, throwing a cold stare at one of the robed men who recoiled back a bit.

"You know how it is, no touching."

The stranger nodded. "Sorry, sekandobosu. She doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Course she doesn't, fuck me. Sans? Call for Xitlaly, they only want us three."

"Sure, but how di-"

"Please, save those questions for later. I just... ugh."

She nodded before reaching for Xitlaly's hand, at this point noticing her friend had her scarlet undergarments on and seemingly loose fitted. The vest had its buttons mismatched, and the tunic seemed a bit rushed for wear. Xitlaly paused before catching on to the situation.

"You don't... is this like, expected?"

"I have no idea, but Ketsueki seems aware of the situation. Let us just go with her for now, we can trust her."

Xitlaly nodded and walked with her, unsure of what to do. Ketsueki was the first to descend onto the lifeboat, where a familiar face was waiting. Sans came in second, then Xitlaly before Nobody came forward.

"Hold on dear, here. Can't be forgetting something this valuable." She said, holding her folded up scarlet robe and passing it to her.

Xitlaly blushed before accepting her witch garment, nodding at her as she winked back. "Safe travels dear, you're welcomed anytime."

"Erhm, thanks hehe." She took hold of the rope ladder and descended down before arriving at the small boat. Ketsueki had her arms crossed with Sans seemingly worried and concerned.

"Nice to have you back Laly, you got some lipstick on your neck."

"Um... thanks. So what ar-"

"Don't ask."

"...okay."

They remained quiet as several men sat beside each one, with two in charge of rowing. It felt like hours, and the doll and dryad could only hold their breathes as they drew closer to the chaos within the city. Soon their view was blocked as they rowed under what appeared as a bridge, only to grow more narrow into a tunnel. For a minute all was black, and the girls adjusted their eyes so to see in the dark better. Being a monster girl has its benefits after all.

"Sekandobosu, we are here."

Ketsueki nodded and stepped out of the boat, with another cloaked figure giving her a hand forward. Sans and Xitlaly followed behind, and soon the place opened into a small under basement, with well maintained brick walls and wooden floor boards that seemed well scuffed with the movement of large boxes of which there were currently only several. The large men behind them had thoughtfully blocked the only exit, and the sound of thumping from above was observed. A small trap door opened in the ceiling, quickly a ladder descended.

"Ah crap..." Ketsueki sighed placing her hand on the ladder.

"Sekandobosu!" The man's voice arrested her movement, and she noted that he was holding her Kanbo out to her. "You don't want to forget this."

She nodded quietly in response before looking up at the trapdoor nervously. Her hand grasped the familiar bumped and ridged metal, and the man quietly bowed and stepped back in response.

Ketsueki ascended the ladder, stepping into a large open space. For a moment, there was the familiar sight of Friend's Hall, before the memory faded and the stark differences to her own operation were present. There was no quiet murmur here, and she leaned down her hand to aid Xitlaly as she thought of it. Yeah, this place was waiting for something. Wait, where was the guy who put the ladder down?

"Kets, what's going on?" Sans asked quietly. There was the same feel of dead wood, less immediately upsetting, but this wood felt different. The energy here had the same lingering touches of lust and anger that were remnants in the wood of Ketsueki's hall, but here it was bound much more strongly. It was, the same as that of the blight. Completely. The binding, so much like the Oni she had spared such passionate moments with, but nothing like her. Stronger though... so much stronger.

Kets dropped the ladder down through the trapdoor, and secured it with a quick motion. Nobody here. That meant it was a private talk. No witnesses.

The sound of heavy steps on the wood resounded through the quiet room, and Xitlaly was momentarily stunned at the tranquility of the scene. With everything raging outside, how could it be so quiet? They had to be in the very center of something massive, and clearly this place was well protected enough to have these silent moments.

The steps came closer, and a soft Rice paper door slid open softly. A woman in a large, floppy black hat and dark cloak stepped though with a heavy step. She was large, Xitlaly noticed, and clearly confident in her step. Her eyes were a piercing hazel, and as her gaze narrowed on the trio, her elegant black gloves slid along the rice paper, bringing a slight snarling sound as the door closed.

Her steps echoed in the quiet of the room, eyes never leaving the three as she walked directly towards the small raised platform at the end of the hall. Each footstep seemed louder than the last as she finally brought her foot down heavily, bringing a slight splintering to a tiny section of the wood.

"If you're going after the Church, I'm going to have to stand in your way," The woman snarled angrily under the brim of her hat. Her hand moved to her cloak, and she held it there for a moment, before dropping it to her side with a smile. "And I don't feel like getting blood on my nice dress."

Her snarl turned into a grin and her stance began to lower, her hand dropping to one knee, while the other pulled an incredibly detailed Kanbo from beneath her cloak. The thing could easily have been the size of a small child, Xitlaly noted with a little bit of fear, and was covered with precise markings that resembled faces, horns, and other shapes. The entire thing seemed to glow with a slightly greenish tinge, and she could sense the evil and hunger radiating off of it.