“Hm.” Kire pondered his words. No doubt she would be able to find leads in the port city he had been talking about, or maybe he was just a wary survivor who would rather send her on her way, as far away from this place as possible. But most likely he was telling the truth; this didn’t look like any hiding place for Ikegai or whoever it was he had been able to dupe into helping him wreak this destruction, because of course he couldn’t have been able to do this alone, not even with the blood magic at his disposal. [i]And his dolls…[/i] The memory made her shudder—but a glint of light brought her back to the present. [i]There.[/i] The movement was subtle, too subtle to be significant, but she was sure now that he had an arrow pointed at her. The retreating sun had for that brief moment reflected off the arrowhead, there, on what seemed like a ruined temple. “I’ll leave, after I get more information. Maybe we should have a proper conversation,” she called out, deliberately looking in another direction, before disappearing in a blue flash. 

She knew not to expend most of her energy on portals, so she needed to act swift. Subdue him, ask her questions, knock him out if he was uncooperative. Which he just might be. Kire emerged just behind the archer, She slashed as his bow, ridding him of his most dangerous asset, ready to pin him down. Easy. Except—[i]what is that smell?[/i] Kire recoiled, despite herself, the sensation like a buzzing warning sign at the back of her neck, the scent of his magic filling her nostrils. There was a strong aura about him, but she didn’t know [i]what[/i] exactly he was capable of. Like the sharp sweet aroma of cinnamon. [i]Dammit.[/i] “Are you a mage?” she asked, sword trained at him, keeping her distance. “Does the name ‘Ikegai’ mean anything to you?”