April the 9th, naval time 08:00AM, The Yamato.

      Vice Admiral Ito had woken up only thirty minutes earlier. It was still dark out, as the sun had gun down eight hours earlier. It was very dark, and the fleets spotlights had been turned on to guard for any more assaults. Nothing important was discussed in his morning briefing, but Ito still had to watch out for his fleet.

      The changeover to whale oil was still undergoing testing, but the whale blubber insured that there would be no starvation in the near future. When first light hit, Ito intended to send out ships for exploration of this new world. For now with breakfast in hand, he had another priority in mind; eating. The smell of smoked Wani filled the air however, making his breakfast most unsettling. He really wished he could have some proper food.

Ito instead focused himself on the organization of other projects aboard the Yamato. Without daylight the explorative fleet could not sail.

      April the 9th, naval time 08:00AM, Kenta's perspective.

      Awaking in a bunk aboard the Asashimo, Kenta was getting up. Manning his guns into the night hours was tiring. Yesterdays encounter with the giant birds had given him nightmares. In his dreams the birds attacked him and so his sleep plagued him, yet here he was safe and sound in his bed. His fellow comrades pestering him to wake for duty. Due to his previous experience with the attack on the Asashimo, he was slated to join the exploration group of ships. But for now he was on standby.

      With his free time Kenta found himself wandering the corridors of the Asashimo. He still had not eaten, but he wasn't sure he wanted to, what with Wani being the main course on every menu. He tried the large whale, fish, thing yesterday. It was not bad, but it was not his favorite. He would love some rice and sushi.

      April the 9th, naval time 08:00AM, Sagara's perspective.

      Sagara was a boiler mechanic aboard the Yamato, an engineer of sorts. His current task, convert the boilers to use whale oil, or device a cheap process for turning whale oil into gasoline via refining it. A daunting task which he knew was impossible. To break down oil one needed to distil the various chemical makeup of the oil and then process them into other substances. A chemists job: and he was no chemist.

      He readily forwent the task he was given and made small modifications instead. The fleets ships used Kampon water tube boilers, which for the most part could accept oil as a fuel with little modification. The few planes they had would be stuck grounded when the gas supply ran out of course, so the eventual creation or rationing of the existing gasoline was a most. But that was of little consequence seeing how few they had.

      The first batch of whale oil was already being added to the boilers of the explorative fleet. It's gasoline had been siphoned for rationing. The explorative fleet of ships about to disembark where burning the stuff quite nicely to Sagara's satisfaction.

      April the 9th, naval time 11:50AM, Kenta's perspective.

      It was still dark out, but the sun showed signs that it would be rising shortly, much to the relief of those in the fleet. A twelve hour period of darkness did not feel odd, but it was peculiar. Since they had arrived, they had had gotten over twenty three hours of light before getting twelve hours of darkness. Some of the IJN sailors thought a day could actually be longer than that, they didn't actually know.. Going on this common fact, Vice Admiral Ito had ordered a force of two destroyers and the Asashimo to go on a eleven hour trip south to explore Watatsumi, or was it Ryu no Yo? Officially this world's name was up for debate, they had not met any safe locals to ask yet. The giant locals had not appeared since their first encounter during their arrival so it was safe to say they were currently alone.

      Manning his 25mm Anti Aircraft Gun, Kenta prepared himself as his small explorative fleet left the comforts of her sisters.

      Still he was bored sitting at his gun. With the recent attack by the birds during Wani whaling, the need a necessity for guard duty was important, but Kenta was still bored. There was no one to talk to either. The swaying and rocking of the boat just made him land sick. Every few miles he saw the same repeated vision of indiscernible tall trees, blazing large hot sun overhead, and water in every direction. His feet ached.

      April the 9th, naval time 12:00PM, Explorative fleet perspective.

      The three destroyers; Asashimo, Hamakaze, and IsoKaze,  left the safety of allied waters as they headed south to unknown waters. They had a very good clear radio, but to be stranded in a world like this seemingly alone was dangerous. The ships easily made forty knots on the water with little stress on their boilers running at about half power.

      April the 9th, naval time 12:00PM, Sakuya's perspective.

      Sakuya was one of Otohime's favorite daughters. She had excellent skills in fighting and was renowned for her fights. Despite looking to be in her thirties, she showed signs that her aptitude for fighting hadn't dulled. Today she had been sent to the council of the Lord of the Ryujin, Otohime. She had made the trek overnight, and had only just barely arrived.

      Otohime was ruler of the Ryujin, closest descendent of Toyatama, and controller of the Ryujin army consisting of over a thousand woman from many tree villages. She did not live in a tree, but instead resided in the dragon palace castle, a structure made of stone which rose from the water like a mountain. It stood there for hundreds of centuries, it's originally builders unknown.

      So as one can imagine, meeting the most important lord of the land, and reporting to her was something to be feared, and Sakuya was afraid. Climbing the steps of the palace, tall female guards stood on  both sides of the long stairs, a large stone Torii stood high above the stair walkway. The palace center is where Sakuya was heading.

      April the 9th, naval time 12:10PM, Otohime's perspective.

      The sun had just come out and Otohime was expecting her visitor soon. It was one of her many daughter's. Her husband sat in another grand palace next to her with servants inside attending to his whims much to his discomfort. He was rather different for a man she always thought. Her husband Yamato was adventurous and even undutiful to her as he risked his life doing stupid things. After her boy was born, she was named Otohime, and she moved together with her husband to the dragon palace castle.

      Sakuya stepped into the palace center floor and came to a very low bow as she kneeled. "You've summoned me Otohime."

      Othime looked down at the girl and then spoke. "Sakuya, there is no need to bow when you are alone with your mother." Sakuya knelt upward and smiled. "So what's this rumor I've heard about you meeting Demons in the north?"

      "Well it's not a rumor, I did see ten demons in the north."

      Otohime grimaced. "So you have also seen the re-emergence of the tree burning men."

      Sakyua was shocked at her mother's words. "The tree burning men! They have returned! But peace has lasted two generations! The demons I saw where not the tree burning men." Otohime bit her upper lip at her daughters words.

      "I ask you not repeat what I just told you. But the tree burning men have returned." She said sourly.

      "But then if these demons you saw weren't the tree burning men, what were they?" Otohime asked puzzled.

      "I'm not sure, at the time I was ritualistically bathing when I saw them appear." Otohime clung to her every word. "They came from a black vortex. Huge where these monsters which rose from the sea with large spikes and tubes protruding from them." There was a pause as Otohime whispered something into an attendant's ear.

      "Sakuya, you will go north with ten guards to where you saw these demons and ascertain there threat to the Ryujin. I know you're capable of leading them properly, you will set out immediately."

      "Yes Otohime!" Sakyua bowed much to her mother's embarrassment.

      "But be warned my daughter, some reports have spotted Tree burning man in the north as well. If you see any, do not hesitate to kill him before he can kill any of my daughters."

      Sakuya left in the company of the guards. Leaving Otohime sitting in her palace. "I worry for her dear. Our daughters strong, but even with help, she might not be able to stop a tree burning man." Her husband Yamato shook his head in agreement.

      "She will manage, our daughters always do." Yamato said to comfort his wife.

      April the 9th, naval time 12:15PM, Maki's perspective.

      Waking up to the loud yells of an ungrateful male, was not how Maki wished to wake in the morning. If this is how married life was, she almost expected she might be better to never have children. "You're so annoyingly loud! Let me sleep!"

      "The sun is rising, how can you sleep! I've been up for hours!" Cried the Petty Officer Second Class Shouta of the battleship Hamakaze. He still hated cages.

To be continued.