[center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjExNi5hNmE2YTYuU21GdFpYTWdWR2h2Y201bC4wAA,,/sweetcorrection-roth.regular.png[/img][h2][i]And[/i][/h2]
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Interacting with: Taka [@1Charak2][/center]

James's initial reaction to the woman's draw of her gun was one of minor surprise, not unwarranted considering that few magi saw the value of modern firearms, that quickly gave way to icy hardness as he dropped the mask of the polite stranger for one he was more comfortable with. The merciless Assassin. Seemingly ignoring the woman's question, he pulled the collar of his coat up around his face. At the same time, he relayed a quick message to Archer.

[i][color=dimgray]"Archer, stay sharp around your immediate surroundings. The enemy is definitely a servant, one relying on close-range attacks. Worst case, you're fighting one of the Assassins."[/color][/i]

Up on the roof top, the Heroic Spirit of Van Helsing gave a curt acknowledgement as he gave one final glance towards his master's blatant enemy. Releasing his grip on his crossbow, the weapon seemed to dissolve into blood-tinted black smoke before he made two drawing motions, his left hand drawing a non-existent pistol and his right hand drawing a sword. The blood-like smoke coiled in his hands as they took on new shapes, forming into two new weapons, a vintage revolver with a hexagonal barrel and a silver longsword with a 3-inch wide blade. The [url=https://res.cloudinary.com/teepublic/image/private/s--TOYo5q21--/t_Preview/b_rgb:191919,c_limit,f_jpg,h_630,q_90,w_630/v1446226667/production/designs/205427_1.jpg]strange symbol[/url] on his left arm began to glow a dull, smoky red as he activated his Hunter's Mark, his senses opening up to track the shadows for any sign of attack.

James, without saying a word, slowly raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, stepping closer to the woman with controlled steps while remaining mindful of the gun's position. When he was within arm's reach, he sidestepped quickly and darted his hand forward in an attempt to grab the weapon, only for her to fire in retaliation. A round passed worryingly close to his ear as he barely managed to tilt his head in time, but he managed to close his wrist around her firing hand and twist it away from his face so that it was pointed at the ground by her feet. He attempted to use his free arm to strike at her face with his elbow, only for her arm to come up and take the worst of the blow before she tried to counter with a straight jab. Using his own forearm to redirect most of the force, he pushed her arm away and grit his teeth before slamming his forehead onto hers. 

The strike managed to achieve part of its intended goal as it gave James the chance to finally knock the firearm from the woman's grasp, but his own stunned hands couldn't get a grip on the weapon and it clattered to the ground between them. Intent on gaining the upper hand, James pressed the attack with a series of the punches that forced his opponent on the defensive until she suddenly countered with a straight jab that connected with James's left cheek. Stumbling from the blow, he barely had time to block the follow up right-hook and step back to avoid the low kick. Readying for another strike, he ducked out of the way of the next punches before bracing his arm to stop the finishing kick, using that moment to land a blow to her midsection.

Taking a step back, his eyes landed on her fallen gun. Quickly glancing at the other magus, he saw she had spotted it too, and was already moving to grab it. Her fingers just closed around the grip as James used a side-kick to knock her off-balance. Capitalising on that, he kicked at the back of her leg, near the knee, with enough force to drop her onto one knee as she tried to turn the gun on him a second time, only for him to close the gap while she rose to her feet and strike at her face with his elbow again. He grabbed the gun and pulled, the two struggling for possession until the woman's elbow swung across his vision and impacted the left side of his jaw, but exposing her other arm. Using a downward elbow strike, he hit the softer, more sensitive inner arm and her grip loosened. With a final growl of effort, he finally managed to wrench the weapon from her grasp.

Spitting the blood resting in his mouth onto the ground beside him, he raised the stolen gun with both hands and pointed it at the space on which her command seals rested as she tried to get back on her feet. He spoke with a cold and unforgiving tone as he made his demand between heavy breaths.

[color=dimgray]"Call off your Servant. Now."[/color]

As he made his demand, he was acutely aware of the part of him that called for him to pull the trigger straight away, to eliminate an enemy Master as soon as possible, but he ignored the voice as he waited for her answer. This war was much bigger than the last, and it was vital to gain allies. If he could somehow salvage this and convince her to work [i]with[/i] him, they would both have a better chance of winning this war, or at least make it out alive. Besides, he had a few questions for her, namely why she didn't just shoot him when she had the chance...

[color=dimgray]"I'm giving you a chance to stand down so we can talk, but I will not hesitate to kill you if you try something..."[/color]