[IC] Of Shadow and Flame EP3: Rising Tension

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Vixen:

Vixen stopped though she was hardly intimidated. After all, the attack was a lot more telegraphed then they had thought. It was a rather obvious attack. One that a Hunter of Magi of all types easily recognized. The flash of magic gave them away. It was much too easy to avoid the attack. It wasn't clear if the miss was intentional or not to Vixen, as she didn't need to dodge either way. She knew it's trajectory, it would've never landed. The confidence she believed she heard in the voice gave off, at least as far as Vixen could tell, that this mysterious woman missed on purpose. If she had intent to kill, Vixen would've probably felt it by now, and secondly, the mysterious woman wouldn't be confronting her. They would slink back into the shadows before attempting to strike once more. One that had missed an attack meant to land... would be surprised by this and fall back, not make a show. So, This issuing made it at least clear to Vixen, that this one thought they an upper hand. Luckily for them, it wasn't them she was therefore. She was here for the information through and through. No blood need be spilled.

She non-nonchalantly bent down at her knees to pick the arrow from the ground. She turned it in her hand looking at it's finer details. Well made... not a primitive's weapon. After she finished inspecting the piece she held it up in the direction of the Figure on the building. "This how you greet all of your guests?" said a voice with the bite of winter hinting at its edge. She tried to curb some of the heavy frost of her norm, though... it didn't really work. She did it as this one was supposed to be friendly. However, she didn't seem much on the friendly side. However this show probably was of some intent. This was no random show of power. "So, I just want information. I'd rather not suddenly become a hedgehog, or a pin cushion. Sadly, that wouldn't happen even if you did fire more, it's just nice to have a visual aide. I don't think you'll ever land a clean shot, so I wouldn't bother."

[Chevaleresse]

Vixen

"You can't impress me. I don't care how much you want to brag about how good you are." She took a step forward, moving her enough that the fading light illuminated her features. A scarlet cloak was tied at her neck, billowing large enough that it could envelop her entire frame if she drew it around herself. A plain outfit of a natural-looking green shade was visible beneath the fluttering, somewhat tattered cloth, complimenting the brown of the asymmetrical bracers on her arms. Said arms held a finely worked Western-style bow, held sideways and at half draw already, an arrow to match the one currently fading from Vixen's grasp. Every inch of the wood looked to be covered in engravings, with a few lines separating sections at regular intervals horizontally and vertically.

"I don't know what information you need either, but I don't help murderers." There was a slight quaver in her voice, betraying her true confidence. Vixen's assessment was likely correct; it didn't seem like the girl stood much of a chance if they were to come to blows, unless she was hiding something.

Dexter

"I will be able to locate you as long as you stay within the bounds of the city. It's something most of us can do to an extent, though I'd like to think I am fairly talented at it." The Mediator turned about, heading back in the direction of Takeshi's hideout, his tail swishing like it always did. "Just do me a favor and be careful out there. A young mahou shounen like yourself could get into serious trouble with a lack of reasonable caution."

With that, he turned the corner. leaving Dexter to his own devices.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Vixen

"You must not work with anyone then considering that all the factions constantly murder each other in cold blood in the streets. So, Loner then? That's the only thing that would make sense. Besides, I'm here for information on a beast that could very well destroy this entire city within the blink of an eye. I suggest if you know anything you give me that information otherwise their deaths will be on your head. They'll be on the heads of any who did nothing to save them. So, you can save me some time if you know anything and I'll be out of your hair. Or, you can further condemn them to their fates. Up to you." Vixen said. Next to no emotion on her voice other than a tinge of frustration. She really had no desire to wait here while if she had no information.

She didn't have time for this. "So, what'll it be? I've not got time for you to sit there gaping at me. Either spit out what you know or I got other leads to check on." her nerves more or less clear though she remained calm and didn't yell that last sentence. Sh had no desire to fight this woman, mostly because it wouldn't be much of a challenge. It was too obvious that she over-estimated her skills and was trying to play tough. She was too emotional, not disciplined, telling marks of one who was fresh. Or at least, much more fresh than her. In regards to Magi... Vixen was quite ancient. As she said constant struggles between factions and the frequent attacks of beasts ended the lives of young magi every day, if not every hour. Those in the factions typically lasted longer as they had numbers with Loners having very small chances. That's why Vixen was an oddity. She never was a part of a faction, but due to her skills she had survived out in the Wilderness while she trained through the earlier parts of Magihood. She had been around for years now. The only thing that struck Vixen is how they would know to say she was a murderer. Her reputation was rarely tied directly to her, It was usually just a nebulous name that had no owner at least, no true one. It was hers but constantly it got stuck to others and constantly those others got killed. Vixen can't say she was all that proud of the last part but it did keep pressure off her and leave her to her work. It wasn't glamorous, most thought the Vixen a Monster. Mostly since they didn't understand what she did, and assumed she killed for sport or for fun. However, she only killed the number of the Magi that tried to gain off those without powers or that might as well be Beasts themselves. It struck her as odd now the mention of that what did she know? Vixen didn't let on to knowing that the Woman had made a crucial slip.

[Chevaleresse]

Adero, Lucia, Stefan

"The creature out there is still being handled, actually." The strange man gestured to where the combat seemed to be ending; the girl in the improbably frilly dress threw a small object that reflected the fading light briefly to the knight, whose shield simply dissolved into thin air as he raised his arm to catch it. The angle was poor, making it difficult to see what was actually happening, but he held the object - a gem of some sort? - toward the beast, and it glowed with an inner light that shined through the gaps between his fingers. The massive scorpion began to fade from sight similarly to how the shield had, though it seemed to struggle against some invisible bonds, screeching and flailing in protest before finally vanishing. The knight then called what sounded like orders, and the group broke up, most of them heading in a similar direction while the girl in the dress ducked behind a corner.

"Someone here's going to have to call the police and let them know about the crash; we have to deal with getting that beast out of here before it breaks containment and causes more damage. Could you three please step away with me for a moment? I'd like to speak in private; I can't actually call an ambulance myself at the moment, so someone on the bus should do so." He gestured to Lucia and Adero. "You too," he said, with a pointed look at Stefan. "Believe me, what I have to tell you is extremely important."

The ferret offered his own response after the soldier was finished speaking. "I am not a pet, young lady," he told the girl who had begged to hug him.

Vixen

"Go bother somebody else!" There was a definite wavering in her voice, despite the firm command. The girl was painfully aware of the power imbalance between Vixen and herself; her voice was not laced with bravado, but fear. "How could I trust somebody who kills Mediators? Even the most evil Mediators are still protecting the lives of thousands of people by contracting mages to fight magical beasts." She punctuated this statement by pulling her bow back to full draw. "As far as I know, you're just trying to hunt someone down and pretending that you're after that dragon thing so people will do what you say."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Vixen

"You obviously know nothing of this world. You know absolutely nothing if you naive enough to believe that. Do you really think all mediators give people their powers for free? DO YOU??? Have you seen them steal the very soul of the person you thought you know best and turn them into a puppet to destroy, kill and maim anything in their way? Do you really think they have no ability to use the lives of those they give powers as tools of evil? I've seen one of those evil mediators and devoted my life to removing him from this world because he KILLED people. He used mages to kill those that couldn't protect themselves. He ruined their minds, their souls, their very being and sucked it out of them, a mosquito of human emotion. Tell me things like the Black Skull are any better than beasts! TELL ME WITH A STRAIGHT FACE THAT A MEDIATOR CANNOT KILL PEOPLE!!! TELL ME THEY CANNOT RUIN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE BY DANGLING POWER IN FRONT OF THEM AND THEN FORCING THEM INTO SERVITUDE!!!. Tell me that they were given a choice... tell me they could choose to not kill the people they were meant to protect. Tell me that. You know nothing of this world if that's what you believe. I don't know who you are, but you know nothing of this world if you think Evil Mediators can do good. The Magi they create are nothing but empty shells tortured into husks of humans. Devoid of emotion, devoid of feeling. Tell me that the man I loved was even human anymore after being turned into one of those HUSKS!!! Tell me he didn't kill hundreds... THOUSANDS of men, women, children. Tell me that he remembered my face or even who I was. Tell me that my life didn't happen. Tell me, again that an Evil Mediator can do no harm to the humans they turn into monsters. Those Magi are more evil then the Beasts that roam this world. Because people think they are there to save them... not devour them whole. You tell me I haven't witnessed Magi eat the hearts of innocent humans because they were conditioned that was the only sustenance they could subside on." Anger, sorrow, and... many other emotions flowed out at once. Tears rolled down the woman's face. This idiot child playing hero. Ideals were the ghosts of happiness. Falsehoods that kept us wanting something we could never have.

"If I'm so evil, shoot me. Kill me, right now. End my life."

The clanking of metal all around as a cascade of guns and bullets hit the ground. She kicked her revolver and rifle away from herself, and they skidded across the ground. Well out of her reach, she'd not be able to reach them easily under threat of fire. "End my life, Watch as that beast tears apart this town and slaughters countless more than it's already has. If I'm more evil then them in your eyes kill me. I'm standing right here. End my life. And then watch the errors of your way. Watch this city burn to the ground. Learn the real world you live in. I've not lived as long as I have by believing the bullshit they tell you. I didn't get that choice. I didn't get to live in your worlds of ideals and fantasies. I got to see the ugliness day one. Magi aren't good people, and you know it. They spend more time murdering each other than actually helping people. Mediators only use them for their own ends. So, if you believe the world is a magical little place where Magi really are heros, that they really save people, and that mediators can do no wrong, End my life."

Vixen tossed off her cloak, and she stood there in only a red tanktop. Her upper body, was covered in a horrid burn that ran from her shoulder down onto her back. Even far away, the woman could easily see it. "Kill me, if you can believe the words you've said, if you can tell me the horrors I've seen with my own eyes do not exist... I do not want to live in this world."

[Chevaleresse]

But - even the mean ones - eating hearts? I mean - she has to be lying it's not possible - I've heard about nasty contracts but not -

The torrent of words washed over the scarlet-cloaked girl. She couldn't deny what the woman said, even if it ran contrary to what felt like her very soul. The thought that Vixen was simply a very good actor, that the scars on her body were a deception, it didn't even occur to her. She simply stood there, eyes downcast, shaking her head for a moment, a wordless, low sound escaping her lips. A sound that started to grow, rising in pitch and volume until it reached a shout that seemed to shake the girls body - or would have, if she had been visible to Vixen.

The arrow flew from its nocked position and landed in the pavement much as it had before, but this time slamming into it hard enough to raise dust and send cracks spiderwebbing across it. Another, and another, and another followed, a cascade of crimson trails coming at inhuman speed, each one losing more of its resolution and solidity until they became blades of energy that blotted out any possibility of seeing anything but their lurid glow. The sounds of their impacts blurred together until it became a continuous roar of destruction, and then without warning ceased.

Vixen stood on a platform, cracked but not broken, with the road's surface blasted away in for several feet all around her. Her weapons, apparently knocked away by the initial blasts, had slid to the bottom of the bowl-shaped depression now present. The girl had vanished from sight, though Vixen might have been able to detect a much diminished presence fading into the distance.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Vixen

"Figures, your ideals so weak even you can't accept them the second you're told things are what you think. I don't know why I bother doing anything when people assume I'm the villain. Because clearly they or the ones they believe in can do no wrong. So sick of wide-eyed children that think the world is such a happy frilly place. That only the beasts are evil." Vixen said aloud. She knew no one was around, but she couldn't help but to say it aloud. Her emotions were at a boiling point barely contained under the surface. He face still wet from where the tears had fallen. But, all sorts of other emotions boiled and swirled underneath the surface. She couldn't afford to hold anymore in because she just might burst. The thoughts of those days... stung all over again. Like a Scab torn off a long closed wound. Though... it probably never really closed in the first place. It had festered out of sight and she never knew it. After all she had always been alone, it never came up. Not until today, twice in the same day. She touched the burn on her shoulder... recoiling even though she didn't feel any physical pain from it that would warrant that reaction. She just remembered his face... and the flames that hit her. She wanted to scream... but she didn't have time for this now. She swallowed and after collecting her gear, decided to move on towards the next target within her list. She wasn't sure what to expect after this. She flipped on her cloak and stowed all her gear back in place. She probably lost quite a few bullets, but she could always make more, that was hardly an issue.

She began her trek, she had little time to lose and already lost too much here. She had a Beast to catch. One to destroy. One... that got away. It wasn't going to stay that way.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

Lucia looked awestruck as she looked at the people fight the creature. As it faded from existence her smile dropped. "The creature looked hurt... You aren't going to hurt it are you?!" She protested at the man. "What even was that cute creature? I'll come with you but I want answers." She tried to look angry, but probably looked silly. Specially when she remembered her manners. "Oh uhm. I'll come with you, but I want answers please." She repeated, this time with added courtesy.

[Grizzlybrand]

Flashing lights and magic that seemed to come out of fairy tales had signaled the end of the fight, the scorpion disappeared as if sucked into the crystal itself. Adero was awestruck, if only for the moment. His attention was brought back to people around him as the soldier spoke.

Adero was taken aback slightly by the talking furball, but considering they nearly died in the crossfire between a bunch of oddly dressed superheroes and a giant metal scorpion tank thing, a talking ferret would be pretty tame in comparison. He turned in the direction the bus was headed originally, weighing whether or not to actually stay. Given how long the bus ride was going to take it would probably take him until far past sundown to actually reach his destination. 'He won't be there if I go by foot and I can't just leave this kid either....' Realizing that his journey would take even longer than it already made his heart feel a bit heavy, especially now that he's so close. But he returned his attention to the knight and ferret.

"If you've got answers I'm all ears, I'll come with you too." He nodded. "Sides, I'm not the type of guy to leave a kid unsupervised."

"The name's Adero."

[Cyaloom]

Everything seems in order, at least, even though I've been away for more than a week. Well, everything but the mail. The postbox was completely full.

Dexter closed the door of the house behind him and put all of those letters on a nearby table. After digging through the bills and other burocracy related stuff, the boy found something more interesting.

I've heard about what happened to your father because of the news... Don't assume I've forgotten everything about the two of you... You are about to become a legal adult anyway, but I'll still try to help you how I can until you'll get a stable life and a bright future... To avoid misunderstandings, this house is considered a secondary house under my possessions... You can stay here, or come where I live: the address is down below...

Of the entire letter, those sentences were the one that attracted the most Dexter's attention. The sender was his mother, and Dexter had some mixed feelings about her. Being his mother, she held a special place in Dexter's mind; but she was also the one that left him and his dad in that city, going to live somewhere else. She also turned out to be part of a new family, and seemed to gradually lose interest for Dexter. She didn't even come to visit him last year, most likely making up some excuse to justify her choices.

Dexter's plan to leave the city and reach her were quickly torn apart by what he remembered about the pact with Astros, and everything else that happened during the following week. Maybe another day...

Dexter started to tidy up the house, that had been completely abandoned for almost ten consecutive days, watched some news on TV, had dinner and stayed up some more, to see whether Astros would have come or not.

His new plan was to attempt to join a faction, but Dexter preferred to take his time and not make rushed decisions. Finding a part-time job to earn something was also an option, if he had enough time; not to mention that there still was a chance that his mother would have come there to visit him. But was it really a wise decision to have a dual life, both as human and magical person?

[Noir]

Stefan's response began with a non-committal hum, the shrieks of the arachnid piercing his ears as it faded within a flash of blinding light, vague as the scene was his angle. Bizzare as the scene was, Stefan's face was unaltered. When was the last time he stumbled upon a day so....abnormal, though? Nonetheless, the actions of the strange group culled his wariness slightly; after all, they had just gotten rid of a giant, seemingly life-threatening scorpion before them. While Stefan wasn't one to take anyone lightly, it wasn't like he had control over the situation more than these alien people did.

A cold hand released his grip from his weapon concealed within his pocket, as Stefan decided to relent after seeing the towering man and the young girl interact with them, agreeing to follow under the knight's assertive request. "As you wish."

Edited January 15, 2016 by YagamiNoir4896

[Chevaleresse]

Adero, Stefan, Lucia

The soldier stuck his arm out toward the man that wasn't eyeing him suspiciously. "Good to meet you, Adero. I'm Ryuu. Here, just duck after me into this alley over here." He turned and walked toward the place - just a simple gap between a couple buildings. As he walked, his entire body flashed for a moment, and the legionnaire's armor was replaced by a simple hoodie and a pair of jeans, both looking somewhat battered. Once they were all in the alley, he faced the group once more.

"Alright, so I understand what just happened probably looked pretty insane. I'll give you the short version of the story; there are creatures that exist that aren't exactly what you would call normal animals. They can be harmless, or, in the case of this one, super dangerous, or anything in between. There's a lot of ideas on where they actually come from, but the main idea is that they're formed out of what you would call emotional energy. They can't be allowed to just roam around inside cities; people will die, and it probably won't end well for the beasts, either.

So, to deal with this, there are also people that can sort of use that energy field, like what you just saw, and deal with them. We're part of the Preservers; we think that they're just as alive as anything else, and so we try and get them out of the city without hurting them. The Protectors just kill them." It was clear from a twist in his mouth what he thought of this. "Arch here is a Mediator. He makes contracts with people that have the ability to manipulate this field; without a Mediator your ability will just lay dormant for a while, unless a faction inducts you - but I don't think anyone around here can actually do that. It's not a very common skill."

Dexter

It was late when the catlike being finally made an appearance. Astros showed up on a chair seemingly out of nowhere; it might have seemed unnerving if it wasn't for the telltale open window nearby. "I haven't been able to find Takeshi, sadly. I fear for him; I do not believe I've seen the acting this way since he left the Protectors. It's all too similar to. . . nevermind. The tale of Mihra isn't relevant to this night." The Mediator's tail swished back and forth before he continued.

"As a result of this, I will be needing another mage to protect me, at least until the time Takeshi comes back. If he does. As Ozymandias, or whatever he calls himself, seems to have wandered off and vanished somewhere, the task falls to you. Now, I realize this is rather rushed, but have you made a decision?" The cat's face was unreadable, and his voice betrayed nothing about his internal thoughts.

((Everyone else's updates are pending, unless I'm waiting on you.))

[Shamitako]

One of Kindle's targets went down, their color faded back to black. Kindle no longer felt the necessity to attack them and turned towards the second, the one who had managed to evade her. She was about to lash out when a slow buzzing at the back of her mind stopped her. She couldn't tell if it was someone speaking or her own thoughts, but a single word pushed itself through, "friend." The second target's outline shifted to blue and a bit of clarity crept its way back into Kindle's mind. She understood the situation enough to realize what she had done and felt foolish for attacking an ally. But rather than waste time trying to resolve that issue, she simply shifted her focus. There were two red outlines left, one was slinking away and the other was attacking Hikaru. In an instant, Kindle's mind processed a plan and she sprung into action. She shot forward, moving around Hikaru's wall and back behind her opponent. One of the projectiles he had fired grazed her leg and she was knocked slightly off course, but not enough to ruin the maneuver. She began to focus all of her energy into her scythe. The outlines faded and her movements began to feel sluggish; the wound in her leg suddenly began to radiate pain. She grimaced, but didn't give up. Her scythe's blade began to glow dull red and her dress started flickering to a plain white and back. She raised the scythe above her head, shoving every ounce of strength into lifting it. She realized she was yelling but hadn't said any words. Just before she brought the scythe down, the words to speak came.

"Supernova guillotine!" She shouted with all her might.

The scythe flared up in bright yellow and orange as she brought it down directly at her foe.

[Cyaloom]

Being told by an old friend or relative that she still cares about you, despite everything that happened in the past, and despite all the time that you were separated, is usually heartwarming and satisfying. But Astros' words and Dexter's opinions turned the tables around: the blonde guy was more preoccupied and saddened than anything else. He'd rather have his mother forgetting about him, at that point. Now I'm the only one left to protect Astros, too...

That weird letter - probably the best adjective to describe it - now reminded Dexter about his family's expectations. Am I ever going to return inside the society or will I live by draining my mother's money forever? If I join a faction, is this still going to be a problem? What if my mother visits me?

Leaving that aside for a moment, Dexter had already some ideas about which faction to join. After all, he wanted to protect the population from those Beasts, so that what happened to him and his father wouldn't happen again (or, at least, would happen less frequently); also, right now he was already protecting Astros.

"My decision...?" Dexter finally whispered.

"My decision is to use these powers you unlocked to protect you, as stipulated by our contract. That always comes first." Dexter made a brief pause. "But if that's why you're here, I have an idea about which faction to join as well."

Only then the blonde guy changed expression, looking darker and more preoccupied. "This will probably need a better explanation later... Am I going to be a magical person forever? Is it possible to have some kind of dual life? Someone still cares about me and wants to help me to fulfill her expectations."

Although he didn't mention it, Dexter was still concerned about Takeshi, especially after hearing Astros' words. Also, he didn't miss one word of what the Mediator said, inevitably becoming more curious and interested about everything he mentioned.

((wow, this took an hour to write down))

[Hiss13]

There was no way that man was going to escape. Nagi had no understanding of the space she was in and she was sure that none of the assailants really understood the nature of that space. It was unlikely the other gunman was going to escape. However, that did not mean she could not try and apprehend the runner.

Since she was in midair, it seemed the lightning user did not pay any attention to her. Instead, he seemed to be focused on Hikaru. She could jump down and attack him while he was unaware but it would probably be better to go after the other gunman instead.

She ignored Faust, Hikaru, and Kindle as she dropped onto the ground. Her knees bent as she crouched down for a single dash aimed directly towards the retreating enemy. In that moment, she propelled herself, quickly closing the gap between the two with minimal effort. As her foot landed on the ground in front of him, Nagi raised her fist, readying a punch aimed directly at his abdomen in hopes of pinning him to the ground. The nitrogen armor on her fist thickened and hardened before she unleashed a heavy fist towards the man.

[Chevaleresse]

Vixen

After this initial confrontation, most of the people on Vixen's list flat out avoided her. They'd been scared into hiding by the burst of energy, like deer scattering at the sound of a gunshot. Experienced tracker that she was, Vixen would probably be able to hunt down one of them; Loners, particularly experienced ones, were good at hiding, but nobody was perfect and she had the benefit of effectively knowing them for a significant period of time. There was one, however, who virtually advertised himself like a beacon. Her borrowed memories told her that she would be able to get reliable information from him, certainly, but he was a bit. . . eccentric.

Nagi and Kindle

The scythe fell on an already-broken guard, effortlessly cleaving the one who had once fought for justice apart. The space immediately around him seemed to. . . fold, for a brief instant as the blow landed. As the cut progressed, Faust seemed to literally turn to lightning rather than splitting in gore, lurid streams of electricity that seemed to be attempting to hold themselves together before the red metal split them finally. This transformation started at the cut and progressed outward, reaching the tips of his fingertips before the energy blasted outward in all directions, leaving no remains of the mage. Everyone in Hikaru's pocket of space felt a confused mass of emotions and memories slam into their psyche, flashes of the mans life jumbled together with one another and the feelings that accompanied them in an incomprehensible knot, and just as quickly as it started it was over.

This wasn't enough to interrupt Nagi's attack, however, and the hit connected solidly, dealing enough damage to drive all the wind from the man's body and then some. He was resilient enough that it wasn't lethal, but the punch took whatever fight was left in him out, and after a few moments he flickered back to his human form. If anyone had been watching, the other gunman had done the same just about as the punch landed.

The space faded back to its normal colors, with the only difference from when Kindle and Nagi had arrived being the shattered window and the accompanying shards of glass that littered the floor. Hikaru looked as white as their robes, looking at Kindle with an expression of shock. "I . . . I had hoped. . ." They trailed off, eyes shifting to the spot where Faust had once stood. The two mages with him were both laid out on the floor nearby - neither seemed to be in good enough shape to do much more than moan in pain occasionally.

Dexter

"That second is. . . a difficult question. The answer to the first is yes, you will be a magical person until the day you die, and you cannot ignore that fact. You may stop seeking out the beasts but the beasts will not stop seeking you. This is without mentioning the contract; you have agreed to protect myself and any other Mediator, with your life if necessary." The "cat" jumped down and walked across to another seat, jumping up and settling where a person would normally sit with his characteristic tail swish.

"As for the second. . . the short version is 'likely not.' Many people that accept the contract have nothing to leave behind; as you know, Takeshi was a friendless orphan when I found him, and his case is not unusual. Many others are glad to forget their prior lives, though it might mean hardship. There are some that do manage to maintain a dual life, but this is uncommon; perhaps if one had little expectation from those around them and a surplus of resources with which to maintain a home, it would be possible. . . but I digress."

Astros looked at Dexter, a look that would perhaps be described as expectant on his face. "You said that you might have made a decision?"

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Vixen

She wasn't happy about this, but a sure lead was better than one that wasn't at this point. However, knowing a lot from this world, she felt like something was amiss. Everyone else went underground, they fled. Yet... at the sign of magic expenditure this one put the signal on blast. He wanted to be found. It felt like it was a trap... it was too easy. But she no longer had the luxury of time, A Surefire thing was the msot solid plan of action. But... she couldn't say she felt good about this.

[Chevaleresse]

Vixen

The huntress's thoughts weren't entirely inaccurate. As she approached the source of the signal, Vixen was once again assailed from the top of a building - but this time in a decidedly different fashion. "HO THERE!" a shout rang out, and was quickly followed by a cloud of dust and the sound of cracking pavement.

When the dust cleared, a magus clad in the armor of a samurai colored an electric teal stood in front of Vixen. The helm had a mask fixed in a grotesque snarl, and a "mane" that looked like it was taken from some great beast to add to its intimidating profile. He hefted a bulky-looking blade over one shoulder "Halt, stranger, for you have entered my domain!" He jumped backward, a cape of the same color as his armor fluttering dramatically in the draft. "Do not speak any words to me, for we shall exchange our thoughts through our blades!" His voice sounded like a character out of some anime, pompous and bombastic. He stood with his sword leveled at Vixen, arm straight outstretched with his body lined up with it. He also seemed to be unaware that Vixen did not, in fact, have a blade to cross with him.

[Hiss13]

Nagi's looked upon the unconscious form of the man who she had knocked out. The air around her began to decompress and diffuse as it returned to a normal atmosphere. She put her foot on the man and nudged at him. He was not dead but she had not been able to incapacitate him while keeping him conscious. That was definitely annoying.

She then turned back to Hikaru and Kindle and walked towards them. "Tch. I guess that's what happens when I'm way too used to consistently delivering lethal force." She flipped her long black hair as she left a scowl on her face. "So much for interrogating the bastards immediately. So, do either of you have any idea as to who our little assailants were."

[Shamitako]

Kindle was on her hands and knees panting, sweat dripped from her brow and formed a puddle on the ground beneath her. Her transformation had reverted once she had used up all of her energy, and now her mind was attempting to process the events from a moment before. It was not being very successful.

"What..." She gasped, "What did I just do?"

Their assailant-no, her target was gone. The only remaining trace of his existence lay in the pain shooting up from Kindle's leg. Her breathing sped up as her mind finally grasped the full of what was happening. The man was dead. He was dead, and Kindle was the one who had killed him. This wasn't just some silly game where she got to fling fireballs at people without consequence, this was life and death. A chill fell over her body, the only heat remaining was the burning from her wound. Her breathing completely stopped for a moment but then resumed at a much more even pace. Slowly, she sat up. She then turned her head to look at Hikaru, her face white with shock. A tear ran down her cheek as her eye watered in fear and pain. As she spoke her next few words, the lowest of the five tongues of flame on her eyepatch's fire faded from blue to white.

"What did I just do?" She whimpered.

[Chevaleresse]

Nagi and Kindle

Hikaru took a deep breath and reverted back to their human form. They walked forward and placed a hand on Kindle's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the poor girl, unsure of how close she'd actually allow Hikaru to get. "It's alright. This. . . happens sometimes. I hate it but right now it's just a fact of this world." Hikaru looked down for a moment. Regardless of what they just said, nothing would ever make watching another person die any less impactful than the first time they'd seen it happen.

They spoke to Nagi after a moment of silence, without turning to face the woman. "They call themselves Peacekeepers. Maybe they actually did that once." Hikaru looked at the assassin directly. "I've had my suspicions for months about them. Nothing solid, just a feeling of being watched. I'd turn a corner feeling sure that there was somebody there but no one ever showed - at least, not that I could find. They're the closest things there are to mage hunters. I guess I should have seen something like this coming." The voice of the Protector was still dull, still trying to deal with what had just happened in front of them.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Oh my name is Lucia. Nice to meet you all." She introduced herself when the two men did. It would be rude of her to know the other's names and for them not to know her's. With all of her gathered attention, Lucia focused on the man's explanation. She covered her mouth with her hands when the man was finished. There were people who hurt those animals? Why would they do such a thing. "You have to stop people from hurting these creatures! They are cute and defenseless, you can't let them die!" She put her hands together and looked at the two other men who were in the party with her. "Don't you agree? That creature deserves to live, it needs to be protected."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Vixen

"Did she give me an entire list of nutjobs? Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh." The thought permeated her mind. So much so, that her eye involuntarily twitched. She really had about enough that she could take today. Multiple times reminded of a past she wanted to forget, and now yet another idiot she had to deal with. As if the first moron she had to fill full of needles wasn't bad enough... somehow... this one was worse. It was probably just due to the fact she was already at the end of her rope emotionally already, but Vixen was visibly not amused by the act. She took a deep breathe to center herself, but the irritable mood remained. This was probably worse for the stranger than her. Because if anything fueled Vixen power wise, Irritation was one of the more powerful ones. Not to mention, her strong emotional state from earlier would still be lingering. More power in all of it's forms. But for now she managed to keep her cool. How long she could was a totally different story, but for now it would hold. Somewhat...

"Look, I'm here to find information on a beast trying to destroy this city. I'm not a warrior and I certainly don't have a sword on me. So, if you've seen a Beast like that of a dragon... Any information would be appreciated." she said. The look on her face was one that was trying to be polite was more a mask of twisted emotion. It was anything but friendly. Darkness sat just under the surface. All of her emotion seemed yet ready to burst forth once again.

[Hiss13]

Nagi looked at the kid who was definitely in shock after killing somebody else for the first time. It was definitely something she knew the feeling of all too well. She had definitely not dealt with it well when it happened to her. Otherwise, she would not have been here. But, even then, she had been a magus for a fair amount of time before it happened to her. This girl was likely not even a month in with her powers and she was being forced to see a grim reality. No matter how much Nagi liked to distance herself from others, she sure as hell did not want to see someone driven to a similar path as her own.

"Look, kid. You can still remember the impression you had when you sliced into his flesh, right? Then let that memory stick. The fact that you can react like this means you at least have some understand the weight of another person's life, after all. You have yet to fall far enough to become a someone like me who drenched in the blood of others." Nagi tried her best to say something comforting…tried to. Of course, the assassin was never the best when it came to comforting others.

After finishing her little speech to Kindle, she let the transformation break and returned to her normal form. "Mage hunters, huh. Yet they couldn't even mask their presence. What kind of hunter or assassin can't even…" She trailed off before realizing she was going off on a tangent. "The possibility of an impending faction war is starting to get worse and worse if the Peacekeepers are attacking a Preserver Lieutenant, huh…"

She gave a quick frown and sat down on the couch where she was sitting before. "Then, let's continue setting up this meeting. Last I remember you were positing conditions."

[Shamitako]

Kindle's eye widened in shock and fear at Hikaru's words. This happened a lot? This might happen again? She wasn't sure she could deal with that eventuality. And it only got worse when Nagi added her own opinion to the mix.

"You mean... what it... felt like?" She said.

She thought back to the moment when she had sundered the man with her scythe. Swinging through him had felt no different to swinging through the air, it was like he was nothing... NO! He wasn't nothing! How could she think that? He was a person, she was the one who had made him into nothing. She had... she had murdered him. At this thought she broke down and collapsed to the floor; sobs wracked her body. She lay there shivering in a puddle of her own sweat and tears, trying to find some way to make sense of the insanity she found herself a part of. The burning in her leg had subsided and she now simply felt a dull ache. In that moment she vowed to never forget that burning pain, she would use it to remember the man she had killed, she would never forget him, no matter what happened.

(OOC: You know, I don't think she realizes he probably would have killed her without much thought. Not that it would change much, killing people is traumatic, even if it's with good reason)