[color=darkgray]Ryza held the knife in place, only inches above her heart. The thug put his weight into it, but the strength from Oni was enough for Ryza to keep it steady, albeit quite difficult. It turned out that her cry for help didn't go unanswered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the robot thing fire a fist toward them. It caused a short lapse in her concentration, she could feel the blade poking and prodding at her chest, cutting fabric and drawing a tiny amount of blood. When the fist had veered off course, Alan came in and made the save. She heard the thud of the kick and felt a great relief as the weight of the big man was thrown from her. She looked at the thug and watched as he was shot in the knee. The loud bang inside the building made her ears ring shortly.

With Alan's order to get up and an offering of his hand, Ryza took it and got on her two feet. She bowed her head respectively, despite the chaos, [color=white][b]"Arigato gozaimasu."[/b][/color] she thanked in her native tongue, her breath ragged. Oni floated behind her right shoulder and the air distorted, the spiritual shield forming a bubble around her and partially around Alan. She picked her sword up from the floor and flicked it, any blood that didn't stick to the blade was lashed out in a thin, curved line around her.

Ryza noted the blood, and as her adrenaline began to subside, she noted the body of the pistolier. Her amethyst purple eyes followed along the lengthy slash from collar bone to waist. The sight of an excess amount of blood and the permanent expression of fear on the body, the last look he gave before Ryza's katana struck true, hit her like a brick. While the rest of pub was trying to figure out if the inquisitor was dead, Ryza was feeling her gut twist. With the combat high wearing off, realizations of taking a man's life started gripping her. She felt like she needed to throw up, placing a hand at her mouth. Her knees were quivering underneath the kimono. Ryza was prepared to take a life, knowing she would have to eventually with the guild; but she was never prepared for the feeling of dread right after.

Then the doors kicked open and her father's business partner walked in from two different entrances. Just as quick as it had faded, the adrenaline returned. It took a moment for it to register that they were caught in a deadly pincer attack, with firearms on both ends. Just as it clicked, Alan pushed her to the ground, she immediately covered her head and ears, protecting from the bullets and the deafening sound of indoor gunfire. With clenched teeth, she opened her eyes, and saw that Seru had kicked over an oak table to block the shots. While the majority of the bullets were stopped, a few cracks here and there in the wood managed to allow passage of a couple rounds. Thankfully, Oni had never dropped its shield after returning to Ryza, any bullet that made it through the wood found itself stopped and dropped with a 'thwump'. Ryza witnessed one bullet stop only a mere four inches from the side of Alan's neck.

She dared to look elsewhere and saw the ice spirit on the roof, forming to strike at the deathmarked children. She nudged Alan with a foot and pointed at the spirit just as Kuro started to unload bullet after bullet from several revolvers. She grabbed her katana, this time ready to handle the consequences of taking another life; at least.. She thought. Her eyes glanced over to Oni, and without words, the air in front of Alan's revolver started to distort, Oni's spiritual energy standing by to add itself to a single shot. Ryza stood, katana firm in hand, and neared the edge of the oak table. With Oni's energy supporting Alan, there was no shield for her; that much was made evident went a bullet found a crack in the wood and neatly grazed across her stomach, eliciting a wince of pain but nothing more. Her ears were listening for the end of the barrage, hoping that the inquisitor was going to need to reload soon. It'd take perfect timing, without her shield, charging an armed and armored man with nothing but a sword, there was no room for error.

Ryza only hoped that the Walkins with the pistol was being covered by some other guildsman. The last thing she wanted was a shot in the back. But still Ryza listened, waiting for the end of the spray-and-pray. When it came, Ryza rounded the table and charged. Once Ryza was in sword distance, she swung.[/color]