Ryza breathed easy after Kuro had left. But unfortunately, things weren't done there, they were never done when they needed to be. The nudge from Alan told her as such, and when she followed his gaze to spot the children, looking hurried and out of place, she sighed. Just as she suspected, more figures made their appearance. Ryza instinctively felt bad mojo from them. Her initial thought was that they were another less than adored band of adventurers; but upon spotting their supposed ringleader, she threw those thoughts out the window.

[b]"He looks... Familiar..."[/b] Ryza mumbled to Alan, [b]"I swear I've seen him before, talking with my father."[/b]

Ryza was curious, taking in his features rather than paying too much attention to the happenings around her. She knew she had seen him before. She knew her father was in the same memory. But who he was or what they were talking about was all too vague. No matter, she never liked him to begin with, just the general air about him was unlikable. Ryza's mother had always told her that she was an excellent judge of character.

Ryza looked to Alan and whispered to him, [b]"My father knows him. Maybe he's here for me?"[/b]

Nope! The man announced he was searching for the children, and judging by the look on the kids' faces, it wasn't for anything good. She started thinking about her father, what was he talking to this man about? [b]"Careful, Alan... I don't like this..."[/b]

Ryza gripped her katana in one hand, her other at the mouth of her scabbard that the keen blade was sheathed in. And when Alan raised his pistol, so too did Ryza draw the full length of folded steel blade. As if on cue, Oni materialized and floated behind her right shoulder. The same expression she wore when confronting Kuro was back, that steely glare on the familiar stranger.

Then she saw the young boy mantle the bar and take Eli's rifle with him. She saw the look of fear in his eyes as he pulled he trigger. That's when she noticed the mask, and the emblem on it. She remembered who he was, an inquisitor of the Varisie. And at that same moment, she remembered her father calling him a 'business partner' and telling her to go play in the garden. She didn't understand, but she wanted to. Once all hell broke loose, Ryza ran to intercept the two thugs that the rest of the patrons didn't seem to pay much mind.

She got between them and the door, to cut off chances of escape and help her fellow guild members (liked or not), to deal with the evident enemy. She gripped her sword tight, "Stay where you are, it'll end better that way."

But the thugs didn't seem concerned about what was better. One drew a pistol and the other drew western longsword. [b]"Oni!"[/b] Ryza exclaimed despite not needing to, it was more instinctual than anything. But the mask responded like it didn't matter how she communicated, moving in front of her face like a mask should be used for. The air around Ryza began to ripple as Oni projected some sort of safety bubble, just in time for the shot of the pistol to leave the barrel. There was a 'thwump' sound as the projectile struck the strange spiritual field.

Ryza's adrenaline peaked. That was it, the moment she knew that her first moment in real combat had come. Hundreds of lessons came to her at once as she saw the thug with the longsword come at her. With her natural grace, she stepped back once and parried the swing of the iron longsword. There was that clanging report of metal meeting metal. Ryza felt it in her hands as the two blades made brief contact. The reverberation traveled up her arms and caused a strong chill down her spine. She retaliated, swinging the Kusagi blade horizontally, but the thug was no amateur, and made parried in return.

Another thwump, another shielded projectile from the pistolier. Ryza was grateful that she had a guardian spirit at her side. The seishin swordsman kept up her offense and defense, striking when she thought she had the advantage, blocking when she was back a foot. When she trained, she did quite well for herself, but real combat seemed different; when another swung for life and not for pride or respect. She could feel it whenever the two blade struck, the desperation in his assault. If she was facing off against somebody armed with a katana, who was trained in the same martial style, she probably would have won by then. But this man was no honor bound seishin swordsman. He was brutish in his strikes, with a weapon she never thought to face.

So Ryza remained on the defense in the swordplay. Defense always stepping back and struggling with the opponent, she always seemed to be composed and graceful, such was the beauty of her art. And while she wasn't quite sure how to handle the other sword fighter, she wasn't without a plan. Every step she took back, was also partially to the side, making her circle until she was approaching the pistolier with his useless weapon.

She had taken note that the gunner wasn't maneuvering, that he had faith in his ranged advantage to win. She noticed that the pistol needed a brief reload in between shots. As she neared with her back faced to the pistolier, she continued to defend until she heard it, the thwump of a deflected shot. And when she heard it, Ryza quickly span to face the reloading thug, both hands clutching the blade above her head. The air around Ryza returned to normal as the gleaming steal started to appear distorted. Oni used its force to sharpen the blade tenfold.

It was slow motion, she had timed her strike perfectly so that opposing swordsman was reeling back from a parried heavy strike. And in that time, her katana came down on the pistolier. In that moment when she watched the unstoppable motion, she witnessed as the man reflexively raised him pistol arm to helplessly defend. There was no resistance as the blade sliced through the arm, down his chest and stomach and hip. Her blade was a hand wafting through smoke, effortlessly gliding through flesh and bone.

Ryza had claimed her first life, but in the heat of the moment, didn't feel any remorse. It was him or her. In the slow motion, she watched as the blood fizzed away from the spiritual force around her blade. The red that didn't get caught in the energy baptized Ryza. As she turned to face the thug with the longsword, prepared to defend against another slash, she instead received a hard punch across the face. Ryza was sent sidelong, dropping her katana and detaching Oni from her face.

The large man then pinned her to the floor and drew a knife. She gripped at his clutched hand to fend the blade off, to slow it from piercing at her heart. But she knew she wouldn't last long without help, he was simply larger and stronger. Oni had projected itself to lend strength to Ryza. It helped a bit, allowing for Ryza to level the playing field, keeping the knife in place between the two of them. She called out for help, not sure if anybody was able to with ice spirit and inquisitor causing the majority of the trouble.