Match of the Millennium

Description: We cannot abide them. The human world is what it is - however impure and flawed; men who are become monsters, who've allow themselves to become true beasts, have no place left in it. Return to their shadows and hide in their castles and forests! Emerging only to go bump in the night and frighten children. However they try to take back their glory days; those are past! this is a human world now and we no longer their chattel and prey! Choose to help us protect your brothers and sisters, use your losses to harden your hearts. The field is finally ours, now we hunt them in return. [The Book of ALDEGUND, author unknown.]

[AZUMI]
A lovely sunset punctuates what was a rather nice summer day. It wasn't too hot, a good amount of wind and just enough cloud cover to keep things interesting. The orange hue casts a dim glow over downtown, reminding children that it was time to go home, and adults that it was time for the nightlife to begin. Plenty of traffic filtered through the area and the sounds of urban living were still quite prevalent.

In an effort to not burn away into ashes during the heated months, Azumi had a tendency to keep herself out of the sun during the day, both for comfort and to prevent attracting attention. Her new form did make SOME adjustments to the heat; shedding! She looked a little fluffier than she usually did, much to her annoyance, which brings her to the mission tonight.

The werewolf sprints across the mid level apartment buildings and homes with a decent degree of urgency, parkouring her way around any obstacle she ran into. Knowing of a mostly abandoned strip of antiquated stores, the werewolf leaps off of the top of the last apartment building, landing in a tall tree, whipping herself around the trunk, landing on a tree branch and landing on the roof of an abandoned convenience store with a slight *thump*. The traffic here was slowed as there wasn't much here for most folk, but the occasional car still did ride by.

[AKAME]
Festooned in bright, eye-catching colours 'Mandarake is Japan's number one second hand anime and manga superstore!' So the signage had declared. The store was full of people browsing the shelves or trading in old treasures while browsing for new. For one of the shoppers it was a paradise; Warm, well-lit and full of interesting reading material it couldn't help but attract her like moth to flame. Her disposable income was completely spent and overreaching into the essentials. It was worth every coin, paper bag clutched to her chest containing samplers of four whole new series she'd discovered.

So enthralled with her purchases it's only when the figure has made the last jump as is nearly out of sight that she turns her attention to it. It wasn't quite right in her eyes or recognisable as a human when they're moving at speed, but also at a range she couldn't identify anything. Squinting as -haaaaaard- as possible through her spectacles helped not at all. Zoom feature not included.

She had to get closer.

Running with a single flailing arm she crosses the street without much fuss, a few light honks from annoyed drivers. The light hop greater than her height, bouncing from dumpster to light post and then up onto the same rooftops in a rapid and continuous series of ninja leaps, not at all in keeping with the baggy cardigan and prescription spectacles .

"Eh-toh! They went.. that-a way"

esuming running in the same sluggish pace she occasionally leaps in order to cover more ground at speed. Trailing along behind more loudly and visibly than what she was stalking. Without need of secrecy or quiet she might be able to catch up if the figure slowed or stopped.

Just so and like that she drops onto the same rooftop, near a dozen seconds later, red faced and sweating from trying to catch up but also having ro rach up and steady her glasses to see who or what she had been tailing.

*steady action and resume squinting*

!!

[AZUMI]
By the time Akame reaches the top of the roof, the figure she'd been chasing is good and well revealed...at least the backside of her is. Stooping down, the werewolf is wearing a pair of jeans with frayed pant-legs and an A-shirt, likely due to the heat. Still though, she's close to the ground, reaching down towards the top of an air vent. She looks to be prying it open and seems nearly ready to do so until she hears Akame. She turns her head to the side to look towards the human, a brow raising towards her.

"...I'm going to guess you aren't up here for the view, so why don't you do me a favor and tell me what you want?"

She pulls her hands back down to rest on her thighs, keeping a wary eye on the girl. Judging by her overall expression, the young darkstalker does not seem enthused.

[AKAME]
The newly arrived girl having landed in a crouch wobbles to her feet slightly. Muscles in her legs were burning, wind wasn't coming back fast enough. Still carrying something with her one arm she glances toward the grating that was being interfered with, all without comment. She fumbles with something in her pocket with her free hand. For her cellphone? No. The telescopic baton staff that extends with two clacks in a move that startles Akame herself just a little. The creature was off reservation, maybe returning to a den or living IN the city itself. That Darkstalker community in the woods was emboldening them to come further into the city.

"You're not meant to be here."

This place was for humans, they didn't need this.. gods, if that was a proper werewolf, even a bite or scratch of a human in these parts might escalate out of control if it was infectious. Her concern shows through more than the threat, Akame hadn't thought to put the package down and focus on using the weapon effectively.

Akame couldn't back down. F-class Hunter or not, she was part of a line of defence between Humans and the supernatural. Not the finest and most effective part of the line, being closer to the cannon fodder end of the spectrum. She had her role to play and was grateful for it.

"I can't let you just do what you want."

Especially while still having no idea what the wofl was even trying to do.

[AZUMI]
Azumi pauses for a moment, pulling up her fingers from the vent. She gives the human a good natured eye roll before standing up and turning towards Akame fully, crossing her arms over her chest. Her nose detects something...off about the girl, something fundamentally wrong, but that could be given some thought later. For the moment Azumi simply stares at Akame, shrugging towards her.

"...And you are? I'm sure trespassing is still trespassing, regardless of who or what is doing it. And as far as what I want?"

The werewolf shrugs dismissively. "Tell you what, neighborhood watch girl. You put away the toy and I'll tell you what I'm doing here. And when you find out why, you'll toddle back down to the road and forget you ever saw me. Deal?"

[AKAME]
AAAaaaAH was that right!? She was trespassing also!!?

Well, thinking on it she had to suppose she was, technically. Akame couldn't fault the answer at all in terms of logic, It wasn't the same trespass she was talking about and things seem to have gone off tangentially away form where she thought they were going.

Were they trying to imply she was in wrong as well? The tip of the baton falters and lowers to her side, aimed down at scuffed little brown loafers. She can't really make heads or tails of where she was losing control of the situation. Bad guys appears, attempt to defeat bad guy! **Victory and profit!** but also maybe death. A little formulaic but tried and true.

"Uh..."

The non-committal assent is all that can be dragged out of her, though there is a vehement shaking of her head wordlessly near immediately as centain conditions are listed, she disagrees. She wanted to know why the wolf-girl was there but she wasn't going to leave as the full-price paid for that information.

She wasn't lying to get what she wanted.

"*beep*-er! You can't ask me to leave when you might be up to *beep* deeds, you-*beep* *honk*-ing c-*beeee-ep*"

The ferocious beeping of car horns below as two cars have a minor altercation in the street below syncs up perfectly, bleeping out the colourful, varied and /depraved/ language that falls out of the small girls mouth. Men five times her age could learn a thing or three to add to their vocabulary, she'd picked up a lot to add to the list over the years.

[AZUMI]
...A quick head tilt over the edge confirms that this indeed was not a sitcom and that indeed, two cars of people appear to be having problems passing one another on the street. Azumi leans her head back and turns to look towards Akame and smiles in a sly fashion. If one didn't know any better, she might be channeling a canine cousin that was known for their sly tendencies. The cursing didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.

"Oh my, that is quite a mouth you have. But, I digress. Let's work a little logic into the mix, shall we?" She clears her throat before speaking in a very official sounding manner.

"We are in downtown southtown, where you probably spotted me making my way down to Baker's Row, a line of ruined, dilapidated buildings that nobody has used in about twenty years tops. You crawl up here and find me trying to sneak into one of the buildings. I have no equipment, as you can can see." She holds upon her palms to show Akame.

"And no bags to hold or haul anything. I am dressed like any other girl in her twenties and have no mastery of the arcane arts. And let me narrow this down for you to make it a little easier on you."

She steps a little closer towards Akame and bends a little bit to look at her quite plainly, not in any sort of intimidating or threatening manner, but still speaking matter-of-factly. "It is summer, and I am shedding."

She reaches underneath her own arm and pulls free multiple strands of fur quite easily, flicking them away from herself. "And we are on the roof of a barber shop. Can you make the connection? Pull together the dots into a straight line now? Hmm? So after all of that, I'm going to go ahead and ask you little girl with a stick: What are you doing. Up here. after me? If you were a neighborhood watch nut, you'd probably have a gun. Since you have what I'm assuming is the antenna to the world's largest analog television set, you either fancy yourself a fighter or a hero, or you are a really, REALLY new at being a Hunter. Is that about in the right ballpark?"

[AKAME]
Lead through it all point by point. Presented with an adequate painted picture of at least what the monster girl was -telling- were motive and reason for being here. The frosty glare and half step back in retreat when Azumi leans in close becomes heated when the she starts to question Akame's own motives. She was none of the above! ...right up until the creature questioned how long she may have been a Hunter.

The lower lip juts out and her mouth wrinkles; twisting as she bites back on the first and most natural response and instead opts to leap backward and away. Neat but still a rookie level landing, while definitely using Iga-ryu style ninjitsu. Her form screams it out, but as soon as she lands; all the training and discipline that should be part of a style is then - just gone. It's present only when she uses the technique.

"That's how it is."

She'd forgotten how arrogant Darkstalkers and their ilk were supposed to be. It didn't matter how many years she'd slaved away to achieve this kind of power. It's the level she had to work with and there was no changing that. The takes her sweet time sitting the package she had been carrying down against a barred skylight, ensuring it was safe before turning back toward Azumi. It was something precious to her.

One foot slides forward with a rasp, two hands wrapping around the handle of the baton she wields and levels it in a kendo stance like it were a stumpy Bokken. Angled for thrusting with her stance it'd probably leave a mark if it struck cleanly. That television antenna that was mentioned earlier might have made for a lash just as deadly as the thing looks.

"There's no other way it can resolve! Prepare yourself."

The girl holds off for just a second before she considers how to place her lunge, enough time for an opponent to brace themselves or a teacher to offer further instruction. Her lunge isn't spectacular but the delay before she strikes gives her more time to react to how the opponent moves.

COMBATSYS: Akame has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Akame            0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Azumi has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Azumi            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Akame

COMBATSYS: Azumi blocks Akame's Random Weapon.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Azumi            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Akame

[AZUMI]
Azumi rolls her eyes as her expression flatlines. Her ears sink to the sides of her head and her tail droops in incredulity. "What? Are you serious? Are you actually going to fight me over a comb? That is the only reason why I am here. A comb. Maybe a brush if I'm lucky. How big of an idiot are you?"

The lunge comes in and Azumi raises a single wrist to block it. It stung a small bit but Azumi emits a groan of pure and utter apathy. "Apparently that much of an idiot. Fine. Have it your way. Remember this; I tried to be nice."

The werewolf snakes her hand around Akame's own baton hand, grabbing ahold of it while driving a palm directly into Akame's chest, attempting to part her from her weapon as quickly as possible. Her claws are completely retracted and look like nothing more than sharpened fingernails.

COMBATSYS: Akame dodges Azumi's Aggressive Strike.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Azumi            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Akame

[AKAME]
Akame abandons the weapon the moment the hand closes around hers, with empty hand she still has enough wiggle room to squirm her own slim hand free. Sidestepping the movement accompanying the palm strike she goes after the other arm, The move is mostly instinctual, there should be less focus spent there. Her own arm trying to lock across the bicep and upper arm of Azumi even while trying to catch the baton out of the air.

Quicker than she looks the huntress swings around behind to try and cross the ninja's arm and from the other direction; pin it up behind her back with the baton. It's improvised, but a classic use of a police baton to control a struggling opponent. If she can drive the beast to her knees then this might all be over in a heartbeat.

This close the stink is worse, her heart pumping and adrenaline flowing the bandages around her wrist stain and begin to colour red as the never closing wound on her wrist seems to respond to the increased physical stress.

COMBATSYS: Azumi parries Akame's Armed Combo!

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Azumi            0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0            Akame

[AZUMI]
"And I nearly lost my own life fighting against Jedah for people like you. It honestly makes me wonder why I even bothered saving this city."

She expertly slides her hand out from Akame's own grappling maneuver, using her other arm to swat it out of the way and prevent anything from getting ahold of her. She moves fluidly, twisting her body and drawing her foot upwards. She swings a heavy kick upwards in an arc, aiming for Akame's chin. She spins on her other foot as the previous one returns to the earth, immediately delivering a second kick directly to Akame's chest and forcing her away. Both hits had a bit of sharpness to them thanks to the aura of blue chi surrounding them.

COMBATSYS: Akame dodges Azumi's Double Dust Kick EX.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Azumi            0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0            Akame

[AKAME]
Landing in an ungainly fashion more than a dozen feet away the girl clearly escaped. The momentum imparted to her while trying to desperately evade the second attack separated them some. Worse still she'd lost her chance at a quick if distasteful execution. The clatter of the baton she had been wielding falling back to earth in multiple locations as both segments, now deformed after warding off the first attack start to settle.

Safe for now, but without a weapon.

Ghhhrrrrrr. That baton wasn't free, or entirely the cheapest she could have gotten. This was already starting to get expensive.

A play of light plays across the spectacles as the girl straightens and appears to adopt a more aggressive carriage. Telegraphing the increase in her upset even as she kind of wobbles back in forth in place, there was nothing else on the rooftop she could really use as a weapon. What she brought with her and was desperate enough to use only, or her one and only ace in the hole.

Pulling her heel free of one of her left shoe the girl pivots around to kick the thing off into a flipping and spinning projectile of limited utility.

COMBATSYS: Akame successfully hits Azumi with Thrown Weapon.
- Power hit! -

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Azumi            0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0            Akame

[AZUMI]
Azumi catches the shoe with her face, making her take a small step back in surprise. The werewolf was getting angry, her teeth becoming slightly more prominent, her ears raising up in alertness and light snarl coming from her throat. Her claws start to unsheathe, but some conscious thought forces them back down again. "A shoe? Really? Who throws a sh-you know what? Fine. You want to do this the hard way? Throwing your life away for a piece of plastic? Screw this. It's like talking to a wall with you people. Whatever. I don't care."

She focuses for a moment, performing a few hand signs an ending it with a clap. Her hands and feet begin to glow with that same blue aura, and a slight wind emanates from her form.

COMBATSYS: Azumi focuses on her next action.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Azumi            0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0            Akame

[AKAME]
Akame's reaction to the whole shoe to the face thing was equal parts shock that it worked and dismay afterwards at the increase in aggression and hand signs. The whole angry wolf thing was a lot more intimidating than she'd hoped it would be, it had her unsettled and her response to the glow appearing and wind stirring at her mop of strawberry blonde.

It had gotten serious all of a sudden, for the worst reasons. Also now her stockinged foot was cold.

Extending a palm in front of her she brushes part of the white bandages away so they unravels and drop past her hanging fingertips. In her chest her heart pauses, the beat stopped cold and cramping before accelerating into overdrive, twice, then three times the beats per minute. The strain on her body is terrible and her vision in her left eye worsen as blood red seeps out from subconjunctival haemorrhage filling the eye with a spreading cloudy red.

"Sekigan."

The spreading explosion of pressurized liquid falling from her wounded wrist stabilizes and winds about itself until the gloopy mess halfway resembles the front heavy edge of a scimitar. The unstable blade whips about at high speed as the girl twirls it through a fast kata. It's not solid; occasional droplets fall away to splatter on rooftop, where the droplets land they sizzle on contact.

She adopts the same form she used earlier but this time the dash is faster, not a lunge at all. Stance slipping lower with the blade dragging behind her for a cruel slash horizontally across the belly.

COMBATSYS: Akame successfully hits Azumi with Sekigan.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Azumi            0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0            Akame

[AZUMI]
Azumi raises a brow at the sudden nature shift of the girl and in particular, the weaponization of that bad blood she seemed to carry. It wasn't a trait she was familiar with and weaponizing something like that, even at her lack of skill, could spell some serious consequences. Even with that in mind, the urge to deal serious damage to her wasn't there. She'd rather just blow her off of the roof and continue on her merry salvaging ways.

And then she gets hit.

She takes another step back at the gash of blood across her belly, the fur and skin being ripped up there. Her white shirt begins to pinken with her own blood. Her hopes at trying to end this without bloodshed literally seeps into her shirt. Her eyes narrow at Akame.

Her claws sharpen and lengthen.

Now this was a fight.

She sprints at Akame, seeming like she was going to come in for a direct punch, but the ninja vanishes right before her eyes, leaving an after image in her wake. Up above the werewolf is tucked into a tight ball, flipping rapidly while descending down onto the hunter. She flings a foot out to attempt to drive it directly into the top of Akame's head in savage looking axe kick.

COMBATSYS: Azumi successfully hits Akame with Heaven's Claw.
- Power hit! -

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Azumi            1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0            Akame

[AKAME]
Skidding to a halt Akame begins the sway into the lean that'll allow her to launch herself back in the other direction at Azumi. When the wolf-girl is already coming at her with fist extended she raises the blade to block, that mass of sizzling blood she was welcome to plunge her hand into if trying to reach Akame.

She lost sight of her foe just then. Looking left and right she still can't make out which direction to angle her defense, she has to assume. Coming from her left where Akame was disadvantaged!

The blow to the top of her head bounces her forehead off the ground and sends her sprawling out spread eagled, the spectacles bounce away across the roof while the blade loses some of whatever force keeps it solid and cohesive. A nasty puddle and smear on the roof where the blade hilt and wrist lay.

The girl starts forcing herself back up again as soon as she can, pushing herself up with one hand while trying to lift the mass of blood free and reforge it into a weapon worth striking with. Back on her feet she points the blade right at Azumi, the writhing mass suddenly reverses course to reshape the sword with blade pointed away and positioned low, all wound up for-- she swings it up hard with a diagonal cut, left hip to right shoulder cut.

COMBATSYS: Akame successfully hits Azumi with Intercepting Strike.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Azumi            1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0            Akame

[AZUMI]
Azumi lands on her feet after the successful strike to the head and she's already coming around for another blow, her elbow angled up to strike her in the face again. However, the sudden presence of the sword forces her to abort, the werewolf jumping back just in time to only let the blade cut through the thinnest layers of her skin. Still though, a cut is a cut. As she lands from the jump she starts forming hand signs again. When she finishes, her hands glow with an even more intense blue, with a globe of covering her fist.

She charges back in, drawing her fist back for a punch but she preemptively jumps to the side of her and comes in for earnest. Just as she steps in for a punch, she suddenly opens her hand and creates a solid globe of wind, enveloping Akame in it. The inside of the bubble is quite fierce as fierce winds pummel at her for a few seconds. A final burst of wind forces her back a few steps worth at least. Azumi wastes little time, stepping in close again and driving an elbow directly into Akame's chest. If successful with the hit and expecting her to double over, Azumi ends the string with a hip toss, launching the girl into the sky.

COMBATSYS: Azumi successfully hits Akame with Fierce Combo.
Glancing Blow

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Azumi            1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1            Akame

[AKAME]
Enveloped in a sphere of wind tugging her in all directions Akame's weapons starts tearing away at the edges; The winds eventually turning pink and scattering petals of red across the lengths and breadth of the rooftop. The driving elbow forces her back; a little footwork keeps the rib bruising to a minimum. Being hooked of her feet into the hip toss is bridge too far, a single loafer clomps to the ground on the other side of Azumi and the huntress falls back into stance rather than falling on her keister. Blade held and poised to strike over the bent opponent it reverses agin in her grip suddenly as she stumbles low, her stocking foot finding the puddle of blood she had shed earlier.

Scraping the blade to pass by between the two fighters she carves up a swath of the puddle and the blade throws goblets of that blood into the air, the reverse cut in the other direction scatters a cloud of caustic droplets back at Azumi.

COMBATSYS: Akame successfully hits Azumi with Kumo.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Azumi            1/-======/=======|=======\==-----\1            Akame

[AZUMI]
Azumi may have underestimated her opponent initially but she isn't anymore. As the hip toss somehow manages to only get her to plant her feet next to her, she's caught off guard again by the reappearing blade. This one one stings considerably more than the last, ripping through cloth, flesh and fur alike, leaving her midsection looking rather poor. She growls viciously at Akame before leaping back with purpose, her foot claws tearing into the roof as she slides back into position. Her hands fly into many, many, many hand signs before she claps her hands and roars loud enough to arouse quite a few suspicions.

"ENOUGH!"

She performs a few more hand signs and creates two clones that stand in the same position as she is in, mimicking her movements exactly. All three werewolves charge at Akame with two of them around to her sides. The one to her left attempts a flying roundhouse kick that flies intentionally over Akame's head before disappearing. The right one slides towards her side with an outstretched foot, but evaporates just before the hit lands. The third comes from straight in front and backflips with her footclaws extended. This one...stays visible and the damage it deals is quite real.

Should the foot find it's mark, the young hunter would soon feel that same wind encompass her in the air, this time being trapped within a tornado. The chi-infused wind sweeps her up high into the air, a small distance beyond even the taller buildings Azumi was on earlier. A second tornado forms above her and narrows, grabbing Akame by the middle and spinning her as it drives her back towards the ground. She'd land on the roof but with a hit like that, it's likely the tornado would drive her through the weather-worn roof of the abandoned barber shop.

COMBATSYS: Azumi successfully hits Akame with Zephyr's Domain.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Azumi            0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Akame

[AKAME]
The ground splinters and heaves downwards as the ballistic huntress is dashed against it; the roof itself in danger of being compromised and her punching through to the floor below. Instead after creaking and settling it weathers the storm. Akame herself is a bloody mess, it's clumped in her hair with tears in her scalp, soaking into the stretched and torn cardigan and splattered in a wide star pattern all around the impact site.

She remains there unmoving for what creeps up on forever. Anyone paying close enough attention can notice the slow trickling of the blood flowing back toward centre. When she lifts her head it's with supreme effort and wracked by pain but she still makes the effort to fight on. The handle of sword all the remains to her, sharpening to a point as she catapults it toward the ninja, end over end and flying in Azumi's general direction if not flying true.

COMBATSYS: Akame has reached second wind!

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Azumi            0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Akame

COMBATSYS: Akame successfully hits Azumi with Small Thrown Object.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Azumi            0/-------/----===|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Akame

[AZUMI]
Azumi's tornado dispurses wildly, even blowing through her fur vividly. Nearby trees sway slightly away from the tornado's violent winds, calming down after a few seconds. Azumi checks the spot where Akame fell down in and leaps down after her, the werewolf's claws gleaming in the setting sun's light. She lands not terribly far from the hunter and looks around the shop.

The place had been abandoned for a long time. It even smelled like it. Cobwebs take up all of the corners and most of the shop was clean. The staple barber chairs were gone, but a few regular ones remained. A few were even lined up in a circle, indicating that a few someone's at least had a talk before they left this place forever. The counters and mirrors were still in tact and a small box sits on a counter, undisturbed for who knew how long. Without any electricity though, and the fading sun, the lighting here was dreadful, everything being coated in a dark purple that was plenty enough to see by, but certainly an uncomfortable, foreboding feeling.

Azumi walks towards Akame and looks about ready to end the fight right then and there, but a sudden move by the hunter hits home. The blade finds a spot right in Azumi's leg, not stabbing in deep, but hard enough. She hisses at the pain and reaches down to retract the foreign object lodged within her. She tosses it to the other end of the shop while noticing just how bloody she'd gotten. She holds a hand over her multiple wounds on her chest and starts to focus on them, willing them to seal themselves.

She has one ragged eye open towards Akame, staring at her. "What's the matter, do I scare you bad blood? Don't want to go for another ride?"

COMBATSYS: Azumi gains composure.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Azumi            0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Akame

[AKAME]
Haltingly, rising in fits and spurts it takes time to get back to her feet. She nearly slips in the blood, her hand empty though the blood won't stop falling as it naturally would form the wound. Akame responds more to the direction the voice is coming from than actual identification of the threat. There she was. The insult doesn't sting in the slightest, there have always been worse things she or her clan were known as.

If anything, it was recognition! This blood existed to hurt darkstalkers and other supernatural monsters.

Smiling, possibly due to the delirium associated with blood loss, fight the urge to laugh or lose her focus. This was her last best chance to come out ahead.

"ARRhhhh"

The first seal is clumsily made in reference to a place, difficult since her hands don't want to work right 'Fudo', the second comes much easier 'Senju', by the time she begins reciting the names in her head and abandoning making hand seals the motes of red are already lifting away. From all the places her blood has fallen it begins to coils up like pillars of smoke and gravitates back toward. 'Nunobiki', she needed more of it 'Ninai' still more! 'Biwa' by the time she's angling her palm in the direction of Azumi the 'The Akame Five Waterfalls' has become maelstrom, churning around and behind her with such force it grinds away the ground all around her.


"Akame 48-TAKI!!"

A kiai befitting a technique she could only use when enough of her own blood had been shed. It was pure unadulterated wrath.

The whole mass shifts and spears toward Azumi with Akame carried in the wake of the attack and also drawn in.

COMBATSYS: Azumi dodges Akame's Akame 48-Taki.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Azumi            0/-------/-----==|>>-----\-------\0            Akame

[AZUMI]
The attack engulfs the werewolf, who puts on a convincing show of pain. She disappears behind the maelstrom but something was wrong. By the time the attack finally subsides, Azumi is nowhere to be found. Despite wrecking the floor, there was nothing. No clothes, no fur...nothing. Had her attack literally melted her opponent away?

The answer came in a few seconds as Azumi drops down from the roof again, her leg wound missing and most of the wounds on her belly having been closed up. She is panting though, with small tendrils of smoke rising from the few spots where Akame's blood still sizzled against the supernatural creature. She grins towards Akame as she she stands up somewhat stiffly.

"That's cute. You thought the one I sent down was real."

She forms a few quick seals with her hands, culminating with a hand aimed towards Akame's middle. From it fires a burst of blue wind energy, which if it connects, should explode and send the hunter flying against the wall and likely into one of the many mirrors in the dim barber shop.

COMBATSYS: Akame dodges Azumi's Gust Shock.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Azumi            0/-------/----===|>>-----\-------\0            Akame

[AKAME]
Akame drops flat rather than be blown away like that, the wind gusts painfully into her face as she lands on her rump but in an amazing stroke of luck she escapes unscathed. Huuuh, that was more fool her for thinking that was the real enemy. But she also wasn't familiar with something using such lifelike disposable copies of themselves. Live! (hopefully) and learn from her mistakes.

Setting her palm down in the repurposed pool of black blood that was the remains of her earlier attack she finds herself with nothing left to fight with but it. If she draws any more blood out of her own body she could very near kill himself.

The pool stirs before a series of projected blades rise up out of pool, sluggishly springing out at Azumi's feet so long as she remains at or close to a large enough spatter of the substance. The blades lose their substance right away and are falling back to the ground even with the next blow, Akame can't summon more than the one blade with each occurrence.

Fall! She had to fall, didn't she?

COMBATSYS: Azumi parries Akame's Charged Combo!

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Azumi            0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0            Akame

[AZUMI]
Azumi strengthens what she had left for gathered chi. She still had plenty of physical strength left, but with this much blood lost, it would only be another decent blade hit that'd tip her over into a dangerous situation. She furrows her eyes as the projectile missed, slamming into the mirror and shattering it noisily. Finally having seen that blood knife nonsense enough times by now, she dashes for Akame the second she tried it. As the blade comes towards her she forms a small bubble of wind around her palm, pushing the blade off course and sending it into the wall behind her. The werewolf keeps on trucking.

Azumi pounces onto Akame, attempting to sink her teeth into her leg. If successful, Azumi flings her into the ceiling head first. As the girl falls, the ninja prepares a mighty haymaker punch to yet again, try to ground this girl once and for all.

Luck can't be with her forever, could it?

COMBATSYS: Akame fails to interrupt Fang Over Fist EX from Azumi with Omoi.

[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Azumi            0/-------/--=====|

COMBATSYS: Akame can no longer fight.

[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Azumi            0/-------/--=====|

[AKAME]
Akame just can't seem to pull enough of the blood together anymore. It was dying, where it fell to the ground it would stay. Too dirty or contaminated to be mixed with what was ebbing weakly through her body and without any of the energy that animated it. As she lifts what little she has left into Jodan-no-kamae; a high stance the blade itself is pretty feeble in width. But the length and cutting edge glinting in the light hint that the sword was probably MUCH larger in its original form.

Levering it overhead to hurl at wolf-girl is her only shot, the sword so fragile and reserves all but gone she still swings for the fences.

Bloody and beaten the girl finally lies still. Pale as a ghost from the blood loss and trauma, she hardly looks any worse for wear after being bounced off the roof and punched squarely into the ground. Already covered in blood and ragged tears in both flesh and clothing it's more difficult to tell which wounds are the newer.

It's a moments reprieve, time enough to let the victory sink in.. before the towering sandy haired woman in half plate makes a show of applauding. Gauntlets enhancing the sound. The others with her aren't so keep on the spectacle and choose to just watch silently. Ranked and blooded professional Hunters every one, it's a flock of vultures looking down on the grisly scene. A rogues gallery with no coherent theme; there was a knight in gleaming plate, a gunslinger and a scholarly looking type, others clinging more to the shadows. No two alike of them wearing anything in common that denoted they had similar purpose. There's only the six of them up there but they're all who were intrigued or bored enough to attend a distress call on short notice. Up until recently and one of those last impacts it had been still broadcasting away on the phone in Akame's pocket.

'Nice foight there Wulfie, Y'best be getting 'ome thou. City 'ets dangerous aft' dark as ai'm sure yur aware.'

As the highest ranked hunter present the lady-in-plate's words carry enough weight there's minimal complaint from the others. General consensus though is probably they'd be less inclined to let prey away scot free. The lack of concern for the fallen though seems a prevailing attitude they all share. The kid tried to bag a darkstalker, failed and might die of their wounds.

Another day in the life of a Guild Hunter.

[AZUMI]
Azumi feels no amount of undue joy from standing victorious over the bloodied Akame. This wasn't fun. This wasn't a joyous event. Winning only meant that she wouldn't die by her hand. For as much good as she's done and tried to do, this woman tried to undo her for a simple, stupid request. Despite all of her years of training and doing literally the exact same thing, this singular battle proved to be the dumbest thing she's had to risk her life over.

The sudden appearance of the other hunters draws a steady glance. If they were watching and she hadn't detected her, they could have killed her if they wanted to, likely at any point. She keeps her claws out as she continues to focus on her wounds, trying to force more of them shut so she could move a little easier on the off chance that this group decided to break their word. Still though, she had something to say. She addresses the group aloud, turning towards various members randomly and speaking angrily. "You are aware that your girl here fought me tooth, blood and nail for a comb? Like literally. A comb. Like this, right here."

She makes her way to the box on the counter and pulls out a singular, fine tooth steel comb. She also draws out a hairbrush and a pair of trimming scissors. "These. Just this. The stuff I could find in a store that I no longer have the ability to walk in freely. She is laying there, almost dead because she attacked me for literally no goddamn reason." The frustration builds in her voice, her fur starting to rile up in response but she takes a deep breath and exhales, shaking her head. The wolf girl calms down considerably. "Fucking...forget it. Why am I even bothering with this. I already know. I used to be one of you guys. You never listen."

With her wounds healed to a decent rate she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a smoke pellet, tossing it into the ground and covering the area almost immediately with a vision blocking smoke that dispurses after a few seconds. Azumi's gone by this point, but her last sentence echoes in the empty barber shop.

"I know I never did."

COMBATSYS: Azumi has ended the fight here.

Log created on 03:40:04 07/14/2016 by Akame, and last modified on 20:37:37 07/14/2016.