The Plague Oni (Shiritaki Temple)

(I needed to get this out of the way for Monica so I could speed run Grace through this area and help her out in the last part of Mooshu. This is gonna suck... well, not really since Plague is weak to both Life and Myth. But still...) (Also, I forgot to get the book from the temple so looks like Sierra's going back here again. ARGH!)

The Shiritaki Temple was not an easy place to navigate. The first problem was a giant stone gate that barred our way further. "I saw a dojo nearby, maybe that's where the key is," said Monica.

 

 

We found a rogue samoorai who we quickly took down. (This boss, like Koto, has a 5% chance of giving you a spell for your deck, this one being the Balance spell Samoorai.)

 

 

We found an electric gate which we disabled and found Din Ho waiting for us at temple gate. We also found Mossback, who asked us to bring the diseased water we had gotten to Wavebringer, his fellow elemental. I asked Din Ho about it.

"We must purify the four elemental shrines near the gate," said Din Ho. "However, they are locked with a key that the warlord Haru has on his possession."

"We'll unlock the shrine," said Monica. "Let's go, Sailor Sierra."

I giggled at the title she gave me.

 

 

We located the place Haru was hiding and took him out quickly with a spell Sailor Jupiter used that summoned a powerful Godzilla lizard which breathed lightning at Haru, vaporizing him.. I grabbed the key. "I bet Grace will get that spell soon," I said with a smile.

"Never underestimate the power of Stormzilla," laughed Monica. (I fizzled attacks six times and the Ronin got a Myth Shield up before I could win this battle. I am grateful for the accidental Darkwynd I accidentally clicked on as it clinched the win for me here. I need to get a Storm Mastery for Mionica.)

 

 

We unlocked the four elemental shrines and defeated some minions of the Plague Oni, including a brianwashed monk called Zaneki. (Zaneki is a boss which you can get the Goat Monk Life spell from - again, it's a very low chance of happening.) I then waved the Scepter over the shrines and they lit up, being purified. We hurried back tot he gates of the temple itself...

 

And found an insane Water Elemental diseased beyond belief. This was Wavebringer, the magical guardian of the shrine. We had to purify him as well, which was very painful to do, but we did - my Ninja Pigs subdued him and the instant he took the deathblow, the putrid green disease left him and he became crystal blue. I sighed in relief.

"You save Wavebringer, me make water clean again!" said the elemental.

"I think you should wait until we destroy the one who did this to you, lest you get corrupted again," said Monica. "We'll be quick about it - he's gonna answer to us!"

I nodded and looked up at the foreboding structure. The way here had air so foul it made me ill, but this was the worst of it. I held my breath and followed Sailor Jupiter inside...

I nearly passed out when I got whiff of the interior which had water so foul it flowed as slow as syrup - if you took a dirty toilet and duplicated it a thousand times, then added in mold and rot all over the place, that was the scent I caught. I wanted to pass out mercifully but Monica caught me and pointed to our foe, a pig warlord who definitely smelt like a pig. His scent made all the Gobblers I fought and their emissions smell like a ROSE.

"Time to punish this dungball, for the name of the Moon!" shouted Monica, charging into battle.

I held my nose and nodded, following suit.

The battle took a while as I couldn't get my pigs to pop - Monica took out the spirit first to prevent it from casting Myth Shield on Ideyoshi, who used an ice version of the Kraken. But...

 

The evil stinky warlord perished with MY pigs.



The body of the warlord melted into a disgusting oily ooze, but it reformed into a giant elephant demon, another Oni! This was the Plague Oni.

"So you are the one who destroyed my little brother," it hissed. "Well then..."

"PU!" cried Monica, holding her nose. "I'd tell you to take a shower, but you're filth personified! In the name of Jupiter, I'll..."

The creature bellowed in rage. "SAVE YOUR MOTTOS FOR THE GRAVE, GIRL!!!"

I am a Sailor Wizard now, I thought. I can't be afraid or lose my lunch... I have to destroy this oni!

Monica threw a Kraken which vaporized the ninja pig retainer but the Oni's aura slowly weakened us. I groaned and held my head, feeling feverish.

"Do not worry, Mma, I am always with you. No matter how far apart we are, we are together..."

I got up and opened my tome. "I won't let you win... you will die like your brother did..." I concentrated and let the magic flow from me, throwing up trap after trap until the Oni was surrounded by a barrier of jagged traps. I then unleashed the Pigs and...

Like his brother, Plague was annihilated by the power from my aura.

"Busted!" laughed Monica. (Amulet trap, regular trap, spirit trap, and regular blade and Monstrous Ninja Pigs one-shotted this guy.)

"You have not won, Sierra! My great brother, Death..." were the last words I heard before the foul creature melted into foul mist that faded away. I felt my illness fade as the stench slowly melted. Soon I could breathe freely.

"Well done!" said Monica, slapping my back. "Amy was right about you, you'll make a fine honorary member of the team. I know you have to fight Malistaire, so we'll support you as best we can."

I was about to say something about that when a monk emerged from the shadows. "Thank the great Moodha! That thing imprisoned me and made me slowly waste away from plague, but his defeat healed me. I am Master Kan-Yan Kook, the monk of this temple. I can use my spiritual energies to give you the ability to craft spells that can summon the power of the spirits of this land... but I sense you already have one."

I nodded. "I rescued the Ninja Pigs and they serve me now. And those spells are a bit too complex for me and require rare amber, which I haven't seen at all. Maybe I'll let Grace know - she could use that Catalan spell." (This guy sells the recipes for half of the Lore Spells - not only the three spells I mentioned that were boss drops[Ninja Pigs, Goat Monk and Samoorai] but also the fire spell Brimstone Revenant, the ice spell Handsome Fomori and the storm spell Catalan. None for Death, but there is a reason for that. You need to have the Legendary Crafter badge, which you won't get until you reach Zafaria, so Sierra's SOL until she completes Celestia. :p)

"Well, I have to go tell Moolinda the good news and continue my training, Sierra, but keep up the good fight," said Monica. "I hope you reach Malistaire in time."

"I hope so too," I said. "I'm 2/3 of the way to healing the Emperor, so I should be able to..." What? I didn't know how to get to Dragonspyre without the key, and Malistaire has it.

I watched as she teleported away and shook my head. What now?

 

Wavebringer cleansed the waters completely and I was happy for that as was Mossback.

Sun Hing was glad, and so was I, that the water no longer smelled like septic water and he gave me a crystal vial filled with the pond water, fully sanctified.

The head monk saw the vial and nodded. "You are right in telling me of the Plague Oni's last words," he said. "We have the sword to heal his Imperial Majesty's spirit and the water to cure his mind, but to remove the wound on his body and bring him back from the dead, we must have the mystical fruit from the Tree of Life... sadly, it has withered to death thanks to the power of the Death Oni, who is stronger than both of the Onis you have fought. This one corrupts the very spirit world, the place where the souls of the dead go after they leave their bodies."

I shuddered. This one was the scariest of them all, but I nodded. "What must I do?"

"You must speak to Hideo Kebo, the guardian of the temple named after our Imperial Majesty, Yoshihito Temple," said Tan. "It is accessed through the Rock Dojo. The sooner you go, the quicker we can heal his Imperial Majesty."

I nodded. I had to do this... for Mooshu.

[To be continued...]