Fable - Ask There's Something About Nira

[Ichika]

”As good a plan as any,” she said with vigor.

Maybe that’d be enough to prevent an overload of retainers and bodyguards in the daimyo’s throne room. The city-state was historically antagonistic and distanced itself from the rest of Dornoch. Ichika had no idea what may lie ahead of them, and she assumed Khari didn’t know either.

Nira was an unknown. A dangerous mystery that could be filled with any sort of challenges. It was exactly the sort of thing the two girls craved in their pursuit of justice.

Ichika fastened the blade to her hip and placed the oversized ring into a pouch, “I’m ready.” Her face was as firm as a bronze statuette of the Dynast. She stared at the demoness with a determination that she had previously only shown her mother.

They’d succeed at this. Whatever that meant. If she had to defend Khari or even strike down the daimyo herself, Ichika would ensure it was done.

She double checked her equipment and tied her mask tightly to her face before opening the door to the luxurious hotel and eyeing the stairway down to the lobby.

”Let’s go.”

With one confident foot she stepped out into the night.

 

[Khari]

Khari quickly followed behind Ichika after jamming a large stick between the handles of the wardrobe. A hand scooped low to pick up her mask, sliding it onto her face as she moved after her friend.

It did not take them long to reach the streets, though making their way through them would prove more difficult than either girl would have expected. The part was now in full swing. People wearing their masks danced in the street, peddlers offering their wares shouted and yelled at passerby's, whores and their johns tucked themselves into narrow alleyways where they would not be seen.

A cacophony of noise and jubilee drifted over Nira, carrying through the streets.

Khari and Ichika had to slip their way through. The Former lead the way, pushing people aside or finding some small gap within the crowd which they could use to progress. What should have been a twenty minute walk to the palace turned into thirty five, yet eventually they made it.

Guards stood arrayed out front, each clutching a massive spear within their palms.

No crowd formed around them, even the drunken louts being smart enough not to try to approach the palace. Beyond she could hear the din of music, the Daimyo herself likely holding some sort of party.

Khari came to a stop just around the edge of the wall, glancing back towards Ichika. "Direct approached?"

She asked, her voice barely audible over the crowd.

 

[Ichika]

Transitioning from the quiet and dread of the wealthy boy’s suite, into the hushed tones of the ritzy casino’s lobby, and finally back into the parade of celebrations was a surreal experience.

But the throngs of people inadvertently pressing arms and elbows and thighs on Ichika helped distract her from the thoughts of what lay just ahead. The smell of sparkler smoke and fragrances of festival treats lightened the mood in the air. One or two times she even saw something that caused a smile to crack through the veneer of professionalism she was trying to exude (although luckily her mask did a fine job of hiding it).

Eventually, far too soon in her mind, they reached the outer gates of the lavish estate of Nira’s daimyo. There were… a lot more guards than she had expected.

Had Khari thought there’d be this many? Once the deed was done they might have to fight off all of them. Or slip past them all. How would any of that even be possible?

”I’ll follow your lead,” she said as bravely as possible. If Khari wasn’t nervous then Ichika was certain they’d be able to pull this off.

One thing sprang to her mind though and Ichika cleared her throat to summon the gruffest, lowest, voice she could muster, ”should we disguise our voices?” Information gathering, wining and dining, or coming up with solutions were all things she was equipped to handle but intimidation and a direct confrontation weren’t in her wheelhouse.

 

[Khari]

Khari looked at Ichika for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

Her face was a marble statue. Stone. Completely unreadable and seemingly no less than a mask of stoicism. She stared at her friend, letting the silence pass between them as the sound of the crowd grew louder and louder.

Then finally she answered. "You're a genius."

The Daemonette cleared her throat a few times.

"Hello there." She said in a slight lower voice. "Hello there."

Khari repeated. "Hello there!"

She said one final time, finding the raspy pitch that she was searching for and giving Ichika a nod. Then she moved forward out of the crowd and towards the guards. Her steps were smooth, quick, appearing as though she were floating.

As they approached the guards Khari spoke within that same tone.

"Good Evening, gentlemen." She rasped, her voice a thrum. "We wish for an audience with the Daimyo. Our...employer has something she might find very interesting."

A smile touched her lips, her fingers splaying in a gesture towards Ichika.

 

[Ichika]

For a second she just stared at Khari’s stoic expression, concerned that her suggestion had been inappropriate or perhaps that it was so stupid that her friend just didn’t know what to say.

Instead, it was apparently brilliant. Perhaps Ichika really could be an intimidating menace.

Once the daemonette arrived at the perfect low pitch Ichika issued her a thumbs up. This was going to go so well.

She sauntered up to the guards right beside Khari, keeping her posture as threatening as she could manage, securing the signet ring firmly on her thumb (as it was too large to fit in any other finger).

”It’s very interesting. The daimyo would be so very interested.” Her growl came through as gravelly as she could muster while ensuring to flash the violet katana and the nobleman’s ring.

It’s glint caught the guard captain’s sight which immediately put him on alert. “Right,” he said half annoyed, “is this another one of Zhou’s little pranks?” Ichika assumed that must’ve been the hellspawn’s name.

The guard shook his head in frustration, “go tell Zhou life ain’t a game. Tell him Hunta said that. Go on now.”

Ichika was pretty sure this wasn’t part of the plan but she continued her threatening posture regardless.

 

[Khari]

Khari rolled her eyes.

Of course the boy was so much trouble that even the Guards knew it. Lips thinned for a brief moment and she glanced over towards Ichika. "No."

Her voice was stern.

The Daemonette tried to sound as serious as she could with her put upon voice, but it was difficult. In the back of her mind she recalled the Dynast, the tone she used when it came to 'inferiors'. It was that she called upon as she spoke.

"You'll find Zhou is in no state to play games." She looked at the man, pulling herself up, shoulders square. "Nor will he ever be if you continue to play them."

Her fingers twitched, and then one of the guards stepped forward.

"Who the hell are you? What do you think you're do-"​

As the man stepped too clsoe Khari suddenly lashed out and grabbed him. In an instant the small blade on his waist slipped into the Daemonette's palm, the larger man shifted and his legs kicked out from under him as Khari slipped the knife to his throat. "Alert the Daimyo. We have her son."

 

[Ichika]

God, Ichika was so glad that Khari was on her side.

Despite the shock of the sudden motion and the blade pressed against the guard’s throat, Ichika's posture remained calm. Which was a good thing because behind her mask her eyes had gone as wide as saucers. She held the katana out as if to add weight and proof to her friend’s words.

The guard who had called himself Hunta turned red in anger. “Dumb bitches,” he groaned before holding up a placating hand, “don’t do anything drastic. You’ll exhaust my patience if you slay one of my men.” He turned rigidly to one of the other guards and barked out orders.

”Seto, go on ahead, let the daimyo know of the situation.”

With a satisfying clang a key turned the gate’s lock open and it swung outwards, clearing a path that led up an extravagant white-stone staircase towards the palace.

“Go on,” the guard captain issued with a dismissive wave towards the door of the daimyo’s residence. “I expect we’ll be hauling your lifeless bodies off before long.”

Ichika responded with a playful chide, ”I don’t suppose you’re capable of much else.” The Tsuri heiress ascended the stairs, not looking back but knowing that Khari would be right behind her.

”I can’t believe that worked,” she said only after they were outside of the guard’s earshot.

 

[Khari]

"I should be keeping this." Khari said as she drew the blade away from the man's throat and pushed him away. "At least until you learn to take it back."

Despite the situation, she could see a smile perk on one of the guards' faces. Perhaps there was some sort of internal competition. With a nonchalant toss the Daemonette threw the blade onto the floor, glancing at the guard she had taken down before she perked her head up and fell into step with Ichika.

It was not long before the two were beyond the gates and ascending the steps.

She knew that guards were following behind them, watching the two for any signs of danger. They had doubtlessly been commanded not to attack, but men had been known to be fools before. "Bluffing always works."

Khari said with a smile.

"As long as you're holding the right cards." She looked at Ichika with a grin, her words nothing more than a bluff themselves.

What they'd done had been a gamble, but at least a good one. She wasn't good at card, that much she'd already proven today, but she knew people well enough. The Daimyo was only human, and even with a disappointment of a son she cared for him.

Probably.

As they continued to ascend the steps another gate presented itself. This time a massive figure stood before it, flanked by two figures. They wore the armor of samurai, painted black and green. Their faces obscured. A frown touched her lips. "Those...those aren't humans."

Khari breathed quietly to Ichika, and as they drew closer it was clear she was right.

The 'men', were not men at all, but Ogres. Each standing near ten feet tall, each thick with muscle and sinew.

"There will be no disrespect to Her lady the Daimyo."​

One growled as Ichika and Khari approached.

 

[Ichika]

Bluffing always works. She’d need to keep that at the front of her mind when they returned to Dornoch.

The next set of gates were far more ornate than the first. Brass fixtures weaved around the bars, bespeckled with precious stones and flowers crafted from gold. At the top of the gate was the symbol of Nira, likely drawn using magic, illuminated in a colorful silvery wisp.

And then Ichika heard her friend’s words about the trio of giants before them. ”Uh huh,” she whispered back, ”definitely not human.”

Ogres weren’t a rare sight in the Erdeniin Empire as it had prided itself as one of the few truly egalitarian civilizations in Arethil. It’s just that most of the ogres she knew were dockworkers or laborers, putting their natural strength to use to earn coin and live a modest life. They abhorred violence and often complained about the stereotypes surrounding them as bloodthirsty or brutish.

Ichika had never seen ogres trained to kill. The idea alone was terrifying.

”Her Lady will see nothing from us other than respect.”

She wasn’t entirely certain if that was true but it had sounded good in her head. And obviously was compelling enough for the middle ogre to open the gate. Once the two women walked inside they were closely followed by the three samurai ogres into the high walled audience chamber of the daimyo of Nira.

Against the back wall, perfectly centered in the room, sat the daimyo atop a plush violent chair. Before her stood a grizzled man with one arm, an eyepatch, and a katana. A few additional guards adorned the room, dressed to the nines in gleaming golden armor wielding halberds that looked more decorative than lethal.

Once the back was closed the three ogres stood at attention, barring the way out. The daimyo cleared her throat and the room fell silent. Ichika opened her mouth, intending to speak but not knowing what to say.

”I will give you one chance to tell me where my son is.”​

The daimyo’s voice was proper and terrifyingly yet it had a calming sense as well. It’s timbre created from a lifetime of cutting deals and playing politics. Just from the way she spoke it was obvious that she was, without a doubt, the most dangerous person in this room.

 

[Khari]

As they stepped into the throne room Khair slowly began to look around.

She counted the guards, sized up the man standing upon the dais, tried to calculate just how this would be best done. That was what she'd been trained to do; kill. she knew she could do it. She knew it could be done. In her head she played out half a dozen scenarios, small scenes of how she could kill the Daimyo.

None of them would work.

Not it she wanted Ichika to escape with her.

Slowly Khair looked over at her friend for a moment. Eyes glanced down towards the sword the other girl still held, then gave the slightest shake of her head. It was a minuscule motion, almost impossible to catch, but she hoped that Ichika saw it.

Violence would not be their way through this, not if both of them wanted to leave this room alive. The Daemonette would not allow her friend to come to harm, especially since Ichika was the only one she had. "He is alive."

Khari spoke, projecting her normal voice in the way that her mother did.

A hand came up, and she pulled the mask away from her face. As it fell to the ground, recognition seemed to dawn upon the face of the man standing besides the Daimyo. In an instant he stepped between Khari and the Daimyo, remaining hand falling onto his Katana.

The Daemonette glanced briefly at the man, smiling, but continuing to speak before anyone could interrupt her.

"He is on the way to enjoy the hospitality of my mother." Bluffing always worked. "In recompense for your...negotiations of late."

She tried to keep the nerves from her voice.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika saw the gesture that her horned friend issued as she clutched the violet blade as tightly as she could. She wasn't entirely certain what the shake was meant to convey but she guessed it meant to not start swinging her blade. Which was, honestly, something the Tsuri girl didn't need to be told twice. There was absolutely no chance that Ichika was going to pull the stolen katana from its scabbard other than to defend herself.

Between the three ogres, the various human guards on the perimeter, and the menacing one-armed man by the daimyo she felt completely out of her element.

And then, Khari took off her mask. Ichika could've sworn there was a slight murmur throughout the room at the sight of her friend but the discipline of the guards was too great to be more than barely noticeable. For her part, she tugged her pilfered sword closer when the eye-patch man moved between them and the daimyo.

Laughter erupted in the audience chamber. It came from a lone source and was so exaggerated that it actually annoyed Ichika for the brief second the sound echoed through the room. With a dismissive wave the daimyo barely made contact with Khari.

"Your mother? I have to assume you mean the Dynast." A hand came up to rub at the daimyo's chin. She'd called into light the fact that Khari was orphaned and an outcast just as her piece of shit son had done earlier that same night. It seemed to be a trend among these people. "I have to tell you, girl, I don't have any idea what you are referring to. I have been nothing but generous to the great matriarch of Dornoch."

Her tone was grating, beyond anything that Ichika could stand. In a quick motion, without thought, she removed her own mask. "We have ample evidence of your plotting, ma'am. You have no need to deny it." Cheeks shone red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger at the audacity of the woman before them. The woman who had tried to assassinate the Dynast and seize the throne.

"Evidence?"

There was a pause as the daimyo smiled at the two visitors she had in her possession. "A daughter of the Tsuri family and the Dynast's little murder pet will be decent bargaining chips for the safe release of my son. Seize them." A hand was raised by her and the guards on either side of Ichika and Khari pointed their halberds at the two women. By her count there were three on either end.

Ichika's hand went to the hilt of the katana and her brown eyes cast a questioning look at her friend.

 

[Khari]

Khari could feel her heart thunder in her chest.

It was a thrum that seemed to echo throughout her body, resounding within her ears again and again. Lips thinned, fingers tightened. Her eyes briefly flickered to the left, then to the right. She could see the guards move, lowering their halberds towards the two women.

"Duck." The Daemonette said the word loud enough for Ichika to hear. A single word, a warning.

She hoped the other girl listened.

A single breath swept into her lungs, a soft glow of red erupted through her horns. It glowed briefly, and then Kahri swept her fingers through the air. Thin filaments of purple lied dashed away from the tips of her hands, casting out like a net.

The odd lines dashed outward from her finger-tips, reaching and curling through the air like a spiders web. They caught around the guards, lashing over arms, torso's, necks. It was almost impossible to see them, save for a brief flash of light through the air.

Khari peered up at the Daimyo, and then tore her hands inward.

Fingers dragged close as she forced her hands against her chest, the lines cast out flexing and then suddenly pulling taught.

There was a moment, a brief breath of nothing, and then suddenly the six guards on either side of the two girls exploded in a cascade of blood. Arms went flying, heads toppled to the ground, torsos scattered onto the ground cut in half, and men screamed with throat-less agony.

A retching sound echoed out as the Daimyo watched her soldiers die, her face a mask of horror and fear. The Ogre's behind Khari and Ichika seemed frozen, their bulky forms like statues.

The only one that moved was the one-armed man, his form dashing forward in an instant. His Katana flickering from it's scabbard as he sought to run it through the defenseless Daemonette.

 

[Ichika]

As soon as Khari spoke Ichika went down on both knees. In fact, once her friend’s horns began to glow with a sinister shade of crimson she bent so low that her nose touched the marbled floor.

After the sound of bone and viscera faded the Tsuri girl looked up, she saw the terror on the daimyo’s face. The blood that had stained Ichika’s and Khari’s fancy party dresses. Remains of the six guards scattered haphazardly on the floor. And…

She saw him.

Charging forward, blade drawn, ready to attack the daemonette while her back was turned.

It was a smart strategy. Khari was clearly a grave threat to the daimyo’s life and taking advantage of her distracted state would likely be the easiest way to dispatch of her. However, the two women had been through too much together in the past few weeks. There wasn’t any chance the midnight-haired Tsuri heiress was going to allow this man to harm her friend.

Ichika drew the katana from its violet scabbard and swiftly jumped to her feet, parrying the initial strike that was intended for her friend. The one-armed assailant’s maneuver had proven to be far stronger than she had anticipated.

Her feet slid a few feet back, nudging Khari lightly, as she gritted her teeth.

Almost instinctively she assumed a Kenbu stance and glared at the man. Her feet regained their footing and moved with a dancer’s grace.

”Can you handle the ogres while I deal with him?” she said to her demoness friend. There was nothing she was good for in combat outside of one-on-one bouts. She had no idea if her dancing sword style could hold up to the menacing foe before her but she hoped that, with any luck, she could distract him whilst Khari dealt with the ogres.

 

[Khari]

Khari stumbled back, the strings that had been wisping through the air suddenly snapping out of existence as she lost her footing.

The clash of blades echoed out, ringing in her ear as Ichika just barely managed to stave off the Ronin's attack. Her gaze quickly darted to him, then to her friend. Lips thinned for a brief moment, wondering, questioning, but there was no time.

A nod dipped her head. "Don't die."

It was the only words of encouragement she could think of as she turned on her heel.

Almost as soon as she did Khari found the three ogres had broken away from their trance. The trio had stepped forward from the door, each of them brandishing their weapons. One held a massive club the size of her body, the other an ax with a fierce rippled half moon blade, and the third the largest Katana Khari had ever seen.

A breath shook her entire body as she stood against them, her lips thinning.

The red within her horns seemed to pulse, fingers curling ever so slightly. Purple lights flickered out over her hands, her violet eyes flickering upwards to look at the monsters.

"Well?!" She demanded. "Come on then!"

The sound of her voice was drowned out by the thundering charge of the great beasts, all three of them rushing forward in Tandem to break apart their prey.

 

[Ichika]

"I won't die," she whispered back to her demon friend. She was half certain that she was telling the truth.

A deep rush of oxygen filled Ichika's lungs.

Her eyes darted back-and-forth trying to size up the one-armed ronin before her. His expressions were emotionless. It looked as if he had played this scenario out one thousand times prior to meeting with Khari and Ichika. As if killing would-be assassins was a hobby of his. A favorite past-time.

The Kenbu warrior tried to clear her mind. Calm herself by continuing her deep breathing.

In a haze of memories she took herself back to days of competition. They used wooden swords but the principles were the same. Hundreds of hours of practice to win the Kenbu championship, bring honor to the Tsuri family. It was expected of every daughter of her family yet it had been three generations since anyone had actually come home with the gold.

Ichika was different, however, always proving herself in the style of half-dance, half-swordsmanship. After the rigorous hours of training and the exceptional degree of competition, she was the first Tsuri woman in three generations to bring home the trophy in the annual Kenbu competition. Her mother had given her a half-glance at the accomplish but Ichika knew that it separated herself from her sister. Separated herself from her own mother.

This one-armed, half-blind, warrior would be child's play for her.

Sizing up the height advantage of her opponent she assumed the hakama stance, with her legs spread evenly and her shoulders tilted. Once the man moved she flowed like a rushing spring towards the center of gravity. His blade missed her by miles and she spun her body, intending to land a glancing blow to his left side.

Only, that wasn't what happened...

He moved effortlessly and blocked the attack. He shouldn't have been able to move that quickly. It didn't make sense. The brief moment of shock left her open to a retaliation as the man swung a further swing of his sword.

Thinking fast she stepped backwards, only, she wasn't quite quick enough. The tip of his saber slashed through her clothing and drew blood on her torso. Ichika winced in the brief pain but it wasn't so bad except-

Another swing.

This one landed true on her right arm. A huge gash appeared and blood flowed outwardly.

"Aaaahhhh," she cried out in pain while taking several steps backwards. Ichika assumed a gekken stance, a defensive measure meant for when a competitor in organized combat was on the back foot. She tried to decipher whether the injury to her arm was bad enoguh to stop her from continuing, though she doubted that any referee would step in if things got too far out of hand.

 

[Khari]

The only thing that Khari had in her favor was speed.

She had always been quick, lithe, and in that moment it was the only thing keeping her alive. Her head ducked as the great club swung just above her. She contorted her body as the ax swung into where she had just been standing.

Then she pivoted as the great sword swept just passed her.

It was a never ending tirade of attacks. The monstrous guards seemed unhampered by every failure, simply twisting and using their massive muscles to carry forward with their attacks.

Khari didn't have the time to go on the offensive. Didn't have a moment to breath. The ogres were utterly relentless. Every dodge of the sword was met with a swing of the club. Everytime she moved out of the way of one weapon she had to quickly bound away to dodge another. It was an utter nightmare, and she knew that eventually she would tire.

Her head turned, twisted, desperately searching for any sort of opening.

Her fingers curled, those strange purple Sparks flickered over her hands. She was about to lash out, about to move, when suddenly she heard Ichika Yelp. Her eyes flickered to her friend, panic racing through her heart. It was a second, a brief moment of distraction, but it was enough.

The great club went smashing into her side, it's heavy weight breaking against her body and sending her slamming into the wall to the left of her.

A breathless cry escaping Khari's lips as she was battered by the ogre.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika took in several labored breaths.

While she didn’t have any real experience in healing magic or modern medicine she had come to the conclusion that her right arm was severely injured as blood continued to seep out of it.

And, while she haphazardly threw up her defensive stance, she noticed a slight whimper against the fae wall.

”Khari!”

Her friend was lying in a crumpled heap against the wall. It took every fiber of her being not to rush towards her. That and the logical part of her brain kicking in to remind her of the extremely scary one-armed assailant standing between the two friends.

”Seems my guard is too much for the Dynast’s devil slayer.”​

Was that what they called her? A devil?

It seemed cruel and undignified. Khari was just as much a person as anyone else she had ever met. The fact she was an orphan, half-whatever race it was, or that she had been raised as the personal killing machine of the Dynast was irrelevant. Clearly she had wants and desires and it had become impossible for Ichika to view the girl as anything other than a friend.

"Shut up," the Tsuri swordswoman called back while keeping her eyes trained on her opponent, "you are a traitor and an enemy of Dornoch and you will-"

Her words failed as the eye-patched man charged forward. Her defensive stance proved useful as she swung the stolen sword with one arm and parried. A side-stepping of her feet served to delay a second attack although his third strike came swiftly. At this point Ichika's training nearly fell to the wayside as she barely held it off and moved further away from her attacker.

 

[Khari]

For a few seconds Khari found herself swimming within an abyss.

A world of darkness surrounded her. No sound. No sight. Nothing reached her. She was floating, slowly drawing closer and closer into an ever lasting darkness. There was no thought. No consciousness. The shadows surrounding her were all that she could focus on.

Then she heard Ichika's voice.

”Khari!”​

Her friends voice echoed through her skull, resounding again and again. Violet eyes snapped open in an instant, a breath suddenly sucked into her lungs. Something within the back of her skull screamed, and then the Daemonette rolled to the side.

Half a heartbeat later she felt the marble earth crack and shake, the great ax held by one of the Ogre's splintering the stone where she had just laid.

The Daemonette perked her head up, seeing the three great Retainers arrayed in a half circle. Beyond them she could see Ichika, the warrior pressing her on every attack. Lips thinned, and then suddenly her hand lashed out. Those odd string lashed through the air, twirling and twisting.

They caught upon the club that had thrown her to the side.

Khari yanked her arm, and with one swift drag of her hand the Daemonette threw herself up from the ground. She swept beneath the legs of the Ogre, drawing the strings upon his legs. Fingers curled, arm twisted inward, and then brackish blood exploded out from the creatures calves as her magic sliced through his armored flesh.

Her feet struck marbled floors, skidding along the smooth surface. A horrid guttural screech echoed through the room as the Ogre fell, Khari never stopping as more of her lattice cast outwards, wrapping towards the ogre with the Great sword.

It seemed to flail, half turning, moving to rush as the first of the lines caught around his wrist.

Then Khari pulled.

 

[Ichika]

Relief washed over her as Khari darted away from the ogre's strike in the corner of her peripheral. She couldn't keep her focus on her friend however, even as the first of the ogres fell with a resonating crash and a horrid yelp. Her attacker wasn't just relentless, he was fast.

An overhead swing of his blade, following immediately by a horizontal slash that got so close it ripped the mid-section of her dress, narrowly missing a grazing blow to her stomach.

Ichika had never faced an opponent like this.

Her style of combat, and most of the opponent's she had faced, was a style of grace with precise movements. You'd anticipate your adversary based on how they held their shoulders, how far apart their feet sat, which side of their body they favored. Then you'd react accordingly. It was how she'd become the Kenbu champion in Dornoch. Studying opponents and adjusting to their motions on the fly.

But this... this was... ruthless. It was like letting a deranged animal off of its leash. His motions were filled with savagery and he didn't have any discernable patterns that Ichika could pick up on. She wasn't entirely certain if this was simply a man with a lifetime of combat experience or if he was absolutely insane like the berserkers she had read about in history books.

It seemed like no amount of study would reveal anything about his fighting style or turn up an appropriate stance she could use to counter him. Every second he just seemed to re-invent himself and go on another, unpredictable, offensive that she was struggling to-

A loud CLANG bounced off the walls of the audience chamber, his sword violently knocking hers to one side. "What the fu," her words died in her throat as the hilt of the grim assailant's weapon struck her in the stomach and caused Ichika to gasp while air flood from her lungs. She would've raised her weapon up the man's foot found its way behind her left leg and he jerked it back swiftly to knock the Tsuri woman to the floor.

She collapsed with a loud thud, her katana found itself kicked off away from her by the violent man towering above her. He sheathed his blade and placed one foot on the injury on her right arm, then he bent down used his good hand to grab her thumb. "H-hey, what are you AAGUGHGGU."

He twisted her thumb, pulling her wrist back until the bone gave way. Ichika whimpered in pain and tugged her mangled hand towards her chest while tears welled up. The eye-patched monster just laughed.

 

[Khari]

The Ogres roared, screamed in pain and frustration. One dragged himself along the floor, his legs cut out from beneath him, the other held his bleeding stump, and the third peered at his brothers. His eyes were wide with horror.

Khari watched them, focused, knowing she had to finish this.

She took the opportunity of their confusion and darted forward. Her steps practically launched her into the air, The Daemonette rushing forward and lashing out with the weaves of her magic. A bark of fear escaped the still standing ogre, his body turning to run away.

As he moved to flee his brother shifted forward, letting out a roar and dashing towards Khari. A flicker of light moved through the air as Khari swept her hand to the side, and then the Ogre's head suddenly parted from it's body.

The creature crashed to the floor, brackish blood spilling across white Marble.

Her hand shot out a second later, those odd flickering strings casting towards the fleeing monster and catching around his torso. She turned, her hand wrenching to the side as the magics diced through his body.

Khari landed amid the field of bodies, her knees wobbling for just a second at the expenditure of her magics. A heavy breath escaped her, only to immediately flee back into her lungs as she snapped out of her daze and saw Ichika upon the floor.

"Let her go!" Khari shouted, stepping forward.

That odd purple light surrounded her palms once more, strings drawing between her fingers.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika's arm stayed tucked in close to her body, she shivered as her opponent towered over her and continued laughing. Her pupils widened in terror whilst the menace placed a firm foot onto her torso.

"Impressive that you took those three down so swiftly." His voice was a grizzled bark. It sounded sinister, sadistic, like the kind of man who found himself barred from entering most nations. "But I'd expect nothing less from the Butcher of Dornoch. The Dynast's personal hellhound."

With his good arm the attacker drew his katana, his tongue pressed against the blade as he slowly moved it to one side and held it directly over Ichika. With an intensity born out of a lifetime of murder he stared down Khari, sliding the tip of his blade millimeters from his captive's flesh.

Ichika tried not to wince. She tried not to focus on the pain radiating from her wrist or the not-so-subtle threats of further violence from the monster who kept her pinned. For whatever it was worth she had to be brave in this moment. Her friend would be able to take him down but only if she didn't have to worry about the raven-haired Tsuri woman. Only if she could focus on her opponent.

And then, in a slow gesture the man's foot rose off the terrified girl. He took a single step forward, the dull side of his katana grazing Ichika's leg as he proceeded forward.

"I'm going to kill her. Slowly. Right after I cripple you," he warned and his eyepatch began to glow crimson. The stump where his left arm should've been started to glow the same shade. Tendrils twisted and contorted out from the stump, forming into an arm and hand that was three times the size of a normal human's. The tips of its fingers exploded into large claws.

His eyepatch withered, revealing a gaping red speck of energy that flowed outwards. He slowly, deliberately, advanced towards Khari. Blade in one hand, monstrous energy claw in the other.

 

[Khari]

Khari glanced at the strange appendage that had grown from the man's stump.

Her gaze lingered, thoughts whirling, wondering.

Was it? No...it couldn't be. Her lips thinned, drawing together in a tight line. For a brief moment she looked passed the man, glancing down at Ichika. She could see the slight terror in her friends eyes, the fear that they might fail after all.

"Do you remember how you lost that arm?" Her voice echoed as the man stepped forward.

He seemed to move almost in slow motion. She could see his fingers tightening around the hilt of his katana, could see the flex of his muscles as he moved towards her, could see the odd light of that claw sparking. Her heart thundered in his chest.

Khari took a step of her own. "Because you're going to remember how you lost this one."

The Daemonette flicked her hands upwards, her lattice of magic casting forward.

As soon as she moved the throne room once again burst into a discord of activity. Khari and the man fought like two lightning bolts crashing together. Her magic weaved and cut through the air, the Retainer's body and blade danced through them. He bounded, slid, and ducked.

Every weave was ignored, dodged, slipped beneath. The way he moved was unnatural, inhuman. A twisted facsimile of what any man should have been able to do. He rushed towards Khari, swiping, cutting.

It was only through quick dashes, bounding retreats that the Daemonette dodged his blade. She retreated, darting backward with step after step. Each time she cast her nets, and each time the man pressed forward. He was a raging torrent, a tidal wave of blades. His false hand swiped over her head, rending above her horns and throwing her back.

He pushed and pushed, until finally he caught her.

His hand darted forward, forming into a fist as Khari dodged his blade. He struck her, the crack of bone echoing out as she found an ethereal fist within her gut. It wrenched at her insides, tossing her back and throwing her to the floor.

No words escaped the man, no taunt. Nothing. He dashed forward as soon as Khari fell, his Katana twisting in his hand. The blade swept up...and then came down.

The sword sliced through the air, arching, reaching...and then suddenly stopped.

Shock colored the Retainer's face. His eye bulging, his muscles straining. He shifted, tried to move his hand and force the blade down. Yet as he struggled, the flashing light of a torch illuminated the lattice wrapped around his blade. A growl escaped him, a groan, his clawed hand reaching up and then swiping down...only to stop.

Khari's fingers curled, her hands shaking violently as she held the man. Her gaze flickered, not towards the Daimyo on her throne, not up at the man mere millimeters away from killing her, but to her friend.

"Ichika!" She called in desperation.

 

[Ichika]

A part of her wanted to just lie there while her mind wrapped itself around the pain in her arm. Come to reckon with the fact that she hadn’t been powerful enough to overcome the daimyo’s personal bodyguard. Hadn’t been disciplined enough to deal with the throbbing pain of her broken wrist.

But as soon as the fight had started Ichika had scrambled to her knees, watching it as intently as she could manage. Taking in labored breaths to calm herself she eventually rose to her feet. Khari clashed with the menace again, this time narrowly avoiding one of his strikes.

In her good hand Ichika took up the blade she had let drop in her fight.

It trembled in her hand as she struggled to keep her breathing steady. A few cautious steps forward followed while the two kept up their battle. Her friend needed her and even if she only had one good arm as long as she was conscious she needed to do everything in her power to help. Her pace increased as she noticed a change… a shift in the combat.

From her vantage point it seemed like the two were locked. The monstrous being seemingly frozen in place and her horned-friend stuck holding him in a stalemate of sorts. Ichika found her courage and rushed forward, pointing the tip of her stolen katana at the man who seconds earlier had snapped her bones like twigs.

A quick jab once she had closed the gap sent the sword between his ribs and a blood curdling shout flooded out of his lungs. ”Die!” Ichika shouted as she tried to free the blade which now found its way stuck inside of her opponent’s innards. The short-haired Tsuri woman could feel him shifting his weight, trying to free himself both from Khari’s magic and Ichika’s now embedded weapon.

 

[Khari]

The man shifted.

Khari didn't know if it was the weight of Ichika in his side. Didn't know if it was the press of her strings against his skin, but he moved. It was a single slide of his food, a small, almost infinitesimal motion. But it was enough.

A wicked smile crossed the Daemonette's lips, a flicker of something diabolical glistening through her eyes. Her lips parted, fang like teeth showing as she spoke. "You heard her."

Then she crooked her fingers and wrenched her arms outward.

It had been the slackening of his strength. The slight move of his body. The weight that Ichika had taken off of Khari and put onto herself. The Daemonette's magic was not perfect, the more she used, the more difficult it became to cut through something.

The strength of her foe, the angle of her strings, all of it mattered. The moment that the Retainer had moved, that he had allowed her an ounce more purchase it had spelled his death.

A scream of pain echoed out as the net Khari had cast tightened against the man's flesh. His eye bulging, his muscles straining, and then suddenly his body exploding in a wash of blood. Pieces of him fell to the ground, tumbling and adding to the gruesome butchery of the room.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika felt the spray of blood and viscera hit her flesh. As quickly as it had all escalated to violence it ended the same way. In a violent explosion of gore and strewn organs.

An exhalation flooded out as the katana she had procured for herself came cleanly away from the body of their assailant. A metallic clattering resounded off the walls when she let the saber fall onto the marbled floor. The administrator fell to the floor, clutching her arm close and looking up intently at her friend with a rush of admiration.

”Are you ok?” her voice wavered slightly, concerned that the beast they’d just slain had harmed her too.

”I’d like to surrender. I’ll submit to your mother willingly.”​

Her head jerked, short hair bobbing from the motion, as she stared at the daimyo on her makeshift throne. Now that her defenses were gone she was offering a truce? Or was this a further trick… she had more guards outside. More guards throughout the city.

”But,” there was always a but, “I will remain here and submit to the court in Dornoch. Present me with enough valid evidence of your claims and there won’t be any further incidents.”​

Was this how Ichika’s mother fancied herself? Khari’s mother? Delusional and believing they couldn’t be touched, even in defeat? It was maddening.