"Fishing Rod?! I donts need no fishing rods." Kazunori said, and then jumped out of the boat and into the water. Everyone kind of sat there blankly for a minute. Then he came back out, climbed out of the water, sat down and started drinking like he did nothing. When everyone was looking at him, he looked back. "What?" Then shock on his face "Osh yas, da fishies." He reached over the ship and into the water, and then pulled out a fish. "Meets Fred everybody."

"I don't think that will be enough..."

Garud unlatched his staff. Then, he tore a peice of his cloak, and pulled a single string out. He tied the string to the end of the staff.

"Okay, I need a hook, and a peice of bait."

Yuu was still trying to emulate Taken. When Takin came to give Yuu food, at first he denied, since that is what he assumd Taken would do. But, after Taken politely requested the food., Yuu did so as well.

He tried eating the rice balls exactly like Taken. However, Yuu hated rice balls. They were always so bland and tasteless. He much rather create some cookies to eat, but Taken wasn't dong that, so Yuu wouldn;t.

The group ran, and did what they could to avoid the Spark swarm attack, deflecting and dodging as they could. Pyros felt a cut on his shoulder, but kept running as some of his blood dripped onto the ground.

The ship was almost in sight, though there seemed to be something odd about how it hung atop the tree. But there was a crude rope bridge that led to the ship itself.

The lookout spied down the path with his spyglass. "What the devil?" he stood up and called down to his shipmates. "Captain Suij! I see them coming!"

Suij carefully walked over to the side, not wanting to accidently set off the Boat A pult. "Blazes! They look like they've got the very hounds of hell after them!"

And that was all Kirie could have done. Finally putting any hopes of salvaging some kind of victory from all of this madness, she returned to Sanaka, who was hard at work digging a grave. Her hands and clothes were soaked in blood and speckled with dirt and her face was a mess. Kirie promptly transformed her Heavy Blade into a shovel and joined Sanaka. "Sanaka, I'll take care of Astral. Can you go signal the gun vessels to come ashore and bring the highest ranking person on board back to me, please? I have orders for all of you."
Sanaka rose and bowed quickly. "Yes, my Lady."
Kirie nodded and Sanaka set off to go recall the ships. Kirie then got started on finishing Astral's grave.

The hounds of hell wasn't too far from the truth.

Sakiko had seen the sudden burst of dark energy from the Angetsu Shouten and hurried over to where Koyuki had sat propped against a tree. She shifted back from death to life aspect. Lush, verdant, her trail of life and death in her wake, she kneeled in front of the sprawled, unconscious dog demon and gently ran her hand down Koyuki's supine form. "Wake." she said as, much like what she had done to Kirie, she stoked the fires of Koyuki's life.

Moon had kept close on the tail of Youji, a pale, fleet shadow in the darkness of the night. She had seen him hurl his blade and disappear, temporarily gaining a lead on her, but then he had appeared again where the blade had struck. There was confusion amongst her enemies it appeared - they attacked one another.

Then Youji ran into yet another woman - just how many enemies were there out here? Youji vanished, leaivng the sword in the hands of Raze. Moon was beginning to suspect Youji's true nature. Still, as Raze began to run off again, Moon gathered herself and made a great leap, flipping around in midair to land in front of Raze, facing her as she skidded back a few feet from the momentum. Straightening, the half demon leveled her quarterstaff at Raze. The woman did not match the description of any of Kurama's companions and did not seem to be a warrior. Thus, Moon decided her next action.

"Surrender that blade, or die." she said simply, blocking Raze's way.

Glimpsed through the trees and in pursuit of Falcon, Pyros and Sanjuro were Kirakiri and Gekido. It was like nothing would stop them, they would always keep coming. The demons were hungry for death.

And they would catch Pyros and Sanjuro before they reached the ship. Each loping stride carried them closer, the distance between them vanishing with frightful speed. Burdened as they were by carrying Falcon and Ayako, Pyros and Sanjuro had no hope.

Kirakiri leapt at Pyros, a living missile that intended to crush this foe before him. He had seem Pyros' evasiveness before, so his claws splayed out to pull the winged one into a deathly embrace. Burdened as he was by Falcon, Pyros' chances weren't looking good. The shapechanger fell on Pyros like a falling star.

Gekido attacked slightly more cautiously at Sanjuro, not wishing to risk harming Ayako. The deadly axe swept out at knee height, intended to take Sanjuro's legs out from under him. Sanjuro began one of his great bounds, to send himself soaring into the sky. "I SANJURO YAMADA SHALL PROTECT MY WIFE TO BE!" he cried. He leapt.

And felt Gekido's clawed hand close around his ankle. The oni pulled him back with a grunt of effort, Sanjuro's grip on Ayako loosening in surprise. Surely they weren't allowed to do that? As Gekido smashed Sanjuro back to the ground with crushing force, Ayako slipped out of the warriors grasp and leapt nimbly away. Sanjuro hit hard, prone form denting the earth as Gekido flicked his axe around and sent it along the same path to meet Sanjuro's skull.

"Rrgh!" Koyuki growled as she was charged with new vigor, planting the tip of the Angetsu Shouten into the ground and forcing herself to her feet. The Dog-demoness looked at Sakiko, and gave her a quick bow. She rarely thanked anyone, but the situation was dire, and she felt much better.

"Thank you. The enemy has escaped, how quickly can you move?" Koyuki queried, assessing the situation.

---------------------------------------------------------

Ayako had given Sanjuro a swift kick as Gekido broke the warrior's grip on her, allowing the Ice-demoness to spring away and quickly somersault to her feet.

"Now, I'm really mad." she grinned at Sanjuro, making a quick shift to the side to give Gekido room to strike, and uncoiling her fighting chain to snap the weapon overhead at Sanjuro's feet.

"Fast enough I hope," Actions speaking louder than words, the main part of Sakiko's reply to Koyuki was turning and breaking into a graceful run. Time was of the essence after all and Koyuki struck her as someone who disliked unneccesary frivolities.

Koyuki, being a battle trained warrior, swiftly drew abreast to the demoness. They raced through the undergrowth, but it nagged at Koyuki that they could be going faster. The dog demon came to her decision, "We're too slow. Get on."

Koyuki slowed a little as she concentrated, letting her human shape give way to her true form. In the place of the white haired demoness there was a gigantic, hellish dog. Sakiko lightly vaulted up onto Koyuki's back, clinging to her mane as the pair raced through the woods like wildfire.

Raikotsu lay unconscious on the ground, dreaming air-demon dreams. Every so often, he shifted, wincing at the movements, but otherwise he was still.

When Arhra came down, Pyros threw Falcon clear. "Get to the boat!" then, the winged one fought tooth and claw with the shapeshifter. Pyros grabbed Kirakiri by one claw, and felt the other dig into him, while also pummeling away with his other fist. He had no intention of letting those under his protection get hurt, throwing his own health to the wind.
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Raze stopped and froze at the sight of one of Talkatz's warriors. It was plain to be seen, as she had come from that direction, and she was inhumanly fast. And, if Raze was not mistaken, she was an offspring of Kirakiri. Raze knew of Kirakiri. While the demon's many secrets were hidden with time, it was not true to say dead men tell no tales. For dark souls, silenced forever in the mortal realm by that demon were a cacophany in the spiritual realm, heralding his coming to those in tune with both.

And here Raze was, on an island with the dreaded thing, and other forces as well. One was standing right in front of Raze. But, then again, it was only one.

"Get out of my way, foul born! I have places to be, and cannot be slowed down from them by the likes of you for something as stupid as a sword."

Raze would have gladly given her the sword and be done with it, had not to Raze's horror the spirit bound to the sword had taken over Angelita's arm, and now Raze was unable to let go of the blasted thing. But Raze attempted to keep her cool. Perhaps if this sword was wanted so badly, it must have some power to it. Power that could be used to crush the scum before Raze.

"But if you really want this sword, I suppose i could give it to you," Raze unsheathed the sword, and became filled with a strange sense of power. "Ready for it?"

----------------------------------------------------

Sanjuro spat out the dirt he he'd got in his mouth when he hit the dirt. It was incredibly nasty dirt. The nastiest dirt he'd ever eaten. There may have been an earthworm in it, which was probably the tastiest part of the nasty, nasty dirt. Sanjuro rolled over to gag, and felt something go by his head, and through the edge of his hair. He rolled back to see an axe head jutting in the dirt, with a few cut strands of hair, and Ayako's strange whiplike weapon heading towards his feet. "HEY! TODAY IS NOT SANJURO YAMADA"S HAIRCUT DAY!" Sanjuro yelled as he pulled his legs back and righted himself, only to be knocked back down with the might of Gekido, who wrenched his axe from the ground with ease and swung it back down again, this time making sure not to miss.

But Sanjuro was quick to thought when his life was in danger, and kicked out his legs, hitting Gekido squarely in the knee, sending him down on top of Sanjuro. Unfortunately, this only proved to make the axe fall towards Sanjuro faster. Sanjuro grabbed what he could of the axe, pressing it upwards, and used his other arm to push at Gekkido, who countered by pushing himself down, driving the axe towards Sanjuro's neck.

The axe came close, and even dug into Sanjuro's neck, but Sanjuro's thick skin and his own counterpushing kept blood from being spilt. Finally, when both grew tired of the Stalemate, Gekkido attempted to break free and attack afresh from a different standpoint. But Sanjuro was stubborn. He had a grip on the axe, and wasn't willing to let go, even when it was being held so closely to his skin. As Gekkido pushed away, Sanjuro pushed harder, while also pulling the axe. He narrowly missed beheading himself, but with his own pulling, and Gekkido's striving to break free from their struggle, Sanjuro ripped the axe from Gekkido's hands.

Gekkido fell back, and Sanjuro used the axe as a support to lift himself up quickly. Gekkido considered the changed situation, as Sanjuro lifted up the axe and put it in a ready position for battle.

Sanjuro felt the need to state what both of them knew, even though it was obvious, yet important. "I...Sanjuro Yamada, HAVE YOUR AXE!"

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Suij watched on from his perch. "Damn! Your plan just had to involve the damn cannons, didn't it Parker? We need to get off this island, yet I'll be damned if we leave without them. Any sign of my sister?"

"Well I haven't seen your sister, but honestly, from this distance, a cannon shot would reduce them all to mincemeat! Even our people!" Parker pointed to the tightly packed skirmish.

Edward sighed. "It seems we're in a bit of a pinch captain. The men are ready for a fight, but with the way our crew is all aboard the ship, it'd take forever to get all the men down there, and longer to get back up."

Suij took off his cap and scratched his head. "Damn! Do we have any sort of long distance options?"

Niles piped up from behind a mug of the fruit juice. "Well, we could always just chuck stuff at 'em."

Edward turned to Niles. "OH that's a great one Niles! We'll just throw sticks and stones at them like they're liars and they'll run off! Seriously man!"

"Ah'm serious! Mates, we've got plenty of heavy stuff up here! I mean, a well chucked gold bar from up 'ere could kill!" Niles held up his own solidated yearly earning. He casually hurled it over the side.

Jim, who was still recovering stood up despite his wound and many bandages to catch it before it fell. Alas, it kept going, and flew down upon a young woman holding a fighting chain (Ayako). As it slipped through his fingers, he turned and faced the "What? HAVE YE GONE DAFT? THE GOLD? NEVER THE GOLD!" Jim was quite fond of going into the ship's treasury room and dipping into the gold supply for his own good, mostly to live it up every now and then.

"Maybe it's you that's gone daft, as that's the first time you've ever talked with any semblance of the seaman's jib." Roy said under his breath, one of the few who really noticed Jim never said 'Arr!' or anything like that, and frequently said 'Yo!' and 'Sup?'

"What was that?"

"Nothing...."

Hogswarth, the portly cook was the next to come up with a good idea. "How about ye hurl them powder bombs at em? Make a nice thick cloud of the stuff, and our mates can get to the ship quickly. Plus, with the space freed by their use, I can fill it up with more of these tasty fruits!"

"Powder bombs? When on earth did we get those?" Suij asked, not recollecting trading for any.

Edward was aware of their source, while his captain wasn't. "Didn't I tell you? Ricky McGee traded an unscrupulous ninja for them during last shore leave's all night keggar. Jim's already used 3, so at least they work."

Ricky McGee nodded. "Aye! But I'm fairly sure I got the poor hand of the deal, as I seem to be missin' a kidney, yes I do."

Suij nodded at this. Ricky was always an odd one. "You say Jim's tested them?"

"More or less." Edward replied.

*****A week Ago******

Edward: Sorry Jim, but we just want to make sure Ricky got his Kidney's worth.

Parker: Don't worry! We're doing it in the name of science!

Paul: Just stow your gab and sit very still, Jim ma boy! (cocks gun)

(Jim is tied to a tree, surrounded by the powder bombs.)

Jim: HOSHIT!

(Paul fires and hits one of the bombs, the entire area is flooded with dark powder which is impossible to see through.)

Parker: Marvellous!

Edward: Aye, they work just as said!

(Jim hobbles out of the powder, covered in head to toe.)

Jim: Did I really need to be standing near it?

Paul: hmm....NO. HAHAHAHAHAHa! (gives jim a hearty slap on the back, which makes him cough up the powder.)

All 3 (except jim): HAHAHAHAHAHAHa!

************

Suij sighed. His men were crazy. "Fine then. I want those bombs on deck immediately, and those down there swimming in powdery soup soon after. Come on! Quick's the word, and Sharp's the action!"

The men rushed to task.
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Moriko found herself helpless in the brawl that followed. She couldn't risk a shot at Kirakiri, for so tightly bound in combat was he with Pyros that she might miss and injure the winged man instead.

As for Gekido and Sanjuro, she knew neither, and could not tell whether or not they were friend or foe. Gekkido was monstrous, but Sanjuro had previously kidnapped a maiden and ran off with her. And that very maiden was a stranger to her as well, for she readied her own weapon to strike against her kidnapper.

Paul however had no such inhibitions, and fired at will, Firing at the thing most monstrous in his sight, Gekkido. Paul was sure Pyros would be fine. He had saved the ship, so what was a bizarre monster covered in claws?

-------finally, the last scene cut to of this post-----------

In the ground near the destroyed airship, the grass was dead. It was dead because the sheer amount of blood loss on that day killed the plants, the flowers, and several insects. The blood lost would forever curse the place as a holder of death, and in the future, more would die on this place.

But despite it's new status as a deathground, something was still very much alive there. It stirred, and ran along the petrified grass, wading through the blood. As lay there, amongst the blood and countless corpses, it smiled....