After some rumination, the Beanies would finally gather their courage and exit out the back entrance, but needless to say, the Oniwanban fellows were long gone. Left with little recourse, the Beanies decided perhaps they should attempt to return to their wagon... if it is still intact, anyway. They needed to be a little more prepared this time around for whatever was coming next.

The Beanies were certainly not expecting the parking tent with their wagon to be completely devoid of people. Orders were being barked all over the place - something about change in plans - and there was a lot of activity near the port, undoubtedly trying to make good use of whatever little sunlight remained on the horizon. Disinclined towards having the guards chasing after them yet again, the Beanies decided to make full use of this opportunity to sneak back into their wagon and assess the damage. Which was not much, really. Their grounding stakes had been disabled in advance for the presumable contraband they ended up helping deliver, and being the peace-loving creatures that they were (who couldn't even swing a weapon on their own even if not), they had zero weaponry of their own, so the only visible damage was with whatever scuffs happened here through the guards' manhandling, and a missing tool pouch.

Demony gestured towards the port.
"(Do we have to?)" Chili really did not want to go out anymore. This adventure had been less than fun so far, and it felt like diving in would be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.
"(But what if those Oniwanwan up to no goodie?)" Goody was no less reluctant, but their better nature shone through.
"(Oniwanban, Goody-plush. What were we even going to do even if they did show up though? We have no weapon, no fighting skills, nothing!)" Star corrected Goody and countered the argument logically. Demony had little care for the Beanies' idiotic arguments and a bigger Demony[1] appeared behind it, glaring angrily at the trio.

So it was that the Beanies were riding the little Demony[2] at the rooftops, jumping across buildings to where the port stood.

---

Bringing:

[1]Mounted Feline

[2]House Cat

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Crimson Skies
Participants: Two or more
Location: Crescent Isles
Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post
Reward: Ability to take on Part 3, +1 Renown
Description: Lao has asked you to continue your work with finding and rooting out this shadowy presence that has taken hold of Hano City. You have been asked to cooperate with a task force put together by the local Imperial Garrison to watch over the Tithe shipment to the mainland that will be leaving Hano Port. You and your group will be assisted by two hunters and two knights from the Imperial Garrison as you watch over one of the three Tithe ships that will be leaving the Harbor at night.

Sometime after nightfall your group and the Port itself will come under siege as dozens of ships both military and civilian catch fire turning the once dark night crimson with flame. As the confusion mounts your group will be beset upon by a group of Oniwanban agents who were behind the attack. Help the garrison fight off the attackers and defend the port during the raid. On the leader of the group that ambushes you, you can retrieve a note hidden under the wrappings of a kunai, indecipherable for now but important nonetheless.

The Onibanwan group went back to the hideout they'd set up in the city while they were working. It was a simple building, nearly the opposite side of town from the warehouse district, to help it avoid being searched by the guards after each incident. It was only meant to be a temporary place for them to go to rest between missions, so it was unassuming from the outside and inside it hardly had anything to hide. Only a few documents that could easily be slipped beneath floor boards or false drawer bottoms without needing much room.

Following their latest mission, causing an explosion rather than just burning the building down, they were ready to take a break. That mission was much more daring than usual and cause quite the stir. The guards, who had already been going crazy trying to find the perpetrators of all the arson cases, were now in a full-blown panic. This was just fine with them. They were just making this mission easier as they raised dissent against the imperial garrison among the citizens. People would be fed up with the guards' arresting them left and right soon enough.

But now was the time for a different operation. The explosion pulled a lot more guards to it than the usual burning building, just like they planned. Now, the real target would be much less defended. The ship in the docks carrying the tithe shipment to the  mainland. Another group of Onibanwan was already waiting for the moment to start the attack and take the ship.

That would be happening any moment now.

From the rooftops, the Beanies could see many fires shifting positions as a grand-looking and highly fortified ship began to leave the Harbour. They hadn't the slightest idea of its significance, but it must be serious business with the sheer amount of guards visible, even if it were actually a diminished amount due to the Oniwanban's concerted efforts at distraction.

The larger Demony remained by the wagon, not wanting to draw any attention to itself even if the surrounding darkness lent itself well to camouflaging its presence so long as light did not shine. Sure, it limited the distance its little self could go as the two instances could not be too far apart, but the height and view should compensate for it. Then, it heard footsteps entering the wagon and glanced in the direction of which it came from, its feline-coded nocturnal vision allowing them to perceive the forms of which these intruders took.

"Those plushies have been useful pawns. Shame that their wagon must burn too." The Oniwanban agent whispered with a pragmatic malice, not realising there were other ears aside from herself and her fellows. Demony opted to bide its time as it quietly moved into an offensive stance, internally mocking the fools for eschewing light in their bid to remain stealthy.

Back to the Beanies, they continued watching the ship sail away when it would suddenly take a sharp turn left, which was swiftly followed by a raucous cacophony of surprised and angry shouts. Before anyone could process what was going on, however, a chain of fiery explosions would occur all over the place, sending tremors echoing all over the Port and nearly sending the little Demony falling towards the floor. Reds began blending into the very skies, interspersed with unhealthy greys threatening to cause permanent harm to anyone inhaling them.

Immediately deducing that it was a coordinated operation, the larger Demony would take this opportunity to catch the Oniwanban strike team threatening to burn the wagon unawares with a body slam, and then following up with pouncing and tearing away at their knees with its jaws while slashing away at their arm muscles, starting with the 'merchant' and arsonist. Mercy never existed in Demony's dictionary, and these backstabbing bastards were about to learn that the hard way.

The port was in chaos. The main target of the attack, the ship carrying the tithe, stopped in the water just as it was trying to set sail. Its anchor suddenly fell from the side of the ship, and ropes were thrown onto it and attached to the posts of the dock. The sails of the ship went up in flames and started to collapse, keeping it from catching the wind. It was completely stuck, and this was all accomplished so quickly that the crew were shocked.

"It's an attack! Call the garrison!" Someone shouted from the deck, but his calls were suddenly silenced with a cry of pain as he fell to the ground. Behind where he had just been standing, a masked figure was running off toward the next crewmate.

The stealthy Oniwanban agents were nearly invisible in the dark, but the ship's deck was lit up with the burning sail. A small problem in the plan, but they were aware of it beforehand. They knew their stealth would be lost in this fight, but the element of surprise and the surprise of the sail going up in flames would be plenty for them to take out the crew and grab the chest without a problem.

Hylltywyll, on the other hand, hadn't expected the burning sail at all and let out a snarl of annoyance as the shadows covering him from sight were suddenly stripped away. His perch atop the ship's cabin was completely exposed and one of the Oniwanban agents noticed him with a little surprise. They didn't expect to see the small, fuzzy being there, so both parties were a bit caught off guard by this outcome.

"What is that!?"

"I don't know, just kill it!"

The Oniwanban agents had never seen a Fae before and probably assumed he was some dangerous yokai or something. Well, the yokai part was wrong, but they were right about him being dangerous.

A kunai was thrown straight at Hylltywyll and he deflected it away with a barrier of light before summoning a handful of his own throwing knives from the shadow behind him and tossing them at the soldier.

---

Wall of Light
Desert Blessing

Oh no! The wagon! The Beanies were frantically squeaking at Demony to go back, but a flaming wall spanning across multiple buildings would prevent them from traversing the way they came from. It appeared that the Oniwanban had also doused a good number of roads with flammable substances to cut off possible supply or retreat routes. Whatever those terrorists intended, they were dead serious. These 'walls' will not last for long, but it will be enough to prevent incoming reinforcements from easily reaching the port. The Beanies considered taking into the air, then they saw little lined silhouettes flying in arcs in the general direction of the port. Arrows! Demony quickly scrambled inland, jumping inside a window to take shelter within.

The larger Demony retreated back inside the tent as the arrows flew over and threatened to pincushion it. The Oniwanban assailants had retractable shields handy to protect their heads, though they would be unlucky enough to have some stray arrows strike other body parts in their attempt to protect their injured ally. Perhaps it was for the best that the Beanies were not around. Demony was about to strike once more when a chained sickle[1] embedded itself onto its body from another angle, causing it to flinch and look to the source of its new woe. Before it could catch anything, however, a sudden cloud of smoke[2] would greedily gobble up all surrounding visibility and leave Demony completely sightless. The only thing it could hear was words mentioning retreat. It appeared fortune was not in its favour after all.

---

[1]Oniwanban Shadow: Kusarigama

[2]Oniwanban Shadow: Smoke Field

When the fires in the warehouse district were finally taken care of and the guards could finally start to head back to the areas they were supposed to be positioned, including many of the guards from the docks, they were suddenly cut off by walls of even more fire. These criminals sure loved their fire.

The Onibanwan agent leapt to the side, dodging most of the shadowy throwing knives and deflecting the last one that might have hit him. Hylltywyll frowned. Of course these agents would be better at using and dodging weapons like throwing knives. Hylltywyll was no master of the blade, but he was sure he was far superior to these chumps in any magic. Why should he reduce himself to their levels when he was so far above them.

The Onibanwan around the boat all held their weapons at the ready and prepared their attacks. Swinging chains with small scythe-like blades attached to the ends, kunai, swords. They were about to come at the small, unknown creature together. Fighting one on one wasn't their style, instead opting for ambush and sneak attacks.

But before any of them could follow up, all of them blinked in surprise as their hands were suddenly empty. All of their weapons just ceased to exist, like they'd never even brought them here in the first place. A few of the guards on the boat were also suddenly deprived of their weapons as well, but the guards that were attempting to get onto the boat from the docks still had theirs, and now the group of Onibanwan were weaponless and easy to overpower.

Hylltywyll gave the Onibanwan agent a smug smile.

---

Disarming Aura

Demony pulled at the chain connecting the sickle to the other end of whatever implement it was, simmering angrily with the desire to unleash its suffering twofold to the bastard who struck at it. A tug-of-war would commence, though ultimately Demony was at a disadvantage simply because it could not see anything with the smoke being as thick as it was, and thus failed to properly defend itself when an oversized shuriken[1] flew its way and stabbed it in the face. Then, the sickle embedded onto its side would be pulled off, causing redoubled pain, which was swiftly followed by the shuriken being removed from its head forcibly like it was attached to a rope of something. Attached to a rope? As the shuriken finally freed itself, Demony would gather all its strength on its two forearms and pull at the ring with all its might, hoping to surprise the prick enough for a counterattack.

In the meantime, the Beanies and the other Demony were cautiously exiting the building they were in through the rooftop, hoping there weren't any further surprises as they did so. The fires were starting to dim as the amount of fuel on the floor gradually decreased, and what appeared to be more guards were beginning to make headway to the port from the other ends of the roads leading up to it, splashing water and redirecting flames in the process. Maybe they should prepare to return to the wagon as soon as it became possible, so Demony went hopping back the direction they originally came from once more.

---

[1]Oniwanban Shadow: The Folding Shuriken

The Onibanwan agents cursed as guards came from the docks and stormed onto the ship. With their weapons vanished right out of their hands, this operation was suddenly going downhill fast. At least they still had numbers on their side while a lot of the guards were halted by the fires after being lured away, but that wouldn't last much longer.

One of the Onibanwan let out a cry as an arrow lodged in his shoulder, and he spun to the floor from the force of the shot. Another one leapt back, out of the way of a sword as two knights in imperial armor climbed onto the ship. Another arrow impaled an Onibanwan agent, and the rest began to find cover behind whatever they could find. Barrels, masts, and stair railings across the deck.

The Onibanwan agent that had seen Hylltywyll looked up to see two more imperial soldiers, but these two armed with bows and wearing lighter armor, were taking aim at them from atop a nearby building on the docks. Shit, Just how had these four Imperial soldiers gotten here so fast? Were they stationed here this whole time, and not drawn away by the fires?

He expected there to still be some soldiers. They wouldn't leave the ship completely unguarded for anything, but he wasn't expecting them to leave what seemed like some of their best. These four were taking his men down one after the other! And that little creature. Where the hell had that thing come from!?

He looked back to where he saw it, but it was gone.

The fires near where the Travelling Beanbag was have finally dissipated, leaving only scalding stone pavements to halt the diminutive tenebrous silhouette's stride. However, hazy billows of smoke still occupied the exact parking space the Beanies' wagon was in, leaving the trio of teddies fearful that perhaps there was indeed a fire going on. Demony, however, was entirely aware that there was no fire, and would thus jump right into the warzone, the Beanies' terrified squeaks be damned. If it were any other situation it would absolutely be relishing in the sacrilegious screams emanating from the eternally blasphemous bears, but not this instance. Not when it was in a losing battle.

The source of Demony's woes would have a moment of pure, unadulterated hesitation as they registered the inexplicable presence of... a cat-esque figure and three teddy bears!? entering their hunting grounds, enough that their strenuous grip on the rope holding the shuriken would slip just long enough for the bigger shadow to forcibly yank the shuriken away by the ring. As though in retaliation, a kinetic blast^[1] would be directed straight at the larger Demony, causing it to be hurtled towards the wall and generating an audible impact. This would ultimately prove to be the assailant's undoing, however, as the generated sounds effectively signaled 'there is something going on here'. A swift lob of a glass sphere that exploded^[2] right next to the agent's face would cause them to cough and rub their fingers over their faces, trying futilely to purge themselves of the powdered glass that seeped into their orifices. This also resulted in the field of smoke emanating from their person to dissipate, unveiling their presence at last. Quite swiftly, the reinforcements would charge in and flood the ports once more as they hunted for stragglers and captured the Oniwanban Shadow who hurt laid down the hurts on Demony.

Not that the Beanies were paying any attention to the above events, the only thing they cared about had been Demony the entire time and the trio would swiftly disembark from its smaller self to try and provide it whatever comfort they could. Then a wall of light^[3] curved around the quintet.
"Freeze! All of you are to be brought in for questioning!" Oh dear. Well, not like the teddy bears could do anything anyway and they had enough sense to understand this was entirely serious business, so they obeyed the authorities' words without even the slightest squeak.

Among the weaponry stripped from the Oniwanban Shadow was a kunai with its wrappings loosened just enough that letters were visible, which would be urgently delivered ahead of everyone else to Grand Chancellor Lao's Office.

---

^[1]Oniwanban Shadow: Concussion Scroll

^[2]NPC Hunter: Improvisation Engineer - Glass Sphere + Powdered Glass + Crude Gunpowder

^[3]NPC Guard: Wall of Light