Mission name: Seriously, Why Do You Even Have A Shop?
Mission rank: Event
Objective: Harden your mask in the Spirit Kiln
Location: Namahage Festival
Reward: 10 Tickets
Mission Description: Possessed flame spirits fuel the ceramist’s Spirit Kiln, a device you will now use yourself to begin taking the final steps towards having a mask of your own.
Mission Details: “Art is not a product of the hands that make it, but of the soul that fills it with passion.” -A made up excuse by the ceramist to avoid having to do any of the work himself, probably.

With the crude shape of a wet, clay mask in hand, the Oni will now pull out a jar containing a blue fireball that seems to be angrily slamming against the side of the jar in order to escape. Taking you out to the old, manual kiln out back of the shop the ceramist will instruct you to work the kiln, fueling it with the little possessed fire spirit in the jar and then leave. The flame is will attempt to make a run for it the moment you open the jar. Everything the flame touches as it bounces around like a rubber ball will ignite. The flames can be put out with a nearby fire extinguisher, but if you spray the fire itself it will go out and leave you with no way of completing your mask. If it gets to town it will ruin the festival and you will be ejected permanently. Once you secure the fire within the kiln, it will only be a matter of minutes before the task is complete. Be careful! The ceramic will be hot when you go to take it out!

Reaching god-knows where he drew a jar that appeared to have a somewhat angered hitodama. The fact that he was able to keep a hitodama and needed a jar was what was more fascinating to Hanbei, the fact that he was an Oni would usually entail that he was able to control lesser fire spirits like this at a whim, but rather, he was asking the guanyin to get the fox fire out of the jar and put it in the kiln in such a matter that he had to bake the mask herself. The thought baffled hanbei until it finally hit her, this had to be some kind of test for the masquerade ball, an intent to thin the herd so that the ball was not too crowded and so only the best contestants were able to show, up. Though when it came down to it, fox fires werent exactly the kind of creatures that would just do whatever it was you said they would do, though, it was only at that moment that the once blue fire would turn a brilliant purple, burning so hot that it melted the glass container that it was contained in, single handed breaking free as if it was finally done with its containment. Turning back to blue flickering with red embers it took a move to attack hanbei... but, a voice wafted on the wind.




In a flash there was a bright light, leaving the fire pale and shuddering at the sound of the voice, command seemed to be held beneath it. Hitodama knew when something that could control them was nearby, and sitting upon one of the boxes behind them in the room of the kiln was the fabulous white coat of Daji, hanbei's companion as it stared at the hitodama. In her eyes there was a soft reflection of the flame as a snickering smile crossed her canine expression. Whatever was going on here, Daji knew she was in control. Hanbei rose a hand to question for a moment before deciding it was better not to. The intensity of Daji looking at the flame was enough to scare even Hanbei, she'd never seen her companion like this before, the gem on her fore-head seemed to be resonating with something strange, it wasn't chakra, something stranger. Perhaps something more divine, though the light was little more than a spark as Daji seemed to command the creature with little more than a look, ordering it to fire the kiln with everything it had in its unworthy form.

Without hesitation the Hitodama dived into the kiln and began fanning them flames within there as Hanbei would introduce the mask and continue the process of the creation. The fire was the perfect temperature, like it had done this a thousand times before, it even seemed to make alterations as the spirit of the fire weaved the flames in varying temperatures to bring the most out of the mask itself. All the while Hanbei would turn the mask so that it could be baked evenly while stoking the flame with the bellows at his foot steadily so that the fire would not burn itself out, feeding it coal when needed also. After some time she was able to draw the hot mask out from the kiln and place it in oil to cool it, the sudden drop in temperature as they continued to treat the mask was expected, though it did crack the outside of the porcelain in such a manner that it made the mask look a little older and more authentic. All in all it was a good mask. Though, before going to talk to the oni once again, placing the hitodama back into yet another glass container, Hanbei would look to daji and ask what all that was about.

"Hold on a second, since when were you able to order lesser spirits around and tell them what to do? I mean, I know that you're a fox, but, are you older than I think you are? What's going on here? Who are you Daji?"

The fox would smile coyly, flicking her tail at the boy before looking her way, one of her jewel like eyes standing out like sapphires against the dingy hole of the workshop they were in, a seductive tone running through hanbei's mind as the fox would speak without saying so much as a word. 'Darling boy, you have no idea.'

[790]