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tampered2007-01-20 01:26 pm
henkonasuisho.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2007-01-20 01:26 pm
Log (completed)
When; January 19, Noonish (backdated, occurs on the Meiji curse day
Rating; PG/PG-13 due to violence and blood and stuff
Characters; Zaheela [![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
henkonasuisho] and Tayuya [violentflutist]
Summary; Tayuya and Zaheela are set out to see how different their respective musical talents are.)
Log;
The switch of pink hakama accompanied by the soft padding of slippered feet announced Tayuya's arrival in Xanadu gardens. A glint of sunlight against golden hair ornaments and finely clad form showed a vision of the young woman that hardly ever occurred. She certainly didn't dress well often, to be certain. But this curse day had done it, and with her luck she'd gotten herself a nice spar today. The ninja had to admit however, that the scenery and clothing was making her nostalgic. ... Not that it would ever be admitted. With a shrug the redhead idly fingered the smooth metal flute in her hands, deft hands running through melodies known by heart as she waited for her opponent. Hopefully the bard, or whatever the hell she was, would prove to be a worthy challenge. If not, well... Tayuya had threatened to cover these nice clothes in blood.
Whatever Zaheela was feeling, as she entered the thick trees, it was a tad bit... Unnerving. She wasn't cocky enough to think that she'd come out of this unscathed, no, she was sure that blood would be staining the ground. From what she could tell, this young woman was as dangerous as she was crass, yet she wasn't about to regret accepting this fight. Her hand clutching the sheath of her blade, she quietly approached the stated meeting place, eyes darting left and right.
She knew that the woman was here, but most likely wasn't about to reveal herself unless She made the first move.
"If you could please, a word before we fight?"
"Of course." Tayuya hopped down from a cherry blossom tree, having taken cover in it's shrouded branches as she waited. She stood tall as she hit the ground lightly, a smirk the expression on her lips. Ninja before all else, stealth before revealing. The sound five member was blatantly sizing up her opponent, taking note of clothing, where weapons could be concealed, weapons in sight, and taking into account build and natural strength.
Zaheela didn't jump as the woman seemingly appeared from nowhere, but from what she could see, this woman was not just a fighter. From the gleam in her eyes, the way her eyes watched her, this young woman was a killer, a cold blooded killer.
“I would like to ask that we both agree to something.” She began, her hands gripping the sheath tighter. “This is not a fight to the death, merely a test to see what the other can do against the other's respective skills. I will not ask you to hold back your blows, but please, do refrain from delivering the death blow.” She shifted uncomfortably on the wooden shoes she wore and cursed for the hundredth time about how damn restricting her garment was.
“If we both agree to that, then I will not hesitate to follow the same. This I do swear on my title of High lady of the house of Rouchelette. I will not hesitate to fight you and treat you as one I would on a battlefield.” She declared.
A shrug was offered first.
"Fine." Tayuya had to admit, she was amused.
Damn, when was the last time she had killed someone?
... Far too long. But she didn't need any more enemies here in this City, she had her share already, and for all she knew this woman had friends she didn't want to mess with. Oh, but these things were complicated.
"But tell me," Tayuya never could keep her mouth shut, always used to taunting her opponent's, fighting to the death or not, "What is the word of a noble lady worth, anyway?" Her voice grew colder with each word, slowly shifting into the mentality she used to channel pain and fear through her flute and into illusion, for that was the next step, no matter the answer. Let alone the weapons concealed in the numerous folds of hakama, haori, and obi.
The woman had a point. In this city, her status wasn't anything more then words and hinted meanings. She thought for a moment before letting a smile appear on her face.
“You have a point, my rank doesn't have much more power on a battlefield then a piece of paper hanging on a wall.” She shifted, before firmly gripping the hilt of her sword and drawing it out. The dark metal almost glew in the light as it slid smoothly out of the dark leather sheath and she let the tip point towards the ground and let the sheath drop, freeing her hand.
“Then, I will swear on the one thing that does count in battle, my own blood...” With that, she pressed her palm against the sharp metal. A quick sting of blood and the familiar feeling of holy magic rushing to the deep wound, but the message was clear enough as the blood dripped to the floor.
“I swear with my own blood, splattered upon this battlefield, I will not hesitate to hold back all of my abilities nor my blows except for the one which could take away your life.” She stared at the woman, her face stern.
Tayuya laughed aloud, hands moving to her hips, a cocky position. She always had been a prideful one. That had taken guts of a kind, whether it was the self-assured or the stupid kid... they would soon find out. "Very we-" The words hadn't even finished leaving her mouth before her hands, casually at her side, revealed that idly they had not been, slipping two kunai from the ties of the hakama and throwing them swiftly, the twin knives singing towards the ninja's opponent even as Tayuya herself back flipped her way into the tree tops once again, the pink flowers cascading in a shower as she found a sturdy branch, feet bracing as the flute she always carried found her lips, a melody snaking out eerily, tones high and long. A simple tune, to start. One to confuse, to make her invisible to the woman, who had claimed to be able to repel illusions. They'd see about that.
Zaheela had figured that the woman would do something like that and darted backward, crouching slightly to gather her blade's sheath. She leapt onto a tree branch and concealed herself. Zaheela let her blade once again slide into it's casing before tying it to her waist, securing it firmly. The wound on her hand stung slightly but it was her own connection with the mana of the world which repaired the self-inflicted damage. It was fortunate that in this garden the presence of Mana was much more potent, for she would need all the help she could get. Reaching behind her and into the small pouch she had hidden in the bow of her Obi, Zaheela grasped her most cherished flute, a pretty ivory colored flute, carved from the bone of a greater dragon. Closing her eyes, she allowed the tune to creep over her bones before lifting the flute to her lips. The woman was testing her, and she would gladly show her worth...
A moment passed before Zaheela softly drew a note of power from her own instrument. She didn't repel the illusion... She utterly SHATTERED it.
Tayuya's eyes snapped open, she tended to close them when playing, as she felt her small illusion shatter at the sound of another flute. ... Anger began to build. Zaheela had said it was her skill, breaking illusions, but that did not mean Tayuya took to loss of one of her carefully crafted tunes any better. In fact, she took it quite badly. Eyes narrowing, her chakra input rose as deft fingers danced across the metal surface, plucking from the instrument another illusion, subtler. The notes low, barely audible.
The aim, to trap the listener in their own mind.
Zaheela frowned as she once again let the effects of the song take her over. The feelings of displacement flowed through her veins as she continued to listen. Obviously, her opponent was one used to her illusions slipping through the cracks of one's actions, the brief feeling of displacement being ignored.
Well at least she was getting serious. As Zaheela began to play once again, she let a inkling of her own skill, her own talent creep upon the illusion. Like water, it crept into the cracks of the illusion before bursting out, shattering whatever power the illusion had, but this time, she did not stop at simply shattering the illusion like she had before. She followed with a soft yet mournful elegy which, simply put, filled the listener's bones with a sense of lethargy.
Tayuya knew an illusion, a sound manipulation, when she heard it. A major part of her own training had been slipping free of illusionary affects, in the case she had one of her own turned back upon her, an ultimate insult. And this was vexing her. She never had been patient. The cursed seal on the back of her neck began to crawl, black lines snaking out and covering her skin in geometric pattern, not letting all of the mark free, merely tapping into its seemingly infinite resources. Her next illusion, she resolved, would be the last. If this was shattered, she knew her temper would go along with it. High, shrill, piercing notes flew from the instrument, fast paced, clear-cut. One that assaulted the brain directly, seeping into cracks and prying out ones fears to let them live in front of their very eyes.
From the tone of the music, Zaheela knew that something was wrong. Her Opponent had gone from teasing to downright angered and the power of the illusion that nearly took over her proved it. As a bard, she had been taught to recognize the signs of an illusion, no matter how finely crafted they could be. As memories threatened to surge over her mind, Zaheela decided that she would show her true mastery. At the touch of the warm bone against her lips, Zaheela let her restrictions go as she let her eyes close. The tune she played was nothing like before, from the start it made it's presence known. Mana gathered under her agile fingers, and if one were sensitive enough to magic of any sort, they would of seen something akin to a towering dragon rising from the gardens. The power coiled under it's restraints, it's powerful roar declaring it's intent to shatter all that denied reality, and as she reached the crescendo, it's wings had spread. With the sound of a clear yet seemingly final note, the chains were released and the dragon was released. It streaked along the illusion, destroying it to it's utter core, and the power it radiated echoed through the trees, scattering the petals to dance in the air.
Oh, that was it. Tayuya felt something inside of her, delicate control, patience, and sensibilities snap along with one of her most powerful illusions. Even as the small petals still whirled from the force of whatever the hell you called that, the ninja was bursting from her cover, ripping golden hair pins from her hair, the red cascading down even as it lengthened, the black marks on her skin widening to consume and darked the tone, irises gold, claws and teeth sharpening, horns sprouting from her skull. There she was, the bitch who dared, who dared turn her illusions back, shatter them, kill them. Another bound and the ninja was upon her, claws wanting to rip and shred and stain that pretty, pretty fabric.
While she hadn't expected the most rational reactions from her opponent, seeing the young woman disregard all tactics and lunge at her was surprising. What was even more surprising was the complete transformation the woman had done, but she herself was a war veteran and as quick as lightning, her blade was drawn out and swung upward to parry the first strike.
The claws scrambled against steel, but the girl snarled viciously, merely gripping the blade carelessly in sharp tipped hands, her own blood mingling with that already drawn, shoving back and up, giving her opportunity to lunge, teeth, sharpened to point, aiming for the throat. Her cursed seal form was always difficult to control, and without Suigintou close by to channel the excess power she couldn't handle, her mind was not quite her own, more feral, more vicious.
Barely able to move back in time, Zaheela winced as those sharp teeth grazed her neck. Snarling, as she felt the wound on her neck begin to weep blood, she skidded back and swung her sword upward into a defensive position. However, she had little time to do anything but dodge and parry the attacks coming at her. The young woman, no DEMON was pressing her back, her attacks wild yet certainly powerful as she could tell with how her sword almost vibrated with the force. Another cut landed across her arm and Zaheela decided that she had to figure out a way to create some space. Eyes still trained on her opponent, she quickly waved her hand in front of her and let the ancient holy magic gather before her. Light gathered in her palm and then she made a flinging motion before saying, “Appear, Light of gods, Banish.” With that, the blast of light streaked forward.
The blast burned, she was aware of that. Sort of crackled on her skin as it forced her back, silhouetting her twisted form against the blinding light of the holy energy. There was something altogether unholy about her curse seal that seemed to clash, striking and retreating before Tayuya found herself some twenty feet away, a slightly singed look about her, but nothing more in damage, her pupils, black and rimmed in gold, dilating wildly as the curse seal exerted more power over her. No matter. She'd finish this. Clawed fingers drew shuriken and kunai from hidden pouches, flying towards their target, one, concealed among the bunch, trailing a smoking explosive tag.
Zaheela immediately was on her feet as the blast sent Tayuya flying backwards, a tad surprised at the power behind the blow. This could only mean that her opponent had a weakness against the divine arts or was an undead. She barely dodged the two flying kunai but caught sight of something tied to the end of the second blade. Whatever it was, she couldn't take chances. Zaheela let the mana fill her vocal cords and softly sang, "Oh lords of the world, I sing to you praises, I sing of your past glory, I sing of the fall of Mana. As she sang the tendrils of magic curled around whatever was on that piece of paper and aimed to destroy whatever magical or illusionary force may of lay within.
The blast detonated, an explosion aimed at taking out a small group of people, but ended up being contained, shattered, Tayuya didn't know. Point was, there was smoke, but there was no fire. Oh, fuck that. She followed through the smoke, bursting through the thin veil in a whirl of claw, teeth, horn, and whirling limbs, her metal flute, sturdily made, actually raised about her head to bash in a skull.
Raising her sword against the metal flute, the darksteel bit into the instrument, however not damaging it too much as she sidestepped out of the way. But it was not without damage as several cuts appeared on her arms. Zaheela began to hum a soft tune under her breath, the mana of the song filling her legs, lightening her steps, and as if she floated above the ground, seemed to speed up. She darted backward a great distance as she began to chant. "Goddess above, grant the power of your might to my hands. Fill the sky with your Holy power and rain upon the judgment of Heaven itself..."
Tayuya's legs, powerful, enhanced by the heightened chakra flowing through them, pushed her forward, not wanting to know what awaited at the end of those words, that chant.
The spell was far too close to completion to be stopped. ”Blesi Neyu. Greium halo Fallium! BANISHGA!” With the closing of the chant, the light quickly gathered above her and swirled over Tayuya's head, the power angry and barely contained before a sheet of holy power streaked downwards in a grand circle 16 feet wide. However Zaheela wasn't idle as the spell went off. True, as the caster, the magic would not affect her, but she couldn't take the chance of leaving an opening. She sung softly a song of power as she sprung forward, mere moments after the power had touched Tayuya's skin and let the killer intent of her sword begin to shine it's urge to bite into flesh.
The blast of whatever the fuck that was, Tayuya had no idea, did not like her curse seal. The mark burned, burned enough to make her wince, and she knew she had only one option in that regard. Push it. Like opening a floodgate, breaking a dam, the girl let the seal wash over her, pushing off the effects of the spell with a burst of chakra, dodging one blade swing, two, three... ah, a fourth. The sword sliced smoothly along her shoulder, biting in and lodging against bone. Wouldn't feel that till later. But even better, feral eyes caught an opening, straight to the middle, and with a final push she threw her head forward, the weight of the heavy horns driving through fabric and skin. Four forward facing horns punching through the abdomen and lodging. She felt something break under the pressure, and smiled, stopping herself from twisting her neck and spilling the girl's innards. This was hers.
Zaheela had lost, that she was sure. She had been sure of it when the feeling of something foreign tearing through thin skin had rippled through her. To an outsider or the untrained eye, it would of appeared to be a draw, Zaheela's blade in position to be twisted and sever arm from torso. But such actions required her to life her blade upwards once more and hit the spot in the same exact place, a incredibly difficult thing to do in a situation like this. With a bloodied chuckle, she smiled. If she was not a bard, which was more suited to playing the support pillar of a group, and her dark knight, a warrior bred solely to kill, perhaps this battle would of ended differently.
"Very well played, I admit my utter defeat to your skills. Now, will you honor me with my life so that we may fight again, under far more pleasurable circumstances, or will you end my life like a warrior?" She asked, her eyes stern and willing to accept whatever came.
Tayuya's only response was a snarl at first, fighting her curse seal for control. The fight was evident, the seal bared on her neck pulsing, enlarging and shrinking as she tried to push it back. The seal said move. Rip her guts out. But her senses said stop, no more enemies yet. Finally, she spoke. "I don't do mercy killings." She ripped her horns from the girl's abdomen, but out the way they'd come, doing no... further damage. The sword she simply shrugged out of her flesh, stepping back and looking down at herself with a smile even as she twitched and shuddered, still trying to suppress her seal. Ah, but covered in blood she'd made the garments, as promised.
Falling to the ground, Zaheela simply laughed at her response. A proper response, but for now, she had to ensure that she would survive more then a few minutes or two. Natural healing took care of the smaller cuts, but the large ones, they needed tending to.
It was a good thing that cure spells had incredibly short casting phrases. Lifting a hand to press against her chest, she shakily took a breath before murmuring "Kuethi". A soft glow erupted from under her palm and rush into her body, giving much needed mana to the heavily bleeding wounds. She repeated the chant three times, each time a pulse of light flowing into the wounds. It was clearly visible that this potent magic was closing the wounds, but she had chosen to only apply enough magic to stay alive. She glanced up once she felt she was in no danger.
"Would you like me to assist you with your own wounds?
"Oh, I can already promise you that. It was very pleasurable indeed to fight one as strong as yourself... However, I shall tell you a little something about myself." Zaheela leaned against a nearby tree, silently casting less powerful healing spells to reduce the stress upon the newly forming cells. She glanced down at her garment, covered in her own blood. Pity, while she hated how restricting it was, it looked rather expensive. A sakura petal fluttered down against her ear, like a butterfly against a flower. "This is not meant to be used in the role of an killer. It is a supporting job, but I have also mastered the class of a Dark Knight, a blood thirsty, power hungry role where one does not care about life in any form. Which... would prove to be far more challenging then I am now."
"It will be a while before I am able to wear that armor, however, but do keep in mind, I look forward to our next fight." She pondered for a moment before closing her eyes. She was tired and sore, but she couldn't fall asleep now. "Your music was very enchanting, and potent too. You are a master at your art..." She trailed off, grimacing but making no move to try and stop the proud young killer.
"So I am." Tayuya gave only that response, turning her head slightly, slinging blood from her horns, to give a smirk before she walked off, raising one hand in a half-hearted wave. Next time would be even better.
Rating; PG/PG-13 due to violence and blood and stuff
Characters; Zaheela [
henkonasuisho] and Tayuya [violentflutist]Summary; Tayuya and Zaheela are set out to see how different their respective musical talents are.)
Log;
The switch of pink hakama accompanied by the soft padding of slippered feet announced Tayuya's arrival in Xanadu gardens. A glint of sunlight against golden hair ornaments and finely clad form showed a vision of the young woman that hardly ever occurred. She certainly didn't dress well often, to be certain. But this curse day had done it, and with her luck she'd gotten herself a nice spar today. The ninja had to admit however, that the scenery and clothing was making her nostalgic. ... Not that it would ever be admitted. With a shrug the redhead idly fingered the smooth metal flute in her hands, deft hands running through melodies known by heart as she waited for her opponent. Hopefully the bard, or whatever the hell she was, would prove to be a worthy challenge. If not, well... Tayuya had threatened to cover these nice clothes in blood.
Whatever Zaheela was feeling, as she entered the thick trees, it was a tad bit... Unnerving. She wasn't cocky enough to think that she'd come out of this unscathed, no, she was sure that blood would be staining the ground. From what she could tell, this young woman was as dangerous as she was crass, yet she wasn't about to regret accepting this fight. Her hand clutching the sheath of her blade, she quietly approached the stated meeting place, eyes darting left and right.
She knew that the woman was here, but most likely wasn't about to reveal herself unless She made the first move.
"If you could please, a word before we fight?"
"Of course." Tayuya hopped down from a cherry blossom tree, having taken cover in it's shrouded branches as she waited. She stood tall as she hit the ground lightly, a smirk the expression on her lips. Ninja before all else, stealth before revealing. The sound five member was blatantly sizing up her opponent, taking note of clothing, where weapons could be concealed, weapons in sight, and taking into account build and natural strength.
Zaheela didn't jump as the woman seemingly appeared from nowhere, but from what she could see, this woman was not just a fighter. From the gleam in her eyes, the way her eyes watched her, this young woman was a killer, a cold blooded killer.
“I would like to ask that we both agree to something.” She began, her hands gripping the sheath tighter. “This is not a fight to the death, merely a test to see what the other can do against the other's respective skills. I will not ask you to hold back your blows, but please, do refrain from delivering the death blow.” She shifted uncomfortably on the wooden shoes she wore and cursed for the hundredth time about how damn restricting her garment was.
“If we both agree to that, then I will not hesitate to follow the same. This I do swear on my title of High lady of the house of Rouchelette. I will not hesitate to fight you and treat you as one I would on a battlefield.” She declared.
A shrug was offered first.
"Fine." Tayuya had to admit, she was amused.
Damn, when was the last time she had killed someone?
... Far too long. But she didn't need any more enemies here in this City, she had her share already, and for all she knew this woman had friends she didn't want to mess with. Oh, but these things were complicated.
"But tell me," Tayuya never could keep her mouth shut, always used to taunting her opponent's, fighting to the death or not, "What is the word of a noble lady worth, anyway?" Her voice grew colder with each word, slowly shifting into the mentality she used to channel pain and fear through her flute and into illusion, for that was the next step, no matter the answer. Let alone the weapons concealed in the numerous folds of hakama, haori, and obi.
The woman had a point. In this city, her status wasn't anything more then words and hinted meanings. She thought for a moment before letting a smile appear on her face.
“You have a point, my rank doesn't have much more power on a battlefield then a piece of paper hanging on a wall.” She shifted, before firmly gripping the hilt of her sword and drawing it out. The dark metal almost glew in the light as it slid smoothly out of the dark leather sheath and she let the tip point towards the ground and let the sheath drop, freeing her hand.
“Then, I will swear on the one thing that does count in battle, my own blood...” With that, she pressed her palm against the sharp metal. A quick sting of blood and the familiar feeling of holy magic rushing to the deep wound, but the message was clear enough as the blood dripped to the floor.
“I swear with my own blood, splattered upon this battlefield, I will not hesitate to hold back all of my abilities nor my blows except for the one which could take away your life.” She stared at the woman, her face stern.
Tayuya laughed aloud, hands moving to her hips, a cocky position. She always had been a prideful one. That had taken guts of a kind, whether it was the self-assured or the stupid kid... they would soon find out. "Very we-" The words hadn't even finished leaving her mouth before her hands, casually at her side, revealed that idly they had not been, slipping two kunai from the ties of the hakama and throwing them swiftly, the twin knives singing towards the ninja's opponent even as Tayuya herself back flipped her way into the tree tops once again, the pink flowers cascading in a shower as she found a sturdy branch, feet bracing as the flute she always carried found her lips, a melody snaking out eerily, tones high and long. A simple tune, to start. One to confuse, to make her invisible to the woman, who had claimed to be able to repel illusions. They'd see about that.
Zaheela had figured that the woman would do something like that and darted backward, crouching slightly to gather her blade's sheath. She leapt onto a tree branch and concealed herself. Zaheela let her blade once again slide into it's casing before tying it to her waist, securing it firmly. The wound on her hand stung slightly but it was her own connection with the mana of the world which repaired the self-inflicted damage. It was fortunate that in this garden the presence of Mana was much more potent, for she would need all the help she could get. Reaching behind her and into the small pouch she had hidden in the bow of her Obi, Zaheela grasped her most cherished flute, a pretty ivory colored flute, carved from the bone of a greater dragon. Closing her eyes, she allowed the tune to creep over her bones before lifting the flute to her lips. The woman was testing her, and she would gladly show her worth...
A moment passed before Zaheela softly drew a note of power from her own instrument. She didn't repel the illusion... She utterly SHATTERED it.
Tayuya's eyes snapped open, she tended to close them when playing, as she felt her small illusion shatter at the sound of another flute. ... Anger began to build. Zaheela had said it was her skill, breaking illusions, but that did not mean Tayuya took to loss of one of her carefully crafted tunes any better. In fact, she took it quite badly. Eyes narrowing, her chakra input rose as deft fingers danced across the metal surface, plucking from the instrument another illusion, subtler. The notes low, barely audible.
The aim, to trap the listener in their own mind.
Zaheela frowned as she once again let the effects of the song take her over. The feelings of displacement flowed through her veins as she continued to listen. Obviously, her opponent was one used to her illusions slipping through the cracks of one's actions, the brief feeling of displacement being ignored.
Well at least she was getting serious. As Zaheela began to play once again, she let a inkling of her own skill, her own talent creep upon the illusion. Like water, it crept into the cracks of the illusion before bursting out, shattering whatever power the illusion had, but this time, she did not stop at simply shattering the illusion like she had before. She followed with a soft yet mournful elegy which, simply put, filled the listener's bones with a sense of lethargy.
Tayuya knew an illusion, a sound manipulation, when she heard it. A major part of her own training had been slipping free of illusionary affects, in the case she had one of her own turned back upon her, an ultimate insult. And this was vexing her. She never had been patient. The cursed seal on the back of her neck began to crawl, black lines snaking out and covering her skin in geometric pattern, not letting all of the mark free, merely tapping into its seemingly infinite resources. Her next illusion, she resolved, would be the last. If this was shattered, she knew her temper would go along with it. High, shrill, piercing notes flew from the instrument, fast paced, clear-cut. One that assaulted the brain directly, seeping into cracks and prying out ones fears to let them live in front of their very eyes.
From the tone of the music, Zaheela knew that something was wrong. Her Opponent had gone from teasing to downright angered and the power of the illusion that nearly took over her proved it. As a bard, she had been taught to recognize the signs of an illusion, no matter how finely crafted they could be. As memories threatened to surge over her mind, Zaheela decided that she would show her true mastery. At the touch of the warm bone against her lips, Zaheela let her restrictions go as she let her eyes close. The tune she played was nothing like before, from the start it made it's presence known. Mana gathered under her agile fingers, and if one were sensitive enough to magic of any sort, they would of seen something akin to a towering dragon rising from the gardens. The power coiled under it's restraints, it's powerful roar declaring it's intent to shatter all that denied reality, and as she reached the crescendo, it's wings had spread. With the sound of a clear yet seemingly final note, the chains were released and the dragon was released. It streaked along the illusion, destroying it to it's utter core, and the power it radiated echoed through the trees, scattering the petals to dance in the air.
Oh, that was it. Tayuya felt something inside of her, delicate control, patience, and sensibilities snap along with one of her most powerful illusions. Even as the small petals still whirled from the force of whatever the hell you called that, the ninja was bursting from her cover, ripping golden hair pins from her hair, the red cascading down even as it lengthened, the black marks on her skin widening to consume and darked the tone, irises gold, claws and teeth sharpening, horns sprouting from her skull. There she was, the bitch who dared, who dared turn her illusions back, shatter them, kill them. Another bound and the ninja was upon her, claws wanting to rip and shred and stain that pretty, pretty fabric.
While she hadn't expected the most rational reactions from her opponent, seeing the young woman disregard all tactics and lunge at her was surprising. What was even more surprising was the complete transformation the woman had done, but she herself was a war veteran and as quick as lightning, her blade was drawn out and swung upward to parry the first strike.
The claws scrambled against steel, but the girl snarled viciously, merely gripping the blade carelessly in sharp tipped hands, her own blood mingling with that already drawn, shoving back and up, giving her opportunity to lunge, teeth, sharpened to point, aiming for the throat. Her cursed seal form was always difficult to control, and without Suigintou close by to channel the excess power she couldn't handle, her mind was not quite her own, more feral, more vicious.
Barely able to move back in time, Zaheela winced as those sharp teeth grazed her neck. Snarling, as she felt the wound on her neck begin to weep blood, she skidded back and swung her sword upward into a defensive position. However, she had little time to do anything but dodge and parry the attacks coming at her. The young woman, no DEMON was pressing her back, her attacks wild yet certainly powerful as she could tell with how her sword almost vibrated with the force. Another cut landed across her arm and Zaheela decided that she had to figure out a way to create some space. Eyes still trained on her opponent, she quickly waved her hand in front of her and let the ancient holy magic gather before her. Light gathered in her palm and then she made a flinging motion before saying, “Appear, Light of gods, Banish.” With that, the blast of light streaked forward.
The blast burned, she was aware of that. Sort of crackled on her skin as it forced her back, silhouetting her twisted form against the blinding light of the holy energy. There was something altogether unholy about her curse seal that seemed to clash, striking and retreating before Tayuya found herself some twenty feet away, a slightly singed look about her, but nothing more in damage, her pupils, black and rimmed in gold, dilating wildly as the curse seal exerted more power over her. No matter. She'd finish this. Clawed fingers drew shuriken and kunai from hidden pouches, flying towards their target, one, concealed among the bunch, trailing a smoking explosive tag.
Zaheela immediately was on her feet as the blast sent Tayuya flying backwards, a tad surprised at the power behind the blow. This could only mean that her opponent had a weakness against the divine arts or was an undead. She barely dodged the two flying kunai but caught sight of something tied to the end of the second blade. Whatever it was, she couldn't take chances. Zaheela let the mana fill her vocal cords and softly sang, "Oh lords of the world, I sing to you praises, I sing of your past glory, I sing of the fall of Mana. As she sang the tendrils of magic curled around whatever was on that piece of paper and aimed to destroy whatever magical or illusionary force may of lay within.
The blast detonated, an explosion aimed at taking out a small group of people, but ended up being contained, shattered, Tayuya didn't know. Point was, there was smoke, but there was no fire. Oh, fuck that. She followed through the smoke, bursting through the thin veil in a whirl of claw, teeth, horn, and whirling limbs, her metal flute, sturdily made, actually raised about her head to bash in a skull.
Raising her sword against the metal flute, the darksteel bit into the instrument, however not damaging it too much as she sidestepped out of the way. But it was not without damage as several cuts appeared on her arms. Zaheela began to hum a soft tune under her breath, the mana of the song filling her legs, lightening her steps, and as if she floated above the ground, seemed to speed up. She darted backward a great distance as she began to chant. "Goddess above, grant the power of your might to my hands. Fill the sky with your Holy power and rain upon the judgment of Heaven itself..."
Tayuya's legs, powerful, enhanced by the heightened chakra flowing through them, pushed her forward, not wanting to know what awaited at the end of those words, that chant.
The spell was far too close to completion to be stopped. ”Blesi Neyu. Greium halo Fallium! BANISHGA!” With the closing of the chant, the light quickly gathered above her and swirled over Tayuya's head, the power angry and barely contained before a sheet of holy power streaked downwards in a grand circle 16 feet wide. However Zaheela wasn't idle as the spell went off. True, as the caster, the magic would not affect her, but she couldn't take the chance of leaving an opening. She sung softly a song of power as she sprung forward, mere moments after the power had touched Tayuya's skin and let the killer intent of her sword begin to shine it's urge to bite into flesh.
The blast of whatever the fuck that was, Tayuya had no idea, did not like her curse seal. The mark burned, burned enough to make her wince, and she knew she had only one option in that regard. Push it. Like opening a floodgate, breaking a dam, the girl let the seal wash over her, pushing off the effects of the spell with a burst of chakra, dodging one blade swing, two, three... ah, a fourth. The sword sliced smoothly along her shoulder, biting in and lodging against bone. Wouldn't feel that till later. But even better, feral eyes caught an opening, straight to the middle, and with a final push she threw her head forward, the weight of the heavy horns driving through fabric and skin. Four forward facing horns punching through the abdomen and lodging. She felt something break under the pressure, and smiled, stopping herself from twisting her neck and spilling the girl's innards. This was hers.
Zaheela had lost, that she was sure. She had been sure of it when the feeling of something foreign tearing through thin skin had rippled through her. To an outsider or the untrained eye, it would of appeared to be a draw, Zaheela's blade in position to be twisted and sever arm from torso. But such actions required her to life her blade upwards once more and hit the spot in the same exact place, a incredibly difficult thing to do in a situation like this. With a bloodied chuckle, she smiled. If she was not a bard, which was more suited to playing the support pillar of a group, and her dark knight, a warrior bred solely to kill, perhaps this battle would of ended differently.
"Very well played, I admit my utter defeat to your skills. Now, will you honor me with my life so that we may fight again, under far more pleasurable circumstances, or will you end my life like a warrior?" She asked, her eyes stern and willing to accept whatever came.
Tayuya's only response was a snarl at first, fighting her curse seal for control. The fight was evident, the seal bared on her neck pulsing, enlarging and shrinking as she tried to push it back. The seal said move. Rip her guts out. But her senses said stop, no more enemies yet. Finally, she spoke. "I don't do mercy killings." She ripped her horns from the girl's abdomen, but out the way they'd come, doing no... further damage. The sword she simply shrugged out of her flesh, stepping back and looking down at herself with a smile even as she twitched and shuddered, still trying to suppress her seal. Ah, but covered in blood she'd made the garments, as promised.
Falling to the ground, Zaheela simply laughed at her response. A proper response, but for now, she had to ensure that she would survive more then a few minutes or two. Natural healing took care of the smaller cuts, but the large ones, they needed tending to.
It was a good thing that cure spells had incredibly short casting phrases. Lifting a hand to press against her chest, she shakily took a breath before murmuring "Kuethi". A soft glow erupted from under her palm and rush into her body, giving much needed mana to the heavily bleeding wounds. She repeated the chant three times, each time a pulse of light flowing into the wounds. It was clearly visible that this potent magic was closing the wounds, but she had chosen to only apply enough magic to stay alive. She glanced up once she felt she was in no danger.
"Would you like me to assist you with your own wounds?
"Oh, I can already promise you that. It was very pleasurable indeed to fight one as strong as yourself... However, I shall tell you a little something about myself." Zaheela leaned against a nearby tree, silently casting less powerful healing spells to reduce the stress upon the newly forming cells. She glanced down at her garment, covered in her own blood. Pity, while she hated how restricting it was, it looked rather expensive. A sakura petal fluttered down against her ear, like a butterfly against a flower. "This is not meant to be used in the role of an killer. It is a supporting job, but I have also mastered the class of a Dark Knight, a blood thirsty, power hungry role where one does not care about life in any form. Which... would prove to be far more challenging then I am now."
"It will be a while before I am able to wear that armor, however, but do keep in mind, I look forward to our next fight." She pondered for a moment before closing her eyes. She was tired and sore, but she couldn't fall asleep now. "Your music was very enchanting, and potent too. You are a master at your art..." She trailed off, grimacing but making no move to try and stop the proud young killer.
"So I am." Tayuya gave only that response, turning her head slightly, slinging blood from her horns, to give a smirk before she walked off, raising one hand in a half-hearted wave. Next time would be even better.