Singularity F: City District
The attack came fast. The knives thrown in front of him were easy enough to strike down with a swift flick of his rapier, but they were surrounded. It was only a matter of time before something hit him in the back, or his Master got hit.
Thankfully, Assassin seemed to have a plan. Don Juan stood guard over the pair as the smoke bomb burst into being, protecting them from any desperate knife throws. And as the smoke cleared, naturally, his allies had disappeared.
Don Juan grinned. It still wouldn’t do to underestimate these enemies. After all, they massively outnumbered Saber’s team of misfits. Still, with the point of weakness removed, now he could afford to go on the offensive. He spent a almost a second looking, picking out a target among the ephemeral shadows that flickered between the buildings, predicting a possible path for them, and-
He burst forwards, magical energy burning in his legs carrying him in a blindingly fast leap that carried him into a single one of the enemy Assassins, skewering it with his blade. One down. But he certainly couldn’t shred through all of them like this, particularly if they changed targets or tactics. He withdrew his sword and flicked away the blood, turning to scan the area for the rest of the foes while keeping his sword ready to deflect any daggers.
What do you think, Master? He asked, responding to Daniel’s alert.
Should I draw them away to Rider, or distract them so we can reconvene here? It was the type of decision he’d usually make on his own, but he wasn’t sure exactly what Assassin was doing, or where or how secure Daniel was. He needed some input here.
Daggers flashed his way, and he spun into a jump, deflecting the first volley and vaulting the second. He ascended to the roof of a nearby building. The high ground was advantageous here, at least cutting off a number of angles for attack. Once more, he began to scan the area, until his eyes landed upon-
“Ehehehe…” Don Juan chuckled, before leaping again, making use of his Prana Burst to arrive rapidly in front of her. Raising his sword, he began to thrust. This time he wasn’t going beyond his body’s normal strength; using none of his demonic abilities. Rather, this flurry of attacks was all skill, and not intending to kill. It was a dazzling display of swordsmanship, a boast in the form of motion. The rapier stabbed forth with extraordinary swiftness and skill, each thrust hitting not the Assassin, but her outline. Each direction she could move was cut off, point by point. To the target of the flurry, and indeed to anyone who could see it, this was itself an attack - one of intimidation, directed at their minds. In between a pair of thrusts, he winked, and flashed his teeth in a relaxed smile.
Perhaps he was wasting time. Or perhaps he would learn a lot from this. The group’s response to this would tell him how much they valued each individual member. If their minds were linked, he’d likely be able to tell from how they responded to his attempt at intimidation. And above that, he’d be able to tell what state their minds were in - whether they attempted to talk, or surrender, or simply fought to the death. Yes, this was certainly a profitable use of his time.
Or maybe he was just flirting. But that could be profitable, too.
In either case, he was likely to find out soon.
Nallore
The Irish Tree