In an undisclosed location on the 2nd martial continent-
"I greet the great Don!"
A musclebound man with a patchwork face could be seen respectfully bowing to a strange figure sitting atop a throne hidden by a vail. The veil itself was marked by a brown serpent coiled around itself in a manner that if viewed from a certain perspective could be mistaken for a pile of poop.
This unmistakable poop-shaped snake was the symbol of the brown-scale mafia, a recent criminal organization that's made waves in the dark empire's underworld, and the man behind the veil was the groups leader, only known as, "The Don".
"Enough groveling! Speak your purpose!" The Don said to the patch-face man.
"Yes, Don! I am here to inform you that the events that you predicted have come to pass! The sages have invaded the Dark Empire, and the vassal states have indeed rebelled! Your wisdom is indeed unmatched to be able to-! *Cough*"
As the patch-face man started praising the Don's wisdom, the Don raised one hand and the poor guy began coughing up blood while struggling to breathe.
"I thought I said to stop groveling! Now leave me be!" The Don grumbled in irritation.
"Y-Yes! B-Before I go! About the plan for what to do next?"
"Yes! …! ignore those orders…! Await new instructions soon! …! Now leave!" The Don uttered with great difficulty as a blue glint shone through the veil.
Having been given his order to leave, the patch-face man picked himself off the floor as he walked unsteadily out of the room, elated that the injuries he suffered from interacting with the Don in his current mood was only this much.
"Ugh! Damn monster!" The Don grumbled to himself once he was alone.
As the Don was holding his head while contemplating how he came to be in this position, there was a commotion happening outside his door.
"Who are you!"
*Bang**Clang**Shouting and screaming*
"WHAT IS HAPPENING OUT THER-?!"
*BANG*
As the Don was inquiring what the commotion was about, the door to his room was kicked open as a girl in a white fish-mask carrying a satchel full of scrolls and wearing a cap.
"TA-DA! DELIVERY FOR THE GOAT-FACE DON! No, wait, that's the wrong scroll, hold on! No, not that one, or this one! AH! FOUND IT!" She shouted as she entered the room while rummaging around her satchel for the right scroll.
Looking into the hallway from which she entered, one could see the half-eaten corpses of the Don's men who had made the misfortunate mistake of trying to stop this mythical beast in the form of a little girl playing mailman.
Normally, had this been anyone else, the Don would have been furious at such a display, but…
*Sigh*
"Did you really have to kill them all! It's bothersome to make new puppets every time you pay me a visit you know!" The Don complained.
This was not the first time this has happened, and so, the normal anger has been replaced by helpless exasperation at this messenger.
"THERE IS NO TIME TO WORRY ABOUT COLLATERAL DAMAGE WHEN THERE IS MAIL NEEDING DELIVERING! I'M SURE I'LL BE EMPLOY OF THE MONTH THIS TIME! HEY, DO YOU WANT TO HEAR MY SONG! OH, WHO LIVES IN A CASTLE UNDER THE-!" Yin shouted as she handed over the scroll while about to burst into song.
"No, no, I'm fine! Hehe! Besides, you seem to have a lot yet to be delivered, correct? You might want to get going on that or you will never become the employ of the month!"
"AH! YOU'RE RIGHT! NEXT TIME THEN! BYESIES GOAT-FACE!" Yin shouted, waving goodbye as she disappeared into mist.
Letting out a resigned sigh, the Don opened the scroll. Upon reading through its contents, the parchment was lit ablaze as he arose out of his seat and stepped past the veil obscuring his figure. As for his identity, he was a coal skinned man with the horns of a ram, the glowing red eyes of a demon and the tattoo of a ram entangled by a snake adorning his chest.
"Well, at least she keeps it interesting!" The half-demon muttered with a smirk as he looked out the window at the large underground city.
…
Somewhere in an undisclosed location on the northern end of the continent.
"AND SHE SHALL BRING DOWN RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE ON THE…!"
Within the camp of the conscripted soldiers of the sages, an old man in sporting shiny armor was holding a religious gathering to up the moral of his followers. He was one of the latest cult-leaders of the many cults that littered the 2nd martial continent since time immemorial. As the 2nd martial continent is in a near constant state of upheaval, all sorts of orders, religious or otherwise tend to spring up in multitudes. This cult in particular seemed to be extremely antagonistic towards the dark empire, hence the sages' forces did not bother restricting any of its missionary work within their ranks. If anything, they encouraged its spread. After all, it could boost morale, and if their soldiers had to pray to something, then why not a god that opposed the enemy.
*Click*
Having finished his sermon for the day, the old man entered his private quarters, locking the door behind him and began taking off his armor before bed.
They had been marching towards the border and had commandeered a village's buildings for temporary shelter. Hence, the troops military priest had been given his own private room to rest in before tomorrow's siege.
Sensing something was off, the priest quickly unsheathed his blade and swung it around, only to stop just shy of the neck of the fish-girl in a ninja costume, carrying a satchel of scrolls.
"Crap! You noticed me! I was hoping to catch you by surprise! I mean! Nin!" Yin muttered, a little disappointed she failed at stealthily misting into the room without alarming its residence.
"Huh? OH, uh! Hm? Is someone there? My old, tired eyes cannot see well in this dark room!" The old man with a lion tattoo on his chest said, trying to pretend he didn't see the little dejected ninja sulking about being caught.
At the obvious lie of the old man, Yin perked up and sneakily toddled over to the table and placed down the scroll she came to deliver.
"Oh! A scroll? I could have sworn there was no such thing on my table a second ago! *Chuckle*" The old man said, unable to stifle his chuckle at the silly little girl's ninja act.
He then picked up the scroll and red through it's contents before for the parchment self-combusted in his hands.
"I see! Too think, this was her plan all along! I am in awe of her foresight! Little Yin, please give my humble gratitude to-? Where did she go?" The old man pondered as the little ninja that had been here a moment ago had vanished without a trace.
Consequently, a giant and blindfolded clergy folk would experience a similar encounter with a fish-masked ninja.
…
Somewhere on the stormy seas surrounding the 2nd martial continent.
"CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN!" A sailor shouted aboard the deck, looking frantically for his captain.
"What ya want lad! Don't ya see we're busy! HARD TO PORT!" The captain shouted to the helms men while looking over his treasure map.
"Captain, *Huff* th-there is a-!"
*BOOM**BANG**BOOM*
Before the sailor could inform his captain of the urgent problem at hand, the sounds of cannons firing at their ship resounded across the ship, the shockwaves of the impact sending the two of them flying overboard.
Whether it be mortals or nascent souls, being thrown overboard amidst a storm of the high seas is a dangerous thing. Though nascent souls can fly out of the water, eliminating the danger of drowning, it can still be disorienting and bewildering to be thrown overboard like this. There have been no shortage of people whom has somehow lost track of their ship even if they only spent a few seconds in some stormy seas. The violent currents of this world could carry you miles away from your ship in under a minute should you get caught in them, it also does not help that the tall tides and foggy, obscure sea could easily conceal the vessel you fell from. However, above anything else, the biggest concern would have to be the possibility of being eaten by whatever is below the hull. Though it is not always the case, in a world where dragons roam the sky, and immortals walk the land, turbulent seas like these can sometimes be a sign of a powerful or a multitude of sea monsters stirring the water below. Spending any amount of time in such dangerous waters could be deadly.
*Splash**Gasp*
Fortunately for the captain and the sailor, this storm was not the caused by the monsters below the ship, but rather…
"COME ON MAITY! UP YA GO!" The captain said as he carried his subordinate out of the water.
*Unsheathing of swords*
The ones sailing above it.
"Hardy ye captain be! Shame ye crew not be the same! HAR HAR HAR!" cackled the spectral half horse half man pirate captain as he pointed his cutlass at the two men who just climbed out of the sea.
This storm was not the work of sea beasts running amok below the tides, but rather the ghost ship hosting a multitude of ghost pirates kicking up a storm above the waters.
"PLUNDER ANYTHIN NOT NAILED TO THE DECK!"
*Cheering ghost pirates*
"Oh, and as fer ye, captain, me captain!"
*Swish**Thud*
"Ye be joinin me crew in Davy John's locker! HAR HAR HAR!" The centaur laughed as he beheaded the ship's captain, only for him to re-emerge as a green ghost with a fierce loyalty to his new crew.
After the ghost pirates had had their fill of plunder, they let the sailors go free, before disappearing into the storm to places unknown. Woe betides the valorous sailors who set out into the storm, for they may join the "Flying Johnson" as voyage across the sea of death.
"YARGH!"
Surprisingly however, even the dead get mail every now and then.
"CAPTAIN HORSEY-BUTT! YE GOT SOME MAIL! ARGH!" Yin shouted, as she swung down a rope dressed as a stereotypical pirate to hand the ghost centaur a scroll.
"That's Captain John, ya trout faced brat!" The ghost pirate complained as he grabbed the scroll and read it.
After reading it's contents, the scroll self-combusted as a wide grin spread across the dead man's face.
"What a fine age to be unalive! HAR HAR HAR!" He cackled as he looked out at the fleets of ghostships emerging from the fog while the centaur and snake tattoo on his chest began to light up.
…
Speaking of the dead.
Deep within a mountain, there lies a sacred shrine experiencing some turmoil.
Legend tell of a woman carrying the spawn of evil insider her womb. A being so wicked that should it be born, the entire world would be in danger. However, a savior, a saint, a hero appeared, vanquishing the evil child before it could spread its cancer upon the world. However, the unfortunate woman whom had given birth to the demon had long since been corrupted. Possessed by the evil spawn's wicked power, she sought to curse the righteous hero and the innocents he protected, but good always prevails. Her plan was foiled, and so, the great hero opened a portal to a frozen hellscape nothing may escape, which he banished her too. Or so they say, but the truth is far more sinister.
In truth, the woman in that story had merely been the victim of a very gruesome publicity stunt of a past crusader from the 3rd martial continent. A pregnant widow in a town plagued by death and paranoia. She had been falsely accused of being seduced by evils forces, murdering her late husband, carrying and later being possessed by the spawn of evil, none of which was remotely close to the truth. Nonetheless, her stomach was torn open as she was disemboweled and killed alongside her unborn child to calm the anxiety of the people and increase the fame of her murderer.
Not surprisingly, her spirit was not content with the villagers nor the so called hero's actions, and so, she became a vengeful spirit, an undead ghost seeking retribution on the village, upon which she was soon punished through a demonic artifact the hero had once pilfered from his enemies, banishing her to the frost palace, where she spent years, struggling not to fall into the mouth of the two beasts residing below those accursed lands.
In spite of the gruesome truth of the matter, the undead are always evil, and banishing evil is always praiseworthy. So, this shrine was erected upon where the poor woman's home once stood, in honor of that so-called hero, however, one day, against all odds. The wicked woman possessed by evil returned, seeking revenge.
*Scratching sound*
One night, a monk had just finished sweeping the courtyard and was about to retire for the night, however, as he passed the enshrined statue of the grate hero holding a blade to the demon child, he had spotted something peculiar out of the corner of his eye. For a split second, he thought he had seen a disheveled woman clambering around the statue of the hero. When he turned back to look, the woman was gone, but as he moved closer to take a closer look, he found that there were scratch marks across the hero's face.
*Click**Clack*
While wondering who could have possibly done such a thing, he failed to notice the disheveled woman, with long black hair, wearing a bloodstained and ragged nightgown, and grey, almost rotting skin, leaning her head over his shoulder. That is at least until she let out an ear-piercing shriek right into his ear.
The other monks and priests resting nearby, alerted by the loud scream, all rushed out to see what was happening, however, by the time they got there, it was already too late. The monk had been crucified atop the shrine's gates. His stomach had been torn open and his organs removed and used to decorate the hero-statue.
That was only the beginning. Night after night, a new corpse, gutted and crucified with their entrails and blood smeared across the statue. Of course, being in the holy profession, it did not take long until someone realized the supernatural nature of the culprit, and so, they held an exorcism to banish this evil spirit from this sacred shrine. However, …
*Screech*
*Ritualistic chanting*
Since they were not sure where in the shrine exactly the spirit was, they had tried trapping and sealing the evil spirit by erecting a holy barrier around the shrine. However, they had vastly underestimated the power of this particular ghost.
The moment the barrier was erected, the woman manifested into a visual form and began to enlarge, her body stretching out and elongating until she turned into a very skinny giant, banging against the confines of the barrier. As the barrier began to shrink towards the holy-bead they intended to trap her inside of, the tattoo of a scorpion entangled in a snake lit up on her chest, and the barrier began cracking with every strike until eventually …
*Screech*
*Ritualistic chanting*
*Shatter*
It shattered.
"Dear god!" A priest uttered in despair as he saw the fist of the giant woman fall down upon him.
*Splatter*
Generally speaking, a ghost, even one visible to the naked eye, does not have much in terms of actual mass, even one of this size. Ghosts are essentially a collection of loose soul-based particles, able to stretch and morph around any physical object that might pass through them with very little difficulty. One can basically think of them as a pile of living gas, so for a ghost to deal any significant physical damage, they would either need to compress their fist into a solid object first or utilize an immense amount of mass or speed to make up for the lack in tangibility. However, that is not to say there are not other ways for the dead to harm the living, as is evident of the priest that popped like a water balloon upon entering the ghost's fist.
*Screech*
"ROAR!" A certain fish-masked girl in a dinosaur costume shouted, as she suddenly appeared inside the shrine carrying a scroll in her mouth.
…
Somewhere on the 1st martial continent.
*Bang*
"DELIVERY FOR-!"
*Boom*
Yin, making her next delivery, had mist-gated her way into a certain magician's residence and promptly kicked in the door, only to activate a trap-enchantment that sent a fireball flying into her face.
"Ah-Achoo! *Sniffle*!"
Of course, being a mythical beast known for her sturdiness, even a 6th tier spell might not be able to put a scratch on her body, let alone a simple enchantment emulating a 3rd tier spell.
"Yer, a long ways away from home kid!" Said the scarred red-head, pointing a 5th tier spell in Yin's way.