The maids leaped down to meet the charging cats with ease. Ichi slapped the button to close the hatch as he saw Wavr hold her palms upward and balls of water floated above them.

"Will they be alright?"

Rikya's voice drifted to Ichi as he saw Hifu's body glow light green and disappate into the wind.

"It's just an army. Let's get out of here."

Rikya nodded at Ichi. The hatch closed and for an instant they were in plunged into darkness before the inside of the robot became translucent again. It was less than a couple seconds for Ichi and Rikya, yet they were clearly now underwater.

"Woah."

Rikya looked up at thousands of cats and tents and everything inside swirling up towards the sky. The light from the sun of the Spirit World blinded her as it cut through the top of the depths of the new river. Ichi was caught in wonder as well. He snapped out when he realized his maid just drowned him in water.

"That's a sight. Hifu said she'd catch up to us. Should be a straight shot from here."

Rikya shifted Avalon in the water, turning on the flight. She felt her own magic activate, as if the machine acted as some sort of conductor. Crackles of black lightning snapped from the back of the machine and turned into flapping wings. They burst straight toward the light, a herd of cats bashed onto the front of the robot like mosquitoes as Rikya took them out of the water.

She looked down at the massive droplet of water below. Ripples crested and released around the entire blue bulb on the landscape below her. She saw trees and dirt whirling around the water in the wind.

"Amazing."

Rikya stared at the destruction. She mourned the cats for a moment out of respect. Then she pulled out the map she cajoled out of the motherly Tama, and took off for Tanuki Lord Danberu's fortress, checking the crudely scrawled parchement as she did.. She heard Ichi musing to her about their plan.

"Prska is overrun, so since Wavr and Hifu agreed to clean out all the cats to restore the region, it's best to start there."

"Then we'll wait at Danberu's place for Wavr and Hifu to finish up cleaning out Prsuka to take out the bakeneko laying siege."

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Ichi shook his head.

"No need. I'll take care of them."

Rikya raised an eyebrow. There wasn't talk of that detail when they were discussing a well thought out and sensible plan that involved long term thinking and strategy. However, she felt it common for Ichi to Ichi things, so she let it slide. The only sensible thing to do was to let it slide around him. That did nothing to dispel her worry though.

"Are you sure you don't want a sword?"

She whipped out a small golden scroll. The Armory Myon and Syon spent many years collecting weapons of power in Rikya had gladly distributed to the robot maids. She even gave a beautiful one to Fubuki who made her nervous just looking at her. The smile Rikya got in return was worth it, but it bothered her that Ichi didn't even bring the subject up with her.

"Oh, that. I forgot to tell you, didn't I?"

Ichi placed his hand on his black blazer. Rikya watched with surprise as his hand melted into the chest pocket, pulling out and showing her the handle a black blade.

"Oni showed me some shadow magic. I managed to learn how to store a little in my pocket, it only works on pockets though. I asked Renya for one of her stock black goo blades she used for training with the maids."

Rikya scanned the horizon. Sure enough at this speed she could already see the landmark mountains to left of the sprawling wooden fortress.

"Wouldn't a magic blade be better? I've got so many of them, I doubt I'll ever be able to sell them even if I tried..."

"Nah, I've got enough trouble with the power I do have, I don't need even more. Plus, stolen goods shouldn't be sold off so easily. How about giving them back?"

Rikya laughed as she zeroed in on the fortress, making her final run to land. The soldiers there would undoubtedly be in for a surprise.

"If I thought I could survive Syon and Myon I wouldn't have stole them in the first place. What if they get out of Satou's magic? I've been worried about that since I met them. I knew Satou could counter them, but I didn't know what to do after that..."

"Ah, don't worry. It's just some girls. I'll take care of them." Ichi said, blowing it off. He didn't believe it, but he said it anyways.

"They're Tengu. Usually, Tanuki and Tengu don't mix together well."

She landed Avalon in the center of the grounds. Tanuki immediatedly grabbed their weapon and surrounded the darker than black giant. Ichi tapped the open switch, opening the hatch a crack so he could slip outside.

"I've got Renya. If I can't think of something, I'm sure she will. Stay in Avalon until I get back, alright? I want to make sure these furballs are trustworthy."

Rikya grumbled at Ichi.

"But, I'm sure I could take them out. I've learned a lot of magic in the last couple weeks too, I'm no pushover!"

"Yeah, but these are tanuki, not cats. I've got a bad feeling that they are much more dangerous. They do remind me of me, after all, and I've been doing pretty well lately. Seeya."

Ichi slipped through the hatch as Rikya gave him a quick glance and shut the hatch behind him. Ichi walked into a circle of spears, pulling out the black blade from his chest pocket. The tanuki shouted at him, and with a wave of his sword it blurred, snapping every spear pointing at him in half.

"Rude of you all to greet a fellow tanuki at spearpoint. Where are your manners?"