The sun began to set on Fiore, its shining rays becoming once more obscured. Soon enough, the moon would take over the world for another night, clouds few and far between thanks to the gorgeous Spring weather keeping storms at bay. Not that Tomoe disliked storms, but simply enjoying less demanding weather was nice now and again. More importantly, he wished to push his magic to its limit and see what it could truly be capable of. He had been testing it out, but felt as if there was something more slumbering within. Tome himself had been practicing with his magic for hours beforehand, slashing and controlling his swords to strike at precise segments of trees and boulders to gauge how much control over his magic he had. It was finely tuned control and lent itself well to his commands, but there was still a crucial element missing to it. Lack of power, perhaps? He needed... more.

It was as the sun was setting that the Joyan was expecting a fellow member of his guild, Masami, to join him. He had invited the boy out into these mountainous paths of the Smuggler's Steps to hunt down bandits and wanted criminals, bringing back their leaders either alive or dead. Tomoe had been resting his mana for the past thirty minutes, sitting on a rock with a bottle of rum and a lantern, overlooking the paths before them. It was going to be a long night, Tomoe knew that much; and he was ready to raise some hell in order to make the night even longer if need be. Anything he could do in order to realize his magic's true potential, he would do.

---

[S] Caelum Bloodline Sword: 282/2,400 (40% reduction)

"Right!" Masami had finally prepped himself for a meeting with the guild master, somewhere in Myras. He wasn't so familiar of the location, all he knows is that in fact, just like as everyone knows, Smuggler's Steps is filled with bandits. From Avvar Mountains, since the marauders have left it and probably had no where else to go inside Myras, Masami assumed that they'd be lurking in this current venue. Nothing to worry about, does Masami need to bring out another great spider? He wasn't supposed to joke about it, else he'll get his butt immediately kicked to the next town. But, having depended his safety unto someone older and more experienced, Masami had nothing to worry about.

He wasn't taught to willingly hunt criminals without a quest form, that was odd and even questionable. Masami had nothing else on hand (and mind) except the mask he found back in the mountains, which he even took effort in polishing it and making it look brand new. Apparently, he didn't know he could breathe fire through it, yet, which is why the mask was arranged by the side of Masami's face. Other than that, there was no other preparations – still wearing comfortable, warm garments and an overcoat for the cold weather, then wooden sandals that allow Masami to move however he wanted. On the way to Smuggler's Steps, he would immediately spot the red-headed guild master from afar, therefore immediately speeding up for an approach.

Apparently, a bit too high for Masami to reach, so he simply stood somewhere Tomoe could see him as he waved his hands in the air to grab his attention. The lantern's light had made him quite easy to spot for Masami, so he didn't need to shout and call peoples' names in the middle of the night. He smiled brightly as well, tip-toeing a little in response to that.

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Tomoe was still in thought when his peripherals caught side of movement. Despite being in the darkness with only the lantern at his side to light his way, he saw the figure of Masami perfectly from above. Due to the supernatural powers granted to him by the celestial body that shone in the night sky, the moon itself, the Joyan was able to see perfectly in the dark as if it were daylight. He wasn't a vampire - or at least not anymore - but that didn't stop him from continuing to possess some of their traits, it seemed. Alongside perfect vision, the other thing that it seemed carried over from his vampiric days was perfect silence. As he dropped from the rock he was atop, lantern in hand gliding with him like an oversized firefly, there was no sound once his feet touched the ground. Odd yet convenient, such things were fantastic for training his magic under unconventional circumstances; and more importantly, it was fantastic for a good hunt.

"Sorry to get ya on short notice, but it's sorta important.", Tomoe finally spoke as he approached Masami, handing the boy the lantern once they had come face to face.

The crimson cutthroat pointed up the mountain path he had been standing by, and then turned back to Masami afterwards.

"The town's been sufferin' a right awful dickin' lately at the hands of the bandits and shitheads hiding out around here. We ain't gonna be heroes about it and solve their whole problem for free, that just ain't good business for us nor is it good for our lifespans.", Tomoe started, adjusting the straps keeping his sword attached to a belt on the left of his waist before continuing.

"But the least we can do is go in and shove a rod up their asses. 'Cause that's what guys like us gotta do sometimes, Masami. Shove things in places where normal people are too scared to shove 'em, to the kind of people that need a good shovin'. Get me?"

After finishing his explanation, Tomoe hoped that his rhetoric had given Masami the motivation and clarity he needed to perform well. Truth be told, beneath it all, the swordsman just wished for an opportunity to practice his magic to its fullest and beyond on targets that wouldn't get him arrested for injuring if he "accidentally" went overboard.

At that, a sword materialized with a blue light in Tomoe's left hand, and then seven more a meter above him. He then gestured to Masami to follow, and began making his way up the steep and narrow paths that made up the Smuggler's Steps while keeping his blades summoned. It was an exercise in endurance for him as much as it was one in power and precision. How long could he maintain the power of Caelum's portable armory? Such a question was one that he needed a clear answer to as much as anything else.

"Keep your eyes open, Masami. These people are masters of subtlety and misdirection."

And at that moment, a mere 15 meters ahead of the duo, a balding middle-aged man would jump from a nearby rock into view, wearing only ragged pants and a spiked club. He screamed as if he were possessed, his cries undoubtedly echoing throughout the mountain.

"Shit.", Tomoe blurted out, swapping the summoned sword from his left hand into his right with a quick toss and preparing for battle in a low, crouched stance with the remaining seven swords above him pointed towards the man.

---

[S] Caelum Bloodline Sword: 746/2,400 [40% reduced]

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Without further ado nor any questions asked, Masami simply took the lantern that was handed out to him. He didn't even wonder why, he just realized that it was already in his hand when his guild master, Tomoe Tanaka, was finally explaining the scenarios and giving information regards their current venue. 'Oh my god, it was me.' when the Joyan boy recalled flashbacks regards what happened previously in Avvar Mountains, he knew exactly that the cause of town's problems were the marauders from the mountains, which Masami ticked off by having some giant great spider chase them down to the point of never going back. As expected, they had to look for somewhere else to stay – as expected, they had to look for something else to pester! "Right!" with energy, Masami put on a face of determination and nodded right after Tomoe completed a paragraph of enthusiasm. The blond believed that it had to be something that would raise the spirits of soldiers; considering how Masami didn't quite get it, he believed it was better to simply act like he did, hoping he wouldn't be asked to recall the previous statements.

How the boy did not know whether the meaning of those statements were literally or metaphorically, Masami found them scary and weird either way.

It was like watching a magic show. Masami definitely enjoyed peering to the sides to watch how his guild master uses his magic. He had a sense of both déjà vu and nostalgia, which immediately vanished when Masami came to the conclusion that he had seen this scene before. However, he doesn't seem to remember the rest. Was it the brain's mechanism of coping to delete memories of threatening pasts? Or maybe really nothing happened in the end; all Masami knows is that he wanted to leave Myras after meeting the known lich overlord once again, but that might not even happen anytime soon. "Woah." he audibly muttered this time, wanting to compliment the guild master regardless if he'd accept or ignore it. Masami simply wanted to praise people, just like that; the boy found himself gazing at the swords above them as they continue walking, the lantern held between both of his palms and relentlessly following the former.

He honestly wasn't so scared, having such perception that they'd win either way as long as Tomoe was there. However, heedless of the same thought, Masami's gaze immediately focused unto the source of the scream, even hearing the word Tomoe muttered out in response to this. "He must be calling the others." with some pride, he walked pass Tomoe until he was a meter in front of the guild master, northwest. He didn't exactly had a stance, but Masami already had his left pinky in front of the anticubital region of his right arm, having the left foot in front. By instinct, although he would much rather charge together before the rest would appear, he waited for the command of his companion. There was not much that he could do, but there was an idea that popped in his mind.

Masami instead raised both palms in the air and covered Tomoe's eyes. "It won't take long." then, he parted the middle and ring fingers, magic circles forming from the gap, which immediately subdued through the eyes of the target shortly after Masami relaxed his arms and placed his arms back down. He honestly wished that the red-head wouldn't panic for suddenly having their eyes covered like that, but at least it would do the job. "It might be more effective, the closer you are." the blond even lightly chuckled in the end, then focused his attention back to where it was before: the source of the scream.

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Tomoe stayed just long enough to receive what felt like an upgrade to his vision. It wasn't much, but there was a clear difference from moments before. His vision began to see heat in addition to its already existing ability to see in the dark. Not even an owl could see as well as him under the current circumstances; and owls did have fantastic vision, didn't they? Or did they? The Joyan couldn't remember in the moment, but more than that, he knew that he couldn't afford to get caught thinking about such things in the current moment. This was what he was waiting for, and wouldn't shy away from it now.

Another reason that he brought Masami along, a reason that he'd never say aloud, was that he'd have an ally so that he couldn't afford to hold back or take it easy. For how much he'd deny caring about those around him when pressed, he admitted to a degree of enjoyment for the members of Penumbral Guard. Whatever they thought of him, he thought that they were the kinds of people that shouldn't perish in untimely ways. Could that be considered to be "caring"? It didn't matter. The warrior known as Tomoe Tanaka wasn't a hero, that much was proven with how he handled things in the continuing few seconds of the conflict.

Tomoe lunged forward, clearing almost the entire distance between himself and the screaming insane person in the blink of an eye, the blades around him easily keeping pace. Taking another few steps forward towards the man with an assassin-like air of tranquility and a cold grin crossing his features, the crazy man began to swing wildly at Tomoe with his crude blunt object.

In two separate yet united movements, one of Tomoe's blades danced to intercept the club and block it before it could strike the Joyan while he swung with the conjured blade in his right hand. He aimed at the man's free left arm, while the telekinetic blade that blocked the club strike moved further up the crazy man's right arm and slashed at his right shoulder in a simultaneous movement. Both slashes landed, and both arms ceased to function, becoming noodly appendages with the consistency of al dente pasta more than limbs a living creature would use. To finish the assault, two more telekinetic blades slashed at the man's kneecaps, grounding him as he shrieked in pain.

This was how a Joyan warrior fought. Or was it? Was it the work of a ronin of Joya, or of a ruthless cultist? A guild master? He didn't know anymore. The intensity of the fight was still as intense as when he had first awoken this power against Rinni, and such a thought scared him internally. Even so, he wore the expression of one who was enjoying himself, returning the blades to the air above him in search of new prey. In addition to the man's shouts from the start, his screams of pain would inevitably draw even more of his friends to the fight. Bandits were ballsy bastards after all, and if the club guy wasn't just some drugged out bum, an entire tribe would be upon the Penumbral Guard mages soon enough.

Tomoe returned to Masami, magic still active and draining mana as usual. The upside to the magic was that it never drained more mana than it needed to in order to stay manifested, even with the most vicious and well-coordinated attacks with the swords. It was consistent, if nothing else, and that was something Tomoe enjoyed from time to time.

"Hey, kid. Let's keep goin', yeah? And keep alert. We'll fight them as they come. This is a night to kick some ass, after all. And I think ya can do that. I got faith, y'know?"

With that, Tomoe continued further along the path until they came to a fork in the road. While pondering which direction to take, Tomoe half-turned to Masami, not making eye contact.

"Oh, and uh... thanks. For the spell, that is. It was alright."

---

[S] Caelum Bloodline Sword: 1,377/2,400 (40% reduced)

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"Mhm." Masami calmly nodded, still holding the lantern with two hands as he peeked through the front, gazing at the lunatic who was now apparently immobile. He slightly forgot how amazed he was when he was watching Tomoe fight, it was the type of fighting everyone wanted to see in the theater, and even Masami was trained to wield a sword just for the act. It wasn't anything special, Masami was aware that real fighting is much more... cooler? The guild master knew how to wield his swords and that wasn't anything they could simply see in Masami's hometown in Joya, but all of these didn't feel so new. While looking directly at Tomoe's face, Masami didn't know what face to make anymore. His empathetic side wanted Masami to believe that the guild master was simply hiding the stress with a smile so that Masami would catch up, while the other side, out of many sides, believed that fighting like this should be fun. Remember the first time they encountered, and Masami sarcastically asked if they really loved to fight in the guild? The same person who asked the question from before was now thinking if that really was the case. He didn't say anything else apart from that

They walked pass the previous lunatic, now Masami had gotten himself a good look at the same person... could they be possessed? What was the use of that screaming? Although he simply followed the track, right behind the guild master, Masami couldn't avoid but look back on the lunatic, which now is a corpse. 'We just leave it like that?' back then, they tried hard not to leave any sort of track, so disposing the bodies were a task but... just like that? Tomoe is fine with that? 'Is it because they were criminals? But then...' the boy halted, letting the former continue his walk as Masami walks back, his wooden sandals humming through the beats of his footsteps. The Joyan boy stopped in front of the corpse, taking a good look by deep-squatting, his thighs resting on the lower legs. He didn't say anything else, lifting the lantern in front of him, in front of the corpse. It was going to smell bad, but he heedlessly raised the left pinky, the usual magical circle forms in front. Masami would never get tired of seeing the same sight over and over again.

Woosh. For love, mercy, and justice. It was a draining thing to do – the Joyan boy wasn't used to using magic... at least, not this way. Masami made his distance after letting the fire take-over the first part, the dripping liquid touching the tips of his overcoat and painting the wooden soles red. It smelled normal, like meat, from the butcher's, but very similar to lambs, sacrificial lambs to be specific. The gods wouldn't like the smell of this burn offering, so he ran back to Tomoe after all these, because then the sinner would deteriorate into ashes and become forever gone. With magic, the fire will last as long as Masami does. Unfortunately, Masami didn't get to hear the thanks except the last words, which slightly flustered him. Those things didn't matter to Masami, believing that he was simply doing his job. 'It's alright, his death was fated.' this didn't bother him slight bit, somehow used to it. There were hints of the court fire flashbacks, which Masami declined enough to dwell in it. A simple "it's alright" is enough to dry someone's guilt because someone would assure them, someone to depend on, and Masami had variations of the self to assure himself with.

The boy couldn't help but look back every time, the fire growing as much as a bonfire would grow, perhaps even bigger. The air was cold so the fire wasn't as high, Masami was slightly disappointed. "It's going to smell bad." that was one thing Masami was worried out, believing that scents often remain in the subconscious rather than actively staying in the visions. In a moment, the fire will be gone, and so as the corpse, then there'd be nothing to worry about. However, Masami's expectations granted him awareness regards the amount of friends the lunatic had, and altogether in the fire was... too much trouble, and too much tracks. Masami looked at Tomoe again, but he didn't seem to be the type to become cautious about hiding tracks and all... the boy wondered why. Characters like these are the most uninteresting because they've got nothing to hide, but the years of theater work had taught Masami that in all honesty, these types of people are the ones with many secrets. Tomoe was revealing himself; Masami being the judge of character, was slightly disagreeing regards the fact of how open that character trait was, and becoming too open, as much as Masami believed, is a big problem.

It honestly felt like cleaning up behind someone else's crimes, but Masami assured himself that it is alright due to trust. After a few seconds, the warmth from the back subsided, leaving only a pile of black residue with small sparks of flame in the ends. At least, this was how Masami described his last glance.

"It's getting awfully quiet, Tomoe." Masami had the urge to call the fellow "sir" instead, but chose the casual. He was worried that the sir would get awkward and question the sudden change of nicknames, then Masami wouldn't get clean information out of him if that happens. Simply using his intuition and wisdom from past experiences, he had the willingness to speak, but he merely was just guessing. "Usually..." the boy held the lantern on one hand, then the other would point towards the north, "over there," then the northeast, "then there," then suddenly, the west, right beside them, "over there." Although nothing happened right after Masami mentioned this, he was sure enough that he spotted one... or three, definitely more in the north, but that was still quite far away. Besides, he had faith that Tomoe had already sensed this – such as the view of a boy towards his guild master. But then it felt different, Masami didn't want to admit that he knew this however... he continued to expect that he won't get hurt. Perhaps the bandits watched the whole process, and prepared themselves to equalize the strength in gap? This was bad, and Masami also wasn't even so sure how these formation works in the shadows. He instead said something else. "Do not blink." such as the language of the Joyan.

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---

Masami had begun to burn the body. Tomoe could tell as much without even looking back to it with the smell of burning meat filling the vicinity. Truthfully, Tomoe had taken care to try to avoid killing the man with his attacks. He almost felt the need to point this out, but decided against it. After all, whether Masami had unintentionally finished off an opponent that would have lived otherwise, or if Tomoe had underestimated the man's durability when his flesh was pitted against steel? That was irrelevant, at the end of the day. It was too late either way, with the man already burning without resistance. If he wasn't dead before, he certainly would be soon, eyes closed and body unresponsive as his body began to become shrouded in flames.

Tomoe would normally care about such things as body removal, but during training he was more lax about those sorts of things. To train meant admitting that one was still imperfect, and following that line of thinking, one needed to acknowledge that they were also a far cry from being worthy of the title of "master" of anything. Arrogance produced from gaining titles and recognition, and nothing more. Titles like royalty, nobility, guild master, saint or lord... none of it truly meant anything as long as all who held such titles could still bleed and needed to eat, sleep and shit. Regardless, body removal in this situation ironically meant that more attention would come their way, as in addition to the screams and the lantern in near complete darkness, there was now also a fire being started behind them. It was time to be more alert.

It had been years since Tomoe had last heard someone speak proper Joyan out loud. It was a language that he himself had largely abandoned over time, having no need of it in Fiore for the most part. In this case though, it was definitely something that could be useful. Being from a life of crime and before that a life of farming, his Joyan was of a rougher dialect compared to his Fiorian which was learned formally. Despite this, he did know how to speak it fluently, and responded in kind in his native language.

"Yeah, I gotcha. They're gonna close in from all sides, probably. There's some we can't even see yet, I bet. Our lantern is giving our location away.", Tomoe spoke in Joyan, looking at the lantern in Masami's hand and then at the boy himself, and smiled.

"And that's exactly what we want. Keep it well lit. This'll be good practice.", Tomoe finished, retracting his seven telekinetic blades to slowly spin in a circle a meter above him while he looked about, acting as if he couldn't see the approaching bandits.

For a former being of the night, a shade who preyed on the blood of the unsuspecting and commanded dominance over those who walked beneath the moon, pointing out the approaching bandits from above on the cliffs was as easy as seeing them in daylight as he spotted them approach in his peripherals. As he took note of each brigand, he quietly mouthed their locations in Joyan combined with subtle finger gestures in the hopes that Masami would understand the information that was being revealed.

After another moment, Tomoe was slightly caught off guard by the presence of a man on the Western flank that hung over a small rocky outgrowth just above the two guild mages, no more than fifteen meters above them and looming like a demonic shadow. Was he there a moment earlier? No, he couldn't have been. It would have been obvious if he was. Regardless, the figure descended upon realizing that he had been found out, a scimitar in his hands.

"Eat steel, you goddamn hellspawn!", the figure shouted out as he quickly rocketed towards Tomoe specifically.

Shit., Tomoe thought, caught off guard enough that his swords had stopped spinning for a brief moment, paused in surprise.

The man had fallen through the security of the blades, less than a meter away from Tomoe himself who was beginning to raise the eighth Caelum sword in his hand to defend himself. It wouldn't be fast enough.

When the man had closed to half a meter in range, something strange happened. For a brief moment, the outline of a ninth sword appeared directly in front of Tomoe, tip pointed towards the descending attacker. In midair, the man seemed to kick off of thin air and jump backwards in a split second's hesitation. Just as he landed from his jump, the mirage of a ninth sword disappeared after its brief conjuration, leaving nothing but cold night air in its place. Even Tomoe was surprised, not expecting that more swords within Caelum's magical armory could exist.

The man was in full view now, having retreated from the imaginary ninth sword and now standing two meters away from Tomoe and Masami with his scimitar held out in defense. He was in full view in the lantern light now, appearing to be a middle-aged human man with a worn leather duster and a shaved head with many scars along it. His hands shook for a second before becoming as firm as a trained warrior, his eyes reflecting that of a man with nothing left to lose.

"You took everything from me, hellspawn. Just when my life was becoming one worth living again, you took everything from me!", he exclaimed with heated passion, Tomoe looking on at him in confusion as to who the man was or what the connection was.

Nevertheless, the Joyan warrior raised his Caelum blade as the other seven blades began to once more spin a meter above him. Their speed was more rapid now, creating gusts of wind as they circled, knowing full well that this unexpected twist of fate would put more of a wrench into the situation than Tomoe had thought.

"You're gonna need to fight too, kid.", Tomoe muttered to Masami in Joyan, his eyes still not leaving sight of the mysterious new swordsman; it was obvious that in addition to this new arrival, the bandits seen approaching earlier would quicken their pace as well.

---

[S] Caelum Bloodline Sword: 2,336/2,400 (40% reduced)

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There were supposedly the same number of people, or at least shadows, from the west. Did Masami guess wrong? That would be quite embarrassing if it was the case. "Of course." he muttered back, slightly drawing closer to the actual fighter of tonight. Masami was merely an audience, kind of, that was the only thing he thought of himself whilst everything ongoing. The boy continued to believe that the things (or the people) he felt were more than the average, anybody would assume that there'd be a lot more. Perhaps Masami just sensed the marauders from Avvar Mountains for being quite 'familiar' with them. Convinced that this was the case, Masami held the lantern closer to himself and Tomoe, even if he wasn't so used to exposing himself like this. Hiding behind either masks, curtains or shadows – plainly walking around like this, the lantern obviously making the both more illuminated. "What were you thinking?" Masami asked with a brow raised up in curiosity, sighing after as he slightly complained at the back of his mind, "I get that they are guilty, but..." to give yourself away just like that? Before Masami could continue, he was signaled such a command, perhaps an order? Or simply a signal, but surely there was a person who charged right at Tomoe.

Masami was sure of this because he felt his heart skip a beat for being startled, and he felt that Tomoe was all surprised the same. Unlike others, time definitely did not feel like stopping at any moment now for Masami. It wasn't the right time to praise himself for being correct, too, but he definitely wished that he wasn't at some point. Sometimes, people predict things and hoped that they weren't right themselves. That was the exact situation that describes Masami, who apparently pushed himself away from both the man and Tomoe, creating a meter distance or so. The new swordsman had been shouting lines as if they were a part of a script, slightly making Masami suspicious. However, because of the recent disposed man, Masami was immediately convinced that it was another lunatic, but as an actor, that often wasn't the case. The blond knew that he didn't have time to think this out, so in response to the sight, he made an attempt by casting another spell, but then had his neck dragged by a thread... literally.

It was as if it was trying to slice Masami's neck, but the boy found this oddly better than a rope, finding some sort of familiarity towards it. The thread merely dragged him further then immediately releasing him, so that his feet would once again meet the ground but the lantern was no longer in his palms. Met by another rogue who made an attempt by striking Masami's abdomen, the boy's response to this was to immediately strike the rogue's wrist sideways with the opposite arm, then grabbing it for a pull – it was simply a self-defense taught in the theater, Masami didn't even expect it to work. With a knee, he jabbed this unto the rogue's abdomen when he lost balance, then Masami simply pushed him off, making another meter distance. The blond would immediately strike glances left and right, trying to see how far his guild master was, but he was definitely taking his fun time. 'There are still three more in my south, why are they only watching?' this thought made a strike upon Masami's mind after making a slight glance upwards, then immediately turning their focus unto the rogue, who was suddenly right in front of him.

As if aiming for Masami's eyes, the boy's response to this was to pull himself out as he turned away, trying to avoid this sort of pain. Although he had his cheekbone poked instead, causing him to slightly flail backwards due to the impact, Masami used the opposite arm to grab the rogue's offensive wrist, dragging it sideways so that Masami could make a kick straight to the rogue's jaws. Immediately after, he released him and made another kick with the opposite foot after landing the first one, pushing the rogue away. Now that they have some distance, Masami could finally see that the rogue wasn't so tough-looking, and was merely covered in thick cloth that made him look quite intimidating. "Were you forced unto this?" it honestly felt like this rogue was being the weak scapegoat to the stronger, maybe the others were simply audiences who gave out their weak members, getting them beaten up for the fun of it. Right on time, Masami ran back to Tomoe, who wasn't so far away, and stood right behind him as the boy faces the opposite direction. "I will." he said in response to the mutter, wearing the theater mask properly right in front of the boy's face.

When his skin touched the inner part, it felt like it was being ripped off, but Masami had somewhat assumed that this would be logical, purely basing the thought through intuition. Five-meters away was the previous rogue who was down on the floor, who was standing right back up again, who was now... Masami had only realized now, but the said rogue appeared to have strings attached to his joints. The lantern right in the middle of the two somehow illuminated the strings at its' best, Masami was facing this as Tomoe faced the opposite side. "They are using a lot of mana for this." in other words, their enemy was using magic. "The puppet master is not in our venue, perhaps the rest of the rogues that surround us are mere puppets, waiting for their turn?" Masami had no longer used any spells at the moment, trying to think of a way to reveal the source of these. Perhaps their enemies weren't so many, after all.

"How do you do?" Masami wasn't even trying anymore to think of a way to reveal the assassin mage, not finding any more reason to fight it. He had a stance where he could easily blow through the pinky finger, but that was the rest of it. "Perhaps... they were also looking for entertainment, after all?" in short, they must've been toying with the two Joyans. "Why is it that the lunatic despises you, oh so much?" Still, the masked blond's voice slightly echoed, but the mask somehow did not muffle his voice at all. The puppet rogue, now revealed to be a controlled human corpse, wasn't moving from his location at all. Masami found this an opportunity to ask such question, hoping to get some direct answers from his guild master. Dark pasts may exist, but Masami's high view over the guild's description did not allow him to doubt everyone's intentions at all. So, why is it that?

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Tomoe largely ignored the words of his fellow as he continued to hold the gaze of the shadowy swordsman. The scarred warrior was entirely unforgiving in his demeanor, bearing a deep grudge towards the crimson cutthroat for a reason that was not immediately obvious. The word, "hellspawn" rang out, and Tomoe descended into a thousand thoughts at once in that next moment before remembering that back when he was still a vampire, hunters would often call him by that very name. It unsettled him, that someone from his past could both track him down and then discover his identity despite changing his entire appearance since then.

The Joyan warrior would think to himself that this was a bad situation to be caught in, and would need to retreat immediately. It was in this thought that the scimitar-wielding man charged towards Tomoe and slashed for his throat. With a swift step to his right and a parry to the left from one of the telekinetic Caelum swords, Tomoe avoided a strike and positioned the man in a place he'd rather see him. It was in that moment when Tomoe realized Masami was locked in a battle with what appeared to be puppet corpses... corpse puppets? The terminology didn't matter, the truth of it did. The bandits were more fearsome enemies than initially thought, turning out to not be bandits at all but rather some kind of magically controlled corpses.

Disgusting., Tomoe thought, watching the dead men move about; it wasn't the corpses themselves that put Tomoe off, but rather the lack of humanity needed for somebody to do such a thing in the first place.

Ignoring his own hypocrisy, Tomoe decided that his only option was to go all-out. There were puppets that seemed to lurk behind in the shadows, and such a thing was not only troublesome, but ominous. The implication was that they might perhaps give chase if the guild mages were to flee. Yet as the swordsman began to dodge the crimson cutthroats Caelum blades one after another and the puppets were closing in, the situation felt more and more cramped by the moment. With the lingering threat of reinforcements, they would be overwhelmed before long. This wasn't good, that much was clear.

It was then that the image of the imaginary ninth blade crept into the Joyan's mind as the battle raged on. There was nothing else to it - he had to replicate that very same twist of fate once more. As the scimitar man closed in faster and faster, twisting, rolling, jumping and blocking to enter melee range against Tomoe while the threat of puppets was constantly looming, the crimson cutthroat would need to draw deep.

A single extra sword wouldn't suffice. Caelum's most prized magic was capable of far more than that. No, its armory contained more than nine swords. That much was obvious to Tomoe, who had carried the feeling for a while now that he hadn't yet awoken to its full potential even as far as quantity was concerned. It was pitiful, how little he knew about magic. But if he couldn't perform quality magic, he would make up for it with overwhelming quantity.

"As successor of Caelum Sword Magic and as a Murakumo family swordsman both, I..."

Tomoe stood tall with a relaxed stance as the scimitar man once more closed to be within a meter of the Caelum mage with a sprint in his step.

"...Cast you out!", Tomoe finished with his eyes wide and fiery, a brief glimpse of something deeper within as if a world lingered within his gaze, before being replaced by a more normal glint of passion a half-second later.

Yet his magic did not falter. A ninth blade appeared to block the scimitar man's strike once again. Not good enough. More...!, Tomoe thought, his eyes almost becoming beastlike for a moment with his desire to consume the enemy before him.

A ninth sword was not enough for the man who would desire strength above all who would challenge him. He didn't need a very powerful weapon if he could have many weaker weapons. Bombard. Crush. Rip. Destroy. Emotions of bestial rage boiled within Tomoe, being let out with a guttural howl of pain as more swords began to form from thin air. A tenth sword. An eleventh sword...

It continued until the total reached sixteen swords in all, minus the one in Tomoe's hand. Fifteen telekinetic swords, one in hand, the Joyan pressed the advantage of surprise that he had towards the stunned and frozen scimitar man. All at once, swords slashed away at the man from all sides. A tempest of iron surrounded him like a whirlwind, unable to defend against the sheer number of weapons hacking away at him from all sides.

In a moment of clarity, Tomoe stops before drawing enough blood to kill the man. He withdrew his swords and kicked the man into a rock, sending him spiraling into unconsciousness. During this whole process, Tomoe had lost track of what Masami had been doing, but quickly moved his vision to find the boy once more. He would create a wall of steel between Masami and the puppets assaulting him, blocking them off and allowing an escape.

"We'll figure this shit out later! Let's get outta here, for now!", Tomoe shouted in Joyan, no fear in his face but clearly surprised at the magic he had just drawn out; he had grown fatigued from the release of unexpected energy, and knew that despite his increase in power it wouldn't last.

Tomoe needed time to rest and recuperate, and that couldn't be done in the heat of battle. Using his swords to fend off any puppets that pursued as he fled, Tomoe would run until he was back in town.

---

[S] Caelum Bloodline Sword: 2,400/2,400 (40% reduced) Trained

Stats:

Equipment:

Mana/Spells:

- Exit -

'Murakami...?' not that Masami was even aware of the family name, but he had only ever learned what Tomoe's last name only now. Nevertheless, two to four more corpse puppets jumped from the sides and directly at Masami. No joke, they were definitely trying to attack Masami more than they were regards Tomoe. Did they realize that they were no match for the Penumbral Guard's guild master, that they chose to attack Masami instead? 'I mean... Tomoe was certainly being too astonishing.' Immediately after the three puppets landed a meter away from Masami in multiple directions, Masami leaped backwards to create another meter distance, just in time after Tomoe left his spot. Then, using a pinky, he created a magical circle and blew through it with the intention to attack at least two of the puppets, but something else came out. The magical circle did not disperse into fire, but it was as if Masami breathed fire instead...?

It was quick, and powerful. Masami has not seen this before, but the fire had already blew the targeted puppets away, having half their bodies burned. However, when they dropped down to the ground, the threads continued to control them. 'I did not even get my questions answered.' with the thought, he sighed and got his abdomen jabbed by a fast, causing Masami to knock back and become immobile as he tries to react over the pain.

Thus, he moved the mask to the side once more and created a magic circle over the left pinky finger for the second time, then blew through it. The fire directly appeasing the rogue who attacked Masami, so he was getting fire in return. 'They do not even smell good.' he had to cover his nose with the overcoat's sleeve upon realizing this, he should've recognized it sooner. These were bodies of dead people, so Masami should have realized that they simply had to smell unappealing. Masami wanted to watch Tomoe's sword fighting magic, as watching real fights was better than being fixated upon theaters. After all, Masami could learn how to imitate Tomoe for later on theatrical uses, but these annoying puppets were not tired at all, thanks to that thread cleanly wrapped around their joints, controlling them.

When all four of the burnt puppets tried charging in on Masami, he had prepared himself by a stance that would perhaps protect him the moment the puppets reached the boy. However, before they could even finally draw their swords and fists to attack, swords had surprised Masami by stationing themselves right in front of the boy, as if defending him. Assuming that it was Tomoe's swords, Masami felt at ease and ran away, leaving the swords and the rogues from their position. He followed like a chick following their mother hen, in which Tomoe would be the mother hen, finally allowing himself to breathe.

Active Spells (-125 MP):

Stats: