Tuujaimaa

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Selim's act of running away gave Kiyo the motivation that she needed. Soelbe might have been able to violate the relic rules thanks to the fact it was a ghost, but using an Eldritch Chain on her would do nothing to impede her movement in an effective area thanks to the fact that the active area of terrain was so small. Additionally, none of the Soelbe's light magic could actually affect Kiyo thanks to the protection of Akasha's Edicts. The only power that Soelbe held here was that over Mythari, and Kiyo's gambit left no room for Soelbe's interference. She had to execute this strategy correctly, and execute it quickly, or she would simply forfeit, recognising that the battle of attrition was not one she could win. After all, this was primarily to test Selim's strength, and Kiyo was already convinced of his tactical prowess and physical might, despite the fact that he was disarmed.

Kiyo sped up her chase, accelerating as quickly as she could, and used a single With the Wind to close the distance with her increased momentum. Being able to move the five feet that she had initially stumbled away put her much closer to Selim than before, and thanks to their earlier proximity it was, despite his head start, still just barely in melee distance--though not quite enough that Kiyo felt herself being able to forcibly move him as she had before. She also wasn't sure that she could simply out-speed him, and catch up enough to guarantee her hit. Knowing that she had such limited time and intrinsic disadvantage in a battle of attrition, Kiyo did not feel compelled to conserve her resources in the slightest--though it would be a second before she could dash again, she used Soaring Gusts four feet ahead of Selim and simultaneously had Mythari use another Soaring Gusts just to the right of that in order to disincentivise his dodging right (which would effectively leave him with no recourse and guarantee her hit).

Given that Mythari was also heading towards the pair at its maximum speed, which was not inconsiderable, Kiyo begun the process of executing her final gambit. Should Selim fall into range--and with no recourse as to where he could move, other than back towards Kiyo or southwesterly towards his Soelbe (which would leave him in range for Kiyo's gambit regardless), Kiyo used Mythari's positioning to create her last Wall directly below Mythari, around eight feet to the left of Kiyo and Selim, and would be able to use With the Wind and Soaring Gusts together to slam Selim into it, which would likely do enough damage to put him down for the count. Even if not, Kiyo could launch a barrage of Windborn Weapons at him in order to simultaneously prevent his advance and deal the finishing blows of the battle. All of this would happen within two seconds, three at the latest, which would not give Soelbe enough time to deal enough damage to Mythari or hit the Wall with enough spells to dispel it before Selim would potentially fall prey to Kiyo's stratagem.

All in all, Kiyo was quite convinced that the jaws were closing around Selim in this battle. If things did not unfold as she expected, and Selim displayed an exceptional stratagem to avoid hers, Kiyo would either forfeit on the spot or, depending on precisely what happened, choose to continue with renewed energy thanks to an exceptional display of battle acumen.

@Innue

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

The formation of the blizzard had a little delay, and so Anastasia had time to bark out an order to her Tibearius before the ineffective move would actually impair them in any way. She shouted "Release and chase!", causing Tibearius to release its Flare Core directly towards where Sakura-Re was dodging towards, angled such that its centre would reach the floor approximately six inches in a diagonal line away from the corner marking the boundaries of the Arena. Meanwhile, Tibearius and its shadow headed directly for Sakura-re, its immolating aura starting to fizzle out but not quite having died out yet, and accidentally clipped the Globe of Indolu that was heading towards it. Thanks to the inherent strength of the magic and Tibearius' innate weakness to Light-type magic, the damage was significant - but not enough to put Tibearius out of the fight. With an almighty roar it increased its speed towards Sakura-re, backing the Natrelmon further into the corner she'd gotten herself into.

Meanwhile, Anastasia unleashed the first spell that she'd been charging, a Lesser Fireball, hurtling it directly towards the same corner of the Arena that Sakura-re and Tibearius were currently occupying. Her hand begun to glow again with the same reddish light, signalling that she'd begun the charging of another spell.

@The 42nd Gecko

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

About five feet away from Sakura-re, before the fireball was about to hit her, Anastasia burst into a fit of giggles as the ball exploded prematurely and summoned her Tibearius at the same location. She let out of yell of "Iei, Tibearius!" as she clapped her now more severely glowing red hands together excitedly, seeming to prime the magic within them for release. Taking a second, she then shouted instructions to her pet:

"Channel a Flare Core, Tibearius! Shadow, use Echo of Rend!"

Tibearius dutifully did so, beginning to gather its energy as a small fireball appeared in front of it and begun to steadily increase in potency and size. As it did so, the Tibearius' shadow, stood just next to it, hurled a lance of shadow at the Sakura-re as it moved according to Sune's orders. Anastasia was clearly taking things easy to begin with, choosing not to have Tibearius simply chase the weaker Grass-type Natrelmon down with its immolative aura and attempt to get as much Fire-type damage on it as possible. She was confused that Sune had actually chosen to send out a Natrelmon who had such a pointed weakness to Fire in her Arena, but that just made her think that it would be an easy fight.

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Anastasia, or Annie for short, greeted Süne with the customary Toranese bow before speaking to him to formally address him as a challenger.

"I am Anastasia Radtfield, master of the Toran Arena, and I accept your challenge."

The introduction was short and sweet, but Anastasia did not seem to want to waste time with pleasantries when there were new things to burn in her arena. She held a small cloth doll loosely in her right hand, vaguely ursine in shape, before conjuring an extremely bright fireball in her left. She watched it for a few seconds, letting it get bigger and bigger, before it was somewhere around twice the size of her head. In the dim light of the Arena, it was easy to see the dark glint in her eyes as she played with the fireball and the pyromaniacal intent behind her actions. Then, seeming to remember precisely where she was and in what capacity she was acting, she shrunk the fireball back down to its normal size, about a foot in diameter, and sent it hurling directly towards where Sakura-Rei was.

Of course, this was Anastasia's beloved pet Tibearius using its innate ability, but she didn't know if Süne knew that. She would wait to see what happened to the fireball before telling Tibearius what to do, and in the interim begun charging her hands with fiery energy. If Süne knew much about Searsinging, he would know that she had begun charging two of its spells and was ready to unleash some havoc.

@The 42nd Gecko

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Toran Arena

The Arena was the most central location in Toran for good reason. Its exterior, though much older than most of the current architecture, was extraordinarily well maintained and gave off a somehow simultaneously grandiose and humble appearance. Comprised primarily of ancient stone pillars, long-since bleached white by the sunny clime, freckles and smatterings of gold and carefully maintained metallic paints allowed the light to be caught within the ridges and catch the eye with fiery pockets of effulgent brilliance. Each pillar was slightly different, and though ostensibly simple from the perspective of the ground an aerial view when the sun grew highest in the sky gave them the impression of the body of a phoenix. Each of the columns a feather of the sovereign lord of the South, and its roof depicting a structure not unlike an aviform torso, the exterior was a truly brilliant display of modern technique applied to ancient stonework.

Within the bounds of the columns and the roof was another enclosed space made of a black, volcanic stone similar to--but not quite--obsidian. Carved into it, at the front of the initial structure, was an entryway into the interior. Though it had no doors, little could be seen beyond its bounds but the faint decline of candlelight, and it was unclear precisely what awaited would-be challengers.

Stepping into the Arena's interior, one would find a corridor--some twenty feet long--that did not seem the match the spatial dimensions of the exterior of the building. At the end of that corridor was the arena proper--a large rectangular pit, 30 feet by 70 feet, with a single road to an extended pillar around 10 feet high that clearly awaited the challenger. Opposite it, 60 feet away, was an identical pillar that bore the leader of this Arena: Anastasia Radtfield. A young, and younger looking, girl of only thirteen, her innocent and youthful appearance belied an exceptional wealth of funds, experience, and natrelmon that made her a truly terrifying opponent for the uninitiated or the unprepared. Within the arena, ten feet below the pillars, was a clear chalk boundary 60 feet by 20 feet that appeared to mark the bounds of the arena proper.

Anastasia Radtfield stood, and awaited any challengers that may arise on this day. Given that the Rites were starting again this season, she expected several wet behind the ears challengers to face up against her and fail miserably. The mere thought of it brought a sly smile to her face.

@The 42nd Gecko

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Kiyo was pleased for the briefest instant physically possible as she watched her plan unfold to completion, but beyond that she did not have the capacity to do very much at all. Selim's momentum had all been converted to force when he hit the wall--and Kiyo had seen him wince in pain--but he had proven his combatative nature when he immediately turned himself towards casting spells and executing a strategy he'd been building since the beginning of the battle. Had she the time, Kiyo would have thought of this as an admirable trait in a bodyguard--and certainly something better than what some of the Lifanites settled for in order to simply look good rather than be adequately protected. Kiyo's own momentum, as well as taxing spellcraft, left her with little in the way of options as to what she could do now. Selim's counterspell and utterance of two other spells--clearly Abjuration spells, given their verbal components--left Kiyo with little choice but to use another of her precious With the Wind spells, dashing herself diagonally to the northeast as soon as she could. The blind did still manage to hit her, its searing light barely clipping her field of vision but thanks to its magical potency still being quite enough to utterly blind her. The sudden loss of vision, no matter how many times it happened, was disorienting enough to make even the most battle-hardened stumble and stumble Kiyo did.

She fell pretty spectacularly, mentally taxed from the spellcasting, and through sheer force of habit managed to tuck herself into a roll forward so that her stumble didn't end in injury. As she finished the movement, going maybe six feet, the blind had ended, and much of her momentum had gone into the roll. It was little effort to turn herself around so that she was facing Selim once again, and as his movement would have carried him forward she would have a second to gulp down a breath and steady her focus. She had escaped the worst of his gambit, but it was clear to her that he had a physical advantage purely based on his ability to weather her own stratagem with minimal disruption to his own. Soelbe's gambit with Indolu's Pride was effective, of course, at robbing the Mythari of its sight as he was not within the light of Indolu, and with Kiyo's stumble she simply did not have the capacity to give it orders. The Mythari continued on its course upwards, now at least 12 feet in the air, and prepared to aid Kiyo when she recovered.

Kiyo knew that her time was limited to close out the battle. With Selim's natural advantage in close-quarters combat and her own limited reserve of spells, Kiyo would have to end the fight extremely quickly if she wanted to have a chance. With that in mind, she begun a cautious walk towards Selim once more, knowing that her window was closing, and prepared for him to react in kind. She could further evaluate which of the forming manoeuvres in her mind would be most appropriate based on how he reacted to their next engagement. Of course, Kiyo had not forgotten about Soelbe, but simply elected to attempt to execute her strategy before it could have a real impact on the battle. As she moved towards Selim she drew Mythari into the fray also, having it charge quickly towards him. Mythari would have to contend with Soelbe, but if Kiyo's plan worked then that would not matter. A risky gamble, for sure, but one that Kiyo was willing to take to prove her own strength and test Selim.

@Innue

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Though Kiyo did not expect her gambit to cause Selim to outright take the offensive, she was prepared to execute her strategy as he did so. Kiyo had many factors to consider in the moment, the most prominent of which being how Selim would choose to use his counterspell. It was common knowledge that spells whose effects were instantaneous were simply unable to be counterspelled as there wasn't time for the magic to work--and Kiyo assumed that someone advertising themselves as a bodyguard had plenty of practical knowledge in the art of magical combat--so the choice of which spell he countered was vital to both of their strategies. Kiyo did not know if Selim knew that she planned to use a Wall, but she cautiously assumed that he did. Windspeakers were known for their proclivity towards slamming foes into objects to cause damage, and a smart opponent would ensure that no surfaces were available for such an attack.

Given the sudden decrease in available time thanks to his movement, Kiyo concluded that Selim would most likely counterspell her wall. Still, it was a requirement that she placed it, and even if he did counterspell it she had ways of buying more time. With a wave of her outstretched hand Kiyo created a wall to her left (and Selim's right) in the open space where the Natrelmon were not that was seven feet away from Kiyo, and just slightly further than that from Selim. The Wall would end up approximately perpendicular to Kiyo's Mythari, though slightly below its position to account for the angle between Kiyo and Mythari as well as between Selim and Soelbe. If Selim counterspelled this Wall, Kiyo would have no choice but to slightly delay her initial strategy and would compensate accordingly if the situation arose.

Assuming that it was not, Kiyo would wait for the pair to reach their melee distance--taking maybe a second, if that--and Kiyo would execute her strategy. She would put her weight on her right leg and lean into the movement, feeling the rush of the wind energy course through her, as she felt Selim come into range. She released the magic in the form of With the Wind, moved on Selim five feet towards the wall that she had made, and immediately as she did so invoked the Soaring Gusts, which had no delay thanks to her recent successful use of the magic. She positioned the circle in such a fashion that she and Selim would both immediately be shunted an additional three feet in the direction of the wall. This combination of spells would slam Selim into the wall with considerable force, and Kiyo would follow the movement up with a Windborn Weapon directly at Selim's chest. Given the short distance between the two, Selim hypothetically being damaged by the hit, and the speed of the projectile it was very unlikely that he would be able to avoid it also.

The sheer bevy of magic performed in such a short time left Kiyo just a little out of breath, and she doubted she would be able to use more without just a little respite--magically speaking--but habitually begun the process of drawing on the Quietus deep within her in case she was required to use it in the immediate future. If the manoeuvre worked, Kiyo's momentum would not allow her to stop--she would continue towards Selim and prepare herself to engage in physical combat.

Mythari and the Nightfall shadow elected to not use any moves, but kept their horizontal position stationary and instead elected to fly up three feet, ensuring that the range of the globes would be safely distant from them. As ever, they remained dutifully vigilant and ready to react to Soelbe should Selim command it to take action.

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Kiyo continued her slow walk as she saw the Soelbe moving its globe of Ielle towards the path of her and her Mythari. Its light was small, currently, only around 3 and a half feet in radius, and Kiyo was confident that her manoeuvrability would allow her to negate the worst of its effects. Given that Selim had uttered no command for the Soelbe to move its globe--and knowing that the Natrelmon was not going to move the globe on its own--Kiyo had no choice but to consider the idea that Selim also possessed the gift of Telepathy. Soelbe was a unique Natrelmon, being the only one attuned to both Ghost and Light magic, but it possessed no inherently telepathic qualities--and Kiyo was unwilling to accept that a Natrelmon would move its globes in a battle without some directive from the trainer, especially in a way that seemed so deliberate.

Kiyo elected to continue along her path, however, fully aware that Selim had a stratagem in mind with this placement and that she would have to be lightning fast to avoid it. She made a note to herself after taking another step to adjust her course slightly leftward in order to ensure that the distance the globe had to reach her was increased enough for her movement capacity to outpace it. With those facts in mind, after her first step, she picked up the pace--at this point around 12 feet away from Selim--and accelerated to what could be considered a gentle jog. She'd be able to reach Selim within two or three seconds at this pace, and her outstretched hand closed into a fist, tingling with wind magic, as she used Soaring Gusts directly beneath Selim, creating a pocket of visible wind five feet in radius with its center one foot to the right of Selim. He would be incentivised by this placement to dodge left, as the two seconds of time would only be enough for him to dart right if he did so immediately and with no hesitation--which would allow Kiyo to use her existing momentum to catch up to him in due course.

Meanwhile, Mythari and its shadow both elected to cut off Selim's right at Kiyo's mental directive by diverging their paths from Kiyo's in that direction--Mythari itself took a leftbound arc in order to cut Selim's path off, while the Nightfall shadow took a rightbound arc, the two paths eventually converging on Soelbe's current location in much the shape of a thin oval. Neither elected to use any moves yet, but the two were effectively performing a pincer movement within a pincer movement in order to ensure that Kiyo's advantages could be pressed as quickly as possible. They would react more to Soelbe than to Selim, given the strategy of the Light-type, but as always awaited Kiyo's instructions before deviating from their current task.

Kiyo, of course, kept up her vigilant scanning of the battlefield. She was prepared for even the slightest of reactions from Selim or his Soelbe.

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Kiyo nodded as Selim got into position, and began to walk forwards gently, being followed apace by her aerial Mythari. Kiyo had the benefit of both Mythari's natural telepathy as well as her own, and so the two could communicate instantly with no need for the delay of verbal commands. Telepaths were, generally speaking, exceedingly rare--Kiyo did not expect to be facing one, and was sure that she inherently had an advantage in speed over her combatant. Kiyo could tell, even with her limited experience, that Selim was a competent melee combatant--the way he had hefted his spear around reminded her of her comrades in the war. Orani who saw past the showmanship of sabers tended to prefer the work of a spear thanks to its versatility, and Kiyo had spoken to many such combatants at the various salons and balls and gatherings she'd been made to attend over the years. He showed that same confidence and easy skill, which made her thankful that she'd elected to test his strength without it.

Reliance on a singular mode of combat was, typically, poor form--especially amongst those who listed bodyguard as their profession.

As the movement continued, after Kiyo took two steps and the Mythari followed, the Mythari's shadow split from its body and moved at an equal pace to Mythari. Kiyo was particularly wary of the Globes of Ielle and Indolu that Soelbe had access to, and was certain to keep them in her vision--though not too closely thanks to their ability to blind--as she advanced towards Selim. Kiyo was a fan of patience in battles like these, but given that the Natrelmon were playing more of a supporting role, Kiyo was quite comfortable to allow Mythari to hold its own with mental guidance from her. Kiyo's true power was only really manifested in melee range, so her primary focus was ensuring that she could get there without Selim managing to pull something that she did not expect. Given that she knew nothing of his magical competencies, beyond assuming that he had them, Kiyo made sure to be as wary as possible. If left uninterrupted, she would travel as far as about seven feet away from Selim before reassessing the situation--and keeping vigilant eyes out for anything that could be used against her.

Fortunately, her telepathic connection with Mythari was very strong--and she instructed Mythari to report any changes on the field to her. Between the two of them, and Mythari's shadow, Kiyo's awareness of the battlefield was significant. It would be challenging to surprise her, but she remained wary as a matter of course.

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

It was a bit of a stretch to say that Kiyo was used to being recognised, but Lifanite culture was certainly one of showmanship, and more importantly, oneupsmanship. The Great Houses were constantly competing with one another for prestige and visibility, and Kiyo's parents were very good at it--the Reijin were currently, by her own estimation, inferior only to the Song family in terms of influence and power. Kiyo was very much not her parents' child in these matters, however, preferring the solitude of the library to the extravagant parties and get-togethers of the great nobility. Kiyo's younger sister Kasumi was much more suited to those matters--she'd always been the social butterfly of the family and had that knack for reading people that Kiyo only seemed to possess in text. Still, as eldest, it was her responsibility to lead the family and usher in a new era of prosperity.

Kiyo replied to Selim with a start, having lost herself in thought for a second.

"Ordinarily I would offer a test of hand-to-hand combat as befitting of someone who has competed in the Clash of Iron--but given that we are presumably both on our Rites, it would do us good to improve the skills of our Natrelmon. While I would prefer to test your strength individually, it seems that the two of us fighting with our Natrelmon as supports is the best option. I would prefer that we not use weapons, however, if that pleases you?" Kiyo replied, nodding her assent to the fight and reaching out to Mythari with her mind, telling it to prepare itself for battle. It would get to see some magic in use, and the delight in its mind was obvious across the telepathic connection.

Kiyo clapped her hands loudly, twice in succession, and shouted the Lifanite word for "battle"--though it would be translated to everyone who heard it. This was universally recognised at the cry for people to get out of the way in open-area spaces, as a fight was about to commence. Many cities prepared for the multitude of battles by infusing their stonework and other infrastructure with magical wards that would prevent them from being damaged by the potentially destructive effects of magic--both from trainers and Natrelmon.

"Shall we begin?" She asked, taking a deep breath as she did so and gathering her focus. Selim would certainly recognise her practiced movements as those of a Windspeaker, and with a flourish of her hands Kiyo outstretched her left arm, palm open, towards Selim. Mythari would stand by next to her, runes glittering as it adapted to her magic of Shadebinding with its Adaptive Lexicon, gaining the Ghost and Dark types for the battle.