[IC] Fu Sonzai no Genso: An Urban Fantasy Mystery RP(Raineh Daze and VitaVitaAR)(Eventually open to two more players!)

[VitaVitaAR]

When the sword flashed towards the old man, a shower of sparks flew up centimeters before it actually cleaved into his flesh. Some sort of defensive spell? In a surprising show of physical prowess, as he hit the floor he caught himself with one hand, sliding back along the ground and straightening.

"So it seems I miscalculated," he began, "Your allies will likely be here in moments, so I must end this quickly."

Reaching to his side, her gripped his sleeve and tore it off, exposing a set of markings on his arm.

"Runecraft?" Bunny asked, narrowing her eyes, squaring up as she did.

"Exactly," the man began, "My body houses-"

Almost immediately the onmyouji was on him while he was speaking, her firsts slamming relentlessly into the defensive barrier over his body, sparks flying.

It seemed she'd concluded the best way to take out his defensive field was by overwhelming it.

And seconds later, she was sent flying across the room.

"... Reinforcement, enhancemenet, destruction," the Daidouji continued, lowering his hand as Bunny slammed into the wall, "The runecraft on my body far exceeds the skills of a young onmyouji."

And yet, one could almost see the cracks in the barrier over his chest where the black-haired thief's fists had struck...

[Raineh Daze]

Talking. Too much talking, and it was giving her the slightest seconds to weigh her chances. Reinforced and enhanced--a dangerous combo, he was almost certainly stronger through magic alone than she was despite her youth and athleticism. Yet his barrier had been pounded away at and was visibly showing cracks. A single strong blow might be enough to break it--or better, pierce right through. A normal katana would probably shatter first but hers, a blade forged by youkai and named for the mountains, was as rigid and durable as an oni's club.

She'd seen the demonstration.

Ryuuko's plan was set and her body already moving to it, committed to victory or death. Draw on everything, magic, muscle, or otherwise. Reinforce her abilities to their maximum extent, legs and arms both, and spring close the gap. Follow through with everything she can, a perfect rising arc straight out of iaijutsu though the blade wasn't sheathed--

And pray his defences can be cut through.

[VitaVitaAR]

The elder Daidouji held his ground. While his barrier was cracked, he was certain it would hold up against a mere blade. He raised his fists in preparation, eyes narrowing... wait. The gleam along the edge, the specific way the metal seemed to flash... was that...?!

"A yokai blade?!" he cried, attempting to backstep out of the way as swiftly as he could. But it was far, far too late. The weapon flashed downwards, and in and instant there was a sound like shattering glass as cracks spiderwebbed out from the point of impact and spread through his already-damaged barrier. It splintered, shattering to pieces and fading away into nothing.

"... How foolish of me," he admonished himself, raising one hand, "To have not perceived the true nature of your weapon until it was too late. Now my defenses are lost."

He waved one hand over his bare arm, and the runes suddenly blazed crimson.

"I won't allow you to take this opportunity from me," he continued, as the red aura swiftly spread from the runes to coat his entire arm. It was a field spell, and anyone who knew what the Daidouji family's affinity was could swiftly surmise what the field would do to what it touched.

[Raineh Daze]

Shit. The barrier had gone but without extracting a price in blood.

"The Yama-no-Hone-no-Tsurugi," the purple-haired girl confirmed, sliding into a defensive stance. That arm... she wasn't going to risk a blade as old and venerable as any of Masamune's work in a contest of magic and strength. Yet all that she had to do was hold him at bay until the other two arrived with a more at-range method of putting this old fool down.

She would have to treat his arm in all regards like a sword--and, as a sword, avoid crossing her blade with it unless it was a last resort. She would have to adopt the attitude that any clash of weapons at best risked mutual disarmament. But here his physical advantages meant nothing; strength and speed but no defences put him in the same boat as Ryuuko. With nothing but skill, the equation could be balanced... and the heiress was perfectly confident that an old magus wasn't as proficient in hand to hand as she was.

And so, dodging and ducking and never quite removing the threat of being cut and probing openings, the dance began.

[VitaVitaAR]

"Hm. Even a yokai blade can still be destroyed," mused the old mage, arranging his fingers and thumb in a flat manner to form a blade. "Either your weapon will be eliminated first, or you will be."

The following attacks were aimed entirely at the katana. His fighting style was fast and vicious, but Ryuuko's guess had been correct: The Daidouji was not as skilled in hand to hand and was not capable of avoiding her slashes as well as he would have hoped, forced to dodge in and out in a bit to make his attacks. And yet, his assault was a ferocious one. He did not have time to cast any spells that would give him a clear advantage, but he did have time to activate the runes on his other arm, spreading a red aura across it as well, his sleeve seeming to dissolve as it was exposed to the destructive energy.

His attacks became faster, more furious. And yet, he still struggled to land a hit. Every time he found a moment where he could, it also placed him at far too much of a risk.

It was a violent dance, one where either opponent could be slain at any second. Trails of red energy followed the Daidouji mage's slicing hands, and it's likely neither of them would realize anything else had changed in the room.

But soon enough, the mage caught a whiff... of cigarette smoke.

"I was wondering when you'd notice," commented Toshiko, blowing out a stream of smoke. Suspended in the air was the burning shape of a theurgic sigil, one she had carved in place with her cigarette's smoldering tip.

"Ando Toshiko...!" the man's eyes widened, but it was far too late for him to act.

"Accendo," said Toshiko simply. The symbol suddenly blazed a deep shade of red.

Almost immediately, the old Daidouji clutched his chest, letting out a wheeze... a horrible smell erupted from his mouth, a smell unmistakably that of burning flesh. Indeed, moments later, flames seemed to leap from his throat as he staggered, clutching at his body and stumbling to the side. He was burning from the inside out.

Toshiko took a drag on her cigarette.

"There's not much I won't do to defend my employees, and she's a student as well," she commented, as if explaining her actions to the rapidly burning man, "You should have suspected that much."

The elder Daidouji's feet hit the side of the hole he'd made his way in throw, and as flames erupted out of his chest cavity he fell.

"... Haah," Toshiko let out a sigh, "Good work, Ryuuko-san. I wouldn't have been able to do that if he'd been paying attention."

At around that moment, Kitty too also made her way into the room... and almost immediately ran for the unconscious Bunny.

[Raineh Daze]

The fighting was exciting, there was no denying that. One slip up meant death and with that on the line... ah, the blood was singing in her ears. Every step made deliberately to a tempo driven by the beating of her heart, every cut one with her breath. Despite her best intent, Ryuuko couldn't avoid cracking a grin as the old man produced another one of those tricks, making the other arm every bit as deadly--well, two could play at that game, and the knife took pride of place in her left hand.

She toyed for an instant with sacrificing the tantō, it wasn't anything more than a traditionally forged blade. Force one arm out of position, lunge in for the killing blow... but it was too risky and from the corner of her eye, she took in her mentor arriving on the scene, cigarette lit. Step by step as she continued the dance, angling the fight back and away from the door. Was he not attuned to the battlefield? Was he so single-minded in his offence that the smoke was beyond him?

He was. A shame, a series of feints would have been able to open him right up.

"Some day soon, I will have to learn something more akin to that. A fight where I cannot get within striking distance of my foe is exciting but I wish for alternatives all the same," the heiress said, sheathing her blades, "I take it we return the urn, now?"

[VitaVitaAR]

"Indeed, let's get it back quickly," Toshiko nodded in asset, arms folded as she approached the vase in question. Thankfully it hadn't been activated. That could have made the ensuing fight quite a bit more difficult, to say the least. If it absorbed mana, that meant that it would have been difficult to use spells at all in its presence if it was activated. Still, it was best they packed it away and got it back to its rightful owners as soon as they could.

"Do you care about anything other then that stupid vase?!" cried Kitty, suddenly. Toshiko glanced towards her, and noted that Bunny still seemed to be unconscious.

"She's still breathing, isn't she?" Toshiko asked. As if on cue, there was a low groan from the bigger of the two thieves.

[Raineh Daze]

"It would be more accurate to say that I don't even care for the vase. My concern only stretches as far as a matter of duty and I owe nothing to your partner. I prevented our foe from destroying one of her arms and that is more than enough," the heiress stated matter-of-factly, stepping forward to the vase and picking it up. Maybe Toshiko should be the one carrying it... they didn't want it to get damaged in the drive back because of rough handling. "Ah, Ando-san, perhaps I should drive with such fragile cargo?"