The Liberation of Dachinst

[Nayt]

The Drunalan Empire had come from virtually nowhere. It started as a matter of attrition. Camps surrounded Dachinst on all sides, flying red banners depicting their signature skull and scythe; the town was surrounded except for the one mountain path to the central cities of Darokin. The until-then unknown enemy blocked out all import and export from the town, but rather than the expected result of assistance coming through the mountain path, only soldiers arrived. They bore no food, water, or medicine for the people of the city--only weapons of war. Attrition served only to harm the innocents of the city, and the Drunalan Empire put a quick end to such tactics.

The campaign that replaced their would-be war of attrition lasted for forty days and forty nights, a veritable deluge of warfare. Battle reigned throughout the city; its citizens locked themselves in their homes, their basements, shelters--any safe place they could find, as a stream of lifeless reinforcements stormed the town more fiercely than the thousand strong men and women of the Drunalan Empire ever could.

By the twentieth day, it was well documented that Darokin had more soldiers than the Drunalan Empire's currently situated force, and so the town had to be isolated. It was a daring mission: to pass the town, ascend the mountain ridge just past Dachinst, and collapse the mountain pass to put a stop to the constant flow of Darokin soldiers. This mission ultimately succeeded, and the reinforcements of Dachinst were quickly cut off.

One by one, Darokin's banners were burned throughout the city, as each horde bearing them was defeated. And by the final day of the campaign, only one banner was left unburned . . .

[Paroxysm]

The Governor’s hall was a proud building situated close to the center of Dachinst; its gated property is patrolled by several military-grade guards, quite a bit more powerful than the typical zombie infantry Darokin is so famous for, but not much different in intelligence, ultimately. In case of attack, from Hall to Gate, a minute’s walk would take, and the flat landscape of the property made the Hall a decent enough defensive point, allowing one to see their enemy’s advance, and to plan accordingly.

Hrnh

So this was it? After all that time of faithful servitude and loyalty and dedication and ... No, it wasn't actually that hard to believe the Emperor hadn't sent reinforcements above cadaver-class infantry. After all, the world was moving, there were bigger plans, and what was Dachinst? A pathetic outskirt city--a foothold to be taken away and crushed at a later, more convenient time? There were more important matters to attend to, yes. Yet, betrayal did have a habit of stinging one’s pride, regardless of one's ability to rationalize the situation.

“Ah-hah,” a hazy smoke filled the hall’s courtroom and only the slightest bit of orange gave off any hint of light in the room. “Shenfald,” the light grew brighter for a moment and dimmed. “The damned fool you are,” the speaker exhaled slowly and then drew in another breath, the orange light growing brighter yet again. “I warned you, I did; I told you: ‘nothing good will come of chaining me.’ Reassurances, Shenfald. Reassurances.”

The owner of the voice was a man of singular name: Zdenek. He was an old man and rather experienced, too. He had been the Governor of Dachinst since the very day it was founded, he had personally been given the office by Shenfald, and in Darokin one’s office is typically permanent--unless you anger the Emperor, of course. Still yet, however, was the fact that the occupation had been forced upon him, and he had no say in the matter: he was a demonic entity, his memory was hazy, he really didn’t know from where he had originally come from, but Shenfald had called him and given him power, sustenance and employment; the contract forged, Zdenek was forever bound to Shenfald, to Darokin, and to Dachinst.

"So be it!"

The entity announced in psychic volume.

"Righteous fools who believe themselves justicar", those who would advance upon him, those who knew him to be their enemy, would find his voice un-blockable, they’d find it inescapable, even, and a tad-bit foreboding, as well.

"You enter my domain", the doors of the Governor’s palace would creak and moan, they would splinter and rupture, and in a show of explosive force, they would invite the Drunalan Empire into the building. "And in doing so, you have caused judgment only to yourselves. Come", he announced once more. "Face me where I am strongest, blasphemous dogs."

From the seat in which he sat, the dark entity stood, the lights of the buildings would slowly flicker to life, each individual room of the hall would systematically light ominously, easily seen from the windows outside, and the orange light from earlier was thrown to the ground, a brown cigar-butt snuffed into the marble flooring.

[Nayt]

One of the first beings to enter the building might have incited surprise and concern amongst any sort of conscious enemy. The employ of someone as young as she might have driven one to consider the moral structure of the Drunalan Empire, but the most of Darokin's forces were lifeless in all respects, and those that weren't were far from morally sound enough to justify such an inquiry.

It wasn't but seconds after Governor Zdenek called for his opponents and beckoned the doors of his hall to opened that she raced in. She was hasty perhaps too hastily, and were it not for the pure look of stoicism upon her face, she might have even seemed anxious. She had her hand upon the sheathed Cizokian blade at her side the whole time. She came to a sudden and abrupt stop as soon as she perceived the Governor of Dachinst, though her hands neither left the vicinity of her blade, nor did they work to draw it.

The girl couldn't have been older than fourteen. She may have looked older, but one as old as the Governor of Dachinst would easily see through such a ruse. She wasn't even five feet tall, just a couple of inches shy of it, yet she had both the eyes and the stance of a tried and true warrior. Her eyes were a piercing crimson, her complexion so fair it might have seemed as if the sun would have damaged her, and her hair--an outlandish azure color and trimmed just at chin level--covered the left half of her face. A severe burn wound upon the side of her throat was covered by a bandage, yet the constant pain of this didn't at all seem to faze her. She'd had worse pains in her life, and though that one was to scar all the same as the others, it was by no means more important to her than the defeat of Zdenek.

Her name was Etsu Hikane and she was no doubt a member of the Drunalan invasion force. She wore the telltale colors of jet black and scarlet: her Cizokian robes were black and sleeveless, and the red banner of the Drunalan Empire was tied as a sash about her right bicep, a sash bearing the gold printed symbol of the skull and scythe.

And she wasn't alone, either . . .

[Paroxysm]

Zdenek seemed taken aback by the appearance of the blue haired reaper, although many would have taken it as an insult, for a child to be sent to combat them, the demonic entity said nothing about it and only appraised the girl from near his throne, neither advancing nor retreating. Eyes with a pestilent gaze widened and relaxed as the being shifted its gaze to the young girl’s entourage; Zdenek would smack his lips for a moment, as though he were measuring his opponents; and then he would smile, two dimples forming in his near-transparent cheeks.

The Governor of Dachinst would run a hand down the length of his dark, double breasted suit, and, using the opposite hand, he would unbutton the clothing near his neck and nod in acknowledgment to those who confronted him. Of the three Drunalan agents, he was only worried about one, the larger, and more experienced of the three: from the agent’s build, it was obviously a man, he stood about six feet in height, and seemed of average enough weight. This man, this Drunalan soldier, wore a black cloak, hood over his head, and his face obscured by a red scarf--a red scarf with a skull and scythe stitched into the fabric.

“You do not just trespass against me,” the man’s voice was composed and dignified; they were qualities that did not quite deliver themselves to their full effect when spoken through psychic means. “Your transgressions against Darokin will not go unpunished,” his eyes grew fierce and lingered upon the blue-haired girl, who stood just in front of the other two, which did well in making her stand out and this would only be supplemented by her outlandish features.

“Ja mata atode ne,” a rough voice broke form underneath the larger of the three Drunalan soldier’s scarf. He was addressing the other two, obviously, and would begin to move away from the gathering shortly after speaking. Wandering to the far right of the room, the man would open a door and enter the passageway, completely disregarding his comrades, and showing no concern for the coming battle.

For a moment, Zdenek would look as though he wanted to pursue the quick-to-exit man, but thought against it, refusing to turn his back on the other two soldiers. They looked young and could have been mistaken for inexperienced children, but the way they held themselves before the Governor and their spiritual presence, too, spoke otherwise, and underestimating them might have proved a fatal mistake, Zdenek thought.

Finally, the Governor of Dachinst, Zdenek, would throw his arms apart from his body, opening them wide, as though embracing the two soldiers, but even as he did so, the floor at their feet would glow a vibrant crimson, and runes of various shapes and sizes would appear within the marble.

“Die!”

Psychic noise would momentarily course through both soldier’s minds and then the feeling of intense flames would lick at their bodies. As though they had been summoned by Zdenek's delcaration and gesture--having brought an arm into the air and then downwards--a trail of flames would flow from the limb and snake their way towards the two soldiers; it was not a large attack, though it would seriously burn them if given the chance, and was quite easily avoidable by soldiers of their apparent skill.

[Nayt]

The girl, Hikane, looked to her right as her fellow soldier--one older and more experienced than she--opted to take his leave of the battle early. She furrowed her brow and pursed her lips once he was gone, temporarily displeased with the lowering odds, but upon reminding herself that she before hadn't expected any backup at all, returned to a stoic brand of determination, the same kind she'd burst in with. This was a task she couldn't afford to fail. Not only would her reputation be permanently marred by such an invaluable failure, but her loss might have granted the Governor of Dachinst a moment to flee from the city, be that his cause . . .

Governor Zdenek's opening attack was unexpected--but only in nature. The girl had expected him to draw first blood, just not with flames. She felt the utmost regret at the very last second that she hadn't the sort of ability that would allow her a ranged battle with this man.

Hikane acted quickly and expected such from her impromptu partner, as well. She ran for the fire, pushed down with all of her weight when it snaked in for her, and leaped forward before it rushed across her body. The way she leaped was befitting of her size; she gained both height and distance enough to clear the flames and land just betwixt its snaking arcs. She was small in stature and well trained in the limitations and benefits of having such a body. She knew she could take only scarce few blows, but could duck and move about circumstances that those of larger stature could not. Hikane committed herself to one more leap, one which would set her before the Governor's throne.

She'd land upon one foot just before the throne, bent just barely at her knee, all as if she were ready to bow before the man. This would not be the case. Before she'd even ground her left foot, she'd drew her curved Cizokian blade with all the swiftness she could manage, slashing it from within its sheath and out, aiming full to arc it across the Governor of Dachinst's stomach and spill his vitals before her.

[Paroxysm]

As Etsu Hikane dodged the opening attack and focused on advancing towards her enemy, she'd no doubt lose track of the flames, most likely expecting them to crash against the walls or floors, snuffing themselves out, but no such fiery cascade would occur; instead, the flames would split down the middle, a stream still heading towards the second soldier, and a smaller, more snake-like stream would seem to take life unto itself and follow closely behind the blue haired soldier, though at a much slower pace than she, herself, moved.

The second soldier, dressed in similar apparel as the larger one, casually removed the hood from over their head, revealing bright red, almost orange, hair, and eyes similar to those of the blue-haired girl, although lighter in color; the soldier was female, too, and wore a weighted chain-scythe against her hip. However fast the second soldier‘s partner was to react, she was in no rush, she stood there, not quite feeling the need to react in the same way as the blue haired girl, though not due to any lack of capability, to be sure; indeed, as the flames washed against her body, they would dissipate, as she, too, raised an arm upwards like Zdenek had; her fingers would be spread apart, clawed, and the flames would sizzle out moments after.

“Uh-uhn,” he said while wagging a finger and tsk-ing at the blue haired soldier. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, dear.”

Zdenek, in response to Hikane's attack, would step back and to the side without wasting any movement, narrowly dodging the girl’s slash and revealing the flames that had been chasing her, mere inches away from where he had formerly stood, and likewise, they were now quickly advancing on the girl, with such a short distance to travel and with her being in such an odd position to dodge, it would appear as though Zdenek had the advantage for now.

As Zdenek side-stepped, the other female soldier, Circe Brandt, would move into action, her steps were slower than Etsu Hikane's, but had a degree more calculation behind them. With practiced ease, she removed her weapon from the hook-holster at her hip, around her thigh, and began to twirl the weighted end of the scythe in a circular motion, momentum building as she advanced from the opponent’s blind-spot, but still, she was slow to act and would wait until things aligned perfectly with one another. Offensively, Circe depended on Etsu more than the blue haired soldier would know, as it was up to the Hikane’s fast and fierce style of fighting to lead Zdenek into Brandt’s built up, subtle way of attacking; she did better in exploiting her opponent’s weaknesses in stance and their over-anxiousness in decisive blows than outright overpowering them.

[Nayt]

Hikane almost cursed when she made a slight miscalculation: that her opponent would be quicker on his feet than she expected. Truth be told, it should have been anticipated; Zdenek was the Governor of Dachinst and the last standing enemy in a month and a half long war. He was in control, he was well defended, and he was powerful. Approaching him without the slightest air of caution was a mistake, and it almost ended with Etsu taking another large burn scar out of this war--if, of course, she didn't wind up going home in a box.

She leaped back--in the direction of the far right--just as quickly as she arrived, but even that was not fast enough. Flames licked her left hip, caught upon the cloth of her hakama and the wooden frame of her sheath, and took footholds at both. She felt the all too familiar burn of fire upon her skin. Hikane tore the sheath from her robe and discarded the quickly catching and mostly useless material, followed shortly by harshly patting herself on the hip to put out the small but growing fire. It hurt to the touch, but it was no worse than her neck. Hikane ultimately succeeded, but so did Zdenek--in throwing her off and forcing her from the aggressive offensive, that is.

The flames would crash down upon Hikane's former location and catch upon the throne itself, igniting even more of the hall and separating the Governor of Dachinst and Hikane with a veritable wall of fire.

Etsu passed a glance to Brandt on the far end of the room, but intentionally regarded her for less than a second--and only to keep Zdenek's attention from her. Instead, Hikane came up with a plan of her own. She was to be the most offensive individual here in battle--and she would live up to that requirement, but not without a moment to prepare. From behind the wall of fire, she looked Zdenek in the eyes and refused to turn her attention elsewhere. She dropped her right arm, still equipped with her Drunalan issue katana, to her side, and lifted her left, open hand, as if preparing herself for unarmed combat. And yet, that was all. She did not charge him or even attempt to leap over the wall of fire. At least, at first . . .

[Paroxysm]

The old man quirked a brow and smiled at the Hikane girl’s swift-footed escape from what he had intended to be a fiery death for the girl. For a moment, he almost looked away from the girl, towards the second soldier, as her focus shifted towards Circe, but he reaffirmed his own gaze at the same time as the azure haired girl in case she had chosen to attack.

Zdenek took a deep breath and allowed air to fill his lungs, his chest puffed out, his arms were brought forwards, pointed towards the wall of fire, and pulled back, elbows bending at the sides; it would look like a martial arts stance, as though he was, too, preparing for unarmed combat, but that would also prove to not be the case, yet ...

The longer he held his breath, the more the flames seemed to lean away from Hikane and instead, they would seem to stretch towards Zdenek, as though they were reaching for him, drawn to him through some mysterious connection...

“Allow me to introduce myself,” he squeezed out some words without releasing his breath. His voice sounded strained and stretched in the effort, but he was understandable enough. “Zdenek the Flame - Governor of Dachinst!”

The man exhaled his air suddenly, fiercely, and his arms became outstretched once again; the gesture was slow and powerful, as though he were pushing a great force with his hands, and, sure enough, the flames would react; they would become an ocean of flames, threatening to burn everything in their path; and they would be heading straight for Etsu Hikae. Although there were a large amount of flames, they would be low to the ground, like a river moving against the marble floor, and at first glance would appear to be easily out maneuvered by someone as athletic as Hikane; though, a degree of risk was involved in even attempting that...

Regardless, as the flames moved, Zdenek’s stance became rigid, he was concentrating and keeping the flames in form, it wasn’t hard, but it did require a dedicated sliver of attention.

Circe, on the other hand, had already moved completely around the man, she could attack soon, the whirling sound of the weight was now quite obvious, but still dismissed for the most part; if things worked out in her favor, she’d be ready exploit and create an opportunity for attack.

[Nayt]

So it came to this. The Governor of Dachinst introduced himself and inspired the teachings of Hikane's father to come out once again. An exchange of names was now due.

"Hikane Etsu," she replied in her characteristically small and meek voice.

She almost flinched when the wall of flames fell and spread like a flooding river, but Etsu had prepared herself for just this situation. She'd taken full advantage of the moment of pause Zdenek allowed her.

As the flames collapsed and spread to her feet, they'd come to an abrupt stop. It would take only a second for them to spread again, though not quite in the way Zdenek forced them to before. He'd feel a sudden high-level heat source upon himself--or, rather, upon the floor on which he stood. The spread was all but slowed to a stop before Etsu. It was sudden, perhaps even unexpectedly so, but it took only a light shove of Etsu's left hand to spur the flames onto the greatest and most stagnant heat source, that of Zdenek's.

The flames would not spread so far as to reach Circe, but only Zdenek himself--and yet at the same time, they would quell and force apart, parting like some legendary river by some legendary prophet. Whilst splitting and parting to leave Etsu an open fissure to reach Zdenek, the flames would all come to a single point upon Zdenek himself. Etsu had decided to both make herself a path and test Zdenek for what he was-- to see if he was immune to the element he so willingly carried around, or if the flames damaged him just as much as they damaged her.

And it was with this that she concluded her introduction: "Anger-r of Death."

[Paroxysm]

This was not what the demon had expected. What were the chances that his opponent would have an affinity for the same element as he? He smiled to himself, nodding in appreciation, acknowledging the young girl's already splendid amount of control, but he didn't voice the praise; instead, he clenched his fists and allowed the flames to spread up his body, clinging to his clothes, unable to burn them or Zdenek, himself.

“Angel of Death, you say? Children,” his voice was a tinge bit mocking. “So quick to grow up these days.”

Zdenek would take a step forward and the flames would die down, sizzling out quite suddenly, without any resistance, and leaving only the extraordinary heat. The heat would roar and intensify for a moment, reaching levels that would have made even Zdenek, in life, uncomfortable, but now they were only a minor annoyance; the heat, too, would then vanish, as though it were drained from the very air around Zdenek, and he’d take another step forwards.

The light-etched runes upon the floor would grow ablaze again and Zdenek would point casually towards Etsu Hikane, a single finger pointed in her direction and a cruel smile enhancing the ominous gesture.

“Bang.”

The crackling of flames and sparks could be heard and seen, respectively. Air shimmered and bent from an intense heat, far more intense than previously and a swirl of orange, yellow, and red erupted from his finger tip; it would not be a stream of minor flames this time, however; no, it would be very much similar to a solid projectile; it was a small fireball, quite powerful, too, and would carry with it an almost physical--kinetic--force. If it struck Etsu in the chest, where his finger pointed, it would most likely break a rib upon impact, and then it would spread, moving all across her body and searing her supple flesh.

Even so, although the bullet of flames had been launched, at the last second, Zdenek would feel a tug on his arm, a jerk that may or may not have ruined, if only by an inch, the path on which his bullet had meant to travel, and he would be forced to look down at the arm, at the chain skillfully wrapped around the limb...

[Nayt]

Projectiles . . . that was one difficulty she hadn't yet encountered, but Zdenek primed her enough when he fashioned his hand like a gun. She'd seen those before. Never been shot by one, but she'd seen them used. She knew enough to avoid them at all costs. Getting out of the way took priority over all things, and rather suddenly at that; she didn't expect something that would kill her after a moment, she expected something that would kill her all at once. This discomforting expectation was enough to spring her to action with the same haste that carried her into this hall.

The girl pushed with her left foot and darted to the immediate left, an action which wouldn't have been enough were it not for Circe. The fireball would have still struck her in the shoulder had Circe not detracted the man's attention and thrown his aim off at the last second.

Hikane could not take the time to recuperate, however. She was given an opportunity by Circe Brandt, and she needed to take it before it was too late. If she hesitated for too long, Brandt would be caught up in the battle, too. The azure haired agent kicked forward with her right foot. She raced down the open path to Zdenek, a path marred by flames on either side, and gripped her blade in both of her hands. She'd be upon him quickly, but rather than slashing across his chest, she'd likely ram her shoulder into his chest before anything else, an action to prompt the upward stab of her katana, one she intended to end this battle.

If Zdenek did nothing to stop her, he'd find Etsu Hikane's blade embedded within his chest, stuck through the front left, jabbed through his heart, and slipped through his back, out and betwixt his shoulder-blades.

[Paroxysm]

Grinning ear-to-ear, Zdenek would rotate his enchained limb, looping the chain around his hand, forming a strong grip onto the metal, and licking his lip as the room’s light reflected off of his fanged teeth. Fire-forged eyes flicked towards Hikane, a degree of admiration hinted in their stare as he considered the thought of her being so swift-footed again, thinking to himself silently, and grinding his heel into the floor.

It would all happen in a matter of seconds; the moment Etsu Hikane’s speed hit its peak, as though he had been waiting for it the entire time, Zdenek would show the difference between their ages, between their experiences in life, and suddenly, violently he would exploit a major weakness in the second soldier’s inexperience: he would attempt to take her weapon; in fact, the very moment that Circe Brandt felt the weapon slipping from her grasp, she forced her grip back onto it, wrapping the base-end of the chain around her wrist and attempted to pull back, her body leaning--fighting--against the pull. Sadly, this was exactly what Zdenek was hoping for; after all, this was a mistake that most chain users made.

With no chance of releasing her weapon, the fatal mistake would take form, as Zdenek pulled with all his might, bringing Circe’s comparably smaller body forwards, against her will, and sliding against the floor, swiftly. When Hikane entered within range of the most optimal ‘junction’ point, Zdenek would use his opposite hand to add even more strength to his pull, forcing Circe to become air-born in the process, hurling the young woman towards Hikane, and bringing the two soldiers towards an inevitable collision.

Crk--

Circe felt something pop in her arm or shoulder, she wasn’t quite sure with the scenery blowing past her and the ceiling and floors switching places, but she did soldier her way through the initial confusion and attempt to gather her wits about her, trying to bring her right arm to the chain and at least prevent any further injury.

She closed her eyes, bit her lower lip, focused, and began mumbling to herself. Her words were incomprehensible, audible, but impossible to place and follow. They would twist and distort themselves the very second someone tried to listen to them intently; instead, it was best to not focus on them at all...

If the two female soldiers collided, Zdenek wouldn’t pursue the opportunity aggressively, instead, he would release his hold on the second solder’s weapon, casually unbuttoning his suit‘s jacket, and pretending to be oblivious to everything.

“Hrnh,” he grunted to himself. “Alright, I understand you now, what you can do, and I’m sorry to say,” he paused as though to add emphasis: “It is time to die.”

The jacket was taken off and thrown to the ground and another button from his shirt, which had been unbuttoned earlier, before the fight, was undone, and so, too, were his cuffs.

Perception--observation--was very important in a fight...

[Nayt]

This time she did curse under her breath. Kuso . . .

Of all things, Etsu least expected Zdenek to use Circe against her. That in itself was a bit of a low blow--but this was war. It wasn't an honorable showdown (though she'd have preferred that much), nor was it a socially acceptable duel. This was a war. This was a matter of kill or be killed. There was no honor in it. Of course, this didn't mean Etsu was going to sink to those lows . . .

The major difficulty here was that she couldn't avoid Circe. Etsu drew her blade back at the last minute to avoid and serious accidents between the two of them, but as she was in the midst of running for Zdenek, she didn't have enough time to leap out of the way--and besides, they were better off for this. If she did leap out of the way, Circe would have hit the floor first, rather than slowing her speed by colliding with Etsu. Rather than both girls sharing a few scrapes between them, Circe could have been seriously injured.

Circe collided into Etsu and knocked her off her feet. She hit the floor shoulder first, with Circe on top of her, and released her katana once its hilt was wedged between her hip and the floor. It harmlessly slid away by several meters, not quite too far out of reach.

[Paroxysm]

"Umph!"

Colliding with Etsu and hitting the floor, Circe rolled off of the other soldier and stood back up, her right hand instinctively moving to her left shoulder, feeling where it was sore, and determining whether or not it had been dislocated; it hadn't, but that could have ended badly.

Normally, Circe would have asked Etsu if she were alright, having been the cause of the incident, but now wasn’t the time ... If Etsu was out of the fight, it’d present itself quickly enough and the same, too, could be said for if she was fine, because that would entail her standing up and getting back into the fray. Regardless, Circe quickly pulled her kusarigama into stance, keeping the chain out of grabbing distance of Zdenek.

Zdenek, on the other hand, shrugged, started to advance upon the soldiers, and seemed rather bored while doing so to boot. His fists were clenched tight, the knuckles were turning white, and his brow was furrowed; his eyes were determined, a killer’s intent projecting itself outwards and impossible to ignore; and he would seem an entirely different person, more similar to how he had been when he first invited the Drunalan soldiers into his home and stronghold: he really was a demon.

His skin and body would begin to change, to darken, grow leathery, and look more like what belonged on a lizard than a man. A great heat emanated from his body and warped the air around him; frightening, he raised his arms and allowed the floor of the courtroom to grow brighter and brighter.

To Zdenek, the two soldiers from the Drunalan empire aligned themselves as: a close-range and decisive damage doer who sought to end the fight with a single strike, making her attacks predictable and easily exploited; likewise, Etsu Hikane seemed to be capable of (at least) low-level fire manipulation.. The second, Circe Brandt, was a disabler, she was potent threat provided he was a weapon oriented enemy and a ranged fighter regardless. Again, she, too, had a secondary skill, but she hadn’t displayed it enough for a proper analysis to be formed. Still, the strategy for handling both Agents of Death was quite obvious at this point: play their weaknesses.

Quickly, not wanting to wait too long for the two soldiers to fully recover, Zdenek leapt from where he stood, it was a glorious thing, from a standing position, his body moved into a far-fetched jump, and he suddenly appeared before Etsu; his right foot went down, his left elbow bent, and he pushed the opposite leg forward into a slide: fire erupted at the ground in a wave and would easily force Etsu to retreat a considerable distance ‘lest she wished to be burnt. Unlike before, the level of power behind this wave would be great, if Etsu was to manipulate it, to change its course, or make a path for her, she would have to put forth far more effort than before and the needed concentration may prove too daunting a task when a physical blow from Zdenek could happen at any second...

[Nayt]

Once Circe was off of her, Etsu quickly got to her feet. Unless one was trying to play possum, it was best to stay on one's feet as much as humanly possible--and Etsu knew next to know tactics that called for playing possum. Once she was up and ready again, she tarted forward once to snatch her sword from the ground, and prepared herself as quickly as she could.

Which couldn't have been timed any better, really--for the second Etsu was up, on her feet, and armed again, Zdenek was making his move. By this time, he had already started to look more like the beast he really was. This, too, was cause for concern, as Zdenek's nature paired with his ability (and inability to be burned by fire or effected by heat in any sort of meaningful way) absolutely negated Hikane's own special ability, defaulting her to the use of melee combat alone. She simply had no control over it. When she dealt with Qi, she dealt with heat. There were practically one in the same with her. At best, she could defend herself by displacing heat, but that was the most useful her ability was going to be in this battle.

And so, as melee was her only option, she did what was both expected and unexpected of her. Yes, she was going to get close--but aggressively so. Governor Zdenek leaped for her, and so Etsu leaped for him as well. They met practically on the same tile, and all Etsu had to do was keep moving forward and just ever so slightly to the side to both bridge the distance between she and the Governor and evade the flames . . .

She stepped in, thrust her blade forward, and would attempt, again, to run the man through. Were he to dodge with something so simple as a side-step or short backward leap, Etsu would complete her thrust, only to take a sharp step toward Zdenek and throw out a horizontal slash for his belly.