The pain was bearable. It wasn't the worst part by far. This pain was nothing, not after everything she had felt in her life. No, if there was anything that bit harshly at Daiyo it was the humiliation. It simmered in her gut and swirled about like a raging storm. It bubbled and roiled as it was turned towards her hatred to her enemies. The pain, if anything, was a reminder of why she hated them.

The green garbed sorceress stumbled and faltered in her steps. She had retreated given the extent of her injuries to a mountain far in the distance upon the island. It was far enough away that she doubted her foes would easily pursue her, not after the thrashing she had also given them. Blood dripped from her wounds to the ground below, staining the ground red with her injuries. Anyone else would have been incapacitated, but a member of the Jade Court was not so easily kept down by mundane injuries.

Even high up upon the mountain there were little communities that had formed in the dark rocky terrain, mostly mining villages. A few of these, unfortunately, had the ill fortune of being in the path of Daiyo. One particular town watched in awe at the approach of this woman, her steps thundering across the land. Her heavy breathing was loud and almost deafening and her golden eyes seemed to be anywhere but upon them. People waved their arms and screamed at her, trying desperately to get the attention of the woman.

Her slippers grew closer and closer, rising higher and higher up into the air with each step closer she moved towards them. Men and women alike looked to the sky and screamed as she was seemingly one step away from blanketing their village in the shadow of her sole. Her injured nature however proved to be their saving grace as her foot settle down to the east of the village, kicking up rocks and shaking their ground but very little else. A few buildings toppled and some people were trapped in rubble but as her slipper rose again to keep her moving upon her path they were alive one and all. People hugged each other, others dropped to their knees to thank the spirits that catastrophe had been averted narrowly. Others watched her departing form, noting the blood staining her back.

The next settlement upon her path was treated to a frightening sight as they got a good long look at the underside of Daiyo's slipper, bits of dirt and rock pelting down from the heavens. However it passed over the village itself, settling down away from them. Their doom came from another source. Seeping down from her stained robe above was a generous amount of her blood, dripping down steadily from her green robe.

Massive fat droplets of crimson fluid plummeted to the ground below, smashing into homes and people and splattering out. People ran and scrambled and tried to hide indoors as the droplets of blood spread from their initial fall, the flood of the red fluid catching up people and homes alike. More than a few found their end in these little red spatters of blood, the fluid filling their lungs with the same substance that gave Daiyo life. Others managed to survive, covered head to toe with Daiyo's blood.

The ruby liquid eventually hardened, sealing those inside in a prison of coagulated blood within thirty seconds of its fall. Those covered in it eventually found it growing harder to move and needed it quickly broken away from their bodies lest they were frozen in blood. The survivors scrambled to rescue who they could from the prison of Daiyo's blood, the destruction and devastation just a few drops of her blood caused being far more horrific than a mere flood.

Daiyo merely continued upon her path, finding a relatively large rock to sit down upon. She shrugged off her bloodstained robes and kicked off her slippers, peeling away her socks to toss aside. She stood naked upon the mountain, and like this it was easy to see that whatever she might have once been human didn't fully describe her. Her entire left arm was solid stone and even continued past the shoulder and covered where her heart would normally be. The stone crept down most of her left side, including her left leg. The skin immediately making contact with the jade-like substance possessed pulsing greenish veins that eventually morphed into a normal bluish color.

The wounds upon her back were deep. The place where Momo had stabbed her had just narrowly missed one of her lungs and the gash across the small of her back had nearly severed her spinal cord. It was a miracle she was still able to walk at all really. Well, a miracle and quite a bit of sorcery. There were no other scars upon her body however; it was all smooth and flawless skin and stone. With some effort the sorceress made her way over to the stone, grunting as she felt a flare of pain with every step.

Upon the top of the stone rested a shrine, a sacred place upon the mountains that paid worship to the spirits. At the very base of the stone was a town that had formed in its shadow. To them it must have looked like a goddess had opted to visit them finally. She was so beautiful, so flawless in most every way that she couldn't be anything else. Indeed many came to gawk and the high priest himself gazed up at her visage so high above the earth.

Daiyo slowly turned around, presenting her rather supple and sumptuous rear to the shrine along with her weeping injuries. Droplets of blood ran down her legs and some dribbled down from her rear, crashing down upon the gardens tended to by the monastery miko. A number of the shrine maidens were caught up in the blood droplets though those that survived ended up having to watch in horror as the sorceress' ass soon loomed over the shrine itself. No amount of prayers or pleads to the spirits could save this place.

Her left ass cheek smashed down upon the shrine, crushing it under her unmeasurable weight. A few fortunate survivors managed to find refuge between her cheeks, their sky dominated by the cleanly shaven sphincter above. Blood seeped down from her wounds and dribbled down into this safe harbor, transforming it into a death trap. The smooth opening above winked slightly as her ass clenched upon reflex to the intense pain right above it. She shifted to get more comfortable, spreading the cheeks enough that those few survivors had the worst fate.

The opening above lowered upon the huddled group of survivors and, as the opening twitched they were forced inside. Daiyo shifted in her new seat, not even noticing a slight itch as a trio of shrine maidens scrabbled at the inside of her asshole, trying desperately to escape the foul air. They were trapped and soon enough perished as they breathed in the poisonous and tainted air inside. With that the last members of the shrine breathed their last breath within the depths of the sorceress.

The woman's feet dangled slightly off of the ground thanks to the elevation provided by the stone. The hovered above the town, granting them an eyeful of them. Most high class women in her nation practiced foot binding to fit into smaller shoes as small feet were considered rather attractive. Typically this was done by breaking and deforming the toes and feet continually and binding them. Daiyo, being a member of the Jade Court, could not afford such frivolities. She did however indulge in lacquer. Her long toenails were thus painted a deep black upon her flesh and blood foot, while her stone one was unadorned.

The stone foot itself moved like a natural flesh and blood one might, and the details upon it were more advanced than even the greatest of masters could manage. It even included the creases upon the bottom of the foot and the miniscule ridges upon the skin. The digits wriggled and flexed naturally as well as the ones upon her flesh and blood one did. As many of those below also learned, it also gathered dirt and rocks upon its surface. Every detail of both feet was presented to the people below, every crevice, every inch of smooth skin or stone as well as every imperfection that clung to them. Dirt, dust, and pebbles fell below without a single thought given to it in Daiyo's world. Her thoughts were more geared towards healing herself.

The woman held out her stone hand and pointed it outwards, she focused upon a singular point and emptied it of all matter. A tiny pinprick opened before her, widening as she poured more of her spiritual energy into it. An inky black vortex opened, the scent of soot and ash thick on the air wafting out. She felt energy pounding against the newborn portal, energy that was deflected easily by a rejection from her side of it.

"Flesh-Knitter, come forth from the Underworld."

Her words were spoken in her native tongue and thrummed with eldritch power. At first nothing happened, and the portal simply swirled and shifted in the air. After a time she felt the energy she sought coming from the other side and lowered her defenses, allowing the one she sought to slip through the darkness. A red lacquered finger came through from the other side, which soon became a hand. The flesh of the hand was bronzed a coppery color and soon was joined by another hand. And then another, and another. These four hands soon had their arms emerge from the darkness before a sandal clad foot stepped forth and soon enough with another foot joining that one the one she sought was before her.

Gold accents surrounded almond shaped red eyes, gold painted lips lowered in a perpetual frown. Their owner was a woman, dressed in the finest of blue silks which hugged her form nicely and, revealing a very thin form. It was almost unhealthily so. She looked about middle aged and was rather plain in the face. Upon a single glance at Daiyo she shook her head, her own long braid swaying ever so.

"Once again you call upon me, Daiyo of the Jade Court. What have you done to my work this time?" The woman asked, crossing two of her arms before her while leaving the other two at her sides.

Daiyo shifted slightly, showing a bit of her back. The four armed woman narrowed her eyes. "Typical. You have a way of ruining even my most flawless of masterpieces. When you finally die I am going to set you behind a glass box so you cannot ruin yourself."

The sorceress growled. "Enough, just shut up and fix it, Flesh-Knitter. The sound of your voice makes me ill."

The portal behind the four armed woman closed abruptly. The demon known only as The Flesh-Knitter sighed and looked around at the desolate mountain landscape. Her red eyes passed over the tiny village at Daiyo's feet briefly and she smirked. Though Daiyo didn't notice them she could taste their spiritual presence and the death brought about in this place. It explained the recent influx in souls to the Bureaucracy of Heaven.

She snorted. "You force such horrid working conditions upon me. The least you could do is to summon me in a place with good food and something to drink."

Daiyo's stone fingers sparked and crackled in warning. The Flesh-Knitter raised her hands in supplication and promptly started walking around behind the sorceress. Her thundering steps didn't bother to dodge a few fleeing tiny people below. Those slain under her sandals however did not find a release in death. She devoured their spirits easily enough, enjoying the extra bit of energy as they screamed and writhed inside of her stomach. Idly one of her hands patted at her slim belly. They might have been tiny but their spirits tasted as good as any other's might.

The demon knelt down behind Daiyo and reached inside of her sleeves, producing two spools of flesh that had been made into the shape of a string. The Flesh-Knitter looped them through two needles and set to work, piercing the woman's flesh and stitching together the flesh on the spool with Daiyo's own. The threads of skin melted and melted perfectly with the sorceress' own, replacing and healing the sliced skin and sealing the wounds. The demon's fingers worked with masterful ease in healing Daiyo's injuries, her hands a flurry of motion.

"How did you come to damage yourself this time, Daiyo of the Jade Court?" The demon inquired.

"Kyoske Isane and her wretch of a retainer, Momo."

"Unsurprising. They tend to cause most of your injuries."

"It is no matter you should concern yourself with, demon."

"Who said I was concerned? By all means, run to your death that I might claim your spirit sooner."

More sparks danced dangerously and the Flesh-Knitter wisely moved the conversation away from her injuries. The demon was not stupid. Alive, Daiyo was powerful enough to destroy her utterly. She rather liked continuing her existence so she was quick to learn which subjects to broach and which ones not to.

"Your Yushou is advancing further I see. Impressive." The demon noted, looking at the stone parts of Daiyo's form.

Daiyo looked at her hand and smirked. "I suppose it is."

"It is not so easy to control the more it advances. It would be wise to pace yourself in its use."

The familiar nag rose at the sorceress' hackles though she calmed herself quickly enough. It was advice she had received frequently, even from other members of the Court. The demon was only speaking common sense. The sorceress fell silent, indicating that she wished no further conversation from her summoned minion. It was bad enough she had to call upon her, she could only listen to the preening voice of the Flesh-Knitter for so long before grinding her teeth together.

As the demon worked she noted, directly at her feet a couple of tiny mortals. A man and a woman. Lovers perhaps. They stared up at her in fear and it was enough to draw a roll of her eyes. Bad enough mortals were fragile normally; these ones were so tiny as to be worthless. They were unfit to even toil away with painting her nails, useless little things. She could have easily crushed them out and devoured their spirits. However the spirits of lovers tended to set her stomach churning. As such she allowed them to gawk at her majesty, returning her eyes back to her work. Perhaps Daiyo would accidently slay them like the bugs they were, the Flesh-Knitter couldn't bring herself to care overmuch.

Soon enough Daiyo's flesh was as flawless as it had been before being stabbed and the demon filed away her supplies once more. She walked back around to the sorceress' front and placed her hands in her voluminous sleeves. Her red eyes narrowed as she watched Daiyo stretch back experimentally. As if she doubted her work! The foolishness of mortals. Even ones she could halfway tolerate, like Daiyo, were so insulting.

The woman stood slowly, her feet descending to the village below. The Flesh-Knitter's keen eyes watched the destruction with some mild amusement, watching as homes, businesses, and people were caught under Daiyo's massive feet. Those under her stone foot didn't even have the fortune of dying under something soft. She saw a few had escaped between her toes; lucky little bugs those ones she supposed. How much like arching pillars of destruction the digits must look like, beams of light occasionally shining through the gaps between them. Unfortunately these spirits she could not claim for she had not slain them. It was a pity, for it was quite the feast from the looks of it.

"Why are you looking so intently at my feet, Flesh-Knitter? Have a thing for them?"

The demon immediately raised her eyes to meet Daiyo's, smiling slightly. "I have a thing for all parts of the mortal form, and as I have constructed yours very closely I like to inspect my work. Your feet are rather shapely, some of my finest work really. A pity your Yushou ruins half of you." She lied easily, seeing very little reason to inform Daiyo of her unaware destruction. More chaos was good for demonkind after all.

"You never fail to disgust me, demon, away with you. I have no use for you now." Daiyo said, reopening the portal the Flesh-Knitter had arrived from.

"Do be careful, the work is flawless as always but it needs to settle for a few days. Tear it open and I will refuse to assist you and simply let you bleed to death." The demon offered, stepping into the inky blackness.

Daiyo sealed the portal behind her, the air where the portal had once existed rippling slightly before returning to normal. She wanted to go after Isane immediately now that she was healed of course. The samurai was injured after all and unlike her lacked infernal aid to heal. However she opted to heed the Flesh-Knitter's advice. It wouldn't do to do anything overly stressful and rip open the work the demon had finished with. It sat ill in her gut but it was better to avoid testing her demonic assistance with healing. If not for the Knitter's obsessive tendencies regarding her work she'd likely have died long ago. It was best not to rely on that bit of demonic neurosis. After all, if she died her spiritual debts to the Knitter would pass ownership of her spirit to her.

Shaking these thought from her mind the sorceress looked at her ruined robe and she waved her left hand over it. The dried blood clinging to it flowed and slid from the fabric like water over a gull's feathers. She lifted the garment up and willed the robe to repair itself, fibers weaving and knotting together once more. It was a pity she couldn't do that to herself. It would certainly make her life and afterlife much simpler.

With her repaired clothes clean and finished the sorceress dressed herself quickly before stalking off further down the mountain path. She was careful to avoid overly strenuous movements of course. She left the half crushed town behind in her wake, just one of many likely to fall victim to the unaware sorceress. Her golden eyes eventually spotted a small cave worked into the side of the mountain and she sat down, removing her slippers and crossing her legs. She needed to think and rest. Doing nothing was irritating but it was only for a few days. The damage done to Isane would surely keep her down for weeks. Daiyo could at least content herself with that.