[IC] The War for Baji (open)

[Lekkuen]

When he told her to stop, Eri looked up at him before smiling. It was clear that she wasn't like the other Naji princesses outside of sharing the same father, both clothes and actions completely different. Despite that though all of the Naji people clearly thought highly of her, and even if she wasn't dressed the part she was still transported like one. "Sorry, I should introduce myself properly" She said before clapping her hands together. "I am the 7th princess of the Naji Clan, Eri Naji! I know I don't look like much of a princess right now, but I'm in training and needed to look the part to get the full experience. I have all sorts of pretty clothes back in the palace, but like running around like this, helps me fit in more with the common people." She spoke in a cheerful tone and the happy expression of a normal teenager instead of the more regal way that would be expected. "The Beautiful Kitsune you have already spoken to is Rii, she is teaching me to understand my abilities more and to be the best I can be at everything! When I'm Empress of Baji I will be a ruler who can utilize the wisdom and skills of all before me, to ensure the prosperity of all of us including those in your clan." Her statements were a bit more in line with what was expected, trying to sell her father's idea and her future role in said nation. Her upbringing and status as favored daughter meant that she was in full support of their end goal, to make a nation of the central islands and eventually the entirely of the Baji chain.

"I don't particularly care about Naji's goals, but the princess is of interest to my family. You may want to tell your lord some details on this girl whenever you return home. Even if he doesn't support the Naji end goal Eri is something my people have never seen before, and we remember when humans first showed up and cats first changed into your ancestors. We believe she may be the future of the Baji Isles, the beginning of some grand event that the spirits have been planning since the very start." Rii spoke in a calm and collected tone, relaying the facts about why she has taken the time to hang around despite not being with the Naji clan. 9 tailed Kitsune were incredibly powerful and quite influential back in their homeland, one is rarely seen around humans without good reason. The whole time Eri just stood there smiling, just taking the whole thing as proof of how great she would someday be.

[Mogtaki]

After a rough start Gin was starting to feel rather enthusiastic about his journey away from the village and his quest to get the lost artefacts, but as the air of excitement began to change into anticipation he was quick to remember where he kept his sword just incase. He wanted to help and by being up front seemed better than being behind if there was a threat up ahead. Sure enough there was a threat as the guide soon revealed and sure enough as they wandered further down the path there was the threat standing ahead. It was a woman with some strange but threatening bodyguards, that much he could tell.

Keeping his hand close to his sword he stopped and stared at the people, feeling rather unsure to how he was supposed to handle these people. He didn’t know how they fought or whether they knew each other and was waiting for them to arrive, but either way they were a problem and they had to get around them. He did wonder if they were strong enough to fight these guys and this woman off while protecting someone who appeared unarmed. Moving forward he gasped when Yuudai moved forward, his eyes staring up at her as she demanded answers from them. She was intimidating by herself and seeing her like that made him feel rather small and insignificant.

With wide eyes he watched as she showed authority to these people, stabbing the ground with her large sword that even made the ground vibrate. He was getting rather excited now, his bright blue eyes continuing to stare up at her with such child-like wonder. She was the kind of person he hoped to be like when he was older, but that didn’t mean he didn’t think he was capable as he was now. Withdrawing his blade he made a sudden few steps back, moving closer to the guide while still facing the group and showing he was a threat too despite his size. He dared not speak up right now, he might say something bad and cause unneeded aggression. He knew he was liable for saying something he probably shouldn’t so he kept quiet, trying to concentrate on appearing strong and threatening.

[Lekkuen]

Yuudai was the first to step up, speaking directly to the woman, causing the group of men to all stare at her, each getting a good look at her while the woman stood there with her face in their general direction. After a moment she pointed one of the blades directly at Yuudai before speaking. "Yuudai Wakahisa, it's a shame you're life will be cut short before you even find out how interesting your mother really is. We actually like her, she serves a good purpose here. Oh well, hopefully she won't be too upset when I turn you into one of my toys, maybe she'll realize how fun you'll be to play with!" She laughed a little to herself at the end, showing no intimidation by Yuudai or her weapon. Instead one of the men moved closer to the half-Oni, his expression still the same as when the group had first shown up. "I know, I'm sending an unarmed human to fight an Oni, seems weird right? But I know what I'm doing, I kill things worst than you every day and felt these toys would be good enough to do the job." She turned her sword slightly to point at the Tengu to address her point as well. "And no, telling you guys what I know would be boring. Much more fun to kill you and make you mine." She said as one of the men threw a punch at Yuudai, the blow much stronger than even a human of his size, it would hit like an Oni to whatever it struck.

"That said, miss Metou I don't actually have much use for you. Your little eye trick is too limited for my taste, so you I may just rip apart." her voice sinister as one of the men besides her took a step back before suddenly sprinting forward towards Metou, his head partially lowered as he charged forward faster than most rontu could sprint, planning to run right through her if he could. The others with the woman still stood where they were, not moving at all outside of their eyes which constantly jumped around at the various people, making sure to always have good looks on them and any changes.

Takumi was a little relived to see how this started, while still scared it seemed to him that she was out to have fun and not on some official mission which made the situation a little better. From his perspective it at least meant they all stood a chance, and wouldn't find themselves in an even worst situation. "I know her, but I can't really say much not while she is here anyway. She is no bandit though, and she doesn't care about Ru, she wants you guys." He spoke to both Kenji and Jiang. "All I can say is she's a Zhuni from the Empire, they may look like us but they are some weird alien ki in a human shell. Her mother holds influence over many of the larger clans, and that's as far she'll likely allow me to say." He briefly explained.

[Kitsune]

"You know mother?"

Yuudai's voice held a little bit of surprise, though not to the fact that she knew who she was or who her mother was but more how she spoke about her, as if she knew her personally. Not only that but the fact she apparently knew something she didn't? She was either lying or there really was something and if the half onii was truthful both really pissed her off. "I didn't know my mother had such bad taste... I will make sure to ask you more in a moment, just stay right there." Turning her head towards the advancing human Yuudai had a gut feeling that it would be far from normal, maybe the bone in its head, maybe the muscles all over its body, or the fact it walked like it had no life?

A smile crept cross her face at the mention that she had faced worse things than Yuudai, however it was soon stripped away as the fist of the large human came straight for her! Shifting her weight and footing Yuudai avoided the attack with swiftness not normally akin to her kind, the fist passing by her face by mere inches. Reaching out with one of her hands she attempted to grab the humans wrist, planning on pulling him deeper into his own attack as she stepped forwards to land her own fist into his side. Though this was not the end of her attack, as it simply would set her up for a follow up if allowed. "Raahhh!" Her muscles would strain against her shirt as she used her grip and fist to lift the huge man, attempting to use all of her intense strength to toss the man right towards the woman!

[GambolMuse]

Even when the princess actually acted as such it was weird; she didn't seem to fit the part just yet, it was kind of like watching a little kid pretending to play. Tetsuya found it a little hard then to take what was being said seriously, but he couldn't say a word on the matter unless he wanted to get Lord Shima in trouble. For royalty Eri was so... Carefree and relaxed, it was odd. Even when Lord Shima spoke to him casually there was still a sense of authority, yet there was nothing here. Maybe it was the fact they seemed to be the same age, as everyone in power he'd ever met was generally older than he was.

"It's uh... It's an honor, Princess Eri. I am Tetsuya Ueno, the Shima Knight. And I think it's very nice you're trying to get along with the common folk." It seemed like a safe move with everyone going on, trying to endear oneself to their subjects. Sure, Eri wasn't technically the ruler now but she would be someday and it could only benefit her if people liked her. Weird to think that this girl would some day be leading the largest clan, and yet here he was speaking with her in such an informal way. Bowing for what felt like the hundredth time today Tetsuya gave Eri a small smile, still feeling a little confused over all of this. What Rii then had to share with him didn't help that confusion whatsoever.

Whoever Rii was she sure did know a lot, far more than Tetsuya would have credited her for. Even with what little she had said he got the notion she was well aware of a lot of things, making him both curious and wary about her. If Lady Ru couldn't give him the information he needed then perhaps Rii could, if she'd be willing to talk. Interesting that so much worth was being put into Eri, it sounded like she was much more than just some princess. Heck, from the way that Rii was speaking of her it was like she would be the savior of Baji someday. Would she be the one to end this war then? Or was something else even worse going to happen? Man... All this talk of spirits and everything, did he even want to know what this was all about?

"It sounds like you've got your hands full. It can't be easy, having the job you do." Glancing back to Eri, Tetsuya smiled slightly seeing her looking all proud, wondering if this might just be something to pump her up a bit. Didn't having so much expectation being placed on you make you nervous? Yet the princess didn't look like she minded at all, in fact she appeared to revel in it. The Neko could understand in a way he supposed, he had a lot of duty that he was meant to see to for Lord Shima even if he himself didn't feel wholly ready. There were plenty of older, more capable guards who could be conducting this search and yet he'd been chosen for reasons he still didn't understand. All he knew was that Lord Shima trusted him, and he would do everything he could to make sure that trust wasn't misplaced.

[Wei Phoenix]

Was frozen solid once Takumi confirmed that their enemy was from the Zhu Empire, followed by a sigh of relief since he was in the back and hopefully out of sight. He didn't know if they were here for him specifically or if his family was safe. Jiang Baji was beginning to regret the decision to split up now, but there wasn't much he could do for his loves ones at this moment. Too much reality was hitting the young vagabond all at once but he quickly got back to the matter at hand when Metou was attacked. Takumi said that he would be fine on his own and able to escape, he just hoped that the guide would be able to make it to Ru and bring them reinforcements. He sprang into action, rushing towards Metou to intercept the charging man and give her time to back out and line up a shot. Baji unsheathed his sword and leaped in between the two with his blade going straight for the man's skull.

[Lekkuen]

Yuudai was able to grab the man's wrist as his punch was dodged, and her own attacked managed to connect just fine. The man showed no reaction of pain whatsoever to the strike, and when she tried to lift him his feet sunk into the ground. The ground shook for a moment before buckling beneath his feet as his weight drastically increased and he used his own strength to hold himself down, his free hand reaching out to grab her face. The strength was stronger now, as the ki in his body began to increase his strength as well with him getting steadily stronger as well as heavier. His face still expressionless and him being completely silent, even when struck or attacking. He wasn't even breathing and if she got close enough she wouldn't be able to hear or feel any heartbeat or pulse. As they engaged one another, the woman stood there smiling like always. "Why yes I know your mother. Or more accurately my mother knows her, they've had tea a few times in the past and we keep tabs on her. We've watched you grow up, it's how I know you'll make a fun toy to play with!" She replied in her normal cheerful tone.

The other attacking man continued charging towards Metou , unconcerned for anything else so he didn't react when Jiang jumped in between them and attacked. The sword went straight into the man's skulls, and didn't stop his charge at all. With a sword straight through his brain he crashed straight into Jiang Baji, hitting him like an enraged rhino and would continue going for metou until he either hit her or she managed to evade. There was blood from the blade but he showed no signs of pain, or of caring in any way that a sword went right through him. Something that caused the woman commanding him to laugh hysterically, finding the futile attempt hilarious and that it made a great show.

[Lekkuen]

Their conversation had just finished when someone else stepped outside, an attractive woman wearing a kabuto. While she had the helmet she didn't have the rest of the armor on, or the standard clothes for the region, instead she had loose fitting pants with tiger markings on them that stopped at her ankles, right above a pair of dark canvas shoes. Her torso had a small top but was mostly bare showing abs and her tattoos, she was instead wearing her jacket as a cape of sorts, the tiger motif strong on it as well. She was a few inches taller than Tetsuya and Rii and had the muscle tone expected of someone trained often but didn't have a particularly large build. Her partially painted lips turned into a smile when she saw the Kitsune waiting there, a smile that was returned when the two met eyes. "Nice to see you again Rii. After we discuss business, me and you will have to catch up." The woman said in a more familiar tone, causing Rii to nod in response. After a brief moment longer they broke eye contact and the woman turned to both Eri and Tetsuya.

"You must be the Shima representative, and Princess Eri. Well I am Lady Ru, the leader of this the village down the path there. Don't expect any fancy tea ceremony or anything from me, if you want to talk just state your business now. We will talk out here in the open surrounded by weapons, that way if the debate gets too heated we can just duel instead. I also just like the freedom to walk around, I'm not a fan of sitting or laying down unless I have someone between my legs. You know what I mean, right Eri?!" she said in a playful tone causing Eri to blush and avoid looking at her.

"... Umm I'm not exactly comfortable talking about such things." Eri bowed, before looking over at Tetsuya. "You should talk to her first. Me and Rii-Sensei have something that might change how this meeting is going. It also might change how you and your clan think of me, so please go first." The princess spoke in a more serious manner after she stopped blushing, her and Rii were going to show exactly what the big deal about her was and they wanted any other business out of the way before they did so.

[Wei Phoenix]

Baji was tossed up in the air after the charge and he had the wind knocked out of his very lungs. He laid on the ground to for a few seconds to regain his composure and slowly rose back to his feet. That man took a direct hit from his sword and is still moving like an unstoppable juggernaut, but it's flesh was easily penetrated. He saw Yuudai up ahead trying to grapple with one and another still trying to hurt Metou. Jiang believed it was obvious which one needed his help more, but he had an idea for all of them in regards to overcoming this enemy. Gripping his sword with one hand and holding his stomach with the other. "Don't try to go hand to hand with them! Take your sword, no, all of you take your swords and go for their limbs!" He was hoping that this strategy would work, even if they were still animated, they wouldn't be able to do anything without legs or arms.

[Kitsune]

"Gah?!"

Yuudai exclaimed as the huge hand grabbed onto her face, lifting her off the ground as she went limp in its grasp. She didn't move as she was raised, motionless as if she had given up but as Jiang finished telling the all to use their weapons Yuudai lifted both her hands and clasped them together. With impressive might she brought them down like a hammer onto the large beings joint, forcing it to drop her back onto her feet. "Sorry, I was thinking." She said, giving a explanation as to why she had apparently stopped moving.

Dashing back she grabbed onto the handle of her blade and yanked it from the earth, bringing it to her side before twisting it around so that the hooked end was facing where she would strike. "Strange, you don't look any older than me. Stay right there, we can talk more when I get there." She complimented the women trying to kill them before charging the large man, avoiding the first of his attacks before bringing her blade down onto his shoulder, the blunt end would have little impact most likely but it was the hook she was after. Using it like a lever she pulled herself up and closer, bringing back her free hand to attempt to palm strike the large man right on the forehead and force him down into the ground! She was putting much more power into it than her punch, and if he was heavier than before as she suspected he should have fallen over like a tree. This was only the first step as she just needed to clear the way so she could dash towards Zhuni.

[GambolMuse]

So just where was Lady Ru? Tetsuya wished she would show herself soon, he really did not enjoy making small talk. It didn't help either that one of the people he was speaking to was a princess either, he didn't feel quite equipped to handle someone like her. Granted the Lady he was seeking was noteworthy too, but she hardly commanded the amount of respect and reverence that Eri did. That aside the conversation had left him all kinds of confused, questioning now what the purpose of the Naji heir and her instructor was in coming to Ru. Surely it was nothing malicious yet he couldn't help but wonder, finding the way that Rii spoke to be very vague. If he stayed around during the talks later he might find out, that was provided if he was allowed to.

The sound of clattering boots off in the distance drew Tetsuya's focus away, looking towards the larger building to see what the deal was. Exiting the structure was a woman clad in clothing that left very little to the imagination, at least in his opinion. Though he managed to put two and two together he was stunned to find this was the woman he was seeking, again a ruler not being quite what he'd expected. She seemed both relaxed yet commanding at the same time, and the tattoos she bore probably told some kind of story he would imagine. Watching as she approached the trio alone his eyes widened slightly when Rii and Lady Ru spoke casually, certainly not having expected the two of them to know one another. Suddenly he felt awfully unprepared for all of this, like he was at a serious disadvantage for not knowing anyone here. Hopefully being a stranger didn't have any bearing on how his request might go over.

Thankfully Lady Ru had sorted out who he was fairly quickly, though a formal introduction should still be given. She was awfully lax with how she spoke too, making it sound more like she was speaking to someone about the weather than any potential politics. Right to the point, he could appreciate that, and he even gave a nervous smile when she mentioned dueling; Wouldn't it be terribly wrong of a guard from a neighboring clan to duel a leader? Would he even be a match for Lady Ru for that matter? He was good, but Tetsuya was skeptical whether or not he was good enough to take on the leader of a clan. Much to his chagrin the Lady made a pretty off color comment there at the end, the Neko's face burning up as he had to look at the ground awkwardly, not having any idea whatsoever how to react to that. Did a woman honestly just say that in front of him? And so carefree too?

Tetsuya thought it might have been that comment that made Eri hesitate to start, a fact to which he gave her a look of 'Why me?'. When she explained though he figured it was reasonable, it would be best to ask for the information while Lady Ru was in a good mood. Jeez, how in the world was he supposed to talk to Lady Ru after that though? When he looked back at the woman he felt his face heating up again, wondering if maybe he should just come back later and try again.

"Uh... Right... I guess I'm up," Tetsuya said to himself, smiling nervously as he turned to Lady Ru. "My name is Tetsuya Ueno, and I'm one of Lord Shima's guards. I uh... I was sent here to ask you for some information," he began, finding himself struggling to think as he looked into the Lady's eyes. Dang it, all he could think about was what she had said, it was really making this hard. Trying to find somewhere else to look in hopes of making it less awkward his blush intensified when he accidentally looked at her chest, quickly looking towards the gate and letting out a sigh. He was way too uncomfortable around women to be doing this right now, but he had to get the question out for his Lord. Running a hand through his hair he shifted his weight around a little, taking a big breath before finally turning back to Lady Ru.

"I was hoping you might have some information on a theft that took place in Shima. I don't know if you've gotten word of what happened yet or not..." Tetsuya explained, glancing over at Eri and Rii for a second. Was this okay to say in front of them? Asking them to leave probably wouldn't do much so he'd have to, like it or not. "It's about our relics. Someone has stolen Shima's relics and we have no leads as to who did it. So I guess my question is have you noticed anything suspicious in your town? Any unusual people passing through, or heard any rumors?"

[Xartarin]

If Jiang hadn't at least slowed the assailant down with his blade, Metou would've been run through. When Jiang slashed through the enemy's face and into their brain, it managed to jolt Metou and get her flapping. With a short burst of motion from her wings, Metou tried to throw herself out of the way of the charging brute, but his face caught her foot and she tripped over him. She fell to the ground and quickly scrambled away, gun still in hand, and took off into the air as fast as she could and flew to a sturdy looking branch. 'I suppose we know why those bones are there,' Metou thought as she landed.

Metou pointed her rifle at the man with the bone wedged in his head, her thoughts racing. Before pulling the trigger, Metou considered the effect of Jiang's blade on the man. There was no way Metou's bullet would be worth the risk of accidentally hitting a teammate now that the creature was fighting in the middle of the group, if cutting into his brain didn't phase him. As quickly and suddenly as she could, Metou pointed the rifle away from the man that attacked her and towards the chest of the woman controlling them, and fired.

[Lekkuen]

When the charging man only managed to trip the Tengu, he suddenly stopped and looked around still seemingly unaffected by the wound in his head. Since she managed to fly off, he turned his attention to the man who was hit with something more direct. While still expressionless, he began to charge at Jiang this time once more planning to run through him. If he pissed he would attempt to grab Jiang and slam him into the ground, the man mindlessly focused on attacking him in any way he could. "Even if your plan works, it won't stop me Mr Baji. We know more about you and the other Jiangs than you do, they still live because my mother allows them to and can be squashed whenever she wishes. Just like your little group here." The woman said loudly, stating the same reasons for why Takumi wasn't going to tell Ru about them. He figured it would just cause bad things to happen to Ru, where as just them they had a chance of getting out alive and not having Shima targeted. Instead the guide simply spoke to Gin who was trying to keep him safe.

"You should help the others out, this woman won't attack me. She is getting her kicks from trying to mess up Shima's last hope. Your friends are the only ones in danger for now."

The one fighting Yuudai had the upper-hand for a moment, until she broke free of his grasp and grabbed her sword. He charged forward at her with a punch, only for it to be dodged and the blade to strike down on him. When she connected to him with her palm, a loud thud could be heard as he hit the ground from her momentum and force. Like before though he showed no signs of pain, and would attempt to grab her with one hand as the other attempted to strike one of her legs. The Zhuni woman never removing the smile from her face, and was about to talk before she quickly dropped a blade and raised her hand up in front of her chest. Between her fingers was the bullet that Metou fire, she felt it a for a brief moment before flinging it at one of the men beside her. the bullet fired off like a second gunshot and perceived the bone fragment, shattering it and causing him to collapse to the ground.

"Not bad, that would have killed someone else, or at least wounded them. If you work together a bit more you could handle an actual situation like this." She said before reaching down for her sword, instead though picking up a small rock and throwing it right at Yuudai, the rock despite its size hitting whatever it struck like a small cannon.

[Lekkuen]

Lady Ru gave out a hearty laugh when both the princess and Tetsuya began to blush and avoiding looking at her. She expected as much from the princess, but that the Shima representative did it only made it more hilarious. As he started to explain she crossed her arms as she stood there, pushing her breasts up some in the process but not really giving it much thought. Soon however his awkward/nervous behavior stopped being funny and her expression became one of annoyance. He expected it to have passed after the first comment and business to continue, and instead it felt like someone who shouldn't be there. She was about to yell at him, when he managed to finish saying what he wanted to say to her. She paused for a few seconds as she took it in and began to think back to if she had either heard anything or personally seen anything possibly connected. After she thought it over she turned her attention back to Tetsuya before taking a step closer.

"First of all Kid, you are here on behalf of your lord so stop acting so nervous. Eri lives a sheltered life, I expect it of her. You are here in armor and weapons yet stammering around and blushing, and that look at my chest was noticed too. If you want to look at it then do so, if you have thoughts on my choice of words either say them or act as if nothing happened. I know I look better than those Shima girls you are used to and I don't pretend to be a chaste butterfly, but acting shy just makes you look weak." She spoke in a tone of voice that straddled the line between playful and aggressive. When she spoke about the actual reason for being her though, her voice became completely serious. "Regarding your relics, I wasn't aware of such a thing. As you know I try to stay out of outside affairs, so I wouldn't have heard about it unless you sought me out like now. I don't listen to rumors so I simply don't know if people are talking about it, but I can assure you no one out of the ordinary has entered Ru lately. By living out here my range is extended some, so I would have felt them if they were nearby. I can have people ask around the village but I can't provide any real support in the search for it. Shima is free to pass through my lands in the search, but the most I can do is return them to you if the relics somehow end up here or with my cousin in Kenzo." The proper thing to do would be to give back anything that isn't theirs and they would always follow that rule, but she wasn't going to involve her people in a matter that only effected Shima.

[PaulHaynek]

The fight had gone underway as Kenji had expected. Yuudai, Metou and Jiang were the first to fight the large, expressionless men, landing blows that are deadly to the normal man but simply an annoyance to the horned henchmen. Since that was the case, it was only obvious to target their legs. Meanwhile, Takumi explained that the smiling woman was from the Empire and not at all a local. She seemed to know about the group's mission and is intent on stopping it. Kenji figured the thieves did not want anyone on their tails but the woman adversary seem to know more about the group than the group did. That warranted questions.

Kenji wanted to help out but his large sword might hit an ally or be an extra burden to them. An opening would be quite nice for him. Yet no opening appeared but he did see the smiling woman pick up a rock while keeping a hard gaze at Yuudai. Kenji could tell the Zhuni was planning something and quickly threw himself between Yuudai and the Zhuni, drawing his giant blade.

The rock was simply thrown but with the force similar to a cannon ball's. Kenji brought up his blade's broad side and focused much magic into it. The energized giant sword deflected the powerful rock skyward but knocked Kenji into the ground like he was slammed into it. "Urg...!" One thing was for sure, blocking that rock was painful.

[Wei Phoenix]

The brute turned his attention to Jiang himself. He nimbly dodged the charge with poise and grace while shattering the bone protrusion with his blade and bringing the goliath to a quick halt. This woman called him by name and spoke knowledge of his true brethren. It was good to see that they were gaining some notoriety and hopefully their good deeds were the reason why. "No, we live because my brother is the best and no one will ever outsmart him! Your drones die because they like style and flair!" He shouted while turning towards Gin. Takumi said he didn't need assistance so it was time to put the main man into the fray. Baji sheathed his sword and crouched slightly with his hands open, together and between his legs. "GIN! There are two more! Let's make them rue the day for ever crossing the Tiger's Fang and the Lion's Tooth! Soar high and cleave right through that lifeless shell!"

[Mogtaki]

Gin didn’t want to fail on his first mission, especially when he just got out of the village. He had never been able to travel anywhere, even for weapon and armour deliveries it was always his caretakers who went out instead to make them. He was always left behind at the anvil to continue working or practice his swordplay. He didn’t have any of these situations apart from having to deal with thieves so his first instinct was to protect rather than to fight while others did that instead. While he was pretty worried he was also now being told it was wrong to worry and that he should be up in the front lines fighting off these men and this woman. ”What? Are you sure?”

Feeling confused by that he looked back to the group, their struggles becoming a little more evident. He wanted to help them too, he should help them. Gasping when Jiang suddenly shouted his hand went back to his sword, staring at him as his command for battle was more of a bravado than a command. He wasn’t going to do any soaring, in fact he had a plan already. Grasping hold of the hilt of his blade he suddenly bolted right into the fray, speedily moving around the battle on his toes, the claws on his boots providing grip. Keeping fair low he made his way around the burly men, singling one out before immediately moving in and trying to cleave the man’s legs in two with a rapid slash.

[Kitsune]

*CRACK*

The sound of rock smashing against metal echoed out for a moment as the powerful attack was intercepted by Kenji, forcing him back from the sheer force. Stepping forwards Yuudai caught the man before he fell to the ground "Thanks." She had been distracted by the large thing trying to grab for her that the rock would have struck her, and even she would not have come out of that unharmed. Helping to stand him up she took a moment to look back to the giant she had forced into the ground, likely getting up by this point. "Do you think you could handle him? It would take too long to put him down my way" She gestured to Kenji's sword.

Yuudai now stared down the Zhuni women, her gaze a little sharper than before as she reached to the bottom of her shirt, starting to un-tuck it from her pants. "We are working together... If you had not noticed." The women may not have noticed it but Yuudai sure did, if accidental or not on the others part. All of their super heavy hitters had bypassed her little slaves one way or another and now had the advantage on the women and the last remaining minion. "You know, I envy you. Really." Lifting her shirt off of herself she held it by her side "Even if your strength is faked by magic or real, you are allowed to let go. You allow yourself to not care what you do." Tossing his shirt down she took in a deep breath, thankfully she was still decent with her wrappings around her chest. "I on the other hand. I live within a world of paper where I have to limit myself, make sure that I don't harm my freinds, family..."

Lowering herself down she took a runners stance as she grabbed her sword. ".. Or my enemies. You though? I think I can let go a little, just this once. As a little present for myself." Her muscles tightened as her entire form gave of a aura of a wild beast unleashed a fearsome thing that would threaten to devour all in its path, however it was restrained just as fast as it came. With a single leap of her powerful legs Yuudai combined her timing with the others to converge on their target at once, her fist ready to bring down while her sword ready for her defense.

[Xartarin]

Metou's mouth was agape for a moment as the Zhuni woman did something impossible, she caught the bullet from her rifle and threw it even faster. Up until this point Metou had figured she was the weirdest thing around, but this woman clearly had her beat. Their options were starting to become limited. Yuudai was about to confront her, but even though she looked strong Metou didn't think she stood much of a chance against someone who could pluck a bullet out of the air. Shooting her from the front also seemed like an impossible way to get her off their back. However, for right now it seemed like the Zhuni woman was going to be a little preoccupied fighting the half-oni woman, and it seemed like the others at least had a good shot at her other minions. Metou jumped backwards off her branch and drifted down to the forest floor, and then folded her wings close to her body as she hid.

Moving as slowly as she could, Metou crept behind the trees and under any brush she could find to position herself a few meters before the Zhuni woman as she was about to fight Yuudai. Metou began reloading her rifle while keeping her eyes on her target. As she crouched she hoped Yuudai would be enough of a match to give her an opportunity to strike.

[Lekkuen]

The group was gaining the advantage on the men they were fighting, with one stopped by Jiang and the other seemingly losing to Yuudai, who was now moving past it. Considering the Zhuni disabled one herself it only left one of her men remaining, who stared at Gin once the short half-Oni charged him. Instead of trying to counter attack or evade he simply turned his head, his eyes focused on Yuudai who had been removing her shirt and talking a lot. Talking to the Zhuni and saying things that ensured that both of their attention was on her, the Zhuni as always with a smile to go along with her permanently closed eyes. They both stood there silently as the two half-Oni attacked, neither seemingly caring. The man paid Gin no mind, so the sword connected with no problem and sliced right through both legs. The man didn't react, instead his eyes stayed focused on Yuudai as the body fell.

Yuudai's strike didn't fare so well. The Zhuni sheathed her sword and raised her hand as the punched came near, catching it and stopping the half-oni in her tracks. Her grip was too strong for Yuudai to break out of on her own, and her strength was enough to easily hold the horned woman in place with that one hand. She lowered her arm and brought the Oni to the ground, her other hand ready and able to stop any counter attack weather sword or fist. And for the first time since they came across her, the Zhuni's smile faded. "I've always hated people like you." her grip tightened to the point that it would cause even oni bones to crack. "You just randomly say whatever is in your head, not even caring how wrong and stupid you are. I know all about you, I can comment on your past and even your future. You on the other hand no nothing about me. You claim I go all out, that I don't care what I do? I can kill an ape like you in an instant, but I don't. You don't live in some world of paper, you are a little fish in an ocean of sharks. I allowed myself to let go and won, went all out and crushed my enemies. My reward was my mother ripping out my eyes and unlike your friend I can't even open the socket to put a new one in. If I was who you claimed, I would rip you to pieces for daring to speak about me as if you know who I am. But I'm not. I have a purpose and a mission, and I'm not stupid enough to risk failing it by giving into my pride." The whole time the Zhuni spoke, the nature of her ki became more apparent. her aura was powerful and alien, an energy that threatened to consume any it touched and that would weaponize itself to attack those who came near.