Reiko grimaced at their new foes. These demons looked much tougher than the ones that had come before. Whereas the others fell easily, and even a wounded Reiko could have taken them down, these ones were able to form armor around themselves. [i]Mendou kusai...[/i] What a pain these creatures were becoming. Why had she agreed to come on this expedition? Whatever the reason, she was here now, for better or worse. Her flute would be useless here, while the ground was icy. The mist would be more of a hindrance than a help, unless she were by herself. But she was not prepared to throw her allies under the bus like that. And the time for letting the more warlike of her comrades do all the work was over. She reached into the folds of her dress, pulling out two small but sharp knives. Cracked ribs or no, she wouldn't be able to complain if she got eaten because she was unwilling to fight. [i]Chou mendou desu...[/i] 

Holding the knife in her right hand upright and the one in her left reverse-style, she dipped low into a crouch, springing backwards away from the rain of icicles. She used the ice to keep her momentum even longer until she hit a wall on the side of the battlefield, out of the way of any attacks that would happen until she could get her bearings. She knew her place in this battle. Whenever one of the monsters exposed their backs to her, that back would be needled by several quick stabs to what would, ideally, be vital organs. Until then, however, she needed to become a shadow...


Aura's response to the icicle barrage was slightly less subtle. With a huge spin, she use the flat of her sword to bat an empty box towards the closest of the Cannibal Masters, blocking the majority of the ice as she slipped into the gap she had created. The slippery floor made it difficult to keep her balance, so she dare not swing her sword again until she was done moving. Instead of a large attack, she held her sword up in front of her, ready to block an attack - if any were to come. She would be in a blind spot until the box she had thrown was reduced to splinters anyway. It was a good defensive posture.