Tuujaimaa

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

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

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

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

@Innue

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

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

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

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

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

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

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

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

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

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

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

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

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

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

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

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

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

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

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

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

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

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

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

@Innue

Kiyo was sat on one of the many benches in Toran's central square. The Toranese had a custom of painting works of art onto public infrastructure in order to preserve their rich oral traditions in a way that everyone would be allowed to view and appreciate. Kiyo had studied the works as part of her upbringing, and was--truth be told--quite happy to get to experience them in reality rather than simply poring over yet another tome. Not that she didn't enjoy books--she very much enjoyed a light reading--but there was something so visceral and beautiful about witnessing the authentic articles when Ielle's rays were shining at just the right angle. Kiyo studied the bench she'd chosen quite vigorously, the whole thing painted to look like an Atrire emerging from its egg. From her studies, she knew that this was just one part of the greater whole--a citywide tribute to the Lord of the South, Suzaku. She'd read that when all of the city was viewed from the correct angle at the correct time of day, a silhouette of the vermillion lord would become visible for just a second. Unfortunately, the best place to view it from had largely been lost to the annals of time. Some places made oblique references to a "point of prayer, where Ielle kisses the horizon" but despite her best study of the maps Kiyo had never been able to so much as chance where such a location might lie. She supposed it might have been easier in person, but she decided that she was first going to challenge the Toran arena and see who else had decided to venture on their Rites this year.

It didn't take Kiyo more than a few moments of wandering to find a most curious sight: a young man, presumably of Ilsverian origin (or somewhere close, perhaps Gadot), sitting with a sign that said "bodyguard for hire". Kiyo wondered if he might be someone she could acquire to keep her parents from nagging her endlessly, but the state of him seemed to imply that he was down on his luck (financially, at least). Kiyo knew from experience (and from yet more books) that the type of individual that showed up in Toran around this time of year and looked like Selim did were typically on their Rites. Figuring that the worst she could do was ask, Kiyo walked over to Selim and gave him a brief bow in the traditional Lifanite style before introducing herself:

"Hello! I am Kiyo, and I could potentially have some use for a bodyguard--but before I commit to any such ventures, I would like to determine whether or not you have the strength to act in such a position. Would you like to battle, as a test of strength?"

She offered, perhaps a little too formally, but politely enough to not sound insincere.

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Most accepted, @Celaira.

Once you add professions (check on the site or ask in the Discord), Luciano is accepted also.

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Most accepted for both.

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Kiyo had begun her journey from Lifan on foot, having attempted to simply get on her way with starting her Rites on her own terms--despite the fact that it was a familial obligation for her to be recognized as the heiress to the Reijin family, it was something she had simply always wanted to do. Much of her childhood had been spent poring over tomes depicting the lives and actions of the legendary heroes, describing the war they fought and what was at stake. It'd left her with a deep appreciation for the esoteric and powerful, and there was no better way to understand the nature of the world than to walk it as its greatest heroes once had. Before she could get particularly far, however, her parents had sent an armed escort with her--forgetting, conveniently, that she was almost thirty years old and had fought in a war--and she had been escorted to the high speed rail going to Ward. The journey to Ward was fairly uneventful, though she got her fair share of stares from passersby and other such travellers. Perhaps not because they recognised her, because few recognised the less notable members of the Great Families, but because she had an armed entourage--which was extremely rare, even amongst the nobility.

Upon arriving in Ward, Kiyo dismissed her armed entourage with as much fervor as she could muster. She thanked them for their service, but now that she was in the West their presence would only stir up discontent among the populace. Few would know who she was, and fewer still would care, so their presence was wildly unnecessary. She boarded another train down to Toran on her own, sitting peacefully in a cabin with a steaming pot of tea and some of Ward's regional cuisine--an "artisinal" beefburger, stacked with six different kinds of cheese and at least three sauces, none of which Kiyo could accurately identify. She stared at the burger, a little uneasily, before pushing it gently to the side and offering it to the next member of staff that passed by her on the train. She cradled her hands around the porcelain cup, letting its heat infuse into her palms, as she watched the countryside and the vast forests of Toran roll by alongside her.

When she departed the train, Kiyo smiled to herself and immediately begun to wander. It had been a long time since she had simply been free to do as she wished--not since the war, really--and she spend the first free afternoon she'd had in almost a decade wandering the nearby forest. There would be plenty of time for the formality and the due process later--she was from Lifan, through and through, due process was no stranger to her--but for now, she simply wanted to relax into having a good time. She strode through the forest gingerly at first, unused to the wildness of it all, but quickly found a rhythm. It was, in some ways, like riding a bike--it brought back memories of the war. She'd had enough time to come to terms with what had happened, and though the horrors of war were not something one could ever forget, she had not done or seen anything horrific enough that it had really stayed with her. She was thankful for her background in moments like these, lost in thought, that she had been spared from the worst of the conflict simply because of the name that she bore. She offered a silent prayer to Seiryu before walking into a tree, letting out a confused yelp that startled a nearby flock of birds.

It was there that she came across a Mythari, darting playfully through the air, and she reached out to it with her mind.

"Have you ever seen the magic of Shadebinding before, Mythari?"

It did not respond to her mentally, but it flitted slightly closer to her, curious and cautious, and precariously rubbed its nose against her outstretched left hand. With her right, she summoned forth the well of inky blackness deep within her and allowed the magic of the Pernicious Infusion to accumulate in her hand, almost like a tarry-black sea of pitch dancing gently around her fingers.

"It is a powerful magic of endings that few know. There is a lot of magic in this world that we don't know about, Mythari. Would you like to come and experience it with me?" Kiyo asked, withdrawing the magic back into herself as she finished. Though there was no direct verbal assent, the Mythari gave a beat of its wings and then nodded, the runes on its wings flourishing with brilliant energy. Kiyo nodded, taking a relic from a pocket in her robe, and holding it up to the creature. With a ray of brilliant white light the Mythari allowed itself to be bound by the relic and was then immediately summoned, following alongside her.

"Shall we take flight, and see if there anything exciting in the forest?" Kiyo asked the Mythari mentally, beginning to hover off of the air with her Windspeaking, and with a great surge upwards it noted its assent.

"Your magic of shadebinding is interesting. I would like you to show me more, when we have finished." Mythari responded as the two flew steadily over the forest, looking for anything interesting happening.

"Of course. When we retire to Toran, I shall show you everything I know. When night falls, there are rituals that I will be happy to show you." Kiyo replied, and the two resumed their search of the forest. After having not found anything for a solid hour, the pair decided to make residence in Toran. The two had chatted mentally about all things magical, Kiyo revealing the secrets of Shadebinding that her family had kept and Mythari speaking about the nature of magic in the wild. The pair sat with one another in the central square, waiting until nightfall proper so they could begin the nighttime excursion that Kiyo had promised.

Meanwhile, Kiyo had booked a room for the two of them in Toran's finest hotel. She, personally, had no desire to spend the night somewhere so opulent--but her family had a reputation to uphold, and had insisted that for Toran, at least, they make a display of giving Kiyo the greatest luxury.

Natrelmon: Reckoning [Creature Capture]

Most accepted.